Showing results by author "Mary Stone" in All Categories

Armed with fleeting clues as the number of victims pile up, Autumn is sure of only one thing...unless she and the team can stop her, their spider will suck her sweethearts fatally dry. And this time, as the team goes undercover, it could be one of their own. Autumn’s Break, the second book in Mary Stone’s Autumn Trent Series, is a riveting psychological murder mystery that will leave you second-guessing every single person you meet.

Sheriff Rebecca West knows she’s being watched. She’s seen the same car parked along the road—always at a distance, always watching. Even more concerning, the man with damning evidence against the senator tied to her parents’ deaths claims he’s being followed too.

Dr. Autumn Trent returns to Virginia after successfully assisting the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit yet again. Part of her heart remains in Florida with her long-lost sister whose trail has evaporated, but she moves forward to focus on her work as a forensic and criminal psychologist. Intent on doing just that, she heads to Virginia State Hospital, where the prodigy of The Preacher awaits her return. Justin Black becomes the least of her worries when a new case practically falls in Autumn’s lap.

This killer is setting the world on fire. One house at a time. Special Agent Amelia Storm thought she’d seen the darkest corners of humanity after facing a killer who exploited social media to broadcast his twisted “message.” But her latest case in the FBI Violent Crimes Unit plunges her into a new nightmare—one that catapults her from the frying pan into the fire. Literally. In the dead of night, an affluent Chicago neighborhood becomes a hellscape as an arsonist claims an entire family, leaving nothing but charred remains and unanswered questions. This is no isolated incident.

The path to power is paved with blood. In the wake of a landmark election on Shadow Island, the tide of power is set to turn. Newly elected Sheriff Rebecca West stands ready to dismantle the Yacht Club’s ruthless grip over the island. And she isn’t alone. She has her team as well as the newly elected chair of the Select Board by her side. But victory comes at a perilous cost. The ballots have barely been counted when tragedy strikes. The new Select Board Chair’s life hangs by a thread after a deliberate sabotage turns her victory drive into a fight for survival.

There’s never a dull moment on Shadow Island, especially for its small but growing sheriff’s department. This time, Sheriff Rebecca West, along with new deputy Viviane Darby, discover a man hanging from the rafters of the caretaker’s shed at Oceanview Cemetery.

A crayon drawing of guns and "nakid notty girls" by her client’s five-year-old daughter hints at the wealthy and powerful father’s depraved activities. When the man in question warns Winter off the investigation, he reeks of cunning. But she has no hard facts, only impressions. And with no FBI badge to open doors, she needs to get creative.

A local man has fatally overdosed on fentanyl at the ice cream parlor after polishing off a salted caramel cone. No history of drug use, no needles, no signs of addiction—only a body filled with poison. Rebecca suspects something far worse than a tragic accident. But how does fentanyl find its way into a dessert? When a father and his two children are poisoned by fentanyl after eating at a local diner, Rebecca comes to a startling realization. A sadistic killer is playing a dangerous game of chance, turning routine moments into fatal traps.

Shadow Island lore insists that anyone who steps in the shadow cast onto the old witch’s cottage is cursed. But when two bodies are discovered inside the cottage, their heads arranged in a ghastly tableau, Rebecca is more concerned about the real monsters—the human ones who’d commit such an atrocious murder.

As the Shadow Island Historical Society prepares to raise funds to restore the island’s beloved lighthouse, someone else has other lethal plans. Instead of the presentation the group hopes for, they attract the attention of a madman claiming the historic monument is his family legacy before firing several shots and barricading the doors. Now, one hostage is dying and the rest fear for their lives. Interim Sheriff Rebecca West is no hostage negotiator, but she’ll do whatever it takes to ensure the elderly captives are safely released.

Twelve hours earlier, Interim Sheriff Rebecca West was enjoying a casual lunchtime burger. Now she’s preparing for a hurricane headed straight for Shadow Island. While hauling sandbags and calming town officials, the last thing she needs is a stunned man stumbling into the sheriff’s department. Covered in blood.

The late Sheriff Alden Wallace has barely been laid to rest when another body is found on Shadow Island. Once again, former FBI agent turned interim sheriff Rebecca West’s vacation plans will have to wait. This time, the victim is the son of one of Shadow Island’s privileged elite. Found gruesomely posed at a picnic table in the park—suffocated, choked, and shot, with a cryptic note shoved in his pants—his death is as personal as it is disturbing.

In her new role with the Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit, Special Agent Amelia Storm is ready to focus on new types of crimes—ones that aren’t mob related. She didn’t, however, expect her first case to take her to rural Illinois, where the tranquil waters of Lake Henry have been guarding a grim secret. Three corpses...and that’s just the beginning. Among the deceased are two recent victims, a young couple last seen camping in the nearby wilderness preserve. A third, a grim echo from years past, is a set of bones picked clean and left to whisper secrets of an older, darker crime.

Just a few short months ago, Sheriff Rebecca West thought her toughest battles were behind her. But nothing could have prepared her for the turmoil she’s faced since coming to Shadow Island. Attempts on her life. Heartbreak. Betrayal. And that’s just the beginning. The worst is yet to come. Still reeling from the shocking discovery of who’s behind Shadow Island’s exclusive and depraved "men’s" club, Rebecca is determined to take them down. There’s only one problem. One by one, the members end up dead. Tongues cut out, hands chopped off—the message is clear...

When a fisherwoman reports seeing a local young woman potentially assaulted or abducted, Shadow Island Sheriff Rebecca West’s heart constricts. The disappearance of three other girls in the span of a week can’t be a coincidence. But other than being about the same age, everything else about the girls and their mysterious disappearances are inconsistent. Besides, since all are legal adults with no jobs but plenty of nice things, it’s entirely possible they just took off on an impromptu vacation. Except none of the girls took their car. And no one is answering their phone.

Once an FBI special agent famed for locking up serial killers, Winter Black now finds herself on the other side of the law. Who would have guessed she’d be working on behalf of a potential killer as a private investigator? Her new client is undoubtedly a corrupt businessman who has swindled millions, but is he responsible for the chilling electrocutions of three people? Winter doesn’t think so.

Not all prizes are gifts...Special Agent Dr. Autumn Trent is relishing the moments after waking up next to Aiden Parrish when their romantic Sunday morning is cut short by a call from a friend. His niece has disappeared...along with two other teens in a picture-perfect Connecticut community in a case that's as perplexing as it is concerning. The teens are all strong students with privileged upbringings on the verge of graduating high school. Who would want to hurt them? And why? More importantly...who’s next?

Following the incident that brought justice to her parents’ killers but ended her career, former FBI Special Agent Rebecca West needs a fresh start. Hoping to find peace, she decides to spend a few months in the sleepy beach town of Shadow Island, where she spent idyllic summers as a kid. However, her vacation is cut short when a seventeen-year-old goes missing with no leads or clues. When the girl’s body is found in a nearby marsh with strangulation marks around her neck, Rebecca can’t say no when the overworked sheriff asks her to help investigate.

Former FBI agent Rebecca West came to Shadow Island to relax and clear her head, not step into a dead sheriff’s long worn shoes. Here she is, though, Interim Sheriff over a small department grieving for their boss and friend. But not for long. Before she can resign from the unwanted position, a little girl goes missing. On vacation with her parents, the eight-year-old was last seen outside her family’s vacation rental drawing on the sidewalk with a box of chalk.

Armed with a slew of advanced degrees and powerful intuition, forensic psychologist Dr. Autumn Trent is ready to conquer the world and touch the lives of its seven billion inhabitants. She’s prepared to fight for justice, right the wrongs...because she knows what it’s like to be wronged. As a child, a single blow from her father left her changed forever. Her body survived the aftermath, but her brain was altered in ways that were both good and bad.