Bøger af Kristine Mason

When a deranged mother's grief drives her to replace her dead son over and over, obsession leads to murder... Chicago detective Jessica Donavan will never stop looking for her missing daughter. Her obsession has destroyed her marriage, but the search is the only thing that helps keep her sane and her mind off of everything she's lost-her husband and her baby girl. When she uncovers a string of unsolved disappearances and reappearances of a number of baby boys, Jessica turns to her soon to be ex, Dante Russo, a former Navy SEAL turned investigator for the private agency, CORE, to help her fit together the pieces in this perplexing puzzle. But as Dante helps her, she realizes just how much she still craves his support-and his touch. Dante is still in love with his wife and would do anything to have her back in his life again. He's been miserable since she left him to deal with the grief over their daughter's abduction, never understanding how much he grieves as well. When Jessica tells him about the case she's working, he jumps at the chance to take part in her investigation. He's hoping not only to save their marriage and ease his personal pain over the loss of their daughter, but to stop a serial kidnapper from taking another victim. As Jessica and Dante work side by side, pregnant women begin to turn up missing or dead, and they start to uncover the consequences of another woman's unfathomable grief. The childless mother doesn't just want a baby. She wants a newborn straight from the womb. And when forced to confront the dark and twisted perversion of a mother's obsession, can Jessica and Dante find their lives again...or merely more death?

Welcome to Hell Week. You have seven days to find him... At Wexman University, male students will do anything to get into a top fraternity. They'll prove their worth during Hell Week by participating in various physical, psychological and even juvenile pranks. But those shenanigans aren't so funny when pledges start disappearing. What kind of evil has stalked this small Michigan university for the past two decades? Theories range from obscene scientific experiments to grotesque satanic killings...but they're all wrong. The murdered boys serve a single purpose...the ultimate revenge. Rachel Davis, forensic computer analyst for the private investigation agency CORE, has been itching to leave her desk behind and work in the field. When her brother Sean, a student at Wexman, is found beaten and his roommate kidnapped during Hell Week, she gets her chance. Only her boss insists former U.S. Secret Service Agent, Owen Malcolm, helps her with the investigation. Owen is the last person she wants on this assignment. She'd been secretly half in love with him for over four years, until the night he'd crushed her ego and destroyed her hopes for any kind of future with him. For his own reasons, Owen refuses to risk becoming involved with a coworker. Now that he and Rachel are stuck working side-by-side to solve this perverse investigation, he's having a hard time fighting his attraction to her...an attraction he's tried to deny from the moment they met. But time is ticking. They have seven days to find the missing pledge and catch a killer. Seven days before the body count rises and the pledge ends up another victim of Hell Week.

What happens when negligent plastic surgeons get a taste of their own medicine...? Chicago investigative reporter, Eden Risk, receives an unmarked envelope containing a postcard ordering her to watch the enclosed DVD...or someone else dies. No police. After Eden watches the DVD, a gruesome, horrifying surgery, she turns to the private criminal investigation agency, CORE, for help. Only she hadn't expected that help to come with a catch. Her former lover, Hudson Patterson, has been assigned to the case. Hudson would rather have another CORE agent handle the investigation. Two years ago, he'd screwed things up with Eden...bad. And as more DVDs arrive, Eden and Hudson find themselves not only knee-deep in a twisted investigation, but forced to deal with their past, and the love they'd tried to deny.

When the past collides with the present, the only way to ensure the future lies in the ultimate kill... Naomi McCall is a woman of many secrets. Her family has been murdered and she's been forced into hiding. No one knows her past or her real name, not even the man she loves. Jake Tyler, former Marine and the newest recruit to the private criminal investigation agency, CORE, has been in love with a woman who never existed. When he learns about the lies Naomi has weaved, he's ready to leave her-until an obsessed madman begins sending her explosive messages every hour on the hour. Innocent people are dying. With their deaths, Naomi's secrets are revealed and the truth is thrust into the open. All but one. Naomi's not sure if Jake can handle a truth that will change their lives. But she is certain of one thing-the only way to stop the killer before he takes more lives is to make herself his next victim.

Some secrets should remain locked in the past... Celeste Kain hasn't had a psychic vision in two years. After being brutally attacked while helping criminal investigation agency CORE stop a serial killer, her mind repressed her clairvoyant abilities. Married to CORE agent, John Kain, mother to their toddler, Olivia, and owner of an up-and-coming bakery, Celeste has been doing fine psychic-free. Only now the dead are using her body to tell their stories again...putting her new life and family at risk. Haunted by a murdered woman, Celeste turns to a psychic mentor to learn how to control her gift, protect her family and bring justice to the dead. But the more she digs into the dead woman's past, the further she slips into the unknown, unlocking secrets literally worth killing for. As the body count rises, it becomes clear: someone in the dead woman's family is deeply, violently wrong. And Celeste needs to be careful, before she loses something more precious to her than her life. Celeste Risinski, the heroine of Shadow of Danger (Book 1 CORE Shadow Trilogy), is back with her own series. Join her as she learns how to deal with being a wife, mom, baker and...psychic investigator.

When the hunter becomes the hunted...who will become the ultimate prey? CORE agent Lola Tam has two things on her mind, quitting her job as a criminal investigator and baking a frozen pie for Thanksgiving dinner without burning it. But a midnight call forces a change of plans. Her boss and future stepfather, Ian Scott, has been kidnapped from his Florida vacation rental-along with her mother. The kidnapper's plan? Drop Ian and her mom in the Everglades and hunt them like animals. Terrified for her mom, Lola takes the bait and travels to Everglade City, Florida where she's determined to end the hunt before it begins. Ryan Monahan, former Navy SEAL turned airboat captain is used to taking tourists through the Everglades, not guiding a sexy agent on a rescue mission. After spending years dealing with a past filled with guilt and regret, he needs a little action and adventure in his life-he needs to prove he could still be a hero. What he doesn't need? Falling for a woman he has no business wanting, especially when the hunt takes a deadly turn...

When is a kiss... After a series of bad relationships, Jenna Cooper wants a sex buddy-no-strings, no emotional involvement, and absolutely no expectations of commitment. She sets her sights on Luke Sinclair. A player and commitment-phobe, he'd make the perfect boy toy. Only Luke's tired of playing the scene and wants a serious relationship with Jenna, not a series of one-night-stands. ...More than a kiss? When Luke makes Jenna an offer she can't refuse, the sexual tension between them combusts and their emotional chemistry becomes too hard for Jenna to ignore. They both end up with more than either bargained for, especially when Jenna's wild past is exposed and threatens to tear their relationship apart. Now Luke will do anything to make things right between them, but knows it's going to take more than a kiss...

Four women have been found dead in the outskirts of a small Wisconsin town. The only witness, clairvoyant Celeste Risinski, observes these brutal murders through violent nightmares and hellish visions. The local sheriff, who believes in Celeste's abilities and wants to rid their peaceful community of a killer, enlists the help of an old friend, Ian Scott, owner of a private criminal investigation agency, CORE. Because of Ian's dark history with Celeste's family, a history she knows nothing about, he sends his top criminalist, former FBI agent John Kain to investigate. John doesn't believe in Celeste's mystic hocus-pocus, or in her visions of the murders. But just when he's certain they've solved the crimes, with the use of science and evidence, more dead bodies are discovered. Could this somehow be the work of the same killer or were they dealing with a copycat? To catch a vicious murderer, the skeptical criminalist reluctantly turns to the sensual psychic for help. Yet with each step closer to finding the killer, John finds himself one step closer to losing his heart.

Dealing with the dead is murder... Psychic Celeste Kain has two things on her mind, relaxing for a week in Florida with her husband, John, and making a baby. But a fishing trip turns her vacation into a nightmare when she reels in the body of a dead boat captain and accidentally unleashes an evil ghost who has one thing on his mind...revenge. As the dead boat captain haunts Celeste, she looks deeper into his past and discovers that his murderer had done the world a favor. The ghost tormenting Celeste doesn't see it that way and will go to any length to avenge his death. If Celeste won't give him what he wants, he will take over her body and use her as a weapon...to kill her husband. Celeste Risinski, the heroine of Shadow of Danger (Book 1 C.O.R.E. Shadow Trilogy), is back with her own series. Join her as she learns how to deal with being a wife, mom, baker and...psychic investigator.

Her husband is a killer... John Kain is possessed, trapped in his own body while an evil spirit takes over his life. But the sinister ghost isn't just interested in a second chance at life. He has a diabolical agenda, one that involves murdering John's family. Months ago, psychic Celeste Kain sent the dead 1920s gangster, Vigo Donati, to Hell. Or so she thought... When her husband becomes erratic, violent and out of control, she finds a hidden cache of prescription drugs and worries John has an addiction. Until a psychic vision shows Vigo killing a man. The coincidence is too much and she's convinced the gangster has taken control of John. With her family in danger and John's life at stake, Celeste needs to rid her husband of Vigo's spirit before he uses John's body to kill. Because if Vigo wins, she'll lose John forever...

What happens when you fall in love with the sister of the serial killer you're hunting? Something perfectly tortured... ATL agent Harrison Fairclough has one thing on his mind: stopping a serial killer. He knows who the man is, where he lives and who he's murdered. The problem? He can't prove Liam Forrester is a killer without exposing ATL-an agency that isn't supposed to exist. Needing to get close to Liam, and lead investigators to him before someone else dies, Harrison comes up with the perfect solution...he dates the serial killer's sister. Except his plan quickly derails once he meets the curvy physical therapist. He's drawn to her sensual smile, comes to crave her kisses and touch, until the body count rises. Kiera Forrester's schizophrenic brother, Liam, has occupied the past ten years of her life. He still does, so much that she's moved to Florida to watch over him. When she meets her new neighbor, Harrison, she's instantly attracted to the sexy web designer. But as their relationship heats up and Keira realizes she's falling in love with Harrison, she's afraid there's no future for them. The dark secrets of Liam's past can't be hidden away, especially when those secrets lead to murder...

Fear the living, not the dead... John Kain's wife, Celeste, has been abducted. With little evidence, the CORE investigator enlists the help of their clairvoyant, three-year-old daughter. He attempts to connect with Celeste through his preschooler, but he's left with more questions than answers, and even more fear. Using psychic visions, his little girl somehow takes him into the paranormal world and shows him the horror his wife is facing-if he doesn't find Celeste soon, he might never see her alive again. Celeste has woken to a living nightmare. Thirty-five years ago, a psychiatrist obsessed with the supernatural had kidnapped her psychic mother. Although her mom had survived, the twisted doctor had murdered five other people like her, and thanks to her mom's testimony, was sentenced to life in prison. Spurred by vengeance, the psychiatrist's son is determined to continue with his father's experiments, and he has a special room just for Celeste. With the help of the dead, Celeste is doing everything possible to save herself from being tortured. But she's running out of time. Her kidnapper believes he can enhance her psychic gift through brain surgery. The doctor is in....and he's insane.

What do you get when you mix a snake-handling reverend, a necrophiliac, a cop and an ex-con? Something perfectly twisted... Sound like the start of a bad joke? Not to Shane Monahan. The ex-con and newest recruit to the underground criminal investigation group, A.T.L. or Above the Law, has it bad for Collier County Deputy Beth Price. But ex-cons and cops don't mix, especially when this particular ex-con is looking at going back to prison for his involvement with A.T.L. All Beth wants is a fun distraction from the stress of her job and law school. She thinks she's found that when she meets Shane during an airboat tour through the Florida Everglades. But Shane's a felon, a man who could destroy her career as a deputy, and jeopardize her future as an attorney. She doesn't know what to do-until dead bodies start showing up around the county. When three abused corpses are found with snake remains inside them, the discovery brings a murderer out of retirement. The Reverend, as he calls himself, doesn't like his kills being mimicked, especially by a man who abuses the dead-after all, the Reverend does have a reputation to uphold and a congregation to scam. Now it's time to teach his copycat a deadly lesson...

Marriage can be murder... Former Chicago Vice cop, Sloan North, is back working undercover, this time for the investigative agency, CORE. He's missed being on the streets, taking on a fake persona and going after dangerous bad guys. Instead of the dark heart of Chicago, Sloan's planted in a quiet, boring suburb of Cleveland, pretending to be married to an irritating, too hot for words, Cuyahoga County Detective, Whitney Russell. Whitney can't believe she's saddled with a bearded, tattooed behemoth of a man as her phony husband. He's crude, rude and has a bad enough attitude no one on their cul-de-sac will buy their ruse. But as they're forced into fake wedded bliss, Sloan surprises her in more ways than one. Beneath his harsh, sexy exterior is a man worth loving. Too bad she doesn't believe in love. While Sloan tries to avoid his gorgeous, leggy partner, deal with mind-numbing suburbia, and determine if his neighbor is indeed a big time drug lord, a body is unearthed on the neighboring street. Then another...and another. Life in the burbs goes from boring to deadly because this killer doesn't just murder his victims. He buries them alive.

Some sacrifices lead to murder... A ski trip turns deadly when a bus carrying boys from an elite high school is hijacked and driven to an old abandoned amusement park. With a frozen lake on one side, acres of forest on the other, and up against a blizzard and sub-zero temperatures, the teens are trapped and at the mercy of their kidnappers. They have less than forty-eight hours to escape before the gunmen make good on their threats and begin killing them...one by one. Chase Sawyer, agent for the criminal investigative firm, CORE, was a badass Crisis Negotiator with the FBI until a hostage situation resulted in the deaths of innocents. In the fallout, he left the Bureau, left the woman he loved, and left town. When a ransom is demanded for the release of fifteen kidnapped teens, Chase returns to Cleveland to work with the FBI and is forced to deal with past mistakes, along with the woman who haunts his dreams. FBI Agent Summer Raines wonders why she still loves Chase. Before their breakup she'd been questioning their relationship. The man never could commit, and after becoming a crisis negotiator, had turned controlling and distant. Yet, five months ago, when he'd been in Cleveland for an assignment, she'd let him into her house and bed, only to be left brokenhearted once again. Now he's back and about to get a huge surprise...she's pregnant with a child he never wanted. Chase is in for the negotiation of his life as he and Summer work to rescue the hostages and find a killer before more innocent lives are sacrificed...

What do you get when you mix a mad scientist, a psychopath, an ice cream lady and a repo man? Something perfectly toxic... Melanie Scarlet is a knife-wielding badass who knows how to dispose of a body, and make evidence disappear. But Mel, a.k.a., the Ice Cream Lady, draws the line at one thing: she refuses to live with her husband, Cash Maddox, unless he quits the repo business that nearly got him killed-no matter how much she loves him. To thaw Mel's heart and convince her to leave the Everglades and move back home to Tallahassee, Cash is finally ready to retire from his adrenaline-fueled job...until homeless men begin vanishing. As Mel investigates the disappearances, Cash's temper goes into overdrive when he realizes his wife has been keeping a dangerous secret from him. She's been doing more than scooping ice cream-she's a cleaner for the underground criminal investigation agency, Above the Law. Mel isn't the only one with a secret. A scientist has created a drug that will cure psychopaths by deadening the urge to dominate, hurt and murder. To prove his chemical combination works, he uses the homeless as test subjects. He breaks and scrambles their minds, turns them into killers, then tries to fix them. But what if the scientist creates a killer he can't fix? A true psychopath he can't control? As Cash joins Mel and the ATL crew, they learn firsthand, the results could be...toxic.

The walls are infected, the foundation is diseased...this house is poisoned. CORE agent, Hudson Patterson and his wife, Eden, recently moved into a century-old mini-mansion. But their dream home has become a living nightmare-occupied by a malevolent spirit who will only share the residence with them and their daughter...in exchange for their souls. Psychic Celeste Kain is four weeks away from giving birth. The last thing she wants to deal with is the dead. But when she realizes an evil presence is terrorizing Eden, she will go to any length to help her sister. Especially when she discovers there isn't just one ghost in Eden's house, but many other tortured souls trapped within its infected walls. To put an end to the haunting, Celeste uses her unique gift to connect with the ghostly residents. But the wicked entity who has been feeding off the other spirits' pain and misery has other plans. It wants Celeste and her unborn child, and imprisons her inside the ghost house. Now powerless, unable to free herself and in labor, Celeste needs to fight to find her way back to her body before the entity can take what it wants...her baby.

Something is wrong with the children... Seven years ago, CORE agent, Dante Russo and his wife, Jessica, faced a parent's ultimate fear...their ten-month-old daughter was abducted. With no clues, not a single sighting or trace of evidence to keep hope alive, the case went cold...until now. When the ghosts of murdered children begin to haunt psychic Celeste Kain, she's forced to get involved in her most challenging case yet. The ghosts know who has Sophia. They know her kidnapper intimately. They know him as Daddy, and as their killer. Using psychic visions and the clues the young spirits provide, Celeste and her husband, John, travel across the country, desperately searching for the girl and her kidnapper. The dead children have made their warning clear...find Sophia before Daddy kills again. To learn more about Dante and Jessica's story, be sure to check out Ultimate Fear (Book 2 Ultimate C.O.R.E.).