Advance Reader Copy

Newly turned Mexican vampire, Maria, is not just out for blood, she wants answers. From the twice Bram Stoker-nominated author of The Haunting of Alejandra and Immortal Pleasures, a gripping tale of empowerment, desire and belonging, perfect for readers of A Dowry of Blood and Certain Dark Things.Maria is a wanted woman. She’s wanted by an Aztec trafficker, a cartel boss, the people she fights for, and now the devil she can’t resist. A would-be immigrant turned vampire, Maria is forced to leave her home and family and embark on a journey across Mexico. She learns to fight, becoming an unlikely bad-ass enforcer of justice. Then an encounter with a violent, ruthless vampire boss leads her to find her creator. Drawn into a world of ancient vampires, deadly conspiracies and a dangerously seductive devil, Maria must find a way to fight for herself and all humankind. A fierce and seductive horror thriller, pulsing with rage, fear and desire,...

When the trunk slammed closed, sealing her fate, a deep cold slithered into the center of Kennedy's bones. All she could do was pray that her attacker would leave enough of her for her family to identify...Kennedy Farmer, an experienced athlete, never returns after leaving for her usual running route through the dusty mountain trails of New Mexico.While the search for Kennedy begins, Detective Alyssa Wyatt and her squad face a terrifying new case when the body of a young woman, Rheagan Pembroke, is discovered in the desert terrain surrounding Albuquerque.Her wounds horrify even the hardened squad of the Albuquerque P.D. – and the case takes an even darker turn when they discover a polaroid stuffed into the victim's mouth, showing the body of Gunner Galveston, a murder victim from fourteen years ago. Alyssa was a detective on the case, but the culprit was never caught.As the team are taunted with gruesome packages and blood-curdling phone...

The sudden appearance of a man’s booted feet had Addis snapping her mouth shut. Screaming, she kicked out at the tall, muscular guy as he dragged her from beneath the desk... It was a scene from a horror movie; Gabriel Kensington and his wife Lydia found, brutally slain in their luxurious home in New Mexico. The frantic, whispered phone call from their teenage daughter Addis, spending the evening with best friend Emerson, quickly alerts the authorities to the killings – and worse, that the killer is still inside the house. But when detective Alyssa Wyatt and the squad appear at the house, the unthinkable has happened – the girls are nowhere to be found. Waking up in a dilapidated cabin, nestled high in the woods north of Albuquerque, the girls find themselves at the mercy of a brutal stranger who could take their life at any moment. While they fight for survival, it’s up to Alyssa Wyatt and her partner Cord to discover just why the Kensingtons have been targeted – and fast. Because for Addis and Emerson, solving this mystery might just mean the difference between survival – or an unthinkable death...

Choose your path, solve the puzzles, and catch the killer in this second collection of three ingenious fictional murder mysteries that challenge young readers with logic problems, visual games, and dangerous decisions at every turn.Arlo Banks rose to fame as an amazing puzzle solver. His adventures across the world led him to crack cases that out-foxed the smartest experts and boldest criminal masterminds. Now enrolled in British Secret Intelligence Service's training program, Arlo faces his deadliest challenges yet in thrilling new adventures that have him unraveling the mystery behind a Hollywood star's sudden death, investigating the disappearance of an ambassador, and exposing the secrets of a lethal international organization.As Arlo Banks, you choose what path to take and what puzzles to answer to solve each mystery. From breaking codes to escaping traps, navigating mazes to sifting through evidence, Puzzle Sleuth Undercover is an addictive...

The Case of the Runaway Corpse (1954) – Mason defends a woman accused of poisoning her husband--even though witnesses saw the corpse climb out the motel window.Her husband was stealing her money, while accusing her of a plot to poison him -- or so claims the frightened young Mrs. Myrna Davenport. She wants Perry Mason to find the incriminating note her husband left for the authorities accusing her of murder -- especially now that Davenport is dying.Perry finds the envelope, but it's filled with blank paper. Then Davenport does die, or so everyone thinks until his alleged corpse climbs out a window and drives away -- straight into a prepared open grave in another county.With Davenport finally dead, Perry could become a possible accessory to murder. And though the victim died twice, Perry gets only one clear shot at saving his client -- and himself.From the Inside FlapHer husband was stealing her money, while accusing her of a plot to poison him -- or so claims the frightened young Mrs. Myrna Davenport. She wants Perry Mason to find the incriminating note her husband left for the authorities accusing her of murder -- especially now that Davenport is dying.Perry finds the envelope, but it's filled with blank paper. Then Davenport does die, or so everyone thinks until his alleged corpse climbs out a window and drives away -- straight into a prepared open grave in another county.With Davenport finally dead, Perry could become a possible accessory to murder. And though the victim died twice, Perry gets only one clear shot at saving his client -- and himself.

The Case of the Restless Redhead (1954) – Mason helps a young defense attorney get an innocent verdict from a woman accused of theft. Later, he defends her in a murder case with a large number of twists. This novel was the basis for the script for the first episode of the television series.

The Case of the Fiery Fingers (1951) – Mason defends a woman twice--once on theft charges, and then on murder charges.This is one of the most unusual cases that attorney Perry Mason ever takes. It starts with a nurse entering his office and claiming that the husband (Bain) of the woman she takes care of is trying to kill his wife. Bain has offered the nurse $500 to give his wife some pills that he claims are additional medication not prescribed by her doctor. Mason has the one of the pills examined and it turns out to contain aspirin. The nurse has also gone to the police and they dismissed her concerns.The plot immediately deepens as some members of the wife's family arrive and are very critical of Bain, considering him to be a scoundrel that marries for money. When it becomes clear that Bain has been carrying on an affair with another woman and what appears to be a partial will written by the wife appears, there are many players in the mix. The wife is murdered via arsenic poisoning in a set of pills and the deceased sister is put on trial for the murder and Mason is her attorney. The story then takes a classic Mason plot turn in that his client looks very guilty and although some of the others look bad, there appears to be no other explanation for the death. Suddenly, Mason has an inspiration and is able to set a trap that exposes the true killer.Distinctive in the opening chapter, this case starts with one of the most unusual premises then settles down into the Mason formula of deceptive clients that appear guilty and Mason aggressively pursuing his client's interests to the limits of the law. In this one, Gardner is able to effectively disguise the true murderer until the last few pages, although in retrospect there are a few clues dropped on previous pages. 

The Case of the Hesitant Hostess (1953) – A hostess at a nightclub seems determined to convince a jury that Mason's client committed armed robbery, so he goes over her story in painstaking detail on the stand.Perry Mason has no hesitation about defending penniless ex-salesman Albert Brogan against a charge of armed robbery. That's because nightclub hostess Inez Kaylor's testimony will guarantee that the accusations against the alleged hold-up mon won't hold up in court. But when the hostess has the bad manners to stand Mason up instead of taking the stand, Perry's defense may not have a leg to stand on.Failure to find the AWOL witness in forty-eight hours could cost an innocent mon his liberty and his life, when the prosecution serves up a shocking new charge of murder! But the high-tailing hostess has a host of her own secrets, and a cast of shady characters -- from Los Angeles to Las Vegas -- is determined to keep them (and her) hidden. It all adds up to a whirlwind working weekend for Mason: if he cant get the goods -- and the girl -- by Monday morning when the gavel falls, so will the ax...From the Inside FlapPerry Mason has no hesitation about defending penniless ex-salesman Albert Brogan against a charge of armed robbery. That's because nightclub hostess Inez Kaylor's testimony will guarantee that the accusations against the alleged hold-up mon won't hold up in court. But when the hostess has the bad manners to stand Mason up instead of taking the stand, Perry's defense may not have a leg to stand on.Failure to find the AWOL witness in forty-eight hours could cost an innocent mon his liberty and his life, when the prosecution serves up a shocking new charge of murder! But the high-tailing hostess has a host of her own secrets, and a cast of shady characters -- from Los Angeles to Las Vegas -- is determined to keep them (and her) hidden. It all adds up to a whirlwind working weekend for Mason: if he cant get the goods -- and the girl -- by Monday morning when the gavel falls, so will the ax...