The headmaster at New England's St. Matthews School is determined to hold tight to alumni funding, no matter the cost. St. Matthews student Shondra Jones--a tightly coiled bundle of rage and resentment--is being stalked and no one will help. But word is getting out, and parents are getting worried. Called in by the administration to help Shondra, crisis specialist Thea Kozak quickly realizes much is being swept beneath the elite school's genteel veneer; including Shondra's stalker--the grandson of a generous donor. Spoiled by money and bailouts, he knows he's protected, and immune to consequences, no matter what he does next, maybe even murder. REVIEWS: "Thea Kozak is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today." Laura Lippman, NYT Bestselling Author of Wilde Lake THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death

A Geologist Lies Comatose in a Portland, Maine Hospital in A World of Deceit, a Detective Joe Burgess Thriller by Kate Flora --Portland, Maine-- Unable to awaken her father--eminent geologist, Ted Gabbro--nine-year-old Arielle approaches the vacationing Joe Burgess, desperate for his help. Loathe to let anything interfere with his much needed rest on the mountains of western Maine, Joe can't ignore the girl's plea for help and can't deny that something is very wrong. As the frightened girl's father languishes in a coma and her mother can’t be found, Burgess finds himself in a tangle of land disputes, family politics, the child’s parents’ nasty divorce, and the powerful greed that accompanies "gold fever". Winner of the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction "Flora pours on the intensity in this criminal, legal and moral maze." ~Kirkus Reviews "Flora writes cops so convincingly it's hard to imagine she's never worn the badge herself." ~Bruce Robert Coffin, author of Among the Shadows THE JOE BURGESS MYSTERIES Playing God The Angel of Knowlton Park Redemption And Grant You Peace Led Astray A Child Shall Lead Them A World of Deceit

Carrie thought that by finding her "real" parents, she would discover who she was and finally get on with her life. But all it seems to have led to is her death. One person can't let it go--Carrie's big sister Thea. Thea embarks on a quest to find Carrie's killer and confronts ugly facts that suggest she didn't know Carrie at all.

A Newborn, a Baby Carriage, and an Ice Cream Cone Leads to a Lingering Mystery in DEATH SENDS A MESSAGE by Kate Flora —Freeport, Maine, Present Day— Independent school consultant Thea Kozak is adjusting to motherhood and enjoying maternity leave, having just purchased a hat for her newborn son, when a hysterical woman gains her attention. The woman, also a new mother, claims her baby has just been kidnapped. Determined not to get involved, Thea flags down a police officer and hands off the problem. She returns home to her husband Andre, intending to enjoy their precious weeks of parental leave. But Thea’s kindness soon brings trouble to her doorstep when a police officer asks questions about her relationship with Addison Shirley, the mother of the kidnapped child, who claimed Thea was a friend before she disappeared. The couple’s hopes for a peaceful respite are quickly replaced with a break-in, a stalker, and a private school crisis involving star athletes and sexual assault that only Thea can handle. Thea and Andre wrestle with the lingering mystery and competing priorities while reexamining their future...if they live to face it. Publisher’s Note: Kate Flora is known for taking readers on a near breathless experience with a surprise at every turn. Fans of Sara Paretsky, Laura Lippman, Sue Grafton, and Julia Spencer-Fleming will not want to miss this series. “If you like your heroines smart, brave, tough, and exuberantly aware of the possibilities of the human heart, look no further than Thea Kozak.” ~S.J. Rozan “...a terrific, in-your-face, stand-up gal...Stephanie Plum and Thea Kozak have a lot to say to each other.” ~Janet Evanovich “Kate Flora does what all the great writers do: she takes you inside unfamiliar territory and makes you feel right at home; you climb in and are along for the whole ride.” ~Michael Connelly “I’ll follow Thea Kozak anywhere. She is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today. And Kate Flora is the rare, graceful writer who pays close attention to how long it takes the body and the heart to heal.” ~Laura Lippman THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over Schooled in Death Death Comes Knocking Death Sends a Message About the Author Maine native Kate Flora’s fascination with people’s criminal tendencies began in the Maine attorney general’s office. Deadbeat dads, people who hurt their kids, and employers’ discrimination aroused her curiosity about human behavior. The author of twenty-four books and many short stories, Flora’s been a finalist for the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Derringer awards. She won the Public Safety Writers Association award for nonfiction and twice won the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction. Her most recent Thea Kozak mystery is Death Sends a Message; her most recent Joe Burgess is A World of Deceit. Her crime story collection is Careful What You Wish For: Stories of revenge, retribution, and the world made right. Flora is a founding member of the New England Crime Bake and the Maine Crime Wave and runs the blog Maine Crime Writers. Flora’s nonfiction focuses on aspects of the public safety officers’ experience. She divides her time between Massachusetts and Maine, where she gardens and cooks and watches the clouds when she’s not imagining her character’s dark deeds. She occasionally swims in the shark-filled sea. She’s been married for decades to an excellent man. Her sons edit films and hang out in research labs.

In the late 19th century, orphaned Jim Burden is sent to the wilderness in Nebraska to live with his grandparents. He arrives at the same time as the Shimerda family, including the eldest daughter Ántonia, who becomes his closest neighbors. Life in the American West is tough, especially for the impoverished Shimerda family, and pioneers must struggle for survival. A friendship blossoms between Jim and Ántonia as they explore nature and have adventures together, a friendship that will last a lifetime. My Ántonia became an immediate success when first published and is today considered Willa Cather's first masterpiece. It is praised for its depiction of the American West and its ability to highlight the aspirations of ordinary, poor people in a time when it was customary to write about the elite. WILLA CATHER [1873-1947] was an American author. After studying at the University of Nebraska, she worked as a teacher and journalist. Cather's novels often focus on settlers in the USA with a particular emphasis on female pioneers. In 1923, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the novel One of Ours, and in 1943, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

A fascinating, first-hand account of a murder investigation in a rural state

When a student is found drowned in the campus pond of a prestigious New England boarding school, Thea Kozak is called in for crisis management. Cooperation abounds until Thea discovers that the young victim was pregnant and the death may not have been an accident. Then administration and students turn tight-lipped. When Thea digs deeper, she unearths a host of nasty secrets beneath the school’s genteel facade. Now everyone wants her gone, everyone except the killer who has a very different fate in mind for Thea Kozak. REVIEWS: "If a sleep-losing page turner is your thing, keep an eye on Thea." Richard Barre, award-winning author of the Wil Hardesty Series THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over

Lorna Kepler was beautiful and willful, a loner who couldn't resist flirting with danger. Maybe that's what killed her. Her death had raised a host of tough questions. The cops suspected homicide, but they could find neither motive nor suspect. Even the means were mysterious: Lorna's body was so badly decomposed when it was discovered that they couldn't be certain she hadn't died of natural causes. In the way of overworked cops everywhere, the case was gradually shifted to the back burner and became another unsolved file. Only Lorna's mother kept it alive, consumed by the certainty that somebody out there had gotten away with murder. In the ten months since her daughter's death, Janice Kepler had joined a support group, trying to come to terms with her loss and her anger. It wasn't helping. And so, leaving a session one evening and noticing a light on in the offices of Millhone Investigations, she knocked on the door. In answering that knock, Kinsey Millhone is pulled into the netherworld of unavenged murder, where only a pact with the devil will satisfy the restless ghosts of the victims and give release to the living they have left behind. Eleven books into the series that has won her readers around the world, Sue Grafton takes a darkside turn, pitching us into a shadow land of pain and grief where killers still walk free, unaccused, unpunished, unrepentant. With "K" is for Killer she offers a tale that is dark, complex, and deeply disturbing. "A" Is for Alibi "B" Is for Burglar "C" Is for Corpse "D" Is for Deadbeat "E" Is for Evidence "F" Is for Fugitive "G" Is for Gumshoe "H" Is for Homicide "I" Is for Innocent "J" Is for Judgment "K" Is for Killer "L" is for Lawless "M" Is for Malice "N" Is for Noose "O" Is for Outlaw "P" Is for Peril "Q" Is for Quarry "R" Is for Ricochet "S" Is for Silence "T" Is for Trespass "U" Is for Undertow "V" Is for Vengeance "W" Is for Wasted "X"