New Releases by Iris Johansen

With a lightning-fast pace, unforgettable characters, and gut-wrenching action, Iris Johansen''s Dark Summer is compelling terrain for this master storyteller. It begins with a single shot. Devon Brady is a devoted veterinarian working in a makeshift hospital on a remote search and rescue mission. When a man arrives with his wounded black Lab, Ned, she has no idea that she is about to be plunged into a whirlwind of terror and destruction. Jude Marrock is out for revenge and has no choice but to involve Devon in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with an escalating body count. She doesn''t trust him one bit, but when the shots start flying and friends start falling, she finds herself with nowhere else to run. And there are innocent lives, both human and animal, at stake, including Ned and his mysterious pack. Is Jude her salvation or her damnation? Are the secrets he''s protecting worth killing for . . . or dying for?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen combines romance and adventure in this exotic tale of finding the love of your life—in the last place you’d ever look. She was stranded in a deadly sandstorm when he rode to her rescue like a desert prince on his black stallion. On a lark Billie Callahan had come to the Middle East to play a minor film role in a desert epic. Suddenly she found herself starring in a real-life romantic adventure. Cowboy, hero, friend of sheikhs and princes, David Bradford spoke like a poet in the drawl of his native Texas. What was this mysterious, eccentric, and irresistibly seductive man doing in Sedikhan, and what did he want with an ordinary woman like Billie? Her curiosity piqued, Billie followed David to the lavish pleasure fortress he called home, with its armed guards and adoring staff. He warned her that the pleasure he offered her would last forever. What he didn’t know was that Billie only believed in now.

A sizzling novel of passion, peril, and searing sensuality from “a master among master storytellers” (Affaire de Coeur)—a magical weaver of spellbinding tales, enticing characters, and unforgettable romance. The darkly handsome warrior found her in the hot desert night, the last survivor of a caravan devastated by a brutal attack. But Thea could hardly have found a less likely savior. Brooding and powerful, the infamous Lord Ware felt no need to rescue a total stranger, but Thea’s striking beauty and fighting spirit moved him. So the knight in tarnished armor carried her away to his secret stronghold at Dundragon, where she would become his prisoner, his tormentor, his lover . . . and the one weapon his deadly enemy could use to destroy him.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen comes a classic tale of opposites attracting—and finding love in the most unexpected places. When P.I. Honey Winston is hired to steal incriminating letters from visiting dignitary Prince Rubinoff, she’s prepared for a dangerous mission that could end her career. But when she blows her cover, she finds that the amused prince is everything the media have made him out to be: part Adonis, part playboy—and irresistibly charismatic. The problem is, the feeling is mutual. Intrigued, the prince is determined to keep his gorgeous young trespasser by his side as long as possible. For he’s never met anyone quite as daring, or breathtaking, as Honey. With the tables turned, Prince Rubinoff has Honey appointed his personal bodyguard. The official reason is an assassination plot. The truth is far more dangerous….

Number-one bestselling author Iris Johansen teams up with Edgar Award winner Roy Johansen and the result is an explosive, tour-de-force thriller. . . . It was the assignment of a lifetime. . . . Brilliant marine architect Hannah Bryson has been given the job of a lifetime. A U.S. maritime museum has just acquired the decommissioned Soviet submarine Silent Thunder for public exhibition. It’s Hannah’s job to make sure that every single inch of the legendary nuclear attack sub is safe for the thousands of visitors anticipated. Enlisting the aid of her brother, Connor, they examine the enormous vessel and delve into its long---and lethal---history. But is it really a trap? In the course of their investigation, Connor discovers a mysterious message behind one of the ship’s panels. But before he can figure out what it means, there’s a deadly assault on Silent Thunder. . . . Though the U.S. government tries to warn Hannah away, she’ll stop at nothing to find the ruthless mastermind behind her brother’s death. Even if it means joining forces with a mysterious man who may be even more dangerous than the enemy she has sworn to bring down. As Hannah finds herself in the crossfire of an epic standoff, her only hope for survival is to unravel the sub’s explosive secret. But someone’s willing to kill to make sure Silent Thunder stays silent. . . . Brisk, exhilarating, and filled with authentic details, Silent Thunder is what you get when you team the biggest name in suspense with the stunning plot twists of an Edgar Award--winning author. Get ready for a page-turning thrill ride!

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen comes a classic tale of excitement, risk, and romance, as two people make a connection so unexpected and so intimate, it may have consequences for a lifetime. Gorgeous Hollywood stunt double Kendra Michaels is vying for the job of her life—a high-paying, high-risk jump that will clear the debt on her brother’s medical bills. Casey Michaels was a stuntman himself until a job went tragically wrong. Now Kendra is prepared to take the same chance. There’s just one man standing in her way, a man whose irresistible magnetism seduced her in ways she’d never experienced—and never before surrendered to.... Director Joel Damon gets what he wants. And he wants Kendra. But the explosive attraction he feels at the mere sight of her is entirely new to him, and it hasn’t disappeared, not since their one unforgettable night together—and not since Joel discovered she wasn’t the experienced starlet he’d mistaken her for. Now he’s determined to extend that night into many more. But he’ll have to keep Kendra alive to do it, even if it ruins her career. For he has bigger plans in mind for her than she ever imagined.

The suspense begins with a phone call and leads forensic sculptor Eve Duncan onto the harrowing trail of a killer that even the most cold-blooded killers fear to face. No one leaves this game alive Her skill in identifying murder victims was worldrenowned, but Eve Duncan worked only for law enforcement and the families of innocent victims. The man on the other end of the phone was anything but law-abiding or innocent. She’d already turned down his offer twice, but the third time it comes with a grisly warning. Forced to accept, Eve will leave everything and everyone she loves to travel alone to the luxurious armed compound of one of the world’s most wanted criminals to identify a skull he’s recovered. She’s agreed to this devil’s bargain to save an innocent family, but also for a reason she can’t admit to the police, to the CIA, to anyone. For the man in the Colombian jungle promises Eve what she wants most of all—the key to solving the most painful mystery of her past.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • He strikes without warning. He kills without mercy. He''s only just begun. As part of an elite K-9 search and rescue team, Sarah Patrick and her golden retriever, Monty, have a gift for finding what no one else can. But their latest assignment is not like the others. This time Sarah is being forced to take part in a deadly mission . . . by a man who knows enough about her past to ensure her cooperation. Billionaire John Logan''s top-secret venture has been sabotaged, its facilities destroyed, and its handpicked staff massacred. The sole survivor is being held for ransom. Logan knows that the only way to save the man—and the secrets he holds—is to find him as soon as possible. Sarah is furious when she is strong-armed into joining Logan on his search. And once she takes the perilous assignment, not even Logan''s promises that she and Monty will be safe may be enough to protect them. Because a killer is devising a sadistic vengeance . . . and he may soon find use for Sarah.

The President’s daughter... The women determined to save her... The man with the power to betray a nation... Melissa Riley arrives at her sister’s isolated Virginia country home to find herself plunged into a deadly drama. There the renowned Dr. Jessica Riley is attempting to draw the daughter of the President of the United States out of a severe catatonic trauma. The last thing young Cassie Andreas saw was an organized team ruthlessly murder her nanny and the Secret Service agents sworn to protect her. But to free Cassie, Melissa and Jessica must trust a mysterious, charismatic man. Michael Travis made his fortune in the international underworld. He risked everything to save Cassie during that terrible night of bloodshed. And he has entered into a secret bargain with the President. But is his show of concern all a treacherous charade? Melissa and Jessica have no choice but to accept Travis as their ally—and to follow a dangerous plan that will lead them into the world of a killer who’ll destroy anyone standing between him and the...Final Target.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen comes a classic tale of thrilling adventure and unbound passion, as two people embark on a journey through terror and desire…. At twenty-one, Zilah Dabala has already survived a harrowing past. Now she’s convinced she can handle anything on her own—even being held hostage by a terrorist group. But Daniel is determined to rescue her. And soon their escape ignites an intimacy neither has ever known. Once Daniel learns Zilah’s tragic secret, however, he fears she may be lost to him forever. He’s defied death many times over—but can he teach a young woman the healing power of love? Daniel Seifert has spent his life on the edge of danger, carrying out high-risk security missions across the globe. But it’s more than adventure that compels him to tempt fate yet again—it’s a young woman in a photograph, a woman whose warm, wise-beyond-her-years smile gives Daniel the inexplicable feeling that he’s found something he’s been searching for all along.

Thriller.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Countdown returns with a knock-out suspense thriller that pits a mother and son against a killer who''s the stuff of nightmares. If you close your eyes, he’ll get you. Sophie Dunston knows all too well how dreams can kill. As one of the nation’s top sleep therapists, she specializes in the life-threatening night terrors that her ten-year-old son, Michael, suffers from. But she is also an expert in another kind of terror–the kind that can turn a dream life into a living nightmare in the blink of an eye. Someone is watching. He’s a shadowy figure from out of her darkest fears and he hasn’t forgotten her. In one shocking moment of violence, he’d shattered Sophie’s world forever and left her with only one thing to live for: her son. But the nightmare isn’t over for Sophie Dunston. It’s just begun. He’s been waiting. Sophie was supposed to die the first time around, but fate intervened. This time he’ll make sure that not even a miracle will save her. It wasn’t a miracle that saved Jock Gavin, but it was pretty close. A semiretired hit man, commando, and jack-of-all-deadly-trades, he knows what Sophie is up against–and that she’ll need help. But the man he’s chosen for the job is as unpredictable as he is dangerous. Matt Royd is a wild card–hard, cool, merciless–and putting him into play changes the game completely. But to whose advantage? Sophie will soon find out. She will have to trust Royd because she has no choices left. Because the bogeyman haunting her dreams is all too real and he’s on the hunt again. Because the nightmare he’s got planned for Sophie won’t end when she wakes up screaming. It won’t end. Ever.

For eight years, single mother Grace Archer has been living a picture-perfect life raising her daughter on a horse farm in the small town of Tallanville, Alabama. Watching Frankie grow into a talented and confident young girl has made Grace as happy as any mother could hope to be. Happy enough, even, to forget the past. But the past never quite goes away. Which is why a certain charismatic man also moved to Tallanville eight years ago to watch over her. But when violence threatens to shatter Grace and Frankie''s idyllic home, the waiting is over. The ghosts of the past have returned. And they''re hungry for blood. Now Grace must resume an identity she thought she had cast off forever, and match wits with an opponent as deadly as he is cunning. The prize: an extraordinary secret that only she can unfold. The forfeit: losing the thing more precious to her than life itself.

When it reaches zero, you die. #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen sets her readers’ pulses racing once again in this relentless psychological thriller of a young woman caught in a maze of secrets and stalked by a merciless killer. The countdown begins the moment you open this riveting novel that only grows more electrifying as the pages turn, more exciting as time runs out. . . . “Don’t kill her. She’s no good to us dead.” These words haunt Jane MacGuire after a shocking attack shatters her world in an instant. Was it a random kidnapping attempt–or the countdown to something far more sinister? Who is after her–and what do they want so badly they’ll kill anyone in their way? That’s what Jane is determined to find out, without the help of the police, the FBI, or her adoptive parents, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and her husband, Joe Quinn, of the Atlanta PD–because whoever is after her won’t hesitate to hurt those she loves the most. Now Jane will go on the run with the only man who may be more dangerous than those who are pursuing her. A smuggler, a con man, and who knew what else, Mark Trevor had his own mysterious reasons for wanting to keep Jane safe and out of the hands of a killer obsessed with a two-thousand-year-old mystery that could rock the modern-day world. Orphaned at an early age, Jane grew up the hard way, but she was given a new life, a loving family, and a chance to pursue her interest in one of the greatest archaeological finds ever unearthed. Now someone was trying to destroy that new life before it could even get started. The past is returning with the kind of vengeance that knows no mercy. The countdown has already begun, and it’s approaching zero faster than anyone thinks.

Melis, una bella oceanógrafa, había encontrado por fin la paz, pero el mundo no estaba dispuesto a olvidarla. Porque esta muchacha tiene la clave para el mayor descubrimiento arqueológico de la humanidad, un premio que atrae a los hombres como la sangre a los tiburones.

This Christmas, celebrate the joys of the season with a trio of exquisitely crafted, richly romantic tales by three of the brightest stars in contemporary fiction—bestselling authors Kay Hooper, Iris Johansen, and Fayrene Preston. Filled with passion, drama, and a touch of magic, this festive gathering of classic stories—available for the first time in ten years—tells about the lives and loves of one unforgettable family and the enchanted heirloom that links one generation to the next. Christmas Past by Iris Johansen Killara, Arizona, 1893. Kevin Delaney had heard his share of tall tales, but none could match the one told by the Gypsy beauty he found rummaging in the attic of Killara, his family’s estate. The waif claimed to have traipsed halfway around the world simply to recover an old, long-forgotten mirror. But Zara St. Cloud knows it is no ordinary mirror—and she can see that the striking Delaney is no ordinary man. While he doesn’t believe her talk of mystical relics and fortune-telling, there’s no doubt that a kind of magic is at work on his heart—just in time for Christmas. Christmas Present by Fayrene Preston True love remains elusive for Bria Delaney. But when she joins her parents at Killara for the holidays, Bria discovers an unusual mirror that reveals far more than her reflection. Appearing in the glass is a startlingly handsome man who just as mysteriously disappears—until she meets him in person that very night. Kells Braxton is visiting on business, but the desire he stirs in Bria is anything but professional—and the mirror foretells their every intense encounter, leading to a Christmas they’ll never forget.… Christmas Future by Kay Hooper A heartbreaking vision in the legendary Delaney mirror drove Brett Delaney to the other side of the world years before. Now his father’s death brings him part of his inheritance: the mirror—and the unbearable prophesy it offers sends him home to Killara this Christmas, determined to save the home he loves and the woman he’s always loved.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen returns with an electrifying and all-too-plausible thriller that pushes the level of suspense to the maximum and never lets up. From the tense opening scene to the final explosive page, Johansen delivers a knockout novel, as an unlikely pair of allies must expose a team of killers hiding behind an unspeakable act of terror—and risk ending up their next target. She witnesses death through the eye of her camera. Now a relentless killer is focused on her. A celebrated photojournalist, Alex Graham has seen it all—but her latest assignment has forced her across a dangerous line. What happens when a reporter does more than just report? She has recorded some of the most tragic and heartbreaking of catastrophes, everything from natural disasters to infamous acts of terror. Her experiences have left her forever marked with the human side of tragedy. So when a dam breaks in Arapahoe Junction, Colorado, Alex is once more at the site doing more than just snapping pictures—she is in the mud with a shovel digging for survivors. What happens when the reporter becomes the story? Alex finds more than she bargained for. In one terrible instant, she is witness to a conspiracy that will stun a nation. The official story is just a cover-up for a truth so frightening, so unthinkable, anyone who threatens to reveal it must be silenced. Forever. And now that someone is Alex Graham. The first attempt on her life is swift and brutal. Only barely escaping, she finds an ally in an improbable source. Billionaire financier John Logan has his own reasons for protecting Alex, and these reasons alone are likely to get her killed. Using his vast connections and influences, Logan assigns a bodyguard to protect her. Judd Morgan is the best covert commando in the business, and if anyone can keep Alex safe, it’s this quietly dangerous man. The problem is, Alex doesn’t want to be kept safe by Judd, whose checkered past has made him the target of an unseen assassin who dogs his every step.

She expected sunshine and balmy breezes. What she saw was everyone''s worst nightmare. Bess Grady has heard the unmistakable sound before. She knows what it means. But not even the eerie lament of the howling dogs can prepare her for what has taken place in the small village. The seasoned photojournalist had been sent there on an easy assignment, and now she has stumbled upon something she was never meant to see. Amid chaos and fear, she joins forces with an intimidating stranger, a man whose alliances are unclear but whose methods have a way of leaving bodies in his wake. For what she has witnessed is only the first stage in a plan of terror that may kill us all. And she has no choice but to stop it—or die trying....

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Final Target, Iris Johansen raises the stakes and the heart rate with this relentless new thriller that follows the harrowing trail of a ruthless killer on the hunt—and the woman who is determined to hunt him down. He is the most terrifying of killers: ruthless, cunning, charismatic. And he has the means to get whatever he wants. And what Rico Chavez wants most is Elena Kyler—and he wants her dead. Trained as an assassin, Elena didn’t need anyone to survive. But now she finds herself on the run from one dangerous man and turning for help to another. Sean Galen was a man without illusions. He knew it was only desperation that caused Elena to accept his help—a mother’s desperation to save her young son from a psychopath father who would raise their son in his own chilling image. And yet he was determined to get this woman who had never been able to trust anyone or anything in her whole life to accept him as her ally. But both Galen and Elena know that Chavez’s power and wealth mean there is no place they can be safe and no one they can trust—not even each other. Already Chavez’s assassins and connections to those in the highest positions of power have turned this into a war with no rules. With two shocking acts of brutal violence, Chavez shows he will stop at nothing and that nothing will stop him. Soon a trail of horrifying murders will follow Galen and Elena across country to a last stand and a shattering showdown. For Chavez is a master of control and he wants more than just to take Elena’s life. He wants her alive long enough to see him destroy every reason she has for living. He wants her to turn against everything and everyone she ever believed in. He wants her to commit the ultimate act of betrayal. And by the time he is through, he wants her to beg him to take the only thing she’ll have left to give: her life.

She wanted to save lives. The killer wanted to end hers. The first warning was triggered hundreds of miles away. The second warning exploded only yards from where she and her son stood. Now Kate Denby realizes the frightening truth: She is somebody''s target. Danger has arrived in Kate''s backyard with a vengeance. And the gifted scientist is awakening to a nightmare world where a ruthless killer is stalking her...where her innocent son is considered expendable...and where the medical research to which she has devoted her life is the same research that could get her killed. Her only hope of protecting her family and making that medical breakthrough is to elude her enemy until she can face him on her own ground, on her own terms—and destroy him.

Eve Duncan, the signature character of #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen, thought her past was long buried. Until she finds herself tracking a killer so deceptive he leaves no trace behind—except for his victims. Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan has been summoned to Baton Rouge by a high-ranking government official to identify the remains of an unknown murder victim. Eve wants nothing to do with the project. She has finally found peace from her own tragic past, living a quiet life with Atlanta detective Joe Quinn and her adopted daughter, Jane. Then a stunning series of seemingly unrelated events turns Eve’s new world upside down. Now, in a special government facility, she takes on the project of identifying the victim’s skeleton. But she hasn’t even begun when another death occurs. Someone totally ruthless, who can strike anywhere at any time and with seeming immunity, is determined to put a halt to her work, her life, and the lives of those she loves. Eve has stumbled onto a chilling conspiracy. There is only one person who can give her the devastating truth . . . and he’s already dead.

An elusive killer . . . a deadly obsession . . . and a woman who must destroy him—or become his next victim. Some would kill to know what Caitlin Vasaro knows. For the secrets she’s kept hidden all her life are the kind that the rich and the powerful will do anything to possess. But not even Caitlin knows how much danger she is in—or how far someone will go to hunt her down. But she is about to find out when she enters a business deal with the mysterious and charismatic Alex Karazov and joins the hunt for one of the world’s most coveted treasures, the Wind Dancer, an ancient statue of legendary beauty and power. But Kazarov is a dangerous man who has an even more dangerous enemy and suddenly Caitlin is thrust into a shadow world of intrigue and deception, unable to trust anyone, not even the one man who can help. Now she must outsmart the cleverest of killers, a psychopath obsessed with the Wind Dancer whose ruthless plan spans continents and whose lethal rampage won’t stop at one death . . . or two . . . or even three—not until he finally gets what he wants: the secret Caitlin will die to keep.

Eve Duncan, forensische Präparatorin, die sich darauf spezialisiert hat, anhand von Schädelknochen und einer Gesichtsmodellierung Vermisste zu identifizieren, wird von einem reichen Industriellen beauftragt, eine Präparation vorzunehmen. Als unter ihren Händen das Gesicht des amtierenden Präsidenten entsteht, wird dieser Auftrag für sie zur Gefahr.

From the bestselling author of Lion’s Bride and The Ugly Duckling comes this passionate tale of danger, adventure, and romance that sweeps from a Saxon stronghold to a lovers’ bower in the cool, jade green forests of Wales. She was a prisoner bound by duty and desire. . . . Taken as a slave, fiery, tempestuous Brynn of Falkhaar was awed by the magnificent warrior who stood before her. Known for her skills as a healer, she had been brought to his battlefield tent to save his dying friend. Yet in the days and nights ahead, the sensual conqueror made it clear she might be more than nursemaid to his soldiers. She could be the intimate plaything of his seductive desires. He was a conqueror for whom nothing was forbidden. . . . Dark, brooding, and passionate, Lord Gage Dumont was a man used to conquest. And yet with one look at the beautiful slave he’s been given as his spoils, he realized she held him prisoner. As she fought to save his friend with her healing powers, Dumont felt her fiery touch deep in his scarred soul. Though he may have already owned her body, what he wanted was her heart—and for that he would risk everything.

From the glittering courts of Elizabethan England to the storm-tossed cliffs of the Scottish Highlands comes a dazzling tale of seduction, danger, and desire by one of America''s bestselling and beloved authors, Iris Johansen. She was a beautiful pawn in a game of love and death. When Princess Kathryn Kentyre is snatched from a life of captivity by the mysterious Black Robert of Craighdu, she is torn between absolute terror and soaring hope, He had been chosen to protect her from the dangers surrounding her, yet the moment he swept her away she knew this rogue of a Scottish laird would prove a greater threat than any she faced from her enemies. He was a warrior-chief torn between duty and desire. Sensuous as sin itself and wild as his native Scottish Highlands, Robert MacDarren had no intention of settling down with one woman. Yet the agreement he''d struck to keep the peace required he marry the orphaned beauty and bring her back to his castle at Craigdhu for safekeeping. It was to be a marriage in name only—and only for one year. He never suspected that the meek hostage he had been promised would prove to be this firebrand of a woman who would challenge his mind, around his passion, and lay siege to his heart.