Best Selling Books by Ridley Pearson

Seattle police psychologist Daphne Mathews has her hands full with a pregnant, addicted, runaway teenager, a murder victim''s brother whose strange behavior unnerves her, and a deputy sheriff she once treated who''s now stalking her. She''s frightened enough to move in with Detective John LaMoia, a development that doesn''t exactly thrill Lou Boldt, their boss and Daphne''sex-lover. But Lou''s too busy with his own cases to brood over John and Daphne: the recent disappearances of two local women, and the death of Billy Chen, the nephew of Mama Lu, an old friend and a powerful figure in Seattle''s Chinese community, which appeared to be an accident but turns out to have been murder. The only thing the disappearances and murder have in common is location; all three victims were last seen in a part of downtown built over the Underground, a dark and dangerous warren of buildings abandoned after the fire that leveled Seattle more than a hundred years ago. While Seattle''s Underground has been the setting for several mysteries by other authors (Earl Emerson, J.A. Jance), Pearson makes the most of its creepy-crawly atmosphere in a gripping thriller whose solid plotting pulls all of Daphne''s, LaMoia''s, and Boldt''s cases together. It also wisely reconfigures the personal relationships among the three central characters, which bodes well for their future adventures in this long-running series ( Middle ofNowhere, The Pied Piper). --Jane Adams

Product tampering. Innocent lives. Nice suburban homes. A Seattle food company is victim to an ingenious extortion that has the FBI two steps behind. Seattle''s veteran homicide sergeant, Lou Boldt, and police psychologist Daphne Matthews approach the case from opposite ends: one undearthing micoscopic evidence, the other putting together a chilling psychological profile of a man willing to contaminate and kill if necessary. The cop Daphne Matthews secretly loves is being destroyed by the extortion. Boldt sees his department cracking. As the high-tech manhunt builds to a furious crescendo, Boldt and Matthews are jolted again: the madman they''re hunting may not be working alone . . .

When a skier goes missing from a Sun Valley mountaintop, Sheriff Walt Fleming''s crack search and rescue team becomes a target. Waist-deep in snow and neck-deep in lies, Walt suspects that people of great wealth and power-including a former state senator-want to keep him where he started: out in the cold.

It begins as a heist in Sun Valley, Idaho-until the local sheriff discovers a more sinister underlying plan. The crime gets more personal. The stakes are raised, and nothing is as it seems.

A wave of babynappings has terrified parents from San Diego to Portland. And when the Pied Piper -- named for the penny flute he leaves in the cribs of his victims -- claims his first Seattle infant, the investigation draws in homicide detective Lou Boldt. Assigned temporarily to Intelligence so he can spend more time with his kids while his wife is hospitalized for chemotherapy, Boldt''s role is to keep the FBI out of the Seattle Police Department''s way. But FBI special agent Gary Flemming is a tough adversary -- so tough it almost seems as if he''s intentionally sabotaging the SPD''s investigation. Then the Pied Piper snatches Boldt''s own daughter, promising that unless Boldt throws both the Feds and the SPD off his trail he''ll never see his child again. Caught between his professional obligations and his fear for Sarah''s life, Boldt launches his own private manhunt with the help of John La Moia, his replacement in homicide, and police psychologist Daphne Matthews, his closest friend in the department. They form a sub rosa task force under the noses of the Feds and the SPD, and soon discover how the Piper has managed to stay a step ahead of the police, elude capture, and find his small victims. The chase moves from Seattle to Portland to New Orleans, culminating in a thrilling denouement in the daffodil fields of Washington''s Skagit Valley. Combining strong characterizations with an impressive command of both policing and pacing, Ridley Pearson, author of Chain of Evidence and Beyond Recognition, delivers another sure winner in this outing for Lou Boldt." -- Jane Adams

The tragic bombing of EuroTours Flight 1023 was big news. To FBI Agent Cam Daggett it was more than that. It was personal. His parents and son were on that plane. And for two years he''s been after the killer who did it. All he has to go on is a name: Anthony Kort . . . and the knowledge that Kort is in the United States with a detonator no airport security can detect. HE MUST BE STOPPED. Daggett''s colleagues at the Bureau and his girlfriend tell him his vendetta has become an obsession. They suggest he leave the investigation to other agents, in order to keep it objective. But having painstakingly constructed a portrait of the terrorist, Daggett believes he''s now the only one with any chance of predicting Kort''s next target. A novel of madness and revenge, Hard Fall begs readers to fasten their seatbelts.

Three heart-pounding novels by the New York Times–bestselling author: “The best thriller writer on the planet” (Booklist). This volume include three novels filled with twists and turns from the author of such acclaimed suspense novels as White Bone and The Red Room: Probable Cause: Carmel, California is a peaceful tourist haven where James Dewitt is the police force’s only detective. His usual caseload is stolen bicycles and the occasional burglary—but things are about to change with frightening speed. “A natural storyteller . . .He keeps the thread going, twisting the details . . .dancing the forensic shuffle without missing a step.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch Blood of the Albatross: An innocent Seattle sailor is pulled into a dangerous web of espionage in this “enthralling” novel (The San Diego Union-Tribune). “Pearson skillfully spins this thriller with sense-of-place, breakneck pace, and economically drawn, believable characters.” —Library Journal Never Look Back: A Soviet agent has entered the United States—carrying a terrifying weapon—in this “breakneck-action” Cold War adventure (Kirkus Reviews).

John Knox and Grace Chu, the incomparable duo of the Risk Agent novels, team up again in the latest international thrill ride from New York Times–bestselling author Ridley Pearson. When ex–military contractor John Knox receives a text from partner Grace Chu warning that she fears her cover may have been blown while on assignment, he jumps into action. Knox must locate her overseas handlers, convince them of the threat, and then attempt to retrace the well-hidden steps of a woman who had been attempting to determine how one million euros’ worth of AIDS vaccine disappeared, all while eluding angry poachers on a parallel trail. Corruption isn’t a “problem” in Kenya, it’s the way of doing business. The poaching of ivory from African elephants, driven by insatiable demand from mainland China, fuels constant blood and slaughter. Knox faces police, national rangers, journalists, and safari companies who are each in their own symbiotic relationship with elephants, both good and bad. As the threat from Al-Shaabab militants interferes with his pursuit of Grace, Knox finds himself pitted against the most savage and suicidal fighters in the world. And there’s this woman, Grace, always in his head. His gut. As Grace watches as her civilized self slips away while abandoned in the bush, Knox races against the clock to find her.

This epic conclusion to the KINGDOM KEEPERS INHERITANCE trilogy will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page! In this final installment in the series that has sold over a million copies worldwide, Ridley Pearson concludes the Kingdom Keepers saga with spectacular magical flair. The Villains are about to make their ultimate stand in an effort to take over the Disney parks. Ursula, the baddest of the bad, has figured out how to animate every villain in every attraction, and has beckoned them to her side to form the most evil army of all time, leaving the parks without their stories. The result? The parks begin to fade and warp as the stories their attractions are based on cease to exist. Can Eli and his band of talented friends find a way to take down Ursula before her dastardly deeds ruin the Disney Parks for good?

When the evil Overtakers gain control of a computer server at the Magic Kingdom, allowing them to put the holographic hosts into permanent comas if they should fall asleep, Finn and the others race against time to foil the plan.

Can Detective Joe "Dart" Dartelli uncover the truth? Or, more importantly, does he dare? Detective Joe "Dart" Dartelli made one critical mistake in his police career: He chose to ignore a piece of evidence in a case labeled a suicide that might have been a murder. The dead man was himself a vicious woman-killer who more than deserved his fate, but that ignored evidence pointed to Dart''s former mentor, the brilliant forensic specialist Walter Zeller. Now another suicide victim turns up--the body of a wife-beater--and the evidence clearly shows that the death was self-inflicted . . . or does it? Zeller was the best at reading and understanding the forensics of a crime scene--could he have manipulated it? Worse, why has Zeller disappeared? It terrifies Dart to suspect that Zeller is in fact on some twisted vigilante crusade, but Dart also knows that if he''s right, only he can stop it. Chain of Evidence is the intense, heart-pounding story of student versus mentor in the playing field of forensic investigation. Ridley Pearson links computer technology, psychological intensity, and complex questions of police and human ethics to create this breathlessly paced, unputdownable thriller.

Lieutenant Lou Boldt, the Seattle cop who stars in Ridley Pearson''s deservedly popular series, is a sharp and touching figure--perhaps the most believable police officer in current fiction. Early in this ninth book about his public and private life, Lou has to put on a bullet-resistant vest to lead a raid against some dangerous criminals. "The vest was not physically heavy, but its presence was," Pearson tells us. It meant battle; it meant risk. For Boldt, a vest was a symbol of youth. It had been well over a year since he had worn one. Ironically, as he approached the hangar''s north door at a light run behind his own four heavily armored ERT personnel, he caught himself worrying about his hands, not his life. He didn''t want to smash up his piano hands in some close quarters skirmish. . . . Boldt plays jazz piano one night a week in a local bar, and despite his concern for his hands, he takes every opportunity he can to get away from his desk and into the streets. But money pressures, caused by his wife''s recent illness, also make him think about the possibility of a better-paying job in the private sector. Meanwhile, some extremely ruthless people are murdering illegal Chinese immigrant women and leaving their bodies buried in newly dug graves. An ambitious local TV journalist named Stevie McNeal and the young Chinese woman she thinks of as her "Little Sister" risk their lives to investigate the killings, while Boldt and his team round up a most unusual array of suspects. This combination of hard-edged realism and softer sentiment has become Pearson''s trademark, and once again it works smoothly. --Dick Adler

With the adventures set forth in the first books now behind them, Kingdom Keepers 3: Disney In Shadow follows the five teens, Finn, Philby, Willa, Charlene, and Maybeck as they search to find Wayne, their mentor and head Imagineer who has mysteriously gone missing. Concerned Wayne has been abducted by the Overtakers—Disney villains, who along with other Disney characters, take over the parks when the turnstiles stop spinning, and want desperately to steer the parks to a far darker place—the five kids pick up a major clue from a close friend, Jess, whose dreams (nightmares, really) often accurately predict the future. The very few clues from Jess''s dream lead the kids into Disney''s Hollywood Studios and Epcot--through imaginary worlds that become real, by imaginary kids who are real. Each clue seems tied to the last, and with the stakes growing ever higher, what starts out as a puzzle ends up as a fight for their lives. Through a transparent paper box, a quest for a sword, rides on Soarin'' and Maelstrom, life-and-death encounters with giant snakes, and a devious Maleficent, the Kingdom Keepers not only begin to decipher deeper meanings to the clues, but discover new truths about themselves and their ever-growing friendships.

In this riveting thriller, 14-year-old Steven "Steel" Trapp sets off with his mom and their dog, Cairo, on a 2-day Amtrak journey to compete in the National Science Competition in Washington, DC. Steel is both blessed and cursed with a remarkable photographic memory--just one look and whatever he sees is imprinted for keeps. Trying to be a good Samaritan on the train, he instead becomes embroiled in an ingenious, international plot of kidnapping and bribery that may have links to terrorists.

Known for his meticulous, fascinating research, as well as his ability to create exciting plot twists that inevitably, a month or two later, seem to have anticipated real-life headlines, Ridley Pearson has genered praise as a "master" of the suspense novel. In Middle of Nowhere, the "Blu Flu" has struck the Seattle Police force and a majority of the officers are on a unofficial strike, with the exception of a few, including Detective Lou Boldt, who is committed to the job. When a string of robberies and the brutal assault of a female cop rock the city, the pressure of isolation threatens Boldt''s psyche and his marriage. With the help of psychologist Daphne Matthews and Sergeant John LaMoia, Boldt is able to make progress on both the assault and the robberies, but things soon spin out of control, and Bodt''s refusal to drop the case puts his own life at risk. Filled with the fast-paced, spiraling action that has made Pearson''s previous novels "irresistable" (Los Angeles Times Book Review) works of suspense that "grip the imagination" (People magazine), this offering from "the best thriller writer alive" (Booklist) is certain to keep the reader breathless.

Five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" are pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls.

The Kingdom Keepers mount a search for Wayne, their missing Imagineer mentor, and find themselves fighting for their lives in imaginary worlds that have become real.

Penzler Pick, June 2001: Ridley Pearson, who has written 14 previous books, many of them featuring his Seattle cop Lou Boldt, ups the ante in his latest thriller. Northern Union Railroad has been experiencing a series of accidents with their freight trains, but it is not until they find a freight car covered with blood that they call in outside help. Peter Tyler used to be a cop, until he nearly beat a black man to death and lost his badge. When he gets a second chance via an old friend at the National Transportation Safety Board, he drives a convertible through a snowstorm with the top down (he suffers from claustrophobia) to view the freight car. He arrives at the scene to discover that he will have to deal with Northern Union''s own security officer, Nell Priest, a black woman who already knows Tyler''s history. Meanwhile, Umberto Alvarez, the train wrecker, is systematically working his way towards his ultimate wreck, Northern''s F.A.S.T. train, due to make its maiden run from New York to Washington, D.C. Alvarez lost his wife and children when their car stalled between the gates at a crossing and were crushed by one of Northern''s trains. Although Northern Union was cleared of all responsibility and Alvarez''s wife was found negligent, he doesn''t think that''s so. As Peter Tyler''s investigation proceeds, he begins to come to the same conclusion. Closing in on Alvarez, he tries to interview the crossing guard who was on duty the day the wreck occurred. On arriving at the man''s apartment, he finds the man bludgeoned to death--with the same stick with which Tyler beat the black man all that time ago. It''s time to get paranoid. Who at Northern is covering up and what role does Nell play in all this? As always in a Ridley Pearson thriller, the action doesn''t stop until the final page. --Otto Penzler

The five Kingdom Keepers and their core friends have uncovered a startling truth: Disney villains Maleficent and the Overtakers are plotting a catastrophic event that could have repercussions far beyond the world of Disney. Aboard the Disney Cruise Line''s inaugural passage through the new Panama Canal, the Keepers and their holograms uncover a puzzle hidden within the pages of a stolen journal. The point of that puzzle will reveal itself in the caves of Aruba, the zip lines of Costa Rica, and the jungles of Mexico. A destructive force, dormant for decades, is about to be unleashed. The five Kingdom Keepers are to be its first victims! Includes a preview chapter from Kingdom Keepers VII - The Insider!

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THAT?LL LEAVE READERS BREATHLESS. Controversial New York State Attorney General Liz Shaler is announcing her candidacy for president at a high-profile convergence of media heavy-hitters. Also in attendance is an assassin with a brilliant and foolproof plan.

One summer morning while Aidan and Sarah are visiting their grandfather, they discover a secret compartment in his battered wooden desk. Inside is a yellowed envelope that contains a piece of very thin, almost translucent, white paper, on which, handwritten in black ink, are a series of seemingly random lines; among them are what appear to be fragments of letters, but not enough to make sense. At the bottom of the page is a verse about Peter Peter and a reference to a real hotel in London. As it happens, the family is about to embark on a trip to Europe, so the children decide that while in London, they will try to locate the hotel.

Seattle detectives hunt for black market organ thieves in the New York Times– bestselling author''s "potent blend of medical thriller and police procedural" ( Kirkus ). Urban legend, or frightening fact? Police Sergeant Lou Boldt and forensic psychologist Dephne Matthews suspect illegal organ harvesting is behind recent assaults on teenage runaways. The trail leads them down dark streets and darker corners of the mind, as they find themselves pursuing a twisted surgeon with his own ideas of mortality and social justice. The Angel Maker takes the reader on an action-packed journey from Seattle''s homeless to an abandoned homesteading cabin and kennel hidden in the Northwest wilderness. Daphne Matthews, intent on rescuing a teenage runaway from the madman''s scalpel, puts her own life on the line, finding herself face to face with the Angel Maker. "Award-winning author Ridley Pearson carves out and serves up a thriller that will make you look twice at your local veterinarian." —Book Magazine

A Chinese National working for an American-owned construction company is grabbed off the streets of Shanghai in broad daylight. His one-man security detail goes missing as well in the start of a brilliant new series.

The second book in this all new KINGDOM KEEPERS INHERITANCE trilogy follows our young heroes to parks around the world as they work to stop the most villainous villain of all—Ursula—from taking over for good! In this latest book in the series that has sold over a million copies worldwide, Ridley Pearson expands the Kingdom Keepers world in ways no reader—or Disney Parks fan—could have imagined. Home from their adventures abroad in book one, Eli and his friends are safe and sound at Epcot with their families—or are they? When Eli learns that the CEO of the Walt Disney Company has mysteriously done a 180 and ordered Villains Realms to be built in every park across the globe, he and his friends know something is amiss. It turns out that Ursula, the baddest of the big bads, has recruited an evil chemist to recreate Walt''s magical ink, which would allow the Villains to travel between parks and end Disney magic as we know it. With the help of Cinderella''s very own Fairy Godmother—the notorious FGM as she''s known in this world—they set out to stop Ursula—jumping from Epcot to Disneyland to Disneyland Paris, where the ultimate battle between good and evil plays out. Will Eli and his friends prevail, or will the Villains finally have their way?

The Kingdom Keepers have their hands full when, during the inaugural cruise of the Disney ship, Fantasy, to exotic locations, they discover that the Overtakers have infiltrated the cast, stolen a journal that belonged to Walt Disney himself, and plan

“Will leave you dying to know more.”—Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series The New York Times bestselling author of the Peter and the Starcatchers and Kingdom Keepers series, Ridley Pearson, brings us the riveting first tale of the Lock and Key trilogy about the origins of the rivalry between literature’s most famous enemies—Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty, told from the perspective of James’s observant little sister, Moria. Before James grew up to be a ruthless, remorseless villain, he was a curious boy from Boston, with a penchant for trouble and an acid tongue. Thrown into a boarding school against his wishes, James winds up rooming with a most unlikely companion: a lanky British know-it-all named Sherlock Holmes (“Lock” to his friends). An heirloom Bible, donated by the Moriarty family more than a hundred years ago, has gone missing, and it doesn’t take long for the two to find themselves embroiled in the school-wide scandal. The school is on lockdown until it’s found, strange clues keep finding their way to James, and a secret society lurks behind it all. It’s a brave new reimagining of the Sherlock Holmes series as only master of suspense Ridley Pearson could envision. As Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, says, “This tale will change the way you see Sherlock Holmes and leave you dying to know more.”

A police detective struggles to outwit a twisted killer in this “breathless” crime novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of Undercurrents (Chicago Tribune). Carmel, California is a scenic, peaceful tourist haven where James Dewitt is the police force’s only detective. His usual caseload is stolen bicycles and the occasional burglary—but things are about to change with frightening speed. A series of apparent suicides—which soon prove to be murders—shocks the community. Dewitt, a former forensic scientist, struggles with the smallest of clues in his quest for the killer, while departmental turf wars and local politics increase the pressures on his investigation. His steps are further dogged by renegade ex-cop Howard Lumbrowski—the man Dewitt blames for his wife’s death. How is Lumbrowski connected to the killings? And why does he have information from Dewitt’s confidential files? Dewitt finds himself playing a dangerous game, breaking his own rules in a desperate search for answers . . . “A natural storyteller . . . He keeps the thread going, twisting the details . . . Dancing the forensic shuffle without missing a step.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch

The “remarkable” first novel in the series starring an ex-musician and amateur sleuth in beautiful, rural Idaho, by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author (Kirkus Reviews). Chris Klick wants to get far away from his past in the fast-paced West Coast music industry. But trouble seems to find him even in the peaceful environs of Idaho. When a woman named Nicole Russell tells the amateur sleuth about her missing husband, missing Labrador, and missing fifty-thousand dollars, Klick’s suddenly up to his ears in mystery. Aided by his best friend, former basketball star Lyel, Klick pursues Nicole’s husband, dog, and lost cash in corrupt Snow Lake. But helping Nicole recover her money may mean losing everything . . . Originally published under the name Wendell McCall, this is the debut novel in the series featuring Chris Klick, full of wit, grit, and adventure.

Steven "Steel" Trapp has been placed in an East Coast boarding school for gifted kids by his FBI agent father. He soon discovers that there''s a clubby element of the faculty and upper classmen that is very secretive and protective. To his surprise, his friend Kaileigh arrives at the school, and it isn''t long before the two realize that this is not your normal boarding school. It seems a select few students are recruited, while still minors, to serve as special "translators" for the US Government.

A Soviet agent has entered the United States—carrying a terrifying weapon—in this Cold War thriller by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author . . . Agent Andy Clayton has been inactive for eighteen months, kept under tight surveillance at his home in Washington D.C. Now he is needed—Leonid Borikowski, code name Dragonfly, has been seen entering the United States, and Clayton is the only man who may be able to find and stop him. For Clayton, it''s more than a routine assignment. He knows Dragonfly, has faced him before, and he wants him. His interest is as personal as it is professional: He wants revenge on the foreign agent who killed his twin brother. But there is much that Clayton doesn''t know. He doesn''t know that Borikowski is carrying perhaps the most important, and dangerous, biological discovery the world has ever known. He doesn''t know that the microbe is in a suitcase armed with a device that will explode if Borikowski is harmed. And he doesn''t know about the Soviet intelligence project code-named Bookends—a project that will not be complete until Andy meets the same fate as his brother. The chase will take him across the United States and Canada, putting himself, the woman he loves, and thousands of innocent people in jeopardy...

With the defeat of the Overtakers behind them, the five teenagers known as the Kingdom Keepers should be celebrating. By all accounts they saved Disneyland from certain destruction. Why then did their mentor leave one last puzzle for them to decipher? The Keepers must solve a puzzle of the past, or be crushed under an evil that makes the Overtakers seem like gentle souls.

The Foxglove Mission is the rare sequel that takes everything readers love about Super Sons and raises the stakes without losing any of the charm or sense of wonder. SLJ writes, ''''For kids who enjoy suspenseful adventures about saving the world and superhero-adjacent stories.''''

A strange series of fires is raging in Seattle - white-hot fires that burn so cleanly even the ash is consumed, along with all traces of the fires'' victims. Brilliant forensic investigator Police Sergeant Lou Boldt is back, battling the mysterious arsonist. He is also keeping his eye on the Fire Warden, who seems to be a little too close to the heat. But police psychologist Daphne Matthews is more concerned about the victims of the blazes, especially the smart and wily ten-year-old boy who had a terrifying encounter with a disfigured, badly burned man. Beyond Recognition is the story of a deadly, taunting game of cat and mouse, where the stakes are raised to a burning point that might spell disaster for Boldt - and the city of Seattle.

An unofficial strike is stretching the Seattle police force to breaking point. Detective Lou Boldt is committed to remaining on the job come what may, but when the city is hit by a string of robberies and the brutal near-murder of a female cop, the mounting pressures start to threaten his marriage and his mental equilibrium. With the help of two of the few colleagues still working, he makes slow progress towards cracking the case, but things begin to spin out of control when he is pressured to drop his line of investigation, and it becomes clear that his life is in danger if he refuses. Working with police psychologist Daphne Matthews, he gradually begins to unravel a mystery which connects the robberies, the assault, and the crippling strike. Filled with the fast-paced storytelling which has characterized Ridley Pearson''s novels, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE is the book destined to propel him on to the bestseller lists.

A madman threatens to blow up the Yankee Green Mall near Boston, and Toby Jacobs, the Director of Security, must find a way to stop him