She's an ace reporter. An amateur sleuth. And she's always clued in. But now Cat Marsala is faced with her toughest case, one that could put a friend's job-and life-on the line. A domestic-violence call turns into a case of murder-of one cop by another. The alleged killer is an officer in the unit of Cat's friend, Chief McCoo, and now his reputation is on the line. Department leaks begin to destroy his career-and dangerous incidents around the station soon follow. Now Cat must sift through the conspiracy to clear McCoo's name-before the unknown traitor resorts to murder...

"The Most Peaceful Town in the World" boasts the sign leading to the quiet adult community of Young Lake. And it was-until they started shooting across the generation gap. First there were the "incidents" a broken arm, a scorpion sting, rocks hurled at the school bus. Next little Timmy Barkus was missing-until they found his body. And then the little girl... Gerritt DeGraaf had never seen such an unlikely assembly of suspects. And yet it had to be-one of these mild old people was frightened enough or insane enough to murder.

WINNER OF THE ANTHONY AND AGATHA AWARDS FOR BEST TRUE CRIME In 1968, Dr. John Branion was found guilty of murdering his wife in their posh Chicago home. After exhausting his appeals, he evaded authorities by fleeing to Africa. He was finally captured in 1983-but his case was far from over. It would take another seven years for Dr. Branion to finally win his freedom-and for those who prosecuted him to admit that he could not have committed the murder, and that they knew it all along. Acclaimed mystery writer Barbara D'Amato was drawn to this story two decades after the murder, as Dr. Branion...

In On My Honor, Samantha Lawton, recently separated, is raising two sons by herself. Fortunately, they're in Boy Scouts, and, with no father in the house, she is glad they have positive male role models. After a series of fatal accidents, however, she starts having second thoughts-and these second thoughts grow stronger after a Scout is seen in the area of another "accident." Determined to protect her children by getting to the bottom of things, Samantha soon finds herself in trouble. But she is not the only one concerned. Henry Ax, the chief of police, has also noticed what's been going on,...

After dinner, Dr. Adam Cotton settled in a chair by the fireplace to read, while his guests made up two tables of bridge. Engrossed in their game, no one left the room. And the two servants who were sitting in the hallway all evening, deep in conversation, claim that no one entered the room. But someone inserted a small surgical scalpel into the parietal bone of Dr. Cotton's temple, killing him instantly.