Showing results by author "Carolyn Arnold" in All Categories

Preparing the empty house for another viewing, she knows she’s taking a risk showing it at night. She never told anyone she was here, but she desperately needs this sale. If she pulls it off, she can finally give her daughter the life she deserves. But as she climbs the stairs, goosebumps spread down her arms. She’s not alone…

When the bodies of a local family are discovered on a quiet street in the small town of Dumfries, Virginia, Detective Amanda Steele takes charge of the case. Brett and Angela Parker were shot three times each, leaving no hope of survival, and their tidy suburban home has been ransacked. But there is no sign of their beloved six-year-old, Zoe.

It’s been five years since Detective Amanda Steele’s life was derailed by the tragic death of her young daughter. The small community of Dumfries, Virginia, may have moved on, but Amanda cannot. When the man who killed Lindsey is found murdered, she can’t keep away from the case.

Tucking her daughter into her hospital bed, Gail sent up a silent prayer. Her daughter’s heart is failing and without this life-saving operation she will die. But soon her peace is shattered when a nurse races into the room: “Lock the doors, close the blinds. The hospital’s in lockdown. We have a shooter.”

When champion figure skater Michaela Glover returns to her hometown of Woodbridge for a special performance, Detective Amanda Steele is part of the cheering crowds. But when Michaela is discovered dead in her dressing room after the show, Amanda is the first to investigate the shocking scene. There is no sign of foul play, and the room is overflowing with flowers from Michaela’s adoring fans. But Amanda’s heart stops at the sight of a few roses tied with black ribbon and a note that reads “You’ll be sorry”.

When hikers find the body of a beautiful, young girl, on the banks of the Potomac River, Detective Amanda Steele is shaken and confused. What is the significance of the delicate flower resting on the girl’s torso? A sign of affection, or a twisted killer’s calling card? A long night hunting through cold cases gives her a possible lead: Twenty years ago, another local girl was murdered, with a red rose left on her body. Focused on the past, the last thing Amanda expects is the news that another girl has been found dead, another black orchid left behind.

When firefighters discover the body of a teenage girl at an abandoned house, Detective Amanda Steele hurries to the scene. Dumfries, Virginia, is a small town, yet no one seems to have any idea who the dead girl is, until Amanda finds a dragonfly pin with the name Crystal engraved on it. Working tirelessly, Amanda traces the pin to Crystal Foster, a 13-year-old who disappeared three years ago from her wealthy parents’ home. Breaking the news to the distraught parents won’t be easy, but the loss of her own daughter still haunts Amanda, and she knows this will bring them closure.

A woman is found strangled in her own bed—killed with a man’s necktie. No forced entry. No witnesses. One detail that doesn’t belong. Detective Madison Knight knows the crime scene is staged. The house is spotless. Impersonal. But a single photograph on the nightstand tells her the murder was anything but random. The detail hits closer than it should—and Madison can’t shake the feeling it’s the key to everything. Then the killer strikes again. A second woman is found dead, strangled with the same brand of necktie. Madison realizes she’s chasing a calculating serial killer.

When beautiful wife and mother Alicia Gordon is found dead in a remote woodland cabin, Detective Amanda Steele is shocked to discover that she knows the husband. Amanda hasn’t spoken to Tony since she lost the love of her own life seven years ago, and seeing tragedy tearing her old friend’s family apart brings back so many painful memories. Alicia was alone when she died, but she was so young, and Amanda can’t help feeling suspicious. Then she discovers that Alicia’s sleep medication had been tampered with, slowly poisoning her over several days.

When Brandon Fisher joined the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, he knew he’d come up against psychopaths, sociopaths, pathological liars, and more. But when his first case takes him and the team to Salt Lick, Kentucky, to hunt down a ritualistic serial killer, he learns what nightmares are truly made of. Beneath a residential property, local law enforcement discovered an underground bunker with circular graves that house the remains of 10 victims.

On Christmas Eve, wealthy entrepreneur Claire Reeves is found brutally murdered in her own kitchen. The crime scene is intimate. Personal. But Detective Madison Knight quickly realizes it was carefully staged to deceive. As Madison investigates, Claire’s perfect life begins to fracture. Lies surface. Alliances shatter. And the list of suspects keeps growing.

The girl in the ballerina dress lies still on the carousel with her face toward the blue sky. In her tutu and slippers, she’s ready for her next performance. But as the morning sun shines down upon her, she no longer feels its warmth on her cheeks. Her bright light is gone forever. When the body of Hailey Tanner is found in a local park, Detective Amanda Steele races to the scene. Interviewing her devastated parents, they confirm that Hailey never made it home from her dance class.

When a dog walker in a local Virginia park finds the bodies of a mother and daughter, Detective Amanda Steele is first on the scene. Her own daughter has a toy just like the girl’s elephant and seeing the child like this is her worst nightmare come true. Heartbroken, she vows to get justice.

When Detective Amanda Steele is called to the brutal murder scene of successful local author Felicity Kelley, her blood runs cold. Because Amanda not only knew the victim, but was the last person Felicity called moments before she was murdered. Plagued with guilt that she never answered, Amanda is left wondering whether she could have prevented the murder and vows to catch the killer, no matter what.

During a winter thaw, a young man’s body is pulled from a riverbank. His name is Chris Randall—and someone is determined to keep the truth about his death hidden. When Detective Madison Knight arrives on the scene, she quickly realizes this isn’t a simple homicide. Chris’s mother has lived for years with a devastating secret—one that shattered her family long before her son was murdered. She’s convinced the killer is the one man with the most to lose: Chris’s father.

Her breath hitches, and her stomach lurches, tossing up bile into the back of her throat. The man holds the revolver to her head and says, “Let’s play a little game”. She closes her eyes with each pull of the trigger, almost praying for a bullet. They told her if the gun doesn’t kill her, they’d take their time...The recent murder of a defense attorney has Detective Madison Knight fueled to find justice for him and a lawyer who was killed eight years ago. She’d never solved that crime, but she’s always had a strong suspicion who was behind the murder.

When Detective Amanda Steele’s niece, Ava, begs her to look for a missing schoolfriend, she immediately agrees to take on the case. Eighteen-year-old Reese left home three nights ago after fighting with her mother and hasn’t been seen since. But when the teenager’s body is discovered brutally murdered, poised dramatically at the prom venue, Amanda is devastated she didn’t save the girl in time.

It’s almost Christmas, and with the festive season in full swing, Denver, Colorado, would be an idyllic destination - if not for Detective Mack McClellan’s conviction there’s a serial killer on the loose. Brandon and his team are called in when a man’s body is found next to a dumpster, and the victim shares a commonality with a few men who were reported missing. It’s a motive the FBI hasn’t seen before, and it will have Brandon and his colleagues questioning who sits on the side of justice - them, or the killer they’re hunting.

When Detective Amanda Steele unexpectedly reconnects with an old boyfriend, the last thing she expects to see lying on his bed is the dead body of his wife, Claire, who walked out on him four years ago. Logan begs Amanda to believe he’s innocent. But she doesn’t miss the gun on a nearby table, and she’s torn when forensics reveal that not only was this the murder weapon, but Logan’s fingerprints are all over it.... Could he have been framed? Or is he using his connection to Amanda to get away with murder?

She wakes surrounded by an inky black darkness and can barely breathe. A sack is covering her head, and her hands are tied behind her back. She desperately tries to struggle free as she hears footsteps walking toward her. She silently starts to cry as a chilling voice whispers “It’s time to pay for what you did…”