Officer Jack Ballinger receives a phone call from the chief of police in the early morning hours regarding a dead body at an apartment building in a quiet neighborhood in the small upstate New York town of Black Falls. A female student lies in a pentagram outlined in her own blood, clutching a rosary. Ballinger and his former partner Officer Cory Ryan interview tenants in the building about the girl's death, but are met with more questions than answers.When another body is found in ...

Introverted, socially awkward Jay Kirkman, known to his Grams as "Jay Bird," is riding the ups-and-downs of youth while living with overbearing parents and dealing with the pressures of being a senior in high school.A month away from graduation, Jay hopes to flee the small upstate New York town of Milton for a life anywhere but in his dead-end hometown. He wishes for more than he has now: scholarly, eccentric parents, and watching Grams, the closest person to him, slowly dying befo...

PI Bradshaw receives a late night call from a client desperate to find her missing daughter. The woman asks to meet him at a storage unit in upstate New York. The woman hangs up before Bradshaw can inquire further. Woken by the jarring news, Bradshaw decides to meet the frantic, mysterious woman pleading for his help. Working as a private investigator has its drawbacks. Bradshaw often receives prank calls from clients with run-of-the-mill requests and chooses his cases wisely. But there is...

An armed, violent man escapes jail and flees police in Talon County, Maine, where a widespread chase stretches from Bangor to Portland. A torrential rainstorm hits the coast of Maine in a fury of blackouts as police canvas the area for Brad Rayon, who terrorizes a small community, killing anybody who gets in his way.Several break-ins, thefts, and arsons are reported in the area, but for Ash and his boyfriend Wally, it is a series of personal threats that heightens to life-threatenin...

Ben Bradshaw, a private investigator, is not just any detective. He delves into the mysteries of the living and the dead, his past spirits guiding him through the shadows of crime.One evening, college wrestling champion Levi Franklin visits Ben and urges him to help find his missing father. After listening to the client's impulsive request, Ben refuses to accept the young man's offer. Something does not seem right. Then, something shifts in Levi's desperate plea. His heart-wrenching...

Sequel to Past SinsJack Ballinger has seen a lot of horrible things in the six years he's been a police officer, disturbing images he wishes he could erase from his memory forever. Crime scenes, dead bodies, and the death of his parents dredge up an unsettling time from his past, a tortured childhood he does not want to revisit. But Jack must confront a new waking nightmare that sends him spiraling out of control, down a rabbit hole of indescribable terrors, questioning his...

Moving to a new place can be a nightmare. Picking up and meeting different people is intimidating, as Brandon and Tate soon realize when they leave the City of Brotherly Love for a sleepy backwater town in upstate New York.Brandon finds work as a software engineer, but Tate discovers change is daunting as a kindergarten teacher in unknown surroundings. Since leaving the only place he has ever known, Tate struggles with the death and memories of his mother, who he lost to cancer a f...

Seventeen-year-old Jesse has a babysitting gig at the Linderman's house on Halloween. He loves watching Christie and Dylan, and is thrilled to see them dressed up in cute, creative costumes. When he arrives at their house, Jesse he just knows it will be a fun-filled night of pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating.But Jesse quickly realizes Halloween is not only about candy, pumpkins, and scary costumes. It's known for tricks and ghoulish things, and can bring out the crazies. While ...

Sequel to Jay BirdA month away from his high school graduation, Jay Kirkman must confront his doubts about the future. The recent death of his Grams, the feisty and funny grandparent he had counted on for wisdom and support, has taken a toll on him. Breaking away from his overbearing parents, especially his strict disciplinarian mother, is proving difficult.Struggling to say goodbye to the people he loves, Jay has to decide if he wants to move away to attend college ...

Sequel to Winter's LightChristian Rivers receives the phone call he has been dreading for six months. His father has died.Flying home to Arizona with his husband Phillip, Christian arrives in Glendale to a family in chaos. Christian's mother Lori struggles to go on without her husband. She collects lots of things to occupy her mind and pass the time. Her sleeping habits have changed, too, and she's no longer able to stay in the same house without the man she loved....

As Josh Tully returns home from running errands, he stumbles across a handsome man leaving his apartment complex. Distracted by the charming new stranger, Josh spills his groceries across the front stoop. As the new neighbor helps Josh pick up his belongings, a sudden surge of electricity sparks between the two young men.When Eddie returns to Josh's apartment with a fresh gallon of milk, a chance meeting turns into mutual attraction. But a severe case of pneumonia lands Josh in the...

When author Christian Rivers meets Milestone County's Sheriff Philip Erickson, a spark of attraction flickers between them. The three stories in this collection fan the flames of that attraction, and the love Christian and Philip share blazes within these pages. Contains the stories:A Light in the Dark: Author Christian Rivers has ended a five-year relationship with his boyfriend, Russ, but is suddenly propelled back into "the scene" when he phones Milestone County ...