Maggie Novak Series by Keith Houghton

From the bestselling author of Crash comes a riveting thriller rife with murder, misdirection, and ghosts from the past. Florida homicide detective Maggie Novak has seen hundreds of brutal murder cases, but when she is called out to investigate the charred remains of a young woman, in what appears to be a Halloween prank gone wrong, she is confronted with a twenty-year-old secret... moreFrom the bestselling author of Crash comes a riveting thriller rife with murder, misdirection, and ghosts from the past. Florida homicide detective Maggie Novak has seen hundreds of brutal murder cases, but when she is called out to investigate the charred remains of a young woman, in what appears to be a Halloween prank gone wrong, she is confronted with a twenty-year-old secret. The body is formally identified as that of school counselor Dana Cullen, but a distinguishing mark makes Maggie look again. She believes it is the body of her school friend Rita, who perished in a fire twenty years ago. Maggie’s hunt for the truth behind the murder takes her back to a cruel high school trick she’s desperate to forget. And when another body turns up, Maggie realizes she too may be the target of a sinister plot creeping toward its final act. Maggie needs emotional distance to do her job, but she’s so close to this case that she can’t even breathe. Will Maggie be able to uncover the truth of who wanted Rita dead? Or will her past mistakes catch up with her first?Also available in the Maggie Novak Thriller A PLACE CALLED FEAR THE OTHER CHILD HER ONLY REGRET less

When cops break the rules, there’s only one detective you can trust to investigate. Florida homicide detective Maggie Novak should be celebrating: it’s the start of a new year, and her boyfriend has just proposed. But all she can think about is the alarming news she received earlier that evening—her teammate Detective Clayton Young is missing.With few leads, Maggie heads to the supermarket where Clay was last seen... moreWhen cops break the rules, there’s only one detective you can trust to investigate. Florida homicide detective Maggie Novak should be celebrating: it’s the start of a new year, and her boyfriend has just proposed. But all she can think about is the alarming news she received earlier that evening—her teammate Detective Clayton Young is missing.With few leads, Maggie heads to the supermarket where Clay was last seen. To her horror, security footage reveals a devastating scene in the parking lot: her colleague has died in fearful circumstances. As the investigation begins, Homicide Squad is rocked by the news that Clay might not be the only intended target, and that any one of them could be next on the killer’s agenda.Clay’s partner, Detective Andy Stucker, is refusing to answer calls, and Maggie suspects he has a part to play in their colleague’s death. Scanning through Clay’s phone, she finds a message to Stucker with the words “they know.”Who are “they”? And what do they know? As more secrets come to light, Maggie has good reason to believe the killer is just getting started. She needs to uncover the truth fast. But is it already right in front of her eyes? less