The books in reverse order of publication
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The liberal-leaning mayor of Plateauville, a small Middle Tennessee town, is found hanging from the tree in his back yard, and it looks like murder. The town is already reeling from Covid and discord over the mayor's active support of masks—stopping short of a mandate.
Meanwhile, protestors are harassing mask-supporting businesses and their customers, raising havoc and creating fear. While Detective Ray Stone struggles to get a lead on the mayor's homicide and to help contain the protestors, Nurse Sophia Burgess and her coworkers care for a deluge of patients from Plateauville with strange hand rashes and worse. Pulling in the resources of the county and the state isn't enough to make significant progress. Help is also needed from skilled civilians who rise to the occasion and volunteer for the good of the community. The citizens are under attack. Can Ray, Sophia, and their helpers prevent more deaths, even as they work to save their own jobs and their own skins? |
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Sophia and Ray are excited about moving into their new home in the Cove, a peaceful subdivision up-the-mountain in Middle Tennessee.
But Ray, the lone detective in the Plateauville PD, is summoned to Florida to testify as a key trial witness. In his absence, Sophia, a full-time emergency department nurse and a part-time cop, must prepare everything for their move. She meets a group of her future neighbors and finds the women are part of a tight clique. One of the clique member’s husband is killed in an apparent accident, and Sophia discovers several of the husbands have also experienced serious mishaps. Yet, the wives don’t seem concerned. As Sophia puzzles out the reasons for the group’s weird behavior, she asks questions, and, in so doing, makes enemies. Personal threats follow. Her car gets four flat tires, and a vandal defaces her new house. She goes on offense, digging for information about these strange women, while also attempting to infiltrate the group. They get angry, the threats become more sinister, and she thinks her life might well be in danger. Will she survive until Ray returns? Will they have their Happy-Ever-After in the Cove? |
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Sophia and Ray are nearing the end of their transition from Florida to Tennessee. Their new house in The Cove is almost complete, and they’ll be moving in soon. But, bad luck plagues them as Sophia notices strange doings in the area. Thus, they are thrown into a den of iniquity unlike any other they have faced. Sophia’s digging will keep you flipping pages as evil forces crowd into her life, threatening that very life. When needed most, Ray is called away to testify in an old court case, leaving her to face the situation alone.
—Randy Rawls, author of numerous novels including his most recent, Flight From Freedom: Josh and Maria (Josh Hawkins Series Book 2)
I greatly enjoyed this book. I think the characters were well-described and distinct from each other. The setting, so vividly depicted, rose to life before my mind's eye. I could feel the chill in the air whenever the displaced Floridians ventured outdoors. The plot was easy to follow and held together well.
—Stephanie Saxon Levine, mystery reader supreme and book reviewer
—Randy Rawls, author of numerous novels including his most recent, Flight From Freedom: Josh and Maria (Josh Hawkins Series Book 2)
I greatly enjoyed this book. I think the characters were well-described and distinct from each other. The setting, so vividly depicted, rose to life before my mind's eye. I could feel the chill in the air whenever the displaced Floridians ventured outdoors. The plot was easy to follow and held together well.
—Stephanie Saxon Levine, mystery reader supreme and book reviewer
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Sophia and Ray made a move to the gorgeous mountains of Middle Tennessee, unknowingly placing themselves in the center of the methamphetamine belt. The horrific reality of the crisis lands on them while hiking one day. A hand falls out of a tree and slides down Sophia's back. One of the nearby meth labs had exploded, causing multiple deaths and devastating injuries. Ray, being the first detective in the Plateauville PD, investigates the case. At the hospital Emergency Department, Nurse Sophia hears things about the lab and the explosion and noses into Ray's case—again. It may not have been an accident at all. The information she gives Ray is useful, but she attracts unwanted attention. Ray warns her to lower her profile, but the ex-cop can't seem to stop. To end the meth madness, at least locally, she wants the guilty caught as much as Ray does. There's a tangled web of interrelated families and gossipy townsfolk to contend with. The challenge of uncovering who might have torched the meth lab and discovering the identity of the John Doe lying in the morgue brings Ray and Sophia into the lethal sights of the local meth organization. They'd love to stay alive. |
"When Sophia and Ray move from South Florida to Tennessee, they do not expect to be entering a different world. Yet, the differences are so extreme, they feel as if they’ve taken on a whole new existence. Ray begins his new job as the lone detective of the local police, and Sophia begins her shifts in the ER of the hospital, both looking forward to the peace and quiet of country living. However, on an outing to enjoy nature, everything changes—a human hand tumbles down on Sophia. From there, they learn that the laws are the same, but the criminals can be different. As the case develops in front of him, Ray struggles to keep Sophia out of the investigation—good-luck with that. An exciting adventure awaits them and the reader as they adjust to the pace of country living—and, along the way, solve a major crime." Randy Rawls--Saving Dabba, Dating Death, Best Defense, Hot Rocks featuring Beth Bowman, FL PI, Jingle and the Magnificent Seven , Justice Secured, Thorns On Roses featuring Tom Jeffries
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Elder abuse becomes a reality to nurse Sophia Burgess after her elderly friend is murdered and the father-in-law of a powerful man comes to the hospital with injuries that do not look accidental. When her superiors don’t see it her way and refuse to report the suspected abuse, Sophia’s fiancé, Detective Ray Stone, encourages her to make the call. That action enrages the injured man’s daughter who goes on the offensive. Character assassination, both in the hospital and on social media appear more annoying than harmful—until the stalking begins.
Detective Stone works the murder case, but the closer he gets, the more dangerous Sophia's situation becomes. Must she pay the ultimate price for trying to protect the innocent? Rands Rawls, author of HOT ROCKS and BEST DEFENSE featuring Beth Bowman, S FL PI and THORNS ON ROSES and THE RUNAWAY featuring Tom Jeffries, S FL PI http://www.RandyRawls.com says, "As topical as tomorrow’s newspaper, IMPERFECT DEFENSE takes on the issue of elder abuse. When Sophia Burgess, an emergency room nurse, examines Ralph Hoffman, a hard-of-hearing, blind senior, she is suspicious of how his injuries occurred. Ostensibly, he fell downstairs in the home of his daughter and son-in-law, but something about it rings false to Sophia. When she discovers he’s not the first elderly person in the Silebi household to suffer serious injuries, she is convinced that foul play is afoot. However, Franco Silebi is an influential supporter of the hospital who not only denies Sophia’s charges, but take steps against her. She must decide which is more important—her career or her principles." |
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Tony Conte, ex-Special Forces medic, martial arts expert, and hunky widower dad, is the emergency department nursing manager at Sawgrass Medical Center in southern Florida.
When he walks the hospital’s CFO to the parking lot, she ends up dead, and he wakes up on a stretcher. The police question whether he was a true victim of the crime. Tony discovers evidence of embezzlement from the hospital. His accusations draw fire from hospital management and get him noticed by the criminals. Cops and thugs are after him, and he must use his political savvy and martial arts skills to stay not only employed, but alive—and in one piece. Meanwhile, he needs to make time to get a personal life. |
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Nursing school can be a dangerous place. There are sharp objects, toxic drugs, heavy lifting, combative patients, and contagious diseases. And, sometimes, there is murder.
After her family falls apart, nursing instructor Jillian Grey makes teaching her life. When she counsels a troubled student, then finds her dead in the trees near the school's parking lot, Jillian does the right thing. She checks for a pulse and calls 9-1-1. Jillian gets more than an emergency response. Police detectives quickly point out that she was the last to see the young woman alive, then discovered the body. In their opinions, it is an unlikely coincidence. Jillian must uncover the killer or lose everything—including her freedom—for a murder she didn't commit. |
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(Plan to Kill was previously published as the lord.)
A deranged killer with a vengeful agenda stalks prey in the corridors of South Florida's Medical Center by the Sea. A card with a Biblical verse signed the lord links the victims. Nightshift nursing supervisor, Miki Murphy, is near each murder, leading homicide detectives to consider her a suspect. But Miki is also on the lord's list. The killer strikes at Miki and misses. When she calls the police, they are skeptical, forcing Miki to act on her own. Fighting back in the only way she knows how, Miki must uncover the killer. |
"Daddy did it," says seven-year-old Amber Pyle. She's a rape victim, the worst her nurse, Sophia Burgess, can imagine. But, unlike her murdered mother and little brother, Amber might survive. Detective Ray Stone, Sophia's live-in boyfriend, is assigned the case and is more distressed than usual over the hideous crime, but he won't say why.
As a former cop, Sophia is suspicious by nature. She may have left the force after getting shot, but she kept her independent outlook, keen mind, and adventurous nature--and she kept her sassy attitude, too.
Randy Rawls, author of THORNS ON ROSES, a South Florida Thriller, said, "Don't mess with Sophia Burgess' live-in boyfriend, Detective Ray Stone. Only she is allowed to do that. When Stone is assigned to investigate the rape of seven-year-old Amber Pyle, Sophia senses there may be more to the case than appears on the surface."
Jeremiah Healy, author of the John Francis Cuddy private- investigator series, said: "This excellent crime novel provides an especially moving window on the aftermath--both from the police and hospital standpoints--of a sexual assault upon a child."
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As a former cop, Sophia is suspicious by nature. She may have left the force after getting shot, but she kept her independent outlook, keen mind, and adventurous nature--and she kept her sassy attitude, too.
Randy Rawls, author of THORNS ON ROSES, a South Florida Thriller, said, "Don't mess with Sophia Burgess' live-in boyfriend, Detective Ray Stone. Only she is allowed to do that. When Stone is assigned to investigate the rape of seven-year-old Amber Pyle, Sophia senses there may be more to the case than appears on the surface."
Jeremiah Healy, author of the John Francis Cuddy private- investigator series, said: "This excellent crime novel provides an especially moving window on the aftermath--both from the police and hospital standpoints--of a sexual assault upon a child."
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Driven from police work by the cold realities of the job—getting shot can do that—Sophia Burgess finds her place in nursing. She brought with her the qualities that made her a good cop—fierce independence, inquiring mind, and edgy personality.
Then the victim comes to her.
Sophia's patient dies, but not from natural causes. She uses her clinical acumen as a nurse, her deductive skills as a former cop, and her police detective ex-fiancée to find the killer.
Randy Rawls, author of THORNS ON ROSES, a South Florida Thriller, said,
The same qualities that made Sophia Burgess a good police officer make her an excellent nurse. When a drive-by shooting victim, real estate broker, Barry Hutchinson, ends up in a coma and in her care, she cares. And when Hutchinson's wife asks for her help, Sophia's cop feelings kick in. She feels obligated to find his shooters, even if it means going against the wishes of her ex-fiancé, the lead detective on the case. What follows is a race to the end—but who is the ultimate winner?
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Tony Conte, ex-Special Forces medic and martial arts expert turned nurse, is stretched to his limit when the legal and medical professions’ traditional combat zone turns deadly. He has two passions in life, his family and his career, and both are threatened. Faced with a mountain of charges and counter charges, Tony plunges into the fray. The battle moves from the courtroom to the emergency room and catches Tony in the middle. When the person dearest to him becomes ill, he’s distracted, but Tony can only keep his wife’s doctor out of jail if he can stay out of jail himself.
Jeanette Cottrell, Reviewer & author of There's No Such Thing!, said,
Illegally Dead is a neat mystery book that raises a lot of questions about America's split perspective on the medical profession. On the one hand, we worship doctors for their healing hands. On the other, should they fail to pull off a miracle, uncomprehending patients are quick with a lawsuit. It also reflects some of the soul struggle a person endures when a loved one is endangered. This looks to be an interesting series, and I look forward to the next installment.
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Jeanette Cottrell, Reviewer & author of There's No Such Thing!, said,
Illegally Dead is a neat mystery book that raises a lot of questions about America's split perspective on the medical profession. On the one hand, we worship doctors for their healing hands. On the other, should they fail to pull off a miracle, uncomprehending patients are quick with a lawsuit. It also reflects some of the soul struggle a person endures when a loved one is endangered. This looks to be an interesting series, and I look forward to the next installment.
Buy ebook for Kindle or paperback from Amazon
Instant Preview: Begin reading a sample now.