Böcker av Ann M Pratley

When one night produces a horrific number of deaths in a town where violent crime is almost non-existent, it captures the attention of the nation. Masses of deceased are found in their beds, in their vehicles, and in public places. At first, it's surprising that a murder would happen at all in the quiet township. As the body count rises, so does the urgency to try and figure out what has happened.When some members of local law enforcement are pushed towards breaking point by what they see and learn in those first twenty-four hours following the murders, Special Agents Ashley Power and Tim Moore are called in to provide assistance. In disbelief about what has happened, they find themselves assessing a crime of a type neither have seen before, or even heard about. Surely it could only be a violent stranger who would go to a town and take out so many people. If not, who else could possibly want to do such a thing?With the death toll so high when the agents arrive and embark on the case, all they know for certain is that they have no idea how such a terrible thing could have happened, they have no idea why such a terrible thing would have happened, and they absolutely have no idea if the number of those selected to die has, in fact, been met. The books in the Power Moore Investigation Tales series are standalone stories and can be enjoyed in any order.

When one night produces a horrific number of deaths in a town where violent crime is almost non-existent, it captures the attention of the nation. Masses of deceased are found in their beds, in their vehicles, and in public places. At first, it's surprising that a murder would happen at all in the quiet township. As the body count rises, so does the urgency to try and figure out what has happened.When some members of local law enforcement are pushed towards breaking point by what they see and learn in those first twenty-four hours following the murders, Special Agents Ashley Power and Tim Moore are called in to provide assistance. In disbelief about what has happened, they find themselves assessing a crime of a type neither have seen before, or even heard about. Surely it could only be a violent stranger who would go to a town and take out so many people. If not, who else could possibly want to do such a thing?With the death toll so high when the agents arrive and embark on the case, all they know for certain is that they have no idea how such a terrible thing could have happened, they have no idea why such a terrible thing would have happened, and they absolutely have no idea if the number of those selected to die has, in fact, been met. The books in the Power Moore Investigation Tales series are standalone stories and can be enjoyed in any order.

In a small seaside area of Sydney, Australia, 28-year-old Tom Santini has recently returned to the outside world after ten long years in jail following an error of judgement in his youth. Readjustment hasn't been easy, but luck has taken a turn for him. The woman that his brother, Graham, has been seeing is a woman with connections. Through her, Tom has finally found an employer who will give an ex-criminal a chance to start over. It hasn't been an easy six months since his release, but Tom is learning to face his situation with reality and step up to take responsibility for his decisions.Settled in his job at Toby's Stop'n'Dine, Tom's attention is captured by a young woman who enters. She's beautiful and alluring, but seeing and talking to her, he can deeply sense her being on the run from something ... or someone. Cat is smart, sexy, and a woman who will make him wonder if he does in fact have a chance at being happy in love, despite his past. But why does she spook so easily? What - or who - is she on the run from? Tom knows that whatever happens, he has to think before he acts. He is determined to do things differently when it comes to dealing with difficult situations. He's already missed out on so much. He cannot go back to prison. What can he do to calm and keep safe the woman who he so recently met but already has made a difference in his life? How can he save the woman with a deep seated passion that drives him crazy... The woman who understands just how important and difficult it is to find oneself again ...

She doesn't want to deliver pain to anyone anymore... even for someone's pleasure.

They found each other across distance and time... but what is their destiny? And who is guiding them, pulling them together in such a way that nobody can understand - even those involved as a part of it?

Meet the Leadbetters...For generations, the Leadbetters have lived off crime. For as long as any of them know, fathers and mothers have taught sons and daughters how to succeed in the criminal world, primarily through theft.Phillip Leadbetter is 29 and has devoted his whole life so far to doing what his father and mother have told him to do. The sacrifice for doing that is that he still lives at home and hasn't yet met anyone who he believes could accept the man that he is because of his family.One night a potential tragedy brings him into the path of Daisy, an up and coming professional in the legal sector. Seeing him as her knight in shining armor, she can't stop thinking about the rugged guy who saved her. She's also very pleased when fate brings their paths to cross again.Getting to know one another, both leave out the most important details about who they are. She doesn't want him to know she's a lawyer. He doesn't want to tell her about his family and their long history of criminal activity.How then will things turn when they meet up in a courthouse, each learning in that moment who the other really is? How will they deal with the fact that she is on one side of the law, and he is very definitely on the other?~~ NOTE: This book does contain adult sexual content and explicit language.

Meet the Stonewardens...The youngest member of the Stonewarden family, Charlotte (Charlie), is 18 years old. As with everyone in her family when they reach that age, she's been told that when she turns 19, she'll be recruited into the family business. She has her warning that she has one year to do anything else she wishes to do - travel, study, work. Whatever she wants to do, she has 365 days to do it. On her next birthday, her life will effectively stop being her own.But Charlie wants nothing to do with the business. The youngest of six, with five older brothers, she wants a different life. Maybe if the family business was something normal like a retail shop or a business centred around trade, she'd feel differently. There are people who say that her family's long term history of robbing from the rich and providing to the poor is a good thing. To her, all she can see is that they are thieves. Plain and simple.Her view is further secured when she and her older brother, Max, are shot at in a local supermarket. Seeing Max lying in blood and later lying unmoving in hospital in a coma, pushes her further in her resolve to find a way to not take part in the activities of her father and brothers.At the shootout she is saved by a checkout operator, Ash. Whilst building their friendship Charlie will learn things about her family that she didn't particularly wish to know. She will hear more and more that she can't share with Ash, and the more she learns, the wider the gap will become.In years she's young, but having lost her mother when she was only 9 years old, Charlie has an older soul. The possibilities she'll be presented with during her one final year of her own, will push her in her considerations of how she really wants her life to be.She wants one thing. Her strict ex-military father wants another. The dynamics of her new friendship will pull her in a third direction.How will she choose what's right for her? And what would she have to do to break free from the chains that she can see her father wants to place around her for the rest of her life?**NOTE: While Amethyst of Youth does contain a few short moments of raunchiness and explicit language, it is primarily set around the sweet and slow romance of one character.

James Stonewarden is a playboy. He has been since the moment he first started to notice girls. He loves them all, and they all love him. Why would he want to get himself into a relationship? Sasha Leadbetter''s a hot-headed young woman, known to the law for her quick temper and harsh ways. She isn''t one to mess with - especially with the way she keeps a blade in her pocket. To her, it''s her security. It''s something that makes her feel safe and comfortable. She''s had it for so long that it''s nothing for her to pull it out and hold it to someone''s throat without any conscious thought. Unaware of who each other are, or how their families are distantly interconnected through crime, the chance of James Stonewarden meeting Sasha Leadbetter is slim. But it happens.  For the first time in the long histories of two families, a night is coming when both will be present with their eyes on the same prize.  On one side is a family who work theft with precision. They have the charisma and charm to create an image ... an illusion. When they''re around, something can be there one minute and gone thenext, never to be seen again.  On the other side is a family with members who are rash, impatient and violent. They won''t pretend to be what they''re not and they waste no time on such things as charm. On one night, a clash of methods will result in an explosion and devastation for one family. Out of the horrific result, a friendship that has been slowly creeping up on two young people from opposing sides will reveal much. It''s an unlikely friendship that will heighten and flourish. The unthinkable happening will change both parties enough to make it easy for them to finally find common ground.