DEPARTMENT 6 TRILOGY

WHITE HEAT - Book #1 Paradise? In name only. . . Nate Ferrentino and Rachel Jessop are operatives for Department 6, a private security company, and they're going undercover to expose a new and dangerous cult. This group has taken up residence in the Arizona desert, in a ghost town called Paradise. Members worship at the feet — and in the bed — of its charismatic leader, Ethan Wycliff. On his orders, they tried to stone a woman to death. And they're implicated in the disappearance of a teenage girl. To expose the Church of the Covenant, with its arcane rituals and debauched practices, Nate and Rachel must pretend to be married. That's the only way they can get in — but being Nate's "wife" is the last thing Rachel wants. She and Nate have a one-night history that's just an embarrassment to her now. But they don't have a choice. Wycliff has to be stopped.

BODY HEAT - Book #2 The heat is on. . . Twelve people have been shot at pointblank range and left to rot in the desert sun. It's Sophia St. Claire's job to do something about it. She's Bordertown, Arizona's new chief of police — and she's out of her depth. Help arrives in the form of Department 6 hired gun Roderick Guerrero. As far as Sophia's concerned, his involvement only makes things worse. Maybe he's managed to turn his life around. And maybe he's a good investigator. But as the bastard son of a wealthy local rancher, he has a history he can't get past. A history that includes her. Rod refuses to leave town until the killer is caught. He's not worried about the danger posed by some vigilante. It's Sophia who threatens him. Because he's used to risking his life — but his heart is another story.

KILLER HEAT - Book #3 Too hot to handle. . . The bodies of seven women have been discovered in Skull Valley, Arizona. Jonah Young, a private security operative from Department 6, has been hired by the Yavapai County Sheriff to assist in solving these murders. But Jonah's not prepared for the complications that arise when he's forced to work with a woman from his past, private investigator Francesca Moretti. Jonah betrayed Francesca ten years ago. She hasn't forgiven him and she's pretty sure she never will. But the woman she was hired to find has been murdered in exactly the same way as the seven in Skull Valley, so like it or not, Francesca has to work with Jonah. They quickly zero in on the most likely suspect — but questions remain. Questions they have to answer. Because if they bet on the wrong man, it might be the last thing they ever do. . .