The dead still talk if you know how to listen...
Every case that Claire Britten cracks is a win, not only professionally but personally. The forensic psychologist has spent a lifetime fighting a neurological disorder, and her ability to conquer it is a testament to her razor-sharp intuition.
Nick Markwood is used to winning in the courtroom, so when his latest case is overthrown by Claireâs expert testimony, he canât help being impressed by her skill. He needs her on the team of his passion projectâinvestigating unusual cases involving mysterious deaths. Her condition doesnât deter him, and neither does the attraction that sparks between them...even if it should.
As they join forces to investigate a murder in St. Augustine, Florida, Claire is thrust into a situation far more dangerous than sheâd anticipated, pushing her disorder to a breaking point. Just when she fears she canât trust her own mind, she discovers Nickâs personal connection to the caseâand wonders whether she can trust anyone at all.
Praise for the novels of Karen Harper
âThe thrilling finish takes a twist that most readers wonât see coming. While intrigue is the main driver of the story, the able, well-researched plotting and sympathetic characters will keep romance readers along for the ride.â
âPublishers Weekly on Broken Bonds
âHaunting suspense, tender romance and an evocative look at the complexities of Amish lifeâDark Angel is simply riveting!â
âTess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author
âA compelling story...intricate and fascinating details of Amish life.â
âTami Hoag, New York Times bestselling author, on Dark Road Home
âHarper, a master of suspense, keeps readers guessing about crime and love until the very end...of this thrilling tale.â
âBooklist on Fall from Pride (starred review)
âDanger and romance find their way into Ohio Amish country in a lively and endearing first installment of the Amish Home Valley series.â
âPublishers Weekly on Fall from Pride
âA tale guaranteed to bring shivers to the spine, Down River will delight Harperâs current fans and earn her many more.â
âBooklist (starred review)
âWell-researched and rich in detail... With its tantalizing buildup and well-developed characters, this offering is certain to earn Harper high marks.â
âPublishers Weekly on Dark Angel, winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award
Also available from New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper
Cold Creek
BROKEN BONDS
FORBIDDEN GROUND SHATTERED SECRETS
Home Valley Amish
UPON A WINTERâS NIGHT
DARK CROSSINGS (featuring âThe Covered Bridgeâ) FINDING MERCY RETURN TO GRACE FALL FROM PRIDE
Novels
DOWN RIVER
DEEP DOWN THE HIDING PLACE BELOW THE SURFACE INFERNO HURRICANE DARK ANGEL DARK HARVEST DARK ROAD HOME
Look for Karen Harperâs next novel
DROWNING TIDES available soon from MIRA Books.
Visit karenharperauthor.com for more titles.
To Bill and Sunny
for their great St. Augustine hospitality and, as ever, to Don.
1
Naples, Florida
Collier County Courthouse
2014
Surely nothing else could go wrong now. As Claire Britten and her client left the courtroom in triumph, she was convinced she was on a roll. She felt like making a fist pump in the air but she kept her cool.
As a thirtysomething single mother struggling with building a career and coping with a dreadful disease, this high-profile victory had to help. Her interviews and testimony had made all the difference in the trial. A guilty man was going to prison instead of hiding out so he and his family could enjoy a three-million-dollar death settlement. Her current client, Lifeboat Insurance, small as it was, had beaten out the vaunted law firm of Markwood, Benton and Chase. Sheâd helped to best the best in the business.
Claire was swept outside with her boss and their lawyer, past the big pillars holding up the shaded, covered walkway. They hit a wave of humidity and reporters, washing toward them in the mid-September afternoon. She fumbled in her purse for her sunglasses amid shouted questions, the thrust of arms with recorders...padded microphones on poles...jostling, shouting...
Over the crowd noise, her client Fred Myron shouted in her ear. âThat fancy defense lawyerâs the one who needs a lifeboat now. Iâm going with this for all itâs worth. I see cameras from Ft. Myers, even Orlando! Look at thatâCNN!â
A long pole with a padded microphone brushed Claireâs shoulder and someone shouted, âMs. Britten, tell us how you first knew the wife and son were lying! Hadnât Sol Sorento covered his tracks to make everyone think he drowned in Key West? What were the clues he wasnât dead?â