The Andean Cloud Forest in Ecuador is mysterious and beautiful. Trace Rawlings is a man who lives by his own rules. Ruthless and domineering, he takes what he wants. But Cynthia is used to someone trying to manipulate her, having dealt with her father all her life. She feels sure she can handle Trace. After all, he's just there to guide her through the treacherous forest, right?

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell plunges into the adventurous and deadly world of underwater treasure hunters in a heart-stopping tale that superbly combines atmosphere, action, romance, and suspense.After a family tragedy, Kate Donnelly left the Caribbean behind forever. But a series of bad management decisions has left her family's diving and marine recovery business drowning in red ink. Now her brother pleads with her to come back to the island nation of St Vincent. Without Kate's financial expertise, the iconic treasure-hunting enterprise started by her grandfather will go under. Unable to say no to the little family she has left, Kate heads back to the beautiful and terrifying ocean that still haunts her nightmares.Holden Cameron was addicted to the adrenaline rush of active duty--including narrowly surviving an underwater explosives accident. The last thing the former British military diver wants is to babysit a family of thieves...

Christy McKenna, the smartest fashion writer in New York, thought she'd escaped her childhood in the impoverished rural West. Then came a call for help from the one person she could not refuse -- her sister, the internationally celebrated model known only as Jo. Jo's plea draws Christy back to the magnificent mountains and mysterious red-rock canyons of the Four Corners country. But she's too late -- Jo has disappeared. However, Christy does find an unlikely ally in outlaw archaeologist Aaron Cain, and together they pursue Jo and a fabulous cache of ancient Indian artifacts worth millions. Christy and Cain clash at every turn, but their antagonism soon turns into partnership -- and blazing passion.

For a limited time at a special price, enjoy New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell's stirring western romance, Beautiful Dreamer, along with the first four chapters from her upcoming new book, Beautiful Sacrifice, on sale May 22, 2012.Nevada's rugged, majestic beauty is a balm for the aches of Hope Gardener's heart. But the ranch she loves is dying of thirst, thanks to the worst drought the area has ever seen, Hope needs a miracle—and one day it comes to the Valley of the Sun.A man out of time, Rio is an anachronism in the modern-day West, bringing with him a reputation for finding water in any desert. Hope has no choice but to trust this dark stranger who claims to make dreams real. And Rio, who has never had a dream of his own to follow, has found something in this extraordinary lady whose passion tempts him to defy his own rules. In the midst of adversity, two free spirits must now explore the most closely guarded corners of...

EDITORIAL REVIEW: *New York Times* bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell cuts a new edge in suspense with this thrilling tale of passion, danger, and international intrigue in which a pair of former operatives must stop a deadly plot that threatens a major American city—and ultimately the world When she joined St. Kilda's, the elite security consulting firm, Emma Cross thought she'd left behind the blood, the guilt, and the tribal wars that defined her life at the CIA. Yet, trading spying for investigating yacht thefts didn't alleviate the danger—or melt away her professional paranoia. Now, the same good instincts that got her into trouble at the agency might be what will help her survive her latest case. With some arm-twisting, St. Kilda and Emma are tracking a yacht named *Blackbird*, a dead ringer for another ship that went missing somewhere between Vladivostok and Portland a year earlier. Emma knows the boat's intended cargo is lethal. What she needs to find out is whether it's biological, chemical, or fissionable. And she's only got seven days to uncover the truth . . . or a major American city will be lost. Fortunately, she's working with a new partner as menacing and distrustful as the worst enemy she's ever faced—and as deadly. A honed killer, MacKenzie Durand led a special ops team that was deployed to some of the world's nastiest places. But five years ago everything went to hell in Afghanistan, when bad intel hung his team out to dry. The only survivor, Mac walked away and never looked back, preferring to make money sailing high-end boats like *Blackbird*. But Emma and Mac aren't the only eyes watching *Blackbird*. Taras Demidov, an expert in extortion and execution in the pay of the oligarchs running the former Soviet Union, is also waiting in the shadows, determined to intercept a fearsomely powerful arms dealer with the money, weaponry, and connections to alter the geopolitical balance. Thrown together by an organization of enemies with global ties more dangerous than either of them realize, Mac and Emma must put aside their growing attraction for each other to save more than just their own lives. In a deadly game where the rules change without warning and the line between friend and foe is blurred, the pair must find answers fast—or watch as innocent civilians are sacrificed in a cold-blooded grab for power and supremacy. And even Mac and Emma aren't sure just who will get to the finish line alive. . . . A breathtaking tale of passion and danger, *Death Echo* is superb entertainment from the queen of suspense, *New York Times* bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell.

For a limited time at a special price, enjoy New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell's stirring romance, Desert Rain, along with the first four chapters from her upcoming new book, Beautiful Sacrifice, on sale May 22, 2012.She is a contradiction, one woman with two lives. She is Shannon, one of the world's great beauties, her face and figure gracing the fashion pages of the world's most elegant magazines. She is also Holly, a fragile innocent, haunted by painful memories of her past—and by dreams of the man who once shared her secrets. She is assured yet vulnerable, irresistible yet untouched.Destiny has brought Holly Shannon North back to Hidden Springs, where she can be one person, where romance once touched her tender young heart. Here Lincoln McKenzie waits—the proud California rancher, long since hardened by his life's tragedies. Now, in the icy chill of a desert storm, together they must somehow find the way back to love ....

Dear Reader, Sometimes, if you're very lucky, you can go home again. An earlier version of this book was titled The Diamond Tiger and came out in 1993 under the name Ann Maxwell. When my present publisher offered me the opportunity of going back to the novel under the name Elizabeth Lowell, I admit that I hesitated. In the years since first publication, the diamond trade has changed so greatly that it would be impossible to update the facts in the book without destroying the very story that had compelled me to write in the first place. But like the diamond trade, my style of telling a story has also changed over the years. I decided to revisit the novel because I loved it and hoped my new readers would as well. Death Is Forever is my favorite kind of story, combining elements of danger, greed, trust, secrets, passions, and death. Enjoy!

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell plunges into the adventurous and deadly world of underwater treasure hunters in a heart-stopping tale that superbly combines atmosphere, action, romance, and suspense.After a family tragedy, Kate Donnelly left the Caribbean behind forever. But a series of bad management decisions has left her family's diving and marine recovery business drowning in red ink. Now her brother pleads with her to come back to the island nation of St Vincent. Without Kate's financial expertise, the iconic treasure-hunting enterprise started by her grandfather will go under. Unable to say no to the little family she has left, Kate heads back to the beautiful and terrifying ocean that still haunts her nightmares.Holden Cameron was addicted to the adrenaline rush of active duty—including narrowly surviving an underwater explosives accident. The last thing the former British military diver wants is to babysit a family of thieves on a tropical island—even if they are the world-famous Diving Donnellys. But in his new civilian job, Holden must investigate the suspicious activity surrounding a Donnelly dive to recover treasure from the ancient wreck of a pirate ship.When equipment, treasure, and even divers begin to disappear, Kate and Holden form an uneasy alliance to uncover the truth. But the deeper they plummet into the mystery, the closer they come to each other. Soon they are sharing their deepest fears and darkest secrets—and a combustible chemistry too hot to ignore.**

The New York Times bestselling queen of romantic suspense returns with a heart-racing tale in which a former soldier turned rancher and a beautiful designer race to stop a vicious killer—a battle for survival that threatens to explode in an intense and irresistible passion.An art dealer and owner of her own design studio, Perfect Touch, Sara Medina travels the world to find the ideal artwork for her clients. Her sophisticated, comfortable life in San Francisco is light years away from the poverty of her family’s dairy farm, and Sara will do whatever it takes to keep her business strong. A dedicated urban career woman focused on her work, she doesn’t have time or energy for a family or distracting romantic entanglements.Jay Vermillion recently inherited Vermillion Sky, a working ranch near Wyoming’s breathtaking Grand Teton Mountains—and the estates of the rich and restless. While he was fighting in two wars, his father tried to keep the homestead running, until illness stole his fight and then his life. Jay’s determined to restore Vermillion Sky, but first he’s got to settle a vicious battle with his former stepmother over some of his late father’s paintings. The last thing on his mind is a finding a wife and creating a seventh generation of Vermillions.When Jay hires Sara to handle his father’s artwork, it’s love at first sight—a mutually inconvenient attraction that is soon complicated by a double murder at the edge of the ranch and a potential betrayal even closer to home. Working together to unmask a murderer, Sara and Jay try to fight the intense heat between them. Then the killer targets Sara. And suddenly, Jay, the war-weary soldier, finds something he’s once again willing to die for . . .**

The troubling message from Serena Charters's late grandmother appears in a package containing four pages of a centuries-old illuminated manuscript -- a strange inheritance that hides many secrets...and has already cost many lives. Seeking answers, Serena turns to Erik North of Rarities Unlimited, a reclusive manuscript appraiser with a passion for the past. Without warning, they are thrust together into the center of a lethal firestorm that rages between two worlds -- one long dead, yet living on in an ancient text, the other chillingly alive and fraught with peril. In the blink of an eye, Serena and Erik have become targets of an unseen and determined stalker as they get closer to shocking revelations about Serena's legacy, the cold murder of an eccentric old woman in the heat of the Mojave Desert...and just how far a remorseless killer is willing to go. And now their only slim hope of survival is to keep moving.

Cast adrift during the War Between the States, Shannon Conner grew to womanhood in a lonely cabin high in the Colorado Rockies. Though stubborn and courageous, Shannon is ill-prepared to deal with the predatory Culpepper brothers—and the intoxicating ardour of the man who defends her honour, Rafael 'Whip' Moran.A loner and a wanderer, a man tied to no place or promise, Whip aids the wary young 'widow' who has a walk like honey and a determined grip on her shotgun. But neither the Culpeppers nor grizzlies are as dangerous to Whip as the passion Shannon offers him—a passion that could cost Whip the freedom that is as much a part of him as his soul.

The New York Times bestselling queen of romantic suspense returns with a heart-racing tale in which a former soldier turned rancher and a beautiful designer race to stop a vicious killer—a battle for survival that threatens to explode in an intense and irresistible passion.An art dealer and owner of her own design studio, Perfect Touch, Sarah "Sam" Maddox travels the world to find the ideal artwork for her clients. Her sophisticated, comfortable life in San Francisco is light years away from the poverty of her family's dairy farm, and Sam will do whatever it takes to keep her business strong. A dedicated urban career woman focused on her work, she doesn't have time or energy for a family or distracting romantic entanglements.Jay Vermillion recently inherited Vermillion Sky, a working ranch near Wyoming's breathtaking Grand Teton Mountains—and the estates of the rich and restless. While he was fighting in two wars, his father tried to keep the homestead...

Murder and mystery spark unexpected romance in this captivating new t ale from the beloved New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth LowellOn the surface Shaye Townsend has little in common with Tanner. He's a hard-edged big city cop come home to the historic Davis family ranch to settle his uncle's estate. She's working for an environmental conservancy that acquires and protects old ranches—and she wants to preserve the Davis homestead.When the suspicious death of Tanner's uncle at his ranch throws the two opposites together, tempers flare and sparks fly. While they have trouble seeing eye to eye, Shaye and Tanner agree on one thing: They need to uncover the truth.Combining their unique skills—Shaye's low-key approach and local connections and Tanner's experience as a homicide detective—the unlikely pair share long nights in the pursuit of justice. Before they know it, the friction they generate turns to heat, igniting a love neither ever expected to find.They believe passion this intense cannot last. But when Shaye becomes a killer's target, Tanner realizes he'd give up anything to protect her—including his life.Amazon.com ReviewAuthor One-on-One: Jayne Ann Krentz and Elizabeth LowellJayne Ann Krentz is the author of over 50 New York Times bestselling romantic-suspense novels, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle).Jayne Ann Krentz: You’ve written many books in various genres. You and I have been friends for a long time and I always knew you were born to write romantic suspense. When and how did you figure it out?Elizabeth Lowell: Like you, I wanted to write romantic suspense for years, but no one wanted to buy it. Then a publisher bought Tell Me No Lies. I was thrilled. The book did well, but the publisher didn’t. Eventually I had another opportunity to write romantic suspense. Amber Beach was a New York Times bestseller. After that, it was much easier to sell romantic suspense!JAK: Your female characters have a real edge. They are strong, competent, sexy, and smart, yet always feminine. Shaye, the lead character in Dangerous Refuge, is a perfect example. As a writer, how do you define feminine and masculine strength? EL: I believe that male and female are complementary. A strong man can protect a woman. A strong woman allows a man to be gentle. Each brings possibilities to the other; each fulfills needs in the other. Each could live independently but chooses to share life with another. Love is itself an expression of strength.JAK: You have a rare gift for creating powerful settings. The landscape is always a character in your books. You recently moved to a cattle ranching valley in Nevada and used it as a backdrop for Dangerous Refuge. Why did this location call to you so profoundly, in life and in your writing?EL: The mountains are tall, the land beyond the fences is wild, and I have always felt at home. I enjoy visiting cities, but I can’t live well in them. Something in me needs long views and mountain winds.JAK: The intrigue in your novels always has an authentic “ripped from the headlines” feel. I know you do a great deal of research before you sit down to write. What is the “real story” behind Dangerous Refuge?EL: Dangerous Refuge isn’t based on any “real” event. The story came from an understanding of how the Intermountain West is caught between the past, when there were few people in a huge land, and the present, when too many people depend on too few resources. Simply put, much of the West lacks water. From that truth comes much friction, intrigue, competition, wealth . . . and death. While the backdrop is very real, the story is pure fiction.JAK: You used MMA (mixed martial arts) in the plot of Dangerous Refuge. How did you decide that it fit into the premise of this book?EL: There is a unique grittiness to the sport. Gambling as a plot device is commonplace in Nevada settings. I wanted something different.JAK: You and I tend to enjoy the same books so I’m curious: what are you reading now?EL: J. D. Robb’s latest, Calculated in Death. When I’m done, I’ll begin nagging you for a preview of your next book.JAK: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: When it comes to romantic suspense, no one does it better than Elizabeth Lowell. I love that you always break a few rules along the way. Dangerous Refuge is a terrific read. Since I’ll be first in line to pick up a copy of your next book, I’ve got to ask, what are you working on now?EL: Night Diver is my next book. It is set in a very different locale—a tropical island paradise in the Caribbean, where centuries-old sunken treasure causes some very modern problems.About the AuthorElizabeth Lowell's acclaimed suspense novels include the New York Times bestsellers Death Echo, Blue Smoke and Murder, Innocent as Sin, The Wrong Hostage, Always Time to Die, The Color of Death, Die in Plain Sight, Running Scared, and Moving Target, as well as four books featuring the Donovan family: Amber Beach, Jade Island, Pearl Cove, and Midnight in Ruby Bayou. Lowell has more than thirty million books in print. She lives in Nevada with her husband, with whom she writes mystery novels under a pseudonym.Las aclamadas novelas de suspenso de la autora Elizabeth Lowell incluyen varios bestsellers en la New York Times. Lowell ha vendido más de treinta millones de ejemplares. Vive con su esposo en Seattle, Washington y Sedona, Arizona, con quien escribe novelas de misterio bajo un seudónimo.

SafeAfter the pain of betrayal and divorce--after years spent decorating other people's houses--Shelley Wilde's cherished dream has finally come true: a home all her own, where she can live happily, secure. . .and alone.WildBut Cam Remington has come to shatter her solitude. A traveler who has journeyed to the world's wildest places, a renegade with no roots and no shame, he is everything Shelley has ever feared-and desired-in a man.FreeAn intruder has broken through Shelley's barricades to lure her wounded spirit out of hiding with his electric sensuality. And it will take a traveling man to show her that real love is risk and danger. . .and that home is the haven found in a lover's embrace.

Owner of the wildest, loneliest ranch this side of the Rockies, Luck MacKenzie hadn’t laid eyes on Carla McQueen for three years. Not since they day he’d sent his best friend’s kid sister storming from the Rocking M Ranch and out of his life - for what he thought was forever…     Now Carla was back, lovelier and even more desirable than in his burning memories. But Luke knew he could never give in to the raging need to make her his woman. For he’d made a vow long ago - one that he was determined to keep - that he would never fall in love with Carla McQueen. No matter how badly his body and soul ached for her…

Perfectly content to let her art be her only passion, alabaster sculptress Paige Mattheson unexpectedly falls desperately in love with drifter Jesse Dallas after a six-week beachfront affair and fears she cannot let him go as he sets out to move on. Reissue.

Matt "Reno" Moran can’t believe that the conniving beauty he «won» in a card game has run off with all his winnings — including the map to a gold mine. He should never have trusted Evelyn Starr Johnson, a tawny-haired lovely hardened by poverty and loss. But the temptress cast a spell on him, making him careless by enflaming his passions as no woman ever has before. And now the only way Reno can reclaim what is rightfully his is by joining forces with the scheming, remarkable lady on a perilous treasure hunt that could cost the handsome sharpshooter everything ... including his heart.

When wildlife biologist Eden Summers arrives in the Colorado Rockies, she has only one thing on her mind: to continue her research on the local cougar population. A capable woman, used to living and working alone in the wild, she is self-possessed and confident, able to handle any threat from nature's fiercest predators -- until she gazes into the eyes of Nevada Blackthorn. She pulled him, injured and bleeding, to safety in the middle of a storm, unleashing a man who would invade her deepest dreams. But Nevada -- a rancher by trade, a warrior by nature -- is a man who has learned that walking away from caring is the only key to survival and that only the strongest survive. Any woman fool enough to try and change him will be hurt -- badly -- for their efforts. Perhaps Eden is that kind of fool. Or perhaps she has no choice but to follow a calling as fierce, as wild and as natural as the beating of her own heart . . .

Whether she's creating incomparable stories of passion and redemption or breathtaking tales of romantic suspense, there is simply no finer storyteller at work today than the phenomenal New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell.Joy Anderson was innocent, young, and trusting when she met Gabe Venture. An aspiring journalist with worlds to conquer, Gabe came to New Mexico to explore the natural wonders of Lost River Cave, with Joy acting as his guide. Surrounded by staggering beauty, they both surrendered to a passion too powerful to deny-and Joy gave herself freely to the most extraordinary man she had ever known. But Gabe was destined for great things, and even the intensity of their shared feelings could not bind him to this place or this romance. And so he left Joy with memories, a broken heart . . . and, months later, a cherished, if painful, reminder of their lost love: a daughter.Seven years have passed, and...

For a limited time at a special price, enjoy New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell's stirring romance, Remember Summer, along with the first four chapters from her upcoming new book, Beautiful Sacrifice, on sale May 22, 2012.The most grueling challenge of Raine Smith's equestrian career looms before her—the Olympic Games. Little does she realize that she's about to face greater perils in the arms of a stranger than she's ever found on the back of her horse.Cord Elliot is a man trained to deflect disaster and his mission is to ensure that Raine Smith remains untouched by sudden gunfire at the Summer Games. Yet from the moment Raine Meets Cord's ice-blue glance, she knows he's more hazardous to her heart than a sniper's bullet. Falling for a man who answers to the call of intrigue and holds secrets that can never be shared is to endure the broken promises, unexplained absences, and constant danger that come with his profession. But in...

From BooklistFour years ago, when Lara was a naive 18-year-old, she fell in love with Carson, the adopted son of the owner of the Rocking B Ranch in Montana. The unacknowledged, illegitimate daughter of Carson’s father, Lara grew up on the ranch with her grandfather. Carson responded to her passion by drawing her close, then forgoing her advances and leaving her naked and wanting. Now she’s back at the ranch to research its history, not to see Carson, but he wants to see her and literally hunts Lara down to apologize for his behavior. Slowly he starts winning her over until she starts to believe he has changed. But can Lara trust a man who does not believe in love with a secret that has the potential to destroy them? The first hardcover edition of this early Lowell novel embodies the author’s love of the west, as she explains in a letter to her readers, making Sweet Wind, Wild Wind a must for her many fans. --Patty Engelmann ReviewA young scholar returns to research the history of the Montana ranch where she was raised and discovers tragic but heart-healing secrets from the past and unexpectedly renews a fragile love. Although first published in 1987 as a Silhouette Intimate Moments and now slightly dated, this classic title still packs the sensual, emotional punch that Lowell fans have come to expect. --Library Journal, 1st August 2010

Carlson Raven had no choice but to rescue Janna Morgan-the beautiful, courageous woman who struggled against the stormy sea. When he pulled her from the choppy waters and revived her with the heat of his body, his yearning was as unexpected as it was enduring. But Carlson Raven was as untamed and enigmatic as the sea he loved. Would Janna be the woman to capture his wild and lonely heart?

Photographer Cat Cochran has been to exotic places most people only dream about--but all she wants to do is settle down and get her life in order. One last assignment and she can put her past behind her--forgetting about her heart's disastrous misadventures as she loses herself in the natural beauty she has so far only glimpsed through a camera's lens. But first she must photograph the mysterious and elusive ship designer T.H. Danvers and his awesome creations.

Paradise calls to Chase Wilcox. A man of science fascinated by the rebirth of life in the wake of cataclysmic natural upheaval, he is drawn to the lush beauty of the island of Hawaii and the secrets it holds—while escaping the destruction of his own personal world. Here where warm breezes caress the skin and vibrant colors assault the senses—and where dangerous fires rage unseen beneath the earth's surface—Chase plans to immerse himself in his work...and somehow heal and forget. The last thing he needs or wants is love.But the island is home to many unexpected wonders, which is why Nicole Ballard could never leave it. A research assistant, an artist, and a dancer—a tall, stunning redhead who goes by the stage name of Pele, the goddess of fire—she, too, hides a secret pain, releasing her pent-up sensuality to the accompaniment of native drums before a mesmerized audience. Nicole has never met a man quite like Chase, strong, intense, and brilliant. And he, in turn, is fascinated by this remarkable woman who seems to be a breathtaking force of nature in her own right. Fate has cast them together, causing a chain reaction that neither imagined in their most secret dreams.Joined on an important scientific project that carries them into the verdant heart of a tropical wonder land, Nicole and Chase will be forced to confront their own lingering inner darkness, while resisting a newly inflamed need to touch, to give...to care. But in the shadows of Kilauea, all restraints will be broken, as emotions flow as hot and free as rivers of molten lava. And desire will erupt, as unpredictable and dangerous as the living volcano, transforming the very landscape of their lives—a torrent that no power on earth can contain, a passion that bums like fire.From Library JournalWinner of the Romance Writers of America Award in 1994, Lowell has been retooling older paperback works and reissuing them as hardcovers. Her newest revision concerns passion in, appropriately, Hawaii. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the AuthorElizabeth Lowell's acclaimed suspense novels include the New York Times bestsellers Death Echo, Blue Smoke and Murder, Innocent as Sin, The Wrong Hostage, Always Time to Die, The Color of Death, Die in Plain Sight, Running Scared, and Moving Target, as well as the four books featuring the Donovan family: Amber Beach, Jade Island, Pearl Cove, and Midnight in Ruby Bayou. Lowell has more than thirty million books in print. She lives in Nevada with her husband, with whom she writes mystery novels under a pseudonym.

Janna Wayland, the wild stallion Lucifer, and Ty MacKenzie, the stranger who had come for the stallion but stays to capture Janna's heart, join forces to escape from the steep mountains and canyons of the Utah Territory, where El Cascabel and his renegade warriors roam.

When an exquisitely crafted, authentic imperial Faberge egg mysteriously shows up at Laurel Swann's home studio, she knows it can only be from one person—her father, who has drifted in and out of her life for as long as she can remember. But this time Jamie Swann leaves her something too many people will kill for.Out of her league and desperate, Laurel is forced to accept help from the very man who is trying to ensnare her father in his own web of double crosses. Cruz Rowan can help her stay alive, but will he do the same for her father?Elizabeth Lowell, writing as Ann Maxwell, deftly combines the nonstop action of a spy thriller with the heart-pounding excitement of true love and adventure.

Orphaned at thirteen, Grace Silva clawed her way out of poverty and violence to become one of the most respected judges on the federal bench. Grace believes in the rule of law -- lives it, breathes it. She has always been buttoned up and buttoned down. Except once. Joe Faroe has learned that laws are made by politicians, and politicians are all too human. He believes in the innocents, the ones getting ground up by governments that are too polarized or too corrupt to protect their own citizens. He's been through the political meat grinder himself. It cost him his career, his freedom, and the woman who still haunts him. Since then Faroe has worked outside the rules and politics of government as a kidnap specialist for St. Kilda Consulting, a Manhattan-based global business that concentrates on the shadow world where governments can't go. He is good at his work -- intelligent, confident, ruthless. Until a friend dies trying to kill him. Now Faroe is out of the business. Retired. He's through trying to save a world that doesn't want to be saved. Then Grace comes to him, past and present collide, and Faroe finds himself sucked back into the shadows, tracking a violent killer who holds the life of Grace's son in his bloody hands.

According to Maya legend, December 21, 2012, will mark the end of the world as we know it. Is it myth . . . or will their prediction become reality?Archaeologist Lina Taylor has devoted her life to studying ancient Maya artifacts, splitting her time between digs in South America and the classroom teaching college students. But the professor's structured, academic life is about to spin out of control. Some extremely valuable and important Maya artifacts have gone missing. Are the culprits fanatics determined to create chaos and usher in annihilation?Helping out a friend, former immigration and customs enforcement officer Hunter Johnston is determined to recover the missing pieces and he needs Lina's help. A man used to calling the shots and working alone, he isn't comfortable letting anyone get close, especially a beautiful and brainy woman like Lina. His gift for reading people tells him there's a lot going on below that professional exterior, and he's more than a little curious to probe her depths.Burying herself in her work, Lina's had little experience handling men, especially one as fascinating and exasperating as the secretive, headstrong Hunter. A devoted archaeologist, she has the skill to excavate those protective layers all the way to his core.But finding the missing artifacts is only the beginning of a mystery that will plunge these unlikely partners into adventure, romance, and danger more thrilling, sensual, and deadly than either of them knows. . . .Review“As Lina and Hunter dodge bullets and trade wisecracks across the Southwest, Lowell (Death Echo) deftly incorporates creepy basement corpse discoveries, sleazy antiquities dealers, crumbling jungle tombs, charmingly sinister relatives, fascinating archeological elements, and a well-realized, completely invented Mayan god.” (Publishers Weekly ) About the AuthorElizabeth Lowell's acclaimed suspense novels include the New York Times bestsellers Blue Smoke and Murder, Innocent as Sin, The Wrong Hostage, Always Time to Die, The Color of Death, Die in Plain Sight, Running Scared, and Moving Target, as well as four books featuring the Donovan family: Amber Beach, Jade Island, Pearl Cove, and Midnight in Ruby Bayou. Lowell has more than thirty million books in print. She lives in Arizona and Seattle, Washington, with her husband, with whom she writes mystery novels under a pseudonym. Las aclamadas novelas de suspenso de la autora Elizabeth Lowell incluyen varios bestsellers en la New York Times. Lowell ha vendido mÁs de treinta millones de ejemplares. Vive con su esposo en Seattle, Washington y Sedona, Arizona, con quien escribe novelas de misterio bajo un seudÓnimo.

PUPPETS ON A STRING China's most priceless artifacts are being smuggled into the U.S. An international crisis is about to explode -- unless a desperate trap to catch a thief succeeds. And one woman is the key . . . Lindsay Danner. Her worldwide reputation as an expert in ancient bronzes and her love for China make her the perfect pawn in a deadly game. But she needs protection. Jacob MacArthur Catlin. The Dragon. A renegade ex-CIA agent whose name is still whispered in tones of hatred and admiration throughout Southeast Asia. Now it is his job to make sure Lindsay Danner succeeds . . . and lives. Two puppets on a string. In a maze of intrigue where each deadly twist and turn leads deeper into deception and forbidden desire, friends can be enemies. Truth may be lies. Trust is a dirty word. And the only chance of getting out alive is to cut the strings . . . and grasp the only truth that remains . . . New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell has won countless awards, including the Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award. She also writes mainstream fiction as Ann Maxwell, and mysteries with her husband as A.E. Maxwell. She presently resides with her husband in Washington.

Cast adrift during the War Between the States, Shannon Conner grew to womanhood in a lonely cabin high in the Colorado Rockies. Though stubborn and courageous, Shannon is ill-prepared to deal with the predatory Culpepper brothers — and the intoxicating ardor of the man who defends her honor, Rafael «Whip» Moran. A loner and a wanderer, a man tied to no place or promise, Whip aids the wary young «widow» who has a walk like honey and a determined grip on her shotgun. But neither the Culpeppers nor grizzlies are as dangerous to Whip as the passion Shannon offers him — passion that could cost Whip the freedom that is as much a part of him as his soul.

Could she let go of the past long enough to imagine the future?     Diana Saxton is planning to spend the summer alone, uncovering the native artifacts that are her passion-the only thing that has helped her survive a past that she would rather forget. But experience has taught Diana that the security of her academic world can shatter as easily as the delicate relics she collects.     Now, her love for history has brought her to the magical Colorado landscape. As an anthropologist, Diana's thrilled by the chance to discover the secrets of September Canyon. Then the solitude of her trip is jeopardized by a stranger as tough and commanding as the land itself. Tennessee Blackthorn knows that the shy professor doesn't welcome his company, but he's promised to watch over her safety.     Diana's never trusted anyone to share her world before. Now she's alone with a stranger, in a place where nature holds the history of the land. And suddenly, Diana is discovering more than the past. She's finding her future…

Returning to her sprawling Colorado ranch with nothing but her battered car and a treasure map, Mariah MacKenzie encounters prospecting partner Cash McQueen, an argumentative, burly type who becomes all too aware of Mariah's innocence.

With a team of Arabian horses, Willow Moran leaves her Civil War-ravaged home, hoping to join her brother in the Colorado Rockies-entrusting her fate to a dangerous gunfighter who is torn by twin passions for vengeance and a woman's tender touch. As wild as the uncivilized land he loves, Caleb Black guides the gently reared Willow with revenge in his heart-challenged at every turn by the spirited southern lady who has become a fever in his blood. and who awakens within him need so fierce he must possess her at any cost.

Lady Jessica Charteris has tricked her way out of marriage and into the arms of Wolfe Lonetree, the bastard son of a viscount and a Cheyenne shamans daughter. There's just one catch: Jessica must accompany her new husband to America. Wholly unprepared for the hardships that await her in America, Jessica is more terrified still of Wolfe himself, whose raw sensuality leaves her breathless…