Showing results for "Collector" in Thriller & Suspense

From #1 New York Times-best-selling author Nora Roberts comes a novel of a woman who needs nothing, a man who sees everything, and the web of deceit, greed, and danger that brings them together - and that could tear them apart… As a professional house-sitter and freelance writer, nothing ties Lila Emerson down - not her work, not a home, and definitely not a relationship. She spends her life moving from one job to the next, sometimes crashing at a friend's Manhattan apartment.

Bound by a deal forged in desperation, an immortal soul traverses centuries as a servant to forces beyond comprehension. His task is simple yet unyielding: to ensure every bargain struck is honored and every debt paid, no matter the cost. As he collects the remnants of humanity's most desperate choices, he wrestles with the weight of his eternal servitude, the morality of his task, and the elusive promise of redemption. But in a world where every deal has its price, the ultimate question lingers—what will you give for redemption?

Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden. In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees...and a collection of precious “butterflies” - young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens.

For Izzy Graves, scrubbing blood out of bathroom tile is just another Tuesday. Crime scene cleaning pays the bills, and Edgar—her pet rat—is the only one waiting when she gets home. And she’s fine with that. Then her father dies—the Bone Collector, headline monster and part-time dad. His lawyer delivers a box: inside, a victim’s bone and a cryptic letter. It’s the first clue in a gruesome hunt for more bones scattered across the city. But Izzy isn’t the only one searching.

Four months after the explosion at the Garden, a place where young women known as the Butterflies were kept captive, FBI agents Brandon Eddison, Victor Hanoverian, and Mercedes Ramirez are still entrenched in the aftermath, helping survivors in the process of adjusting to life on the outside. With winter coming to an end, the Butterflies have longer, warmer days of healing ahead.

Emerson LeBlanc doesn’t enter society much. He only ventures out in pursuit of new art for his collection. It starts with a haunting painting. Then he meets the artist. Innocent Daphne Morelli is more exquisite than anything he’s ever seen. He becomes obsessed with her. It doesn’t matter that she’s a living, breathing person with her own hopes and dreams. She’ll be the perfect addition to his collection.

After 20 years working for Pervenio Corp chasing bounties and extinguishing rebellions throughout the solar system, he’s on a routine pickup job hunting a wealthy offworlder heir who ran away from home. But when a mad scientist gets his hands on the boy, Malcolm finds himself caught up in a twisted plot to develop working androids.

At 24, I'd resigned myself to a simple life following in my mother's footsteps. I would manage the antique shop she left me and marry a kind, stable man. Most importantly, I would never tell a soul about my psychic abilities. But with a single, intentional touch and a vision of the past, I set events in motion that expose my secret. I'm part of a world I never knew existed, and my new allies are dismantling my carefully constructed walls. Except, those walls had a purpose - they kept me hidden. Now, my abilities make me a target.

Lieutenant Dev Singh dutifully spends his days recording the memories of people who, struck with incurable depression, will soon have their minds erased in order to be more productive members of society. At night though, hidden in the dark, Dev remembers and writes in his secret journal the special moments shared with him—the small laugh of a toddler, the stillness of a late afternoon, the first flutter of love. But when the Bureau finds out that he has been recounting the memories—and that the depression is in him too—he is sent to a sanitarium to heal.

The abduction of two teenagers from their Vegas wedding isn’t a case Detective Lazarus Holloway wants to take—it’s one he has to take. His only clue is a bracelet, etched with a Mayan symbol of death and vengeance—two things the detective is familiar with. With no other leads, Lazarus enlists the help of guardian ad litem Piper Danes. They’ve got a complicated history, but Piper shares his compulsion to save children in need, no matter the personal cost. Unfortunately, that cost gets higher with every new revelation.

Eight-year-old Brooklyn Mercer has gone missing. And as accustomed as FBI agents Eliza Sterling and Brandon Eddison are to such harrowing cases, this one has struck a nerve. It marks the anniversary of the disappearance of Eddison’s own little sister. Disturbing, too, is the girl’s resemblance to Eliza - so uncanny they could be mother and daughter. With Eddison’s unsettled past rising again with rage and pain, Eliza is determined to solve this case at any cost. But the closer she looks, the more reluctant she is to divulge to her increasingly shaken partner what she finds.

When Agent Mercedes Ramirez finds an abused young boy on her porch, covered in blood and clutching a teddy bear, she has no idea that this is just the beginning. He tells her a chilling tale: an angel killed his parents and then brought him here so Mercedes could keep him safe. His parents weren’t just murdered. It was a slaughter - a rage kill like no one on the Crimes Against Children team had seen before. But they’re going to see it again. An avenging angel is meting out savage justice, and she’s far from through.

As a professional house sitter and freelance writer, nothing ties Lila Emerson down - not her work, not a home, and definitely not a relationship. She spends her life moving from one job to the next, sometimes crashing at a friend’s Manhattan apartment. And though she can appreciate her clients' extraordinary homes, their expensive collections, and their adorable pets, Lila has never longed for possessions of her own. Everything she has, including her heart, is portable. But when she witnesses a possible murder-suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as Lila knows it takes a dramatic turn.

A couple and their young son burn to death in a house fire. A girl dies from a nut allergy. A woman falls under a train during the rush hour. An accountant falls down the steps to his basement. Their deaths appear to be accidents, but Gloria knows they were murdered, because she murdered them. And every time Gloria kills, she buys a doll. But how many dolls will she need to keep her satisfied? When Gloria takes a room as a lodger, her behaviour starts to spin out of control. Gloria wants love and happiness and friendship, and she will do anything she can to get what she wants....

Jack Winchester was a notorious hit-man for a ruthless New Jersey crime family, until a job went wrong, and he wound up serving time. Four years later, Jack is free, and he wants out of the game, but his boss won't let him go. Forced to take on one last job to make amends for what landed him in prison, he travels to the small town of Rockland Cove, Maine. There, he not only discovers that the target and money have disappeared; he finds himself falling for a damaged woman and befriending an unruly son left behind.

Ten years ago CSI Darby McCormick investigated a child abduction case. Today, Charlie Rizzo is back and holding his family hostage. He makes only one demand. Bring me Darby McCormick... When Darby arrives to defuse the scene, she finds him horrifically mutilated, with a mask of human skin sewn in place over his own face. Within minutes, a group of men disguised as SWAT officers bursts in and releases deadly gas, killing the Rizzo family and leaving Darby barely alive.

They won't get away with this. The last words I spoke before his casket was lowered into the ground have become a way of life. The Collectors stole too much from me, and I won't rest until vengeance is mine. But plotting against an organization built on secrecy and coercion is more challenging than I anticipated. In order to make headway, unexpected alliances are formed, and existing relationships are tested. With the Psych Squad by my side, I'm determined to follow through on my promise. But that kind of resolve doesn't come without a price.

Ghost hunter Shane Ryan has never had an easy life. Years of battling paranormal forces and supernatural evil have taken their toll. But the former marine isn’t ready to give up the fight yet. So when a missing girl stirs up memories of an old case, Shane sets out to investigate.

The ocean is dying. The sea is growing warmer and is gradually rising. Seashells have become so rare that collecting them is now a national obsession. Flawless specimens sell like priceless works of art. Families hunt the tideline in the dark of night with flashlights. Crowds gather on beaches at the lowest of tides, hoping to get lucky.

Daphne Morelli is trapped in a gilded cage. She fought to escape her family, only to be caught by a billionaire. Possessive. Commanding. And determined to keep her. Emerson LeBlanc wants to own the little painter. She's become more than his obsession. She's part of his collection now. Except she's more perceptive than he'd like. Her artist's eye sees the shadows in him. She paints his pain on stretched canvas. He's determined to own her. She's determined to escape. In the end, only one of them can truly be free.