“Summer Treason” by Katherine Smith: a Danny Haase short story (THE SUMMER BONES and BLOOD IS QUICKER THAN WATER)
Mayville Police Officer Danny Haase has a dead man on his hands, poisoned by what seems to be accidental ingestion of a toxic pesticide. Well, farming can be a dangerous occupation…especially if all isn’t quite as it seems and hate enters into the equation…

“A Cop’s World” by Giovanna Lagana:
Harry has many unethical secrets he is keeping from his new partner. These secrets have been eating away at him for months. If they were ever to be uncovered, his job and life would be at stake. Will he be able to keep these haunting and seedy secrets from his straight partner, Lou Stricker, or will the truth be revealed, bringing chaos and destruction into the precinct and Harry’s life?

“Her Shadow” by Lauren N. Sharman:
Lucky for Scarlet Bennett, Dalton Callahan has a sixth sense...
Since she was a child, Dalton has been her shadow—standing behind her as a friend, confidant, and protector.
In the pre-dawn of a muggy, summer morning, he arrives in time to pull Scarlet from a burning house, but is too late to stop the assailant who attacked the family—disfiguring Scarlet and murdering her parents.
Scared into silence and unwilling to re-live the horrible experience, Scarlet is keeping her feelings inside, refusing to speak.
Unless Dalton can get Scarlet—the one person who has always accepted him for who he is—to open up, he knows that the fear and terror slowly consuming her will eventually take over.
When she finally tells her story, Dalton is shocked to learn that Scarlet’s trauma is the result of a mistake he’ll never make again...

“Showdown at Charbonet’s” by Rosalie More:
Murder and Mayhem in 1840! Few men in St. Louis are richer, more powerful or more ruthless—than Gustave Charbonet. Rumors are flying that he is a murderer. Samuel Wade, a merchant trader bent on revenge for his father’s death, is challenged to a duel. Annabel Wade is so worried that her husband will be killed that she takes matters into her own hands and develops a devious plan—a scheme that lands her in the clutches of her worst enemy. Will fate be kind to her, or will she lose everything she holds dear?

“What Goes Around” by Crystal Inman:
Addiction comes in all forms, and Donald is an addict. He is on top of the world as a wealthy businessman who controls every aspect of his life. He rules his marriage and business ruthlessly. But slowly the drugs begin to control him. And he soon realizes that what goes around…comes around.

“Two Men, Two Women, One Camper” by Linda L. Lattimer:
When two couples decide to take a camping adventure into the beautiful Tennessee Mountains, things begin to heat up when secrets are revealed and a handsome outsider enters their midst, threatening their fellowship. Two couples, two secrets, one stranger, a friendship and a marriage about to explode. Can hate really lead the mind to self-destruct?

“The Uncle Hunt” by Pepper Smith: a Patty O'Donnell short story (BLOOD MONEY, RIO STAR, REEF RUNNER)
Finding a long-time resident on a small island should have been easy, but no one seems to know him. A stalker and a hidden enemy turn Patty O’Donnell’s search for a family friend into a deadly race against time.

“What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas” by Laura Marie Henion:
The music is playing. The crowd is wild ‘and’ thirsty for more, and the showgirls are performing their hearts out. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except when it comes to murder.
Money—Everyone wants it, needs it, and some are willing to kill for it.
Showgirls are missing and others are found murdered. When an old college friend’s sister becomes one of the victims, Julianna pulls in a few favors to get in on the case.
Julianna is an investigator for the Attorney Generals office and is searching for information on a high priced, illegal prostitution ring.
Conway Lewis plays his part well as undercover security with the looks of a high roller. He’s in charge of the case and unsure if the young, sexy, and talented Julianna has what it takes to handle the investigation.
The stakes are high and both can feel the pressure as well as their instant attraction to one another.
Will Julianna figure out who the killer is before he takes another life, or will she become one of the final showgirls to die at the hands of a murderous, money-hungry scoundrel?

“The Hairy Filipino” by Valerie Goldsilk:
They call Bill Jedburgh when there is a tricky assignment. This time he has to go to Hong Kong. And he’s not going alone. His partner is a notorious gun-man called the Hairy Filipino and Bill isn’t entirely sure that things will go as planned.

“Kindred Spirits” by Vickie Britton & Loretta Jackson:
Struggling student Brandi Gilman meets enigmatic Jasper Dante at a poetry reading. She is flattered when he asks to look at some of her unfinished work...until long-time friend, Ray Ulster, warns Brandi that Dante is not what he appears to be, but a literary vampire who steals works from the dead and the living. Brandi begins to suspect not only that the man who has her under his spell might have had something to do with the recent murder of Dr. Thomas Vale, but that her own life may be in danger…