Shadow Island

Hidden secrets lead to deadly lies... Following the incident that brought justice to her parents' killers but ended her career, former FBI Special Agent Rebecca West needs a fresh start. Hoping to find peace, she decides to spend a few months in the sleepy beach town of Shadow Island, where she spent idyllic summers as a kid. However, her vacation is cut short when a seventeen-year-old goes missing with no leads or clues. When the girl's body is found in a nearby marsh with strangulation marks around her neck, Rebecca can't say no when the overworked sheriff asks her to help investigate. Rebecca's gut tells her that on the small island, the murder hadn't been a chance encounter. But who would want the likable teen in a seemingly sweet and innocent relationship with her boyfriend dead? And why? Rebecca soon discovers something bigger is going on around Shadow Island, something involving an enigmatic Yacht Club that no one will talk about...but that just might hold the keys to solving the girl's murder. But who are they willing to kill to keep their secrets buried? From its enigmatic beginning to the twisted ending you won't see coming, Shadow's Secret-the first book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodes-is a stark reminder that two people can keep a secret...if one of them dies.

Want a puppy, little girl? Former FBI agent Rebecca West came to Shadow Island to relax and clear her head, not step into a dead sheriff's long worn shoes. Here she is, though, Interim Sheriff over a small department grieving for their boss and friend. But not for long. Before she can resign from the unwanted position, a little girl goes missing. On vacation with her parents, the eight-year-old was last seen outside her family's vacation rental drawing on the sidewalk with a box of chalk. Now she's gone. Did the girl wander off and get lost or maybe pulled out by the tide? Was she lured away? Or has she become the victim of something more sinister on Shadow Island, where a darkness simmers just below the paradisiacal surface? When Rebecca discovers two similar abductions nearby within the week, she fears the worst. With a lot of ground to cover, few deputies to help, and the events surrounding Sheriff Wallace's death haunting them all, can Rebecca and her team find the young girls before it's too late? From the gripping beginning to the startling conclusion, Shadow's Captive-the second book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodes-will ensure you always know where your children are.

When death has a deadline... The late Sheriff Alden Wallace has barely been laid to rest when another body is found on Shadow Island. Once again, former FBI agent turned interim sheriff Rebecca West's vacation plans will have to wait. This time, the victim is the son of one of Shadow Island's privileged elite. Found gruesomely posed at a picnic table in the park-suffocated, choked, and shot, with a cryptic note shoved in his pants-his death is as personal as it is disturbing. And he's the first one on the killer's list. When a second young man is murdered in a similar fashion, the questions and the stakes increase. Who had so much rage against these men? A girl they treated poorly? Or were the murders somehow connected to the secretive and exclusive organization of rich men no one on the island wants to talk about? The deeper Rebecca digs, the more certain she is the Yacht Club is involved in the spate of crimes on the island...and the late Sheriff Wallace may have been covering for them. The club members will stop at nothing to keep their secrets. But Rebecca is determined to expose them, regardless of the cost. From the provocative beginning to the edge-of-your-seat conclusion, Shadow's Deadline-the third book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodes-will remind you to choose your friends wisely.

Which is more dangerous...Mother or Human Nature? Twelve hours earlier, Interim Sheriff Rebecca West was enjoying a casual lunchtime burger. Now she's preparing for a hurricane headed straight for Shadow Island. While hauling sandbags and calming town officials, the last thing she needs is a stunned man stumbling into the sheriff's department. Covered in blood. Clearly in shock, the man doesn't know who he is and only mutters about needing help finding a mermaid. Is he distraught because he killed someone or because he witnessed a horrific event? Rebecca needs to find out-and fast. Fighting the torrential rain and wind, Rebecca discovers the victim, posed and decorated like a mermaid. Is the catatonic man the killer? Or is something more sinister at work? With very little support, she has to work quickly before the island is completely cut off from the mainland and any evidence is destroyed by the natural disaster. It's all hands on deck as Rebecca and the entire department scramble to prepare for a hurricane...and solve a murder. From its enigmatic beginning to the nail-biting conclusion, Shadow's Force-the fourth book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodes-will make you fear the storms of nature and love.

The shadows are watching... Less than twenty-four hours after Hurricane Boris ravages Shadow Island, it delivers one final blow. Two corpses, lashed together, wash up on the shore. Some of them, anyway. With no primary crime scene, no witnesses, and barely any human remains, Sheriff Rebecca West has precious little to work with. Are these victims connected to the seemingly untouchable Yacht Club, or did Boris's awesome power simply push them onto her beach? When the investigation identifies one of the John Does as a well-liked skipper who lived and worked a hundred miles away, Rebecca has more questions than answers. Was he simply at the wrong place at the wrong time? And who is the second victim? And why were his fingers chopped off before he was tossed into the sea? When another body turns up on the beach with its fingers also missing, Rebecca knows one thing for certain. Boris might have swept the first victims onto her little island, but a murderer had already been waiting...and watching...there. From its ghastly beginning to the unexpected final chapter, Shadow's Watch-the fifth book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodes-will make you question how well you really know the people in your life.

When you're a hostage of your own nightmare... As the Shadow Island Historical Society prepares to raise funds to restore the island's beloved lighthouse, someone else has other lethal plans. Instead of the presentation the group hopes for, they attract the attention of a madman claiming the historic monument is his family legacy before firing several shots and barricading the doors. Now, one hostage is dying and the rest fear for their lives. Interim Sheriff Rebecca West is no hostage negotiator, but she'll do whatever it takes to ensure the elderly captives are safely released. Especially when the perp turns out to be a local boy recently released from the mental hospital where he'd been committed since his mother abandoned him and his father. By all accounts, he's disturbed but harmless. Or is he? He's making outlandish assertions about the disappearance of his mother that don't make sense. And identifying missing persons who disappeared miles away. Are these accusations merely the delusions of mentally unstable man? Or is something more nefarious going on? From its shocking beginning to the jaw-dropping conclusion, Shadow's Hostage-the sixth book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodes-will make you realize we all see what we want to see, even if it's not true.

In a world of shadows, a sinister ritual awakens... Just as Sheriff Rebecca West starts to relax after a harrowing hostage situation, she's thrown into another demanding case. This one is even more ominous. Maybe the curse is real. Shadow Island lore insists that anyone who steps in the shadow cast onto the old witch's cottage is cursed. But when two bodies are discovered inside the cottage, their heads arranged in a ghastly tableau, Rebecca is more concerned about the real monsters-the human ones who'd commit such an atrocious murder. The bizarre staging, the mutilation of the corpses, and the desecration of the cottage point to a ritualistic killing. And the horrific murders occurring upon the arrival of the traveling Lovecraft symposium-an assembly of fervent enthusiasts of the macabre-transcend mere coincidence. However, the city refuses to close the convention and lose revenue. Murder can draw quite the crowd, after all. But when a third gory murder occurs twenty-four hours later, one thing is clear. A vicious killer lurks in the shadow. And he'll find a new victim every night unless Rebecca finds a way to close the book on this horror story. From its grisly beginning to the chilling conclusion, Shadow's Ritual-the seventh book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodes-is not for the faint-hearted. Because when fiction and reality converge, the line between waking horror and the darkest nightmare disappears.

Not every conspiracy is a theory. When a man washes up onto Shadow Island, Sheriff Rebecca West has a moment of déjà vu. This isn't the first body the ocean spat out on one of her beaches, but it's the first one she's found alive. Barely. The brutal gunshot wounds to the victim's hand and the lower part of his face indicate he was shot offshore and dumped overboard, but there's no boat or perpetrator. Just a few cryptic clues before the victim becomes unresponsive. At first glance, the investigation points to pirates or a drug deal gone bad. But as Rebecca delves deeper, she realizes that this is far more than an attempt on a low-level criminal's life. The case stretches out its tendrils, entangling the esteemed members of Shadow Island's Select Board, the sinister Yacht Club, and even her own sheriff's department. And it could jeopardize everything. Blackmail, power, and corruption collide as Rebecca resolves to clean the island up once and for all. Unless she dies trying. From its puzzling beginning to the devastating conclusion, Shadow's Conspiracy-the eighth book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodes-will make you realize that whatever you sweep under the rug always comes back to haunt you.

When the dead can't speak, the shadows whisper their secrets. There's never a dull moment on Shadow Island, especially for its small but growing sheriff's department. This time, Sheriff Rebecca West, along with new deputy Viviane Darby, discover a man hanging from the rafters of the caretaker's shed at Oceanview Cemetery. Does death follow Rebecca? Or does she attract it? The scene suggests suicide-an unlocked padlock, a rope, a toppled bench, and the lifeless body. The plot thickens when they unearth the fact that the man's high school love and former wife, claimed by cancer, lies buried close by. Surely, the man took his own life. Rebecca's gut says otherwise. When she investigates the dead cybersecurity expert's office the next day and interrupts a burglary in progress, things are suddenly not so cut and dried. Now they're looking for a murderer-one who's gone to a lot of trouble to cover their tracks and make the victim's death look like a suicide. And he isn't finished. A cybersecurity expert could make a lot of enemies. The next "suicide" victim had only one. And Rebecca must find and stop him before he strikes again. From the staggering beginning to the unpredictable conclusion, Shadow's Darkness-the tenth book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodes-is a reminder that sometimes, the answers lie in embracing the shadows, because everyone has a hidden side.

When the dead can't speak, the shadows whisper their secrets. Theres never a dull moment on Shadow Island, especially for its small but growing sheriffs department. This time, Sheriff Rebecca West, along with new deputy Viviane Darby, discover a man hanging from the rafters of the caretakers shed at Oceanview Cemetery. Does death follow Rebecca? Or does she attract it? The scene suggests suicidean unlocked padlock, a rope, a toppled bench, and the lifeless body. The plot thickens when they unearth the fact that the mans high school love and former wife, claimed by cancer, lies buried close by. Surely, the man took his own life. Rebeccas gut says otherwise. When she investigates the dead cybersecurity experts office the next day and interrupts a burglary in progress, things are suddenly not so cut and dried. Now theyre looking for a murdererone whos gone to a lot of trouble to cover their tracks and make the victims death look like a suicide. And he isnt finished. A cybersecurity expert could make a lot of enemies. The next "suicide" victim had only one. And Rebecca must find and stop him before he strikes again. From the staggering beginning to the unpredictable conclusion,Shadows Darknessthe tenth book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodesis a reminder that sometimes, the answers lie in embracing the shadows, because everyone has a hidden side.

Where theres smoke, theres murder. As the sun dips toward the horizon at Dees Dock, a yacht ignites more than just the evening sky it sparks yet another deadly mystery on Shadow Island. Sheriff Rebecca West leads the charge as the tight-knit community bands together to battle the blaze. But as the smoke clears, a chilling discovery is made... arson is only the beginning, and the charred remains aboard signal murder. Was the fire the ultimate goal, or was the blaze a smokescreen for a much darker deed? Unfortunately, there are no witnesses to the crime. To make matters worse, the incident has triggered an FBI investigation into the increase in crimes on the island since Rebecca became sheriff. Rebecca knows the spate of crimes is the result of her kicking the beehive of the previously untouchable Yacht Club, and she suspects this case is no different. Of the three boats damaged by the fire, two belong to blue-collar business owners. The other belongs to a member of the Yacht Club. The plot thickens when the leading suspect is found executed, forcing Rebecca and her team to sift through the ashes for answers. With every clue leading to more danger, they must catch a killer amidst the crosshairs of corruption before Shadow Island is consumed by the inferno of its own secrets. From the tense beginning to the explosive conclusion,Shadows Flamethe eleventh book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodeswill draw you in like a moth to a flame. Just dont get burned.