The Bening Files Series by Rachel Trautmiller

A conscienceless serial bomber has a game to play. The rules are simple. There are none. Somebody knows Detective Amanda Nettles more than she cares to acknowledge. With one phone call, a faceless and genderless madman, proves he knows every dark secret Amanda has—even those she’s never uttered to a soul. Two explosions have rocked downtown Charlotte and shaken its citizens. All the clues lead back to Amanda... moreA conscienceless serial bomber has a game to play. The rules are simple. There are none. Somebody knows Detective Amanda Nettles more than she cares to acknowledge. With one phone call, a faceless and genderless madman, proves he knows every dark secret Amanda has—even those she’s never uttered to a soul. Two explosions have rocked downtown Charlotte and shaken its citizens. All the clues lead back to Amanda. With the FBI—namely Baker Jackson Robinson watching her every move, Amanda must figure out the why behind the madness, because this guy is coming after them. One-by-one. And he wants her to witness every detail. Robinson’s life has never been simple. Prior to his sister’s comatose state, he preferred the chaos and the danger if it meant saving a life. Raising a pre-teen dependent on him, alone, means he needs to skirt around danger, aka—Amanda Nettles. The attractive and unavailable detective is trapped in play only their perpetrator understands. And he's using those closest to Amanda as bait. With each new event, Amanda must make a choice. Follow her heart, protect her friends and lose the life she's built for herself or sit on the sidelines and watch someone else destroy it. The last thing she intends to do, is involve the one man who understands her, in a way no one has before. Because Robinson isn't the type to walk away from a fight that matters. And she won’t stop looking for answers just because they aren't readily available. If only her feelings for the handsome Agent would disappear... And his need for the Detective's sassy comebacks, wasn't so strong... The clock wouldn't be ticking. With innocent lives in the balance. less

Lives taken. Families destroyed. Trust betrayed. Rebuilding is paramount to survival. Can all family hurdles be overcome? Does forgiveness come to all? Redemption awaits… Teenage girls are going missing in broad daylight. No witnesses. No struggle. Having been tipped off from the last person anyone should trust, Baker Jackson Robinson knows involving Detective Amanda Nettles is risky. For her, their colleague, SBI Agent Parker Williams and himself... moreLives taken. Families destroyed. Trust betrayed. Rebuilding is paramount to survival. Can all family hurdles be overcome? Does forgiveness come to all? Redemption awaits… Teenage girls are going missing in broad daylight. No witnesses. No struggle. Having been tipped off from the last person anyone should trust, Baker Jackson Robinson knows involving Detective Amanda Nettles is risky. For her, their colleague, SBI Agent Parker Williams and himself. Convincing her to put her life and career on the line isn’t a decision he’s made lightly. With a new string of crime on the horizon, Detective Amanda Nettles keeps herself plenty busy. Doesn’t think about an unfinished wedding to her favorite FBI agent. The almost family that wasn’t. Nor the thorough Internal Affairs investigation that left her—and her coworkers questioning everything inside the precinct, fingers pointed in her direction. Instead, toeing the line is more important than ever. And hoping her talent and work ethic might restore her once-good name. But she’s not stupid enough to believe it will return anything—or anyone else. When Parker Williams is brutally attacked and left for dead, the journal of a young girl the only thing linking his whereabouts to their current case, however minimal, the choice is simple. This teen is either the missing puzzle piece they need or another wild goose chase sending them down a narrow rabbit hole. Either way, life is life. And Amanda’s done hiding. With the pages of the missing teen’s diary eerily like another woman’s, they’ll have to decide if coming face-to-face with unspeakable evil will yield answers or crumble an already shaky foundation. **This book is part of a series. Reading the books in order will heighten your enjoyment of the characters within each story.** less