Mystery Lake Series by Tamsen Schultz

A murdered woman, a powerful politician, and a witness who’s no longer willing to stay in the shadows. Eighteen years ago, Bela Houseman became a loose end. The powerful man who murdered her mother knows who she is and exactly what she saw that night. Giving up everything she’s ever known, including her own name, is the only way to protect herself. Now, as the lead cyber security expert at HICC, an elite private security firm, Sabina O’Malley has mostly made peace with her past... moreA murdered woman, a powerful politician, and a witness who’s no longer willing to stay in the shadows. Eighteen years ago, Bela Houseman became a loose end. The powerful man who murdered her mother knows who she is and exactly what she saw that night. Giving up everything she’s ever known, including her own name, is the only way to protect herself. Now, as the lead cyber security expert at HICC, an elite private security firm, Sabina O’Malley has mostly made peace with her past. Until a postcard arrives on her doorstep that shatters her carefully crafted safety.There are two things special operative, Chad Warwick knows for certain. The first is that he’s wanted Sabina since his first day at HICC. The second is that she’s hiding something—something big. Her ability to evade questions is practically an art form, though, and the bits and pieces she gives him aren’t enough. They aren’t enough for him to help her. Nor are they enough for him to take a chance and love her the way he wants to.But when an ambush occurs on a secluded mountain road and Sabina is the target, she knows the killer is finally cleaning house. Now, revealing all her secrets and exposing the truth is the only way she’ll ever be safe. From California to São Paulo to Washington, DC, Chad and Sabina uncover a trail of murder, corruption, and fraud. A trail that could tear them apart just when they’ve finally come together. less

A missing person, a stalker seemingly back from the dead, and a woman who isn’t going to let the past ruin her future. When Sofia Parisi’s marriage ends, she knows it’s an opportunity, not a loss. Without blinking an eye, she packs up her business and moves to Mystery Lake. After all, why wouldn’t she want to live in the beautiful mountain town that gave her so many wonderful childhood memories? Of course, she didn’t plan on uncovering evidence of a serial killer hidden in her new home... moreA missing person, a stalker seemingly back from the dead, and a woman who isn’t going to let the past ruin her future. When Sofia Parisi’s marriage ends, she knows it’s an opportunity, not a loss. Without blinking an eye, she packs up her business and moves to Mystery Lake. After all, why wouldn’t she want to live in the beautiful mountain town that gave her so many wonderful childhood memories? Of course, she didn’t plan on uncovering evidence of a serial killer hidden in her new home. Nor did she expect a stalker to seemingly come back from the dead and track her down. Now she’s caught between the past and present and neither is quite what it seems.Between raising his son and running his own construction company, Josh Warwick has never had time for a relationship. Nor has he ever met a woman who tempted him into one. That is until his son introduces him to their new client, Sofia. She’s quirky, fun, and successful in her own right, and he’s more than a little intrigued. Unfortunately, danger is knocking on her door, and they don’t have a choice but to answer if they want their shot at a happy ever after.As Josh and Sofia untangle a web of deceit, terror, and betrayal, they find the past and present colliding in ways no one could anticipate. And when threats come at them from unexpected sources, exposing the truth is the only way to protect their future. less

A team in danger, a trafficking ring hiding in plain sight, and a doctor who isn’t about to let another friend die on her watch.After a decade of traveling the world, Dr. Kara Kenyon is putting down roots near her sister in Mystery Lake, California. It also happens to be the town sexy operative Ethan Warwick calls home. Attraction crackles between them and she’s looking forward to seeing if it will lead to something more... moreA team in danger, a trafficking ring hiding in plain sight, and a doctor who isn’t about to let another friend die on her watch.After a decade of traveling the world, Dr. Kara Kenyon is putting down roots near her sister in Mystery Lake, California. It also happens to be the town sexy operative Ethan Warwick calls home. Attraction crackles between them and she’s looking forward to seeing if it will lead to something more. But when two of her teammates die in unusual circumstances, staying in one place doesn’t seem as safe, or as appealing, as it once did.Since the day Ethan met Kara, he’s been waiting for her to settle in Mystery Lake. Now that she’s finally here, he plans to take full advantage of the situation. Unfortunately, life has other plans, and the romantic adventures he planned fall to the wayside with the mysterious deaths of her teammates. Especially when it looks like Kara might be the next target.Instead of quiet walks in the woods, lazy days on the lake, and heated summer nights, Kara and Ethan find themselves on the run from a killer. A killer with a knack for making murder look like an accident and whose motivation illudes them, but whose relentless determination terrifies them. Now they’ll need to risk more than just their hearts if they want to chance at a future. less

A series of unexplained events, a truth more insidious than any fiction, and a woman determined to get her life back. As one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, Ellie Cavanaugh knows the value of managing her schedule. So why is she missing so many meetings and forgetting entire conversations lately? And even worse, what’s triggering the terrifying manic episodes that have her fearing for her safety? Thankfully, she knows just the place to hide away while she figures it out... moreA series of unexplained events, a truth more insidious than any fiction, and a woman determined to get her life back. As one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, Ellie Cavanaugh knows the value of managing her schedule. So why is she missing so many meetings and forgetting entire conversations lately? And even worse, what’s triggering the terrifying manic episodes that have her fearing for her safety? Thankfully, she knows just the place to hide away while she figures it out. But when her car ends up in a ditch in the middle of an epic snowstorm, and she’s rescued by Dr. Asher Warwick, Mystery Lake might not be the only safe haven she finds.Dr. Asher Warwick is the “nice” Warwick cousin. He hates the label, but it’s hard to argue against. He’s a respected physician, a community volunteer, and, to his mind, just a regular guy. It’s his steady presence that Ellie comes to rely on, though, as she seeks refuge in Mystery Lake. Asher is happy to be there for her in whatever way she needs, but he can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to her erratic behavior than just professional burnout. And when he accidentally stumbles across the cause of one of Ellie’s more disturbing symptoms, his suspicions are confirmed.Unraveling the truth reveals a plot more sinister than any film. And determining who’s behind it—and why—will prove deadly. less

A violent attack, a missing body, and a woman willing to risk everything for her future.Thirty years after his car rolled down an embankment and into a river, Olivia Rodriguez decides it’s finally time to learn more about her father, a man her mother never spoke of. Her plan? Dig into what little about his life she can find... moreA violent attack, a missing body, and a woman willing to risk everything for her future.Thirty years after his car rolled down an embankment and into a river, Olivia Rodriguez decides it’s finally time to learn more about her father, a man her mother never spoke of. Her plan? Dig into what little about his life she can find. But when someone attacks her car, then her home, she and the stoic—and far too good-looking—police chief, Ryan Warwick, start to wonder if she has inadvertently opened Pandora’s box.A stalwart fortress. That’s how Ryan’s family thinks of him. And lately, he’s been feeling like one—only not in the good way. While his brothers and cousins move on with their lives, he’s rooted to one spot as time—and life—passes by. That is until one unexpected encounter with Olivia tilts his world on its axis and he realizes one he wants her. As his friend, as his lover, as his partner.Are the threats to Olivia coming from the past? Or is it something more recent? As Olivia and Ryan begin unraveling the mystery, they find themselves walking a fine line between friends and lovers. And when Olivia becomes the target, Ryan must let the fortress that he has become crumble to dust if there’s to be a chance of them standing when the day is done. less

A series of fires, a portent of what’s to come, and woman who isn’t about to let that happen.Ava Jones has seen enough of the world to know there are no absolutes—evil exists, so does love, bad things happen to good people, and coincidences do occur. But when a serial arsonist makes Mystery Lake his hunting ground, Ava knows it’s not by accident—her past has come back to haunt her... moreA series of fires, a portent of what’s to come, and woman who isn’t about to let that happen.Ava Jones has seen enough of the world to know there are no absolutes—evil exists, so does love, bad things happen to good people, and coincidences do occur. But when a serial arsonist makes Mystery Lake his hunting ground, Ava knows it’s not by accident—her past has come back to haunt her. And grumpy, sexy firefighter Mitch Warwick isn’t at all pleased—not with the fires or with Ava being at the center of it.Recovering from an accident that will likely spell the end of his career, Mitch would prefer to tune the rest of the world out and wallow in solitude. Only an arsonist in his town isn’t something he can—or will—ignore. Especially not one that appears to be tied to Ava, a woman who challenges him like no other. A woman he can’t stop thinking about.Mitch and Ava both know she’s the key to stopping the arsonist. They have a tangled history, though, and trusting each other isn’t easy. Unfortunately, when she becomes the target, neither has a choice. Not if they want to stop Mystery Lake, and the people they love, from being caught in an inferno. less

Two dead bodies, a past that’s haunting the present, and a woman not afraid to dig for the truth.Charlotte Warwick is happy focusing on the company she and her sister started and leaving men as little more than a distant afterthought. Her last boyfriend did a doozy on her and although she knows she’ll recover, she’s in no rush. Not even when the sexy Noah Streak—AKA Mantis—walks into her life. The president of the local motorcycle club is the last man she should get involved with... moreTwo dead bodies, a past that’s haunting the present, and a woman not afraid to dig for the truth.Charlotte Warwick is happy focusing on the company she and her sister started and leaving men as little more than a distant afterthought. Her last boyfriend did a doozy on her and although she knows she’ll recover, she’s in no rush. Not even when the sexy Noah Streak—AKA Mantis—walks into her life. The president of the local motorcycle club is the last man she should get involved with.Noah has other ideas. Charlotte is way out of his league, but he’s never been a man afraid of a challenge. And when a summer outing leads to an opportunity to win her over, he’s not above using it to his advantage. Even if that chance rests on the fact that they discovered not one, but two bodies and a 150-year-old mystery. Unorthodox, sure, but he’ll take all the help he can get.The past isn't content to stay in the past, though, and when it collides with a very recent crime, Charlotte and Noah find themselves caught in a tangle of greed, jealousy, and deceit. Turning to each other—trusting each other—may be the only way to survive.Trigger warningLike most, if not all, romantic suspense novels, mine contain elements of violence and often murder. In addition, as with this book, I include descriptions of events that happened in the past or “off page” that touch on topics such as domestic violence, violence against women, or violent homes. This book contains conversations between the characters who were victims of these particular traumas. less

A gruesome string of murders, a shadowed past, and a woman who’s not afraid to fight for the truth.Josephine “Joey” Warwick is confused. Five years ago, she expressed an interest in cyber expert Leo Gallardo, only to have him friend-zone her in no uncertain terms. A decision she’s respected ever since... moreA gruesome string of murders, a shadowed past, and a woman who’s not afraid to fight for the truth.Josephine “Joey” Warwick is confused. Five years ago, she expressed an interest in cyber expert Leo Gallardo, only to have him friend-zone her in no uncertain terms. A decision she’s respected ever since. So why is he spending his days swimming from her beach and his nights sleeping in her guest room? Sure, he helped her through a health scare no one else knows about, but that doesn’t explain the way he looks at her now.Leo has his reasons for keeping his distance from Joey. The problem is, after an unexpected trip to the emergency room, he can’t bring himself to leave the woman who’s always held his interest, his heart, and the starring role in all his fantasies. Even if he can’t, in all good conscience, do anything about those fantasies—at least he has the unsolved murder of a distant cousin he’s never met before to distract him. He doesn’t expect the case or spending time with Joey to be easy, but he also never expected to find a killer targeting his mom.With an unknown murderer on the loose, keeping each other at arm’s length is no longer an option. Especially not when the killer might hold the answers Leo has sought his entire life. The answers that might allow him to love Joey the way he’s always wanted. less