Akron Public Library

Leaving behind her Charleston forensic pathology practice to accept an assignment in New York City, Kay Scarpetta learns the story of an injured psychiatric patient who claims he was attacked by a stalker who was killing someone else at the time.

"Veteran reporter Jack McEvoy has taken down killers before, but when a woman he had a one-night stand with is murdered in a particularly brutal way, McEvoy realizes he might be facing a criminal mind unlike any he's ever encountered. McEvoy investigates--against the warnings of the police and his own editor--and makes a shocking discovery that connects the crime to other mysterious deaths across the country. But his inquiry hits a snag when he himself...

With the best detectives in the business, cutting edge technology and offices around the globe, there is no investigation agency quite like Private. Now, at a glittering launch party overlooking the iconic Opera House, Private throws open its doors. Craig Gisto and his newly formed team have barely raised their glasses, however, when a young Asian man, blood-soaked and bullet-ridden, staggers into the party, and what looks like a botched kidnapping...

Decker is visiting his hometown of Burlington, Ohio, when he's approached by a man named Meryl Hawkins. Hawkins is a convicted murderer, the very first, in fact, Decker ever put behind bars. But he's innocent, he claims. Now suffering from terminal cancer, it's his dying wish that Decker clear his name. It's unthinkable. The case was open and shut, with rock-solid forensic evidence. But then Hawkins turns up dead with a bullet in his head, and even...

"Serial killer James Michael Barrett leads a grim parade of police officers, FBI agents, and forensics into the woods of Pine Valley, forty-five miles east of San Diego. At the end of the second week of his high-profile murder trial, he has struck a plea deal with the prosecution: he'll reveal the location of his last victim's body in exchange for the D.A. taking the death penalty off the table. As they reach the site, a light rain begins to fall,...

Sergeant Lindsay Boxer, Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano, and crime writer Cindy Thomas are gathered at one of San Francisco's finest restaurants to celebrate a birthday and a wedding. Before they can raise their glasses, a violent assault breaks out. Claire examines the victim. Lindsay makes an arrest. Yuki takes the case. Cindy covers it. The legal strategy is complicated by gaps in the plaintiff's...

"Of #1 New York Times-bestselling author Sue Grafton, NPR's Maureen Corrigan said, "Makes me wish there were more than 26 letters." With only two letters left, Grafton's many devoted readers will share that sentiment. X: The number ten. An unknown quantity. A mistake. A cross. A kiss. X: The shortest entry in Webster's Unabridged. Derived from Greek and Latin and commonly found in science, medicine, and religion. The most graphically dramatic...

Lucas Davenport pursues a prolific serial killer who has gone undetected for years in the newest nail-biter by best selling author John Sandford. It was a relatively minor criminal matter, but enough that the U.S. Marshals obtained a warrant to enter the home. They didn't expect to unearth trophies from a score of killings. Now Davenport is on the trail of a serial murderer, one who was able to operate for years without notice or suspicion. But there's...

She calls herself Lady Justice, like an avenging superhero. Her disguises vary—a tall blonde or a curvaceous redhead, whatever it takes to lure the men she targets, men who have done women wrong. Once they are in her grasp, they are powerless. The first victim is wealthy businessman Nigel McEnroy. By day he runs a successful headhunting firm, but when his wife is away, he engages in another kind of hunt. His company's human resources department...

Edgar Roy, an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility, is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins - en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered.