Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has returned to Virginia as the chief medical examiner. Finding herself the new girl in town once again after being away for many years, she's inherited an overbearing secretary and a legacy of neglect and possible corruption. She and her husband Benton Wesley, now a forensic psychologist with the U.S. Secret Service, have relocated to Old Town Alexandria where she's headquartered five miles from the Pentagon in...

"The holidays are domestic diva Sophie Winston's favorite time of year. But this season, there seem to be more mishaps than mistletoe. First, Horace Scroggins tumbles from a balcony during his office Christmas party. Then, Sophie's neighbor takes a fall from his ladder while decorating his roof with lights. But it's the cookie swap that really starts her wondering who's naughty or nice...Sophie arrives at the annual event with high spirits and thirteen...

In 1900, Gray Delacroix has built a successful global spice empire and is tasked with gaining access to the private Delacroix plant collection. Botanist Annabelle Larkin steps into a web of political danger and will be forced to choose between her heart and her loyalty to her country.