Leonard D. Hilley

Pawns are Expendable . . . Twelve execution-style murders have occurred in Newark, New Jersey, in less than a week. Each murder has a calling card - a red pawn on each corpse. Kat Gaddis and Lucian investigate the homicides and discover the last four victims were employed by GenTech, a company that recently merged with Mech Cybernetics. After FBI director Mike Carpenter shares evidence with Kat, they soon discover political ties and corruptions that place Kat's life in direct danger. New players emerge and what seems like serial murders suddenly becomes a struggle for biotech knowledge and power. Kat is thrust into their game - The Game of Pawns.

THEIR DARKEST HOURS YET ... "Everyone dies . . . eventually," she said. Mitch Niles' first investigative assignment for the Kat Gaddis Agency lands him in the dark city of Salem, Oregon. The two gruesome murders in Salem point to the grim speculation that more shifters or genetic monsters have emerged. But Niles' discoveries place his life in direct danger as he uncovers more grave secrets in the dead of the night.The shutdown of GenTech and Mech Cybernetics left one miscreant scientist still on the loose. Alpha. The hunt to find him continues so they can shut down his operations before his genetic soldiers mature.After Matthews escapes from prison, Lydia goes rogue, accepting her life as the assassin General Idris created her to be. Lucian nears death, as the genetic enhancers that keep him alive are no longer working. Hired assassins pursue Joe-Shadow-talker for the alien skull and are more than willing to kill him or anyone else that gets in their way.

Twenty years have passed since a young man disappeared inside Devils Den never to be seen again. During this time the haunted cave has lain dormant, but the legend of its evil has not died. In fact, what lies within has awakened and prowls Cider Knoll one last time, seeking to offer a final blood sacrifice in order to gain immortality. Such a sacrifice must be pure and untainted, but finding an uncontaminated soul in a corrupt world is nearly impossible. Horror spreads through rural Cider Knoll when another teenager, Justin McKnight, vanishes inside Devils Den. As the search and rescue begins, Sheriff Hopkins is baffled on how to continue searching for the boy when the only clues end at a mysterious wall inside the cave. When search efforts are about to be abandoned, an unexpected man shows up with an age-worn book that has disturbing revelations about what had actually occurred twenty years prior. And according to the predictions inside the book, they have little time to find Justin before he becomes the next victim. "Leonard D. Hilley II writes with a dark veracity, giving real life to a world slightly askew. There's always a sense that something is lurking in the shadows, just beyond the 'normal' world."--Paul Counelis, writer for Rue Morgue

Allegiance Comes With A Price The darker unmapped regions of Woodnog Swamps are shrouded by the dangerous and often magical mysteries of the Shadowfae. These swamps are where foolish travelers venture, never to be seen again. Roble's quest requires that he journey deep into the Woodnog Swamps to confront the god, Lez'minx. Through trickery and temptation, Roble accepted Lez'minx's gift of two magical rings, and soon learns of the deceitful enchantment; but not until after he finds the rings permanently attached to his fingers. Roble plans to meet the god and demand the spell binding him to Lez'minx be broken forever. But no one should ever order a god to do anything. Since such a confrontation would put Roble's life at risk, Shawndirea and Lehrling insist on traveling with him. The dangers are too great for a human from the Overlands to undertake alone. But the faery, Shawndirea, has secrets she's not yet revealed to her human husband, Roble. Her secrets might cost her own life. After renouncing her right to the throne of Elvendale in the Seelie Court, the Unseelie Court has not extended a welcome to her into the Courts of Chaos. Shawndirea finds herself an outcast and possibly viewed as a potential enemy to both Courts. Traveling deeper into the swamps means she'll cross into Unseelie territory and without a proper invite, she risks everything to help protect the man she loves.

The Darkness Continues . . . Three years have passed since Daniel and his friends escaped the terrorizing, bloodthirsty shape-shifters in Pittsburgh. While his friends have moved forward with their lives, Daniel cannot. Still haunted by the harrowing ordeals he had suffered, he believes that the conspiracies inside TransGenCorp have not ended. More of these sinister shape-shifters exist ... somewhere. Daniel's best friend, Lucas, calls with information that bolsters Daniel's paranoia even further. Lucas has been charged with the murders of two U.S. Senators. Lucas insists his clone is still alive and committed the murders. To get proof, Daniel needs to talk to Dr. Helmsby, but that means Daniel must return to TransGenCorp, making him face his nightmares all over again. But his discoveries of new monsters are even worse than the ones he faced in the past. The two murdered senators captures the attention of FBI Director Mike Carpenter and FBI agent Kat Gaddis. Surveillance footage of the murders puts them on the manhunt for the clone before he kills again. But finding him isn't an easy task. Dead bodies are piling up. Daniel, his family, and friends must go into hiding before it's too late. Kat and Carpenter hope to find them before the clone does. Otherwise, the clone will kill them all.

The world wasn't supposed to end like this . . .Fear What Comes In The DarknessThe desolate streets of downtown Pittsburgh are a constant reminder of the missile attack that forever changed the lives of the surviving scientists and students hidden in the fallout shelter of Helmsby's Genetic Research Center. Believing themselves to be the only survivors, they station themselves inside the center until food supplies near depletion. Thinking the fallout has lessened, they emerge three years later to discover strange creatures patrolling the streets in search of human flesh and blood. The creatures possess the ability to shift their genomes and alter their appearances by realigning their genetic sequences. Daniel Hutchinson, their leader, teams with Lucas Ridale and together they set out to scavenge the area for food and supplies with the hope to find other survivors. But Daniel's most recent journey uncovers mysteries more frightening than the shifters. He discovers the tip of Pittsburgh has been fenced off from the rest of the area. Low-flying helicopters observe the streets, making him ponder the question: Were the shifters released as simply part of a military experiment with humans being their prey?