Russell Atkinson

Cliff and his partner Maeva are hired to investigate the theft of some gold coins in California's Gold Country. What they find astounds them. When the case turns into a murder investigation, things take a dangerous turn, but not too dangerous to keep Cliff from geocaching.

Mags, recently widowed, has retired to tiny Buck's Gap off the Big Sur coast, content to work her crosswords and discuss mysteries with her book club. Then she discovers the body of a murder victim, a professional puzzle-maker, and is drawn into the investigation. Soon a glamorous FBI agent arrives in town trying to find some stolen diamonds from a long-ago heist that she thinks may be connected. Mags is happy to help the police chief, but she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Fortunately, she has the Buck's Gap Women's Auxiliary by her side.There are several puzzles in the book which can be worked by the reader, including a hybrid cryptic crossword, a Sudoku, and two cryptograms. These provide clues to the murder. The crossword and Sudoku are available online where they can be worked interactively or downloaded and printed out to be worked on paper. Details on how to do so are available in the Appendix.

Retired FBI agent Cliff Knowles thought he was being hired by a Fortune 500 company just to find out why their sales of spare parts were down. He soon learns that where there's money there's mayhem - and murder. His investigation brings him to southwestern Utah where he finds that an employee of the company he's investigating recently lost his head - literally. Coincidence? Not a chance. When Cliff decides to venture into the desert to hunt a geocache, he is unaware that he is being hunted, too. In this harrowing tale of greed and guile, Cliff's survival depends on his only weapon - his wits.Cliff's FBI agent wife, Ellen Kennedy, returns to work after her maternity leave ready to pursue criminals of all stripes. Instead she finds that she is assigned to a convicted drug dealer and heroin addict who once attacked Cliff, but to investigate her for an entirely unexpected reason - to help her get a presidential pardon Once again Cliff and Ellen end up working together pursuing justice and geocaches in their own inimitable style.

The President of Claritiva Software is kidnapped at gunpoint. FBI Special Agent Cliff Knowles is the first to respond when the crime is reported. But the report is suspicious in many ways and the front office is skeptical the kidnapping is real. Knowles must fight his own bureaucracy while trying to rescue the victim and catch the kidnappers. This gripping novel will have you on the edge of your chair from the first chapter. Also available from Amazon as a Kindle ebook.