Velda Brotherton

The bloodiest crime in Texas history, and only one man has the guts to solve it. Bank robbery. Jailbreak. massacre. Alone, any one of them would send good folks reeling. But when all three occur in the same night in the same small South Texas town leaving no eyewitnesses behind, it could be the end of the world. Saddler County Sheriff Dell Hoffman is charged with bringing the perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice, but even the toughest and most cunning lawman in Texas has his limits. With nothing to go on but five bloody bodies, a cracked safe, and an empty jail, Dell works the fringes of his sleepy little western town--among the forgotten, the invisible, and those who often see without being seen. The more he learns, though, the more he wishes he could forget. In search of the truth, Dell finds himself pulled into a dark world of murder, deception, and brutality the likes of which he never imagined. Striking out on his own across the vast Texan prairie, he risks it all in search of justice. Will he solve the most heinous crime in Texas history? Or will Dell's drive for justice lead him to an even greater tragedy for both himself and those he cares for most?

The bloodiest crime in Texas history, and only one man has the guts to solve it. Bank robbery. Jailbreak. massacre. Alone, any one of them would send good folks reeling. But when all three occur in the same night in the same small South Texas town leaving no eyewitnesses behind, it could be the end of the world. Saddler County Sheriff Dell Hoffman is charged with bringing the perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice, but even the toughest and most cunning lawman in Texas has his limits. With nothing to go on but five bloody bodies, a cracked safe, and an empty jail, Dell works the fringes of his sleepy little western town--among the forgotten, the invisible, and those who often see without being seen. The more he learns, though, the more he wishes he could forget. In search of the truth, Dell finds himself pulled into a dark world of murder, deception, and brutality the likes of which he never imagined. Striking out on his own across the vast Texan prairie, he risks it all in search of justice. Will he solve the most heinous crime in Texas history? Or will Dell's drive for justice lead him to an even greater tragedy for both himself and those he cares for most?

After being convicted of thirteen barbarous murders--including that of his pregnant wife--Eric Adair has been sentenced to spend the remainder of his life alone in a cell at the Institute for the Criminally Insane. The only problem is that Eric hasn't been alone in a very long time.Eric's soul has been possessed by an ancient demon who has spent years twisting the young man's mind, forcing him into actions that satisfy his own evil whims... urges that have long gone unsated with Eric's incarceration. But now the demon is looking for a new soul to corrupt... and wants Eric's help to do it.Lenore Maine is a beautiful young woman, haunted by her mother's death. Those around her share Lenore's fear that the madness she believes runs in her family is now coming for her. But her mother's death may not be the only thing haunting her nights. Are her dreams of passion and pain real, or is Lenore plagued by something worse than she ever imagined? And will Lenore succumb to the horrors of possession or does she alone have the strength to bring an end to the demon's long reign of terror? And what will become of Eric in the process? Will the demon keep his promise to release Eric in exchange for Lenore or will his soul be damned forever?

Beyond the Pain. Beyond the Darkness.Left behind enemy lines for nine years, tortured beyond endurance, Navy pilot and Vietnam veteran Glen Tanner survives for one reason--to destroy the wife who deserted him. Instead, a concerned VA psychiatrist introduces Glen to Katie Kelly, an artist and teacher grieving from her own devastating loss. Katie helps Glen stop painting nightmares on endless canvases, coaxing him back from hell and teaching him to love and trust again. Caught between the bureaucracy of the VA and the designs of his sister, Julia, Glen and Katie struggle to find solace in each other, to build a relationship out of broken lives in the rugged hills of the Arkansas Ozarks. But emotional scars of lost love and the clinging terrors of combat tear at them and their budding romance no matter how hard they work to move on. Can they get beyond the past to a life that lies so far out of reach that it feels beyond the moon?

Velda Brotherton takes it to the limit in her newest Twist of Poe Mystery... THE FALL OF HERMITAGE HOUSE.In their most baffling tale of suspense and intrigue to date, Deputy Sheriff Dallas Starr and reporter Jessie West once again team up to bring justice to Grace County.The new owners of Hermitage House are kidnapped seemingly without purpose. Could their abductions be connected to the reappearance of escaped villains Robert Kimble and Taylor Bainbridge of the Rising Moon cult? What about the distraught man found hiding in the woods with two girls he claims are his daughters?As the romantic relationship between Jessie and Dal heats up further--finding even more unusual places to bloom--Dal and his fellow deputies search in one direction to unravel the mystery, while Jessie and her best friend Tink go in the other direction, putting themselves in peril during their own search for clues.Throw in an escaped lion, stolen police cars, and the appearance of a mysterious hermit, and this puzzling case seems to have endless twists and turns. Will this be the one that finally takes Jessie too far in the pursuit of her next story? After losing his wife, can Dal's heart survive a relationship with a woman who puts herself at risk?

Velda Brotherton takes it to the limit in her newest Twist of Poe Mystery... THE FALL OF HERMITAGE HOUSE.In their most baffling tale of suspense and intrigue to date, Deputy Sheriff Dallas Starr and reporter Jessie West once again team up to bring justice to Grace County.The new owners of Hermitage House are kidnapped seemingly without purpose. Could their abductions be connected to the reappearance of escaped villains Robert Kimble and Taylor Bainbridge of the Rising Moon cult? What about the distraught man found hiding in the woods with two girls he claims are his daughters?As the romantic relationship between Jessie and Dal heats up further--finding even more unusual places to bloom--Dal and his fellow deputies search in one direction to unravel the mystery, while Jessie and her best friend Tink go in the other direction, putting themselves in peril during their own search for clues.Throw in an escaped lion, stolen police cars, and the appearance of a mysterious hermit, and this puzzling case seems to have endless twists and turns. Will this be the one that finally takes Jessie too far in the pursuit of her next story? After losing his wife, can Dal's heart survive a relationship with a woman who puts herself at risk?

Velda Brotherton returns to the scene of the crime with her second thrilling Twist of Poe mystery... THE TELL TALE STONE.A long-dead body unearthed from a shallow grave sets idyllic Grace County, Arkansas on edge, but nobody seems to be able to explain exactly why. When small town reporter Jessie West connects the victim to an unsolved diamond heist from decades ago, though, what first appears to be a cold case turns quickly hot. Amidst a barrage of sudden threats and misdirections, she sets herself the task of finding the missing jewels. With the help of her lover, Deputy Sheriff Dallas Starr, they work to solve a pair of grisly murders while searching for the stolen diamonds and pursuing their favorite pastime--finding love in all the not-so-usual places.The culprits know they're coming, though, and now their lives are at risk... and even Dal's watchful eye might not be enough to keep Jessie from danger this time.

Velda Brotherton returns to Grace County with her darkest Twist of Poe mystery yet... THE PIT AND THE PENANCE.A ghost from her past threatens small town reporter Jessie West and those closest to her as she works to uncover a sinister secret found in the burned-out shed of Grace County's newest resident. Things become even stranger when two bodies turn up that could be connected to the case, but the link is anything but solid. Then a guest at the local bed and breakfast disappears, and the Sheriff himself is behaving strangely. As if Jessie and her lover, Deputy Sheriff Dallas Starr, didn't have enough to deal with, federal agents and the mob have chosen this particular moment to descend upon idyllic Cedarton, Arkansas and start raising hell. It's up to Jessie and Dal to put the clues together and navigate the treacherous, muddy waters of loyalty, secrecy, and long-buried secrets--before the ones who would rather those skeletons never get unearthed stop them for good.

Velda Brotherton uncovers the cancer of one town's deepest secrets in the Twist of Poe Mystery that started it all... THE PURLOINED SKULL.Buried skeletons don't often turn up in sleepy little Cedarton, Arkansas--especially not the headless kind. Reporter Jessie West is assigned the story, but she has some skeletons of her own she's hoping not to unearth. Her journalistic instincts, however, are impossible to ignore, and she's soon hot on the trail of a possible suspect. Her investigation drives her headlong into newly-hired Deputy Sheriff Dallas Starr, a sexy Cherokee lawman with the ability to read the emotional echoes left at the scene of a violent crime. Dal's seen firsthand how nosy reporters are willing to ruin lives and reputations for a big scoop, and he wants nothing to do with Jessie or her amateur detective act. Passions flare inside the bedroom and out as they collide in the midst of the biggest thing to happen in Grace County in decades. When Jessie receives a series of bizarre threats on her life, she has to decide if she's close to exposing the killer, or if her past has finally caught up with her. Will she and Dal find the answer in time, or will the secret of the purloined skull destroy them all?

Velda Brotherton uncovers the cancer of one town's deepest secrets in the Twist of Poe Mystery that started it all... THE PURLOINED SKULL.Buried skeletons don't often turn up in sleepy little Cedarton, Arkansas--especially not the headless kind. Reporter Jessie West is assigned the story, but she has some skeletons of her own she's hoping not to unearth. Her journalistic instincts, however, are impossible to ignore, and she's soon hot on the trail of a possible suspect. Her investigation drives her headlong into newly-hired Deputy Sheriff Dallas Starr, a sexy Cherokee lawman with the ability to read the emotional echoes left at the scene of a violent crime. Dal's seen firsthand how nosy reporters are willing to ruin lives and reputations for a big scoop, and he wants nothing to do with Jessie or her amateur detective act. Passions flare inside the bedroom and out as they collide in the midst of the biggest thing to happen in Grace County in decades. When Jessie receives a series of bizarre threats on her life, she has to decide if she's close to exposing the killer, or if her past has finally caught up with her. Will she and Dal find the answer in time, or will the secret of the purloined skull destroy them all?

A heartrending struggle between legacy and love on the last great frontier.In the aftermath of the Little Big Horn, Charlie Houston and the fledgeling Double H ranch are under attack from a local cattle baron bent upon stealing her water rights for his own herds. Desperate for help, Charlie turns to her former lover Mitch Fallon, who takes up his guns to aide her in her struggle. Against this backdrop of blood and violence, it isn't long before the flames of desire are rekindled between them. Painted with the brush of his outlaw past, though, Mitch can't stay. He returned to Montana to avenge the death of his wife and clear himself of a false accusation of murder. Now, as he rides away to keep his own promises, Charlie is forced to choose between her ranch and saving the man she loves.Montana Legacy is a story of love and strife, of promises kept and broken, and the strength of two star-crossed lovers upon the hard lands of the American frontier.

A Wild and Unforgettable Ride Through the Heart of Big Sky Country.A gun slung low on his hip, Mitch Fallon returns to Montana after the murder of his beloved Celia. He'll work for anyone who'll pay him, and he's hired to help greedy land baron Colonel Dunkirk drive out all the small ranchers so he can grab the land for his own. Dunkirk doesn't care who gets hurt, and Mitch doesn't either.He becomes the enemy of Charlie Houston, the beautiful owner of the Double H Ranch. She'll fight to keep her land and the ranch her father loved, even if it means battling the the man who sets fire to her desires. When her foreman is murdered, she believes Fallon to be his killer, and she takes matters into her own hands.Montana Destiny is a tale of two hearts caught between love and duty in an untamed land where death lurks behind every ridge.