Bøker av Susan Vaughan

After the deaths of two husbands and a fiancé, Claire Saint-Ange is branded the Widow Spider in her coastal Maine town. Tormented by threatening phone calls and desperate to prove her innocence, Claire hires a P.I. But her attraction to the rugged investigator poses an even greater threat. She can't risk losing someone she cares about... not again. Never again. Two tragic losses cause federal agent Michael Quinn to submit his resignation, but he's forced into one last gig-investigate the widow's connection to her last husband's drug smuggling. Uncovering this lovely, mysterious woman's darkest secrets should be just an assignment, but her gentle soul and passion make him long to believe in her innocence. The frozen Maine landscape, deadly attacks, and shocking revelations test Claire and Michael at every turn-but it's the blazing desire between them that threatens their very lives.

DARK Officer Jack Thorne joined the antiterrorism task force for one reason only-to exact revenge on the smuggler responsible for the tragedy that haunts him. Vacationing in Italy, Sophie Rinaldi overhears her host plotting to sell weapons-grade uranium to terrorists. She flees, but the man's car strikes her. She ends up in the hospital, the last crucial weeks erased from her mind-and still a target for murder. Whether Sophie is an accomplice or merely a witness, to find out what she knows, Jack must keep her safe. As Sophie and Jack race to stay ahead of hired killers, they find it impossible to deny their growing attraction. Jack is torn between his longing for Sophie and his pledge of vengeance. And how can Sophie fall for this tormented man who doesn't trust her? If she regains her memory, what she knows could destroy them both...

Shrapnel damage to one eye has sidelined DARK Officer Matt Leoni, so he jumps at an undercover gig in a small Mediterranean country's embassy to work with Nadia Parker, a documentary filmmaker who believes he betrayed her on the past mission that took down her father. When rebels set off an explosion, embassy security believe they are the bombers. Matt pulls Nadia to safety and they flee into the D.C. streets. Unable to rely on DARK, Matt is determined to protect Nadia, clear her name, and find answers. As the two of them work together, trust grows and leads to passion, but both harbor secrets that could tear them apart. A bold plan to foil the traitor's assassination plot could place Nadia in the crosshairs, and time is running out.

Danger, secrets and lies... Maverick government officer Simon Byrne, undercover on a Caribbean island, must stop an international arms dealer's sale of uranium that could trigger world conflict. Simon's mission goes sideways when the woman he once failed to protect is assigned as his tech officer. He vows to keep her safe, but she's in his head...and in his heart. By-the-book tech expert Janna Harris is determined to prove herself in the field and uncover whether her late husband, who sold to the arms dealer, also betrayed his government. A treason investigation could expose Janna's own secrets. Her attraction to Simon wars with her pledge not to let another man into her life. But can she walk away from the only man who could heal her battered soul? Emotions and danger collide as the powder-keg deadline ticks down on their mission-and their survival.

Nick Markos has inherited the burden and shame of his brother's dealings with terrorists, who demand he return the millions he skimmed. Hoping to uncover a plotted attack, the Feds install DARK Officer Vanessa Wade undercover as Nick's glamorous fiancée. Despite her expertise, Vanessa has grown to dislike undercover work. Under orders to make sure the sexy and tortured tycoon is no traitor, she soon realizes that instead he's determined to regain his family honor-and his own. She tells herself to stay detached, but this man's kisses make her emotions spin out of control. As they work together amid gala social events and terror threats, Nick and Vanessa cannot deny their mutual attraction, but her deception makes Vanessa feel as false as the rock on her finger. Is their relationship only a charade? One that could explode-along with a terrorist bomb?

Can they hold onto the heartbreak of the past when he's protecting her from a killer 24/7? After museum curator Laura Rossiter witnesses a murder, she runs for her life, finally landing in a Maine resort where she feels safe. Until bad-boy Cole Stratton rides his Harley back into her life... Now a DARK officer, Cole has a mission-protect Laura, the golden girl he's never forgotten, and flush out a killer. As the danger increases, so does the tension between the ex-lovers. Cole still believes she's out of his league... and that she's hiding secrets she intends never to reveal. Together 24/7, they can't deny the passion reigniting between them. But as the painful memories of their past assail them and a killer closes in, they must find a way to trust each other-before their future is extinguished forever.

Maid of honor Andie Devlin owes her life to her brother and his bride, and the least she can do is make sure their wedding is perfect. When Devlin Security Force's sexiest operative Mike Pagano seems set on spending the weekend at her side, she longs to yield to the attraction, but fears that he'll judge her for her wild-child past. Mike wants to keep Andie safe from a suspected attack during the wedding. More than that, he admires her for rising above her past, and he wants her in his arms. When she learns her brother assigned him to be her bodyguard, she pushes him away... leaving her vulnerable. Mike and DSF must act fast to find the threat, but they may have a secret weapon of their own-Andie.

Memories of leading his Army Ranger team into a deathtrap haunt security operative Boyd Kirby so he swears never to protect people. But when the woman he never forgot asks for help, he can't refuse. Gemma's request leads to a case of art forgery and murder attempts... on her. Sweating bullets, Boyd vows not to be distracted by her vibrancy and his desire. He damn well will protect her... with his life. Gemma Bellini believes managing her famous grandfather's art legacy can redeem her for a scandal that makes her wary of men's motives. Because of forgeries and attempts on her life, she needs Boyd. She remembers his sexy magnetism and sense of humor that masked pain. This strong man will investigate and keep her safe, but can she trust him with her heart? When sparks between them ignite to flames, the danger escalates-to their lives and their hearts.

A stolen necklace... a woman in danger... A dangerous quest... Former Delta officer and now DSF boss Thomas Devlin is desperate to recover the legendary Cleopatra's necklace from smugglers and restore his company's reputation. When the smugglers pursue his old flame, he jets to her aid. Impetuous artist Cleo Chandler's involvement with the forger who copied the necklace sends her on the run. When Thomas finds her in Europe, Cleo knows he will protect her but worries this take-charge man will crush her love again. On his dangerous quest for the necklace, Thomas runs into more trouble than he can handle in the arms of this woman he can't forget. From Venice to the U.S., as they race against time, they learn that something greater is at stake than recovering the precious antiquity. As the peril escalates, so does the risk to their hearts.

Recovering crown jewels could get the FBI off Cortez Jones's back, but he needs the help of a DSF researcher who blames his jewel-thief father for destroying her family. Forming an uneasy alliance with Mara Marton, Cort finds her courage and tender heart make him want more than just redemption. When Mara's insurance investigator father was accused of conspiring with the Jeweler, the scandal ruined him and led to his death. Now the jewel thief's son wants her help. Although sharing her research expertise and her father's files with this sexy ex-con could prove her father's innocence, how can she trust that Cort doesn't want the treasure for himself? Sparks fly as they struggle to trust one another and recover the jewels before they are claimed by a deadly black-market syndicate. But with their lives-and their hearts-on the line, there's no turning back.

Kate promised her dying father to protect her brother and return a Mayan god statue to its temple. But the price to save her kidnapped brother is the valuable artifact, so keeping one promise means breaking the other. Facing a trek through the jungle, Kate must rely on a guide she doesn't trust... yet whose touch makes her yearn for more. Max prefers to work alone, however his DSF assignment is to guide Kate while covertly finding proof her brother sold black-market antiquities. And sticking close to this delectable and vulnerable woman proves more dangerous to Max than all the threats in the jungle. Max and Kate must outrun smugglers and an earthquake in a race that takes them to England and into the jungle. But as perilous as their quest becomes, when desire flares between them, risking their lives seems simple next to risking their hearts.

Freelance writer Sheridan Harte reluctantly returns to her Maine hometown to ghostwrite a memoir. Sheri just wants to do her job and avoid revisiting her tragic past. But after a brutal murder and more attacks, she resolves to stay. She then finds herself in the arms of a determined and tempting blue-eyed detective. And in the crosshairs of a killer. As Detective Justin Wylde investigates the murders, he encounters more suspects with secrets than boulders on the rockbound coast. The puzzling case endangers Sheri's life, but also keeps Justin from protecting this beautiful woman whose caring heart and sexy laugh make him long for more than a fling. Passion and trust grow between Sheri and Justin, but when her secret is revealed, he must face hard truths in his own past. Can he solve the case before the killer carries out a special plan for Sheri?

After hitting rock-bottom, former Major-Leaguer Sam Kincaid returned home to guide canoe expeditions in the Maine wilderness. He needs to make this gig a success. He can't let himself be distracted by an ambitious, obsessed female, even if she's sexy, witty and smart. Annie Wylde, an investigative journalist, embarks on the canoe trip to keep a promise to her friend, murdered by a notorious killer called the Hunter. She struggles with nature's challenges and fights her attraction to Sam, considering him just another egotistical jock. When the trip turns deadly, they realize the Hunter has followed Annie into the wilderness. With her life on the line, Sam faces the challenge of his life because she's become much more than a client to him.