New Releases by Jana Deleon

Dying to fit in. High school wasn’t a grand time for everyone, but when a group of friends decide to meet up at a B and B ahead of their ten-year reunion, old grudges resurface, and one of them ends up dead. Now the owners, a kindly older couple, are on the hook for the accidental death due to anaphylaxis, but they insist no mistakes were made on their part. Fortune is asked to look into the situation before the inept local sheriff railroads the couple or simply allows gossip to run them out of business, which will cost them their home. Swamp Team 3 heads to Voodoo Island to find a way to clear the couple and finds a complicated mess of locked doors and old secrets awaiting them. Is Voodoo Island really cursed? Or can Fortune unravel the mystery and lead her team to victory?

Things have reached a critical point in the Middle East. Carter agreed to serve as a consultant for his old Force Recon unit but for reasons unknown to his friends and family, jumped from the command center and into the field. Now he’s MIA, and Fortune is the only one who can put together a rescue mission that has any chance of being successful. But will her skills and connections be enough? Most Sinful residents are unaware of Carter’s crisis and are going about their daily lives as they always have, including local prankster Gage Babin. Except this time, Gage’s attempt to elicit laughs leaves him on a slab in the medical examiner’s office. Everyone knows how unhealthy he was, but Fortune thinks there’s more to his death than a poorly timed prank that caused his bad heart to give out. Unfortunately, what she knows and what she can prove are two different things. And unless she can find the evidence to support her theory, someone will get away with murder.

When Jill Morgan left Tempest Island after high school, she didn’t know what she wanted to do the rest of her life. The only thing she’d ever loved was writing fiction, but that was a pursuit with no financial guarantees. So she did the responsible thing and got her college degree, then a job that provided a good living, and she wrote in her free time. She never expected to become a bestseller, but her books—written under a pseudonym—brought her millions of happy readers. And a stalker. When her identity is compromised, Jill decides to disappear until the cops can identify the man threatening her. Her first thought is returning to Tempest Island, one of the many places her father was stationed with the Navy, and the only one that had ever felt like home. Plus, she had connections there who could help her remain off radar. It was just a matter of time until the cops had her stalker in custody and Jill could get back to normal. But being on Tempest Island again brings back old memories and creates some new ones, forcing her to take a hard look at her carefully crafted life. Can she build a new life for herself on Tempest Island? Or will the stalker end that journey before it even gets started?

From New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon, long-lost sisters return home to Mystere Parish to claim their inheritance…and need the help of three brave heroes to keep the bayou from also claiming their lives… The Accused After working as a cop in New Orleans, Carter Trahan is back in Mystere Parish, where his latest assignment is to make sure Alaina LeBeau lives in her childhood home for two weeks to comply with her mother’s will. But someone—or something—is stalking the beautiful defense lawyer, and soon their red hot attraction will threaten whatever is lurking in the bayou. The Betrayed One day on the job and contractor Zach Sargent is ready to believe the dilapidated old LeBeau mansion is haunted. Some intruder—earthly or not—is threatening the youngest LeBeau sister, back to claim her inheritance. Both have returned home in need of answers to troubling questions about the LeBeau family past. But Zach can’t let his attraction to her stop his search…or else a decades-old evil will claim a new victim. The Reunion Bodyguard Tyler Duhan has heard—and dismissed—the gossip about the haunted old LeBeau mansion and its "cursed" heiresses. Now the middle sibling—headstrong Joelle—has arrived to comply with her mother's will and reunite with her long-lost sisters. As her protector, it’s his job to keep her safe. But he can't deny his feelings for the southern beauty. Even though falling for Joelle could be a fatal mistake—for them both.

With Carter off on a military mission, there’s a new sheriff in town, and Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie have been tasked with not interfering. But then a young girl is pulled out of the swamp, unconscious and with no memory of how she got there. And when no one comes to claim her, Fortune knows they have to help. For decades, a mysterious group known only as the Brethren has been rumored to live deep in the swamp, their contact with civilization rare. Some suggest the girl might have been one of them, but if so, why was she alone in the swamp in the middle of the night? Swamp Team 3 is on the case, but long-buried secrets like to stay that way, and finding the Brethren proves to be a difficult and dangerous task. The deeper they dig, the more pieces of the puzzle they expose, but can they put the pieces together in time to save the girl?

Beckett Rousseau is the firstborn son of one of New Orleans’ most prominent families. He’s the quintessential golden boy—great looks, money, and a political career in his future—until his wife murders him. Or at least that’s what everyone thinks. Athena Durand is still reeling from her murder conviction but now that it’s overturned, she’s at a loss on how to proceed with her life. As long as people still believe she’s guilty, she has no future in Louisiana and more importantly, she wants to know who killed her husband. When she hears about Fortune’s exploits, Athena knows she is the one person who might be able to give her answers, and her life back. But too many people are harboring secrets about Beckett’s life and death, including Athena. Can Fortune sort through the half-truths and lies to discover the truth? Or did the jury get it right the first time?

Emma Turner has spent eight years running, hiding, dodging…limiting her short stays to big cities where she could easily get lost in the crowd. But when she steps onto Tempest Island, something changes. The tiny island speaks to her in ways no other place ever has, and tempts her into breaking the life rules she established long ago to keep herself safe. Instead of taking a couple days off and then moving on, as originally planned, she applies for a job at the Island Surf Shop, despite the risky fact that she’s horribly attracted to the owner. Since his wife’s death a year ago, Mark Phillips has done the best he can to put life back together for himself and his five-year-old daughter, Lily. Now he needs to give more attention to his somewhat neglected business so that he doesn’t have to worry about their future. Emma Turner has all the job qualifications he’s looking for, and he can’t help feeling drawn to the auburn-haired beauty. But Emma is keeping secrets, and they’re about to catch up with her.

Ghost of a chance? Fortune is thrilled when Ben Harrison, her former CIA partner, and his fiancée, Cassidy, decide to leave DC and move to the Louisiana bayous. They’ve already secured jobs and are only lacking a place to live, so everyone is excited when they quickly find a home. There’s only one problem—the house has a reputation. It’s haunted. Fortune doesn’t believe in ghosts, but when Cassidy starts seeing a woman in white inside her house and can’t determine how she’s entering or exiting, Fortune knows she’s got to figure out what’s going on before things get worse. As Swamp Team 3 takes on the “spirited” case, they dive into a decades-old mystery of love, money, voodoo curses, and a missing woman. But can they get answers before Ben and Cassidy give up the ghost and go back to DC?

No smoke without a fire. It’s New Year’s in Sinful, and the competition for the New Year’s Queen is heating up as the warring churches go head-to-head. Fortune Redding is not the sequined dress kind of woman, but reluctantly agrees to partake in the debacle so that Ida Belle and Gertie can best their nemesis, Celia, who’s put up former Sinful mean girl RJ Rogers. RJ and her friend Brock Benoit left plenty of devastation in their wake when they fled Sinful after high school. So when they return and Brock is found dead, there’s no shortage of suspects. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie know all too well what it’s like to live under suspicion of a crime with no resolution. When good people become the targets of gossip, they know they have to rush to unravel the tangled lives of RJ and Brock and expose a killer before the wrong person’s reputation is ruined. Or worse—they’re arrested for a crime they didn’t commit.

Just Desserts? It’s November in Sinful and everyone is gearing up for Thanksgiving. But when Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie bag a body on their turkey hunting trip, the quiet enjoyment of fall is over. No one really knew Miles Broussard well, and as he’d recently sold the building his business was in to retire in another state, no one could explain how he’d ended up murdered and dumped in the bayou. Ally Lemarque has been waiting her entire life to open her bakery, and that day finally arrived when she purchased the building from Miles. But when she visits the site late at night and interrupts an intruder, she comes away with a crack on her head and concerns about why someone would break into an empty building. Fortune doesn’t think for a minute that Miles’s murder and the attack on Ally are unrelated. And Swamp Team 3 won’t rest until they’re sure Ally is safe.

The sea heals all things. Tempest Island has weathered the worst of storms and still stands proud, providing its residents with the healing power of the sea and sun. When Alayna Scott’s life falls spectacularly apart, both professionally and personally, the executive chef’s only thought is getting back home to the island and her aunt Bea. Between the two, she hopes to put the past behind her and figure out how to move forward. After being injured during a mission, Navy SEAL Luke Ryan is at a crossroads concerning his future and recognizes that his new neighbor is on a similar journey. But in addition to being in a state of flux, it’s clear to him that Alayna is worried about something besides her future, and Luke wonders what kind of secrets are behind the fear she’s trying to hide. When Alayna’s past comes rushing in, attempting to pull her under, Luke wants nothing more than to help her make it through this storm and on to calm waters. But are Luke and Tempest Island enough?

From New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon, secrets simmer along the bayou in Mystere Parish, Louisiana, where three law enforcement heroes are determined to find answers for the women who need their help… The Reckoning In a tiny bayou town with far too many wicked secrets, the sudden disappearance of a six-year-old girl is a mystery Sheriff Holt Chamberlain is determined to solve. But teaming up with Alexandria Bastin is a complication he didn’t expect. And as he gets dangerously close to the truth, he’ll do anything to protect her from the evil that surrounds them—an evil that might hold the key to sending a little girl home.… The Vanishing Certain death awaits any outsider who enters Cache, a mythical city said to disappear when intruders threaten. But P.I. Max Duhon won’t let the Cajun superstition stop him from going there. He’ll do anything to help sexy Colette Guidry and close this missing person’s case, even admit how attracted he is to his client. Before long, it seems they may have come too close to Cache and its eerie secrets—and dangerously close to each other. The Awakening It could be a mythical creature wreaking havoc on a Mystere hotel…or a malicious vandal. It’s detective Tanner LeDoux’s first case and—much to his chagrin—the hotel belongs to Josie Bettencourt, once the most popular girl in town and his unrequited love. He has a chance to be the strong, sexy hero who protects her and her hotel from mounting danger. But he knows, without a doubt, whatever lurks in Honey Island Swamp means to keep Josie from him forever…

Rest when you’re dead? It’s time for the annual Halloween festival in Sinful, and Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie can’t wait to suit up and enjoy the food and activities. But when a dead man gallops through the park on a black stallion and slides to a decapitated stop right in front of Swamp Team 3, they know another festival is about to be turned on its head…so to speak. Gil Forrest never won any popularity contests and his dramatic and somewhat horrifying ride isn’t going to improve his statistics. But since his body was supposed to be tucked away in a funeral home, no one could explain how it ended up on a horse in the middle of the festival. Everything about the set-up is strange and Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie suspect there is more to the Headless Horseman ride than just a tasteless prank. And they plan to find out what it is.

A man undercover must reveal the truth in the swamps in the continuation of USA TODAY bestselling author Jana DeLeon''''s Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance. One day on the job and contractor Zach Sargent is ready to believe the dilapidated old LeBeau mansion is haunted. Some intruder—earthly or not—is threatening the youngest LeBeau sister, back to claim her inheritance. And though Danae keeps her distance from the sexy hired hand, he falls for her in a heartbeat. Like Danae, Zach has come back to Calais in need of answers to troubling questions about the LeBeau family past. But Danae must never know who he really is and he can''''t let his attraction to her stop his search…or else a decades-old evil will claim a new victim. For fans of thrillers with: New Orleans Bayou haunted mansion secret identity mysterious threats

USA TODAY bestselling author Jana DeLeon has a new trilogy—Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance. After working as a cop in New Orleans, Carter Trahan is back in Mystere Parish, where his latest assignment seems like a joke: making sure Alaina LeBeau lives in her childhood home for two weeks to comply with her mother''''s will. But soon the sexy sheriff isn''''t laughing. Someone—or something—is stalking the beautiful defense lawyer, turning her once-grand mansion into a house of horrors. But as he searches for the truth, Carter must face ghosts of his own past lurking in the bayou. Most troubling of all is his unprofessional attraction to the woman he''''s protecting, as Alaina''''s allure haunts him as no specter ever could…. For fans of thrillers with: New Orleans Bayou haunted mansion stalker hidden past

Death is a roller coaster. The traveling carnival has made its stop in Sinful and everyone is ready for thrilling rides, challenging games, and most importantly, funnel cake. But when a man is murdered in the funhouse and Emmaline LeBlanc is knocked unconscious so the killer can escape, the good times are over. Carter is beside himself wanting to hunt down the man responsible for putting his mother in the hospital, but he can’t investigate when he’s related to one of the victims. Palmer Reed was well known as a boy by most everyone in Sinful for being a sneak, a liar, and sometimes a thief. As an adult, he continued his reign of underachieving and mostly making people angry wherever he went. Now he’s a state police detective and is assigned to the case, but Fortune knows that to get Carter the answers he needs, Swamp Team 3 has to take on the investigation. As they dig deep into the confusion and lies that surround the murder, they uncover a secret that could devastate Carter and Emmaline, but Fortune is determined to discover the truth…whatever that may be.

‘Til death do us part? Ida Belle, Fortune, and Gertie are gearing up for the big day—Ida Belle’s wedding to Walter—but when the caterer goes missing just a week before the big day, it puts a huge black mark on the joyous celebration. Molly Broussard is no stranger to being in the limelight, so when the former cage fighter turned in her boxing gloves for pots and pans, everyone who knew her was surprised…until they ate her food. From all appearances, Molly took her boat out that day and simply never returned. An extensive search of the bayous finally produces the boat, but there is no sign of Molly. With no evidence of foul play, Sinful residents are ready to conclude that this is simply another tragic and all-too-common accident. Nickel Bordelon spent half of his time in trouble and the other half paying for it. But one thing he knows for certain—Molly was murdered. When he asks Fortune to take the case, she isn’t sure there’s anything to find, but his emotional plea has her agreeing to look into it. As Swamp Team 3 begin their investigation, they find more layers to Molly’s disappearance than in Ida Belle’s wedding cake.

In this classic from New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon, two people with secrets must learn to trust each other if they’re to find the answers they’re seeking… She was only six when she walked out of the swamp after the LeBlanc School for Girls caught on fire. Sixteen years after the terrifying night that stole her memory, a child’s scream lures Ginny back into the woods…where a strong arm encircles her. The gun-wielding stranger is Paul Stanton, a cop-turned-P.I., who’s come to Johnson’s Bayou looking for answers of his own. Paul has spent almost two decades searching for his missing sister and now, this Southern beauty could be the key to his quest. But someone would rather see Ginny dead than have her memories resurface. And although uncovering the dark secrets of the past could put them both at risk, it’s a chance Paul’s willing to take if it means finding his future…with Ginny. Originally published in 2012

Let the good times roll? It’s Mardi Gras time and Fortune is looking forward to seeing the spectacle firsthand, but when a visitor to Sinful is murdered during the celebration there, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie can’t help but wonder what happened. As they start looking into the woman and the family in Sinful she came to visit, their investigation sends them to New Orleans, right at the height of the Mardi Gras celebration. But instead of relaxing a little and enjoying the festivities, Fortune can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. When she catches sight of her father in the Mardi Gras crowd, she knows why. Unfortunately, her father’s presence in Louisiana has brought with it a host of terrorists, all with only one thing in mind—locate and terminate Dwight Redding. Can Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie manage to evade the killers long enough to figure out why Dwight has returned from the dead? And will knowing the answer make things worse or better?

New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon brings a humorous, paranormal women’s fiction tale. For many, midlife is only the beginning. It was a day like any other day for Marina Trahan…until she caught her husband in bed with another woman. Before that eye-opening wake-up call, Marina would have described her life as average or uneventful, maybe even boring. But now, chaos and confusion reign supreme. She’d expected to slide through midlife with her unwanted extra pounds, chin hair, and hot flashes and move somewhat gracefully into elastic waist pants and having no verbal filter. But with a wayward husband, a high-maintenance daughter, a lackluster career, and a crazy mother all weighing her down, Marina is ready to wave the white flag of surrender. Then an intriguing stranger named Alexios shows up out of nowhere and insists she is descended from a goddess and is the only person who can save the world from certain destruction. She has roughly a week to do it. Solving a centuries-old mystery seems like a more interesting proposition than the other situations Marina is facing, so she accepts his challenge. But her search for a magical item of power reveals far more about Marina than she ever knew. Maybe enough to save the world. And even herself.

A detective has a true mystery on his hands in New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon’s classic story of things that go bump in the night… It could be a mythical creature wreaking havoc on a Mystere hotel…or a malicious vandal. It’s detective Tanner LeDoux’s first case and—much to his chagrin—the hotel belongs to Josie Bettencourt, once the most popular girl in town and his unrequited love. A woman who now doesn’t even recognize him. Josie’s poor memory is Tanner’s luck, however. He has a chance to be the strong, sexy hero who protects her and her hotel from mounting danger. Tanner’s no believer in the old ways, but one stormy night, he sees something horrific he can’t explain. And he knows, without a doubt, whatever lurks in Honey Island Swamp means to keep Josie from him forever! Originally published in 2012

It’s Christmas in Sinful and Fortune is set to participate in all the local hoopla. A Christmas gala, caroling, and a sleigh ride are on the agenda. Murder is not. But when someone bumps off Santa, Fortune is aware a killer is lurking among the holiday cheer. But with no client and no reason to interfere with a police investigation, it looks as if Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie will have to sit this one out. Big and Little Hebert might be criminals, but they prefer no competition in their territory, especially someone brazen enough to kill a man at the Christmas gala. When they hire Fortune to investigate the man’s death, she gets her Christmas wish and Swamp Team 3 sets out to solve their final case of the year.

Venus Thibodeaux had a reputation for being trouble. Some said she started at birth. When she finally left Sinful shortly after turning eighteen, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. When she blew back into town four years later, no one was happy about her return. She immediately launched into her same old scams, picking off Sinful residents with ease before disappearing again as quickly as she’d appeared. Everyone assumed she’d headed back to New Orleans. But when an accident at the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Run uncovers her body, everyone Venus took for a ride becomes a suspect. The man at the top of that list sees the writing on the wall and hires Fortune to figure out who killed Venus, before he goes to prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie start poking around into Venus’s complicated life, hoping to find the killer. And to solve their first official case.

A little girl goes missing and a sheriff will do anything to bring her home—even confront evil—in this classic tale of suspense from New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon. In a tiny bayou town with far too many wicked secrets, the sudden disappearance of a six-year-old girl is a mystery Sheriff Holt Chamberlain is determined to solve. But teaming up with Alexandria Bastin is a complication he didn’t expect. Nor is he prepared to collide with the dark side of Cajun culture—and his own troubled past. The frantic search leads them to a place said to hold magic, an eerie island where Alex is also working her charm on him. At one time, he’d been forced to leave her brokenhearted. And now, dangerously close to the truth, he’ll do anything to protect her from the evil that surrounds them—an evil that might hold the key to sending a little girl home.… Previously published For fans of thrillers with: New Orleans Bayou voodoo witches cold case mysteries Gothic vibes Mystere Parish Book 1: The Reckoning Book 2: The Vanishing Book 3: The Awakening Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance Book 1: The Accused Book 2: The Betrayed Book 3: The Reunion

Join New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon as she revisits three tales of suspense set in a mysterious Louisiana town! The Accused After working as a cop in New Orleans, Carter Trahan is back in Mystere Parish, where his latest assignment seems like a joke: making sure Alaina LeBeau lives in her childhood home for two weeks to comply with her mother''s will. But soon the sexy sheriff isn''t laughing. Someone – or something – is stalking the beautiful defense lawyer, turning her once-grand mansion into a house of horrors. The Betrayed One day on the job and contractor Zach Sargent is ready to believe the dilapidated old LeBeau mansion is haunted. Some intruder – earthly or not – is threatening the youngest LeBeau sister, back to claim her inheritance. And though Danae keeps her distance from the sexy hired hand, he falls for her in a heartbeat. The Reunion Bodyguard to an heiress is Tyler Duhan''s idea of hell. The steely, sexy ex-marine has heard – and dismissed – the gossip about the haunted old LeBeau mansion and its ‘cursed’ heiresses. Now headstrong Joelle has arrived to reunite with her long-lost sisters. And as much as he wants her, he needs to keep his distance – or suffer the fatal consequences.

It’s not a vacation until there’s a murder. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie are finally off to Florida on the vacation they’ve always talked about. Days filled with white sand, turquoise water, and fruity drinks are the only thing on the agenda. But when Gertie’s “hot date” turns up dead and she’s the number one suspect, they’re forced to hang up their bathing suits and shift to investigating mode. They soon discover that Gertie’s beau was up to all kinds of shady behavior, leaving them with a long list of people who are happy he’s dead. But which one resorted to murder?

Father Nicolas Chatry pushes his wheelchair into the confessional and pulls back the small door that covers the screen between the booths when he hears someone enter. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” a voice whispers. “Welcome,” Nicolas says. “What do you have to confess?” “I killed her.” Nicolas’s pulse shoots up, and he sucks in a breath. “Are you saying you willingly took the life of another person?” “Yes. God is the reason I killed her. Will you absolve me, Father?” As Nicolas fumbles for his phone to send an urgent text for help, he hears the chair in the other booth squeak, and a shadow passes in front of the screen. His pulse pounds in his temples and he starts to sway, dizziness washing over him. Help isn’t going to make it in time.

When black cats roam, and spooks are seen, Come celebrate, it’s Halloween. Sinful, Louisiana, really knows how to throw a party, and it goes all out for Halloween. The weeklong celebration kicks off with a maze of horror in the park built of hay bales. And Fortune has the perfect assignment—the executioner. Her scene comes complete with a head block, a hatchet, and a fake body with removable head. It’s the perfect setup…for a crime. When Fortune returns from break and realizes the body in her scene is a real one and not the prop, she knows trouble is coming. Before she can shake a broomstick, Celia Arceneaux has raised the alarm and the state police show up to take over the investigation. With Carter on the sidelines and Fortune the prime suspect, Swamp Team 3 sets out to catch a real monster.

Don’t miss these classic stories from New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon! The Secret of Cypriere Bayou (originally published in Harlequin Intrigue in 2011) For Olivia Markham, laMalediction is the ideal setting in which to complete her work. But something is sending a chill up the usually fearless author’s spine. There are the unearthly noises, the sliding panels, the hidden passageways…and John Landry, the sexy caretaker. Working together to uncover laMalediction’s alarming secrets and root out the evil stalking them, John finds Olivia impossible to resist, and he knows it’s only a matter of time before something unexpected—and undeniable—happens between them…. Bayou Bodyguard (originally published in Harlequin Intrigue in 2011) Bodyguard Brian Marcentel knew Justine Chatry had a job to do, but so did he. He’d been hired to keep her safe—from whatever lurked behind the walls of a long-neglected mansion. And yet, the beautiful researcher insisted on helping him investigate every suspicious noise and following him through the murky bayou as he tracked down trespassers. All of that paled in comparison, though, to his greatest challenge: trying to resist her when the fear took over and she looked to him for protection.