Most Popular Books by Ridley Pearson

Daphne Matthews is brought in to investigate the death of a young woman who was pushed off a bridge. Lou Boldt follows the trail of a murderer through Seattle''s dangerous underworld. When the investigations suddenly point to the same person, the deception takes an artful turn.

John Knox and Grace Chu, the incomparable duo of the Risk Agent novels, team up again in the latest international thrill ride from New York Times–bestselling author Ridley Pearson. When ex–military contractor John Knox receives a text from partner Grace Chu warning that she fears her cover may have been blown while on assignment, he jumps into action. Knox must locate her overseas handlers, convince them of the threat, and then attempt to retrace the well-hidden steps of a woman who had been attempting to determine how one million euros’ worth of AIDS vaccine disappeared, all while eluding angry poachers on a parallel trail. Corruption isn’t a “problem” in Kenya, it’s the way of doing business. The poaching of ivory from African elephants, driven by insatiable demand from mainland China, fuels constant blood and slaughter. Knox faces police, national rangers, journalists, and safari companies who are each in their own symbiotic relationship with elephants, both good and bad. As the threat from Al-Shaabab militants interferes with his pursuit of Grace, Knox finds himself pitted against the most savage and suicidal fighters in the world. And there’s this woman, Grace, always in his head. His gut. As Grace watches as her civilized self slips away while abandoned in the bush, Knox races against the clock to find her.

When a skier goes missing from a Sun Valley mountaintop, Sheriff Walt Fleming''s crack search and rescue team becomes a target. Waist-deep in snow and neck-deep in lies, Walt suspects that people of great wealth and power-including a former state senator-want to keep him where he started: out in the cold.

The second book in this all new KINGDOM KEEPERS INHERITANCE trilogy follows our young heroes to parks around the world as they work to stop the most villainous villain of all—Ursula—from taking over for good! In this latest book in the series that has sold over a million copies worldwide, Ridley Pearson expands the Kingdom Keepers world in ways no reader—or Disney Parks fan—could have imagined. Home from their adventures abroad in book one, Eli and his friends are safe and sound at Epcot with their families—or are they? When Eli learns that the CEO of the Walt Disney Company has mysteriously done a 180 and ordered Villains Realms to be built in every park across the globe, he and his friends know something is amiss. It turns out that Ursula, the baddest of the big bads, has recruited an evil chemist to recreate Walt''s magical ink, which would allow the Villains to travel between parks and end Disney magic as we know it. With the help of Cinderella''s very own Fairy Godmother—the notorious FGM as she''s known in this world—they set out to stop Ursula—jumping from Epcot to Disneyland to Disneyland Paris, where the ultimate battle between good and evil plays out. Will Eli and his friends prevail, or will the Villains finally have their way?

It begins as a heist in Sun Valley, Idaho-until the local sheriff discovers a more sinister underlying plan. The crime gets more personal. The stakes are raised, and nothing is as it seems.

Three heart-pounding novels by the New York Times–bestselling author: “The best thriller writer on the planet” (Booklist). This volume include three novels filled with twists and turns from the author of such acclaimed suspense novels as White Bone and The Red Room: Probable Cause: Carmel, California is a peaceful tourist haven where James Dewitt is the police force’s only detective. His usual caseload is stolen bicycles and the occasional burglary—but things are about to change with frightening speed. “A natural storyteller . . .He keeps the thread going, twisting the details . . .dancing the forensic shuffle without missing a step.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch Blood of the Albatross: An innocent Seattle sailor is pulled into a dangerous web of espionage in this “enthralling” novel (The San Diego Union-Tribune). “Pearson skillfully spins this thriller with sense-of-place, breakneck pace, and economically drawn, believable characters.” —Library Journal Never Look Back: A Soviet agent has entered the United States—carrying a terrifying weapon—in this “breakneck-action” Cold War adventure (Kirkus Reviews).

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THAT?LL LEAVE READERS BREATHLESS. Controversial New York State Attorney General Liz Shaler is announcing her candidacy for president at a high-profile convergence of media heavy-hitters. Also in attendance is an assassin with a brilliant and foolproof plan.

In this riveting thriller, 14-year-old Steven "Steel" Trapp sets off with his mom and their dog, Cairo, on a 2-day Amtrak journey to compete in the National Science Competition in Washington, DC. Steel is both blessed and cursed with a remarkable photographic memory--just one look and whatever he sees is imprinted for keeps. Trying to be a good Samaritan on the train, he instead becomes embroiled in an ingenious, international plot of kidnapping and bribery that may have links to terrorists.

Product tampering. Innocent lives. Nice suburban homes. A Seattle food company is victim to an ingenious extortion that has the FBI two steps behind. Seattle''s veteran homicide sergeant, Lou Boldt, and police psychologist Daphne Matthews approach the case from opposite ends: one undearthing micoscopic evidence, the other putting together a chilling psychological profile of a man willing to contaminate and kill if necessary. The cop Daphne Matthews secretly loves is being destroyed by the extortion. Boldt sees his department cracking. As the high-tech manhunt builds to a furious crescendo, Boldt and Matthews are jolted again: the madman they''re hunting may not be working alone . . .

“Will leave you dying to know more.” —Rick Riordan, author of the #1 bestselling Percy Jackson series The New York Times bestselling author of the Peter and the Starcatcher and Kingdom Keepers series, Ridley Pearson, brings us the second riveting tale in the Lock and Key trilogy. This bravely reimagined origin story of the rivalry of literature’s most famous enemies—Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty—is told from the perspective of James’s observant little sister, Moira. At the thrilling conclusion to book one, we left off with James and Moira’s father dying horribly and unexpectedly. Now the search is on to find out whatreallyhappened to their father. Did he fall or was he pushed? Sherlock, James, and Moira reluctantly partner up, trusting no one, not even each other, as they uncover a secret sect, a rare jewel, and a sordid history. Blood is spilled, trusts broken, and friendships lost in this story of how one simple mistake cost Father his life and James his heart, and sent the Moriartys spiraling ever downward. It’s a highly original and satisfying take on the Sherlock Holmes series as only master of suspense Ridley Pearson could envision. As Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, says, “This tale will change the way you see Sherlock Holmes and leave you dying to know more.”

Can Detective Joe "Dart" Dartelli uncover the truth? Or, more importantly, does he dare? Detective Joe "Dart" Dartelli made one critical mistake in his police career: He chose to ignore a piece of evidence in a case labeled a suicide that might have been a murder. The dead man was himself a vicious woman-killer who more than deserved his fate, but that ignored evidence pointed to Dart''s former mentor, the brilliant forensic specialist Walter Zeller. Now another suicide victim turns up--the body of a wife-beater--and the evidence clearly shows that the death was self-inflicted . . . or does it? Zeller was the best at reading and understanding the forensics of a crime scene--could he have manipulated it? Worse, why has Zeller disappeared? It terrifies Dart to suspect that Zeller is in fact on some twisted vigilante crusade, but Dart also knows that if he''s right, only he can stop it. Chain of Evidence is the intense, heart-pounding story of student versus mentor in the playing field of forensic investigation. Ridley Pearson links computer technology, psychological intensity, and complex questions of police and human ethics to create this breathlessly paced, unputdownable thriller.

As the five Kingdom Keepers enter high school, everything is about to change. The Maintenance Base that controls all four parks in Disney World is under attack by the Overtakers, a group determined to change Disney forever. Relationships between the Keepers are no longer as simple as they once were. In fact, nothing is as simple as it once was. An after-hours visit to Typhoon Lagoon is a game changer. The Keepers lose one of their most valuable supporters. But there''s work to do . . . The Disney Dream leaves Port Canaveral on an historic cruise to Los Angeles with a special treat in store for guests: the Disney Host Interactive guides are on board. Finn, Maybeck, Charlene, Willa, and Philby join guests as the DHI experience moves to one of the most advanced cruise ships in the world. But all is not right below decks. Strange things are happening. Only the Kingdom Keepers know the truth behind their invitation to be in attendance: nearly every Disney villain is aboard the ship, including Maleficent. The Overtakers have infiltrated the cast and crew. And no oneknows what they have planned. The Dream sets sail filled with enthusiastic guests and crew. But not for long. Maleficent takes over a video screen and warns the guests of trouble to come. With the ship arriving to the beaches of Castaway Cay--its first of many exotic ports of call--the Kingdom Keepers are under attack; back home the Base is threatened and about to fall. The Overtakers have expanded in ways never foreseen, and it''s clear they intend to use this element of surprise to accomplish what has eluded them so far: victory. But not if Finn Whitman and friends have anything to say about it.

Lieutenant Lou Boldt, the Seattle cop who stars in Ridley Pearson''s deservedly popular series, is a sharp and touching figure--perhaps the most believable police officer in current fiction. Early in this ninth book about his public and private life, Lou has to put on a bullet-resistant vest to lead a raid against some dangerous criminals. "The vest was not physically heavy, but its presence was," Pearson tells us. It meant battle; it meant risk. For Boldt, a vest was a symbol of youth. It had been well over a year since he had worn one. Ironically, as he approached the hangar''s north door at a light run behind his own four heavily armored ERT personnel, he caught himself worrying about his hands, not his life. He didn''t want to smash up his piano hands in some close quarters skirmish. . . . Boldt plays jazz piano one night a week in a local bar, and despite his concern for his hands, he takes every opportunity he can to get away from his desk and into the streets. But money pressures, caused by his wife''s recent illness, also make him think about the possibility of a better-paying job in the private sector. Meanwhile, some extremely ruthless people are murdering illegal Chinese immigrant women and leaving their bodies buried in newly dug graves. An ambitious local TV journalist named Stevie McNeal and the young Chinese woman she thinks of as her "Little Sister" risk their lives to investigate the killings, while Boldt and his team round up a most unusual array of suspects. This combination of hard-edged realism and softer sentiment has become Pearson''s trademark, and once again it works smoothly. --Dick Adler

Five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" are pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls.

With the adventures set forth in the first books now behind them, Kingdom Keepers 3: Disney In Shadow follows the five teens, Finn, Philby, Willa, Charlene, and Maybeck as they search to find Wayne, their mentor and head Imagineer who has mysteriously gone missing. Concerned Wayne has been abducted by the Overtakers—Disney villains, who along with other Disney characters, take over the parks when the turnstiles stop spinning, and want desperately to steer the parks to a far darker place—the five kids pick up a major clue from a close friend, Jess, whose dreams (nightmares, really) often accurately predict the future. The very few clues from Jess''s dream lead the kids into Disney''s Hollywood Studios and Epcot--through imaginary worlds that become real, by imaginary kids who are real. Each clue seems tied to the last, and with the stakes growing ever higher, what starts out as a puzzle ends up as a fight for their lives. Through a transparent paper box, a quest for a sword, rides on Soarin'' and Maelstrom, life-and-death encounters with giant snakes, and a devious Maleficent, the Kingdom Keepers not only begin to decipher deeper meanings to the clues, but discover new truths about themselves and their ever-growing friendships.

Seattle is a city paralyzed by fear. A serial killer is loose on its streets. And as each new victim surfaces-chest slashed, eyes taped open-the tide of panic rises. Driven by guilt and frustration, too exhausted to consider stopping, Detective Lou Boldt thinks he''s finally gotten the break he needs to end the Cross Killer''s twisted spree. But each new clue contradicts another. And each new corpse mocks Boldt''s efforts. To fathom the silent tale told by the latest corpse washed up in Puget Sound, Boldt has to go beyond every state-of-the-art method at his disposal. But as he gets closer to the truth, he travels deeper into the tortured mind of a relentless killer...into the depths of his own fear...and into a whirlpool of madness more frightening than his worst nightmares.

Shattered...by a mindless act of violence that changed his life forever, James Dewitt decided to become a cop. Shackled...by a web of red tape and corruption, Dewitt now fights desperately to solve a string of murders cleverly staged to look like suicides. Submerged...in the deranged world of the psychopathic mind, Dewitt struggles to outwit the killer-the man they call the "trapper"-before it''s too late...and to use every fingerprint and every fiber-and every last ounce of his strength-to escape the ultimate evil.

When the evil Overtakers gain control of a computer server at the Magic Kingdom, allowing them to put the holographic hosts into permanent comas if they should fall asleep, Finn and the others race against time to foil the plan.

The final title in the original KINGDOM KEEPERS series is back with an all new look and new content! The Kingdom Keepers’ senior year in high school is almost over. For more than three years, things have been quiet. Their battles are long behind them, they agree, the threat to the Disney realm silenced–albeit at great cost. But inside the catacombs of the Aztec temple where Finn Whitman faced down his nemesis, the monstrous Chernabog, a new threat brews. Deception and betrayal rock the Kingdom Keepers as the merciless group of Disney villains known as the Overtakers stage an unexpected comeback. But a discovery by the Keepers provides them with one hope of victory—a lost icon. It was believed to be gone forever. The Keepers have one last chance to preserve the heart of the Kingdom—Disneyland—from a terrifying destruction decades in the making.

“Will leave you dying to know more.”—Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series The New York Times bestselling author of the Peter and the Starcatchers and Kingdom Keepers series, Ridley Pearson, brings us the riveting first tale of the Lock and Key trilogy about the origins of the rivalry between literature’s most famous enemies—Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty, told from the perspective of James’s observant little sister, Moria. Before James grew up to be a ruthless, remorseless villain, he was a curious boy from Boston, with a penchant for trouble and an acid tongue. Thrown into a boarding school against his wishes, James winds up rooming with a most unlikely companion: a lanky British know-it-all named Sherlock Holmes (“Lock” to his friends). An heirloom Bible, donated by the Moriarty family more than a hundred years ago, has gone missing, and it doesn’t take long for the two to find themselves embroiled in the school-wide scandal. The school is on lockdown until it’s found, strange clues keep finding their way to James, and a secret society lurks behind it all. It’s a brave new reimagining of the Sherlock Holmes series as only master of suspense Ridley Pearson could envision. As Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, says, “This tale will change the way you see Sherlock Holmes and leave you dying to know more.”

Steven "Steel" Trapp has been placed in an East Coast boarding school for gifted kids by his FBI agent father. He soon discovers that there''s a clubby element of the faculty and upper classmen that is very secretive and protective. To his surprise, his friend Kaileigh arrives at the school, and it isn''t long before the two realize that this is not your normal boarding school. It seems a select few students are recruited, while still minors, to serve as special "translators" for the US Government.

A Soviet agent has entered the United States—carrying a terrifying weapon—in this Cold War thriller by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author . . . Agent Andy Clayton has been inactive for eighteen months, kept under tight surveillance at his home in Washington D.C. Now he is needed—Leonid Borikowski, code name Dragonfly, has been seen entering the United States, and Clayton is the only man who may be able to find and stop him. For Clayton, it’s more than a routine assignment. He knows Dragonfly, has faced him before, and he wants him. His interest is as personal as it is professional: He wants revenge on the foreign agent who killed his twin brother. But there is much that Clayton doesn''t know. He doesn''t know that Borikowski is carrying perhaps the most important, and dangerous, biological discovery the world has ever known. He doesn''t know that the microbe is in a suitcase armed with a device that will explode if Borikowski is harmed. And he doesn''t know about the Soviet intelligence project code-named Bookends—a project that will not be complete until Andy meets the same fate as his brother. The chase will take him across the United States and Canada, putting himself, the woman he loves, and thousands of innocent people in jeopardy…

A Chinese National working for an American-owned construction company is grabbed off the streets of Shanghai in broad daylight. His one-man security detail goes missing as well in the start of a brilliant new series.

The five Kingdom Keepers and their core friends have uncovered a startling truth: Disney villains Maleficent and the Overtakers are plotting a catastrophic event that could have repercussions far beyond the world of Disney. Aboard the Disney Cruise Line''s inaugural passage through the new Panama Canal, the Keepers and their holograms uncover a puzzle hidden within the pages of a stolen journal. The point of that puzzle will reveal itself in the caves of Aruba, the zip lines of Costa Rica, and the jungles of Mexico. A destructive force, dormant for decades, is about to be unleashed. The five Kingdom Keepers are to be its first victims! Includes a preview chapter from Kingdom Keepers VII - The Insider!

With the defeat of the Overtakers behind them, the five teenagers known as the Kingdom Keepers should be celebrating. By all accounts they saved Disneyland from certain destruction. Why then did their mentor leave one last puzzle for them to decipher? The Keepers must solve a puzzle of the past, or be crushed under an evil that makes the Overtakers seem like gentle souls.

An innocent Seattle sailor is pulled into a dangerous web of espionage in this thriller that “is almost impossible to put the book down” (The Oregonian). In this “enthralling” thriller by the New York Times–bestselling author, Jay Becker, an overworked, underpaid musician, is trying to earn some extra cash by giving sailing lessons on Puget Sound (The San Diego Union-Tribune). When a mysterious woman named Marlene hires him for what appears to be a simple expedition, he has no idea that he will be drawn into a plot that involves the CIA, the FBI, and a kaleidoscope of spy, counterspy; cross, double-cross—with the lives of himself, the woman he loves, and his best friend hanging in the balance . . . “Pearson skillfully spins this thriller with sense-of-place, breakneck pace, and economically drawn, believable characters.” —Library Journal

The “remarkable” first novel in the series starring an ex-musician and amateur sleuth in beautiful, rural Idaho, by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author (Kirkus Reviews). Chris Klick wants to get far away from his past in the fast-paced West Coast music industry. But trouble seems to find him even in the peaceful environs of Idaho. When a woman named Nicole Russell tells the amateur sleuth about her missing husband, missing Labrador, and missing fifty-thousand dollars, Klick’s suddenly up to his ears in mystery. Aided by his best friend, former basketball star Lyel, Klick pursues Nicole’s husband, dog, and lost cash in corrupt Snow Lake. But helping Nicole recover her money may mean losing everything . . . Originally published under the name Wendell McCall, this is the debut novel in the series featuring Chris Klick, full of wit, grit, and adventure.

The author of the national bestsellers Probable Cause and Undercurrents delivers a heart-pounding psychological and forensic thriller--"an adventure with all the engines churning" (People). Two years after the bombing of EuroTours Flight 1023, FBI agent Cameron Daggett is still on the trail of the killers. Because for him it''s personal--his parents and son were on that plane.

Umberto Alvarez is a grieving man whose quest is to bring down the railroad company he blames for the death of his wife and children three years earlier - no matter who gets in the way. Peter Tyler is an ex-cop looking to redeem himself after being suspended from the force. Now an investigator with the National Transportations Safety Board, he will stop at nothing to catch the elusive Alvarez. But the case is more complicated than it seems. As Tyler''s investigation proceeds, it becomes apparent that Alvarez is no terrorist - in fact, the more Tyler investigates, the closer he comes to the real truth. Packed with action, laced with romance, brimming with heart-stopping suspense, and marked by the intelligence and humility that make Ridley Pearson''s novels stand apart from others in the genre, Parallel Lies will cause listeners to agree that he is "the best damn thriller writer on the planet" (Booklist).

In this action-packed third installment in the Starcatchers series, Peter and Molly find themselves in the dangerous land of Rundoon, ruled by an evil king who enjoys watching his pet snake consume those who displease him. But that''s just the beginning of problems facing our heroes, who once again find themselves pitted against the evil shadow-creature Lord Ombra in a struggle to save themselves, not to mention the planet

As the confronts an unofficial strike by the officers of the Seattle Police Force, Detective Lou Boldt, with the help of police psychologist Daphne Matthews and Sergeant John LaMoia, investigates a string of robberies and the brutal near-murder of a female cop, only to discover that these crimes may be linked to the strike and that his own life is now in danger.

New York Times-bestselling author: This thriller about a suburban mall taken hostage by a madman offers “sheer edge-of-your-chair excitement” (Wilmington News-Journal). The setting is The Yankee Green—an enormous shopping center and entertainment mall located in a suburb of Boston. A self-sufficient, environmentally controlled, electronically secure indoor city, The Yankee Green has tens of thousands of people pass through its five pavilions every day. The children play in the indoor amusement park; young professionals work out in the state-of-the-art health club and jog on the atrium’s overhead running track; the elderly walk the promenades, sit on benches, chat under the fountains and in the manicured gardens. But in the labyrinth of service halls that are weaved into the superstructure lurks a demon, a madman with a grudge who plans to hold five thousand people hostage with hidden explosives . . . “A fine thriller.” —The Baltimore Sun “[A] complex tale of greed, power and passion.” —Indianapolis News Previously published as The Seizing of Yankee Green Mall

When Amanda travels east to Orlando on a hunch, she''s met with the worst news possible. Kingdom Keeper Finn Whitman is missing. Calling on her own gift (she''s telekinetic), her sister Jess''s ability to dream the future, and their fellow Fairlie Mattie Weaver''s unexplained ability to read minds through physical contact, the three gifted girls must navigate treachery, deception, and the stubborn, unwilling parents of the missing Keepers if they''re to save their friends.

ears ago, Lou Boldt''s wife Liz had an affair with David Hayes, a young computer specialist at the bank where she is an executive. When Liz ended the relationship after reconciling with Lou, Hayes engaged in a daring embezzlement scheme. Now, years later, Hayes is trying to retrieve the money he hid for the Russian mob and contacts Liz to try to gain access to the bank''s mainframe. Liz is torn between wanting to protect the bank and needing to protect her family. Boldt, ripped apart by the discovery of his wife''s possible blackmail, must skate a delicate line between his incompatible roles as determined detective and jealous husband if he is to find the money while exposing and stopping Hayes. Intensely involving and revealing new aspects of Boldt''s emotional makeup never before seen, The Body of David Hayes is Ridley''s most gripping and engaging thriller yet.

With the defeat of the Overtakers behind them, the five teenagers known as the Kingdom Keepers should be celebrating. By all accounts they saved Disneyland from certain destruction. Why then did their mentor leave one last puzzle for them to decipher? The Keepers must solve a puzzle of the past, or be crushed under an evil that makes the Overtakers seem like gentle souls.

A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down adventure awaits as the young orphan Peter and his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They set sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk in its cargo hold, and the journey quickly becomes fraught with excitement and danger.

A strange series of fires is raging in Seattle - white-hot fires that burn so cleanly even the ash is consumed, along with all traces of the fires'' victims. Brilliant forensic investigator Police Sergeant Lou Boldt is back, battling the mysterious arsonist. He is also keeping his eye on the Fire Warden, who seems to be a little too close to the heat. But police psychologist Daphne Matthews is more concerned about the victims of the blazes, especially the smart and wily ten-year-old boy who had a terrifying encounter with a disfigured, badly burned man. Beyond Recognition is the story of a deadly, taunting game of cat and mouse, where the stakes are raised to a burning point that might spell disaster for Boldt - and the city of Seattle.