The headmaster at New England's St. Matthews School is determined to hold tight to alumni funding, no matter the cost. St. Matthews student Shondra Jones--a tightly coiled bundle of rage and resentment--is being stalked and no one will help. But word is getting out, and parents are getting worried. Called in by the administration to help Shondra, crisis specialist Thea Kozak quickly realizes much is being swept beneath the elite school's genteel veneer; including Shondra's stalker--the grandson of a generous donor. Spoiled by money and bailouts, he knows he's protected, and immune to consequences, no matter what he does next, maybe even murder. REVIEWS: "Thea Kozak is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today." Laura Lippman, NYT Bestselling Author of Wilde Lake THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death

A Geologist Lies Comatose in a Portland, Maine Hospital in A World of Deceit, a Detective Joe Burgess Thriller by Kate Flora --Portland, Maine-- Unable to awaken her father--eminent geologist, Ted Gabbro--nine-year-old Arielle approaches the vacationing Joe Burgess, desperate for his help. Loathe to let anything interfere with his much needed rest on the mountains of western Maine, Joe can't ignore the girl's plea for help and can't deny that something is very wrong. As the frightened girl's father languishes in a coma and her mother can’t be found, Burgess finds himself in a tangle of land disputes, family politics, the child’s parents’ nasty divorce, and the powerful greed that accompanies "gold fever". Winner of the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction "Flora pours on the intensity in this criminal, legal and moral maze." ~Kirkus Reviews "Flora writes cops so convincingly it's hard to imagine she's never worn the badge herself." ~Bruce Robert Coffin, author of Among the Shadows THE JOE BURGESS MYSTERIES Playing God The Angel of Knowlton Park Redemption And Grant You Peace Led Astray A Child Shall Lead Them A World of Deceit

A Newborn, a Baby Carriage, and an Ice Cream Cone Leads to a Lingering Mystery in DEATH SENDS A MESSAGE by Kate Flora —Freeport, Maine, Present Day— Independent school consultant Thea Kozak is adjusting to motherhood and enjoying maternity leave, having just purchased a hat for her newborn son, when a hysterical woman gains her attention. The woman, also a new mother, claims her baby has just been kidnapped. Determined not to get involved, Thea flags down a police officer and hands off the problem. She returns home to her husband Andre, intending to enjoy their precious weeks of parental leave. But Thea’s kindness soon brings trouble to her doorstep when a police officer asks questions about her relationship with Addison Shirley, the mother of the kidnapped child, who claimed Thea was a friend before she disappeared. The couple’s hopes for a peaceful respite are quickly replaced with a break-in, a stalker, and a private school crisis involving star athletes and sexual assault that only Thea can handle. Thea and Andre wrestle with the lingering mystery and competing priorities while reexamining their future...if they live to face it. Publisher’s Note: Kate Flora is known for taking readers on a near breathless experience with a surprise at every turn. Fans of Sara Paretsky, Laura Lippman, Sue Grafton, and Julia Spencer-Fleming will not want to miss this series. “If you like your heroines smart, brave, tough, and exuberantly aware of the possibilities of the human heart, look no further than Thea Kozak.” ~S.J. Rozan “...a terrific, in-your-face, stand-up gal...Stephanie Plum and Thea Kozak have a lot to say to each other.” ~Janet Evanovich “Kate Flora does what all the great writers do: she takes you inside unfamiliar territory and makes you feel right at home; you climb in and are along for the whole ride.” ~Michael Connelly “I’ll follow Thea Kozak anywhere. She is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today. And Kate Flora is the rare, graceful writer who pays close attention to how long it takes the body and the heart to heal.” ~Laura Lippman THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over Schooled in Death Death Comes Knocking Death Sends a Message About the Author Maine native Kate Flora’s fascination with people’s criminal tendencies began in the Maine attorney general’s office. Deadbeat dads, people who hurt their kids, and employers’ discrimination aroused her curiosity about human behavior. The author of twenty-four books and many short stories, Flora’s been a finalist for the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Derringer awards. She won the Public Safety Writers Association award for nonfiction and twice won the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction. Her most recent Thea Kozak mystery is Death Sends a Message; her most recent Joe Burgess is A World of Deceit. Her crime story collection is Careful What You Wish For: Stories of revenge, retribution, and the world made right. Flora is a founding member of the New England Crime Bake and the Maine Crime Wave and runs the blog Maine Crime Writers. Flora’s nonfiction focuses on aspects of the public safety officers’ experience. She divides her time between Massachusetts and Maine, where she gardens and cooks and watches the clouds when she’s not imagining her character’s dark deeds. She occasionally swims in the shark-filled sea. She’s been married for decades to an excellent man. Her sons edit films and hang out in research labs.

A haunting tribute to the heroic pioneers who shaped the American Midwest This powerful novel by Willa Cather is considered to be one of her finest works and placed Cather in the forefront of women novelists. It tells the stories of several immigrant families who start new lives in America in rural Nebraska. This powerful tribute to the quiet heroism of those whose struggles and triumphs shaped the American Midwest highlights the role of women pioneers, in particular. Written in the style of a memoir penned by Antonia’s tutor and friend, the book depicts one of the most memorable heroines in American literature, the spirited eldest daughter of a Czech immigrant family, whose calm, quite strength and robust spirit helped her survive the hardships and loneliness of life on the Nebraska prairie. The two form an enduring bond and through his chronicle, we watch Antonia shape the land while dealing with poverty, treachery, and tragedy. “No romantic novel ever written in America...is one half so beautiful as My Ántonia.” -H. L. Mencken Willa Cather (1873–1947) was an American writer best known for her novels of the Plains and for One of Ours, a novel set in World War I, for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1923. She was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1943 and received the gold medal for fiction from the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1944, an award given once a decade for an author's total accomplishments. By the time of her death she had written twelve novels, five books of short stories, and a collection of poetry.

A fascinating, first-hand account of a murder investigation in a rural state