Four chilling true crime novels by a #1 New York Times–bestselling author and former Los Angeles Times reporter. Final Vows: Murder, Madness, and Twisted Justice in California When Carol Montecalvo began writing to a man in prison named Dan through a program at her church, she considered it her Christian duty. She had no idea it would lead to love and marriage—and her murder . . . Deadly Pretender:The Double Life of David Miller When a man’s dream job and beautiful family weren’t enough for him, he pretended to be an attorney, then a CIA agent. And he secretly married another woman. He juggled it all quite well—until the day his two wives found out about each other . . . The Snake and the Spider:Abduction and Murder in Daytona Beach A dream Spring Break vacation for two innocent, young men became every parent’s worst nightmare when they met two cold-blooded killers . . . Missy’s Murder:Passion, Betrayal, and Murder in Southern California Teenager Missy Avila was lured into the woods, beaten, tortured, and drowned. Missy’s best friend, Karen Severson, publicly vowed to find the killer and even moved in with Missy’s family to help. Three years later, a surprise witness exposed the murderers as Missy’s two best friends—one of whom was Karen . . .

A New York Times–bestselling author and former Los Angeles Times reporter’s account of a con artist and bigamist who resorts to murder to hide his double life. David Miller had a dream job and a beautiful family. But one perfect life wasn’t enough. So he pretended to be an attorney, then a CIA agent. And he secretly married another woman. He juggled it all quite well—until the day his two wives found out about each other. Miller groped for ways to hold on to his finances and reputation. But when he tried using a gun to silence his second wife, his carefully constructed facade of power and wealth exploded. In Deadly Pretender, New York Times–bestselling author Karen Kingsbury dives into the tangled world of deceit, greed, and lust to reveal what drove a seemingly upright citizen to live a double life, and then, to commit the unthinkable.

A New York Times–bestselling author and former Los Angeles Times reporter chronicles the marriage between a Christian woman and an ex-con that ends in murder. When Carol Montecalvo began writing to a man in prison through a program at her church, she considered it her Christian duty. But the letters soon became her lifeline, something she actually looked forward to sending and receiving. She fell in love with the man behind the letters and just before Dan was released, they wed in the prison chapel. Their marriage lasted nine years, until the fateful night when Dan stoically called 911 to report his wife’s murder. With a half-million dollar insurance policy riding on his wife’s death, and a string of adulterous affairs in his past, Dan is the most obvious suspect. But is this former felon really guilty? Or could he actually be a grieving widower, in the wrong place at the wrong time? In this powerful true crime account of the gruesome murder and sensational trial that followed, New York Times–bestselling author Karen Kingsbury weaves an emotional story that leaves readers guessing until the final, harrowing conclusion.

At thirty-one, Ellen Barrett has already won a Pulitzer prize. Sadly, though, her skill as a journalist far surpasses her ability to sort out her troubled past, so she's less than eager to return to picturesque Petoskey, Michigan, for her beloved father's funeral. When she most needs comfort, her husband is distant and her siblings antagonistic -- and the solace an old sweetheart offers is almost too much to resist. In the end, going home to the shores of Little Traverse Bay is an emotional and spiritual journey for Ellen -- a rediscovery of what is truly important and eternal in her life.

On Kari Baxter's wedding day, a building storm brings conflict and doubt to the family until a moment of danger reveals important truths, which could bring them back together or tear them apart.

From a New York Times–bestselling author and former Los Angeles Times reporter, two teens kill their friend, then befriend the girl’s family to avoid suspicion. On a beautiful October day in the San Fernando Valley, teenager Missy Avila was lured into the woods, beaten, tortured, and drowned. Missy’s best friend, Karen Severson, publicly vowed to find the killer and even moved in with Missy’s family to help. Three years later, a surprise witness exposed the murderers as Missy’s two best friends—one of whom was Karen. New York Times–bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delivers a story full of twists, turns, betrayals, and confessions. Missy’s Murder is a shocking tale of one of the most notorious murder trials of the eighties, and a startling debut novel from Kingsbury, who now has over twenty-five million books in print.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author and “inspirational fiction superstar” (Publishers Weekly) presents this high stakes love story of danger, passion, and faith. She was a child caught in a riptide in the Caribbean Sea. He was a teenager from the East Coast on vacation with his family. He dove in to save her, and that single terrifying moment changed both of their lives forever. Ten years later Jack Ryder is a daring undercover agent with the FBI and Eliza Lawrence still lives on that pristine island. She’s an untainted princess in a kingdom of darkness and evil, on the brink of a forced marriage with a dangerous neighboring drug lord, a marriage arranged by her father. This time when Jack and Eliza meet, there’s a connection neither of them can explain. Both of their lives are on the line, and once again, the stakes are deadly high. Can they join forces in a complicated and dangerous mission, pretending to have a breathtaking love…without really falling? Sometimes miracles happen not once, but twice…along a distant shore.