Officer Louis Kincaid is looking for a refuge. Drawn to the stark serenity of the Michigan wilderness, he thinks he's found just the place in Loon Lake, gateway to the Winter Wonderland. But behind the facade of pines and gingerbread lurks a killer taking his vengeance. His first victim is a local policeman, shot dead in the middle of the night, a playing card left by his body. Next, facedown and frozen under the ice near the shoreline, another policeman is found dead, another card at his side. Suspicions are rife, the atmosphere increasingly claustrophobic as Kincaid leads the local police force in a desperate bid to protect their own. Scared for his life, frustrated at every turn, Kincaid seems to be a pawn in another man's plan. But in the hands of a master, the endgame can have any number of outcomes.From Publishers WeeklyLanding a job with the police force in Loon Lake, Mich., a resort town "winter wonderland," sounds idyllic to Louis Kincaid, but when he meets his chief, ex-military man Brian Gibralter, he realizes that he has much to learn about small-town proceedings. Gibralter is all spit and polish, a taskmaster who preaches absolute loyalty to the force. Although Louis's fellow officers are friendly, he begins to question Gibralter's motives for hiring him when he learns that his predecessor, also a young African-American, was murdered, a mysteriously scrawled playing card found beside him. One murder is disturbing enough in the peaceful area, so when a former cop is found frozen with a bullet in him, fear that a psychopath is stalking the department spreads. The brutality of the acts suggests revenge, but Louis quickly realizes that the killer must have studied his victims closely. As Louis investigates further, he becomes cautious even with partner Jesse Harrison and the enigmatic Zoe Devereaux. Parrish (Dark of the Moon) deftly depicts the empty winter landscape and the relentless intensity of the killer's pursuit. A suspenseful tale of a man who must question his principles and loyalties, Parrish's latest will appeal to those seeking a fast-paced thriller propelled by a cast of charismatic characters. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.About the AuthorPJ Parrish has worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, arts reviewer, blackjack dealer and personnel director in a Mississippi casino. The author currently lives in Southaven Mississippi and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Wait Is OverLouis Kincaid Is BackOn a hot summer night in Florida, a beautiful young woman is brutally raped and murdered. . .Twenty years later, the man convicted of her slaying is released from prison—only days before another horrific crime is committed. . .Now, Louis Kincaid must follow a trail of death that connects a decades-old case with a new murder—and leads him into a web of secrets and lies surrounding a twisted killer. As one sweltering day melts into the next, the scent of blood hangs thick in the air. . .Praise for the novels of P. J. Parrish"Dead Of Winter is a wild ride with a really fine writer."—John Sandford"A deft, fast-paced plot, knowledgeable writing on police procedures and an interesting lead character propel you through the book."—Miami Herald"Fast paced. . .well-conceived."—Chicago Tribune"Full of intrigue and edge-of-the-seat suspense."—Michael Connelly

From the USA Today bestselling author of the Louis Kincaid mysteries comes a heart-pounding new thriller with a sizzling new heroMatt Owens, a South Florida investigative reporter on a desperate hunt for his sisters killer. Matt Owens is a Pulitzer Prizenominated journalist, but at thirty-five, hes adrift, more inclined to hit the bottle alone than the Miami Beach club scene. But when his beloved younger sister Mandy comes to visit, Matt wants to show her a new world. Its the trip of her dreams, but the nightmare begins when Mandy disappears from a crowded dance floor. When her lifeless body is found, one cluea grisly rock song downloaded onto her iPodmay be the calling card of a serial killer. Shattered with grief and guilt, Matt begins a lonely journey to find Mandys killer, following a chain of musical clues that lead him from an abandoned London rock club to a crumbling Scottish castle and finally to the ancient bone-strewn catacombs below Paris....

A deep freeze is bearing down on the Florida Everglades, the kind of brutal storm the locals call a killing rain. For detective Louis Kincaid, the coldest night of the year has brought a terrifying new chill -- the kidnapping of a boy who has come to look up to Louis as a father-figure. But Louis soon realizes this is not a routine kidnapping. It is the start of a killing spree by two ruthless men who are using the boy as a pawn in a deadly game. With time running out, Kincaid must track his twisted adversaries who are one step away from committing the ultimate horror.A missing child and a truly vicious family of killers make for a brisk race against time in Parrish's latest adventure featuring Florida detective Louis Kincaid (Island of Bones, etc.). Kincaid has just begun to connect romantically with defense attorney Susan Outlaw when her estranged husband, Austin, a globe-trotting businessman of shady ways and means, arrives at her doorstep, wanting time with son Ben. Father and son head off for ice cream, but don't return. Louis follows their trail, which leads back to Austin's office, where police have just discovered the brutally murdered bodies of Austin's partner and secretary. Austin later lands in Louis's custody but Ben remains missing. Austin eventually reveals his botched role in a transaction to purchase Micronesian women as slaves. This lean, fast-paced yarn takes a rather silly final turn, when the ruthless patriarch behind the whole mess, and his motives, are revealed (the slaves weren't used for work or sex but for hunting prey. 

Paint It BlackFlorida's Gulf Coast community of Sereno Key has been shaken to the core by a grisly ritualistic murder. Though an arrest is quickly made, Detective Louis Kincaid feels strangely unsettled. His uncertainty is confirmed as a second body is discovered, and then a third—each branded with the bizarre trademarks of a serial killer whose blood lust is growing. Now in a race against time, Kincaid will do whatever is necessary to stop the slaughter.Before becoming the next victim of a predator more twisted than he ever imagined. . .Praise for the novels of P. J. Parrish"Dead Of Winter is a wild ride with a really fine writer." —John Sandford, New York Times bestselling author"A suspenseful tale. . .Parrish's latest will appeal to those seeking a fast-paced thriller propelled by a cast of charismatic characters." —Publishers Weekly"Fast paced. . .well-conceived." —Chicago Tribune"Full of...

After a hurricane whips into Florida, Private Investigator Louis Kincaid finds a baby's skull on the debris-filled beach. Deeply disturbed by his discovery, he begins research into identifying the child. He is also hired by a local woman to watch her father, whose behavior has been peculiar, and the police force has already taken Kincaid on to help solve a murder. Eventually, the plots converge, and the ending has surprises right up to the last page. Although the fifth in the series, this novel stands on its own. Set in the islands west of Fort Myers, it brings the heat, humidity, and insect life of the sand-and-shell environment to life. Although it deals with events dating to the early days of the Spanish settlement of Florida, the story takes place in 1987. Kincaid continues his efforts at self-definition even as he buries himself in his work. A complex person–young, African American, bright, and good at his job–he is haunted by an event in his past. Mel Landeta, his police partner, is experienced, white, and losing his eyesight. He provides the expertise Kincaid needs to refine his investigating skills, and, after much bickering, they become a working team.