Is The Latest Val McDermid Novel Part Of A Series Or A Standalone

The woman standing there was nobody that Scars had ever laid eyes on before, but holy God, he knew her. He knew her on a cellular level. In his blood. In his bones. In his heart and in his cock. He’d dreamed about her and he’d waited for her. He’d been looking for her forever, and now here she was. ** Six years ago, Zoe Parish fled Denver after a brutal encounter with a motorcycle club man, swearing never to trust one again. Now a mother and desperate to help her oldest friend, she returns when Wolf Connor promises his club is out of the life and she’ll be safe. Back in Denver, Zoe keeps her guard up, especially around Scars, whose effect on her is far more unsettling than she wants to admit. Vic “Scars” Innis has spent twenty-two years loyal to the Road Devils, earning his place as Vice-President. He thought he was content, until he meets Zoe. From the first look, he knows she’s the missing piece, even if she despises everything he represents. As danger closes in and an enemy threatens to destroy their fragile peace – and take Zoe’s child – Scars and Zoe are forced to confront their pasts and each other. The question is whether their bond will make them stronger… or finally tear them apart for good.

Ice had seen courage under fire, in many cases literally, back in his SEAL days. But he’d never seen anything like Vixen that day. When he first caught sight of her, she was standing with her feet wide apart, solidly braced on those mile-high, mid-thigh black boots, the ones that he loved fucking her in. Her minute green skirt had ridden high and tight up her perfect legs, and her dark eyes were dilated to black as she grimly stared down the approaching vehicle, shooting and shooting, both hands holding the gun. She’d looked every inch the hot female assassin in some blockbuster Hollywood movie, right down to her hair flowing behind her in the autumn wind. **** Ice Johansson is the Road Devils MC’s Chief Enforcer: cold, ruthless, and built for violence. He doesn’t feel guilt, except where Vix is concerned. Weeks ago, he crossed a line with the one woman who mattered to him. Now an enemy attack leaves her badly injured, and Ice wants one thing: to protect her, if she’ll let him close again. Victoria “Vixen” Shaw owns her reputation as the club’s favorite ride. No shame. No apologies. For eighteen months, though, she’s been Ice’s alone. What he did shattered her trust, but when Ice becomes her caretaker – no sex, no demands, just presence – she begins to see the man beneath the ice. As the Road Devils are pushed to the brink, Ice and Vix find intimacy where they never expected it: clothed, raw, and vulnerable. But if Ice reveals the darkest parts of himself – the violence he embraces to protect his family – can Vix accept him? And even if she does, can loving a man like Ice ever truly be safe?

When Clara Davis accidentally switches suitcases at the airport, she expects an awkward exchange— not a gun, stacks of cash, and a stranger calling her Mrs. Vale. Lucien Vale, a cold, beautiful man with blood on his hands, insists she’s his wife—and that men are hunting her. Dragged into a world of covert missions and deadly secrets, Clara must live under an alias to survive. But the longer she stays by his side, the more she questions everything: Is Lucien her captor or her protector? Is this marriage fake—or fate? One suitcase, one lie, one love that could cost them both their lives.

In a deadly game of spies and dealers, trust is the ultimate weapon—and love the most dangerous betrayal. Sabrina is a cold, detached assassin, trained to infiltrate, manipulate, and eliminate without hesitation. But her latest mission is different: Viktor, a sadistic arms dealer with a dangerous empire, is her target. What begins as a professional operation soon turns into a psychological nightmare. Viktor has secrets of his own and plays a twisted game, pushing her to her limits with violence and manipulation. As Sabrina is drawn deeper into his dark world, she begins to lose herself, torn between completing the mission and the suffocating love Viktor offers. She must decide: escape or join him in the darkness.

"He's gone, Elizabeth," her captain Charles Johnston tells her. Elizabeth blinks back her tears. Her face full of shock and disbelief. Her frozen stare interrupted by his words. "He left his badge." "There's no way," she thought. He wouldn't leave her like this. No warning, no phone call, no letter. She was more to him than that or at least so she thought. That conversation has plagued her for 3 years. For 3 long years, Detective Elizabeth Ryan tried to shut out him, to finally be able to move on. But just as she does, he abruptly returns seeking more than what either of them anticipated. Will Elizabeth be able to forgive him, or will the past be too much to swallow? What happens when life throws her too many twists to handle?

“If I could not escape in peace as the victim, then this time, I would be the executioner. This time… I would kill him first.” Forced into a marriage of convenience to secure the Sinclair family’s billion-dollar inheritance, Julia spends ten years trapped with a cold and unfaithful husband. On the very day she is finally supposed to be free, she is betrayed, humiliated… and murdered by her own husband and his lover. But she wakes up on her wedding day. Protected by an amulet passed down through the women of her family, she relives the same cycle for the third time. In her previous attempts, running away and submitting did not prevent her death. Now, Julia decides to change the rules: instead of trying to survive, she will seek revenge. Colder and more dangerous, Julia begins manipulating the Sinclair power games while growing closer to Caleb, her husband’s best friend, the only man who ever treated her as a choice rather than an obligation. Scarred by deep trauma, Julia struggles to trust again, while Caleb slowly wins her over with respect, consistency, and loyalty. Amid love triangles, betrayals, family secrets, and premeditated murder, Julia plans to destroy Michael, frame his lover, and bring down the empire that imprisoned her. But the greatest choice will not be revenge. It will be allowing herself to love again.