The wife of the White House deputy chief of staff has been beaten to death, and their one-year-old daughter is missing.

D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland is in charge of the murder investigation, but she’s forced to collaborate with Special Victims Unit detectives as well as thorn-in-her-side FBI Special Agent Avery Hill. Then, a cold case of her father’s resurrects old hurts—a distraction Sam cannot afford. As Sam’s investigation heats up, so does Nick’s political career—and the heat carries over to their bedroom. Will Sam put the pieces together in time to catch a killer and find the baby, or will ambition, greed and lies prove fatal?

Fatal Deception, Fatal Series, Book 5

A critical error. A Cinderella season cut short. A star player murdered.

D.C. is recovering from angry riots after one player’s mistake blew the D.C. Federals’ chance at the World Series, and Lt. Sam Holland is determined to unravel the twisted web of motives behind the star center fielder’s death. Was it a disgruntled fan, a spurned lover or a furious teammate? While Sam digs through clues, her husband, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, fights for his political life in the final days of his reelection campaign as financial irregularities threaten his future. It’s a distraction Nick can ill afford with Sam in the midst of another high-profile murder investigation and both of them trying to help their adopted son, Scotty, cope with the murder of a ball player he admired. Determined to bring the killer to justice, Sam must root out the truth before another mistake proves fatal.

Fatal Mistake, Fatal Series, Book 6

Washington, D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland and her husband, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, have been looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving with their son.

But any thoughts of a restful holiday are dashed when Sam and Nick return home to a gruesome scene: her seventeen-year-old niece Brooke, barely conscious and covered in blood on their front stoop. With lines between personal and professional blurring in this emotionally charged, deeply personal case, Sam is relying on Nick more than ever for support. But when suspicious images from the night in question appear on social media, Sam begins to wonder if her niece is telling her everything she knows about what really happened. And when Nick questions her tactics—and her ethics—as she races against the clock, Sam will need to decide how far she’s willing to go to prove Brooke is a victim, not a murderer.

Fatal Jeopardy, Fatal Series, Book 7

As a new year dawns in the capital city, dual scandals rock the Metropolitan Police Department—and Lieutenant Sam Holland is right in the middle of them.

Chief Farnsworth is catching heat for the way he handled a recent homicide investigation, and Detective Gonzales is accused of failing to disclose an earlier connection to the judge who decided his custody hearing. When Gonzo’s fight for his child turns deadly and he has a shaky alibi, Sam must defend two of her closest colleagues. All while her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, settles into his new office at the White House. Nick begins to wonder if the president is using him for a political boost, and his worries mount over a complication in the plans to adopt Scotty at a time when Sam is being put through the wringer by the always-rabid D.C. press corps. As the evidence against Gonzo piles up, Sam suspects someone is gunning for her—and her team.

Fatal Scandal, Fatal Series, Book 8

Every family has its secrets… 

As the first anniversary of her marriage to Vice President Nick Cappuano approaches, Lieutenant Sam Holland is dreaming of Bora Bora—sun, sand and a desperately needed break from the DC grind. But real life has a way of intervening, and Sam soon finds herself taking on one of the most perplexing cases of her career.

Government worker Josh Hamilton begs Sam to investigate his shocking claim that his parents stole him from another family thirty years ago. More complicated still, his “father” is none other than the FBI director. When a member of Josh’s family is brutally murdered, Sam begins to question how deep the cover-up goes. Is it possible the revered director was part of a baby-napping ring and others involved are also targets? With a killer intent on deadly revenge and her team still reeling from a devastating loss, Sam’s plate is full—and when Nick and their son, Scotty, take ill, is her dream of a tropical anniversary celebration in peril, too?

Fatal Identity, Fatal Series, Book 10

Denial: refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant…

His mother has been arrested, his government is under new threat, the relentless media is driving him mad, and denial becomes the word of the day for President Nick Cappuano.

Meanwhile, his wife, DC Metro Police Lt. Sam Holland Cappuano has caught a big new case with suspects everywhere she looks. Watch for her partner, Detective Freddie Cruz, to take center stage in this investigation when a variety of personal situations keep Sam off the job.

With the countdown on to their second anniversary, the first couple is keeping their heads down and their eyes on the prize of a week away from the capital city. But with threats circling all around them, will they be able to make it happen?

The fifth First Family book picks up right where State of Shock left off, with Sam and her family continuing to absorb the loss of a beloved family member as she and her team work to clean up the mess former Lt. Stahl has left behind.

State of Denial, First Family Series, Book 5

She’s his nanny and his close friend. He shouldn’t be thinking about her that way…

Adrian

In the year since I lost my wife in childbirth, I’ve been all about survival as I adapt to life as a single dad to our son. That’s especially true after my mother-in-law also died suddenly. Life has been way more than I can handle, but somehow I’m getting by, thanks mostly to the Wild Widows, a group of fellow travelers who make me feel less alone with my grief. They encourage me to hire fellow Wild Widow Wynter as my nanny, and that’s been working out great, until two things happen—she and my son go missing, and when they’re found safe, I realize my feelings for her are anything but platonic.

Wynter

I cannot be feeling this way about my employer. He’s entrusted me to take care of the most important person in his life, and I nearly screwed that up epically. After the big scare we had, I should be giving Xavier my undivided attention, which I do until his daddy is in the room. All I see is him. Then I catch Adrian having sex, and now all I can think about what it would be like to be with him that way. He’s my boss, my close friend and we share many mutual friends. A mess between us would be devastating, and not just to us, so I need to avoid that at all costs. I’ve got enough on my plate managing my grief for my late husband. I don’t need the complication that could come with Adrian. If only I hadn’t seen him naked…

Someone To Love, Wild Widows Series, Book 3

When you have their jobs, there’s no such thing as a peaceful vacation…

Sam and Nick are ready to get out of DC—and the White House—for a much-needed vacation to celebrate their second anniversary. Due to ongoing political pressures, they decide to scuttle their plans for a return to Bora Bora to stay closer to home at their favorite oceanfront house at Dewey Beach in Delaware. But before they can make their escape, Sam is summoned back to work to deal with yet another crisis in the ongoing investigation into former Lieutenant Stahl. Just when they think they’ve seen the full scope of his depravity, there is more. Sam leaves Gonzo, Freddie and the rest of the squad in charge of a new investigation of a murdered college student while Gigi and Cameron deal with the Internal Affairs Board and plot their strategy to deal with a lawsuit from the Patrick family. Meanwhile, Nick’s mother is working on a plea deal with an unexpected new advocate who wants her to reconcile with her estranged son. 

As always for the first couple, nothing ever goes according to plan, but the chance to spend a week mostly alone is just what they needed until their children, family and friends join them for the final weekend at the beach. 

It’s March in Dewey, and Sam and Nick are snuggling in front of the fire as they prepare to begin their third year of marriage.

State of Bliss, First Family Series, Book 6

They’re beloved members of the Gansett Island family…

But they’ve never had their own book until now! Dan Torrington and Kara Ballard take center stage for the first time ever in this prequel novel. Revisit their story from when they first appeared in FALLING FOR LOVE through HURRICANE AFTER DARK, with many new scenes, characters and backstories as we prepare to follow Dan and Kara to Bar Harbor, Maine, to deal with the most intense Ballard family drama yet.

Dan & Kara: A Downeast Prequel

A high-profile murder has Sam and her team chasing an elusive killer…

Just back from their anniversary trip to Dewey Beach, there’s no slow roll back to work for the first couple as Sam is immediately thrust into the baffling murder of her friend and colleague, U.S. Attorney Tom Forrester, which has everyone on edge. The FBI wants in on this one, and she’s determined to figure out what happened to Tom before they can take over her investigation as new and unsettling details arise about the crimes involving disgraced former Lieutenant Stahl. A new development sends the investigation in an entirely new direction as Sam goes toe-to-toe with her husband’s uncooperative Attorney General.

In the midst of the hot new case, Sam’s got to put on her first lady hat for the Canadian Prime Minister and his wife, who are in town for the Cappuano administration’s first State Dinner. Once they get through that event, Sam and Nick will finally meet with Nick’s mother, who’s asked for a chance to make things right with her son. 

With all of that going on, who has time to breathe let alone plan an operation that’ll either snag a killer or end her career?

State of Suspense, First Family Series, Book 7

The lights are out on Gansett, and things are getting steamy!

An island-wide power failure has thrust Gansett into darkness. We’ll take this opportunity to catch up with each of the couples we’ve come to know and love, and meet a few new characters who’ll appear in upcoming books. It’s the heart of summer, the power’s out and things are getting hot on Gansett Island!

Blackout After Dark

Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 contemporary romances, including the Gansett Island Series and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series, written under the name of M.S. Force. All together, her books have sold 6 million copies worldwide!

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news. 

Join Marie’s mailing list on her website at marieforce.com for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MarieForceAuthor, on Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/marieforceauthor/. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.

Blackout After Dark

Marie Force

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