Val Ryker Series

Two years ago, a woman was brutally murdered, her body burned until only ash and shattered bone remained. Police Sergeant Valerie Ryker solved that case, putting psychopath Dixon Hess in prison for life, and becoming the first female police chief of her tiny Wisconsin town.

A town's terrible secret.Two years ago a woman was brutally murdered, her body burned until only ash and shattered bone remained. Police Sergeant Valerie Ryker solved that case, putting psychopath Dixon Hess in prison for life, and becoming the first female police chief of her tiny Wisconsin town. Then the original murder victim turns up in a frozen lake, all in one piece and only recently dead, and Val must enter a race against time. In only forty-eight hours, Hess will be set free, and he wants payback. And Val, her town, and everyone she loves are at the top of his list.

Someone is setting fire to the town of Lake Loyal, Wisconsin, one building at a time. And Police Chief Valerie Ryker, and her former love, Assistant Fire Chief David Lund, have a hunch who's behind it. Serial killer Dixon Hess almost destroyed Val's life, along with everyone close to her. He's vowed revenge. But how can his influence of evil still be spreading when he's safely locked up in the county jail? The link is a kidnapped toddler. He's son. And some people will stop at nothing to see father and child reunited. Even if that means burning everything to the ground.

Though a remorseless killer, Dixon Hess went to prison for the one crime he didn't commit, and he promised to destroy those responsible. Police Chief Valerie Ryker triumphed over incredible odds, sending Hess back behind bars. But now Hess has broken free, and the entire Wisconsin town of Lake Loyal is in danger.

Small-town Wisconsin cop Val Ryker is about to move in with her longtime firefighter boyfriend when her old boss asks for a favor. Former Chicago homicide lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels needs Val to babysit for a few days. Val isn’t comfortable around toddlers, but she accepts. Then one baby becomes two, and some criminals from Jack’s past come calling with child abduction and arson on their agenda.