Guns and Roses

Murder She Writes Presents:

Guns and Roses

“Dead Flowers” © 2012 LJLA, LLC

“Above Reproach” © 2012 Allison Brennan

“The Housewife Assassin's Bloody Valentine”

© 2012 Josie Brown

“Bobbie Faye’s Whacked Out, No Good, Really Sucky, Hot Mess of a Wedding” © 2012 Cajun Ink, LLC

“Blood and Roses” © 2012 Sylvia Day

“Nightfall” © 2012 Laura Griffin

“King of Hearts” © 2012 LJLA, LLC

“A Punishing Night” © 2012 Sophie Littlefield

“Pick Your Poison” © 2012 by Roxanne St. Claire

“Rebel Rose” © 2012 Karin Tabke

ISBN: 978-0-615-60479-4

Editor: Charlotte Herscher

Copy Editor: Debi Murray

Proofreader: Amy Eye

Cover Design: Kim Killion

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from every copyright owner of the individual stories included in this anthology.

This book is dedicated to Debra Webb, our beloved Murder She Writes sister, and the only member of our team who had to sit this one on the bench. Debra's words might not be in this collection, but her indomitable spirit has inspired all of us to write fearless, fierce, fabulous heroines... just like her.

FOREWORD

Synergy is a remarkable phenomenon. From the Greek
synergia
, meaning to work together, synergy is one of the most powerful forces on earth, driving chemical interactions at the molecular level, taking sports teams to world championships and keeping the kitchen of a five-star restaurant cooking with fire.

On a personal level, the book you are about to read is a quintessential example of synergy, a product greater than the sum of its parts, when ten like-minded, but completely different, creative brains work in partnership toward a single goal. In this case, our goal was simple: to entertain the hell out of you.

We are the authors behind the long-running (and, we say humbly and happily) quite popular MurderSheWrites blog. Started in 2005, the MSW blog has always enjoyed a large and lively audience of readers, writers, and publishing industry experts. 

All of us are primarily, but not exclusively, writers of romance and suspense, enjoying a wide spectrum along both those popular bands. Among us, we have over 150 published novels, numerous appearances on the
New York Times
Bestseller lists, dozens of industry awards, and, yeah, over twenty kids. Thanks to amazing and palpable synergy, we are also close friends who love, respect, admire, and depend upon one another. 

So, it was through the marvel of that synergy that the anthology
Murder She Writes Presents: Guns and Roses
was born.

This is a collection of ten
never-before published
short stories and novellas, each penned by one of the Murder She Writes bloggers exclusively for this collection, all inspired by our mutual love of suspense and romance. Some of them are dark and tense; others are light and wild and might give you a few new laugh lines. Most are loosely connected to existing popular series, yet all stand entirely alone. Many will make you chuckle, one or two might make you cry, and there are a few that will require the use of a fan and cold water.

We couldn’t be more excited about this groundbreaking project, hoping to give a treat to our loyal readers and open the door to new ones. At the end of each story, you’ll find the author’s bio, with a link to their website, and in the back of the book, there’s a list of each author’s books, should you want to explore more of their works.

The synergy that created this project is alive and thriving every weekday at
www.murdershewrites.com
—come on by and say hello. Stay to laugh, learn, sigh or cry... we all have a different perspective, but one very special voice. 

And now, sit back, click to the next page, and behold the synergy of romance and suspense.

All the best,

Lori, Allison, Josie, Toni, Sylvia, Laura, Sophie, Rocki, and Karin.

,_.___

LORI ARMSTRONG

“With a gutsy heroine, sharp humor, and a strong sense of place, Armstrong has created a winning series…Highly recommended."
—
Library Journal
, starred review

“Dead Flowers”

PI Julie Collins trails cheating lovers, which leads to questions about her relationship with Tony Martinez.

ALLISON BRENNAN

"Fast becoming a master at delivering complex, layered plots and characters that erupt from the page." —
RT Book Reviews

“Above Reproach”

Sex crimes detective Selena Black puts her career and life at risk to prove that high-profile attorney Greg Keller is the brutal River City Rapist before he strikes again.

JOSIE BROWN

"…
The tone is confessional, the writing laced with venomous humor..." —
The Wall Street Journal

“The Housewife Assassin’s Bloody Valentine”

CIA contract assassin Donna Stone’s idea of Valentine's Day? A couple’s massage with her mission’s leader Jack Craig—not breaking out of a Mexican prison, then stopping a massacre by an international terrorist cell.

TONI McGEE CAUSEY

"
Toni McGee Causey doesn't just write. She takes prisoners. She grabs you by the heart and the funny bone and carries you off into a world of captivating characters that are a whole bunch of crazy and twice as much fun. Don't try to sleep—you'll be laughing too loud."

— Marshall Karp, NYT bestselling author of
Kill Me If You Can
,
Bloodthirsty
and
The Rabbit Factory

“Bobbie Faye’s Whacked Out, No Good, Really Sucky, Hot Mess of a Wedding”

Bobbie Faye Sumrall, Cajun Contraband Days Queen, gun expert, and ultimate professional in being in the wrong place at the wrong time, absolutely, positively
does not
want to go through with the wedding that Trevor's forcing her to agree to, but she soon finds out she has more important things to worry about—like surviving the plot to make her disappear when she's set up as a fall guy for the theft of a priceless religious icon.

SYLVIA DAY

"Wickedly entertaining." —
Booklist

“Blood and Roses”

When insurance investigator Anastasia Miller sets out to retrieve the rose-hued pink diamonds stolen in a recent heist, she finds herself working alongside former flame, deputy U.S. Marshal Jake Monroe—the man she loved enough to leave behind.

LAURA GRIFFIN

“The perfect mix of suspense and romance.” —
Booklist

“Nightfall”

Alone on an icy road at nightfall, Holly Henriksen puts her trust in a charming stranger and soon discovers he is keeping a dangerous secret.

LORELEI JAMES

“…one of the best parts of these books is the hot cowboys and fantastic sex…but wrapped throughout this amazing series is some of the best erotica that you can read. It’s real, it’s raw and it’s all out there.” —
Night Owl Reviews

“King of Hearts,” a Rough Riders short story

Deputy Cam McKay deals with a murder/suicide case on Valentine’s Day.

SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD

"Fans of quirky mysteries need to grab a Littlefield pronto." —
Kirkus

“A Punishing Night”

While investigating the stabbing death of a student at his own alma mater, Detective Joe Bashir confronts painful memories and makes an intriguing new acquaintance.

ROXANNE ST. CLAIRE

“Rip-roaring fun, gripping intensity, and sizzling passion make Roxanne St. Claire the go-to gal for romantic suspense.” —
RT Book Reviews

“Pick Your Poison,” A Bullet Catcher Novella

When Bullet Catcher Benjamin Youngblood sets out to track and trap an assassin, he's forced to trust a sexy flower farmer who could be as dangerous as her homegrown poison.

KARIN TABKE

"Tabke masterfully creates sexual tension..." —
RT Book Reviews

“Rebel Rose”

For Detective Cash Cantrell, hunting down a University serial killer is as routine as strapping on his gun each morning. Until he comes face to face with meddlesome coed, Rebel Yell Culpepper. He doesn't know if he should arrest her or kiss her, but one thing Cash knows for sure, Rebel is key to finding the murderer, and the killer knows it too...

Table of Contents

 1.
Pick Your Poison
- Roxanne St. Claire

 2.
Nightfall
- Laura Griffin

 3.
Above Reproach
- Allison Brennan

 4.
Dead Flowers
- Lori Armstrong

 5.
Blood and Roses
- Sylvia Day

 6.
Rebel Rose
- Karin Tabke


 7.
A Punishing Night
— Sophie Littlefield

 8.
The Housewife Assassin’s Bloody Valentine
- Josie Brown

 9.
King of Hearts
- Lorelei James

10.
Bobbie Faye’s Whacked Out, No Good, Really Sucky, Hot Mess of a Wedding