


Books in series

#1
City of Prey
2021
In the rough streets of 1920s New York City, 34 year-old Ava Gold, a widower and single mom, claws her way up to become the first female homicide detective in her NYPD precinct. She is as tough as they come, and willing to hold her own in a man’s world.
But when a psychotic serial killer unleashes a rampage, murdering young women across the city, Ava will have to search the dark canals of the twisted killer’s mind if she has any hope of hunting him down. With psychological profiling still in its infancy, and mocked by most, Ava will be even more alone as she follows her instinct, and hunts him down in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
Just when it seems the stakes couldn’t be higher, Ava comes to an awful realization: she herself may be the next target.
Amidst the speakeasies, jazz clubs, mafia-run prohibition rings, horrific mental asylums and dangerous back alleys of the city, can Ava achieve what all the men cannot: enter the sick mind of a killer, and stop him before more women die?
A heart-pounding suspense thriller filled with shocking twists, the authentic and atmospheric AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES is a riveting page-turner, endearing us to a strong and brilliant character that will capture your heart and keep you reading late into the night.
Books #2 and #3 in the series—CITY OF FEAR and CITY OF BONES—are now also available.

#2
City of Fear
An Ava Gold Mystery
2021
In the rough streets of 1920s New York City, 34 year-old Ava Gold, a widower and single mom, claws her way up to become the first female homicide detective in her NYPD precinct. She is as tough as they come, and willing to hold her own in a man’s world.
When a 16-year-old girl from a wealthy Fifth Avenue family is found strangled, murdered on the eve of her society coming-out party, Ava, 1920s New York City’s best female homicide detective, is called in to find the killer. She quickly learns that psychosis is pervasive even amongst the glamour of high society’s wealthiest families.
Determined to find justice for the girl—and to stop the psychotic killer from killing again—Ava pries into the dangerous rings of powerful high society, finding herself threatened as she is singled out by a tycoon. Fighting for her job, trying to stop a killer, and finding herself in an unexpected romantic relationship, Ava finds herself in the battle of her life.

#3
City of Bones
An Ava Gold Mystery
2021
In the rough streets of 1920s New York City, 34 year-old Ava Gold, a widower and single mom, claws her way up to become the first female homicide detective in her NYPD precinct. She is as tough as they come, and willing to hold her own in a man’s world.
When Ava is called in to investigate the murder of a young woman beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, she quickly realizes this is no typical murder—and that she is up against no typical serial killer. To find him, her search will lead her into the rough streets and docks of burgeoning Brooklyn.
But Ava, facing resentment and opposition from her all-male police force, has been transferred to a downtown precinct, and hazed relentlessly in the hope that she will become miserable enough to drop out. Ava, pushed to the edge, will have to rely on her brilliant intellect to enter the killer’s mind, to prove herself, and to stop him before he strikes again.

#4
Girl, Alone
2020
FBI Agent Ella Dark, 29, is given her big chance to achieve her life’s dream: to join the Behavorial Crimes Unit. Ella has a hidden obsession: she has studied serial killers from the time she could read, devastated by the murder of her own sister. With her photographic memory, she has obtained an encyclopedic knowledge of every serial killer, every victim and every case. Singled out for her brilliant mind, Ella is invited to join the big leagues.
But when a killer strikes in the swamps of Louisiana, Ella soon comes to learn that the real thing is nothing she could expect. Face to face with a real murder, a real killer, and a real ticking clock, Ella realizes she can’t rely on her knowledge. She must learn to trust her instinct, and allow herself to enter the dark canals of a real killer’s mind. If she gets it wrong, her career is at stake.
And so is the next victim’s life.
Will Ella’s talent be an asset? Or the source of her downfall?
#4
City of Ghosts
2022
1920s. New York City. When a second immigrant woman turns up murdered in the Lower East Side, Ava Gold, the city's first female detective, is summoned to crack the case. But this serial killer is savage, and Ava's dangerous game of cat and mouse may just lead her too close to home.
In the rough streets of 1920s New York City, 34 year-old Ava Gold, a widower and single mom, claws her way up to become the first female homicide detective in her NYPD precinct. She is as tough as they come, and willing to hold her own in a man's world.
Ava fights an uphill battle to get her precinct to take the murder of an immigrant woman seriously. But Ava refuses to give up, and when the case leads only to dead ends, she's forced to take matters into her own hands
Could her own husband's murderer hold the secret to cracking the case open? And if he does-can Ava delve into her own past and catch the killer in time without being pushed to the edge?

#6
City of Vice
2022
1929\. New York City. When a Wall Street banker appears to commit suicide in the wake of the stock market crash, Ava Gold, the city’s first female detective, suspects a murder. But with the city falling into crisis around her, Ava must race to prove her suspicions before the killer can walk free.
In the rough streets of 1920s New York City, 34 year-old Ava Gold, a widower and single mom, claws her way up to become the first female homicide detective in her NYPD precinct. She is as tough as they come, and willing to hold her own in a man’s world.The 1929 Wall Street Crash has hit, and Ava’s world is turned upside down. Assigned to a new precinct, new location, and new partner, she must scramble to get her feet beneath her before time runs out. As she enters the chaotic world of Wall Street, Ava must fight to prove herself once and for all—before the case comes tumbling down around her.
A heart-pounding suspense thriller filled with shocking twists, the authentic and atmospheric AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES is a riveting page-turner, endearing us to a strong and brilliant character that will capture your heart and keep you reading late into the night.
Author

Blake Pierce
Author · 306 books
Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seven books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); and of the new KERI LOCKE mystery series. An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.