When one of her professors ends up dead, college freshman Jenna Blake starts making discoveries even the police have not seen, discoveries that link the late teacher to a dead congressional aide and a terrifying disease

""Why would anyone want to tear out someone's heart?""That's the very real question facing college freshman Jenna Blake, and it has nothing to do with romance and heartbreak. A second grisly murder mystery is unfolding at Somerset University, and her job as a pathology assistant at the local hospital brings Jenna too close to the haunting crimes. Everyone has a theory on the nature of the killings, including Jenna's older half-brother, Pierce Logan, who's new in town and has some odd ideas about why someone would want to steal a human heart. Meanwhile, Jenna begins working on her own heart when she meets a fascinating older man. But there's little time for dating when the Thief of Hearts declares Somerset the perfect hunting ground—and someone very close to Jenna is the prey.

""There's nothing magical about murder...."" Santeria markings. Hindu magick. Druidic runes. Japanese mysticism. The latest series of murders in Somerset has everyone confused, including the local police and the Medical Examiner's office. They seem to be the work of one killer, but each murder has a completely different, ritualized, M.O. Working alongside her boss, Dr. Slikowski, Jenna Blake is back on the research trail, trying to discover the identity of the killer. Unfortunately, Jenna is still grieving over the murder of her friend Melody, and is becoming distracted by her growing feelings for Somerset detective Danny Mariano. Jenna needs to do some serious soul-searching. Her mind isn't on the job. But if she doesn't start paying attention on and find the connection between these ritual murders, Jenna may not survive her first semester.

A violent crime spree in Somerset and Cambridge turns up suspects who have been dead and buried for a long time. Original.

While home from college for the holidays, Jenna Blake discovers an alarming number of teens in her town have gone on homicidal rampages and Jenna thinks the murders are connected to a self-erasing, bootleg video that alters brain chemistry. Original.

""A girl is dead, and one of your best friends got his head cracked with a shovel, because some white guy didn't want to see them kiss."" When Jenna and Damon first began dating, neither worried too much about the other's skin color. After all, Somerset is a pretty liberal college environment. But when a black couple is attacked by a white man on campus, race relations become cause for frenzied peace rallies, protests, and debate for the entire student body. Suddenly Jenna has her hands full investigating the attack—and defending her interracial romance.... Then a white student turns up dead at the hands of a black assailant. As racial tension reaches a fever pitch on campus, the crimes continue, growing increasingly brutal. Strangely, in each case no two witnesses can form the same description of the perpetrator. The police are looking for two young men. Until one assailant, pronounced dead at the crime scene, disappears....

When two people suddenly burst into flame with no obvious cause and plenty of eyewitnesses, Jenna Blake and Slick begin to re-evaluate their faith in rational, scientific explanation. Original.

When Jenna and Yoshiko hit Florida for a little fun in the sun during spring break, they become involved in a series of suspicious deaths, each of which prove to have some kind of mutation and had once worked for the government. Original.

"When a psycho wants to make a statement, and nobody gets it, he's only going to say it louder the next time."Jenna thought spending her summer in Somerset would be quiet and relaxing. With classes over and the students home on break, the campus is a ghost town. But the summer is not chock-full of R & R. In fact, her latest case at the medical examiner's office is anything but quiet. A psycho killer is on a rampage, drowning the victims in Boston's most public places. It seems "everyone" is talking about the murders, yet no one has any leads. Then Jenna uncovers a key piece of evidence, and she is quickly drawn into the puzzle. But the closer they get to the killer, the more frequent—and more violent—the drownings become. And before Jenna realizes how deep in she's gotten, it's suddenly sink or swim time for her...literally.

""Shayna tried to speak, but her throat was closed off. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps....Frank cradled her head in his lap, frantic as he looked up at the crowd. 'Is there an ambulance on the way?' "" Wedding bells are ringing for Jenna Blake's dad, and she couldn't be happier for him. His new wife, Shayna, is just the greatest. And their wedding luncheon is perfect—until the food arrives. When guests start experiencing unusual symptoms, Jenna knows something is terribly wrong. Then all too quickly, Shayna winds up paralyzed. But Shayna's not the only victim. The mysterious illness begins to sweep Jenna's college campus, leaving two students dead. Doctors suspect that this is no ordinary virus. Highly unusual and destructive, it could only be the work of human hands. While the Center for Disease Control is blanketing the campus, Jenna and the rest of the medical examiner's team scramble to put the pieces together. But the longer it takes to solve the puzzle, the more critical the situation becomes.... Because this virus is deadly—and very contagious.