Part of Series

Mattie Winston Mystery

Series · 12 books

By Annelise Ryan

A medical examiner is pulled into a case of human trafficking in this hard-boiled mystery by the USA Today –bestselling author of Dead Ringer . Before medicolegal death investigator Mattie can smooth out the unexpected chaos of her new home, new marriage, and new family, duty calls. At the local ER, a battered and bruised teenage girl has been brought in by a mysterious man who claimed she’d fallen out of a car. The staff is suspicious, but while they attend to the teenager, the unidentified man slips out. Then the girl dies, but not before informing social worker Hildy Schneider that the man had her little sister as well. Mattie’s exam reveals forensic evidence of long-term IV drug use and physical abuse, findings consistent with Hildy’s suspicion that the girl was a victim of human trafficking. They are able to confirm her identity as a teen who went missing six months ago, along with her sister—facts that are deeply unsettling to Mattie who now shares a home with her husband’s teenaged daughter. Working closely with Hildy and Sorenson homicide detectives, including her husband Steve Hurley, Mattie must delve into a dark underworld to stop the ruthless trafficking of human lives—before it's too late for another young girl . . . Praise for Annelise Ryan and her Mattie Winston series “Has it suspense, laughter, a spicy dash of romance.”— New York Times –bestselling author Tess Gerritsen “[Ryan] smoothly blends humor, distinctive characters, and authentic forensic detail.”— Publishers Weekly “The forensic details will interest Patricia Cornwell readers . . .while the often slapstick humor and the blossoming romance between Mattie and Hurley will draw Evanovich fans.”— Bookl

Avg Rating

4.09

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Author

Annelise Ryan

Author · 18 books

Annelise Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of the Monster Hunter Mysteries featuring cryptozoologist and bookstore owner, Morgan Carter, and the Mattie Winston mystery series, featuring a wryly cynical nurse-turned-coroner. She has always believed laughter really is the best medicine, and with the Mattie Winston series she hoped to "medicate" the masses. She also believes in a good scare every once in a while, hence the Monster Hunter mysteries, the first of which, A Death in Door County, came out in September of 2022. The second in that series, Death in the Dark Woods, comes out in December 2023. Annelise Ryan is a pseudonym for author Beth Amos. There were several reasons why she decided to use a pseudonym, not the least of which was that her ER patients might not have been comfortable knowing she spent her spare time thinking up clever ways to kill people. She is also the author of the Mack's Bar Mystery series written as Allyson K. Abbott. Ryan is a retired emergency room RN living in Wisconsin.