Just your average Pittsburgh soccer mom, baking brownies and carrying a loaded forty-caliber Glock... Lucille Teresa Guardino. A woman of many identities. Lucille to her doting mother, Lulu to her devoted husband, Mom to her pre-teen daughter, Lucy to her friends, LT to her co-workers, and Supervisory Special Agent Guardino to the criminals she captures for the FBI's Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement squad. A loving mom and wife, dutiful daughter, consummate professional, and kick-ass federal agent, Lucy is living the perfect life. Until the day she comes up against a predator more vicious and cunning than any she's ever tackled before, one who forces Lucy to choose between the life of the young victim she is fighting to save and her own daughter's....and Lucy's dream life is shattered.

Just your average Pittsburgh soccer mom, baking brownies and carrying a loaded forty-caliber Glock... Until recently Supervisory Special Agent Lucy Guardino was a shining star in the FBI's roster. But after killing a man and disobeying orders, Lucy's been sidelined, chained to her desk. When a mysterious letter arrives hinting that, thanks to Lucy, the wrong man was blamed for a string of serial rapes, kidnappings, and killings four years ago, Lucy jumps at the chance to re-open the case—despite orders to leave well enough alone. Her unofficial investigation takes her back to the small town that thrust her into the spotlight four years ago when she saved the killer's last victims—before the killer took his own life and the life of one final victim, a mother who left a ten year old son and loving husband behind. What Lucy doesn't know is that what happened four years ago was all a lie, fueled by sacrifice and betrayal, designed to shield the real killer. With the lives of her family, a group of innocent children, and the future of one desperate boy at risk, Lucy races to stop an innocent from killing and a killer from butchering more innocents.

Lucy’s back! In a story ripped from the headlines, the violence is the worst she’s ever seen, the stakes are higher than ever, and then…things get personal. It’s a vicious, horrific crime: the brutal killing of a teenaged girl. When Pittsburgh detectives call FBI Supervisory Special Agent Lucy Guardino to the scene, their focus is on who and why? Was it the girl’s Afghan father striving to regain his honor after she became too Westernized? Her Jewish boyfriend? Someone from Afghanistan settling an old grudge? Or one of the many drug cartels the father helped the DEA bring down seeking revenge? Former Marine Sergeant Andre Stone has been home a month, but he has yet to leave the safe haven of his grandmother’s house–other than to go to his appointments at the VA’s burn clinic. Andre’s disfiguring physical scars are the least of his worries. The emotional wounds of seeing his men massacred in a DEA raid gone horribly wrong have left him a walking dead man, numb to anything. All he can think about is revenge. On Rashid Raziq, the man behind the raid. When Andre is offered a chance at vengeance, the only question left is: How far will he go to get it? The answers seem clear when Pittsburgh becomes engulfed in flames as a violent narcoterrorist turns the city into a kill zone…But in the dark of night, surrounded by men intent on destroying the truth, Lucy and Andre both learn that secrets hide in shadows.

As head of the FBI’s Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Squad, Agent Lucy Guardino has made a name for herself bringing the lowest of lowlifes to justice. Rapists, serial killers, pedophiles—she’s faced them all down with her signature grit and determination. But today is different. Because the man who has taken her prisoner has promised Lucy three things: that before this day is over, she will be dead; that someone in her family will also die; and that he always wins. Trapped inside her worst nightmare, Lucy faces a ruthless killer as he plays Russian roulette with the lives of those she loves. Wounded and unarmed, how can Lucy defeat a psychopath who doesn’t play by any rules? After Shock is a heart-pounding, lightning-paced thrill ride that will leave readers breathless as they root for the ultimate superheroine next door.

59 days ago FBI Special Agent Lucy Guardino had a perfect life…and almost lost it all. There comes a time in every hero’s life when they fall harder and father than ever before and they face a choice that changes everything: to give up or claw their way back again. Lucy thought she’d made her choice two months ago when she sacrificed everything to save her family, but now she has to decide whether or not she can save herself… When honor, duty, and family collide…who would you save?

Vacations can be deadly… FBI Supervisory Special Agent Lucy Guardino is ready for a well-deserved break from chasing the worst of the worst. She’s hunted serial killers, violent child predators, and vicious psychopaths but nothing has prepared her for spring break alone with her teenaged daughter in a secluded beach resort in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. When Megan befriends a local boy who is accused of a brutal crime, it’s up to Lucy to soothe the ruffled egos of the well intentioned but ill equipped local police, prevent Megan from playing amateur sleuth, and track a cunning killer before Megan or her friend become the next victim. BAD BREAK is the sixth novel in the Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers series.

NEW!From New York Times Bestselling Author CJ Lyons: Former FBI Special Agent Lucy Guardino faces what may be her greatest challenge: turning forty. It’s been some birthday, filled with black balloons and gag gifts, a visit to her surgeon who isn’t happy with the way her leg has healed and suggests amputation as an option “before she gets too old,” and now a missed message from an old friend, a sheriff in a remote region of Idaho’s Bitterroot mountains, who needs her help. Lucy calls back only to learn he’s missing, presumed dead. Was it an accident? Suicide? Murder? The grieving widow and stunned community aren’t sure what the truth is. Accompanied by her husband, Nick, and armed only with her intuition, Lucy journeys into the wilderness to find her friend and solve the mystery. At least that’s the plan. Until Nick ends up in the crosshairs of a killer more cunning and devious than any Lucy has faced before. But what if she is too old, grown too slow, no longer has what it takes to bring down a killer? Will Nick pay the ultimate price for Lucy’s relentless quest for the truth? Join the millions of readers who've fallen for CJ’s Thrillers with Heart and grab your copy of BITTER TRUTH today! BITTER TRUTH is the eleventh Lucy Guardino novel, but they can be read out of order. If you enjoy captivating suspense, intelligent storytelling, strong and vulnerable characters, and a freight-train pace, then you'll love this adrenaline rush of a heart-pounding thriller from "a master of the genre." Want to read Book #1, SNAKE SKIN for FREE? Sign up for CJ’s Thrillers with Heart newsletter at CJLyons. net and receive your copy of SNAKE SKIN! Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers in order: SNAKE SKIN BLOOD STAINED KILL ZONE (a Suspense Magazine Best Novel of the Year) AFTER SHOCK: a Lucy Guardino novella HARD FALL (Thriller Award Winner) BAD BREAK: a Lucy Guardino novella Beacon Falls Mysteries featuring Lucy Guardino: LAST LIGHT DEVIL SMOKE OPEN GRAVE GONE DARK BITTER TRUTH LESSER EVIL, coming soon! Praise for CJ Lyons’ Thrillers with Heart: "A high stakes adventure with dire consequences." ~New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry "A compelling new voice in thriller writing…I love how the characters come alive on every page." ~New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver "Everything a great thriller should be—action packed, authentic, and intense." ~#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child "Highly engaging characters, heart-stopping scenes…one great rollercoaster ride that will not be stopping anytime soon." ~Bookreporter "Storylines as hypnotic as the characters are magnetic...(Lyons) delights and satisfies." ~National Examiner 5 out of 5 stars: “CJ Lyons imparts such realism, it is hard not to become emotionally invested. Intense. Edgy. Believable. Highly recommend!” ~Best Fiction Books on SNAKE SKIN TOP PICK! 4 1/2 Stars: Combine Dirty Harry with a loving wife and mother and you might end up with Lucy Guardino. You won’t be able to put this one down. ~RT Book Reviews on SNAKE SKIN “An action packed thriller from page one! An amazing fast paced story with characters that jump off the page and capture your heart.