In a world of covert codes, two CIA operatives must infiltrate a New York publishing house, where every word on the page could be a weapon. Brandon Hale, a seasoned CIA case officer, contemplates walking away from the covert world of espionage to embark on a quieter path in publishing. But his plan takes an abrupt turn when a critical source within the Labyrinth terrorist organization is assassinated, leaving behind a cryptic message about a New York publishing house. Rather than submitting his resignation, Brandon finds himself going undercover at Monroe Publishing to stop the next terrorist strike against the US. Kimber Seidel, a CIA finance officer with secret aspirations of becoming a novelist, enjoys a serendipitous encounter with a handsome book lover like herself on her way home from London. Though she cannot reveal her true employment to her new friend, Brandon Hale, she can’t deny the instant spark that ignites between them. When Kimber’s manuscript is unexpectedly shopped to Monroe Publishing as a pawn in the CIA’s counterterrorism plot, Kimber must navigate the intersection of her literary dreams and her covert life as well as her deepening connection with Brandon. Though each decoded message is leading Brandon and Kimber closer to the truth, it is also leading them into the line of fire, where the stakes are higher than anyone ever imagined.

From the queen of clean romantic suspense—one terrified witness, one unsuspecting Broadway playwright, and a killer who won’t stop until the final curtain falls. When Tessa Seidel delivers costumes to a Manhattan television studio late at night, she expects an empty set—not a murder scene. After stumbling upon a woman’s body and nearly being attacked by a man fleeing the scene, Tessa escapes with no idea who to trust—and a fear that the killer knows who she is. Desperate, she runs to a friend’s beach house in the Hamptons, where Broadway playwright Parker Sawyer is retreating to finish his next script. But he knows danger when he sees it and offers to shelter Tessa, even when they find out she is being accused of committing the murder. Back in Manhattan, CIA operatives Kimber Seidel and Brandon Hale realize Tessa is being framed. But with a powerful suspect manipulating the investigation, clearing Tessa’s name won’t be easy. If they can’t unravel the truth in time, Tessa won’t just be the prime suspect—she’ll be the next victim.