Pen Pals and Serial Killers

Series · 5 books · 2016-2019

By Jo Michaels

Books in series

Emancipation

2016

Tobias Butler has been sitting on death row since being sentenced for a gruesome murder in 2007. Bored out of his mind, he decided to apply to the online penpal program in 2012. It's a pleasant distraction—nothing more, nothing less—for three years, until he's contacted by a beautiful, smart young lawyer named Jess. She's convinced he's innocent and wants to see him freed. As they organize their attack on the judicial system, he wonders how she plans to get his conviction overturned—because he's guilty, and he knows it. Jess is desperate to release him—and he's desperate to feel his hands squeeze the life out of her once she does. \\Bonus read: "Dark Bishop Part One - Pawn" courtesy of Casey L. Bond and Rachael Brownell Plus, an exciting preview of Incarcerated by Inger Iversen

Provocation

2018

Doctor Victoria Ward has been killing men for over thirty years. Her victims all have one thing in common: they’re abusive. Righteousness is a close companion—it helps her sleep at night—and she holds the virtue closely as she defends the innocent, upholding the law when it won’t rise to protect those who need it most. When she meets a young girl named Kelly, and follows her down a twisted path of deception, Doc Ward finds herself face-to-face with a ghost from her past. Never before has she wavered in her resolve—but can she defend another against someone she loves? \\\*NOTE: This is a stand-alone novel in a series with crossover characters and may be read independently of the other books.

Intensification

2018

Detective Hank Reynolds has just been handed the case of a lifetime. Another reality TV star has gone missing, and it’s up to the Atlanta police department to find her before it’s too late. While he’s digging around, he discovers there have been nearly twenty similar kidnappings in the surrounding areas over the last twenty years, and while trying to find out more—and a witness that’s still alive—he’s dragged into a past he wishes he could erase. His dreams become nightmares about the women, and his sanity unravels. Even his eyes begin to play tricks on him, but no hallucinations are as devious as the antics of the killer—who’s always one breath away—waiting for the chance to strike again.

Innocent

2019

I'm as innocent as a newborn baby. I swear. I didn't kill those men. They threw me in a mental hospital to cover up the real killer's crimes. I have no idea why, but I have theories. Let me tell you my story so you can decide if I'm guilty or innocent.

Manipulation

2019

What would cause a woman to brutally murder a man she loves? January hits the big time when she marries millionaire Warren Vanderhorn. With looks, money, and charisma, he's the ideal GQ cover guy. When he ends up murdered, all signs point to her as the perpetrator. As she uncovers some of Warren's long-hidden secrets, suspects start popping out of the woodwork, and her own history with violence starts making her question herself. People she thinks she knows—and trusts—turn out to be liars who keep things from her. Everyone around her suddenly has a reason to want Warren dead, but she's the only one who was there that night. Now, she's questioning everything, even her own sanity, as her life unravels.

Author

Jo Michaels

Author · 10 books

Jo Michaels loves writing novels that make readers gasp in horror, surprise, and disbelief. While her browser search history has probably landed her on a list somewhere, she still dives into every plot with gusto, hoping "the man" will realize she's a writer and not a psychopath about to go on a rampage. Her favorite pastimes are reading, watching Investigation Discovery, and helping other authors realize their true potential through mentoring. She's penned the award-winning Pen Pals and Serial Killers series and the best-selling educational book for children, Writing Prompts for Kids, which has rocketed the kids that use it into several awards of their own. Most of Jo's books feature the places she's lived: Louisiana, Tennessee, and Georgia. That's given her a special amount of insight to what makes those locations tick. Her works are immersive and twisty, and she wouldn't want it any other way.