Thea Kozak Books
A dynamic businesswoman, Thea Kozak is a young widow who has thrown herself into a career to overcome grief at her husband's sudden, senseless death. It's a lonely life, but slowly Thea is coming to terms with her loss and starting to rebuild her world. When Thea's younger sister Carrie is brutally murdered, Thea must once again come to grips with loss... and with a deadly puzzle. Carrie was always the baby of the family: a beautiful, blond waif living among dark giants. An adopted child, Carrie was surrounded by a loving family - but never felt truly at home. Her dearest friend was big sister Thea, who was always there to "fix things" whenever Carrie's life fell apart. But Thea's love couldn't ease Carrie's loneliness. In her twenties, Carrie became convinced that only by finding her birth parents would she find true peace. Her search for answers brought only death...and Carrie's murder has left Thea with more questions than answers. The police have no leads and everyone - especially Thea's family - seems willing to accept the murder as one of life's tragedies. But Thea can't let Carrie go unavenged. As she retraces her sister's last months, Thea confronts ugly facts that suggest she didn't know Carrie as well as she thought.
Thea Kozak is a savvy young businesswoman whose keen insights - and hard-won wisdom - help her penetrate the darkest secrets of the human heart. Thea Kozak is no stranger to death, having solved the murder of her own sister, but she thinks her days as an amateur detective are over. Or are they? Helene Streeter seems to have it all - as a perfect wife and mother and consummate business professional. But when she is brutally slaughtered outside her suburban home, friends and family are left with more questions than answers. Helene's daughter pleads with her old friend Thea Kozak to try to find the killer. Thea agrees to help, if only to comfort her friend, but soon finds herself caught up in a web of deceit and madness as she unravels the lies that seem to surround the victim. Just who was Helene Streeter?
Thea Kozak is smart, funny, and a very '90s kind of woman - someone who is carving out a lucrative career for herself while juggling all the stresses of modern life. On top of that, she's trying to maintain a long-distance relationship with Andre, the devilishly handsome Maine state trooper she met while trying to solve her sister's murder. She's got a pretty full life. And it's about to get a whole lot more complicated. Thea's mother introduces her to Julie Bass, a sweet young widow whose husband died in a horrific accident at an auto racetrack. Despite her mother's urging to "help the girl through her problems," Thea swears that this time she's not going to get involved. But when the accident turns out to be murder and Julie is arrested as the prime suspect, Thea is sucked into the search to find the killer. The portrait of the deceased isn't a pretty one: a grasping yuppie who was a liar, adulterer, and possible thief. As Thea goes from crooked rednecks to suspicious bank frauds, meddling relatives to psychotic ex-lovers, she faces some hard facts...and harder options.
Businesswoman Thea Kozak who investigates the death by drowning of a girl at a private school in New England
When the conference chairwoman turns up dead at a Hawaiian convention for educators, Thea Kozak must put off her well-deserved rest in order to keep the seminar from disintegrating and to uncover a murderer.
Thea Kozak is a woman who has prided herself on always being the strong one in a crisis. While she's usually not the one that starts the process, she seems to always be the one to clean up the messes--and she's had practice at it. She survived her husband's death and her sister's brutal murder and not only came through with her mind and heart intact, but has used that pain to help others. Thea is a tough yet tender-minded woman who--through twists of fate, some spectacular bits of bad timing, and her refusal to walk away from someone in trouble--has had her share of dead bodies and heartache cross her path. Liberty or Death is the sixth Thea Kozak mystery. Thea is as strong as ever, and she will need every bit of that strength. This trouble is not of Thea's own choosing... and it threatens everything she values. Thea is minutes away from finally marrying her long-time love Andre Lemieux--the state trooper who helped her discover the truth about her sister's death, and the one person Thea can rely on to be strong for her. But Thea is left standing at the altar, and brought horrible news of Andre's capture by forces unknown. The last place he was seen was near a small town in Maine that is a hotbed of right-wing conspiracy theorists... and lots of people with twitchy trigger fingers. Thea knows she shouldn't get involved. Let the professionals do their job. Her job, for once, is to wait... and to pray. But that doesn't sit too well with a woman who has taken pride in being in control of much of her life and who has triumphed over adversities that would make a battle-weary veteran sag. And when the other half of your heart is threatened, safety and self-preservation--and maybe even sanity--take a backseat.
Arriving to view what will hopefully be her dream home, Thea Kozak finds her real estate agent, Ginger Stevens, tied to a chair, surrounded by fiery space heaters. Just before the woman dies, she utters the indistinct words: Bobby. So long. Safe. Sorry. Then a stranger, claiming to be Ginger's boyfriend, corners Thea, demanding a package that Ginger gave to her, a package Thea never received. Determined to get justice for Ginger, Thea begins her own investigation. Ginger's colleagues know little about her, her apartment has been professionally sanitized, Ginger Stevens is the name of a child who died many years ago, and the Maine police have no idea who real-estate agent Ginger Stevens really is. But Thea is sure the two men following her know Ginger's true identity, and will stop at nothing to keep her from uncovering the truth behind the woman's dying words.
When a Mysterious Birth and Murder Occur at a Posh New England Prep School, Thea Kozak Finds Answers in SCHOOLED IN DEATH by Kate Flora --Massachusetts, North of Boston, Present Day-- For school campus crisis counselor, Thea Kozak, Mondays are the worst day of the week. So when the phone rings early in the morning, she expects bad news. What she doesn't expect is the pain laden voice of the headmaster of the highly-respected Simmons School pouring forth his dire situation. A sophomore student had given birth to a pre-mature infant, then abandoned the child claiming it was not hers because she'd never had sex. With the baby in NICU, the teenaged mother facing criminal charges and parents demanding answers, it's Thea's job to restore calm and order while gathering the facts of what actually happened. Then Heidi, the alleged mother, disappears and the body of a stranger is discovered in the campus woods, murdered. Pregnant herself, Thea now races the clock fearing the young girl will be the next victim while every discovered clue points to an impossible fact: Heidi's assertion may actually be true. Publisher's Note: Kate Flora takes readers on a breathless experience with a surprise at every turn. Fans of Janet Evanovich, Michael Connelly as well as Faith Martin and Chris Collett will not want to miss this series. "...a terrific, in-your-face, stand-up gal...Stephanie Plum and Thea Kozak have a lot to say to each other." Janet Evanovich "Kate Flora does what all the great writers do: she takes you inside unfamiliar territory and makes you feel right at home; you climb in and are along for the whole ride." Michael Connelly "I'll follow Thea Kozak anywhere. She is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today. And Kate Flora is the rare, graceful writer who pays close attention to how long it takes the body and the heart to heal." Laura Lippman THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over Schooled in Death ABOUT KATE FLORA: Kate Flora's fascination with people's criminal tendencies began in the Maine attorney general's office. Deadbeat dads, people who hurt their kids, and employers' discrimination aroused her curiosity about human behavior. The author of nineteen books and more than twenty short stories, Flora's been a finalist for the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Derringer awards. She won the Public Safety Writers Association award for nonfiction and twice won the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction. Her latest fiction is Schooled in Death, her 9th Thea Kozak mystery. Her latest nonfiction is Shots Fired: The misconceptions, misunderstandings, and myths about police shootings with retired Portland Assistant Chief Joseph K. Loughlin. Flora divides her time between Massachusetts and Maine, and between cooking and gardening and obsessive writing.
A Secretive Neighbor's Disappearance Raises Questions in Death Comes Knocking, a Thea Kozak Murder Mystery from Kate Flora. --Maine, Present Day-- Happy to finally be settling into her new home, a heavily pregnant Thea Kozak is rushing to get the baby's room finished when she's surprised by a visit from her new neighbor, Jessica, who is equally pregnant. Thrilled to meet another new mother in the neighborhood, Thea and Jessica bond over their mutual condition. But after many cups of herbal tea and cookies, Thea is puzzled by Jessica's unwillingness to talk about her past. A week later, Thea arrives at Jessica's house for a planned shopping trip to discover Jessica is gone, leaving only a trash bag of women's clothing at the end of the driveway. Returning home, there's a disturbing voice mail from Jessica: "Please, Thea. Don't worry about me. If anyone comes looking for me, you don't know me. You've never seen me. Don't tell them anything." Thea's resolve to avoid getting drawn into any more potentially dangerous adventures crumbles as she sets out to learn who Jessica is and who—or what—she's running from. Publisher's Note: Kate Flora is known for taking readers on a near breathless experience with a surprise at every turn. Fans of Janet Evanovich, Michael Connelly as well as Faith Martin and Chris Collett will not want to miss this series. "...a terrific, in-your-face, stand-up gal...Stephanie Plum and Thea Kozak have a lot to say to each other." ~Janet Evanovich "Kate Flora does what all the great writers do: she takes you inside unfamiliar territory and makes you feel right at home; you climb in and are along for the whole ride." ~Michael Connelly "I'll follow Thea Kozak anywhere. She is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today. And Kate Flora is the rare, graceful writer who pays close attention to how long it takes the body and the heart to heal." ~Laura Lippman THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over Schooled in Death Death Comes Knocking Death Sends a Message
A Newborn, a Baby Carriage, and an Ice Cream Cone Leads to a Lingering Mystery in DEATH SENDS A MESSAGE by Kate Flora —Freeport, Maine, Present Day— Independent school consultant Thea Kozak is adjusting to motherhood and enjoying maternity leave, having just purchased a hat for her newborn son, when a hysterical woman gains her attention. The woman, also a new mother, claims her baby has just been kidnapped. Determined not to get involved, Thea flags down a police officer and hands off the problem. She returns home to her husband Andre, intending to enjoy their precious weeks of parental leave. But Thea's kindness soon brings trouble to her doorstep when a police officer asks questions about her relationship with Addison Shirley, the mother of the kidnapped child, who claimed Thea was a friend before she disappeared. The couple's hopes for a peaceful respite are quickly replaced with a break-in, a stalker, and a private school crisis involving star athletes and sexual assault that only Thea can handle. Thea and Andre wrestle with the lingering mystery and competing priorities while reexamining their future…if they live to face it. Publisher's Note: Kate Flora is known for taking readers on a near breathless experience with a surprise at every turn. Fans of Sara Paretsky, Laura Lippman, Sue Grafton, and Julia Spencer-Fleming will not want to miss this series. "If you like your heroines smart, brave, tough, and exuberantly aware of the possibilities of the human heart, look no further than Thea Kozak." ~S.J. Rozan "...a terrific, in-your-face, stand-up gal...Stephanie Plum and Thea Kozak have a lot to say to each other." ~Janet Evanovich "Kate Flora does what all the great writers do: she takes you inside unfamiliar territory and makes you feel right at home; you climb in and are along for the whole ride." ~Michael Connelly "I'll follow Thea Kozak anywhere. She is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today. And Kate Flora is the rare, graceful writer who pays close attention to how long it takes the body and the heart to heal." ~Laura Lippman THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over Schooled in Death Death Comes Knocking Death Sends a Message About the Author Maine native Kate Flora's fascination with people's criminal tendencies began in the Maine attorney general's office. Deadbeat dads, people who hurt their kids, and employers' discrimination aroused her curiosity about human behavior. The author of twenty-four books and many short stories, Flora's been a finalist for the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Derringer awards. She won the Public Safety Writers Association award for nonfiction and twice won the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction. Her most recent Thea Kozak mystery is Death Sends a Message; her most recent Joe Burgess is A World of Deceit. Her crime story collection is Careful What You Wish For: Stories of revenge, retribution, and the world made right. Flora is a founding member of the New England Crime Bake and the Maine Crime Wave and runs the blog Maine Crime Writers. Flora's nonfiction focuses on aspects of the public safety officers' experience. She divides her time between Massachusetts and Maine, where she gardens and cooks and watches the clouds when she's not imagining her character's dark deeds. She occasionally swims in the shark-filled sea. She's been married for decades to an excellent man. Her sons edit films and hang out in research labs.