Pinnacle Peak Books

A dead partner and murdered client are more than young attorney Joe McGuinness bargained for when he signed on at one of the most prestigious law firms in Pinnacle Peak, Arizona. The ink on Joe’s bar license is barely dry when the death of his firm’s senior partner puts the young lawyer’s job in jeopardy. Soon much more is at stake than Joe’s legal career. On the night of his first date with Mia Ortiz, personal assistant to one of the firm’s wealthiest clients, the young couple stumble upon a grisly murder scene: Mia’s boss, Cordelia Barrett, and her son sprawled in a pool of blood. After Mia is arrested for murder, Joe must unravel a web of secrets to discover who is using killings to claim the rights of heir apparent.

Hannah Dain, a skilled business lawyer, is on the verge of leaving her family’s law firm for a better job. But her plan is derailed when a real estate deal she’s put together suddenly goes bad. Two million dollars of investors’ money have disappeared. If the mistake was Hannah’s, her firm is on the hook for the whole amount. Career on the line, Hannah decides to investigate, despite a disapproving father and antagonistic older sister. Having long ago abandoned efforts to heal the family rift, Hannah now enjoys her separate existence, whether drafting a complex IPO or bicycling miles through the hot Arizona desert. Although she exonerates the firm, a car bomb and two murders thwart the police’s identification of the culprit behind the scheme. At work on a new deal, Hannah is assisted by Cooper Smith, the firm’s computer consultant and her former lover. Compelled to dig deep for key information, Hannah uncovers a greater threat all too close to home. Only by exposing long-buried family secrets can she save her reputation, her law firm—and her life.

After her first attempt at breaking and entering, business attorney Hannah Dain heads for the cliffs of Pinnacle Peak, Arizona, to rock climb–and winds up in the middle of an anti-Indian protest turned violent. She escapes, but makes an enemy. This is the least of her worries, as a recent shocking family revelation sends her on a hunt for someone who has been gone for almost thirty years–someone who may not want to be found. Then Hannah meets Tony Soto. From the moment he saves her from a climbing mishap, Hannah is beguiled by the Native American/Latino who is passionately committed to the betterment of his tribe. What becomes a near–fatal attraction jeopardizes Hannah’s relationship with her boyfriend, Cooper Smith, and enmeshes her in a kidnapping tied to a complex securities fraud. Is Tony an innocent victim, or is he part of an elaborate financial hoax where more than money is at stake? When murder ratchets up the ante, only by taking a gutsy chance can Hannah unravel the scheme and find the key to the mystery of her past.

Hannah is settling back into her law practice at the family firm, trying not to think too much about Cooper Smith, the boyfriend she’s dumped—for the second time. Hard to do when half-sister Shelby, fresh from rehab, is deeply in love, or at least lust, with a local firefighter. A trip to an abandoned uranium mine turns into a daring lake rescue of a mysterious woman. Then the sisters’ already rocky relationship becomes bumpier. Hannah is appointed lead counsel in Shelby’s toxic tort case on behalf of the local Indian tribe—a case, Hannah discovers, that some people will do anything to keep out of the courtroom. The arrival of a recently discovered family member on Hannah’s doorstep further jeopardizes her relationship with Shelby. Hannah’s new friend, Jerry Dan Kovacs, only makes things more complicated. Jerry Dan entangles Hannah in a whirlwind of events–jumping into a lake to prevent a drowning, a discovery of a hidden map, a bungled attempt at corporate espionage–eventually pulling her into a treasure hunt that may be tied to a complex fraud. Assault and murder ratchet up the ante, and soon Hannah is in such deep water, not even her trusty kayak can keep her afloat. With careers and lives on the line, Hannah must unravel the schemes before it is too late.