Elizabeth Heiter | The five suspense novels I'm loving right now

Writers all get their start as avid readers, and most of us never stop devouring books. One of the coolest benefits of being an author is getting the inside scoop about upcoming books. So, I want to share with you some of the books that have just released within the past month – or are coming soon – that I’ve already read and loved, or can’t wait to get my hands on!

Here are those books – and a secret look behind the scenes from each author! (Make sure you read to the bottom to see how you can win signed copies of two of these fabulous books now!)

BREAKING POINT by Allison Brennan

What it’s about: Lucy Kincaid is on the hot-seat with her new boss, but that won’t stop her from helping her friend JT Caruso find his sister, who goes missing while working undercover in a human trafficking organization.

Go behind the scenes: Breaking Point is a Lucy Kincaid book, but former cop Bella Caruso kicks off the book and I immediately fell in love with her. Bella is both smart and dangerous, and is willing to take any risk to protect the most innocent in society. While researching her character, I read a lot about human trafficking and the underaged sex trade. I read heartbreaking stories about girls who ran away from home and then were forced to prostitute themselves; girls who were sold by relatives; girls who were kidnapped. Once you are “broken” it’s very hard to escape. And these weren’t stories in other countries—they were all stories that came from America. But I didn’t want BREAKING POINT to just be about the sex trade. I wanted it to be about survivors and fighters. And that is Bella Caruso. She had been sold by her father to a pimp and was moved from city to city for thirteen months before she was rescued. Who she has become and why interested me more than anything else in this book; her journey in BREAKING POINT was a pivotal turning point for her. But rest assured: Sean, Lucy and the rest of the Rogan-Caruso-Kincaid team work together to find Bella … and so much more!

Release date: Available now!

TOUCH OF RED by Laura Griffin

What it’s about: TOUCH OF RED opens with CSI Brooke Porter and police detective Sean Byrne at a murder scene. After piecing together some enigmatic clues, Brooke realizes that someone was inside the house and witnesses the murder—but that person has somehow vanished. Brooke and Sean join forces to unravel the strange case and track down the missing witness.

Go behind the scenes: I had so much fun writing Brooke. Not only was it fun to write her love story with Sean, but I also loved writing all about her work as a CSI. I’ve always been fascinated by the ins and outs of forensic science, so I enjoy talking to people in the field and hearing about new techniques. Brooke’s specialty is fingerprint identification, and her expertise helps solve the case. Of course, Sean’s detective skills play a role, too, but Brooke is really the driving force behind the story. And while the mystery is unfolding, their romance is unfolding, too, so it’s really two stories happening at once.

Release date: Available now!

THE GONE WORLD by Tom Sweterlitsch

What it’s about: THE GONE WORLD is a time travel thriller about NCIS special Agent Shannon Moss as she fights to prevent the end of mankind.

Go behind the scenes: The initial idea for this book came from my brother-in-law, who is a special agent with NCIS. I had been thinking of writing a time travel novel, and so one afternoon when we were having lunch together, I asked him how time travel might affect his job as a criminal investigator. He gave a fascinating answer. He said that homicides are often committed by people who know their victims personally, and many times the investigations conclude when either the killer confesses or someone close to the crime tells the investigator what happened. Every so often, however, for various reasons, people close to the crime won’t talk. He speculated that it would be interesting if an investigator could go forward in time, to talk to the witnesses years in the future, when their emotions have cooled and their relationships have changed, and then bring back to the present whatever information they had gathered. I immediately thought this was a perfect idea for a novel because it offers a way of exploring how characters and their relationships to one another change over time.

Release date: Available now!

JAR OF HEARTS by Jennifer Hillier

What it’s about: A successful Seattle executive is sent to prison when it’s discovered she was involved in the death of her best friend, who went missing when they were only sixteen.

Go behind the scenes: I’ve long been fascinated with Karla Homolka, the former wife of serial killer Paul Bernardo, who murdered several teenage girls in the Toronto area back in the 1990s. At that time, the victims were my age, and their horrific deaths were all we could talk about in high school. Karla agreed to a plea deal in exchange for her testimony against Paul. During the highly publcizied trial, it was discovered that her role in her husband’s crimes was much more significant than anyone initially realized. In 2005, Karla was released from prison after serving her full twelve-year sentence. She moved to a different country, and nothing was heard about her for years, until a reporter tracked her down. Karla had gotten married again. And not only that, she'd gone on to have children of her own. And now she’s back in Canada, living in the suburbs with her family. Karla and Paul inspired my first book, CREEP, but after reading how Karla had dared to move on with her life, there was so much I wanted to explore. What happens when you go prison for violent crimes - that everybody knows you committed - and then get released? Is it even possible to lead a normal life? Do you even want to? And will anyone let you? These are the questions that sparked JAR OF HEARTS.

Release date: Arrives June 12, but you can pre-order now!

IN THE VINES by Shannon Kirk

What it’s about: IN THE VINES is about a young, grieving woman who visits her reclusive aunt, only to uncover deadly secrets.

Go behind the scenes: In the Vines is set on Massachusetts' Cape Ann, within two very wealthy, blue blood, old money families, the Pentecosts and Vandonbeers. Given the mysteriousness of such old money families, we can all imagine multitudes of dark secrets they might hold. But of all the secrets, the one I kept coming back to, the one that resonates with all socioeconomic groups, is a torrid affair and the many ripples that extend from that. When you add in madness and money, such a secret can spin out of control--and such is the driving plot of In the Vines. In building on how such a secret would play out within the Pentecost and Vandonbeer households, I wanted to convey a cataclysm between external life, what we tell others, and internal life, what we tell ourselves, what our faith is, what we believe. This brought in themes of religion and philosophy, the former of which has rich, historical roots in New England. And so, the novel I hope conveys not just the thriller plot, but also my impression of the atmosphere of New England and intangible feelings I have had growing up and living here. Many scenes incorporate my impression of the natural landscape, and you might say, nature itself is one of the supporting characters. Research for this book involved many trips to state parks in the New Hampshire and Massachusetts coastlines.

Release date: Arrives July 17, but you can pre-order now!

Leave a comment about what books you’re most looking forward to this year for a chance to win a signed copy of BREAKING POINT by Allison Brennan and a signed copy of TOUCH OF RED by Laura Griffin!

About Elizabeth Heiter

Critically acclaimed and award-winning author ELIZABETH HEITER likes her suspense to feature strong heroines, chilling villains, psychological twists, and a little bit (or a lot!) of romance. Her research has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder investigations, and onto the FBI Academy’s shooting range. Her novels have been published in more than a dozen countries and translated into eight languages; they've also been shortlisted for the Daphne Du Maurier award, the National Readers' Choice award and the Booksellers' Best award and won the RT Reviewers' Choice award.

The heroine of Elizabeth's Profiler novels was called "one of the most amazing characters created in print" by Fresh Fiction. Her novels have received praise from Lee Child, J.T. Ellison, Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, R.L. Stine, Allison Brennan, Laura Griffin, Suzanne Brockmann, Hank Phillippi Ryan and Zoë Sharp.

The Profiler | Lawmen | Bullets and Brawn

WEBSITE | GOODREADS | TWITTER | FACEBOOK