Matthew S. Cox

Max versus the vampires. The final showdown. The third and final book in the "Four Elements" trilogy. As a private investigator in Shadow Pines, Max Long had no shortage of missing person cases. Unfortunately, they all ended the same way-with dead bodies. Whenever someone vanished, the official cause always said the same thing: animal attack. Shadow Pines bristled with paranormal rumors and wild conspiracy theories. However, the truth passed among residents in wordless stares or cryptic remarks that made sense only to those who knew what really happened: vampires made the scenic mountain town their personal feeding ground. Nature abhorred a vacuum, but it also sought balance. When someone dear to Max becomes a missing person case, he faces the most harrowing truth of his life: Nature gave him the powers of the elements for a reason. Starting a war with vampires could cost him more than his life, but he's the town's only chance at survival.

It started with the insects. The mass die-offs had been a warning unheeded. Before society realized the danger, the Earth had inexorably begun a transformation into a place where life could not survive. A small group found shelter in the Arc, an underground refuge safe from the toxins ravaging the surface. After centuries of darkness, humanity's second chance is running out-and Raven Wilder knows it. Her job fixing the machinery in the Arc makes her aware of how close everything is to breaking down. When the systems fail, the last survivors of the human race will suffocate in the tunnels meant to protect them from the deadly air outside-starting with the most vulnerable. Unfortunately, in an example of history repeating itself, those in charge dismiss her concerns. When her six-year-old begins showing signs of oxygen deprivation, Raven refuses to go quietly into oblivion. She will break every rule to keep her daughter alive.

Second in the bestselling "Four Elements" trilogy of vampire thrillers Max Long enjoyed a pleasant, if secluded, life in the small mountain town of Shadow Pines. Things had been quiet-until he discovered the elements obeyed him. As if learning vampires truly existed didn't shock him to his core already, Max grapples with the reality that he's been given real magic. He has the power of all four elements at his fingertips. They say every good private eye story starts with a crying girl walking through the door. Crystal hadn't been the first upset woman to ask him for help, not in a town with a murder rate far worse than any big city. Unfortunately, he'd made the biggest mistake of all... falling in love. As if becoming romantically entangled with a client didn't complicate matters enough, he'd fallen for a half-succubus. When a group of senior citizens on a day trip go missing, Max suspects the local vampires have stopped caring about subtlety. People who rock the boat in Shadow Pines tend to disappear painfully, but if he doesn't start making waves soon, his beloved home town will become nothing more than a graveyard.

Kelly Donovan wants to save the Earth from aliens, but her plan has a serious snag-she needs to do it before bedtime. It's been a few weeks since the Nolmek scattered giant crystals around the world that unintentionally gave some people super powers. They also nearly eliminated war and shared technology to solve famine, drought, and pollution, so pretty much everyone loves them. Alas, the aliens didn't visit Earth purely out of kindness. They needed a primitive species to enslave. Kelly discovers they're speeding up their plans, already abducting people from the super-prison right out from under the cops' noses, the same prison her mad-scientist father is stuck in. She's desperate to protect him, but unfortunately, no one is willing to believe the Nolmek could be bad guys. Worse, they know she's on to them. If she can't find proof of the aliens' plan, stop the invasion, and be in bed before nine, she faces worse than the enslavement of humanity-she'll be grounded.

Sarah Wright has gone through a lifetime of mess in a mere five months, but her most difficult challenge yet is making it through Thanksgiving without spilling blood. It isn't only her extended family tempting her to sprout claws. A vampire hunter has arrived in Seattle, his sights set on Professor Heath. Worse, the hunter seems like a relatively nice guy. Dedicating one's entire life to destroying undead sounds like a perfectly reasonable response to witnessing a vampire kill your parents, right? She doesn't believe her mild professor used to be a bloodthirsty mass-murderer, nor does she want to straight-up kill a living man for merely existing. Her indecision and silence backfires. One of the local vampire elders, still fuming over Sarah's decision to remain with her mortal family, seizes the chance to back her into a political corner: If Sarah doesn't kill the hunter, she'll bear the responsibility for anyone he destroys

Ten months after civilization burned in a rain of nuclear fire, Harper Cody faces a situation scarier than shooting bad guys-having hope. The people of Evergreen try their best to cling to the modern world, but life inexorably slides toward a society resembling the Wild West. With each passing week, supplies of modern goods dry up, forcing people to adapt, improvise, and re-learn old ways of doing things. Harper's feelings for Logan slip into frightening territory, but at least her little sister appears to have coped with her trauma. Madison doesn't even grumble about having to work on the farm over summer break. But the war isn't done with her yet. Right as Harper begins to hope the future might not be so bad, the nuclear wasteland proves even the most innocent looking things can kill her.

Mamoru Saitō was well suited for life as a samurai of Matsushita Electronics Corporation, except for one thing-his conscience. In 2418, Japan has reinvented itself as an anachronism of feudalism and high technology. Corporations govern entire prefectures, each ruled by a CEO wielding the authority of a warlord. Mamoru's supernatural ability to embody machines and change software at a thought makes him a coveted weapon in an endless cyberspace war. Ever with the sense he does not belong, he serves without question until an outsider wrests him from his master's grip, forcing him to flee Japan. Now a ronin, his sense of honor compels him to exact revenge upon the person responsible for his disgrace. His search reunites him with his past and brings acceptance that he is one of a handful of rare, potent psionics who call themselves The Awakened. Caught between two factions vying to control him, Mamoru realizes that family is all he truly wanted, but his epiphany may have come too late.

Althea struggles to adapt to an unexpected twist in her life-not being kidnapped in six whole months. The strange police from the faraway city claim the abilities she thought of as magic are really 'psionics, ' and say she is far stronger than anyone they have ever seen. Despite their curiosity, they let her remain in the Badlands to protect her from an evil they call corporations. Of course, Althea knows all too well how powerful her healing gift is. For most of her life, she'd been a prize taken in raids. Tribes have killed to own her, and she let them. But the Prophet is done being passive. Having a family changes everything. No longer afraid to use her powers to protect herself, Althea refuses to be taken again... even when corporate mercenaries find her

Book 3 in the bestselling "Samantha Moon Origins" series Whoever heard of a vampire with a day job? It's been a few months since Samantha Moon's not-quite-storybook life took a sudden and tragic turn, sending her kicking and screaming into undeath. Despite clear evidence of a deeper, supernatural reality, she tries to cling as much as possible to the routine she knows even as her marriage and career disintegrate before her eyes. When her procedural suspension from HUD ends surprisingly without termination, she accepts reinstatement against her better judgment. Unfortunately, it soon becomes abundantly clear that she's become highly incompatible with early mornings. What's a vampire to do when she has bills to pay and kids to feed? Sam makes a go of private investigation, but clients are scarce-until she finds one no other PI dares touch: a woman who believes something paranormal is responsible for her son's disappearance.

Two weeks after Maya tried to save the world, little has changed. Little, except for a nine-year-old's building fear that her ex-mother's revenge waits around every corner. When her face appeared on every still-working video monitor along the Eastern Seaboard, streaming her plea and her evidence all over the planet, she thought they'd won. Alas, her fairy tale dream died. The Authority didn't become noble overnight. Her ex-mother didn't face punishment for her crimes. The lack of any retribution, or even any effort on the part of the Brigade to hide her, only fans the flames of her worry. To make matters worse, her best friend Sarah is hiding a painful secret. Maya's fears come to fruition in the middle of the night. In a hail of gunfire, she and Sarah flee into the dangerous streets of the Habitation District, rife with dosers, street gangs, corrupt Authority officers, chased by an unknown enemy worse than Ascendant. They don't want to kidnap her―they want her dead.

Sarah Wright faces many challenges typical to any college student: tons of work, second-guessing her major, and trying to find time between classes to drink blood. She's adjusted to her new vampiric self. It's fun being immortal, despite a mostly nocturnal schedule cutting into her time for friends and family. Though, little about her reality is routine. Her little sister needs magical training so she doesn't accidentally summon the pom-pom of destruction. Compared to that, a minor demon living in her brother's room isn't such a big deal... and her dad still insists on watching Eighties' movies. Oh, did I mention her sire is a bit on the dodgy side? A major drawback to undeath is the tendency for problems to follow bloodlines. When Dalton steps in it-again-a gang of vampires from California think Sarah shares responsibility. She doesn't want to be involved, but there's one giant problem: They aren't bound to honor the elder's decree that protects her family

Book 3 in the bestselling Maddy Wimsey, Witch Detective series Cops sometimes rely on hunches to guide them, but Detective Maddy Wimsey takes it a step further: magic. August opens with the bad omen of a suicide that she suspects is more than it appears. However, before she can even start to find evidence that won't get her a date with a shrink, an even worse case walks in the door. A local nurse claims she suspects one of her co-workers of murdering patients. Unfortunately, the woman has even less evidence than Maddy's belief that a spirit is throwing people off tall buildings. However, something about the story rings too true to brush aside. Believing her hunch is really the Universe nudging her to make things right, Maddy launches an investigation. One by one, she uncovers cases of abrupt patient deaths at multiple hospitals, the work of more than one killer. The victims have one thing in common: all had been hospitalized for terminal illnesses, leading her to suspect the murderers believe themselves agents of mercy. Her theory seems plausible... until she discovers a victim who should have survived.

Eight months ago, the skies burned. Harper Cody's life in the town of Evergreen is far from the comfortable suburban existence she enjoyed growing up. The urge to survive hardens all, even the sweetest girl in her class. Safety is difficult to find, but she makes her own with Dad's shotgun. The approach of her eighteenth birthday rips open the emotional scab she'd built over her most painful memories. She mourns the ashes of a future that can no longer be, believing the world has no place for happiness. Despite her sorrow, she remains determined to protect her little sister and two adopted siblings. Nuclear autumn threatens the crops, lake fish carry the threat of radiation, and the town's canned goods are nearly gone. Food is scarce, but the people of Evergreen just might make it if luck is with them. Unfortunately, they aren't the only ones willing to kill for survival, and a large, verdant farm makes for a tempting target. School may be a thing of the past for Harper, but she's learning that the hardest part of nuclear war is surviving it.

Saving the world isn't easy. It's even harder when you're only nine. Kelly Donovan used to be a nobody. Well, a smart nobody. Skipping ahead a year in school made her the smallest kid in fifth grade and a target for bullies in search of an easy mark. She tried to follow her father's advice and ignore them, but it didn't do any good. Escaping into her favorite comic books at least helped her through the day. Who needs friends anyway? Sometimes, dreams find a way to come true, even if nobody asked them to. Aliens bombard the Earth with gigantic glowing red crystals to restore its failing magnetic field. Soon after the seemingly benevolent invasion, Kelly discovers her wildest, happiest fantasy come to life: she has superpowers, along with roughly two percent of the population. Her strong good nature leads her to adopt the heroic persona of bergirl. However, she has one major problem... Her dad's turning into a mad scientist. It's difficult to be a hero, especially when your father's a bad guy.

Secrets, guilt, and shame―Annabelle Morgan has them in droves. Fortunately, only one can kill her. Anna's gift, psionic control over electricity, goes haywire in moments of high emotion. One such episode leaves her homeless at twelve after her father's "accidental" death. Unfortunately, in Britain, unregistered psionics are against the law. After a close call with government agents, she turns to Zoom―a powerful hallucinogenic-to hide her spontaneous outbursts. Her safety blanket becomes a devouring pit. In 2413 London, Anna lives low, unable to even keep work as an exotic dancer and prostitute. Not until her pimp fires her for being too high does she realize how lost she is. When a new kid joins her circle of vagrants, Anna is determined not to let the girl make the same mistakes she did. Attempting to break her Zoom habit, she takes a job from her old Syndicate handler. It ends on shaky ground, but she finds Doctor James Mardling, a university professor looking for people just like her-unusually powerful psionics. He offers the one thing she has always longed for: dignity. His price, however, may be too much to pay.

First in the "Four Elements" series of supernatural mysteries, by #1 bestselling authors J. R. Rain and Matthew S. Cox In a small town where people go missing all the time, one might think a private detective would have no trouble finding work. Except for Max Long. His luck really is that bad-at least until a blonde bombshell hires him to look into the strange circumstances surrounding her sister's death. The blonde might be good luck, or more likely, entirely the opposite. Drop-dead gorgeous women aren't exactly common in Shadow Pines, nor do they walk into his office. Everyone in town knows there's something unusual about the place. The excuse of animal attacks claiming the unwary hiker works only so long before a rational person suspects the irrational. Blood stolen from the hospital, strange howls at night, and a girl with an overly innocent face that spells trouble all lead to one conclusion: Max is in way over his head. Or is he? The night after a strange meteorite streaked across the sky, the wind responds to his desires. He soon discovers he can manipulate water, fire, and earth as well. Shadow Pines is out of balance, and Mother Nature has sent Max to fix it.

Book 3 in the bestselling Alexis Silver, Mermaid Detective series Alex Silver has worked as a PI long enough to have many strange clients try to hire her... but the CIA is a first. People have secrets, mermaids more than most. When a CIA agent shows up claiming to know her biggest one, Alex finds herself at a disadvantage. However, the government wants her help. Despite being beyond the cares of mortals, she still considers herself an American, and feels obligated to do what she can. Disappearance cases are fairly routine, but a desperate thrall hiring her to find a missing vampire is a bizarre twist that piques her curiosity. Tracking down an off-the-grid undead is like being right back to the 1940s. All she's missing is the fedora. An inexplicable change has happened to the fabric of the universe, evidently driving some dark masters insane. An Ohio-class nuclear missile sub is about the worst place imaginable for a werewolf to have an existential crisis. Though mermaids aren't well equipped to fight other supernaturals, Alex isn't about to let nukes hit the US. Even if it kills her.