Nicole Graves Mysteries

When Nicole Graves arranges a summer-long swap of her Los Angeles condo for a London couple's house, she thinks it's the perfect arrangement. She's always dreamed of seeing the real London; she's also hopeful the time away with her husband Brad will be good for their troubled marriage. But things don't turn out the way Nicole expects: The Londoners fail to arrive in L.A. and appear to be missing. Then people begin following Nicole and making threats, demanding information she doesn't have. Soon, Nicole realizes she's in serious trouble——but she can't get Brad or the police to believe her. When the confrontations turn deadly, Nicole must either solve the case or become the next victim.

The truth is elusive in Liar Liar "Tough and likeable" (Foreword Reviews) Nicole Graves finds herself in the crosshairs when she reluctantly agrees to babysit a witness in a high-profile rape trial. Mary Ellen Barnes is suing her university's star quarterback for rape when the authorities won't act. In the court of public opinion, Mary Ellen appears to be the quintessential, pious, good girl. But her lies and mysterious comings and goings lead Nicole to suspect that she's not what she seems. It isn't just Mary Ellen who's acting suspiciously. No one wants to own up to the truth in Liar Liar, not even Nicole, whose fiancé begs her not to look into the case. But when the witness goes missing during the trial, Nicole is caught up in a tangle of lies that turns deadly. After the investigator assigned to the case fails to do his job, Nicole is determined to find the killer on her own, no matter the risks. "Boyarsky's imagination serves up a court case that plays with expectations during an era where we push to believe women, resulting in some real bad baddies whom it feels good to root against." –Foreword Reviews "Nicole Graves is the best fictional sleuth to come down the pike since Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone." –Laura Levine, author of the popular Jaine Austen Mysteries "Liar Liar creates exquisite tension..." –Midwest Book Review

Nicole Graves, still reeling from her London kidnapping in The Swap, is struggling to balance work at L.A.'s most prestigious law firm and a long-distance romance with her English lover. Things go sideways when she tracks down a missing colleague. The murder of the firm's in-house investigator, his mysterious wealth, and his inexplicable bequest make Nicole a target for the police, the paparazzi, and the killer. When Nicole's life takes an unexpected turn, she uncovers evil and corruption among the city's most powerful people. The fast-paced mystery unravels against the backdrop of L.A. with its peculiar mix of balmy weather, the celebrity-crazed media, and a corrupt power structure hidden by the veneer of glamour and wealth.