Rae Riley Mysteries

How do you survive a season of fear? October is a hard month for Rae Riley's family. Her dad, Sheriff Walter "Mal" Malinowski lost his wife and father then. This year, the Malinowskis confront even more heartache. Rae's Uncle Hank fights for his life after his stallion falls on him. Twelve-year-old Coral says a monster spooked her dad's stallion. His other daughter, Amber, is convinced she let everyone down during the effort to rescue Hank because she became hysterical. During this crisis, Rae's friendship with Deputy Chris Kincaid turns into something more. A family feud erupts at a local Halloween attraction, The Haunting in the Hollow, staged on land once owned by Cyrus Morley, a wealthy dabbler in the occult. He hid a fortune in cash and jewels with the only clues a three-word note and the poem "Eldorado" by Edgar Allen Poe. Rae and Amber work to unravel the 70-year-old riddle so their great aunt Lily and her kids can inherit a fortune. But other heirs are interested and Lily's son Jack would never share anything he finds. The story of Coral's monster brings a bigfoot hunter to the county who ignores private property laws. Rae fears for Amber, who keeps putting her safety at risk to prove her courage, like confronting Jack when he fights with his ex-girlfriend, sketchy medium Lyra Vex. Then Cyrus's only living child, Timothy Morley, hires Lyra to conduct a séance to contact his father and reveal the location of the treasure. When Lyra uncovers a second clue, it looks like Rae and Amber's treasure hunt is over. But the day after the séance, Lyra is found dead. Did one of the heirs kill her? Or was it her jealous ex-boyfriend Jack? As Mal's investigation goes nowhere, Rae learns there's only way one way to survive all the fears the family faces. And only one way to unmask a killer.

Her dad said nothing could hurt their relationship. But what if he isn't her dad? Summer gets off to a rocky start for twenty-year-old Rae Riley when con man Uncle Troy returns to Marlin County, Ohio. Rae's father, Sheriff Walter "Mal" Malinowski, warns her to steer clear of Troy, who conned 5 cousins from the outlaw branch of the family to jump him a few years ago. But it seems like wherever Rae goes, Troy lurks on the edges. When she and her cousins find Troy beat up outside a local mall, Rae's desire to help anyone in trouble kicks in. But this only leads to trouble and the horrible conclusion that Troy might be her birth father. Even worse, Mal is angry at Rae for endangering them all. Then Ashley, the ex-wife of family friend Jason Carlisle returns to the county, claiming their youngest child Sylvie isn't his, but the daughter of her new fiancé. Ashley and her boyfriend say they are staying at the state park so she can see her children. Jason fears they want to sneak a DNA sample from Sylvie and hires Rae's aunt Carrie, a PI, to protect his kids. When Rae agrees to help Ashley speak to Jason secretly, Mal is furious, leading to Rae's first fight with her newly found father. Although Mal apologizes, Rae senses a gulf between. What would happen if Rae found proof Mal wasn't her dad? When Ashley disappears, Jason and his brother Rick are the main suspects. Mal leads the official investigation, while Rae and Carrie work to discover what really happened, and Rae conducts her own research into Troy's claim. The clues mount up and the mystery only grows murkier. As doubts grow into a storm, Rae is faced with something much worse than a puzzle--a battle to survive. And it's not just her life at stake.