Books published by publisher Black Owl Books

Someone comes to the party with murder in his heart and poison in his pocket…A powerful and rich playboy, a rare but naturally occurring poison, a newly divorced woman with an axe to grind, and pressure from the former President of the US—these are just a few of the challenges that African-American Detective Oliver Parrott faces when he answers a routine call for back-up and discovers someone died at a country estate the morning after an elaborate birthday party. When Parrott learns the deceased is the wealthy former US Secretary of the Treasury and just about everyone at the party had a motive to kill him, he realizes this will be the investigation to make—or break—his career.

A powerful and rich playboy, a rare and naturally-occurring poison, a newly divorced woman with an ax to grind, and pressure from the former President of the US are just a few of the challenges facing Detective Oliver Parrott. African-American and a former college football hero making a name for himself in the criminal justice system, Parrott answers a routine call for back-up when someone dies at a country estate the morning after an elaborate birthday party. When he learns the deceased is the wealthy former Secretary of the Treasury, Preston Phillips and just about everyone at the party has a motive to kill him, Parrot realizes this will be the investigation to make—or break—his career.

Paul Wolfenthal is a peculiar thirteen-year-old kid grappling with the absurdities of his young Bronx life, circa 1960. He visits the dead, hears voices in his head, despises Richard Nixon, is infatuated with his Marilyn Monroe look-alike math teacher, and is a choice victim for the neighborhood's sadistic bully. And then Paul really starts running into trouble.Paul is, in fact, a kid in search of heroes, alive and otherwise, and finds them in John Kennedy and Harry Houdini, both of whom cross into his life. But these are strange and even dangerous times. Hovering in the shadows are "the demons" that haunt Paul's young childhood dreams, only to come alive and shatter his world. One steals away a neighborhood child. And then his president.Set against the turbulent history of the times, Bronxland tugs on a kaleidoscope of emotions as an uproarious and heartrending coming-of-age tale. It is also the story of a place, a Bronx long gone yet still vivid in the collective memory of those who once called these streets their home. A place of the heart known to each of us, with our own story to tell of growing up, of trying to make sense of our life, with everything that comes along.Welcome to Bronxland.

Everyone fears what hunts in the shadows...especially the monsters. It takes a monster to hunt one, and for Raine McCord, forged in the maelstrom of magic and science, she's the one for the job. In a world where the supernatural live in a shadowy existence with the mundane, a series of disappearances and deaths threatens the secrecy of her kind and indicates someone knows the monsters are alive and kicking. Partnering up with the sexy and tantalizing Gavin Durand proves to be a challenge as dangerous as the prey she hunts. When the trail points back to the foundation that warped Raine's magic as a child, her torturous past raises its ugly head. Gavin and Raine sift through a maze of lies, murder, and betrayal to discover not only each other, but the emerging threat to them and the entire magical community.

Tokyo, December 1931As Japan expands its empire in China and unemployment ravages the economy, Police Inspector Kenji Aizawa receives an anonymous call about the imminent assassination of a leading statesman. The secret informant is Reiko Watanabe, geisha mistress to the plot’s mastermind.Reiko, headstrong and outspoken, prefers a “modern” life to being a geisha and is horrified that her lover, the American-educated descendant of samurai, Masaru Ryusaki, has become a fascist firebrand. Together with his allies in the Imperial Army, Ryusaki plans to overthrow the civilian government and establish a military dictatorship.Torn between honor and duty, Reiko and Inspector Aizawa must forge an unlikely alliance in order to stay one step ahead of Ryusaki and a fanatical Army officer. All the while, they uncover a shadowy conspiracy that reaches into the upper echelons of government, international finance, and even around the Imperial Throne itself.Set during the intersection of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and the Great Depression, Shadows of Tokyo brings the turbulent and dangerous world of prewar Japan to vivid life.Shadows of Tokyo is the first book in a noir historical thriller series set in pre-World War II Japan.""Shadows of Tokyo" portrays the somber zeitgeist of Japan's capital in 1931, where rightist assassins armed with swords, handguns and bombs stalk key political and business figures." --The Japan Times"Legare's story reflects conscientious research into historic detail." --The Japan Times"Five Star Reviewers Have It Right: This Series Sizzles" --Amazon Review"Unique premise, memorable characters." --Amazon Review

Is Aaron a dream or something much more deadly? Livia Hinson has just begun a Seminar at Sea when a storm hits their yacht. Now, she is stranded with the other students on an island off the coast of California. Far away from her foster home and her heartbreak, Livia finds Aaron, the perfect love. But the only way they can be together is in her dreams. The other students are having tempting dreams of their own, and Livia begins to realize that the storm has blown in more than rain. Is Aaron flesh or spirit? Can he come to her world, or will he pull her into his? Together, they explore the blurred territory between love and illusion on a dangerous journey that will force Livia to make the most important decision of her life.

Be careful what you wish for ~ you may get it!In this award-winning story, Sarah Flynn’s fondest desires come true when she makes the varsity cheer squad at Stewart Falls Academy. And wonder of wonders, her dream guy, Jason Phillips, the football captain, finally has time for her. He claims to “love” her as much as she adores him. However, things aren’t as perfect as they seem.No matter how hard she tries, she can’t make him happy. As the days go by it grows harder and harder to explain her constant injuries. She knows she shouldn’t be battered by someone who supposedly cares about her, but how can she change Jason? And more importantly, can she get out of this relationship alive?

There are exactly one hundred halls of magic to choose from. Ever since our parents were killed I knew exactly which hall was for me.Aurelia "Aurie" Silverthorne is one of the best and brightest to ever apply to the Hundred Halls, the only magical university in the world. To be accepted, she must pass grueling trials that claim the lives of aspirants every year. But more than her desire to practice magic is at stake.Aurie's little sister has been courting powerful forces in hopes of protecting herself from the beings that killed their parents, but alliances come with complications. As things spiral out of control, and dangerous foes arise at every turn, Aurie knows the only way to protect her sister is to pass the trials—even if it means making a terrible sacrifice.

She only went off the trail for a moment...22-year-old Eileen goes missing while hiking in the remote Ashlough Forest. Five days later, her camera is discovered washed downriver, containing bizarre photos taken after her disappearance.Chris wants to believe Eileen is still alive. When the police search is abandoned, he and four of his friends create their own search party to scour the mountain range. As they stray further from the hiking trails and the unsettling discoveries mount, they begin to believe they’re not alone in the forest… and that Eileen’s disappearance wasn’t an accident.By that point, it’s too late to escape.

On her own since Noah walked away, Laken finds her resistance to Xander crumbling. As she turns to him for comfort, the stranger in the woods reappears, threatening Xander and his father, Caleb. When Caleb reveals the secrets he and Xander have been protecting, Laken realizes she must stop at nothing to help them defeat the stranger. But Xander eludes him, and Laken is captured instead. Facing an unknown fate at the hands of a mad man driven by greed and jealousy, she resolves to fight to the bitter end for her life and her love. The stakes are high, and no one, including Dakota, is safe. Will Laken survive, or will the curse she tossed aside as a fairy tale prove to be true? (Twenty-five cents for every print and ebook copy sold will be donated to the Ian Somerhalder Foundation.)

Tao and Kai’s journey has been long and at last they have arrived at the Dragon Haven. But what they find is not the sanctuary Kai has described. It seems they will be forced straight back into the clutches of the murderous nomad leader Jilong, who is intent on vengeance. Being a Dragonkeeper is so much harder than Tao could have imagined. Can he keep Kai safe?Bronze Bird Tower is the sixth and final novel in the internationally bestselling and award-winning Dragonkeeper series from Australian author Carole Wilkinson. This gripping junior fiction fantasy is perfect for younger readers. Follow the full action-packed adventure: Dragonkeeper (Book 1), Garden of the Purple Dragon (Book 2), Dragon Moon (Book 3), Blood Brothers (Book 4) and Shadow Sister (Book 5). www.carolewilkinson.com.au

Most men sail for treasure. Merrin Smith was no man.The year is 1716—the Golden Age of the Pirates.An orphan who sleeps in the dusty kitchens of a quayside brothel, Merrin Smith is desperate to unravel the secrets of her past and find the truth about the events that brought her to Isla Perla as a child. Disguised as a sailor, she joins the crew of the pirate ship Riptide, helmed by the notorious Captain Erik Winters. Tenacious and rumored to be a madman, Winters is known as much for his ruthlessness as for his connection to the enigmatic and beautiful proprietress of The Goodnight Mermaid, Evangeline Dahl, who vanished from the island two summers before.This book is an epic, emotional adventure of two women—one desperate to save herself, and the other determined to be rescued—and the secret which binds them together.