Books published by Black Opal Books

Morgan Kenworthy—a Berkeley student studying abroad and a guest of the de Carduzacs, family friends who have a chateau in St. Émilion in France—uncovers a coup against the government of France. Soon after she arrives, a bombing at the Brassault Aviation plant kills several ministers. The investigation, led by General Tolbert, the head of French intelligence and friend of Joseph de Carduzac, points to jihadists. However, clues Morgan unearths about Joseph’s past suggest that the two blew up the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in 1985 and committed other nefarious acts while serving President Mitterand. After another explosion, killing most of the cabinet, Tolbert announces that he is in charge. As General Tolbert suspects she knows about the plots, Morgan’s life and the life of her lover, Alex, Joseph’s stepson, are in danger. Morgan tries to leave Europe for the US but is thwarted, and Alex is captured by the general’s thugs. Now the two must rely on their wits, and their friends, for survival until they can convince the French Government who the real criminals are…

Audra Carter, a popular deejay in Manhattan, won’t let mere blindness keep her from living life her way, sometimes even riding her bicycle through town, relying on keen hearing and uncanny instincts to guide her. Her father, Jenson Carter, a neuroscientist, has devoted his career to finding a cure for her particular form of blindness. He now believes he has. With Audra and several other test subjects, Jenson takes his research to the next level, only to face apparent failure. Jenson becomes alarmed by several bizarre deaths involving the test subjects. He fears his experiment was hijacked by former colleagues with a secret agenda, but the police blame him for the deaths. Audra is kidnapped and forced to survive a series of terrifying ordeals designed to hone a new and dangerous kind of vision that the hijacked experiment unleashed: Darksight. As Jenson races to discover the truth and find his daughter, Audra struggles to survive increasingly-deadly challenges. Will Audra master her mysterious Darksight and defeat her captors to keep both her and her father alive?Audra Carter, a popular deejay in Manhattan, won’t let mere blindness keep her from living life her way, sometimes even riding her bicycle through town, relying on keen hearing and uncanny instincts to guide her. Her father, Jenson Carter, a neuroscientist, has devoted his career to finding a cure for her particular form of blindness. He now believes he has. With Audra and several other test subjects, Jenson takes his research to the next level, only to face apparent failure. Jenson becomes alarmed by several bizarre deaths involving the test subjects. He fears his experiment was hijacked by former colleagues with a secret agenda, but the police blame him for the deaths. Audra is kidnapped and forced to survive a series of terrifying ordeals designed to hone a new and dangerous kind of vision that the hijacked experiment unleashed: Darksight. As Jenson races to discover the truth and find his daughter, Audra struggles to survive increasingly-deadly challenges. Will Audra master her mysterious Darksight and defeat her captors to keep both her and her father alive?

Jonas Peters and Frank Sanders team up to solve a string of murders, starting with the intentional and fatal bombing of the Common Grounds, a local coffee shop in downtown Riverside-a usually calm city in Southern California. Dozens are dead after an explosion rips apart the Common Grounds, leaving dozens of others gravely wounded. Frank soon finds himself up to his elbows assisting the bombing victims, especially when he discovers that Jonas was walking to the Common Grounds to meet up with his fiancée, but he never made it. In an instant, all their lives are thrust into a trail of death and destruction carried out by an unknown psychopath.

It was supposed to be the kidnappers' last job, snatching the infant of a poor single mother for an unsuspecting wealthy client. But the kidnappers grab the wrong baby-Billy, the son of high-profile bankers, Kingsley and Todd Henning-from their employer's secure daycare. Realizing their mistake, the kidnappers plant evidence to implicate the parents and dismantle their operation. No ransom call comes. Detectives, convinced the parents are guilty, interrogate relentlessly as they uncover planted evidence.The parents can't face the mosaic of guilt, blame, and despair or help each other. On day ten, they are called to the morgue. The deceased is not Billy-this time. Shaken, they recommit to each other and vow to find him themselves. They scrutinize the bank's security footage for incongruities only insiders might spot and follow the flimsiest clues into the murderous underworld of illegal adoptions. As novice detectives, they are exposed to extreme danger, skirting the law while keeping one step ahead of the villains and the police.But is it too late? Will the kidnappers eliminate all trace of the baby? Or are they no match for two angry, determined parents?

Twenty years after he survived Vietnam, Daniel Mulvaney's memoir about it is a best seller. But success brings unforeseen attention. An invitation from a mysterious Vietnamese, to return to the land that nearly took his life, takes Danny back to when an idealistic kid was unjustly expelled from college and drafted into the US Army. The old nightmares resume. He can't work. His marriage is in trouble.As a young man in Brooklyn in 1968, Danny was unsure if his mom's credo-everything happens for good reason-was wisdom or corny idiom, but he was determined to be a man worthy of Amanda, the girl he loved. Gino Sebastionelli, his closest friend, wanted to bolt for Canada together, but Danny wouldn't be swayed. His idealism blinded him to the horrors ahead. He'd be wounded, decorated, betrayed, face court martial, and then be saved by Tom Tyler, an officer from Danny's college town, where all his troubles began. When Danny's platoon was nearly wiped out, Tyler was captured, and Danny would have to lead a green platoon, against orders, into the U-Minh-The Forest of Darkness-in order to have any chance of saving his lieutenant…

The biggest secret of World War Two may be about to be revealed-totally by accident. If the truth gets out, history may have to be rewritten, counties may go to war, allies may become enemies, and lives will be lost. One of those affected is Max Maxwell, and he's not happy about it. He stumbles on the secret when his uncle, a WWII veteran dies, and Max and his brother go through his belongings. From that day on, the fuse is lit, and there's enough explosive to destroy Max and everything he holds near and dear. He finds out exactly what the United States Government will do to keep a secret and how far it will go to destroy someone who can reveal it…

A looted Nazi painting…A former IRA commander…The tie that binds is murderEmmeline Kirby is back in London, determined to make a success of her new job as editorial director of investigative features at The Clarion. Three months have passed since her trip to Torquay and the devastating revelations that surfaced about her fiancé Gregory Longdon. The whole interlude has left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she is keeping him at arm's length. But a suave and dashing jewel thief like Gregory is not easily daunted. After all, faint heart never won fair lady. It doesn't hurt that Emmeline's grandmother and her best friend, Maggie, are on his side. Only his shadowy past could ruin his chances.All of these relationships are threatened as Emmeline stubbornly pursues a story about looted Nazi art and an IRA collaborator. When a stolen Constable painting belonging to Maggie's family turns up in the collection of Max Sanborn, the chairman of the company that owns The Clarion, her personal crusade brings danger close to home. To find the truth, Emmeline and Gregory must untangle a web of deception, betrayal, and dark deeds. But will they learn too late that justice can be cold comfort if you're dead?

Frank Tedeschi's niece is dead, one of thousands of victims of a terrorist attack, which has been laid at the feet of "Islamic radicals" by a right-wing US government. Frank-based on a chance encounter-is one of the very few people who question the government's explanation. He's a Vietnam veteran who wants nothing more than to live without further controversy or conflict. Can he and his grieving brother Rob, a detective with the NYPD, obtain the necessary evidence to uncover the truth in the face of scorn and incredulity? Can they overcome their long-term estrangement to work together, given that they are putting their lives in danger?In Last Gasp-a novel that resonates with today's politics-the answers to these questions unfold in a way that mingles personal and societal issues and intertwines the past and present while moving relentlessly forward.

No one liked Drusilla Isaacs. She spent a lifetime alienating people, as if making the most enemies was a personal goal. Now she's dead. Shot, stabbed, and her neck broken…and that's what the coroner can tell from a first look. It's up to Maggie Blaine-former friend and one-time victim of the odious Drusilla-and Maggie's partner, Jacob Brown, to figure out who, out of a seemingly endless list of suspects, would carry out such heinous acts. Their choices are varied. From Drusilla's husbands-the former and the current-to the women in her life-her secretary, the mother of her husband's son, or the new wife of her ex-husband. There's also another option. A serial killer who randomly appears to insert himself into the mix. A tale of murder, gems, drugs, illicit sex, and a cast of villains who all have one thing in common-their hatred of Drusilla Isaacs.

Gord-the son of Harry and Brenda, who are long-time friends of Joseph's-has a serious drug and alcohol problem. Joseph tries to help the boy, but to no avail. Suffering from a lifetime of losses himself, Joseph has become a vigilante, determined to eliminate the undesirables of society, something he has become very good at, but he has no idea how to reach an eighteen-year-old boy and make him see reason. When Gord runs away from home after an argument with his parents and joins a cult group, Joseph enlists the help of his friend, Bill, a detective. But Bill has no more luck convincing the boy to come home than Joseph does. Knowing there is nothing more he can do, and hoping the boy will eventually come to his senses, Joseph goes back to what he does best-punishing people who prey on the innocent. It's not a life he willingly chose, but one he was forced into when the system failed to bring justice to him and other victims of these monsters. Resigned to his lonely and secretive life, Joseph searches out and dispatches the most heinous of criminals, until the suicide of a friend and a fatal mistake set Joseph's world spinning out of control into a downward spiral from which he sees no hope of escape…

The second book in the Izzy Walsh Mystery Series!Springtime is beautiful in the cozy town of Twin Oaks, nestled along the New England coastline. It's 1954, and Izzy Walsh is at The Mariner's Whisper, Twin Oaks' most popular dinner club, for a girl's night out.But the fun is short lived and the highballs run dry when the chef is found murdered the next morning. Izzy finds herself drawn into the mystery when clues turn up everywhere she goes. She is determined to help, but a party of suspects begins to crowd the menu, and it becomes hard to choose just one.Can Izzy find the culinary killer and live to tell the tale, or will her boundless curiosity lead to her own dead end?

Tony Sattill has retired a captain from the NYPD Manhattan Crime Analysis Team (CAT). He lives well with his wife, Melissa, and their three children in the penthouse of his wife's former husband. He lectures on the value of CAT to out-of-town police departments. With the killing of a former CAT member, Tony jumps back into his familiar aggressive police mode. Over the course of the next weeks, there are several seemingly unrelated murders. Working with the remaining members of his CAT, Tony connects the dots. The Archangels Motorcycle Club and four paroled Ethiopians are visible elements of a criminal cabal. Tony requests of the NYPD that he be the "go to guy" in determining the goal of this complex and violent group. In his ego-driven quest, he receives help from Paul Tybor, who works from the shadows. Tony's two sons and daughter are growing up, as evidence by their school activities. The closer Tony gets to the truth about the cabal, the more violence rains. Starting with a massive fire fight in the Colorado desert, this violence culminates in the kidnapping of his children. He attempts to rescue them, but with chilling results…

Fired at age fifty, dumped by his wife and grown, college-age children-his wife moved her lover, a UPS deliveryman, into the house as soon as Jack left-Jack Manning is humbled beyond words. Six months later, he's down and out, living in a rented room in the Burgh, cooking meals for his eighty-year-old landlady, while walking to work at the corner convenience store. No car. The only job he could get was for $12.00 an hour for the night shift, six days a week.He bought a Powerball ticket, using the birthdays of all the people who hated him, woke up, turned on the news, and found out that he'd split 990 million dollars with two others across the country. Taking a cash payout, he would net $198 million. What would he do now that he was rich with no support payments or any family who cared about him? He was sure he would make a lot of friends real soon. But, like a lot of folks, he'd divvied up his winnings a long time ago in his daydreams when he was bored. This could be very interesting. Maybe he could right some wrongs, change lives, payback through kindness not revenge, help those who want to help themselves. Will it work? Will a lot of money make a difference? Maybe…

It is 1967. Bostonian John Griffin has been discharged from the US Navy, and he's ready to start a job as a policeman in Washington, DC. His father died when John was very young, and his mother has never been openly supportive of him, which makes him an angry man. His anger spills over in many different ways. He's angry that he married Raylene-a woman he doesn't love¿because she got pregnant, although he loves his daughter Miki; he's furious with his landlords for sneaking into the apartment when he was out, so before he leaves, he paints everything black¿the walls, the doors, even the windows. As soon as he and his family arrive in DC, John, who is white, is confronted with some youths having a violent fight at his new apartment complex. He saves the life of one of them, a black man whose mother, Lilah, is so grateful that she takes John, his wife, their daughter, and even their dog, under her wing and becomes like a second mother to him. John is sure his mother, who is very intolerant of black people, would be horrified at this, but he loves Lilah and is grateful to her for caring for his family while he works long hours. He learns from his relationship with her that the color of someone's skin is not important. After many adventures and misadventures as a policeman, John meets Lilah's niece Doris, who is biracial, and the two fall deeply in love. But John is married and expecting another child. Can he resolve this dilemma and make Doris his own, or is he doomed to be forever unhappy?

When Marabella Vinegar finds her psychotherapist's bloody corpse, she becomes the NYPD's perp of choice. Her recently deceased mother-the bane of her existence in life-comes back as a ghost to help get her out of trouble and find the real killer. Things get even worse when, thanks to Marabella and her mother's sleuthing, someone tries to kill her. Then another body is found and Marabella is thrown in jail, awaiting trial for two murders. Can she and her mother-the-ghost-detective find the killer before Marabella becomes corpse number three?

Perception. Reputation. Powerful women are still held to a higher standard when it comes to sexual escapades, making it risky business for them to be unlucky in love. That's where the Hirsch sisters improve the odds with their companion compatibility service. Introducing philanthropic heiresses and female executives to honorable, educated, hard-working men willing to act as sophisticated arm candy to supplement their wages becomes a shared passion project for the three sisters because their wealthy mother killed herself after being scammed by their father. So they created The LuxeLinks Club-No fortune hunters. No gold diggers.

Due to unusual circumstances, when Misee Sue makes a "miracle" catch, allowing her high school baseball team to win the state championship, no one sees it. Everyone thinks she's lying-there was no way she could have caught it. The title goes to the other team. Parents, her "soul mate," all the townspeople in this small community totally ignore and shun her, including during graduation. After a week, she cannot stand the hurt and betrayal any longer and drives away to a friend in another town, never to return. Then a farmer comes home from a week-long vacation, raving about the catch he saw Misee Sue make. The championship is overturned and Misee Sue's team wins the title. Everyone runs to find Misee Sue, now convinced she was telling the truth. But the knowledge is bittersweet. It's too late. She is gone.

Dan Arrow and his girlfriend, FBI Special Agent Mona Casola, are on a mission to assist their alien friend Waam in finding out who gave the orders to kill his nephew and steal a secret box-a box like Pandora's that contains something that the world doesn't need unleashed. In the meantime, Mona is also determined to find her missing baby-a human-alien hybrid, called a star child-which has been kidnapped and taken someplace called "the hollow moon." While continuing to discover more truth than fiction in popular conspiracy theories, Dan learns that the New World Order is unfolding its domination plans through the United Nations' Agenda 21, and he has to stop its cogs from turning.

"TRIPLEYE ~ We never blink."Early in the twenty-second century, a master of mind control has risen to the head of Earth's Weave Corp. Under the guise of the Neo-Socialists, he threatens to terrorize both the Inner and Outer Planets with murder, sabotage, and theft on an expansive scale.Join the Skyn; the skystalk walker's daughter; Jonny Jesus; and Wolf Archerson, the glass eye-all mentally linked-as they explore the deeper secrets of the strange bio-substance known as The Snot, which leads to negative entropy, or what some might call…Time Zero.

Chicago, 1942. Can a reclusive and cynical factory janitor prevent the IRA from changing history?With US participation in World War II getting underway, John Mackenzie Simmons III "Mack" is in a difficult position. His draft status is 4F. He has lost an eye in a drunk-driving accident two years earlier, transforming him into a self-proclaimed "one-eyed freak." The driver was Mack's best friend, Thomas Kilkenny. After the accident, Tommy suddenly joins the US Army Air Corps, becoming a skilled pilot of a B-17 bomber. When Tommy dies in combat, Mack's wealthy and powerful father wants to make Tommy the war's first American hero to help promote the war. But first, they have to know if Tommy's father, a corrupt Chicago alderman, is involved in criminal activities hampering the war effort and won't stand up to scrutiny. Mack's father orders him to find out. But as Mack digs for the truth, he uncovers much more than Mafia connections, stumbling upon an IRA plot that could change the course of the war.

In the final book of the Four Corners Trilogy, Levi, Aura, Julia, and the rest of our group are split up and scattered across two worlds, but their goal remains the same: defeat Lady Grustmiener and secure the peaceful future of Earth. As they race to be reunited, new forces, both for and against them, come into play. Will they find each other in time, or will evil triumph once and for all?

El Tigre is dead. This is a confirmed fact, but the legacy of evil and violence that he has sown continues to sprout. When these erupt, they inevitably affect Jon Morton, and, by association, Carlos Montoto. Once again, Jon and Carlos are forced to abandon their peaceful refuge as commercial fishermen and return to the dark world of violence and death. As before, this return is attributed to El Tigre and his convoluted criminal mind. Jon's last involuntary return to the world of covert action came close to getting him killed. Now he is facing one known man, plus the addition of an unknown group of murderous criminals, all hunting El Tigre's money, and all headed toward rural Dodsonville, West Virginia. Can Jon and Carlos terminate these criminals in time to prevent a blood-bath?

Adam and B. J. grew up in the turbulent 1960s. The Vietnam war, unsettling riots across college campuses and unrest in just about every corner of America filled them with gloom. Even at home, they faced prejudice and poverty, but their community never let any of them forget that in this place dwelled an unconditional love. Adam and B. J. knew they had to seek a better life away from family and friends. Together? Why not? Out of a sense of hopelessness, they entered into a marriage of convenience. Was it a crazy idea? At the time, it felt like the only solution. But did they do the unthinkable? You decide…

Crime novelist, Greg Martens, and his wife, former Interpol agent Anne Rossiter, are once again called back to Vienna by Anne's former boss at Interpol because Julia Saparova has disappeared a second time. Afraid that the same evil men, Sergei and Boris Polyakov, Julia's own cousins, are behind her disappearance, Greg and Anne reenter the seedy underworld of the Russian mafia, sex-trafficking, black market arms dealing, and international terrorism, in hopes of rescuing Julia. But this time, their enemies are expecting them, and Anne stumbles into a trap, joining Julia in depraved captivity. Now the two women's only hope is that Greg and their friends in Interpol can locate and rescue them before it's too late-not only for them, but for the world at large…

A dark winter night. Sophie Myerson is a staff psychologist at an out-patient mental health clinic in Washington, DC. Her workday is over, but Sophie stays late to finish writing a psychological test report. Thoughts of her upcoming wedding distract her, and she is delighted when her fiancé calls to say he wants to stop by. He looks awful. She's concerned. And then he tells her their engagement is off. There will be no wedding. No marriage. The future she envisioned is gone. She lashes out, too shocked and distraught to listen, and flees down the clinic steps to the sidewalk and onto the grounds of the recreation center. Her foot hits something. She stumbles. A dead woman is staring up with vacant eyes-she's been strangled with her own scarf. A female patient at the clinic is soon murdered the same way. Sophie's life is in a tailspin. Her friends and colleagues are suspects. She misses her ex-fiancé. She doesn't know who to trust anymore. Scariest of all, if the murders are connected, she fears a serial killer is lurking in her neighborhood, hunting prey.

A fairytale wedding she'd always dreamed about. An unexpected "Fairy God-Father" she'd never imagined. A grandmother she'd never known. Add a deranged uncle obsessed with revenge. An impending crisis as the earth's ozone layer diminishes, which leads to a job offer for Brad that could be "out of this world." Then stir in a little romance, murder, mayhem, along with a dash of evil, and you have the perfect combination for Inescapable ~ Tomorrow, Book 3 in the spectacular Inescapable Series by Madge H. Gressley.Old questions are answered, and new dangers arise as Darcey finds herself the object an evil plot of revenge on Brad, who is unaware of the dangers he faces and the choices he must make as he accepts the new top-secret job with ORCA.