Police Chief Jeff Talley is thrown back into the tension-filled world that he wants to forget; a family is being held hostage in their home, and they are not who they seem; the home contains secrets that even L.A.'s lethal crime lord, Sonny Benza, fears.

First published in 1927, "Oil!" is an unflinching portrayal of greed and betrayal by Pulitzer Prize winning author Upton Sinclair. Famous for his groundbreaking work "The Jungle", which exposed the horribly unsafe conditions in the American meatpacking industry, Sinclair turned his critical eye toward the immorality of the emerging oil-drilling business. Set in Southern California and inspired by the Teapot Dome Scandal, "Oil!" follows the fortunes...

In California the hills are on fire. Not a good sign for Andrew Kindler, who just came from back east to get away from his past–as an arsonist. In fact, almost from the moment he sets foot in his cousin’s Santa Monica beach house, the heat starts swirling around him. First there’s the cop who thinks Andrew might know something about a murder suspect. Then there’s the suspect’s beautiful sister, who is willing to pay Andrew...

"Mia Tang thinks she's going to have the best year ever. She and her parents are the proud owners of the Calivista Motel, Mia gets to run the front desk with her best friend, Lupe, and she's finally getting somewhere with her writing! But as it turns out, sixth grade is no picnic"--Provided by publisher.

Matt Stromsoe has come a long way since his wife and son were killed in an explosion meant for him. Wounded severely in both body and spirit, Stromsoe gave up the last thing that held any meaning for him-his job on the police force-and proceeded to hit rock bottom, hard. That was a lifetime ago, and finally the spiral of personal destruction and despair seems to have come to an end. The man responsible for the murders-Stromsoe's best friend from...

"For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother's considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother's demise, followed by a cryptic...