THE RANSOM – Book Seven of the Munro Family Series Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive… When Ellie Cooper married Clayton Munro six years ago, she hoped his daughter Olivia would accept her into her life, but despite all of Ellie’s efforts, the ten-year-old has rejected her at every turn. When Olivia is kidnapped while shopping with Ellie, she’s beside herself with guilt. To add to her devastation, Clayton’s blaming her for not taking proper care of his daughter. Detective Senior Sergeant Lane Black of the Chatswood State Crime Command is put in charge of the case. A child is missing and time is of the essence. To further complicate matters, the New South Wales Attorney General’s youngest daughter was present at the time of the kidnapping. The girls look very much alike. Could it be a case of mistaken identity? Could the abduction be politically motivated? When interviewing the Attorney General, Lane’s disquieted by the man’s nervousness. His oldest daughter Zara Dowton is also on edge. Immediately drawn to her exotic beauty, Lane does his best to remain unmoved and impartial, despite his body’s urgings. What are the Dowtons hiding…and why? THE DEFENDANT – Book Eight of the Munro Family Series Detective Sergeant Chase Barrington has never forgotten the girl he fell in love with in high school. He and Josie Munro planned to marry as soon as they’d graduated. But fate stepped in and Chase made the painful decision to end it without telling Josie the truth… When twelve-year-old Daniel Logan witnesses the rape of his mother, he grabs a gun and shoots the perpetrator dead. Chase attends the scene and Daniel’s arrested and charged with murder. A decade after graduating high school, child psychologist Josie Munro has recently returned to her hometown. When she’s appointed by the court to provide a report on Daniel’s mental capacity, it’s inevitable that she runs into the detective on the case. Unaware of the real reason why Chase ended their relationship, her anger and grief from all those years ago immediately rise to the surface. With no choice but to carry on and complete the task she’s been given, she determines to keep Chase as far away from her as possible and get the job over with as quickly as she can. But things aren’t that easy. If her report proves Daniel knew that shooting the perpetrator was wrong, his matter will proceed to trial. If found guilty, he’s facing up to fifteen years in jail. As Josie gets to know Daniel through therapy sessions, she realizes he knew exactly what he was doing: He meant to kill his mother’s rapist and he’s not at all sorry. She’s torn between doing what the law requires of her against what her heart knows is right. She’s also conflicted over her feelings for Chase. She wants to hate him, but she can’t. Will she follow her head or her heart?