Writing as Shirley Kennett
Gray Matter (PJ Gray #1)
Book Clubs: The Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, Alternate Selection of The Mystery Guild
Kensington, ISBN 1-57566-079-2, $21.95
Pinnacle, ISBN 0-7860-0389-8, $5.99
eBook, ISBN 978-1-4658-8970-6, $.99
eBook Available from:
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A celebrated pianist has been found dead, decapitated by a sharp instrument, possibly a meat cleaver. His head is missing. The skin on his back has been carved into the bas-relief of a mongrel dog. It is a savage, seemingly senseless slaying. But it is only the first. Penelope Jennifer Gray, known as PJ, is a newly divorced psychologist making a fresh start with her twelve-year-old son in St. Louis. A pioneer in the competitive field of computer simulation studies, she has been hired to set up a new division within the St. Louis Police Department. Through cutting-edge techniques of virtual reality, the Computerized Homicide Investigations Project, or CHIP, recreates real-life crimes by placing the user in the mind of the perpetrator.
PJ is teamed up with Leo Schultz, a veteran cop fast approaching burnout, to investigate the case that has St. Louis is a death-grip: the city is being terrorized by what could be the most unstoppable serial killer in history.
He's a face in the crowd. A figure in the shadows. The guy standing behind you at the street corner, waiting for the light to change. With each fresh killing, Pauley Mac adds another victim to his "guest" list. They are the voices in his head. The coveted talents he hopes to one day possess. The furies he can no longer control.
For PJ Gray, at the mercy of a cunning monster with none to give, it will take all of her instincts as a psychologist and as a woman to beat Pauley Mac at his own game. To survive, she must enter the mind of a killer.
"Kennett is a writer of rare skill, and GRAY MATTER is a deftly plotted novel bristling with suspense. Its characters are real and contemporary, and its premise is gripping and unique. Not since RED DRAGON has a more menacing serial killer roamed metropolitan St. Louis. A rip-roaring good read. Let's see more of PJ Gray!" - John Lutz, author of SINGLE WHITE FEMALE
"Fans of Patricia Cornwell's work will be hooked on his heart-stopping and harrowing thriller. The finely drawn characters in GRAY MATTER are both complex and terrifyingly convincing." - Romantic Times
Burning Rose
eBook, ISBN: 978-1-4580-5701-3, $2.99
Hardback, Five Star First Edition Mysteries, ISBN: 978-0786236619, $25.99
eBook Available From:
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Burning Rose is a stand-alone thriller with high stakes, exotic locations, unforgettable characters and a splash of romance!
Casey Washington is a freelance eco-journalist who thinks she has the brass ring in her grasp—an interview with Robert Gunner, the reclusive head of a powerful megacorporation building a controversial hydroelectric project in an unspoiled Amazon River rainforest.
When the interview goes wrong, she’s mad enough to start turning over stones and seeing what crawls out.
Heads of megacorporations are dying in mysterious and gruesome ways, shifting loyalties rapidly on the international scene. A secret organization is plotting to change the balance of power. And Casey finds herself admiring the man she’s supposed to hate.
It all comes together in a place where butterflies float over calm water and deadly creatures lurk underneath, where the natives slip like shadows of nature through lush forests, and killers pursue their human prey. Suddenly Casey’s got more to worry about than missing a deadline!
What others are saying about Burning Rose:
“Kennett writes with pace and clarity. If you’re hungry for vivid characters ... your ship has come in!”— Kirkus
“Shirley Kennett has Hawaii-based freelance journalist Casey Washington grappling with a mysterious troupe called The Six—whose members have names like Wrongful Death and who seem to be behind a spate of CEO murders—and her own lonely heart.” — Publishers Weekly
“Lots of action keeps the characters on their toes as they travel the world. The exciting conclusion in the South American jungle leaves Casey with far more than an exclusive story. Readers who enjoy a good puzzle with pieces that never quite fit will have fun with this suspenseful thriller.” — Booklist
“[Burning Rose is] tightly woven, intricately complex and fascinating to follow the various plots that Kennett has successfully created. The finish of this book is dramatic and wonderfully satisfying. If you enjoy thrillers, Burning Rose as the back cover says, showcases ‘Shirley Kennett at the top of her game.’ Unforgettable!” — Book Reader’s Heaven
The Latest PJ Gray Thriller
"The hook in Kennett's PJ Gray series, starring a St. Louis psychological profiler, is the use of virtual reality software to recreate crime scenes. The high-tech wizardry is fine, but what really makes this series go is the fiery relationship and strong personalities of the costars, gutsy protagonist PJ (Penelope) and her Andy Sipowicz-like boyfriend, Leo Schultz, a police detective. This pair could be solving cases with legal pads and pencils, and readers would still be drawn to them. This time single mom PJ is keeping an eye on the online gaming addiction of her teenage son and trying to decide what kind of commitment to give the lovably exasperating Schultz. Meanwhile, the police are struggling with a series of brutal murders that may be tied to a serial killer. Schultz hits the streets in search of clues, and PJ fires up her virtual reality program to relive the grisly crimes. A top-notch series that satisfies both readers seeking page-turning suspense and those looking for characters so real you almost expect to see them at the local diner." -- Booklist (Jenny McLarin)
"Kennett's writing is taut and unyielding, and like great baseball pitchers she throws the curves fast and with uncanny accuracy. Reading this book is like watching someone juggle plates while skateboarding down a steep hill. You aren't sure how it will end, just that it will be spectacular. I loved every minute of this book and look forward to her next." -- Jon Jordan, Crimespree Magazine
"This rip-roaring page-turner of a thriller builds to its nail-nibbling climax on a solid foundation of police procedure, cutting-edge virtual reality crime-scene simulation, and realistic and likeable protagonists. So fasten your seatbelts: the murders are multiple and bloody and the past atrocities that spawned them are puzzling and creepy enough to keep your lights burning all night." -- Carole Nelson Douglas, author of Femme Fatale and Spider Dance
"The story line...is brilliantly supplemented with the seemingly dysfunctional relationship between PJ and Leo." -- Midwest Book Review
"While PJ uses science and technology to solve crimes, her partner Detective Leo Schultz uses his gut instincts. Ms. Kennett has penned characters that are multi-dimensional and believable. A worthwhile read." -- Love Romances
"Shirley Kennett is finally getting the credit she deserves for being one of the most accomplished page-turners working in the suspense field today. Her books are smart, packed with tension, and filled with people you cheer for." -- Ed Gorman, author of Blood Moon and Bad Money