Synopsis

Every year, thousands of women disappear—and too many are never found.

Dallas TV journalist Vicky Robeson is determined her missing sister will not be one of them. Separated during a childhood tragedy that killed their parents, she has spent a lifetime searching for her.

She learns there’s a possible clue in a long-hidden journal and travels to the rugged California foothills to track it down.

There, a woman flees through dense forest, a body is discovered, and a strange symbol carved into a tree matches one found in the journal.

Vicky pries secrets from wary locals that lead her to an isolated colony deep in the forest ruled by a ruthless despot who keeps women captive for sinister purposes.

Vicky is captured and must fight to survive, free the captives, and confront the chilling possibility that one of them may be the sister she blames herself for losing.

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Excerpt

Chapter 1

Thursday, June 2009

With lilt in her steps, Vicky Robeson strode through her stylish fifth-floor condo. She went to close the shades on the west-facing windows so the June sun wouldn’t bake the room while she was away. She was on the hunt. She was going to track down one more long-shot clue as to whether anyone in her family was still alive.

She paused as the trip’s purpose hit her. Flashes of terror, of smoke and screams—and loss—stabbed her memory. She made herself stop and acknowledge her emotions, as her new therapist recommended. She stared out the window, took deep breaths, and methodically set aside those images.

Focus on the future, Vick.

She took a moment to take in the morning view of the Dallas skyline. The city grew up on the prairie, and its distinguishing landmarks consisted of one high rise building after another. No mountains or hills, the only waterway a muddy creek that rarely qualified as a river. The sunsets, however, were spectacular. Plus, it was an easy walk from her downtown condo to at least thirty
decent restaurants and just a short drive to the TV station where she was news director.

She closed the window shades, unplugged her phone, and put the charger in her laptop bag before she called her assistant news director. “Hey, good, glad I caught you, JP. I’m about to head to the airport. Where are we with the producer candidate?” She listened and gave a few quick responses. Then said, “All right, yeah, send it. I’ll have time on the plane. And tell Steve I’ll let him know about his proposal in a few hours. See ya.”

2009 had gotten off to a good start with news coverage of what came to be known as The Miracle on The Hudson. Half a country away, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger piloted a crippled jet to a safe landing on New York City’s Hudson River. Sully grew up in Denison, Texas, just up the road from Dallas, and the station enthusiastically joined the celebration.

And—yay—the audience for the newly expanded morning shows was growing nicely. Six months into her job as news director, a good May ratings book was a nice win. More than nice. It was important to her future.

Vicky had decided to celebrate by taking two weeks off work. In her position, it was a bit audacious to be gone so long so soon on the job, especially since she still hadn’t gotten final approval on her budget. But after coming close to being killed twice last year, never again would she think of time off as optional. She had to remind herself constantly there was more to life than running a television newsroom.

Her phone buzzed in her hand. Her ride was here. She ran her fingers through her dark hair. Her new cut was easy to finger comb and let dry. Sassy. She didn’t need to check the mirror to make sure it looked good. Her hairstylist was the best she’d ever had.

She grabbed her light sweater to wear on the plane over her sleeveless linen top, swung her tote bag and purse over her shoulder, and carried her suitcase into the hall. Effortless. The kickboxing classes were starting to pay off. Her recent iron-overload diagnosis had moved her health way up the priority list.

With no real nonwork commitments or social life, she’d had time to work on getting back in shape. Plus, she didn’t want to get distracted or too attached to anything here in Dallas, just in case her new position didn’t work out. It took a while to build up job security in this line of work.

She was physically ready to take this trip. Emotionally and mentally, perhaps not so much. But it was time to face her past. Deal with it or leave it behind. Uncertainty and guilt had weighed her down long enough.

About the Author

Maria Lynn Barrs went from high school dropout to a successful career in television news—starting as a reporter and working her way up to news director and general manager—before realizing her lifelong dream of becoming a mystery author. The first girl in a family of thirteen children, with three older brothers, Maria learned early to hold her ground. After the family printing business failed, her parents packed ten kids into a converted school bus and headed across the country. When the bus broke down, they spent two years in the South before returning to California. At fifteen, Maria fled the chaos of fourteen people crammed into a mobile home. Hitchhiking, homelessness, and dead-end jobs quickly lost their appeal. She earned her GED, put herself through college, met her husband—the father of their two children—and began her career in television news. Her years in high-pressure newsrooms taught her to dig for truth, examine motives, and find the humanity behind every story. Those same instincts now infuse her fiction, giving her mysteries grit, authenticity, and emotional depth.
Parallel Peril is the second book in the Vicky Robeson Mystery Series, following Parallel Secrets (Wild Rose Press 2023).

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