Dr. Madeline McKinnon has just returned from a service trip counseling victims of Child Soldier recruitment in South Sudan to work for the FBI. She's been given a gun, a badge, and a rigid partner. Special Agent Jake Parker has been working for the Federal Bureau of Investigations for a long time and he doesn't appreciate Dr. McKinnon's tendency to doubt him. It's brains versus brawn as these two learn to work together to solve the most brutal homicides under the Bureau's jurisdiction. But, as they solve the case and work to catch the killer, they learn that not everything is what it seems. Even when it comes to your very own partner. Originally submitted during the Open Novella Contest 2021. Trigger Warning: Please be advised that this story contains violence, sexual themes, alcohol and drug use, and casual depictions of violence by characters whose jobs make them susceptible to detachment.

Alexander Langley wasn't looking for trouble but Charlotte Porter found him anyway. Only, this new partnership has them in over their heads and way before their time. 2020 WATTYS WINNER in MYSTERY The life of a poor merchant's daughter in Victorian Era London is quite boring. Charlotte Porter, it seems, is the exception. Desperate for a source of income once her father's gambling debts have drained their funds and placed them in the sights of some of London's most notorious criminals, Charlotte is in search of salvation. It comes in the form of handsome detective Alexander Langley, a curious gentleman with a strange connection to Scotland Yard and an even stranger connection to the American West. Charlotte soon finds herself swept into his world of investigation and intrigue. When a case of art theft turns into murder and she and Alexander are thrown into the seedy underbelly of the London elite, Charlotte realizes that the work isn't the only thing she's become attached to. But now, her father's powerful creditors are ready to close the books on them, and Charlotte must find a way to keep them out of the red because this time it won't be written in ink. Book 1 of the Langley & Porter Series *Featured on: The Wattpad Stars For Fans of Bridgerton List Wattpad's Strong Female Leads List @HistoricalFiction 's The Gothic List EDITOR'S PICK April 2021 Content warning: This story contains violence. **This is only the first five chapters. The rest of the book is available on Amazon for purchase and via KU.**