Showing results by author "Julia Derek" in All Categories

LOVING HUSBAND. LETHAL SECRET. Lexi Woods always believed she had the perfect marriage. But after enduring the unimaginable pain of losing her newborn son, she discovers something that shatters her already broken world: her husband Jason's diary. Through his own handwritten words, Lexi learns that the man who has been her rock through grief and depression has been leading a double life—carrying on an affair while portraying himself as the devoted husband. But the betrayal cuts deeper than infidelity. Three haunting words written in Jason's distinctive handwriting send her spiraling: "I ...

Shane Hanson is living a nightmare. Not only is his mother an escaped prisoner out to kill him, but he also suspects that his precocious half sister, four-year-old Neera, has inherited their mom's psychopathic tendencies. When Neera's father suddenly dies from a heart attack, Shane's even more convinced that Neera is a budding psychopath; after all, she triggered the deadly heart attack. The authorities reject the idea that Neera tried to hurt her father on purpose, but Shane sees increasing signs that something is wrong. Then Neera suddenly disappears.

Stay-at-home mom Yvonne Landis enters her kitchen one day to meet a huge surprise: Seated on a chair is her son, Gabe. He went missing when he was ten years old, more than three years ago. It turns out he was abducted by pedophiles who made his existence a living hell. Yvonne is determined to heal Gabe. Her husband Ben is not completely on board with that idea, especially since Gabe stabbed him with a fork shortly after they were reunited. Then disturbing things happen to their younger son, 9-year-old Joseph, and Gabe may be behind those, too....

Gabe was once abducted and severely abused. Having escaped a few years ago and gone through significant therapy, he is almost back to normal. Except, his mother Yvonne realizes he has some serious anger issues to deal with when he almost beats a fellow teen to death for messing with his new car. Yvonne keeps his issues from the rest of the family, which may prove to be a huge mistake when tensions between Gabe and his father Ben rise. Ben has problems of his own involving alcohol, resulting in him having loose lips. What if Ben accidentally reveals the family’s dark secret to Gabe?

TWO BROTHERS AT ODDS. ONE MOTHER, ONE CHOICE. Fugitive Yvonne Landis is shocked and furious: her 14-year-old son Joey has been brutally assaulted and is in a coma. She can’t wait to avenge him, believing she’s finally able to kill another human being; that is, if you can call the monster or monsters who attacked her baby human. Little does she know that the assailant is her older son Gabe. Gabe himself is devastated over what he’s done. The extreme bout of anger prompting him to attack Joey came out of nowhere and he simply couldn’t stop himself. But what’s the point of telling ...

CONTROL HIS URGES OR DIE Killing someone doesn’t produce the terrible guilt fugitive Yvonne Landis had thought. That's the takeaway after she shoots her dangerous ex-psychiatrist. But she soon faces other problems. Her son Gabe claims he no longer has to kill bad people to cure his debilitating anger because it’s gone. She demands he still do it in case he’s mistaken. It’s the only way to prevent him from hurting another innocent person. Gabe refuses to go on killing. Yvonne can make him by threatening to turn him into the police; after all, she has his recorded murder confession. ...

TO KILL OR NOT TO KILL When fugitive Yvonne Landis learns that her younger son Joey is stalking her and her anger-plagued older son Gabe, she freaks out. She must stop him from doing anything drastic, such as go to the police and turn them both in. But it has to be done in a way that doesn’t upset Joey any more than he already is. Making matters worse, Yvonne finds herself in a position in which she must figure out how to stop a murderous woman without Gabe’s help. The best solution would be for her to kill the woman herself. But it’s one thing to assist Gabe killing bad people. ...

NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN... Fugitive Yvonne Landis is settling into her new life being her son Gabe’s partner in crime. His mood is stable and her online erotica sales climb higher every day. She’s successfully evading the authorities. The fact that Gabe’s got his girlfriend pregnant who wants to keep the child is good, not bad, news to her. For the first time in many months, she is almost happy. At the very least, she can relax a little, enjoy life. And that is what she does, which is a huge mistake. Little does she know an Irish blast from the past is out to get her... NOTE: This ...

THEY'D BETTER GUN FOR IT OR IT'S OVER Fugitive Yvonne Landis looks forward to some much-deserved peace and quiet for her life in the shadows. Her teenage son Gabe’s molester is dead and buried at last. The murderous rage living inside Gabe has been mollified and won’t be back for several weeks. But Yvonne’s out of luck. Unfortunately, Gabe kept the molester’s gun instead of tossing it in the river like he had promised. His toddler cousin finds it and nearly kills Alison, Gabe’s aunt. Furious Alison demands to know what the gun was doing under Gabe’s bed. When he claims he found ...

When trainer Ariel Rafaeli is found strangled outside a restaurant, Detective Gabi Longoria is thoroughly confused. Gabi is undercover as a trainer at the health club where Ariel works. The last person seen with Ariel was FBI agent Ian Armory, which makes him the most likely suspect. But how can that be? Gabi has just concluded that while her client Ian might be a conspiracy nut, he’s not a dangerous murderer. Not only does the murderer turn out to be the person Gabi least expects, but more people around her keep dying. Is it possible that Ian is onto something with all his conspiracy ...

ONE MISSING ACTRESS. DOZENS OF LIES. Rookie P.I. Brandy Baker has barely finished wrapping up her latest case when a former client contacts her. He has a business partner named Paul whose girlfriend has gone missing. Paul wants to hire Brandy to find his girlfriend, who’s prone to depression and has a history of disappearing. The girlfriend in question is Broadway actress Alina Patrick. The last time Paul saw Alina was when she left his apartment two nights ago. He believes Alina’s understudy kidnapped Alina so she can play the show’s lead character, which will make her famous. Alina ...

BRANDY IS IN OVER HER HEAD. SHE MIGHT END UP DEAD. Brand-new private eye Brandy Francine Baker has yet to officially open her P.I. business when a socialite named Dana Donovan approaches her. Dana wants Brandy to investigate why a dead stranger left her an antique gold ring in his will. The case seems easy to solve, so Brandy takes it on. But it’s more complicated than she had expected. Not until a mysterious woman calls the dead stranger’s widow and leaves a nasty message do things start coming together. The woman is the connection between Dana and the dead stranger. Dana used to know ...

Murder, Lies, and Betrayal: A Tangled Mystery of Power and Greed. Private eye Brandy Baker is hired by Aidan Yearwood, a man accused of murdering his wealthy wife, Marianne. Despite the overwhelming evidence against him—his presence at the lavish party where Marianne was strangled to death in her own home and the inheritance he stands to gain—Aidan pleads his innocence. He claims Marianne’s only daughter set him up when Marianne changed her will to benefit him. As Brandy delves into the investigation, she uncovers a web of secrets and lies surrounding Marianne's life as a wealthy ...

Wealthy young women are dying in ritualistic suicides - emptying their trust funds and writing manifestos about "blood privilege.". FBI Agents Sidney Stone and Alex Kane must race to expose an insidious network of therapists preying on guilt-ridden heiresses before another victim falls prey to their deadly manipulation... FBI Agent Sidney Stone thought she'd seen it all until wealthy young women begin dying in ritualistic suicides across major cities. The victims empty their trust funds, write manifestos about "blood privilege," and take their own lives in elaborately staged ceremonies. ...

A GIRL JUMPS TO HER DEATH. OR WAS SHE PUSHED? Things are tough for Brandy Francine Baker. Yes, she did manage to leave her abusive husband Jasper, but life as a single mother of two is no bed of roses. She can only afford to live in New York City’s dumpy housing projects, and she hates her job selling timeshares. An old lady in Brandy’s building approaches her, asking if she can look into her grandchild Luisa’s recent suicide. She believes Luisa was actually murdered. The lady heard through the grapevine that Brandy once worked as a criminal investigator before Jasper swept her off ...

Seventeen-year-old Gabe Landis has issues. Anger issues, due to severe trauma. If he doesn't address his ever-present anger, he'll explode. No orthodox methods help him. The only way he gets true peace is when he takes a life. Temporary peace, that is. Yvonne Landis, his mother, has issues, too. Not only does she suffer from schizophrenia, but she's also a fugitive. She was held at a mental institution to stand trial for her husband's murder.

She and her husband were out on date night when the fatal car accident happened. The airbag that saved her life malfunctioned on his side of the car. Then, as she crawled to safety, the car blew up. As if it’s not enough to lose her husband, Yvonne soon has reason to suspect that her son Joseph staged the accident, as well as deactivated the airbag earlier in the day. Joseph, once a model child, has recently displayed antisocial tendencies by joining a domestic terrorist cell. He may be back home now, but he’s still mad with his parents for ignoring him for years.

The Penners openly share their journeys through trauma and grief, and welcome guests to do the same through honest and heartfelt conversations, all while giving glory to God and exploring how He can truly take all things that seem messy and make them beautiful. Grab your coffee and join the conversation, every Friday with the Penners.