Hidden

A Bone Secrets Novel, #1

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Eleven years ago, the Co-ed Slayer murdered nine female students on the Oregon State University campus. Lacey Campbell barely escaped his attack, but lost her best friend whose remains were never found. As the sole surviving victim, Lacey helped send the sadistic serial killer to prison for life.

Now a forensic odontologist examining teeth and bones for the state Medical Examiner, Lacey is devastated when she arrives at a crime scene and identifies the skeletal remains as her college friend’s.

The remains are discovered on the land of ex-cop Jack Harper. Sparks fly between him and Lacey, even as they realize that the prosecution’s witnesses from a decade ago are now being murdered one by one. All the evidence points to the Co-ed Slayer as the culprit—only, he’s long since dead. So who’s the new killer? And is Lacey next in line to die?

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Chilled

A Bone Secrets Novel #2

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As a forensic nurse on a search and rescue team, Brynn Nealey braves a dangerous blizzard to find the survivors of a plane crash in the Cascade Mountains. Joining her is Alex Kinton, a former US marshal with self-destructive tendencies. Alex lies his way onto Brynn’s team to find the man who killed his brother—and then return the favor. But once the team members reach the plane’s wreckage, they discover everyone aboard has perished…except for the man Alex is hunting. Alex will do whatever it takes to track his target through the vast, snowy wilderness.

As the temperatures drop, however, so do Alex’s defenses. His contact with the sharp, kindhearted Brynn makes his lust for vengeance difficult to reconcile with his growing feelings for a woman who risks her life to help others. What will happen to Alex’s savage instincts when he finally has the opportunity to confront his brother’s killer?

In Chilled, the next thrilling tale in the Bone Secrets saga, Golden Heart finalist Kendra Elliot weaves an icy tale of cold nights, cold hearts, and cold-blooded killers

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Buried

A Bone Secrets Novel #3

Release Date:   3/26/2013

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Twenty years ago, a small private-school bus of children and their driver completely vanished on the way home from touring the state capital building of Oregon.   No clues were ever found. Two years later, a boy near death, Chris Jacobs, walked out of the Cascade Forest as the sole survivor.   Brain and physical trauma left him unable to help police find the other children and the investigation went cold. Today, multiple gravesites of children have been uncovered at an abandoned dairy farm and investigators determine they are the remains of the vanished children from the bus.

Investigative reporter Michael Brody anxiously awaits news of his missing brother’s body. All the lost children’s remains, except for Michael’s brother’s, are recovered. Desperate for answers, Michael reaches out to Chris Jacobs to see if Chris has recovered any memory to create leads for the investigation. Unable to locate Chris, Michael goes to Chris’s only relative, his younger sister Jamie. Attraction is instantaneous between Michael and Jamie. But so is utter frustration with each other’s attitude and opposing positions on Chris’s whereabouts and his inability to help the police. Michael and Jamie hunt for Chris, racing against a tattooed stranger who wants to find Chris and silence him permanently this time.

An Excerpt from Buried:

Eighteen years ago.

He crouched behind the woodpile, carefully watching the little girl through an opening in the stack. She looked about ten-years-old but exuded the confidence of an older child. She carried a calico kitten into the little playhouse near the woodpile, chatting to the animal about tea and cookies. She was dressed for play in cut-off shorts and a lunch stained t-shirt.

The little plastic house had to be stuffy. The weather was hot and dry, but that was good. It meant he’d been comfortable while sleeping the last few nights in the woods, but during the day the heat could be deadly. He’d spotted the big white farmhouse this morning. His first sighting of civilization in…years. He’d slowly crawled to his current hiding spot, moving between shaded spots, watching every movement about the property. An hour ago he’d seen a couple of older teenage boys leave in a beat-up farm truck and a woman let two grey cats out the back door. She looked kind.

He ached to experience some kindness.

He nestled in closer to the wood, resting his head, blinking hard as his vision blurred. He was days past feeling hunger; food barely interested him. He just wanted water. There was a hose near the back door, but it was a good hundred feet away. Maybe he should just approach the woman and ask for help. But he wasn’t going anywhere until he felt safe. Maybe he’d wait until dark. By then—

“Tabby! Come back!”

He grasped at the woodpile with both hands as the kitten shot by his feet.

Uh oh. 

The little girl burst around the corner of the woodpile and slammed to a stop as she spotted him, her mouth falling open and her eyes widening. She took two cautious steps in his direction, studying him intently.

He couldn’t move.

He knew he looked bad. His filthy clothes blended with the brown of the wood and dirt. Under the layer of grime on his skin, he suspected he was lily white from lack of sunshine.

Curiosity filled her bright blue eyes and she moved closer, looking him over. Her gaze slowly traveled from his blistered bare feet to the old bloody shirt he’d wrapped around his head. She stopped five feet away. A healthy distance if she needed to make a fast exit, but she’d obviously judged him to not be a danger. She was right. He was about as threatening as a baby seal.

“Do you speak English?” she asked loudly.

He bit his cheek. That was her first question?

“Do you live in the woods? How old are you?” Her gaze narrowed.

He slowly stood, bracing himself against the wood, feeling his head swell with the movement. Her eyes grew wide. He was thin, stork-thin. She could see his bruises and abrasions, and he knew many more were hiding. “Yes, I speak English. No, I don’t live in the woods. And I’m thirteen,” he croaked.

She stood straighter, concerned. “Are you alright?

He touched a gentle finger to his make-shift turban and winced. “Do you have any water?”

She nodded and raced into the playhouse. She reappeared, carefully carrying a blue floral cup and saucer. His hand shook as he lifted the cup to cracked lips. The warm water was heavenly, but he winced as his muscles went through the foreign motion of swallowing. The simple act of her help made him want to cry.

“How did you get those pink circles on your face?”

The cup rattled as he set it back on the saucer. The scars. Cigarettes. The bunker. Stories he could never share without endangering lives. “May I have some more, please?” This time she brought out a little pot and refilled his cup. He drank and then slid back down into his crouch before his legs gave out on him. Nausea gripped him. Did he drink too fast? “Is your mom home?”

She nodded. “Do you want me to get her?”

“Please. Don’t tell anyone else I’m here, okay? Just get your mom.” He leaned his head back against the wood and closed his eyes. Bright colors shifted on the back of his eyelids as the world began to gently spin. Speaking had sapped his energy, but he’d escaped the forest and this family would help him. Now, keep his wits about him and his mouth shut.

“What’s your name?” she whispered.

He opened his eyes a crack. Her expression was one of simple curiosity. “Chris. Chris Jacobs.” His dry lips twisted. “Could you get your mom? Please?”

She turned and ran, tan legs pumping hard.

A little more about Kendra: 

Kendra Elliot grew up in the lush Pacific Northwest and still lives there with her husband, three daughters, two cats, and a Pomeranian. She left the dental world after sixteen years to write full time in 2012. Her first two books HIDDEN and CHILLED spent months on Kindle’s top 100 paid best seller list. Two more Bone Secrets novels will be released in 2013. She’s always been fascinated with forensics, refuses to eat anything green, and loves a strong Mai Tai on the beach on Kauai. Before being published, Kendra’s manuscripts finaled in RWA’s Golden Heart Awards, the Daphne Du Maurier, and the Linda Howard Award of Excellence. Visit Kendra at kendraelliot.com.

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