The Thea Kozak Mystery Series

Tragically widowed, Thea Kozak is tall, brave, and trying to rebuild her life. Then her little sister is murdered in a picturesque Maine town. The police have no leads. Her grieving parents are eager to put everything behind them, and Thea--"little mother" to her adopted sister--refuses to back down. Not when she can do one more thing for Carrie: find the killer and get justice for her little sister. But the truth behind Carrie and her adoption proves ugly, and her killer steadfastly believes family secrets must be kept silent. REVIEWS: "A red-hot start to this new series." ~Kirkus Reviews "Complex heroine, simple plot and natural prose..." ~Library Journal "A page-turner!" ~Mystery Scene THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over

When a Mysterious Birth and Murder Occur at a Posh New England Prep School, Thea Kozak Finds Answers in SCHOOLED IN DEATH by Kate Flora —Massachusetts, North of Boston, Present Day— For school campus crisis counselor, Thea Kozak, Mondays are the worst day of the week. So when the phone rings early in the morning, she expects bad news. What she doesn't expect is the pain laden voice of the headmaster of the highly-respected Simmons School pouring forth his dire situation. A sophomore student had given birth to a pre-mature infant, then abandoned the child claiming it was not hers because she'd never had sex. With the baby in NICU, the teenaged mother facing criminal charges and parents demanding answers, it’s Thea's job to restore calm and order while gathering the facts of what actually happened. Then Heidi, the alleged mother, disappears and the body of a stranger is discovered in the campus woods, murdered. Pregnant herself, Thea now races the clock fearing the young girl will be the next victim while every discovered clue points to an impossible fact: Heidi's assertion may actually be true. Publisher's Note: Kate Flora takes readers on a breathless experience with a surprise at every turn. Fans of Janet Evanovich, Michael Connelly as well as Faith Martin and Chris Collett will not want to miss this series. "...a terrific, in-your-face, stand-up gal...Stephanie Plum and Thea Kozak have a lot to say to each other." ~Janet Evanovich "Kate Flora does what all the great writers do: she takes you inside unfamiliar territory and makes you feel right at home; you climb in and are along for the whole ride." ~Michael Connelly "I'll follow Thea Kozak anywhere. She is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today. And Kate Flora is the rare, graceful writer who pays close attention to how long it takes the body and the heart to heal." ~Laura Lippman THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over Schooled in Death ABOUT KATE FLORA: Kate Flora’s fascination with people’s criminal tendencies began in the Maine attorney general’s office. Deadbeat dads, people who hurt their kids, and employers’ discrimination aroused her curiosity about human behavior. The author of nineteen books and more than twenty short stories, Flora’s been a finalist for the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Derringer awards. She won the Public Safety Writers Association award for nonfiction and twice won the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction. Her latest fiction is Schooled in Death, her 9th Thea Kozak mystery. Her latest nonfiction is Shots Fired: The misconceptions, misunderstandings, and myths about police shootings with retired Portland Assistant Chief Joseph K. Loughlin. Flora divides her time between Massachusetts and Maine, and between cooking and gardening and obsessive writing.

Arriving to view what will hopefully be her dream home, Thea Kozak finds her real estate agent, Ginger Stevens, tied to a chair, surrounded by fiery space heaters. Just before the woman dies, she utters the indistinct words: Bobby. So long. Safe. Sorry. Then a stranger, claiming to be Ginger's boyfriend, corners Thea, demanding a package that Ginger gave to her, a package Thea never received. Determined to get justice for Ginger, Thea begins her own investigation. Ginger's colleagues know little about her, her apartment has been professionally sanitized, Ginger Stevens is the name of a child who died many years ago, and the Maine police have no idea who real-estate agent Ginger Stevens really is. But Thea is sure the two men following her know Ginger's true identity, and will stop at nothing to keep her from uncovering the truth behind the woman's dying words. REVIEWS: "Thea Kozak is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction, today." Laura Lippman, NYT Bestselling Author of Wilde Lake

A Secretive Neighbor's Disappearance Raises Questions in Death Comes Knocking, a Thea Kozak Murder Mystery from Kate Flora. --Maine, Present Day-- Happy to finally be settling into her new home, a heavily pregnant Thea Kozak is rushing to get the baby’s room finished when she’s surprised by a visit from her new neighbor, Jessica, who is equally pregnant. Thrilled to meet another new mother in the neighborhood, Thea and Jessica bond over their mutual condition. But after many cups of herbal tea and cookies, Thea is puzzled by Jessica's unwillingness to talk about her past. A week later, Thea arrives at Jessica's house for a planned shopping trip to discover Jessica is gone, leaving only a trash bag of women's clothing at the end of the driveway. Returning home, there's a disturbing voice mail from Jessica: "Please, Thea. Don’t worry about me. If anyone comes looking for me, you don’t know me. You’ve never seen me. Don’t tell them anything." Thea’s resolve to avoid getting drawn into any more potentially dangerous adventures crumbles as she sets out to learn who Jessica is and who—or what—she’s running from. Publisher's Note: Kate Flora is known for taking readers on a near breathless experience with a surprise at every turn. Fans of Janet Evanovich, Michael Connelly as well as Faith Martin and Chris Collett will not want to miss this series. "...a terrific, in-your-face, stand-up gal...Stephanie Plum and Thea Kozak have a lot to say to each other." ~Janet Evanovich "Kate Flora does what all the great writers do: she takes you inside unfamiliar territory and makes you feel right at home; you climb in and are along for the whole ride." ~Michael Connelly "I'll follow Thea Kozak anywhere. She is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today. And Kate Flora is the rare, graceful writer who pays close attention to how long it takes the body and the heart to heal." ~Laura Lippman THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over Schooled in Death Death Comes Knocking Death Sends a Message

A Newborn, a Baby Carriage, and an Ice Cream Cone Leads to a Lingering Mystery in DEATH SENDS A MESSAGE by Kate Flora —Freeport, Maine, Present Day— Independent school consultant Thea Kozak is adjusting to motherhood and enjoying maternity leave, having just purchased a hat for her newborn son, when a hysterical woman gains her attention. The woman, also a new mother, claims her baby has just been kidnapped. Determined not to get involved, Thea flags down a police officer and hands off the problem. She returns home to her husband Andre, intending to enjoy their precious weeks of parental leave. But Thea’s kindness soon brings trouble to her doorstep when a police officer asks questions about her relationship with Addison Shirley, the mother of the kidnapped child, who claimed Thea was a friend before she disappeared. The couple’s hopes for a peaceful respite are quickly replaced with a break-in, a stalker, and a private school crisis involving star athletes and sexual assault that only Thea can handle. Thea and Andre wrestle with the lingering mystery and competing priorities while reexamining their future…if they live to face it. Publisher’s Note: Kate Flora is known for taking readers on a near breathless experience with a surprise at every turn. Fans of Sara Paretsky, Laura Lippman, Sue Grafton, and Julia Spencer-Fleming will not want to miss this series. “If you like your heroines smart, brave, tough, and exuberantly aware of the possibilities of the human heart, look no further than Thea Kozak.” ~S.J. Rozan “...a terrific, in-your-face, stand-up gal...Stephanie Plum and Thea Kozak have a lot to say to each other.” ~Janet Evanovich “Kate Flora does what all the great writers do: she takes you inside unfamiliar territory and makes you feel right at home; you climb in and are along for the whole ride.” ~Michael Connelly “I’ll follow Thea Kozak anywhere. She is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today. And Kate Flora is the rare, graceful writer who pays close attention to how long it takes the body and the heart to heal.” ~Laura Lippman THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over Schooled in Death Death Comes Knocking Death Sends a Message About the Author Maine native Kate Flora’s fascination with people’s criminal tendencies began in the Maine attorney general’s office. Deadbeat dads, people who hurt their kids, and employers’ discrimination aroused her curiosity about human behavior. The author of twenty-four books and many short stories, Flora’s been a finalist for the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Derringer awards. She won the Public Safety Writers Association award for nonfiction and twice won the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction. Her most recent Thea Kozak mystery is Death Sends a Message; her most recent Joe Burgess is A World of Deceit. Her crime story collection is Careful What You Wish For: Stories of revenge, retribution, and the world made right. Flora is a founding member of the New England Crime Bake and the Maine Crime Wave and runs the blog Maine Crime Writers. Flora’s nonfiction focuses on aspects of the public safety officers’ experience. She divides her time between Massachusetts and Maine, where she gardens and cooks and watches the clouds when she’s not imagining her character’s dark deeds. She occasionally swims in the shark-filled sea. She’s been married for decades to an excellent man. Her sons edit films and hang out in research labs.

“Thea Kozak is a terrific, in-your-face, stand-up gal…Stephanie Plum and Thea Kozak would have a lot to say to each other.” ~Janet Evanovich, NYT Bestselling Author Three Full-Length Murder Mystery Thrillers Featuring Female Sleuth Thea Kozak from Author, Kate Flora —Maine, U.S.A.— Book 1: Chosen for Death When Thea Kozak’s little sister is murdered in a picturesque Maine town, the police have no leads, and her grieving parents are eager to put everything behind them. Thea—“little mother” to her adopted sister, Carrie, refuses to back down. Not when she can do one more thing for Carrie: find the killer and get justice for her little sister. Book 2: Death in a Funhouse Mirror Thea Kozak thought her amateur detective days were over until she met a woman who had it all, and then some. Helene Streeter, the perfect wife, mother, and consummate professional is brutally murdered, leaving friends and family with more questions than answers. Helene’s daughter—Thea’s old college roommate—begs for her help, plunging Thea into a web of deceit and madness. Book 3: Death at the Wheel Thea’s mother introduces her to Julie Bass, a young widow whose husband died in a horrific accident at the local auto racetrack. Julie is the woman Thea’s mother wants her to be—married to a suitable man and producing adorable children. Thea brings her amateur detective skills to bear when the racetrack “accident” proves to be murder and Julie is arrested. “A red-hot start to this new series.” ~Kirkus Reviews “Complex heroine, simple plot and natural prose...” ~Library Journal “A page-turner!” ~Mystery Scene THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES, in order Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over Schooled in Death Death Comes Knocking Death Sends a Message