Golden Beach Book Series

When Michael Turco's brother is injured in a tournament at a Medieval Fair, the Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant suspects it wasn't an accident and begins his own personal investigation. Which causes him considerable anguish when he has to enlist the aid of Kate Knight, who is his entree into the Lords and Ladies of Chivalry (LALOC), a Medieval re-enactment group. Kate, who has been fighting her way out of abuse for years, is equally appalled, as she will be forced to share a postage-stamp-size tent with him nearly every weekend until the mystery of a series of disasters at Medieval Fairs and LALOC events is solved. Michael has his own problems, finding the adjustment to LALOC's Medieval lifestyle, including costumes he can't believe he's wearing - and bowing to a chair? - a severe trial. He must also cope with a multitude of quirky personalities among Medieval enthusiasts who take themselves very seriously indeed. Plus a rash of new, ever more serious "accidents." And then there's Kate, who seems to be mellowing until she gets a look at him in full FHP uniform. Author's Note: Florida Knight is a look at the double lives led by those who embrace the Medieval re-enactment lifestyle. The story is fictional, the background is not. I volunteered for many years at the Medieval Fair at the John & Mable Ringling Museum in Sarasota, and I was a long-time member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). I wrote Lady Knight at that time. But since then a number of other books have used that title, so I changed this re-edited version to Florida Knight. For those who are interested in learning more about weekend immersion in Medieval culture, check out: www.sca.org. Reviews: "Lords and Ladies! Prepare thyself for an enchanting tale of mystery and romance! ... I had a great time reading this novel! Bancroft's characters are funny and heartwarming. I found myself rooting for all of them. The connections between them are genuine, their troubles tugging on my heartstrings and their successes making me smile. ... Bancroft couldn't have chosen a more original background." Heather Eileen,Romance Junkies "Blair Bancroft gives us an excellent tale of two people who have wrapped their hearts into a cocoon of self preservation. Kate's history is a horror story of abuse and neglect. Michael's present as a patrol officer is often filled with the dregs of society. Both have felt they had to keep others at a distance to survive. The tale of Mona and Bubba, Kate's friends, is a mixture of heartbreak and strength that adds much to the book. The author does a great job weaving their relationships while giving us an education about people who crave simpler times when chivalry was alive and well." Dee Dailey, The Romance Studio "I just finished reading a great book. It travels through time, but not in the usual manner of time travels. There is no element of disbelief. ... It brings the reader into the story not by guile or subterfuge but simply by telling a compelling story. The hero is a man for all seasons ... Lady Knight an outwardly strong woman who has built a wall around her senses. Can Officer Turco scale that wall? I highly recommend this book. If you love historicals or contemps this tale is for you as it has both elements and is a great mystery." FoxyladyCarey

Laine Halliday, troubleshooter for Fantascapes, plunges from fantasy weddings and exotic vacations into the midst of mob warfare on an international scale. Accustomed to dealing with the idiosyncrasies of the wealthy, she is only mildly surprised by a request for a wedding in which the bride steps out of a series of nesting Fabergé eggs, created in the style of Russian "mama dolls." But after that, things go downhill fast. A dead body on the beach, a mystery man on the Inca Trail in Peru, attempted murder (Laine's). More dead bodies, a Russian bride (under guard) . . . and serious concerns about the groom whose request to Fantascapes seems to have initiated this series of disasters. Laine finds herself involved not only in Russian mob warfare, but up to her neck in law enforcement activity that ranges from the local SWAT team to Interpol. Can a wedding planner from Golden Beach, Florida, survive an encounter with the mob and juggle the two men in her life, as well as her job with Fantascapes and an offer from Interpol? Never fear, Laine Halliday is the kind of heroine who may be able to do it all. Author's Note: If you like bombshell heroines, hunky heros, and dashes of humor to lighten the mayhem . . . if you like your heroines truly heroic (this one saves the hero five times), this book is for you.

A personal disaster in New York City sends promising clothing designer Gwyn Halliday fleeing home to the sleepy Gulfcoast resort and retirement community of Golden Beach, Florida, where she turns her talents to designing costumes. Five years later, her shop, DreamWear - Costumes & Creations, is a success, providing rental costumes to native Floridians, local retirees, and to the snowbirds and tourists who flock to the area each winter. Gwyn has come to terms with being an exotic blossom in a sea of seniors when one of her customers is killed (wearing DreamWear's best Santa suit), and she suspects the so-called "boating accident" was murder. In rapid succession Gwyn meets the new Chief of Police (from landlocked Nebraska), runs into a former crush (now suffering from PTSD), and begins to suspect an elderly senior is being targeted by a series of scams (one possibly lethal). And then her brother becomes a suspect. Gwyn is well aware she should stick to costumes, but what's a girl to do when things get personal? Author's Note: Golden Beach is an actual Florida Gulfcoast town, whose residents would prefer to keep its real name secret. Only a few of my Golden Beach books have cross-over characters, but all share the same idyllic setting. (Or at least it was before I made bad things happen there.) In addition to Death by Marriage, the Golden Beach books are: Shadowed Paradise, Paradise Burning, and Orange Blossoms & Mayhem. Coming in the summer of 2012: Florida Knight.

When Claire Langdon's affluent, near-fairytale life in New York is shattered by scandal, she and her eight-year-old son Jamie take refuge with her grandmother in Florida. Once a bright, confident young woman, Claire has been so badly hurt that when she stumbles onto a genuine downhome hero, learning to trust, to love again, seem beyond her reach. She is also forced to deal with the discovery that there are more serious dangers in Florida than alligators, snakes, spiders, and macho males. Like a serial killer, with her name on his list. Brad Blue is the son of a Russian defector (from Cold War days); his mother, the daughter of one of Florida's wealthiest cattle barons. (And, yes, Florida is the largest cattle-producing state east of the Mississippi.) Still under forty, Brad is retired from one of Uncle Sam's many secretive "alphabet" agencies. He's tough and lonely and more than ready to settle down to family life, but convincing Claire Langdon to marry him is one of his most difficult assignments. Almost as difficult as discovering the identity of the killer who is stalking female real estate agents in Calusa County, Florida. From the moment Claire and Brad meet in the midst of a flooded bridge, cultural shock wars with romantic attraction. On top of that, they both have pasts that don't bear close scrutiny. But when Brad offers Claire the job of "sitting" one of his model homes out back of beyond, she accepts. Which is just fine with the killer. The killer plays a prominent, if anonymous, role throughout the book, gloating over his kills, attempting to justify them. And, finally, inevitably, he meets Claire, face to face. Reviews: "Marvelously versatile, wondrously creative, intelligently written and sensuously inventive, Bancroft's Shadowed Paradise adds new meaning to the term 'romantic suspense.'. . . as fresh as tomorrow and seriously scary. I loved it." Celia Merenyi, A Romance Review "Shadowed Paradise contains all the elements I so enjoy in a book, excellent dialogue, great character development and fine descriptive scenes. The romance is steamy, the suspense is taut and exiting, and the result is a supremely satisfying, well-developed read, guaranteed to keep you glued throughout." Astrid Kinn, Romance Reviews Today

Amanda Armitage plays a vital role in her family's international investigations agency. Great job, great salay, great heartache, as she lives her life, eyes on the computer screen, fingers on the keyboard. When she loses an agent, a friend, on her watch, she is forced to examine the joylessness of her narrow existence. Mandy's resistance is minimal when her bosses—her parents—send her on a special assignment as research assistant to a best-selling author in Florida. Acknowledging her burnout, she agrees to spend the winter season in paradise, working for Peter Pennington, who is writing a book about international trafficking in women and children. The same trafficking that just got her friend killed. The job will give her an opportunity to unwind while enjoying a season in paradise and still work against the scourge of trafficking. There is, however, a slight glitch. Peter Pennington is the husband she hasn't seen in five years. When Mandy arrives in Florida, trafficking becomes more up close and personal than anyone planned. Peter involves her in his research of local "working girls," while Mandy accidentally stumbles on a houseful of captive women in the Florida outback. A house where a dark, and unlikely, romance is creeping reluctantly to life in the midst of an evil as old as time. As Mandy and Peter juggle their rekindling romance with the dangers of international trafficking, the girl once known as Mandy Mouse metamorphoses into a dynamic, independent woman. Perhaps too much so, as the world around them literally goes up in flames, and Mandy, discovering how easily black and white can dissolve into shades of gray, is forced to make the second most difficult decision of her life. Author's Note: Although Paradise Burning, which features cross-over characters from Shadowed Paradise, is a stand-alone story, I recommend reading Shadowed Paradise first.