Never mind that Harper Winston is gorgeous, Chase Garrett, owner of Maximum Security, isn't happy when she hires him to find her missing brother; the Winston family is famously hand-and-glove with dark-and-dirty business, and this assignment will take him all the way to the jungles of South America. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

When Harper Winston's brother, Michael, disappears while sailing in the Caribbean, she goes to the one person she trusts to help her, PI Chase Garrett, once her brother's best friend and now despised by Harper's wealthy and powerful father. But Harper doesn't want Chase to find Michael on his own and insists on going along, plunging them into a hair-raising adventure that puts Harper on a drug lord's hit list and sparks a romance as combustible as it is ill-advised. A cadre of colorful characters adds perspective to this swiftly paced and intricately developed thriller. VERDICT Drugs, lies, corruption, and long-held secrets are at the core of this hard-hitting romance and well-done series opener. Martin (After the Sunrise) divides her time between a ranch in Missoula, MT, and a beach in California. [See Prepub Alert 7/30/18.]

Martin (Beyond Control) keeps the twists and turns coming in the sensuous and spirited first Maximum Security romantic thriller. Heiress and clothing designer Harper Winston is worried about her brother, Michael, who went missing after embarking on a solo sailing trip. She hires Chase Garrett, her brother's former friend, to find him. At breakneck speed, Harper and Chase move into the crosshairs of the mercenaries who kidnapped Michael and his new girlfriend; during the rescue, Harper kills the cousin of an abusive crime boss, who targets her for revenge. Martin throws Harper's drug lord father and an unexpected parentage reveal into the mix. Interspersed with the bursts of terror are red-hot sex scenes, during which both Harper and Chase try not to fall in love (and fail, of course). Harper's a determined, smart protagonist, and the same can be said for sexy, loyal hero Chase. Harper and Michael's father is almost cartoonishly evil and it's fun to cheer for his downfall. Readers will find it hard to wait for the next book in this tantalizing series about detectives, bodyguards, and bounty hunters. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM. (Jan.)