Girl Seven: Craved

Book 7: A Maya Gray FBI Suspense Thriller

by Molly Black

Genres: Female Sleuths; Suspense

Synopsis

12 cold cases. 12 kidnapped women. One diabolical serial killer. In this riveting suspense thriller, a brilliant FBI agent faces a deadly challenge: decipher the mystery before each one is murdered.

“Molly Black has written a taut thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat… I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read the next book in the series!”
—Reader review for Girl One: Murder

In the Maya Gray series (which begins with Book #1—GIRL ONE: MURDER), FBI Special Agent Maya Gray, 39, has seen it all. She’s one of BAU’s rising stars and the go-to agent for hard-to-crack serial cases. When she receives a handwritten postcard promising to release 12 kidnapped women if she will solve 12 cold cases, she assumes it’s a hoax.

Until the note mentions that, among the captives, is her missing sister.

Maya, shaken, is forced to take it seriously. The cases she’s up against are some of the most difficult the FBI has ever seen. But the terms of his game are simple: If Maya solves a case, he will release one of the girls.

And if she fails, he will end a life.

In GIRL SEVEN: CRAVED, women are turning up dead with a precious stone mysteriously left on their bodies. What type of stone is it? What is the significance?

Will it lead to the Moonlight Killer?

And who will he target next?

A complex psychological crime thriller full of twists and turns and packed with heart-pounding suspense, the MAYA GRAY mystery series will make you fall in love with a brilliant new female protagonist and keep you turning pages late into the night. It is a perfect addition for fans of Robert Dugoni, Rachel Caine, Melinda Leigh or Mary Burton.

Books #8 and #9 in the series—GIRL EIGHT: HUNTED and GIRL NINE: GONE—are now also available.

“I binge read this book. It hooked me in and didn't stop till the last few pages… I look forward to reading more!”
—Reader review for Found You

“I loved this book! Fast-paced plot, great characters and interesting insights into investigating cold cases. I can't wait to read the next book!”
—Reader review for Girl One: Murder

“Very good book… You will feel like you are right there looking for the kidnapper! I know I will be reading more in this series!”
—Reader review for Girl One: Murder

“This is a very well written book and holds your interest from page 1… Definitely looking forward to reading the next one in the series, and hopefully others as well!”
—Reader review for Girl One: Murder

“Wow, I cannot wait for the next in this series. Starts with a bang and just keeps going.”
—Reader review for Girl One: Murder

“Well written book with a great plot, one that will keep you up at night. A page turner!”
—Reader review for Girl One: Murder

“A great suspense that keeps you reading… can't wait for the next in this series!”
—Reader review for Found You

“Sooo soo good! There are a few unforeseen twists… I binge read this like I binge watch Netflix. It just sucks you in.”
—Reader review for Found You

Release date: November 22, 2022

Print pages: 215

Sample

CHAPTER ONE

 

 

When Hank heard a group of people coming towards him, he scuttled into one of Lagoon City’s alleys. He didn’t want trouble. The last thing he needed was to walk into the midst of a group of stragglers coming back after a drunken night out that had lasted until dawn. He’d learned the hard way that some people saw nothing wrong with beating up a man like him just for the fun of it. He had no wish to get kicked into the gutter, just for someone else’s amusement.

He had never much liked Lagoon City, in spite of living there most of his life. The lakes nearby meant mist coming in, making the early morning light into something weak and diffuse, making him feel like he was walking through rain even though it promised to be a pleasant day. It lent a sheen to the t-shirt and cheap army surplus jacket he was wearing, and slicked back his tangled, unkempt hair.

Hank didn’t like to think of himself as down and out, more sort of existing in between things. Between jobs, between places to stay, between girlfriends. Also somewhere carefully between the right side of the law and outright criminality, most days. He found what he needed out on the city’s streets, whether that was money, food, or alcohol, and so long as no one looked too closely at exactly how he found those things, everything was fine. He worked small grifts, he took whatever wasn’t watched too closely, no one got hurt. Currently, he was making his way back towards the squat he was staying in at the moment, after a night spent… well, he didn’t remember half of it, but he assumed that it had been fun.

Once he was sure he was away from the people who had come too close, he strolled almost casually along the streets of the city, moving without a care because this time of the morning, when it was all just waking up, was his favorite time of day. There weren’t too many people out yet. All the tourists heading to the lakes to fish

or canoe or whatever were still in bed. All the folks who ran stores weren’t ready to open up yet. He had the streets mostly to himself.

Thankfully, he knew most of the back alleys of the city, all the ones off the pristine streets that were kept that way just so that the tourists who came there for the lakes would feel good. He knew the ones that were the favorite spots for dealers, the ones that were best not to set foot in unless you wanted trouble.

The alley he slipped into next wasn’t one of those. It was the kind of alley that people could use as a shortcut safely, back behind a restaurant and a row of houses. Hank made his way along it quickly, the sensation of wanting the streets to himself giving way to wanting to get back home. He passed by a dumpster…

That was when he saw the woman lying there at the side of the alley, face down in the dirt.

She was young and blonde, wearing a white dress that was stained now from lying there in the street. One of her shoes had come off and was resting a little way away, looking somehow as if it told the whole story of the night.

For a moment or two, Hank thought that maybe she was just passed out drunk. Maybe worth checking the purse near her for a wallet, but other than that best to leave her alone. He didn’t want the kind of trouble that might come if she woke up with him standing over her.

Then he saw the length of braided cord around her neck and started to take in the unnatural stillness as she lay there. There was no rise and fall of her chest, none of the small twitches that most drunks made in their sleep.

Horror crept through Hank as he realized that this woman was dead. Someone had killed her. Someone had strangled her. Someone had murdered her.

And he was standing right next to the body. If someone came along now, they wouldn’t stop to ask any questions; they would just assume that it was him. Even the cops would assume it was him because he’d had enough run-ins with them in the past that it would just be an easy story for them to tell. The street hustler who had gone too far. It would be an open and shut case for them.

Hank had to get out of there. He turned, not exactly to run, because that would attract attention that he didn’t need, but certainly walk away as quickly as possible. As he did so, a flicker of something caught his eye, something that shone brightly and stopped him in his tracks.

Hank saw the small gemstone sitting there, left by the woman’s body as casually as if it didn’t matter at all. Simple avarice stopped Hank from walking away as he knew he should, making him stare at it. Something like that… if he could find a way to sell it safely, it could set him up, earn him enough to live on for… well, he didn’t want to guess how long for, but a while.

He knew he ought to leave it there with the body; something like that could bring him all kinds of trouble. Even so, his hand shot out almost automatically, grabbing for it. He couldn’t help himself when it came to this kind of thing. He couldn’t just leave something like that behind, any more than he could keep from conning a mark or lifting a wallet.

He couldn’t just leave the body, either. Hank might be a grifter, but there were some things you didn’t do. He kept a burner phone for some of his cons, and because sometimes he did small jobs for people that needed anonymity. It was paid for in cash, with no way to trace it back to him. Getting out his phone, he did something he’d never thought he’d do and called 911.

“911, what service do you need?”

“Listen,” Hank said. “I just found a body, in an alley off West Street.”

“Could you repeat that please?”

“A body, off West Street.”

“And what’s your name?”

“That’s not important,” Hank said, and hung up as quickly as he could. He didn’t want to give them any time to trace the call. He didn’t want to get involved. He’d done what he had to do, and he had the stone to show for it. No one would ever know that he’d taken it, or that he was even here. No one was around, and no one would know that the stone was ever there. Grabbing the stone, he hurried through the alley, wanting to put as much distance between himself and the dead woman as possible.