Fiction Books
Dead of Autumn and Dead of Summer, Dead of Spring, Dead of Winter and Dead on the Delta are popular books in the Alexa Williams suspense series by award-winning author Sherry Knowlton. Read the reviews!
Alexa Williams series - Book #2
Dead of Summer
Dead of Autumn
Alexa Williams series - Book #1
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“Sherry Knowlton’s Dead Autumn (Sunbury) features a dead body harkening back to the crimes of an earlier era—there are conventions in genre writing that fans appreciate.”
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- LIBRARY JOURNAL, Thrillerfest
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“I recommend this book to all who enjoy a well told mystery."
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- S.I. ELLIS, author of the Cassie Cruise Mysteries
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“I recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries or rural Pennsylvania.”
- VAL MULLER, author of the Faulkners Apprentice and the Corgi Capers
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ISBNs:
Print: 978-1-62006-476-4
Kindle: 978-1-62006-477-1
Nook: 978-1-62006-478-8
The Alexa Williams novel that started it all. An ethereal blonde sprawled by a mountain stream. Three young girls on a blanket in the woods. Decades separate the discovery of these dead bodies, but the lesson they offer is the same. Evil can lurk much closer than you'd ever imagine.
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ALEXA WILLIAMS IS A SUCCESSFUL lawyer, volunteers weekly at a women’s clinic, and has a sexy weekend boyfriend—not to mention an endearing best friend in her giant English mastiff, Scout. But one autumn day, when Scout takes off into the Pennsylvania woods, Alexa discovers a nightmare she’d never imagined. From that fateful day, Alexa becomes entangled in a murder mystery—one that she tries to unravel by linking it to experiences and symbols in her own life.
Dewilla Noakes, a child of the Depression, has recently lost her mother. Her father packs up the girls—and their attractive cousin, Winnie—and hits the road to look for a job on the east coast. Along the way, money becomes tighter, food becomes scarcer, and relationships become strained. Dewilla’s father fears he’s failing his daughters. Running out of options, he begins to consider the unthinkable to end the misery he’s brought upon his family . . .
Alexa soon finds herself amidst violence aimed at the clinic where she volunteers, brought on by pro-life extremists. In a bizarre turn of events, she’s almost raped, ambushed by religious zealots who wish to convert her, then taken by surprise as another romance enters her life. Plus, she seems to be seeing quite a lot of the local law enforcement these days.
No matter what else happens in her life, Alexa can’t shake feeling a connection to the mysterious murder victim. She thinks back to the stories she heard as a child, about the Babes in the Woods, who were murdered close to where the victim’s body was found, wondering if that might be why she draws the connection. But when the murderer strikes again, Alexa must rely on her knowledge of local history and terrain in order to save her own life.
Dead of Autumn explores the obstacles faced by females, young and old, past and present, and the degrees of power they embrace to combat their situations.
Dead of Summer
Alexa Williams series - Book #2
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“Alexa Williams is a sassy, alpha-female heroine. The plot is knotty, lots of will-she or won’t she, all woven into an intense battle of wits that heats up every page. While reading, I could almost see the credits rolling for the movie."
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- STEVE BERRY, New York Times and #1 International Bestselling Author
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“Fans of Sherry Knowlton's "Dead of Autumn," will find summer to be an equally deadly season. "Dead of Summer" is a riveting, suspenseful read as it crosses time and space while Alexa unravels a murder. Residents of Central Pennsylvania will particularly enjoy the authentic, local touches.”
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- MELISSA F. MILLER, USA TODAY bestselling author of legal thrillers and romantic comedic mysteries
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“Sherry Knowlton's follow-up book is just as edgy and engaging as Dead of Autumn. Continuing with the seasonal theme, Dead of Summer captures the season in multiple times and places, especially present day southcentral Pennsylvania, where the people are intriguing and real. Alexa Williams reprises her role as lawyer/amateur sleuth/women's rights activist and reminds us that smart women can still have emotions without sacrificing strength. The plot issues concerning human trafficking were powerful. I look forward to seeing what Sherry does with the next installments of the series.”
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- HEIDI RUBY MILLER, author of the Ambasadora series
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ISBNs:
Print: 978-1620065938
Kindle: 1620065932
"Alexa Williams is a sassy, alpha-female heroine. The plot is knotty, lots of will she or won't she, all woven into an intense battle of wits that heats up every page." - Steve Berry, New York Times and #1 International Bestselling Author
​* 2017 Best Book Awards Finalist - Fiction: Mystery/Suspense Category*
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IN A TALE OF SUSPENSE that travels from Southcentral Pennsylvania to Africa to the iconic Woodstock Festival of 1969, Dead of Summer embroils Alexa Williams in the dangerous world of sex trafficking.
With help from friends, family, and her yoga practice, Alexa Williams is finally starting to recover from last autumn’s trauma of finding a dead body and the violence that ensued. The young attorney can’t believe that her summer has begun with the discovery of another body. This time, the dead woman was famous for her worldwide campaign against sex trafficking. The murder hits close to home: the late activist was a friend and mentor to Alexa’s best friend, Melissa.
While the town mourns, Alexa stumbles into a burglary at Melissa’s home, barely escaping serious harm. A client asks for help in convincing the police that her foster child is not a runaway, and Alexa learns that other local girls have gone missing. Drawn into the fight to save lost and exploited children, Alexa discovers a community of child activists. A local philanthropist wants Alexa to join his foster care empire. A sexy social worker and a hip college professor want a more personal connection with Alexa, but she is also drawn to the police detective leading the murder investigation.
Searching for answers, Alexa becomes entangled in a web of deception and danger that puts both her heart and her life at risk. By the time she discovers that the key to the present lies in the halcyon days of peace and music, it may be too late.
Alexa Williams series - Book #3
Dead of Spring
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"A lawyer who yearns for the quiet life proves a magnet for murder."... in a "mystery/thriller/romance with a complex heroine."
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- KIRKUS REVIEWS, book reviews and recommendations from the most trusted voice in book discovery
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"Knowlton weaves a compelling tale, and the threads become tighter as the plot progresses. A suspicious suicide of a powerful politician takes on new meaning when Alexa Williams’s investigations uncover corruption at the heart of the fracking industry. And when she becomes the target, the tension ramps up to a thrilling climax. Highly recommended."
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- MARK LEGGATT, best-selling author of International Thriller 'Names of the Dead'
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"DEAD OF SPRING combines legislative corruption with corporate greed that ends in deadly violence. Heroine Alexa Williams resists intimidation to battle evil at the highest levels of Pennsylvania government and commerce. Spurring her on is a love for the environment and for a friend whose daughter's cancer is caused by fracking. Here is a spellbinding yarn jerked straight from today's frightening headlines."
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- KAY KENDALL, award-winning author of historical mysteries
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ISBNs:
Print - 9781620068434
Kindle - 1620068435
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Fracking. Political corruption. A dead Senator. A dying child. With Sherry Knowlton's trademark mix of feminism, history, romance and fast-paced thrills, Dead of Spring places Alexa Williams on a collision course with danger. Hang on for the ride.
* 2017 Best Book Awards Finalist - Fiction: Mystery/Suspense Category
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When a beloved state senator plunges to his death at Alexa Williams’ feet in the Capitol Rotunda, the authorities suspect suicide. Although the powerful chair of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee was at the center of a controversial new bill to expand hydraulic fracturing, he was also rumored to be ill. Shaken, Alexa tries to move past the disturbing incident by concentrating on work. She’s leading a senate commission on sex trafficking. Plus, she’s helping an old college roommate sue a natural gas company for their role in causing her daughter’s rare cancer.​
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In researching the lawsuit, Alexa becomes embroiled in the high-stakes politics of fracking. As the relationship with her state trooper boyfriend drifts onto the rocks, Alexa is drawn to a charismatic state legislator who’s leading an anti-fracking crusade. Then, the police shock Alexa with the news that she could be in danger; she’s a witness to the senator’s murder, not his suicide.
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When Alexa narrowly escapes a sniper’s bullet, she must discover why she’s a target―and who she can trust—before the next shot hits its mark.
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With Sherry Knowlton’s trademark mix of feminism, history, romance, and fast-paced thrills, Dead of Spring skyrockets from the fracking fields of the Marcellus Shale to the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster of 1979 to the rolling hills of Tuscany to the halls of Pennsylvania state government. In this suspenseful tale of corruption and runaway greed, Alexa Williams proves, once again, that she’s a formidable heroine. The twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Dead of Winter
Alexa Williams series - Book #4
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“With riveting suspense and vivid details, Dead of Winter by Sherry Knowlton brings the towns and forests of Southcentral Pennsylvania to vivid life as cultures and beliefs clash in a searing tale of murder, love, and communal fear. From flying drones to police investigations and legal wrangling, Dead of Winter will keep you guessing and glued raptly to your reading chair.”
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- GAYLE LYNDS, New York Times best-selling author of The Assassins
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“Ms. Knowlton is a fine writer, who writes beautiful prose as good as that of much of our finest fiction … The book is an intriguing, suspenseful story which grabs the attention of the reader from the very first page … Alexa Williams again proves a formidable heroine in this suspenseful tale of international corruption and hatred.”
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- MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW BY ALMA BONDS, An organization committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing
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“Sherry Knowlton brilliantly weaves contemporary issues into a riveting mystery that will stick with you long after the last page is turned. In Dead of Winter, the reader can sense a fuse has been lit and is burning closer to a rural Pennsylvania town that is on the brink after a series of deaths appear to lead back to the normally tranquil setting. While addressing xenophobia, racism, and America’s complicated history, Dead of Winter is the novel we need and the story we want.”
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- JJ HENSLEY, Author of Bolt Action Remedy and Record Scratch​
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ISBNs:
Print: 1-62006-071-X
Kindle: 978-1-62006-071-1
A lighthearted outing uncovers a body … and a message.
A fear of terrorism ignites a small Pennsylvania town.
When Alexa Williams uncovers the shocking truth, she must race to save everyone she loves.
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“With riveting suspense and vivid details, Dead of Winter by Sherry Knowlton brings the towns and forests of Southcentral Pennsylvania to vivid life as cultures and beliefs clash in a searing tale of murder, love, and communal fear. From flying drones to police investigations and legal wrangling, Dead of Winter will keep you guessing and glued raptly to your reading chair.”
- Gayle Lynds, New York Times best-selling author of The Assassins
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A lighthearted morning trip to test a new drone turns deadly for attorney Alexa Williams and two close friends when they find a stranger’s bullet-riddled body in a remote field in rural Pennsylvania. Next to the dead man is a note that declares: Allahu Akbar.
Trying to shake the gruesome discovery, Alexa returns to her busy law practice and personal life. She’s representing a Syrian refugee family whose son has been bullied at school. Old love, Reese Michaels, is back from Africa and living in nearby Harpers Ferry. He and Alexa are tiptoeing through a delicate dance as they rekindle the spark between them. Alexa is also taking Krav Maga classes at a local studio for self-
protection. The studio owner, the widow of a soldier killed in the Iraq War, is fast becoming a friend. If that’s not enough, Alexa’s parents are pulling her into a flurry of social commitments as they host an International Fellow at the U.S. Army War College, an Iraqi General, and his colleague, a decorated American Colonel.
When another man is found executed near Harpers Ferry, Reese becomes a suspect and Alexa wonders just how much he’s changed since working in Africa. After a third murder, an improbable fear of Islamic terrorism spreads like wildfire through Alexa’s small Pennsylvania town. When the police arrest the oldest son of the refugee family for the murders, her Syrian clients become the focus of mounting anti-Muslim rage, and a dangerous militia group targets Alexa.
One dark night in the dead of winter, Alexa discovers how all these threads intersect, and she must race to stop an attack that could kill hundreds. If she fails, she could lose everyone she loves.
Dead on the Delta
Alexa Williams series - Book #5
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“Dead on the Delta is a gripping new adventure for Alexa Williams. Set against the backdrop of
Botswana’s Okavango Delta, Alexa faces brutal poachers and a frightening conspiracy that
reaches all the way to the top of Botswana’s elite. The situation comes to a head in a terrifying
confrontation that requires all of Alexa’s strength as she fights for her own survival. A satisfying
read set in a gorgeous landscape.”
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- MICHAEL NIEMANN, award-winning author of Valentin Vermeulen thrillers
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“Every page of Dead on the Delta radiates Knowlton’s love and knowledge of this unique part of
our planet and highlights its potential for disaster. Knowlton’s suspenseful book sets the beauty
of the Okavango against the dangers that lurk there.”
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- MICHAEL STANLEY, award-winning authors of Detective Kubu series
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Star Rating: 5 / 5 “great cast of characters and a fantastic female lead.” (Read full review here.)
- SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW by Susan Miller
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ISBNs:
Publication date: February 16, 2021
ISBN-10: 1-62006-433-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-62006-433-7
Alexa Williams is about to spend four months conducting lion research in the African bush with her boyfriend Reese. She looks forward to witnessing the elemental life and death struggle of the wild, but she never imagines she’ll become one of the hunted on the remote Okavango Delta.
Botswana protects its wildlife with strict policies and an entire army deployed to combat poaching. So Alexa and Reese are shocked when poachers wipe out an entire herd of elephants. At the site of the mass slaughter near their lion project, they promise authorities that they’ll watch for suspicious activity as they travel the Delta.
When the country’s strict wildlife conservation policies come under debate in the capital, tensions flare and Alexa begins to suspect the ongoing poaching incidents may be about even more than the illicit ivory trade. Especially when a close friend dies when caught in the crossfire.
After an alarming series of near escapes, gunmen attack the safari camp where she and Reese are staying, and Alexa must brave wild animals and the dangerous labyrinth of Delta channels in a desperate attempt to save the hostages, including the man she loves.
American Roulette
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ISBNs:
Hard Cover w/dust jacket 979-8-88819-141-5
Trade Paperback 979-8-88819-142-2
Ebook 979-8-88819-143-9
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A novel by Pat LaMarche, Sherry Knowlton, J.M. West, Mathew Best, Phyllis Orenyo, Robert Bradshaw, Andrew Carey, and James Dodds.
One unremarkable Friday in April, a stream of ordinary people makes its way to Liberty Mall in Anywhere, USA, to shop, work, keep appointments, or catch a movie. A typical day in an average town. tells the story of eight of those people.
Emma Franz is a store security guard with a secret. Earl Bricker, a retired factory worker, loves his country, his wife, and his good-old-boy network. Roger Elliot, mid-twenties and miserable, has more than a few axes to grind. High school senior Caitlin Browning, having triumphed over personal challenges, hopes for a quiet evening with her boyfriend. Reverend Chris Dietrich has a special surprise for his weekly Bible study group. Leah McCall, TV personality and teacher, drops by the food court to visit with her best friend. Will Humphreys’ part-time job at the mall offers him little relief from the relentless bullying that plagues his existence.
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At 5:17 PM, one of these characters’ actions will change the lives of all the others. Later that night, professional crisis consultant Steven Bradley arrives to help the community deal with the aftermath. An eclectic group of authors spent six months collaborating on American Roulette, a blockbuster novel full of tension, dread, and anguish. Individual authors created one of the eight key characters—complete with a supporting cast—who find themselves sharing a common destiny. Readers have but a single day to get to know each of the protagonists before time and circumstances seal their fate.
100% of author book royalties will be donated to organizations working to end gun violence.