Tranquility Denied

Hotshot maritime lawyer Jonathan Brooks may finally be in over his head. He can't find evidence that his client's ship was rammed by a U.S. Navy vessel—evidence he needs to win his trial and help his client escape bankruptcy. But after Jonathan's courtroom tactics expose a Navy captain lying under oath, the case takes a series of shocking turns, dredging up haunting memories of Jonathan's deceased brother. He soon realizes that the trial masks a vastly more sinister plot veiled by the shadowy past of the Cold War. To uncover it, he's forced to risk everything—and everyone—he holds dear. Lives and corporate empires hang in the balance as he embarks on a hunt for the truth, which will lead him through the sultry alleys of New Orleans to remote Scandinavian villages, and deep into Moscow's dark corridors of power.

"A captivating espionage story." —Francis Gary Powers Jr., author of Spy Pilot

"An intriguing tale of power, corruption and hidden truths..." —Crimespree Magazine

"As good as Grisham and Forsyth's best." —Marc Paoletti, author of Scorch

The Serpent's Game

You don't stand and wait as Hurricane Katrina barrels down on New Orleans, unless you don't have a choice, and maritime lawyer Jonathan Brooks has none. His career in shambles and duty bound to help a figure from his past locate her missing nephew feared drowned in the Mississippi, Brooks is burdened with responsibility and devoid of options. But Mariya is no friend. The sultry Russian provocateur saved his life a decade ago but not without dragging him into a world of murder, mayhem and deceit. As darkness bleeds into the Crescent City, Brooks' search for the truth behind a body in the river catapults him into an international storm that sweeps into the espionage underworld of Russia, the intelligence centers of Washington, D.C., the politics of North Korea, the waterways of the Panama Canal, the back streets of Havana and the barrios of Caracas, and into the heart of Jonathan's own darkness.

"A solid espionage novel." —Kirkus Reviews

"Frieden keeps the suspense high and the twists coming in this gritty, complex and satisfying thriller." —Jamie Freveletti, author of Robert Ludlum's The Janus Reprisal

The Pyongyang Option

New Orleans attorney Jonathan Brooks is desperate to rebuild his law firm after Hurricane Katrina. Short on clients, he takes the only work he can find: a murky business deal in Ukraine. But after he lands in Kyiv, his client's executive vanishes. Suspecting foul play, Jonathan enlists the help of a U.S. diplomat. But the next day they are brutally ambushed. Injured and racing against the clock, Jonathan embarks on a frantic search for clues through the back alleys of Kyiv to an abandoned town near Chernobyl. Meanwhile, Jonathan's ex-wife Linda, a journalist, lands in North Korea to report on historic nuclear disarmament talks. She begins probing local officials, not realizing that she and Jonathan are both on a collision course with a deadly web of hackers, spies and assassins. To uncover the truth and save them both, Jonathan may have only one option: to go to Pyongyang with as much leverage as possible and try to make it out alive.

"Exhilarating...unpredictable and entertaining." —Kirkus Reviews

"A masterfully-crafted international thriller." —Reader’s Retreat

"Plunges readers into the intriguing depths of...a secretive regime." —Francis Gary Powers Jr., author Spy Pilot

Midnight in Delhi

On a flight from a conference in Sri Lanka, attorney Jonathan Brooks is jolted from his seat by a sudden commotion. He rushes to assist an unconscious passenger, initiating CPR. But as the plane diverts to Oman, a second medical emergency grips the cabin. Moments before landing, the control tower issues a chilling order: the pilots must reverse course over the Arabian Sea. Meanwhile, far from the turmoil in the skies, rival intelligence agencies are sent scrambling when a renowned researcher is found dead in her Shanghai high-rise, a virologist disappears in Berlin, and a clandestine lab deep in Sri Lanka’s mountains burns to the ground. With fuel running low, Jonathan’s flight is redirected again, toward Goa. However, Indian authorities, now suspecting a dangerous, on-board contagion, reroute the aircraft to a remote airbase near New Delhi to impose a full-scale quarantine. But Jonathan soon discovers evidence that a sinister plan is unfolding. As intelligence operatives worldwide zero in, and global media organizations amplify the escalating crisis, Jonathan is thrust into a harrowing race against time to unravel a conspiracy many governments are working to suppress, and to prevent a geopolitical catastrophe that could forever devastate the human race.

"What a superb thriller!" —Steve Thomas, Best Thriller Books

"An action-packed, nail-biting, gripping thriller." —Life in a Bookshelf Reviews

"A seamless blend of action and intellect." —Inspire Reads

Dead in the Quarter

A night of celebration on New Orleans’ riverfront ends in tragedy when Tod Rochon, newly promoted partner at Brooks, Peyroux & Morel, is struck by a speeding car on Burgundy Street, the impact sending the vehicle crashing into flames. Rushed to the E.R., Tod is pronounced dead within the hour. At the funeral, a shadowy figure presses a folded note into Jonathan’s hand before vanishing from the cemetery. The note reads: Don’t trust the forensics. Finding this strange, Brooks begins to investigate. But as he delves deeper, subtle inconsistencies in the accident report come to light, turning his unease into growing suspicion. His colleague’s death soon pulls Brooks into the heart of New Orleans’ criminal underworld. The deeper he digs, the more he unravels a conspiracy tied to a buried secret from the Iraq occupation years earlier—a secret powerful enough to sway the city’s upcoming mayoral race. Entangled in a deadly web of hidden alliances and buried sins, Brooks realizes the stakes are greater than he imagined—threatening not just his life and his firm, but the very future of New Orleans.

Published by Down & Out Books in collaboration with Avendia Publishing.

The Chicago Juror

Details to come...