The first book in an explosive new series

FATAL INTRUSION  introduces Carmen Sanchez, an agent with the little-known Homeland Security Investigations division of DHS and Jacoby “Jake” Heron, an eccentric but brilliant professor and penetration tester whose job is to protect against what he sees as the number-one threat facing us today: intrusion into every aspect of our lives. Over the course of just seventy-two hours, the storyline speeds non-stop as the duo joins forces in a desperate attempt to stop a serial killer in Southern California.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Thomas & Mercer, August 2024

• Publishers Weekly Global Rights Deal of the Week
• Featured in Parade
• Readworthy by Bookbub‘s Best New Thrillers
• Winner AudioFile Magazine’s Earphones Award
• Featured on Your Life Arizona
• Best Thriller Books Next Favorite Thriller
• Nerd Daily feature
• Featured by The Real Book Spy

“Slick, cinematic action and fastidiously detailed investigative work bring this series launch to life. Deaver and Maldonado make a good match.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Deaver’s interest in social media and Maldonado’s law enforcement background blend well in this fast-paced crime novel. For readers who enjoy serial killer chase stories.”
—Library Journal

“In this exciting introduction to a new crime thriller series, Deaver and Maldonado take readers on a case of mindboggling proportions…This novel is captivating, detail driven, and intentionally misguiding until the final reveal.”
—Booklist

“Deaver and Maldonado have crafted a white-knuckle ride… the insider’s look at an unfamiliar agency, its intricate plotting and complex Latina agent make Fatal Intrusion one that thriller readers will relish.”
—Los Angeles Times

 “A fast-paced nonstop thriller … action-packed story filled with twists, turns, and well-developed characters, good and evil.”
—AudioFile Magazine

“Fatal Intrusion is one of those thriller novels that truly is hard to put down. Fortunately, it is the first book in a series that I’m looking forward to following.”
—Glenn Perrett, Toronto.com

“Chilling and thrilling, Fatal Intrusion is a harrowing tale filled with twists and turns, investigations and technology, and dogged determination by the righteous versus sociopathic motivations by the malevolent”
—Steve Netter

“Fatal Intrusion is a must-read, and everyone will be dying for the next book.”
—Jeff Ayers

“Fatal Intrusion will grab ahold of you quickly and sink its hooks into you for the duration. The plot is fast and suspenseful, and the intensity of the investigative chase is unrelenting. But it’s the compelling and intriguing characters that make this story so scintillating. This is a really fun, exhilarating and captivating novel. Looking forward to seeing where these fantastic authors take this series next.”
—Best Thriller Books

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Brilliance Audio

Large Print

• Thorndike

Foreign

• Bulgarian: ERA Media

• French: Editions Bookmark

• Italian: Longanesi

• Japanese: Bungeishunju

• UK/Europe Large Print: Ulverscroft

An FBI agent with a background in cryptography. A brilliant game maker bent on revenge. A deadly battle of wits and wills. An ingenious thriller.

FBI agent and former military codebreaker Daniela “Dani” Vega witnesses a murder on a Manhattan sidewalk. The victim is chief of staff for a powerful New York senator. The assassin turned informant is Gustavo Toro. His code: hit the target and don’t ask questions. When Dani suspects a complex conspiracy, the only way to take down the mastermind is from the inside, forcing her to partner with Toro. Together they must infiltrate the inner circle at a remote facility.

Except it’s a trap. For all of them.

Locked in a subterranean labyrinth and held captive by an unseen host, Dani, Toro, and others must fight for their lives. Now Dani must stay undercover, unravel a bizarre conspiracy, and survive lethal puzzles. But will Toro be friend or foe? Because in this killer’s game, everything is real: the paranoia, the desperation, and the body count. And only one person can make it out alive.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Thomas & Mercer, May 2023

• Bookbub’s 11 New Mysteries Featuring Deadly Games and Puzzles
• Amazon Books’ editors’ pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Series
• Real Book Spy’s Most Anticipated Books of 2023
• The Strand’s Top Summer Reads
• Medium Magazine’s 9 Summer Reading Must Reads

“Maldonado keeps the plot boiling and the bodies dropping to the end.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Intense, gripping, and compulsively readable, A KILLER’S GAME goes from zero to ninety on page one and never slows down. FBI agent Dani Vega is a heroine to cheer for—tough, inventive, and highly capable. A winner.”
—Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Explosive, absorbing and absolutely fascinating, A Killer’s Game is a knock-down, drag-out brawl of a thriller with themes of revenge, justice and survival. The story is exhilarating, the pacing is at breakneck speed, the characters are tremendous and the action is ruthless.  It’s not to be missed.”
—Best Thriller Books

“This is an awesome action thriller. Once they get locked up, the action is ramped up, and you do not want to put this book down. Another great novel from author Maldonado.”
—RedCarpetCrash

“…virtually brought to life by the truly exceptional narrative storytelling skills of Almarie Guerra and Feodor Chin…an unreservedly recommended pick.”
—Midwest Book Review

“Everything [Maldonado] writes is solid gold. If you’re not already reading her work, don’t wait any longer. This book is fantastic.”
—The Real Book Spy

“You should pick it up. It’s quite the ride.”
—The Mark Thompson Show

“A lot of fun for readers. A great summer book.”
—WPHM

“[Isabella is] one of the top authors right now in the country, if not the world. Her work has caught on like wildfire.”
—WKXL

“Described as Squid Game meets Criminal Minds, A KILLER’S GAME is a high-octane thriller set in an escape room filled with lethal puzzles. The story, featuring a strong Latina main character, will have readers trying to crack codes and solve clues while on the edge of their seats.”
—Medium Magazine

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Brilliance Audio

Foreign

• Czech: Grada
• Ukrainian: Bookchef

An FBI agent tracks a brilliant serial killer in New York—right back to her own cold-blooded past in a riveting thriller

FBI Special Agent Daniela “Dani” Vega was seventeen when her mother murdered her father. Ten years after Dani’s own damning eyewitness testimony sealed her mother’s fate, she’s starting to have doubts. What if she got it all wrong?

A veteran NYPD homicide detective agrees to reopen the closed case on one condition—Dani must help him find a serial killer who’s been operating throughout New York City for the past decade. If anyone can decipher his patterns, and his riddles, it’s a trained codebreaker like Dani. The killer knows this too. And his next riddle—and victim—are meant just for her.

For Dani, stopping a killer—and learning what really happened to her father—becomes more personal and more dangerous with each new twist. As secrets of the past are unearthed, the truth could forever change Dani’s life…and the lives of everyone she loves.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Thomas & Mercer, March 2024

• Shelf Reflection Most Anticipated Books of 2024

“Maldonado’s years of law enforcement experience continue to add grit and texture to the series, and she supplements those details with a barn burner of a climax. Readers will clamor for the sequel.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Dani Vega is the kickass heroine we’ve all been waiting for! Former Army Ranger, current hardcore FBI Agent, she can outthink, outfight, and just plain outclass any opponent around. Welcome to your next favorite series!”
—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Maldonado’s expertise in the criminology field really shines through in her books…. She covers her bases, does her research, and creates a realistic investigation and chase that is compelling and engaging!”
—Shelf Reflection

“Filled to the brim with suspense and danger, A Forgotten Kill is one of those great reads that crackles with nervous energy from start to finish. A book that urges you forward with a desperate desire to learn the outcome as quickly as possible.”
—Best Thriller Books

“A complex, riveting narrative with precise, gritty prose that builds suspense and tension to an unputdownable climax. The story takes readers on a tumultuous journey, filled with clues, suspects, and misleading trails, challenging them to solve the mystery alongside the protagonist. Maldonado’s insightful and engaging storytelling, enriched by her extensive experience in law enforcement, makes for an enthralling addition to the crime fiction genre. This novel not only offers a thrilling experience but also leaves readers eagerly anticipating more adventures with FBI Special Agent Daniela Vega.
—Mystery & Suspense

“With relentless action, this gripping mystery will captivate listeners from start to finish.”
—AudioFile Magazine

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Brilliance Audio

A dead man’s riddles—and secrets—thrust an FBI codebreaker into a deadly cross-country race for justice

During a recent undercover sting gone bad, hit man Gustavo Toro died in the arms of FBI Special Agent Daniela “Dani” Vega. But Toro had secrets he refused to take to the grave.

In the event of his death, Toro left behind a video that promises to expose a mysterious mastermind who has been operating with impunity for decades. But there’s a catch. Dani’s team must follow Toro’s cryptic clues on a cross-country hunt for justice, and piecing together his past is more twisted than Dani could have imagined.

But as Dani and her team race to gather the evidence, it’s clear this powerful adversary will stop at nothing to keep their secrets—including eliminating those who threaten to reveal them.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Thomas & Mercer, January 2025

“As in the previous books, Maldonado leverages her law enforcement background to lend the proceedings weight and authenticity, while flashbacks predating Toro’s death ratchet up the suspense. This series continues to impress.”
—Publishers Weekly

TO A CUNNING SERIAL KILLER, SHE WAS THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY. UNTIL NOW…

FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera escaped a serial killer’s trap at sixteen. Years later, when she’s jumped in a Virginia park, a video of the attack goes viral. Legions of new fans are not the only ones impressed with her fighting skills. The man who abducted her eleven years ago is watching. Determined to reclaim his lost prize, he commits a grisly murder designed to pull her into the investigation…but his games are just beginning. And he’s using the internet to invite the public to play along.

His coded riddles may have made him a depraved social media superstar—an enigmatic cyber-ghost dubbed “the Cipher”—but to Nina he’s a monster who preys on the vulnerable. Partnered with the FBI’s preeminent mind hunter, Dr. Jeffrey Wade, who is haunted by his own past, Nina tracks the predator across the country. Clue by clue, victim by victim, Nina races to stop a deadly killer while the world watches.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Thomas & Mercer, 2020

• Soon to be a feature film on Netflix starring Jennifer Lopez
• Wall Street Journal Bestseller
• #1 Amazon Charts Bestseller
• Amazon Editors’ Pick: Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
• Forbes 30 Top Mystery Books of All Time

“The survivor of a vicious crime confronts her fears in a hunt for a serial killer…forensic analysis, violent action, and a tough heroine who stands up to the last man on earth she wants to see again.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“[In] this riveting series launch from Maldonado…the frequent plot twists will keep readers guessing to the end, and Maldonado draws on her 22 years in law enforcement to add realism. Determined to overcome her painful past, the admirable Nina has enough depth to sustain a long-running series.”
—Publishers Weekly

“The Cipher by Isabella Maldonado is a nail-biting race against time.”
—POPSUGAR

“Maldonado does a superb job of depicting a woman who’s made a strength out of trauma, and an even better job at showing how a monster could use the internet to prey on the vulnerable. Maldonado spent 22 years in law enforcement and her experience shines through in The Cipher.”
—The Amazon Book Review

“A heart-pounding novel from page one, The Cipher checks all the boxes for a top-notch thriller: sharp plotting, big stakes, and characters—good and bad and everywhere in between—that are so richly drawn you’ll swear you’ve met them. I read this in one sitting and I guarantee you will too. Oh, another promise: You’ll absolutely love the Warrior Girl!”
—Jeffery Deaver, New York Times #1 internationally bestselling author

“Wow! A riveting tale in the hands of a superb storyteller.”
—J.A. Jance, New York Times bestselling author

“Intense, harrowing, and instantly addictive, The Cipher took my breath away. Isabella Maldonado has created an unforgettable heroine in Nina Guerrera, a dedicated FBI agent and trauma survivor with unique insight into the mind of a predator. This riveting story is everything a thriller should be.”
—Hilary Davidson, Washington Post bestselling author

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Brilliance Audio
• Egmont (Swedish)

Foreign

• Brazilian Portuguese: Culturama
• Bulgarian: Ciela Norma
• Chinese (Complex): Spring International Publishers (pre-empt)
• Chinese (Simplified): Yilin Press
• Croatian: Egmont
• Czech: Grada Publishing
• Dutch: Egmont
• Finnish: Egmont
• French: MxM Bookmark
• German: Edition M
• Hungarian: Konyvmolykepzo
• Italian: Longanesi (auction)
• Italian Bookclub: Mondolibri 
• Japanese: Hayakawa Publishing
• Macedonian: Sakam Knigi
• Polish: Dressler Świat Książki (auction)
• Portuguese: Presença
• Romanian:Bookzone
• Russian: Exmo
• Slovak: Grada Slovakia
• Spanish: Duomo (auction)
• Swedish: Egmont
• Turkish: Altın Kitaplar Yayınevi
• Ukrainian: Bookchef

Large Print

• Thorndike

Media Rights: Film, Television, Stage & Podcast  

• Optioned by Netflix and Nuyorican Productions for feature film on behalf of Jennifer “JLo” Lopez (auction)

FOR NEARLY THIRTY YEARS A SERIAL KILLER HAS BEEN HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT. SO HAS THE KEY TO AN FBI AGENT’S DARK PAST.

A family is murdered as they sleep. FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera and her new team are tasked with determining whether there is any link between this attack and another triple homicide from four years earlier and more than two thousand miles away. In the process, they’ll discover a serial killer so cunning that his grisly trail of death spanning nearly three decades has gone undetected. Each crime scene reminds Nina of the ghostly Latin folktale of La Llorona, which terrified her when she was an abandoned and vulnerable child. Now it’s back to haunt her.

Nina has known evil, but these macabre reenactments are as disturbing as they are baffling. Now she must uncover the meaning behind the rituals as the evidence leads her in an unexpected direction—far closer to home than anyone could have imagined. As the team narrows in on a suspect, the present collides with Nina’s past in a twist of fate that forces her to make the ultimate sacrifice.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Thomas & Mercer, 2021

• Wall Street Journal Bestseller

“A horrifying crime, cat-and-mouse detection, aha moments, and extended suspense”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Maldonado expertly ratchets up the tension as the pieces of the puzzle neatly fall into place. Suspense fans will be enthralled from the very first page.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A killer of a novel. Fresh, fast, and utterly ingenious.”
—Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A thrill-ride from the very start. It starts off fast and never lets up. It’s one of the best thrillers of the summer.”
—Red Carpet Crash

“A Different Dawn is a heart-stopping journey on parallel tracks: police detection and personal…Isabella Maldonado has created an unforgettable hero in Nina Guerrera.”
—Criminal Element

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Brilliance Audio

Foreign

• Czech: Grada
• French: MXM Bookmark
• German: Edition M
• Romanian: Bookzone
• Russian: Exmo
• Slovak: Grada Slovakia
• Ukrainian: BookChef Publishing

Large Print

• Thorndike

A SERIAL KILLER WANTS TO PLAY. FBI AGENT NINA GUERRERA HAS NO TIME FOR GAMES.

Six female undergrads at an elite university vanish. The media descends. The families demand action. And as Special Agent Nina Guerrera follows clue by chilling clue, she realizes she’s tracking the most cunning predator of her career.

The case takes a turn for the worse, and the bizarre, when several victims are found perfectly preserved. No signs of violence, no hint of how they died. Just more evidence that the killer is cruel, calculating, and a master of mind control.

With her mission compromised, Nina must face her greatest failure—and greatest fear—to stop a deadly hunter before he claims another prize.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Thomas & Mercer, 2022

“Packed with excitement, action, investigative brilliance and stomach-churning crimes…engaging, enraging and enthralling”
—Best Thriller Books

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Brilliance Audio

Foreign

• Czech: Grada
• French: MXM Bookmark
• Romanian: Bookzone
• Russian: Exmo
• Ukrainian: BookChef Publishing

Large Print

• Thorndike

PHOENIX DETECTIVE VERANDA CRUZ IS DEAD SET ON TAKING DOWN THE VILLALOBOS CRIME FAMILY, BUT THE RUTHLESSNESS OF HER QUARRY DEMANDS A RUTHLESS EDGE OF HER OWN.

No one in the department suspects the real motivation behind the obsession that pits her against Bartolo Villalobos, heir apparent to a powerful criminal empire…until an operation goes horribly wrong.

Targeted by an increasingly unstable foe, Veranda must protect her family and navigate adversaries within the force while she sets a trap for Bartolo. As the action heats up, Veranda and her new Homicide team—along with an arson investigator who kindles a flame of his own—are all drawn into a deadly gambit.

Taking down Bartolo is the ultimate goal, but is Veranda ready to trade her life for justice?

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Bright Diamond, 2021

• Winner of the Mariposa Award for Best First Novel

“The survivor of a vicious crime confronts her fears in a hunt for a serial killer…forensic analysis, violent action, and a tough heroine who stands up to the last man on earth she wants to see again.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A highly entertaining police procedural . . . Hang on tight for the ride of a lifetime across Southern Arizona as Maldonado rises to her written challenge to entertain, enthrall and engage readers in this high-octane thriller.”
—Suspense Magazine

“Maldonado ratchets up the tension with each page, leaving you breathless as you race to the end.”
—Robin Burcell, New York Times bestselling author

“Isabella Maldonado is off to a great start, giving us a tense thriller with a strong sense of place and an insider’s look at some of the most dangerous work in law enforcement. This first Veranda Cruz novel will leave readers eagerly awaiting her next adventure.”
—Jan Burke, New York Times bestselling author

“Taut, tense, and relentlessly authentic.  Isabella Maldonado—with her unique personal knowledge of the danger, conflict and emotional toll of law enforcement—is an important new voice in crime fiction.”
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, Anthony, Agatha, and Mary Higgins Clark award winning author

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Tantor Audio (pre-empt)

Foreign

• Czech: Grada

PHOENIX DETECTIVE VERANDA CRUZ HAS VOWED TO BRING THE VILLALOBOS CRIME FAMILY TO JUSTICE, BUT WHEN A WAVE OF VIOLENCE IN THE CITY ESCALATES, SHE IS FORCED TO CONFRONT HER DARKEST FEAR.

Adolfo Villalobos is a crime boss who’s determined to stake his claim. To prove that he’s ready to run his family’s sprawling criminal empire, he devises a plan to silence his siblings and destroy Veranda, leaving a trail of destruction through downtown Phoenix that makes national headlines.

Veranda believes the task force she’s been assigned to lead will end Adolfo’s reign of terror, until his revenge takes a cruel-and highly personal-twist.

The cunning scheme devastates Veranda, who struggles with secrets from her past that may end her career. And her life.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Bright Diamond, 2021

• One of Book Riot’s Best 25 Suspense Books of 2018
• Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“Maldonado’s a writer to watch, and she showcases her own extensive law enforcement background in this tightly plotted police procedural.”
—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“Maldonado, a former law enforcement officer, brings her experience and expertise to this gripping police procedural. With its gritty heroine, this action-packed mystery will attract readers who enjoy crime novels.”
—Library Journal

“Phoenix may be burning, but Maldonado’s star is rising. Gritty and gripping.”
—J. A. Jance, New York Times bestselling author

“Delivers a brilliant and complicated heroine, accentuated by a take-no-prisoners plot…It’s spicy, smart, and entertaining.”
—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

“Maldonado’s writing always bristles with urgency and authority.”
—Mystery Scene Magazine

“Author Isabella Maldonado, a retired police captain, and graduate of the FBI National Academy, draws on her experiences and real life in her endeavor to create a fictionalized world of corruption, crime and violence in Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix Burning is an intriguing thrill ride; a gripping and realistic tale of choices and tragic consequences; of retaliation and retribution; entitlement, family, dominion and power.”
—The Reading Café

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Tantor Audio (pre-empt)

PHOENIX DETECTIVE VERANDA CRUZ’S RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF THE VILLALOBOS CRIME FAMILY PITS HER AGAINST ITS MOST RUTHLESS MEMBER YET.

Beautiful, shrewd, and lethal, Daria Villalobos is on a mission. Determined to be the first woman to take the reins of her father’s notorious organization, she hatches a plot to eliminate Veranda, framing a rival to take the fall.

Veranda Cruz is on a mission of her own. Intent on destroying the powerful Villalobos criminal empire, Veranda battles her department and her personal demons as she takes on Daria.

To survive the most cunning adversary she’s ever faced, will she make a pact with a killer?

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Bright Diamond, 2021

“Now three books into her series, Maldonado’s franchise is heating up in a big way, as Cruz joins the ranks of Jon Land’s Caitlin Strong and Meg Gardiner’s Caitlin Hendrix as one of the premier female protagonists in the genre.”
—The Real Book Spy

“If you’re in the mood for a nonstop exposé of every fear you’ve ever had about cartel crime, Veranda Cruz is the woman to follow.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Finally! A kick-ass female protagonist and an author who knows firsthand the world she writes about. The combination makes for an explosive read that grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go.”
—Alex Kava, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

“A gritty, gut wrenching, page turning thriller featuring a woman cop bent onbringing down a twisted cartel leader for reasons of her own. Death Blow grabs you from the first jaw dropping scene to the last and Maldonado’s stellar writing weaves it all together.”
—Jamie Freveletti, Internationally bestselling author

“Gritty, raw, and realistic, Isabella Maldonado’s Death Blow is the real deal.”
—Bruce Robert Coffin

“Red alert to all readers of police procedurals with a strong thriller bent: Maldonado’s Death Blow delivers non-stop action with substance, grit and surprises.”
—Lisa Preston

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Tantor Audio (pre-empt)