Nicki Sosebee

Sassy Nicki Sosebee might be naïve but she’s also plucky, driving her to become a better reporter. Her sleepy town of Winchester, Colorado, seems idyllic to folks on the outside, from Friday night high school football games to the pizza parlor on Main Street, but Nicki is discovering its seedy underbelly, where even the good guys are suspect. Can Nicki stay one step ahead of danger or will she leave a wake of trouble behind her as she strives to be the best reporter she can?

Nancy Drew she ain't.

Since leaving school years earlier, Nicki Sosebee long ago gave up on the notion of The American Dream. She realizes early on that her college degree isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on, but she also knows that she doesn’t want to work for minimum wage the rest of her life.

Her dream now? Learn the ropes as a novice reporter.

The job’s been boring…until now. One of Winchester’s bad boys has been locked up for arson, but Nicki soon finds there’s a whole lot more to the story. Her naïveté gets her in hot water at every turn, but her gorgeous best friend Sean Ramsey, self-employed motorcycle mechanic, helps keep her in check.

Unfortunately, he’s also distracting. And Nicki really needs to pay attention so she can write that story…before her name ends up in the obituary section.

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2011 as Got the Life.

There’s always bad news to be sniffed out in Winchester, Colorado…

Nicki’s got it bad for her best friend Sean, but she doesn’t see her unrequited lust for him getting quenched anytime soon, so she buries herself in work. Shortly after interviewing a county commissioner, Nicki discovers that bad news travels fast when the commissioner’s office assistant turns up dead. But one guy’s bad news jumpstarts Nicki’s nose for news, and she relishes the chance to do some investigative reporting. 

Unfortunately, when she gets too close to comfort for the murderer, she finds herself in danger of becoming the next victim…

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2011 as DEAD.

The Nicki Sosebee Stories are an interconnected series and should be read in order for maximum spoiler-free enjoyment.

Will Nicki report the crime or become the next headline?

Just as Nicki’s love life starts heating up, a sexual predator roaming the streets of Winchester strikes fear in the hearts of the women in town.

Nowhere is safe.

Nicki investigates all the news her boss will print, hoping to help the police track down the rapist—or at least warn citizens to watch their backs. It’s too late when she discovers the criminal in a place she least suspects—and there’s no one who can save her now…

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2011 as NO PLACE TO HIDE.

Some crimes only happen in small towns…

As Nicki’s reporter skills improve, her boss Neal begins giving her better stories, key to moving up at the paper. This time, when a rash of robberies hits the downtown Winchester area, Nicki begins reporting the damage, hoping to help law enforcement bring the culprit to justice.

It’s not long before she discovers that there’s far more to the story than the petty crimes she’s reporting.

As she uncovers the truth to share it in the news with her readers, she realizes that the reality behind something seemingly minor could damage her town in unthinkable ways…

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2011 as RIGHT NOW.

The scales are starting to fall from her eyes…

Thanks to Sean, Nicki’s starting to pay lots more attention to what the politicians around Winchester are doing—and she decides to do something about it. When the City Council draws a line between the haves and have nots, Nicki decides to take a stand, and it won’t make her popular around her hometown.

Meanwhile, Nicki finds herself in a love triangle and she thinks she knows what she wants…but does she really? Spreading the news is easier than trying to solve her love life.

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2011 as ONE MORE TIME.

Small towns hide big corruption.

Just as Nicki starts to figure out that her beloved town of Winchester maybe isn’t so safe or idyllic, she discovers even worse secrets that have been buried and ignored. When the teenage daughter of a Winchester lawyer is kidnapped, Nicki reports on the crime. 

Is it falling on deaf ears?

As she continues researching the breaking news, she gets a glimpse at the darker elements of her town, leaving her wondering how she can use her position to expose what she’s found.

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2012 as LOST.

Nicki’s life is falling apart.

The little life she’d set up for herself hung in a precarious balance—and it doesn’t take much to make the house of cards collapse.

But she’s still on a mission.

Disillusioned, Nicki starts to believe she is nothing but a tiny cog in a big machine, and as she opens her eyes to all that’s around her, her life begins to fall apart. For the first time, she sees how deep the corruption goes in Winchester, so she does what she knows best—she reports what she finds, starting with the bad news first.

Unfortunately, it’s all bad news. And as she gets closer to the truth, reporting the misdeeds she finds becomes more dangerous…

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2012 as INNOCENT BYSTANDER.

In a town as small as Winchester, there’s no place to hide.

Now that Nicki has seen what the people in power in Winchester will do to keep their control, she understands that she needs to play it safe. Because she’s threatened to topple the thrones of the town’s rulers, she’s on their radar.

Worse, Nicki feels responsible for the murder of a prostitute she’s interviewed, so she wants to help other women in the profession. The only way she can is by reporting every newsworthy tidbit she discovers.

Unfortunately, that keeps her under the watchful eyes of the power players in her corrupt town…

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2012 as BLIND.

Some don’t want to see the truth.

As much as she wants to, Nicki knows she can’t fix everything that’s wrong with Winchester. Her hope is to educate her fellow citizens so they can see the truth—for some, though, what Nicki’s finding is yesterday’s news.

And nobody cares. 

But when a woman who’s running for city council seems intent on dividing the city, Nicki knows she must expose the woman for what she really is…

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2014 as FAKE.

Nicki’s a little older and wiser—so why isn’t she happier?

Nicki’s life continues going through upheaval but she’s determined to make it work, just as she’s vowed to report everything she discovers, whether the citizens of Winchester want to know the truth or not. And, like a dog with a bone, she can’t help but continue to pursue realtor-turned-politician Gina McCafferty as the woman persists in making her play for Winchester's open City Council seat. But Nicki is learning over and over again that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to her fair city. As she delivers the news from the front in the battleground of the town of Winchester, she senses she might be uncovering the pawns in a deadly game.

Alliances are tested. Lines are drawn. And events are set in motion that will play out in deadly ways…

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2016 as LIES.

Trigger warning: This book contains subject matter that may be disturbing for some readers. Due to language and content, this book is recommended for readers 18 and older.

Nicki Sosebee is getting closer to something. She just doesn’t know what.

Nicki’s sleepy hometown of Winchester, Colorado, is the kind of place that deals with two or three murders a year, not two or three a month, but a serial killer is making news by brutally murdering young adults in the most gruesome of ways. Nicki and her investigative blogger friend set out to solve the mystery, only to discover the corruption in their town reaches far and wide. When Nicki gets closer to discovering the answer to all the dead bodies in her beloved town, she meets an unexpected resistance from all corners, leaving her unsure how to proceed.

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2017 as DEAD BODIES EVERYWHERE.

Trigger warning: This book contains subject matter that may be disturbing for some readers. Due to language and content, this book is recommended for readers 18 and older.