The Prey (Predator Trilogy #1)

First, she imagined it. Then a killer made it real.
Rowan Smith is living in a borrowed Malibu beach house while her bestselling novel is made into a Hollywood movie. A former FBI agent with a haunted past, Rowan thinks she has outrun her demons. But fiction and reality collide when a dismembered body is found in Colorado: the real-life victim had the same name, occupation, and looks as a character in Rowan’s novel. By the time the FBI, the LAPD, and her own private bodyguard gather around her, another person is killed–again, the murder ripped from the pages of Rowan’s book.

In the company of a former Delta Force officer with secrets of his own, Rowan faces an excruciating dilemma: the only way to chase down the tormenting killer is by revisiting the darkness of her past–and by praying for some way out again.

After the prey is chosen, the hunt is on and the kill is certain.
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From the author's website:
Each book stands alone. The story is complete (no continuing mystery) and there is a separate hero, heroine and villain. However, I do have recurring characters throughout my books, so someone may be introduced as a minor or major secondary character in one book, then come back as the hero or a secondary character in another book.

THE PREY (12/27/05)

Setting: Malibu, California

Hero: John Flynn, former Delta Force turned mercenary/DEA drug informant

Heroine: Rowan Smith, former FBI agent turned crime fiction writer

Villain: Using Rowan’s books as blueprints for murder.

Recurring secondary characters:

Quinn Peterson

Hans Vigo (off-page) Rated '4/5 - Explicit open door' for steam/spice/heat level.