Cheating, lying, and a terrible mistake set off a chain of events leading to arson and murder as a cold-blooded killer lurks in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to kill again. Arson guts the home of a family member, and a search for the culprit leads to a late night encounter in a hospital parking garage. A man wearing a mask confronts Jesse and confesses to the crime, then pleads for forgiveness before vanishing into the darkness. In the wee hours of the morning, the arsonist strikes again. Only this time, the charred bodies of a Ruckersville man and his wife, the sister of a Greene County deputy, are discovered in the hallway of their burned-out home. Each victim had been shot in the head. Evidence suggests that both crimes are related, drawing Jesse deeper into a mystery as filled with surprises and hairpin turns as a Blue Ridge Mountain road. It isn’t until an intruder leaves behind chilling hints of things to come that she realizes the full extent of the madness to follow. Nothing can prepare her for the outcome as she journeys into the realm of a killer’s world—a killer who is on the loose and living in Greene County. To complicate matters, Savannah Kelley, an author living in Dogwood Valley believes her recently published mystery novel is being used by the killer as a manual for murder. The similarities are unmistakable, but before she has a chance to report her suspicions to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, her car is found abandoned at the entrance to her driveway, the door standing wide open, blood on the ground next to it. Danger is eminent; death—a strong possibility. Will the conclusion mimic Savannah Kelley’s book, or will the killer be caught in time to spare others from certain death? Visit my website: www.aftonridge.com Hardcover Edition Reviews:"I couldn't put the book down! I felt as if I was right there with Jesse. I cried at the end."—Robin Reynolds, Auto Industry"Kudos to Ann Mullen for such an intriguing book! The insightful way she reaches out to a reader is amazing!"—Carolyn Banks, Homemaker

What You See - The first in the series, young Helen Carrolton leaves home alone to visit a friend in the majestic mountains of Charlottesville, Virginia. She never makes it.That's where it all begins for Jesse Watson. At thirty-one, suffering from suburban monotony, an unfulfilling job and a nonexistent love-life, tired and confused, she heads for those same peaceful, quiet mountains to reflect and renew her life. Her intentions are to settle down and simplify.All that changes the day she goes to work for private investigator, Billy Blackhawk, a Cherokee Indian who's hired to find the missing Helen. Jesse's dreams of a quiet country life surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery is quickly shattered as she becomes embroiled in danger, murder and mayhem facing the wrath of a disturbed family.Soon it becomes a race for time, a race for her life and an astonishing destiny Jesse could never have anticipated, even in her wildest dreams!

RetailSet against the backdrop of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Jesse’s life takes a sharp turn when Athena and Thor, her beloved canines, drag up a severed hand and deposit it on her mother’s front porch. With their help, the Greene County Sheriff’s department shifts into high gear and conducts a thorough search of the surrounding woods. Their grisly discovery—the frozen, battered body of Mary Keen—prompts an intense man hunt for the killer. There’s only one problem: evidence leads the police right back to where they started. The dead woman was wearing Jesse’s watch! Battling freezing temperatures and the beginning of a full-blown mountain blizzard, Jesse and Billy Blackhawk, P.I., set out to prove her innocence and find the real killer. Investigating the death of Mary Keen leads to a trail of greed and police corruption—with extreme consequences. An incendiary situation gets even hotter when Jesse has no choice but to kill…or be killed. All is not what it appears to be when she stares into the face of a killer and the heart of true evil. She must confront her worst nightmare—a psychopath from her past who has enlisted the help of an unlikely accomplice. When the killer’s search for revenge finally ends, bullets fly, and Jesse realizes that her nightmare is not over.

When Carl, an alleged kidnapper, ends up missing, Jesse and Claire search for clues inside his home. Instead, they find trouble: a psychotic killer who will stop at nothing to exact revenge.

A Jesse Watson Mystery. What do three women who live on Middle River Road have in Common? They all died at the hands of deranged killer ... intent or revenge.