Cirrus@Austlit

'Funny, romantic, and action-packed, Rough Diamond introduces Australia's own Stephanie Plum - the unforgettable Erica Jewell.

'The shock ending to Erica Jewell's marriage left a huge hole in her bank balance and a bigger one in her heart. And now her life goals make a very short list: no surprises, no debt and, definitely, no men. That is, until she finds one bleeding to death in her Melbourne garden one stormy Friday night.

'Jack Jones is a man whose emotional wounds are more life-threatening than the bullet in his shoulder. Under orders, he recruits Erica to his secret team of vigilantes, and Erica suspects her safe, predictable world is about to be turned upside down.

'And she's absolutely right.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Erica Jewell has a bossy cat, an annoying mother and a secret job. And with that job comes a mysterious lover who's taken off on some unspecified dangerous mission. Erica reckons that's pretty typical of Jack Jones – he'd rather risk his life than his heart.

'Then Erica discovers with a shock that Jack is M.I.A. in tropical Saint Sebastian. When no one seems willing to help find Jack, or even acknowledge his existence, Erica knows she's his only chance. But negotiating her way around sweltering Sebastian – with its lawlessness, impenetrable jungle and unruly inhabitants – proves much more difficult than expected. . .

'Fast-paced, funny and totally engaging, Monkey Business blends action and romance in an irresistible summer read.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Erica Jewell can't worry about hunky hired gun, Jack Jones, and his commitment-phobic ways. She's flat out managing Dega Oil's sponsorship of the Australian Open tennis, and doing a pretty good job of it. That is until a devastating oil rig explosion sends Dega's reputation and share price plummeting.

'Public outrage over the incident upsets Emilio Méndez – the tournament's biggest drawcard – and he wants to cut ties with Dega. When Erica is sent to calm him, Emilio becomes convinced he can't win without her. He demands she stay close and the media misinterprets their relationship, much to Jack's irritation. Meanwhile, danger lurks, threatening Emilio and Erica, and she must race against time to discover: who's trying to kill them and why?

'From the elite inner sanctum of the Australian Open to the packed halls of Chadstone Shopping Centre, can Australia's favourite accidental heroine save Emilio, her job and her so-called relationship with Jack Jones?' (Publication summary)