Emily Kimelman’s Sydney Rye series of mysteries feature a strong female protagonist and her K9 best friend, Blue. This series is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don’t mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!

DEATH IN THE DARK is the second story in the award winning, best selling Sydney Rye series of dark murder mysteries. It is a novella length adventure that picks up right where the first book, UNLEASHED, left off.

At the beginning of DEATH IN THE DARK we find Joy Humbolt hiding, not only from the law, but also from her past and the mistakes she’s made. Living this isolated life doesn’t last long though when a visit from Mulberry brings Joy to accept her new identity as the Private Detective, Sydney Rye. To complete the transformation, Joy must learn to control her emotions as well as her giant aggressive dog, Blue. With the help of an expert trainer, Joy learns to fight with her mind as well as her body. However, when the daughter of a close friend is brutally murdered in the desert, Rye turns away from her mentor to seek revenge. Sydney’s quick temper and deadly intentions lead her into a trap that she will need all of her new skills to survive.

“Love this book as much as the first one. I have become attached to Sydney and look forward to watching her evolve through each book. Here you will travel to Mexico, meet a beautiful man who trains Syd, witness her struggle through her emotions from her recent traumatic past and watch her prevail, while sitting on the edge of your seat, biting your nails and cheering her on at the same time.” – Amazon Reviewer, 5 Stars

The Sydney Rye series of mysteries feature a strong female protagonist and her canine best friend. This series is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don’t mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!

When this story starts Sydney Rye is named Joy Humbolt. She does not like people telling her what to do, so it comes as no surprise that she was just fired from her last job. When she buys Charlene Miller’s dog-walking business on Manhattan’s exclusive upper east side, it seems like the perfect fit: Quiet environment, minimal contact with people.

But then one of her clients turns up dead, and Charlene disappears. Rumors say Charlene was having an affair with the victim–and of course, everyone assumes Joy must know where she is. Joy begins to look into the crime, first out of curiosity then out of anger when there is another murder and threats start to come her way.

When police detective Mulberry is assigned to the case, Joy finds a kindred spirit–cynical and none-too-fond of the human race. As they dig deep into the secrets of Manhattan’s elite, they not only get closer to the killer but also to a point of no return. One last murder sends Joy Humbolt hurtling over the edge. Her only chance of survival is to become Sydney Rye.

UNLEASHED is the first book in Emily Kimelman’s best selling Sydney Rye series of dark murder mysteries. DEATH IN THE DARK (A Sydney Rye Novella, #2) is available now and INSATIABLE (A Sydney Rye Novel, #3) will be out January 2013.

Emily Kimelman lives on a boat in the Hudson Valley with her husband, Sean and their dog Kinsey (named after Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone). Kimelman has a passion for traveling and spends as much time as possible in the pursuit of adventure.

Her “Sydney Rye Series” are dark murder mystery novels, but no animals die horrible deaths and the bad guy always gets his due. The first book, “Unleashed”, was released in October, 2011. The second book, a novella length adventure, will be available in late fall, 2012, and the third installment in the series is due out by Christmas

If you read “Unleashed”, and enjoyed the story, please let Emily know. You can reach her via email ejkimelman@gmail.com or on Twitter @ejkimelman.

(This is a sponsored post.)