Isabella Maldonado
Skip FeinsteinIsabella Maldonado is an award winning author, a retired police captain, and a regular contributor on television News Channel 12 (Phoenix NBC affiliate) as a law enforcement expert. Her last police position was Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During her long career, she served as a hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander among many assignments. She was recognized with a Meritorious Service Award and a Lifesaving Award, and was selected to attend executive management training at the FBI National Academy in Quantico.
Maldonado uses her extensive law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her mystery/thriller series, which features a Latina police detective on the Phoenix Police Department. The first book in the series, "Blood's Echo," won the Mariposa Award for Best First Novel. The second book, "Phoenix Burning," received a starred review in Publishers Weekly and was named one of the 25 best suspense novels of 2018 by Book Riot.
Her most recent book is "Death Blow."
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Books:
Death Blow
Mystery / Thrillers
Llewellyn Publishers
March 2019
ISBN 9780738751030
312 pages
$15.99, INSTORE
Buy nowHomicide detective Veranda Cruz takes on the most ruthless member of the Villalobos cartel in this fast-paced follow up to Phoenix Burning Phoenix homicide detective Veranda Cruz is on a mission.
After Hector Villalobos tried to destroy her family, Veranda vowed to take down his powerful crime family. Beautiful, shrewd, and lethal, Daria Villalobos is on a mission of her own. Determined to be the first woman to take the reins of her father's notorious cartel, she hatches a plot to eliminate Veranda, framing a rival to take the fall. When the investigation blows up in Veranda's face, the hunt is on to stop the bomber. Now she must battle her department and her personal demons as she takes on Daria. To survive her most cunning adversary yet, will she make a pact with a killer? Praise for Phoenix Burning, Book 2 in the Veranda Cruz Mysteries: "Maldonado, a former law enforcement officer, brings her experience and expertise to this gripping police procedural. With its gritty heroine, this action-packed mystery will attract readers who enjoy crime novels about the war on drugs."--Library Journal "Phoenix may be burning, but Maldonado's star is rising. Gritty and gripping."--J. A. Jance, New York Times bestselling author Praise for Blood's Echo, Book 1 in the Veranda Cruz Mysteries: "A highly entertaining police procedural . . . Maldonado rises to her written challenge to entertain, enthrall, and engage readers in this high-octane thriller."--Suspense Magazine "A tense thriller with a strong sense of place and an insider's look at some of the most dangerous work in law enforcement."--Jan Burke, New York Times bestselling author "The Phoenix sun isn't the only thing burning in this thrilling debut and I look forward to more."--Shannon Baker, bestselling author of the Kate Fox mystery series "Maldonado's writing always bristles with urgency and authority."--MysteryScene Magazine More/less
Phoenix Burning
Mystery / Thrillers
Llewellyn Publishing
March 2018
ISBN 9780738751023
336 pages
$15.99, INSTORE
Buy now"Maldonado, a former law enforcement officer, brings her experience and expertise to this gripping police procedural.
With its gritty heroine, this action-packed mystery will attract readers who enjoy crime novels about the war on drugs."--Library Journal "Phoenix may be burning, but Maldonado's star is rising. Gritty and gripping."--J. A. Jance, New York Times bestselling author The battle between Veranda Cruz and the Villalobos cartel turns Phoenix into a war zone. Homicide Detective Veranda Cruz will stop at nothing to take down the Villalobos cartel. But when a wave of violence in the city escalates, she fears that the secrets of her past will take her down instead. Adolfo Villalobos is a crime boss who's determined to stake his claim. To prove that he's ready to run his family's sprawling criminal empire, he devises a plan to silence his siblings and destroy Veranda, leaving a trail of destruction through downtown Phoenix that makes national headlines. Veranda believes the task force she's been assigned to lead will end the cartel's reign of terror, until Adolfo's revenge takes a cruel--and highly personal--twist. Praise for Blood's Echo: "A highly entertaining police procedural . . . Maldonado rises to her written challenge to entertain, enthrall, and engage readers in this high-octane thriller."--Suspense Magazine "A tense thriller with a strong sense of place and an insider's look at some of the most dangerous work in law enforcement."--Jan Burke, New York Times bestselling author "The Phoenix sun isn't the only thing burning in this thrilling debut and I look forward to more."--Shannon Baker, bestselling author of the Kate Fox mystery series More/less
