Gold Medal winner of the Independent Book Publisher's Association 2015 Benjamin Franklin Award for Best New Voice: Fiction
"Jake Travis is one of the best leading men to take the thriller fiction stage in years." Florida Weekly
Jake Travis is contracted by his ex-Army colonel to retrieve a missing fifty year-old Cold War letter. He quickly finds himself entwined in a world where the line between good and evil becomes increasingly blurred. The letter, written in 1961 by a CIA operative who met a mysterious demise, has ended up in the possession of Raydel Escobar, an engaging nightclub owner.
As Jake relentlessly pursues the enigmatic Escobar, he soon discovers that Escobar is involved in far more than simply blackmailing the IRS in exchange for the letter. 
Assisted by his partner Garrett and neighbor Morgan, Jake turns up the heat on Escobar. Fascinated with the letter's origins and the fate of those who first touched the document, Jake will stop at no end to complete his assigned task. Set on the west coast of Florida, The Second Letter's plot twists, richly-drawn characters, and sharp, witty dialogue forge a gripping and entertaining read. Jake discovers that only by risking everything can he define himself, secure his relationship with the woman he loves, and discover the message of the second letter.
"...a standout sleuth...a worthy new entry into the suspense genre." Foreword Clarion Reviews, Five Stars

The Second Letter (Jake Travis)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Lane, Robert

Mystery

Mason Alley Publishing

"Entertaining and enjoyable." Scene Sarasota
Jenny Spencer is missing after a violent encounter on a beach. Her aunt, Susan Blake, knows the 18-year old would never leave her cell phone behind. But Jenny had run before, and the police do not mount a serious effort to find her. Susan asks wisecracking PI Jake Travis to intervene. Susan and Jake spent only one dinner together and both felt an instant attraction. Jake walked away. He was, and is, committed to Kathleen.
As Jake and his partner, Garrett Demarcus, close the circle on finding Jenny, they discover that Kathleen's past ties to organized crime and Jenny's life are strangely entwined. They fight a two-front battle to find Jenny and to protect Kathleen.
By protecting Kathleen, will Jake become the type of man that she could never love? Does he have a choice? Robert Lane's second stand-alone Jake Travis novel delivers a tour de force of suspense, intrigue, and humor, deftly wrapped in Lane's trademark literary overtones.
"Lane delivers a confident, engaging Florida tale with a cast of intriguing characters. A solid, entertaining mystery." Kirkus Reviews

Cooler Than Blood (Jake Travis)

"A cinematic tale...the prose is confident and clear, and the pacing smooth and compelling...another entertaining mystery from Lane." Kirkus Reviews
"This brilliantly calibrated thriller bests the leading sellers in its genre." Foreword Clarion Reviews
While concluding a European vacation with his girlfriend, Kathleen, Jake Travis is given an assignment. Kill an international assassin who targets the loved ones of Special Ops personnel. The assassin is known to dress as a cardinal and take contemplative strolls in Kensington Gardens. Jake completes his task and he and Kathleen return to Florida where she learns that he "clipped the wrong bird."Jake had murdered a popular and progressive cardinal.
Upon his confession of his fateful act, Kathleen recoils from their relationship. He wonders if he's lost her for good. Jake must track down a woman who can lead him to the real killer before he strikes again. Obsessed with his struggle to answer the central question--why did the cardinal use Jake to end his life?
Jake is unaware that he and Kathleen are next on the assassin's list.
"An exciting reading experience. A sophisticated exploration in which the killing power of words vies with the powerful finality of the assassin's rifle." Florida Weekly

The Cardinal's Sin (Jake Travis)

"The plot crackles with energy and suspense. The writing is crisp...clever. A consistently entertaining crime thriller." Kirkus Reviews
Jake Travis goes undercover for the FBI to expose a corrupt Miami art dealer. Phillip Agatha. Aboard the luxury yacht, the Gail Force, Jake succumbs to Agatha's charm, and falls for his alluring assistant, Christina.
Jake unknowingly initiates actions that may cause a young woman to die. As he battles to save the woman he unearths a rogue FBI agent. Thrown overboard off of Key West, he is rescued by migrants in a raft. But time is running out to save the young woman. Yet Jake's greatest challenge is to stay loyal to Kathleen. To withstand the Gail Force.
"Charm and humor permeate the pages of this surprising thriller. There's little chance that anyone will turn the last page before developing a craving for the next installment." Foreword Clarion Reviews, Five Stars

The Gail Force (Jake Travis)

"Lane's prose is fine and unpretentious. It flirts with wonder and sensuality." Foreword Reviews, Starred Review
IT WAS MEANT TO BE A QUIET ASSIGNMENT--HOW DID IT GO SO WRONG?
Jake Travis is ordered to smuggle ashore an accountant who can help place a notorious drug lord behind bars. Stash him in a cottage. Arouse no suspicion. But the man unexpectedly arrives with his wife and three young children. Within days, the children are missing. Jake suspects what he had been told about his passengers was not entirely true. He is labeled a failure and is dismissed from the case.
Seeking redemption, Jake confronts Stephen Cole, the neighbor across from the cottage. He senses that Cole, a "ghostless soul," is hiding something. At a museum gala, Jake corners the man suspected of laundering money for the drug lord, and his assistant, Tina Welch. Jake and Welch form an instant disliking for each other, yet their paths continue to cross.
His troubles compound as Kathleen, his fiancé, becomes increasingly distant. Jake's desperate quest to find the children, Kathleen's unrest, and Cole's haunting past blend into a page-turning mystery that showcases Lane's singular style of humor, suspense and unforgettable characters.
"A superbly satisfying novel, a witty and intellectual version of noir detective fiction that Mr. Lane has made distinctly his own." Florida Weekly

A Beautiful Voice (Jake Travis)

"I NEED TO TELL YOU ABOUT TRUMPET." When Elizabeth Walker mouths those words to Andrew Keller, a lover she has not seen in twenty years, events beyond their control are swept into motion. Following the random encounter, Keller-known as The Sofa King of Sarasota for his whacky TV ads-pleads with Jake Travis to locate Elizabeth. Jake suspects that there is more to his innocent request. When Andrew is murdered during a robbery, he is asked to investigate. At a masked ball, Elizabeth steps into the moonlight and implores Jake to forget about her and Andrew. Undaunted, Jake pursues Anna, Elizabeth's former maid and undocumented immigrant, to arrange a meeting with Elizabeth. They finally meet in a church where Anna has sought sanctuary. In the evening stained-glass light of the chapel, Jake senses that Elizabeth is harboring her own secrets. He learns of a tragic accident two decades ago that decimated her family. Meanwhile, he battles his own demons as he and Kathleen try to adopt a child. But like Elizabeth, his past is a roadblock to happiness. Elizabeth's quest, Kathleen's desperate wish, and Jake's pledge to reinvent himself culminate as the final repercussions of a lost love affair forever alters their lives. Laced with humor, memorable characters and mounting suspense, The Elizabeth Walker Affair is an emotionally engaging mystery that will linger with you long after the final page.

The Elizabeth Walker Affair (Jake Travis)

“Readers will want more of the irresistible Jake Travis after reading A Different Way to Die. A fun, winding political mystery.”--Foreword Clarion Reviews\nSome secrets are worth dying for. Some deaths are best kept a secret.\nTwenty years ago, Christopher Callaghan perished when his boat went up in flames on the west coast of Florida.\nNow Christopher’s uncle, Yankee Conrad, has received a medallion belonging to Christopher. A ransom note demands payment in exchange for the truth of what really happened that night. Conrad, a discreet man, asks Jake Travis to investigate.\nJake tracks down two women who knew Christopher. But they are guarding secrets, pledges born in the past and honored in the present. Jake also suspects that Yankee Conrad harbors motives beyond discovering who sent the medallion.\nAs the shocking truth about Christopher Callaghan’s death is exposed, Jake is caught in a master spy’s deadly web. He battles to save the lives of those who trust him—as well as his own.\nA Different Way to Die, the eighth stand-alone novel in the Jake Travis series, is an addicting rush of Lane’s trademark humor, adventure, and textured characters.\n“Jake Travis is one of the best leading men to take the thriller fiction stage in years.” --Florida Weekly

A Different Way to Die (Jake Travis)

“Lane’s writing is sharp, evocative, and engaging. It flirts with wonder and sensuality.” 
—Foreword Clarion Reviews\nA missing person. A forbidden love affair. The tragic death of a young girl.\nWhen Jake Travis’s sister asks Jake to locate her missing son, Evan, Jake seizes upon finding Evan as a chance to break the family curse. His sister was kidnapped herself when they were children, an event that shattered Jake’s concept of family.\nMeanwhile, the police ask Jake for assistance in looking into the death of a young girl who was fatally shot while swinging in a park. He meets with the girl’s father and is crushed with the man’s sadness. The fracture of another family. Jake soon discovers a disturbing link between the random killing and his missing nephew.\nAs he frantically searches for Evan, Jake tumbles upon a forbidden love affair. It explodes into a dangerous struggle, as money and power battle love and family. Families with unpardonable sins. Who will do anything to protect their own. Families, who like Jake, seek redemption. The Easy Way Out is a gripping story in which transgression and forgiveness, tragedy and humor, walk hand in hand.\nAn author who “Crackles with energy and suspense.”\n--Kirkus Reviews

The Easy Way Out (Jake Travis)

Searching for Dali (Jake Travis)

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