Jake Travis

When Jake Travis is contracted by his ex-army colonel to retrieve a missing 50-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. As Jake relentlessly pursues the enigmatic Escobar, he soon discovers that Escobar is involved in far more than simply blackmailing the IRS.

Jenny Spencer is missing after a violent encounter on a beach. Her aunt, Susan Blake, 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.

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.

Jake Travis, while trying to expose a corrupt Miami art gallery, goes undercover for the FBI. The gallery's owner, Phillip Agatha, is more enchanted with murder than he is with art. Aboard Agatha's luxury yacht, the Gail Force, Jake is taken by Agatha's hospitality and falls for his alluring assistant, Christina. Unknowingly, Jake plays into Agatha's hands and initiates actions that will cause a young woman to die.

Jake Travis searches for the man who abducted and killed his sister and only sibling over 30 years ago while on a family vacation in Florida. She went to their motel room to get the book Matilda. She was never seen again. The man who was once the primary suspect has washed up on a beach nears Jake's home. He penned a confession just days before his mysterious death, admitting to killing the young girl. Jake suspects that the confession was forced and that DNA was tainted.

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...a pause resisting mystery that showcases Lane's singular style of humor, suspense and unforgettable characters.

"I need to tell you about trumpet." After Elizabeth Walker mouths those words to Andrew Keller, a lover she has not seen in 20 years, their shattered hearts ignite uncontrollable events. Andrew pleads with his old friend Jake Travis to locate Elizabeth. When Andrew is murdered, Jake is asked to investigate. Jake arranges a rendezvous with Elizabeth and senses that she is harboring secrets of her own.

Twenty years ago, Christopher Callaghan perished when his boat went up in flames on the west coast of Florida. Now Christopher’s uncle, Yankee Conrad, has received a medallion belonging to Christopher. A ransom note demands payment in exchange for the truth about what really happened that night. Conrad, a discreet man, asks Jake Travis to investigate. As 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.

When 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.

Veronica Stafford has seven days before the date on her calendar in which she’s entered a single word. Die. Veronica persuades Jake Travis to use those seven days to recover a stolen Salvador Dali painting. If Jake is successful, she will gift ten million dollars to Harbor House, a refugee center operated by Jake and his friend Morgan. Eager to make his wife, Kathleen, and two young daughters proud of him, Jake accepts the deal.