 A Vicky Robeson Mystery: Book 2
Publication Date: April 22, 2026
Guilt-ridden TV journalist Vicky Robeson has spent years chasing stories—and the ghost of her sister, who vanished after a childhood tragedy. When a trail of clues leads to a remote colony in the California foothills, Vicky teams up with her former lover—a man she never stopped wanting—to uncover the truth. They discover a once-idyllic commune, now ruled by a violent patriarch, where women are held for dark and nefarious purposes. Their search for answers turns into a desperate fight for survival. Trapped and cut off from the world, Vicky must risk everything to escape, free the women, and face the horrifying possibility that one of them may be the sister she blames herself for losing.
Television news director Vicky Robeson spends her free time trying to locate her family, lost in a deadly wildfire 15 years ago.
Parallel Peril offers a mystery crafted by author Maria Lynn Barrs that puts Vicky on the trail of a remote commune brimming with danger.
Told in alternating storylines, the commune is a far cry from tranquility. Instead, Richard creates a hellish existence for the young women he ensnares.
Vicky gets the help she needs on this quest from her former boyfriend. Their chemistry is solid, which offers an opportunity for a second chance. Meanwhile, Vicky must take on a vicious man determined to protect his secrets.
As the second installment in the series, the book continues to build Vicky’s character and gives insight into her investigative skills.
Parallel Peril highlights a desperate battle of survival alongside a woman’s quest for answers.
ML Barrs ran TV newsrooms for years, guiding and managing the content and production of more than eight hours of live newscasts a day.
In her debut novel, Parallel Secrets, protagonist Vicky Robeson shares that kind of experience as well as the author’s passion for justice, especially when it comes to the safety and well-being of children and other vulnerable people.
ML Barrs grew up one of thirteen children—the first girl, with three older brothers—a birth order she believes shaped her essence by the time she was eight. A girl’s gotta be a bit pugnacious to get along in that environment. Amid the chaos of fourteen people living in a mobile home (not a double-wide), she turned fifteen, dropped out of school and ran away from home.
Being homeless, then working minimum wage jobs quickly grew old. She earned her GED and went to college, where she met and married the father of their two grown children. After a successful career as a television news director and general manager, she decided that what she really wanted to do is write mysteries.
