Ken Goode: When I walked into Piatti that night, I had no idea my life was about to change so dramatically. There she was, a beautiful brunette with stunning hyacinth blue eyes who didn’t even know how beautiful she was. Something about her made me want to tell her my innermost secrets, which I usually kept to myself. I heard myself telling her about my trip to Jaws in Maui, where I’d just risked my life trying to surf some ginormous waves. Normally, at my ripe old age of thirty-seven, that would be viewed as reckless and silly, but for some reason, at least in my mind, it made me feel strong and powerful. Whatever she thought of me at the time, she never expressed an ounce of judgment. She simply let me talk. I should have known there and then that I was in trouble. I didn’t find out until the news conference the next morning that she was a reporter, and I didn’t trust reporters. But Katrina Chopin was different from the others. She was sexy, smart and self-confident, and yet open enough to tell me that her brother had allegedly killed himself, just like my mother. She also seemed to have the ability to look inside me in way that scared and yet intrigued me. So, we bonded even before I knew who she was, what she did for a living, or that she was going to reach inside and touch my very soul. I had stopped hoping that someone would come along and give me another chance at being happy. And she certainly took me on a ride that was so bumpy and eventful I wasn’t sure where we’d end up. But I wouldn’t take a minute of it back. She got me and she got me good.

Katrina Chopin: I was deep in the memories of my family, the ones I’d been burying in my psyche for the past five years, when the almost-too-handsome man walked into the bar and asked if he could sit next to me. I said something kind of dumb, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was taken with me, and even though I expected him to be the kind of good-looking guy who is normally a douche, he turned out to be a genuinely decent guy. His tall, athletic surfer’s build reminded me of my brother, only without the bad energy, and the addictive personality. We went right to the heart of the matter, and then he got called away: two suspicious deaths in La Jolla Farms. Just my luck, he was a homicide detective. I’d only just moved back to town to work for the newspaper and to solve my parents’ murders, but the very next morning I was assigned to the same case he was working on. So, suddenly we had a big red big ethical line between us, posing a conflict to navigate and a tempting challenge to fight. Although the attraction between us complicated the situation, I was determined to do the right thing. At least for the moment.

HOOKED
Series Name: A Katrina & Goode Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Thriller
Release: February 2026
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

In this suspenseful thriller by Caitlin Rother, a journalist and cop fight a sexual attraction as they join forces to expose a layered scheme of dark and dangerous secrets.

When investigative reporter Katrina Chopin and surfing homicide detective Ken Goode lock eyes, there’s an immediate attraction. Sparks fly as they bond over cocktails, sharing their common experiences of being orphans and losing loved ones to suicide.

But the next time they meet, it’s from opposing sides of a high-profile case. Two biotech execs, whose company is developing a groundbreaking sexual enhancement drug, turn up dead in the wealthy seaside enclave of La Jolla Farms, where Goode can readily see that the forensic evidence doesn’t add up.

As they work their own angles, sometimes together and sometimes at odds, their growing attraction threatens to cost them their jobs—and their lives. As Katrina and Goode pursue answers behind these mysterious events, a secret stalker taunts Katrina with details of her tragic past, which takes her to the brink of death. But once the duo rips the mask away from this beautiful paradise, the corrupt underbelly behind all that glitters is revealed.

Meet the author
New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother has written 16 books. A longtime true crime author, Caitlin is launching a new series of thrillers set in La Jolla with HOOKED on February 1, and the sequel, STAGED, coming in June. Her other recent titles include DOWN TO THE BONE, BODY PARTS, and DEATH ON OCEAN BOULEVARD. She also works as a TV crime commentator and book coach, enjoys ocean swimming, and plays keyboards and sings in a jazzy bluesy trio.