Constructing Charleigh: A Standalone Romantic Suspense Novel

by Catherine Diehl

Constructing Charleigh is a standalone, interconnected novel that bridges the Volktov Bratva Series and the S.O. Security Series.

I’m a builder, and I have been since I was a little girl. I learned how to build from my father, rebuilt my life after my parents died, rebuilt my life again when my grandmother passed, and earned a degree in, well, building things. It seems that every time I get comfortable in life, something bad happens to force me to tear down and rebuild again.
For example, I’m currently lying in a hospital bed with a lacerated liver and broken rib because I was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting meant for my brother. He borrowed money from the wrong people, and I took a night job stripping to help him repay his debt. He was wounded in the shooting as well, and luckily, will make it, thanks to my the broody and super-hot Tom Higgins.
Now, I’m trying to figure out how to rebuild my life again because Tom is everything I’ve ever wanted and never thought I could have. I’ve wanted him since the first day I started working at Higgins Construction, but the more people I let into my life, the more I stand to lose.


I’m a problem solver, and I’ve been solving problems since I was in the military. I solved problems to take out targets and keep my team safe in the Navy, and when I gave up my military career to take over my father’s construction company after his untimely passing.
My new problem is that my sexy and smart project manager has a hidden night job that might be tied to the drug trafficking ring that stumbled into one of my job sites. This is a problem because she’s the first woman who has made me want to try again after my failed marriage. If she’s innocent and not tied to the Cartel, then I’m making her safety my first priority.
Now, I know I can keep her safe from potential threats, but keeping her safe from my demons and my past is going to be the biggest problem of all.
Because if I’m in close quarters with this woman, there is no way I can keep my hands to myself.

470 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2025

About the author

I am a native Michigander, meaning I have a favorite Great Lake and can point to the exact location of my house on my hand. For the record, Lake Superior owns my heart with all of its majesty and mystery. Camping with my family on its shores is the highlight of my Summer every year.

I love all things caramel, coffee, hockey, shopping, baking, and decorating my house for every season and holiday. I am a very visual-spatial person so everything in my house has a place, but sometimes looks better in a different place. (It drives my husband nuts.) Speaking of my amazingly-talented husband, we live in the house that he built for us, with our three human children, and fuzzy child, Gordie.

If I’m not holed up on my couch attacking the keyboard, you can find me teaching high school English Language Arts and Choir and driving my children everywhere. Seeing as how all three of them are in sports, and hockey season never ends, we are always on the go.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.