Best of
Hard-Boiled

2021

Lost on a Page


David E. Sharp - 2021
    He no longer believes in happy-ever-afters, but his faith in plot twists is devout. Good thing.He is about to discover the biggest twist of all.Joe Slade is not real.He is a character in a series of mystery novels. And when he discovers all his pain has been in the name of book sales, there will be hell to pay. Vowing revenge on his author, he will set off for the World Where the Books Are Written. The road will take him through genres foreign and treacherous: High Fantasy, Bodice-Ripping Romance, Intergalactic Sci-Fi, and others even more awful and terrifying.But what if this new life is about more than just living? And will Joe still come out on top when all the rules have changed?

Liminal Spaces: An Anthology of Dark Speculative Fiction


Kevin LuciaJoshua Palmatier - 2021
    Rapino, Gwendolyn Kiste, Michael Wehunt, Bob Ford, Kelli Owen, Richard Thomas, Todd Keisling, Chad Lutzke, Kristi DeMeester, Joshua Palmatier, and Norman Prentiss.“The word ‘liminal’ comes from the Latin root limen. It means ‘threshold'. A liminal space is a ‘crossing over’ space–a space where you have left something behind, yet you are not fully in something else. It’s a transition space

To Kill A Conman (Quake City Investigations)


Kevin Berry - 2021
    One victim seeks revenge.Stuart Baker makes a lot of dough from conning people. He always has a scheme or a scam on the go. His enemies outnumber his friends, but Baker doesn’t care about that. Crime pays too well.His new girlfriend suspects his money is dirty. A business rival wants to take over his club. Baker’s latest victims want revenge.Private investigator Danny Ashford is closing in on the scammer who hacked his bank card. But he also has another problem—his new neighbour asked him to have a word with her sleazy boss. Determined to help her out and give the man a scare, Danny’s about to discover that telling hardened criminals to lay off is not as easy as he thought it would be.Broke and desperate, Danny doesn't think his life can get any worse. Then Baker is found murdered, and Danny becomes the main suspect.With the help of sassy reporter Deepa Banwait, Danny must prove his innocence before the police lock him up and throw away the key…TO KILL A CONMAN is a gripping contemporary crime noir mystery that will keep you hooked right up to the dramatic conclusion.Check it out today!