Best of
Murder-Mystery

2005

Tony Hillerman: The Leaphorn Chee Novels: Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, Coyote Waits


Tony Hillerman - 2005
    This stunning collection includes the critically acclaimed novels Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, and Coyote Waits, all of which have been adapted for PBS by producer Robert Redford. This is a must-have anthology from one of the great masters of suspense.In Skinwalkers, three shotgun blasts explode into the trailer of Officer Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police. Chee survives to join partner Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn in a frightening investigation that takes them into a dark world of ritual, witchcraft, and blood -- all tied to the elusive and evil "skinwalker." In A Thief of Time, a noted anthropologist vanishes at a moonlit Indian ruin where "thieves of time" ravage sacred ground for profit. When two corpses appear amid stolen goods and bones at an ancient burial site, Leaphorn and Chee must plunge into the past to unearth the astonishing truth behind a mystifying series of horrific murders.And in Coyote Waits, it wasn't the car fire that killed Navajo Tribal Policeman Delbert Nez -- a bullet did. Officer Jim Chee's good friend Del lies dead, and a whiskey-soaked Navajo shaman is found with the murder weapon. The old man is Ashie Pinto. He's quickly arrested for homicide and defended by a woman Chee could either love or loathe. But Pinto won't utter a word of confession or denial. Leaphorn and Chee must unravel a complex plot involving a historical find, a lost fortune, and the mythical Coyote, who is always waiting, and always hungry.

A Flicker in the Night


John Dean - 2005
     Yet despite the culprit, Reginald Morris, being safely behind bars in a high-security mental hospital, a new series of attacks occurs. Blizzard is flummoxed. Has Morris found someone to do his bidding on the outside? Is this a personal vendetta? A copycat? The only clue to the killer’s identity is obscure poetry that is being sent to Hafton police station. But is it just the work of a deranged mind who enjoys taunting the police, or someone hell-bent on revenge? Will Blizzard piece together the puzzle before there is another flicker in the night? A FLICKER IN THE NIGHT is the seventh murder mystery by John Dean to feature hard-hitting crime solver John Blizzard. The full list of previous books is as follows: 1. THE LONG DEAD 2. STRANGE LITTLE GIRL 3. THE RAILWAY MAN 4. THE SECRETS MAN 5. A BREACH OF TRUST 6. DEATH LIST All of these books are FREE with Kindle Unlimited and available in paperback.

Final Scream


Lisa Jackson - 2005
    When she was only 16, Cassidy Buchanan fell for the 19-year-old bad boy in town, Brig McKenzie - who'd had his share of run-ins with both the law and the local women. Then a terrible fire killed Cassidy's sister, and Brig was the chief suspect. Seventeen years later, an eerily similar fire seriously injures Cassidy's husband Chase, who happens to be Brig's brother. With the earlier fire still an open case, suspicion turns to Cassidy, the only person connected to both tragedies.

The Complete Patricia Cornwell Companion


Glenn L. Feole - 2005
    The Complete Patricia Cornwell Companion features:Book-by-book synopses with excerpts and little-known factsAn examination of Cornwell's life, writing accomplishments, and forensic expertiseCharacter portraits of both good guys and bad guys-from Kay Scarpetta, Pete Marino, and Andy Brazil to the cold-hearted killersA handy in-depth chronology of all her novelsThe many connections between the author's life history and her fascinating fictionA comprehensive list of settings-from Tangier Island to ParisForensic detection "shop talk" and procedures

Unforgiving Shadows


Ray Flynt - 2005
    The tragedy transformed his life. After helping the police catch their killers, and with the aid of his mentor, Philadelphia Detective Nick Argostino, Brad opened his own private detective agency vowing to help bring justice to others whose lives had been turned upside down. UNFORGIVING SHADOWS opens eleven years later when Brad is invited to the execution by lethal injection of Frank Wilkie, one of two men responsible for the death of his mother and sister. Thinking that Wilkie might have something to say, Brad reluctantly attends. Wilkie remains silent, but as Brad exits the prison the chaplain races after him, thrusting the condemned man’s Bible into his hands.Within hours another man is anxious to get his hands on Wilkie’s Bible, and Brad suspects the motivation could involve the still-missing ransom money. But as the reason becomes clear, Brad’s world is once again turned upside down. Aided by his associate, Sharon Porter, Brad unravels an eleven-year-old mystery that casts new suspicion on family, neighbors and business associates alike.Also included is a preview chapter of TRANSPLANTED DEATH, the next Brad Frame Mystery.

Framed!


Malcolm Rose - 2005
    He barely has time to celebrate his final exams when Malc, his Mobile Aid to Law and Crime, calls him to their first case. A fellow student has been mysteriously shot dead with an arrow. Two more grisly on-campus murders follow, and all the evidence points to Luke himself. The stakes are high as Luke sets out to prove his innocence and show that he has the talent to crack any crime.

Deep Freeze


Lisa Jackson - 2005
    . .When she wakes up, she's very cold. Colder than she's ever been in her life. She can't move or speak. And then she sees him. The one who took her. And before she dies, she wishes she could scream. . .Is About To Become. . .Former movie star Jenna Hughes left Hollywood for an isolated farm in Oregon to get away from fame. But someone has followed her--an obsessed fan whose letters are personal and deeply disturbing. And while Jenna's already shaken up by what she's seen on paper, she'd be terrified if she knew what Sheriff Shane Carter is investigating. It's a shocking case that started with the discovery of a dead woman in the woods. Now two more women are missing, one of whom bears a striking resemblance to Jenna. . .Her Worst Nightmare. . .

After the Evil


Cary Allen Stone - 2005
    He is investigating a murder; a serial killer is responsible. FBI profiler Mika Scott leads the investigation. Mika and Jake were partners and lovers. Tensions run high when Jake discovers who the killer is. Will they get there in time to stop another murder?

The Butterfly Man


Heather Rose - 2005
    Her employer, Lord Lucan, was named as her attacker. It was widely assumed he had mistaken her for his wife. Lord Lucan disappeared the night Sandra Rivett died and has never been seen since.Henry Kennedy lives on a mountain on the other side of the world. He is not who he says he is. Is he a murderer or a man who can never clear his name? And is he the only one with something to hide?Set in Tasmania, Africa and London's Belgravia, The Butterfly Man is an absorbing novel about transformation and deception, and the lengths to which we will go to protect the ones we love.

Cold Truth


Mariah Stewart - 2005
    Back then, Cassie was a scared kid—now she’s a homicide cop. Back then, the suspect was caught and convicted—he died in prison. But now the killing has started again. And all signs indicate that the Bayside Strangler has come back for more. With too many victims and too few suspects, Cassie has her hands full investigating the case, while working through the old trauma it has brought to the surface. Luckily, FBI agent Rick Cisco is dispatched to lend support. Together, Cassie and Rick must uncover the link between the dark past and the dangerous present to bring this small town’s long nightmare to an end. If they fail, an elusive fiend will slip back into the shadows ... to watch and wait—and kill another day. In matters of crime, there are many versions of the truth.

The Chairman


Stephen W. Frey - 2005
    Now, in his most ambitious work to date, Frey proves that no writer can put a high-powered hero at greater risk, nor offer readers more thrilling rewards.A towering legend among New York private equity partnerships, Everest Capital is aptly named. When its founder meets an untimely death, thirty-six-year-old superstar Christian Gillette gets the top job. But with the power and prestige come risks. The day he narrowly escapes a fiery explosion that consumes his limo and takes two innocent lives, Gillette instantly understands how intense those risks are.It comes as no surprise to him that he has enemies in the world of multibillion--dollar deals. But now that he controls Everest, he's not going to let those enemies keep him from taking the firm-and himself-to even greater heights. Gillette has never hesitated to be aggressive, even ruthless, in his pursuit of success. This time will be no exception.But in order to forge the alliances necessary to achieve his goals, Gillette forsakes a cardinal rule: Never trust anyone. The only certainties are the insidious campaign of corporate sabotage that could cost Gillette his job and the relentless assassination attempts that could cost him his life. To break a deadly conspiracy of greed, he'll be forced to walk-then run-an ever-blurring line between loyalty and betrayal, attack and retreat, survival and destruction . . . in the ultimate game of profit and loss.With The Chairman, Stephen Frey presides with intensified skill over the market he has so dramatically cornered-sharpening his patented brand of hard-boiled high-finance intrigue to its keenest cutting edge yet.

Dame Agatha Abroad: Murder on the Orient Express / They Came to Bagdad / Murder in Mesopotamia


Agatha Christie - 2005
    A man lies dead, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside...and it's up to Hercule Poirot to solve a seemingly impossible crime.Murder In MesopotamiaWhen nurse Amy Leatheran agrees to look after an archaeologist's ailing wife at a dig, she's in for more than just nursing-she also has to solve a murder. Fortunately for Amy, Hercule Poirot is also visiting the excavation site.They Came To BaghdadA superposer summit is planned in Baghdad-and an underground organization plans to sabotage it. Into this explosive situation skips Victoria Jones, who yearns for adventure...and gets more than she bargained for when an agent dies in her hotel room.

Killing Bliss


E.C. Sheedy - 2005
    Two bullets. Three runaways.Addy Michaels, living her careful life on a forgotten back road, thinks she's safe--that the past and its corpses are long buried. Surely after fifteen years the cops have quit looking for the street kids believed to have kidnapped a baby and killed their prostitute foster mother¬, Belle Bliss.Addy couldn't be more wrong.A cold case.Hot again, when the missing child's grandmother hires renowned profiler Cade Harding to find her grandson. Cade tracks Addy to her safe haven in a remote area of Washington state. Their attraction to each other is immediate, dangerous, and badly timed because...Cade isn't alone.A twisted killerFaceless and unknowable, a murderer follows in Cade's footsteps--on the hunt for anyone who can tell the truth about killing Bliss.All roads lead to Addy.

Dear People: Remembering Jonestown


Denice Stephenson - 2005
    In DEAR PEOPLE: REMEMBERING JONESTOWN, The heartbreaking tragedy of Jonestown — and the idealistic community movement that preceded it — are presented in text and photos from the Peoples Temple Archive. In November of 1978 the world recoiled in shock when the news first spread from Jonestown that more than nine hundred people were dead in a horrendous mass suicide. Over twenty-five years later, the tragedy and appeal of the Peoples Temple still puzzles us. Using letters, oral histories, poems, and newsletters, researcher Denise Stephenson has compiled a sensitive account of the community's growth and self-destruction, chronicling the Reverend Jones's move from progressive Christianity to paranoid utopianism. These documents provide moving insight not just into this historic event but into the larger issues of human yearning, of our capacity for hope and delusion, of the willingness of people to submerge themselves into a movement or charismatic leader that they give up freedom.

House Of Secrets


Tracy Montoya - 2005
    House of Secrets by Tracy Montoya released on Oct 11, 2005 is available now for purchase.