Best of
Whodunit

2017

Dial D for Deadman


Barry J. Hutchison - 2017
     In an alien city torn apart by crooked cops and ruthless criminals, private detective, Dan Deadman, specializes in cases unusual and bizarre. Sure, he doesn't smell great, and he's technically been dead for quite some time, but if you've got a rampaging Hell-beast tearing up your street, or a portal to another dimension appearing in your bathroom, Dan's your man. After saving a mysterious young woman named Ollie from the clutches of something big, slimy, and unpleasant, Dan gets entangled in a missing child case, a string of grisly murders, and a severed woman's arm that just won't leave him alone. And then there's the demonic entity who'll stop at nothing to get its tentacles on Ollie, even if it means destroying the whole damn planet. Times like these, Dan would give his right nut to be a real detective. If he still had nuts. From the pages of Space Team: The Guns of Nana Joan, "Dial D for Deadman" is the first darkly comedic action adventure novel starring Dan Deadman, Space Detective.

Double Deck the Halls


Gretchen Archer - 2017
    It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. The trees are trimmed, the halls are decked, and Davis Way Cole’s grandmother is there to play in the Winter Wonderland Senior Slot Tournament. This year’s theme: The Nice List. All is merry and bright until Granny Dee meets an elf who belongs on the naughty list. Maybe even the downright nasty list. With nothing more than a lifetime of memories, the sounds of the season, and what she can find in the pockets of her Rudolph jogging suit, can Granny Dee save Bianca Sanders from the rotten elf, and in the process, save Christmas? Granny Dee may try to save Christmas, but trust me, of all the characters in this non-stop page-turner, Granny Dee steals the show.

Peril in Paxton Park


J.A. Whiting - 2017
    A. Whiting. After surviving a terrible car crash in Boston, twenty-eight-year old Shelly Taylor accepts a part-time job as a baker at a mountain resort in western Massachusetts. While on a hike one morning, she and a new friend make a terrible discovery that pulls them into peril and death. Will Shelly's new ability help the police solve the crimes or will another murder be committed in Paxton Park? This story has some mild paranormal elements.

The Haunting of Winchester Mansion Omnibus


Alexandria Clarke - 2017
    When Bailey and Bodhi Taylor move in and begin renovations, the house seems perfect. But things move on their own, screams echo from the basement, and Bailey sees a shadowy figure out of the corner of her eye. Is the house haunted? And if it is, what does the ghost want with Bailey?

Blood Vengeance


Yasmine Galenorn - 2017
     Maddy and Aegis need to relax after opening the Bewitching Bedlam B&B, so they go on a post-New Year’s trip up to a mountain chalet. But what neither realizes, is that a dark cloud from the past is shadowing them both, and a resulting avalanche holds them hostage, at the mercy of a menace from Maddy’s past, who is ready to destroy Mad Mauldin and all she holds dear. Series Reading Order: Blood Music Bewitching Bedlam Maudlin's Mayhem Blood Vengeance Tiger Tails

The Vigilante Vignette


Larissa Reinhart - 2017
    "It was so much fun to read, I was really wishing it was longer. And I'm all caught up on the books! I need more Cherry Tucker!” — Riverlizzie ReviewsCherry Tucker's stalking costume parties to catch a vixen Catwoman and steal back a priceless heirloom. Then there's that homewrecker and a town council trying to close her business. And that goat in the backyard. Just another day in Halo, Georgia, for the Southern Fried Sleuth, Cherry Tucker.**This novella first appeared in the Fall 2016 anthology (now retired) MIDNIGHT MYSTERIES**When Cherry Tucker makes a mercy call on a neighbor, she’s roped into a quid pro quo deal—if Cherry recovers a stolen family heirloom, the neighbor will use his family clout to help her with some zoning issues. If she fails, the expression “someone’s got her goat” will take on a whole new meaning for Cherry. And when she discovers a thievery ring, illegal auctions, and some green-eyed emotions after spotting Luke where she doesn’t expect him—well, it’s just another hilarious day in Halo, Georgia.

Silent Fear


Lance Morcan - 2017
    The murder investigation coincides with a deadly flu virus outbreak, resulting in the university being quarantined from the outside world. When more Deaf students are murdered, it becomes clear there is a serial killer operating within the sealed-off university. A chilling cat-and-mouse game evolves as the unknown killer targets Valerie and the virus claims more lives. A stunning, claustrophobic, "whodunit" murder mystery, Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) is the eighth novel by father-and-son writing team Lance & James Morcan. Included is a commentary by Deaf filmmaker Brent Macpherson on the unique aspects of Deaf culture the story covers. Together, the Morcans and Macpherson are currently developing a feature film adaptation of Silent Fear.

Belvoir's Promise


Susanna M. Newstead - 2017
    A young nobleman. And death stalks them both.... The date is 1191 Aumary Belvoir is seventeen. Seventeen, and bound by an oath so holy, he dare not break it.
 Unexpectedly thrust into the position of the Warden of the Savernake; a woodland of one hundred and fifty square miles in Wiltshire, will Aumary succeed in stamping his authority on the forest? He has also acquired a half brother he did not know he had. With the help of his experienced staff and his willing family, things go well. The surprise brother, Robert proves a worthy assistant. Then the deaths begin. Are they accidents as they seem or is there something more sinister happening in the forest? Seventy year old Aumary is dictating his story to a scribe. He can no longer write for himself and wishes to set down for all time, the truth of two mysteries; the death of Arthur Duke of Brittany, King John's nephew and rival, and other more disturbing deaths closer to home. Aumary Belvoir sets off to uncover a plot so dastardly and deadly, so patient and well planned that it takes thirteen years to lay bare.

Witch For Hire


Shyla Colt - 2017
    Years later, she’s returned to the tiny town of Cypress, Louisiana to take her rightful place as head of her magical family, whether she likes it or not. In order to keep the tentative peace formed between the various races of powerful beings who rule side by side, she must face her own demons. Mainly one, Cristobal Cortez. Now a master vampire, and lord of the seven cities surrounding New Orleans, her former lover has moved up in the world. Their relationship gets way more complicated when his court is framed for a rash of murders they didn’t commit. Forced to play her role as his bond mate, and launch an investigation into the darkness threatening to overturn truces, she may be in over her head.

Bones to Pick


Linda Lovely - 2017
    But she can’t walk away from her Aunt Eva, who needs help operating her dairy. Once she calls her aunt’s goat farm home, grisly discoveries offer ample inducements for Brie to employ her entire vocabulary of cheese-and-meat curses. The troubles begin when the farm’s pot-bellied pig unearths the skull of Eva’s husband, who disappeared years back. The sheriff, kin to the deceased, sets out to pin the murder on Eva. He doesn’t reckon on Brie’s resolve to prove her aunt’s innocence. Death threats, ruinous pedicures, psychic shenanigans, and biker bar fisticuffs won’t stop Brie from unmasking the killer, even when romantic befuddlement throws her a curve.

The Killer Who Hated Soup (The Killer Who series #1)


Bill A. Brier - 2017
    Smart phones? Who you kiddin’? We’re talkin’ 1956.Energetic and eager to make his mark on what Time magazine called the next great boom town, Bucky Ontario leaves his Louisiana home and hops a bus to Defiance, Oklahoma, a town not particularly adverse to murders, just the embarrassment of them.While helping his friend, Kindra search for a ring that once belonged to her dead mother, Bucky is told: “Find the baby, find the ring.”

Nothing Bad Happens Here (Miller Hatcher #1)


Nikki Crutchley - 2017
    Her last thoughts were of her mother. Would she finally care, when one day they found her body, and a policeman came knocking at her door?'The body of missing tourist Bethany Haliwell is found in the small Coromandel town of Castle Bay, where nothing bad ever happens. News crews and journalists from all over the country descend on the small seaside town as old secrets are dragged up and gossip is taken as gospel.Among them is Miller Hatcher, a journalist battling her own demons, who arrives intent on gaining a promotion by covering the grisly murder. Following an anonymous tip, Miller begins to unravel the mystery of the small town. And when another woman goes missing, Miller finds herself getting closer to the truth. But at what cost?

Lethal Relations


Lo Monaco - 2017
    Fred Greene has been murdered…in his own home while watching TV. The police have arrested his girlfriend, Barbara Metcalf. But Barbara’s brother, attorney Donald Remick doesn’t believe she did it. Remick hires Terry to prove Barbara’s innocence. But it won’t be easy. All the evidence points right to Barbara. Even Fred’s son, Robert, believes Barbara shot his father. She had been at the Greene residence that night just as Robert was leaving. Later that night, Fred was found dead…by Barbara. Trying to untie all the twisted knots of relationships has Terry frustrated and confused while at the same time, her relationship with her sometime SO, Carl Black, compounds the stress. Adding to that the puzzling connection between Robert Greene and Donald Remick’s daughter, Sylvia, makes this a mystifying and difficult case to solve. Terry finally unweaves all the strands and with the help of her Black Belt, brings this case to a shocking conclusion which no one expected.

DNA Stalker: Revenge or Justice? (High Seas Mystery, #4)


Diane Rapp - 2017
    Now DNA profiling might lead to the target, endangering innocents along the way. Natalia and Jason work together on the cruise ship, Sea Mist, and they must stop the Stalker from harming identical twins onboard the ship! Hundreds of suspects are cruising the western Caribbean, including six sets of identical twins participating in the Twins Project. It all began with the Jonestown Massacre of 1978. The supposed suicide of Jim Jones prompted an intense manhunt by his enforcement team, the Red Brigade, which honed skills needed to capture or kill the illusive prey. Who is the man the Stalker is seeking? Which pair of twins are in danger? Natalia and Jason accompany the twins on shore excursions, and discover that preventing a crime is more difficult than solving one. The partners work to unmask the culprit and protect the twins. Will Natalia and Jason be able to stop a well-prepared assassin? DNA STALKER is an intense thriller combined with romance and mystery set in exotic destinations. The book is clean with limited violence and no “blush-worthy” scenes.

Forgotten Shadow: A Megalodon Team Holiday Novella


Aliyah Burke - 2017
    The Megalodon Team are gathering at a lodge to share Christmas. Adults only first with the children arriving Christmas Eve. It has been far to long since the eight ex-members and their wives had all been together. Yet, even out in the wide-open space of Montana, they’re not alone…someone from their past is out there. He waits and stalks them from the shadows.

15 Minutes


Larissa Reinhart - 2017
    (And the woman may be dead...)Fourth: She just might be falling in love with her new boss. And she just might have lost him his business. But what has she got to lose, other than imprisonment, her dignity, and possibly, her life?

Peach Kisses


Z. Cr4vinz - 2017
    . he fell for me.#41 in Romance 01/02/18#21 in Romance 13/02/18#18 in Romance 19/02/18#6 in romance 26/03/18#5 in Romance 02/04/18

Blu Heat


David Burnsworth - 2017
    It isn’t just any bar, it’s the Pirate’s Cove located on the Isle of Palms, a barrier island just north of the Charleston, South Carolina harbor. Ex-Marine Brack Pelton tries to stop the murder and almost dies himself. The victim, Skip Romeo, has a shady past and some interesting friends. The friend he’d planned on meeting at the bar before he got shot was lowcountry Private Investigator Blu Carraway. Brack Pelton hates that someone shot up his bar and Blu Carraway hates that someone gunned down his friend. Both want revenge and justice. And both tend to leave a lot of collateral damage in their wake. Their team-up is inevitable. Individually, they’re each a force to be reckoned with. Together, they’re like an atomic bomb blast at ground zero. Pelton and Carraway and Charleston will never be the same.

Spooky Times (Alice Whitehouse, #1)


Nic Saint - 2017
    Loving daughter of the Chief of Police. Best friend to local baker Felicity Bell. And then there’s the fact that Alice sees dead people. Unfortunately, they can also see her, and occasionally ask her help in solving their murder. With pluck, resolve and cheerfulness in the face of danger, she does just that, aided and abetted by the members of her neighborhood watch committee, and local police detective Rock Walker, on whom she may or may not have a secret—or not-so-secret—crush. When Gemma Weston is found murdered, the crime baffles the police. It also baffles Alice’s neighborhood watch committee, but that has never stopped the spunky ladies of the committee before. They dive headfirst into the murder investigation, very much to the exasperation of Alice’s dad, Chief of Police Whitehouse, and the newest member of the Happy Bays Police Department, Detective Rock Walker. Spurred on by an increasingly annoying Gemma, whose ghost isn’t the nicest one Alice has ever encountered, she puts her sleuthing powers to the test to catch a killer before he or she can strike again. Spooky Times is the first installment in this new humorous cozy ghost mystery series featuring Alice Whitehouse. You may have met Alice before, in The Mysteries of Bell & Whitehouse. This spinoff fully stands alone, and doesn’t require any knowledge of the original series, which is complete at nine books.