Narcissist in the Daffodils


Kristy E. Carter - 2018
    The last thing Leo Solomon wants to do after returning to his hometown is arrest the woman he loves or her cousin, but all the evidence keeps pointing to it being an inside job. Why would anyone commit a crime and then phone 911? Why is everyone so interested in the missing black book last seen in the victim's possession? Rumors swirl as everyone in town decides to weigh in on who they think killed Elizabeth and why. Penelope refuses to sit by and let the people she loves or her family business be put through the mud to protect a killer. Can Penelope and Leo get to the bottom of the crime before anyone else gets hurt?

Precious Things: Some things are worth killing for.


Marie Reyes - 2021
    

Kiss Hidden Lies


Dan Taylor
    But there’s a catch. His client’s parents are unaware she knows the guy who’s been posing as her father is an imposter. And she insists Hancock poses as her older boyfriend to discover the truth from within her family home.Her parents are onto him the moment he steps through the front door, and the roller coaster of an investigation begins.To escape the heat of scrutiny, Hancock rushes his client to an age-regression hypnotherapy session to learn about a time period her parents seem hazy about. What he discovers throws him a curveball: His client had two different parents up to the age of three…something she’s unaware of now. The strange part? They lived together in the same family home.There’s a bizarre secret at the heart of his client’s childhood. And Hancock must face an ethical dilemma for which he isn’t prepared.As a detective, he’s bound to reveal the truth…but at what cost to his client’s happiness?

Execution of Justice


Patrick Dent - 2006
    Meanwhile, the world stands on the brink of war as a CIA plot to incite a conflict between the Muslim oil countries and Israel unfolds. Three Covert Operatives have already been brutally murdered.Enter John Drake, a man driven by personal demons, who is determined to bring his own brand of justice to this ruthless gang.Tracking the most powerful enemy he has ever faced, haunted by trauma from his past, Drake must ultimately confront the most terrifying identity of all - his own.An impossible mission becomes even tougher when Drake's assignment propels him to the fulcrum of a new World War.

Such A Deal: Three Nice Jewish Detectives


Julie Smith - 2017
     Editor's note: This book contains four complete novels. Volume 1 is SAMSON’S DEAL, the FIRST book in the hard-boiled but “wonderfully wry” adventures of ex-cop Jake Samson by award-winning author Shelley Singer. “Breathtaking action is offset by the wise-cracking Jake and Rosie. The tension will keep you reading all night long. Compelling characterization by Singer makes this series a must-read, with authentic details and witty dialogue.” -Mystery Time MURDER, POLITICS, AND STRANGE BEDFELLOWS... Ex-Chicago-cop Jake Samson’s likely to lead with his easy-going Columbo style, but he’s earned a reputation for being a tough guy who occasionally “handles discreet matters.” Samson is drawn into Berkeley’s political hotbed when an old friend—a progressive political science professor—calls with an enticing offer. Seems the professor's wife was found dead in the backyard of their Berkeley home, and he wants to pay Jake ten thousand dollars (plus expenses) to figure out whodunit. With his good friend Rosie, and her justice-dispensing two-by-four, Samson follows a twisted trail that leads through the Bay Area's bizarre cultural labyrinth, from pop meditation ashrams to neo-Nazi rallies, to the startling but all too human truth. Volume 2 is SOURDOUGH WARS,the SECOND book in Edgar-winner Julie Smith's series featuring funny, lively lawyer Rebecca Schwartz. “…an awful lot of fun, and it will make you unbearably hungry for fresh-baked bread.” -San Jose Mercury-News TO YOU, ITS JUST A FROZEN LUMP OF DOUGH; TO SOME, IT'S LIFE AND DEATH... Someone would even kill for it. And does.Enter lawyer sleuth Rebecca Schwartz, whose client is her own partner, glamorous Chris Nicholson, main squeeze of sourdough bakery scion Peter Martinelli, who plans to auction off his family’s fabled sourdough starter. Rebecca noshes her way through the case in hilariously unorthodox style, tasting some great bread along the way, but also uncovering so many ancient jealousies, long-simmering feuds, and seething resentments that she barely escapes death by doughball. Volume 3 is RETURN TO SENDER, the FIRST Alex Glauberman mystery HE WENT TO THE POST OFFICE…AND ENDED UP IN BERLIN "Raises the mystery to the realm of literature." –Tony Hillerman Meet reluctant detective Alex Glauberman—just a guy who fixes foreign cars, a 41-year-old divorced father with a brilliant British girl friend. But he’s got a complication right now—he’s trying to survive chemo. And then Gerald Meyer, a stranger he meets at the P.O., asks him to mail a package to Meyer’s daughter. Easily done, but too late, Meyer changes his mind. And turns up dead.

A True Story from a Parallel Universe (The Poe Detective Agency #1)


Brian Yansky - 2020
    Romeo Moon is a Poe Detective who has been trained to handle any number of villains--including supernaturals-- such as gods, goddesses, vampires, zombies, angels, witches, demons, devils, abominable snowmen and women and various other fantastical and ordinary creatures that give into the lure of criminal enterprise. But there is one type of villain he hasn’t been trained to fight—the ruthless rich man who has the magic of money on his side. At first the rich man hires assassins to kill Romeo. When the assassins fail, the rich man shows he believes in the motto ‘try try again” and does on numerous occasions. As Romeo investigates, he begins to realize that there is more at stake than just his life, though naturally his life is of considerable importance to him. He has allies: his undertaker best friend, his zombie girlfriend, and a certain famous three-headed dog. But the power of money can buy many things-- including but not limited to armies of the living and the dead, policemen, corrupt city officials, flamethrowers, and horned demons. There’s a battle coming and Romeo Moon will be right square in the middle of it.

Kiki Lowenstein Cozy Mystery Books 7-13


Joanna Campbell Slan - 2019
    It’s enough to make a scrapbooker see red. Determined to save the man she loves, Kiki vows to track down the real killer.BOOK #8 – GROUP, PHOTO, GRAVETHE WEDDING WAS WONDERFUL, EXCEPT FOR THE CORPSE IN THE PUNCH BOWL. Kiki has knocked herself out to make her mother-in-law’s wedding picture perfect, but a dead body is always a disaster. When the bride gets blamed, Kiki relies on her nose for clues as she sniffs out the killer.BOOK #9—KILLER, PAPER, CUTA HALLOWEEN HACK JOB CUTS DOWN ONE OF KIKI’S FRIENDS. When an event at a spooky historical mansion becomes a venue for a stabbing, Kiki refuses to let the slasher get away with carving up one of her dearest friends.BOOK #10 – HANDMADE, HOLIDAY, HOMICIDEA PREGNANT KIKI WATCHES IN HORROR AS A WOMAN DIES UNEXPECTEDLY IN A HOLIDAY CLASS. When one of Kiki’s besties is unfairly blamed, the intrepid (and very pregnant) amateur sleuth pulls up her big girl maternity panties and discovers someone has been not nice and very naughty indeed. BOOK #11 – SHOTGUN, WEDDING, BELLSKIKI’S WEDDING IS INTERRUPTED BY GUNSHOTS AND HER NEW HUSBAND GOES DOWN. Two weeks from her due date, a pregnant Kiki traces the hired hitman to a “gentleman’s club.

Vengeance


Mark David Abbott - 2018
    He has a dream job in an exotic land, his career path is on an upward trajectory and at home he has a beautiful wife whom he loves with all his heart. But one horrible day a brutal incident tears this all away from him and his life is destroyed. He doesn’t know who is to blame, he doesn’t know what to do, and the police fail to help. What should he do? Accept things and move on with his life or take action and do what the authorities won’t do for him? What would you do? Get it now!  ~ ~ ~ Vengeance is the first novel in the John Hayes series.

The Lie: When DNA Reveals the Family Secret


Heather Dawn Gray - 2019
    Jahana continues to struggle with her grief a year after her mother's death. She wishes she knew her maternal relatives, but her mother refused to talk about them. To help her move on, Jahana's husband buys her a DNA kit. When the results come in, she discovers more than she bargained for. Her DNA reveals a family secret she would like to ignore, but can't. The Lie is too big.

Wings of Fate: A Young Adult Fantasy Romance Novel


Skye Horn - 2020
     Now, a land Thea never knew existed expects her to become queen—but only if she can stop her villainous father who sits on her throne from releasing the Goddess of Death first. As darkness spreads across the Kingdoms of Faerie, Thea must prepare for the battle ahead by mastering the magic that runs through her veins with the help of the Fae who brought her home—a guardian sworn to protect her with his life.With proper training, Thea might able to stop her father, but saving her kingdom may cost her heart.WINGS OF FATE is the first book in the Kingdoms of Faerie series. The series explores a world of magic, myth, and legend through the lens of a powerful female heroine.

False Light


Eric Dezenhall - 2021
    After Fuse is asked to leave his paper pending a disciplinary investigation, he has plenty of time on his hands. So when his oldest friend approaches him for advice after the man’s daughter says she was sexually assaulted by her boss, a prominent media star, Fuse agrees to help. He gives his buddy the only options he feels are available: report the incident to the police and risk a huge “he said/she said” smear campaign against the girl, or plan something even better—revenge. As a journalist, Fuse has a colorful background investigating criminals, politicians, gangsters, drug lords, and all-around shysters—and knows plenty of shady sources—so he’s the perfect person to enact a complex (and ultimately, entertaining) plan to bring the popular media mogul down in the court of public opinion . . . and make him pay.

Taking on Water


David Rawding - 2015
    To learn more about Kevin’s home life, he gets to know the boy’s father, Tucker, who’s a lobsterman. James is able to put his suspicions to rest, and the two families begin to form a friendship. When a kid at the local recreation center dies of an overdose, Detective Maya Morrow adds the case to the long list related to the drug problem plaguing the small New Hampshire coastal town of Newborough. But her investigation gets her much too close to the dangerous players. Both the Morrows and the Flynns are holding dark secrets, and when their lives collide, tragedy is inevitable."A harrowing tale of abuse and addiction, told in a beautiful way that will touch your heart. This book was very emotional, very driven..." Kelly Smith Reviews "I was not expecting the level of emotional intensity that this novel achieves. Taking on Water is a horrific theater of human nature. And it begins with James." The Coffee Pot Review

Flat Space


Andrew Stanek - 2018
    When an alien spaceship crashes outside his house, he suddenly gets his chance. With the help of his friends - Eudox, a green space alien pretending to be from Texas, Sam Duval, a professional complainer who has huffed too much government mind control gas, and Corpsy, a stone-cold dead corpse - Arnold sets out into orbit to show everyone that the world is flat once and for all! Flat Earthers in space, the real reason the moon landing was faked, where the arrow in the Fedex logo is really pointing, the identity of the secret fifth Teletubby, the meaning of crop circles, and the true nature of the evil conspiracy that runs the world - all in Flat Space, a hilarious new comedy from author Andrew Stanek.

Spade Work (Jack Dillon Dublin Tale #6)


Patrick Emmett - 2018
    It appears random...until US Marshal Jack Dillon recognizes one of the victims. An Ace of Spades in the victims mouth? Someone's seen too many movies. At least that's the thinking until the card appears in another victim, and another, and another one after that, and... Fortunately they have a suspect... But then there's another murder he couldn't have possibly done. Somethings awfully wrong and it's up to US Marshal Jack Dillon to find out what's happening, and fast!

Born by the River: The true story of a young girl growing up along the Mississippi River during the summer of 1963


Jenness Clark - 2016
     Born by the River is Clark’s account of her nine-month trip around the river to visit extended family, all connected by marriage but markedly different in culture, class, and traditions—circumstances certain to provoke discord. A coming-of-age story set in a time and place deeply divided, Clark’s memoir explores her family’s past, referencing the area’s history from 1820 to 1964. The region acts as a conflicted backdrop, threatening the hopes, the dreams, and the American way of life for the author’s family. Alternating in viewpoint between the reflections of the adult Clark as she looks back on life and her stirring impressions during the time of her river journey, Born by the River is an inspirational memoir lifted from family destruction and the prejudices of a socially divided region.