The Barefoot Stiff


M. Ruth Myers - 2014
    She’s drawn into a stranger’s murder in this SHORT STORY featuring characters from the Maggie Sullivan mystery novels. A job offer from a blonde at a dime store lunch counter lures the detective to a still-warm corpse in an alley. His gold watch and cufflinks are still on him, but not his shoes and socks. A night of grilling by homicide cops does nothing to improve Maggie’s mood, which deteriorates further when they laugh off a lead she gives them and imply she solves cases by batting her eyes instead of using her brains. Aided by a ragtag newsboy, Maggie baits a trap for the killer. He shows up with a knife. But Maggie wields a .38 as expertly as she does an emery board — and she doesn’t back down for thugs or authorities when she’s after answers. A woman sleuth like none you’ve met and historical atmosphere meet in the streets of a small Ohio city, capturing a 20th century America before cell phones or carry-out coffee cups in this short story reminiscent of the golden age of private eyes.

Smart


Kim Slater - 2014
    He's going to find out what really happened.But being a detective is difficult when you're Kieran Woods. When you're amazing at drawing but terrible at fitting in. And when there are dangerous secrets everywhere - not just outside, but under your own roof.

Hair Power


Piers Anthony - 2016
     Instead, she encounters a telepathic ball of hair that insists it is an alien seeking to facilitate diplomatic communication on Earth. Quiti assumes it is all a hallucination conjured up by her brain tumor. Because of this assumption, when she saves the alien’s life and it insists on doing Quiti a favor in return, she only asks for her hair back. She soon discovers, however, that the creature’s gift extends much further than her new locks that can change color with a thought. As her powers grow and her deadly illness goes into remission, Quiti quickly realizes that there are those that would want to use her for her abilities and is forced to leave behind everything that she knew. Will this blessing curse her to a life on the run, or does the mysterious hairball have more in store for her? Piers Anthony, critically acclaimed author of the New York Times bestselling Xanth series, brings together humor and adventure in this original story of loyalty, friendship, extraordinary powers, and hair. Dreaming Big Publications

Truth Insurrected: The Saint Mary Project


Daniel P. Douglas - 2014
    His informant turns out to be a guilt-ridden ex-operative in the Saint Mary Project, an ultra-secret program engaged in alien contact. The organization is wiping out loose ends, and Echo Tango thinks Harrison is the man he needs to stop it. Thanks to a gunshot wound suffered in an attempt to thwart an armed robbery, the crime-fighting life is something of Harrison’s past. He keeps his shooting skills sharp but walks with a limp, and he is more likely to catch marital cheaters than anything else—as a private investigator. But Harrison can’t shake the feeling that this case is meant for him. He enlists the help of colleagues and starts following the clues. However, hired guns stand between them and the truth. There are also alien-human hybrids to contend with, but that’s not all. Harrison’s investigation turns up a powerful secret about him and his family—a secret that may just be what lets him end these unimaginable crimes. Will Harrison discover and reveal the truth? Find out in Daniel P. Douglas’s thrilling UFO conspiracy novel Truth Insurrected: The Saint Mary Project.

The Smuggler's Gambit


Sara Whitford - 2015
     When 17-year-old Adam Fletcher is forced into an apprenticeship, he unwittingly becomes a pawn in a smuggling war. Soon, he’s forced to make a tough decision. Will he agree to become a spy performing a civic duty to the Crown? Or will he risk everything—possibly even putting his own family in danger—to protect his new master? Secrets will be revealed, loyalties will be questioned, betrayals will be uncovered, and a young man’s character will be put to the test in ... The Smuggler’s Gambit.

Zillah & Me


Helen Dunmore - 2000
    Zillah is gloomy and bad-tempered and makes it clear she wants nothing to do with Katie. But Katie is curious. Why is Zillah so angry? What secrets is she keeping about her family? The two give each other one more chance -- and what develops is a friendship that surprises them both.

The Midnight Picnic


Lauren St. John - 2014
    When a freak accident leaves the children alone, Laura has to use all her powers of deduction to outwit an enemy who may not even exist.A gripping new Laura Marlin Mystery for World Book Day.

Laimes monitorings (Happiness by the Mile)


Laura Dreiže - 2011
    Viņus aizrauj savdabīga sacensība, mēģinot notvert noslēpumainu autobusiņu, kurš spēj kliedēt cilvēku negatīvās emocijas. Taču sacensība ir tikai iegansts, kas ceļ gaismā gan pastāvošās iekārtas netaisnību, gan jauniešu sarežģītās attiecības – konkurenci, brāļu naidu, pirmo mīlestību...Sākas aizraujoši piedzīvojumi, kurus vada neapslāpējama cerība izmainīt pastāvošo...-------------------------------------------------------------------------Year 2101. After the devastating economic crisis of 2009, countries throughout the world have merged sprawling metropolises to avoid bankruptcy. Amidst them is Liberty, also known as Dust City. For almost 50 years it has been governed by a multi-corporation Genom X, which protects its citizens and exterminates the illegal inhabitants.For as long as everyone can remember, a blue-green van has been patrolling the streets of Dust City. Its purpose, destination and the identity of the driver are unknown. Wherever it appears, people feel happier. Some of the illegals have formed car racing teams to see who can get the closest to the van.Avery Cross is part of such a team. She thinks nothing of it. Because of the van's powers, nobody intends to harm it. The race is just a way to kill time... Or at least it was, until Avery's brother Brandon decides to catch the van – this time for real. Furious, Avery leaves her friends and joins the losing team with the purpose to help them win and make Brandon listen to reason. But what started as a harmless car race reveals a completely new and ugly face of the metropolis, and Avery may have a more significant role to play than she could ever imagine.

The Double Take


Roy Huggins - 1946
    Bailey investigates the woman in an attempt to stop the extortion, and as the story unfolds, there are many twists and turns. Following The Double Take, Huggins turned his attention to creating memorable TV shows such as “Maverick,” “The Fugitive,” “City of Angels,” and “The Rockford Files.” Huggins passed away in 2002 at age 87.

The Monster That Followed Me Home From School


Kate Clary - 2013
    It’s a little, green monster that is interested in only one thing- Max’s lunch box! Max and his friend Alex come up with a plan to trap the monster. Will they succeed?

Wish You Were Dead


Todd Strasser - 2009
    She is definitely first on the list. You can’t believe how it feels to be in the cafeteria and turn around and there she is staring at me like I’m some disgusting bug or vermin. Does she really think I WANT to be this way? I hate you, Lucy. I really hate you. You are my #1 pick. I wish you were dead.The day after anonymous blogger Str-S-d wishes the popular girl would die, Lucy vanishes. The students of Soundview High are scared and worried. Especially frightened and wracked with guilt is Madison Archer, Lucy’s friend and the last person to see her the night she disappeared.As days pass with no sign of the missing girl, even the attention of Tyler, an attractive new student, is not enough to distract Madison from her growing sense of foreboding. When two more popular students disappear after their names are mentioned on Str-S-d’s blog, the residents of Soundview panic. Meanwhile, Madison receives anonymous notes warning that she could be next. Desperate to solve the mystery before anyone else disappears, Madison turns to Tyler, but can she trust him when it becomes clear that he knows more than he’s sharing?The clock is ticking. Madison must uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearances . . . before her name appears in Str-S-d’s blog.In the spirit of stories like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Todd Strasser updates the teen thriller for the techno age with Wish You Were Dead, the first installment in a new “thrill”-ogy.

Haunted


Franklin W. Dixon - 2008
    LOCATION: Juvenile detention center in Glastonbury, CT. POTENTIAL VICTIMS: Many of the inmates appear to be dying from pure terror! SUSPECTS: Lara Renner claims to be a psychic with a direct line to the spirit behind the hauntings, but perhaps her motives are more down-to-earth. Then there's the cafeteria worker with a major grudge. Or could it be the culprits are truly ghosts?

The Replacement (Ian Bragg Thriller Book 3)


Craig Martelle - 2021
    

Bake Believe


Cori Cooper - 2022
    Her best friend is also her cousin, she's about to start eighth grade, and a cute new boy just moved into the neighborhood. Seriously, best life ever.So what if her mom refuses to touch the oven? So what if they always eat frozen food or take-out? So what if Cat doesn't know the difference between homemade and store bought? It's just food. Who even cares?But food, it turns out, is a very big deal. Cat's family has a secret too fantastic to stay hidden, too incredible to be real. Something happens when they bake, something that changes everything.Can it be true?Or is it Bake Believe?

Finder's Fee


Alton Gansky - 2007
    If she involves the authorities, the child will die ... and Judith's darkest secret to the world.Judith is teamed with a mysterious stranger with a carefully guarded secret of his own. But is Luke Becker an unwilling ally or an agent of the kidnapper? As Judith and Luke's mutual distrust wars against a growing attraction, the life of a small boy hangs in the balance. A boy unlike any other Judith has ever met.Eight-year-old Abel Palek will help Judith discover a faith and a life she has never imagined. But freeing him could cost her everything.Her career. Her reputation. And very possibly her life.