Book picks similar to
This Is Murder by Erle Stanley Gardner


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CAPITOL MURDER (Shepherd & Associates #1)


Judith Erwin - 2021
    He doesn’t care. But when in trouble, the ruggedly handsome cowboy, Jake Shepherd, is the man to have on your side. A topnotch PI and former FBI agent with a Yale law degree, he can shoot the wings off a mosquito at 100 yards, read a suspect like a restaurant menu, and catch the eye of the ladies. On the job, Jake offends clients, maneuvers suspects, and takes full advantage of a unique relationship with his former FBI supervisor—always in the pursuit of justice. Just when you think you know him—look out. Love him or hate him. Never underestimate him.In CAPITOL MURDER, Jake meets Atlanta attorney Scarlett Kavanaugh when the husband of her estranged twin (a U.S. senator) is found dead. A savvy Harvard Law graduate, Scarlett is a formidable match for Jake with her quick wit, intelligence, and self-confidence. Sexy sparks hover as Scarlett assists in Jake’s investigation of the murder

Facade (Iris Reid Mystery #2)


Susan Cory - 2016
    One of the girl's last visits was to Xander DeWitt, Harvard's handsome guest starchitect, who denies that they ever met. Only Iris can provide an alibi that will allow DeWitt to keep his perfect life, but can she actually vouch for his innocence? KIRKUS says: "Cory gleefully breezes through subplots and twists with a resourceful protagonist at the helm...Supporting characters are outstanding...the ending is bound to surprise."

Fear CD Collection: Hunting Fear / Chill of Fear / Sleeping with Fear


Kay Hooper - 2007
    Now Jordan has come to Clayton County, North Carolina, where the latest in a string of kidnapping victims has turned up dead. Complicating the situation is the presence - and predictions - of someone who’s even more of an outsider than Jordan himself: carnival psychic Samantha Burke, a woman out of his own haunted past.Chill of Fear:FBI agent Quentin Hayes always knew he had an unusual talent, even before he was recruited by Noah Bishop for the controversial Special Crimes Unit. But for twenty years he’s been haunted by a heartbreaking unsolved murder that took place at The Lodge, a secluded Victorian-era resort in Tennessee. Now he’s returned one final time, determined to put the mystery to rest.Sleeping with Fear:A federal agent assigned to the Special Crimes Unit, Riley was a chameleon - a clairvoyant who could blend in with her surroundings. She’d been sent to the beachfront cottage on Opal Island by her enigmatic chief, Noah Bishop, to investigate reports of dangerous occult activity. But that was three weeks ago. Now she’s awoken to discover that she’s got a sexy new man in her life and an unreliable memory, and that the clairvoyant abilities she’s always depended on to protect her are MIA.

Murder is Medical: A Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mystery (Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mysteries Book 10)


Diane Weiner - 2019
    Louis to find out where Evan will be doing his residency, the Match Day celebration takes a deadly turn. The dean of the medical school dies at the reception. Was it a heart attack or was it murder? Kept in St. Louis due to a personal crisis, Susan teams up with the mother of the detective assigned to the case. It's double trouble as the duo uncovers secrets worthy of murder. Meanwhile, Susan confronts her biggest fear--losing someone close to her heart. Set in the biggest small town in the country, Murder is Medical takes you through a whirlwind of suspects and emotions as the mystery is unraveled.

Bloodlust Blonde


Steve Higgs - 2019
    Oh, and she’s a boy. When a name from her past suddenly surfaces, Jane knows that she is the only one that could solve the case. With the detectives unavailable and a tearfully desperate client, there is no choice but to pretend she knows what she is doing and answer the cry for help, but is she really dressed for fighting vampires? Her client has a time-sensitive problem – she was bitten by a vampire last night and swears she can feel her canines growing. With no time to lose and a boyfriend at home making dinner, Jane begins a race against time to save the client and stop the transformation, but does the client even know what she wants? Cross-dressing isn’t always glamorous. This book is part is a long-running series that follows the cases undertaken by the Blue Moon Investigation agency. The stories do not contain cussing or graphic descriptions of sex or violence but do allude to both. There is nothing R rated but I would not let my nine-year-old niece read them.

Native Roots


Mark Reps - 2019
    This two-part novella explores Zeb’s roots as a young man and his early law enforcement career as a border patrol agent and Tucson policeman. A mysterious beating, illegal immigrants crossing the border, and a brush with the jaded world of politics mesh together to teach Zeb the meaning of justice, western style. This novella is a prequel to the Zeb Hanks Mystery Series.

Boom Town


Trevor Scott - 2006
    Tony retired after twenty years in the Navy as an aviation ordnanceman, but this training might not be enough when he is hired by an old friend to look into a murder suicide in Bend, Oregon, a resort Boom Town in the high desert east of the Cascades. Was it a murder suicide as the local sheriff thinks? Or has this idyllic community been ripped apart by not only murder but scandalous sexual deviance, lust, jealousy and the quest for the almighty dollar? Follow Tony as he wades through a cast of characters as diverse as the Oregon landscape to solve this mystery.

City of the Dead


Ed James - 2020
    Two cops at each other's throats. Acting DI Scott Cullen faces his worst fear. Managing DS Brian Bain, his old boss and notorious loose cannon. But when Cullen is called through to Glasgow to investigate a murder, Bain is back on his home turf. A body found in an industrial bin, soaked in bleach and naked except for an adult nappy. Amid an ongoing investigation into similar crimes, but stopping short of murder, can Cullen rise above Bain's behaviour and solve the crime? City of the Dead is a standalone novella continuing the Cullen story after the shocking events of Heroes & Villains.

The Faye Kellerman Collection


Faye Kellerman - 1999
    

Lilac Mist Murder


Mary Maxwell - 2018
    Former officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, certified dog lover and the lone employee of Sierra Bay Investigations. During the morning, Mia works in her sister’s flower and gift shop, Petals & Pearls. When Aunt Vivian arrives for the afternoon shift behind the cash register, Mia climbs the stairs to a small office in the same building to work on cases, drink endless cups of coffee and confer with a trustworthy Golden Retriever named Lulu. For Mia, returning to her charming seaside hometown after more than a decade is a fresh start in every way. She’s living in the cozy guest cottage behind her mother’s house. She’s having a great time reconnecting with childhood friends. And she lands her first client before the paint is dry on her office walls. But when the seemingly simple job becomes a homicide case, Mia agrees to work alongside Detective Luke Stewart from the Sierra Bay Police Department. The case propels Mia and Luke into an intricate whodunit involving a diamond evil eye pendant, local gossip and family scandals, anonymous threats delivered by email, a stolen flash drive filled with secrets, a blood-stained steak knife and a commemorative bottle of Lilac Mist, the signature fragrance from the grand opening of Petals & Pearls. Lilac Mist Murder is Book 1 in the Sierra Bay Mysteries, a new series from the author of Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries.

The God Of Chaos


Tom Bradby - 2005
    A city blistering under the lash of a relentless summer and panicked by the implacable advance of Hitler's most talented general, Erwin Rommel. It is the worst possible time and place for the body of a senior British officer to be found in a rubbish bin, bathed in blood.His murder has been made to look like a political assassination by local extremists opposed to British rule, but former New York cop Joe Quinn isn't buying that. He senses more fundamental human emotions at play. For Quinn, it's like old times, a reminder of his past. One he doesn't want to revisit. Thrown out of the New York Police Department as a liability after the tragic death of his son, he probably shouldn't be a cop any longer, but maybe he's just what this case needs. The investigation leads him through the underbelly of an exotic, violent and seedy city to the heart of the Cairo's high command and the possibility that a highly placed spy is feeding the allies' most sensitive secrets to Rommel, waiting out in the desert.Only one woman has seen the killer - an American named Amy White. The trouble is Joe Quinn's already falling for her and if he doesn't stop the spy soon, then not just Amy, but everything else he holds dear is certain to be brutally eliminated ...

Murder in the Goblins Playground (DCI Arthur Ravyn Mystery, #1)


Ralph E. Vaughan - 2016
    Located deep in Red Cap Woods, it has long been the site of weird events, from pagan rites to human sacrifice by secret devil cults. When local rowdy Allan Cutter staggers into the snug bar of the Three Crowns pub and dies, old fears that have lain dormant for ages come to the fore. His death is quickly followed by the murder of a developer who planned to destroy Red Cap Woods. Villagers believe dark powers are awakening, that the murderous elves reputed to dwell in the woods will again dip their caps in human blood. Into this maelstrom of fear and emotion come DCI Arthur Ravyn and DS Leo Stark. As the bodies continue to mount, they discover it will take all their combined skills, intellect and courage to solve the mysterious deaths, keep the villagers from panicking, and not get sacked by powers even more inimical than those lurking in the eldritch depths of Red Cap Woods.

Mystery: The Isherwood Case Files


Johnny Scotland - 2015
    Although Charley doesn't like the idea, he has no choice but to put up with it. Isherwood shows the squad what difference observation makes to how a potential crime scene is viewed, when asked to help by a member of the public who is worried for the safety of her sister. Is she right? Is the girl's fiance a monster who has already killed his previous wives? The problem is that he is perceived as a high profile member of society and the Chief warns the detectives to tread carefully. Will Isherwood tread on anyone's ego as he provides insight on this potential murder case? This is the first of the series of Isherwood Case Files in which our detective gets up close and personal with homicide, showing the squad the difference between the American approach and the more reserved British approach. Mystery 2:The Case of the Ghost Writer With Jon Isherwood being asked to help in the Los Angeles Police Department's homicide division, a call is received from a landlord who has found his tenant has been murdered. In this salubrious part of town, the ghost writer has found his demise. Will the clues be sufficient to pin the murder on anyone? Since the ghost writer lived a very private life, investigation takes Isherwood and his team to the home of a rich and famous author. There are many questions unanswered, though with forensics on their side, will they be able to work out the motive that anyone could have had to kill the solitary figure? Using observation, Isherwood and his team work toward finding a conclusion to a story which spells sadness, disappointment and revenge. But whose will the revenge be and will it be easy to crack the case? Readers will need to take the journey with our detectives to find the answers to their questions. Not all is always as it seems. Mystery 3:The Case of the Dead Man with No Identity When a victim is found at the bottom of the laundry chute in a hotel, where will the inquiries begin. There is no identification on the man and nothing to say who he was. Isherwood investigates the case of the dead man with no identity with his usual flare. Should he be looking in other places or are the clues there for him to find? As the story unfolds, is the killer who they think it is? Can a killer actually be charged with murder when the victim is seemingly already dead? One of Isherwood's most irritating cases, the blandness of the whole affair baffles him. Instead of being riddled with detail for him to unfold, this crime comes with no clues, no answers and no real leads. How will the detectives find out who killed Ian Bradshaw? And what stories can the dead body tell the coroner's office about how the death occurred? Readers will discover within the pages of this story. Mystery 4: A Case of Check Mate When a murderer leaves the calling card of a chess piece, Isherwood is left to find out the significance. Does this mean something particular? The preacher who was murdered seems an unlikely victim, though Isherwood is left to do what he can to make sense of the killing. Looking through past history, perhaps there are links that may have been missed, other than for that calling card.

Blind Evil


Eric Praschan - 2014
    As John unravels the mystery and trails the killer across Missouri, he finds himself caught in the web of David's twisted psychological schemes. The terror increases when Emily Dolon, the woman both John and David have loved since childhood, becomes the target of David's macabre mind games.Trapped between his duty of solving the case and his devotion to his best friend, John struggles to find the truth, knowing he must execute justice, even if it costs him lifelong loyalties or his own life. Blind Evil is a taut psychological thriller that explores the dark place where sanity and madness collide.

Craft Circle Cozy Mystery Boxed Set: Books 1 - 6


Stacey Alabaster - 2017
     George is the owner of a craft store in Pottsville. From her first days in town, she has found herself in the middle of trouble. And now that she has expanded her horizons into volunteering at the animal shelter, wedding planning, and blogging, she is faced with even more intrigue. She will have to be at her mystery-solving best if she’s gonna keep six killers from getting away? This collection of cozy mysteries includes books one through six in the Craft Circle Cozy Mystery series. If you like cozy mysteries with interesting characters, the Craft Circle Cozy Mystery series is for you. Buy the Craft Circle Cozy Mystery Boxed Set and start solving your next mystery (or six) today! Steps from Death - When you’re the new girl in a small town, you have to step out of your comfort zone and meet new people. But sometimes that can leave you only Steps from Death. Arts, Crafts and Murder – Crafts are big deal in Pottsville. But is it big enough to murder for? A Finely Crafted Murder – When someone is murdered in a rival craft store, her suspicions intensify. Was her ex-husband capable of murder? Crafts, Cat Burglars, and Murder - Georgina starts volunteering at the local animal shelter in an effort to find balance in her life. When cats start disappearing, she takes it upon herself to find out what’s going on. When she tracks down the cat burglar, events take a deadly turn. Can Georgina find the killer before he lands on his feet and gets away? Weddings, Receptions, and Murders – Life is getting crazy for craft store owner turned super sleuth, Georgina Holt. When she signs on to help with a DIY wedding, things take a deadly turn. Can Georgina solve the murder and save the wedding? Beaches, Blogging, and Bodies – Georgina’s craft store has become established and a mainstay in the Pottsville community. When she decides to expand into the online blogosphere, things start to get weird. After a new online friend seems to disappear, Georgina sets out to find her missing friend. Her search leads her to a beach home…and a murder mystery? Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited