Collateral Damage (Iris Reid Mystery #4)


Susan Cory - 2020
    Her client becomes the prime suspect and Iris sets out to find the real killer. Things go from bad to worse when Iris' boyfriend reconnects with an old flame, bringing up buried secrets and unintended consequences that threaten to change Iris' life forever.“Mystery and distinctive characters hone this remarkable tale.”Kirkus ReviewsCory teases out her twisty plot at the perfect pace, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. Her multilayered characters are working at cross purposes, and even the most astute mystery reader won’t see where everything is headed until the final thread is unknotted. Completely absorbing, fast-paced, well-written and with a shocking ending guaranteed to satisfy.P.M. Steffen, best-selling author of The Profiler’s Daughter and Killing Ulysses.

A New Life


David J. Antocci - 2013
    She has no idea how she got there, and notices changes in herself that she cannot explain. Haunted by unsettling dreams of her past, she sets out to escape, joined by Eric, who finds himself in the same predicament. Standing in their way is a madman, and his band of willing followers, with a mind set on murdering their unwelcome visitors. An eccentric hermit who has been living there for years offers them refuge, but they must deny his generosity. Escape is their only option. Yet, they discover this deceptive paradise is harder to leave than they had ever imagined. One mystery leads to another, until their escape throws them into even greater danger as Abby’s frightening past finally catches up with her. Her escape is only the beginning.

The Someday File


Jean Heller - 2014
    In Jean Heller’s first mystery featuring the scrappy newspaper columnist, Deuce finds out in short order that if you mess with organized crime, you have to be tough—and you’d better be as much detective as reporter. When she walks into a seedy neighborhood bar in a suburb of Chicago–-all six feet of her, topped with auburn curls—she’s searching for a human-interest story. What she finds is Vinnie Colangelo, an aging mobster living on bad beer, cheap bourbon and regret for the life he wasted.Vinnie hints at secrets much bigger than his rap sheet should entitle him to, and Deuce immediately discovers that somebody’s willing to kill to keep those secrets buried. She uncovers a series of crimes committed over nearly six decades, and, as her human interest story morphs into a hard-boiled, action-packed mystery, she finds herself dead center in a storm of threats and reprisals from the mob.It’s not enough that the mob’s after her, and corrupt government is concealing the evidence that would explain why; even her own editors, frightened of lawsuits and losing subscribers, want her off the story.Fortunately, she has many allies: a network of loyal co-workers and contacts, even an ardent new admirer. But which ones can she trust? At least one of them, she suspects, is hiding a secret–- corruption? Murder? The veteran reporter knows: if you’re talking Chicago crime scene—it’s probably both.Though attacked in her home, stalked, and shot at, Deuce doggedly batters the well-oiled machinery of terror that has kept the secret buried so long. Heller meticulously builds her heroine’s investigation, as the evidence--and the danger--converge in a white-knuckling confrontation.

The Bodhi King Series: Volume 1


Melissa F. Miller - 2021
    Miller!Dark Path (Book 1)Healthy residents of a posh assisted living facility are dying in the middle of the night ... expressions of pure terror etched on their faces.After solving a series of unexplained deaths several years ago, forensic pathologist Dr. Bodhi King retreated from the limelight. Now, he's called out of early retirement to help investigate a death cluster on a private island in the Florida Keys, where he lands in the middle of a simmering conflict.Members of the Golden Island Church have a furtive agenda to protect. The dying Cuban-Americans have long-held secrets of their own. And everyone seems to have a reason to stop Bodhi from bringing the truth to light.Lonely Path (Book 2)An overdose epidemic, a girl who’s supposed to be dead, and a chance encounter with an old flame land Bodhi in the middle of a high-stakes crime ring.Bodhi’s honored when he’s invited to present a paper at an international forensic pathology conference. And he’s stunned when he learns his former girlfriend is a fellow panelist. It’s been more than a decade since Bodhi broke Eliza’s heart, and his behavior weighs on him. He convinces her to join him for dinner in the Quebec countryside so he can make amends.Returning to the hotel after their meal, they see a dazed young woman, barefoot and mute, standing by the roadside. She has no memory of who she is or what's happened to her. Bodhi and Eliza put aside their past to help the shattered woman reclaim her life. In the process, they discover the horrifying truth about an overdose epidemic plaguing the region. The knowledge paints a target on their backs.As a Buddhist, Bodhi follows a path of nonviolence, but his faith will be tested when Eliza’s life is on the line.

Sanctioned


R.A. McGee - 2020
    But there’s a bullet out there with his name on it…Covert operative Czerny Clark has had his fill of black-ops and bloodshed. After an assassination mission ends in chaos, he vows to hang up his holster. But when his former partner disappears while tailing a Russian explosives expert, Clark picks up his guns and dives back into the life he thought he left behind.Following a trail of bodies to Central America, Clark will stop at nothing to free his colleague. But while he’s busy squeezing the trigger on his rescue mission, a plan for a devastating act of terrorism brews in the wings.Can Clark neutralize a madman before thousands of innocents die?Sanctioned is the heart-stopping first book in the Blackthorn spy thriller series. If you like gritty heroes, pulse-pounding plots, and top-secret twists, then you’ll love R.A. McGee’s blood-soaked tale.

Let Me In


Adam Nicholls - 2019
    He never knew what it would cost. Morgan Young only took the small cases - the ones he knew he could solve - but when Detective Gary Lee arrives on his doorstep asking for help, he's given no choice. Two women are dead, and they have to find the killer before he strikes again.Before he knows it, Morgan is in the middle of a revenge story that darkens with every twist. While victims are dropping like flies and his abilities are being questioned, he has one chance to find the serial killer, and that opportunity is passing him by. Fast.LET ME IN is a tense, nail-biting serial killer story with an enthralling prose. Short, exciting chapters and twists at every turn make this novel a great read for any fan of James Patterson, Tess Gerritsen or Harlan Coben.

Ring Around the Rosie


Jullian Scott - 2016
    The Homecoming Dance is just one night away and she can already feel the weight of the crown upon her head. But when she leaves her home that Friday night, it’s for the very last time. When her body is found in a park the next morning, a whole town is turned upside down and a family is torn apart. Fifteen years later, Olivia still hasn’t moved on from her sister’s murder. Not only does she still see the ghost of her dead sister, she is pursuing a career studying the very monsters that destroyed Rosie and hundreds of other helpless victims. Olivia is desperate to find closure, but a new murder with connections to her past has reopened old wounds. Nate Tucker is a successful Chicago detective. He also happens to be Olivia’s best friend. Nate has been fascinated by the Thompson case since the first time Olivia mentioned her dead sister to him. When a dead girl shows up in the city under circumstances eerily similar to Rosie’s murder, he is quick to make the connection. Now, with stale evidence and fifteen-year-old memories to guide him, Nate has the chance to solve the current murder case, as well as the death of the Homecoming Queen that refuses to stop haunting the people she left behind. Dark and haunting, Ring Around the Rosie is utterly suspenseful and surprising to the end.

Gone the Next


Ben Rehder - 2012
    He's working a routine case, complete with hours of tedious surveillance, when he sees something that shakes him to the core. There, with the subject, is a little blond girl wearing a pink top and denim shorts—the same outfit worn by Tracy Turner, a six-year-old abducted the day before. When the police are skeptical of Ballard's report—and with his history, who can blame them?—it's the beginning of the most important case of his life.

Dead On Time


W.L. Knightly - 2021
    Two girls have gone missing from opposite sides of town, and no one is cooperating. With so many obstacles, can Whit use his keen senses to find the girls in time?

Wired In


Toby Neal - 2016
    identifies an anomaly that leads her into a cat-and-mouse game online with a deadly enemy whose motives are unclear. The chase lures her through dark corridors of cyberspace into a confrontation with the violence from her past that sent her fleeing to the United States. She’ll need every skill she’s learned to defeat her worst nightmare — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Vengeance List (Foley & Rose Book 1)


Gary Gregor - 2019
    But after his best friend is murdered and his newfound love kidnapped, Sam has to race against time to not only save his own life, but the life of the woman he loves.Can Russell and Sam put their past differences aside, and catch the killer before he claims another victim?

Girl One: Murder


Molly Black - 2021
    She’s one of BAU’s rising stars and the go-to agent for hard-to-crack serial cases. When she receives a handwritten postcard promising to release 12 kidnapped women if she will solve 12 cold cases, she assumes it’s a hoax.Until the note mentions that, among the captives, is her missing sister.Maya, shaken, is forced to take it seriously. The cases she’s up against are some of the most difficult the FBI has ever seen. But the terms of his game are simple: If Maya solves a case, he will release one of the girls.And if she fails, he will end a life.Maya embarks with an urgency unlike any she’s ever felt. In a race against time, and with her sister’s life hanging in the balance, she must unravel the link between the 12 captives and end the killer’s dark game once and for all. Is this killer toying with her? Does he truly have her sister? Will he ever give her back?Or will Maya end up sucked too deep into this killer’s twisted cat-and-mouse game to notice that she, herself, is the prey?

The Good Client


Dan Decker - 2020
    Uncertain about the problem from Timothy's cryptic texts, Mitch Turner slips into his suit and heads over to visit Timothy, unable to imagine any reason why Timothy would be calling for help at such a late hour. Mitch arrives to find the police at Timothy's apartment and learns that Timothy's roommate was murdered. Mitch immediately retrieves Timothy from the police before they can get him to say anything more and while in the process has a run-in with his ex-girlfriend who is now a detective. Mitch takes Timothy back to his office to debrief, but not long afterward, the police show up and arrest Timothy for the murder of his roommate. There are no witnesses. There are no other suspects. The police consider it an open and shut case, but the only thing that keeps Mitch from arranging a plea bargain is his belief that his client did not do it. The deeper Mitch digs, the more he learns that his client has secrets that he wants to be kept quiet at any cost, even at the expense of going to jail for something he did not do. Mitch soon learns he must work at odds with his client to provide the best legal representation possible, going around Timothy as he fights to keep his client out of jail. If you like legal thrillers, this novel is for you. Mitch Turner is a fast-talking lawyer who takes risks where others might not. Fans of John Grisham, Michael Connelly, and Scott Turrow will enjoy this story. Pick up your copy today! Sneak Peek: I sent the message and tried to figure out what my next step ought to be. I had intentionally not asked for details but I needed to know what I was walking into. The communications should be privileged, but I wasn’t going to trust to that, especially not in the heat of the moment. If the fool had thought to encrypt his phone this might have been easier. My instruction to password protect his phone had been done more to protect me than him. If it wasn’t encrypted it was already too late. From now on I was going to require every employee to encrypt their phone. Of course, I expected this would be the first and last time I would ever have an employee call me for criminal defense work. “Ok. What next?” Timothy sent as a text. “Our communications should be privileged,” I texted back, “assuming you want me to be your attorney. Are you retaining my services as your attorney?” The message came back instantly. “Yes.” “In a typical situation I would have you pay a retainer and sign an agreement, but we do not have time. We will go over the details later. I am assuming you are willing to pay. Correct?” While this might have seemed a little self-serving, I just wanted to make sure that I had evidence to back me up if I needed to prove an attorney-client relationship had formed. What I had already done should have been sufficient, but I liked to be thorough. “I will pay whatever I can. My dad can wire you the retainer.” “Please be succinct in response to my next question. Assume the cops will read it so admit nothing.” I waited. “What are we dealing with here?” I sent a moment later. It was a minute or two before Cooper replied. “My roommate is dead on his bed. Somebody blew out his brains.”

His First His Second


A.D. Davies - 2014
    She’s nice. Too nice to be a police officer, if she’s honest.She is also one of the most respected criminal analysts in the country, and finds herself in a cold northern town assigned to Donald Murphy’s team, investigating the kidnap-murders of two young women—both strikingly similar in appearance. Now a third has been taken, and they have less than a week to chip away the secrets of a high-society family, and uncover the killer’s objective.But Richard—the father of the latest victim—believes the police are not moving quickly enough, so launches a parallel investigation, utilising skills honed in a dark past that is about to catch up with him. As Richard’s secret actions hinder the police, Alicia remains in contact with him, and even starts to fall for his charms, forcing her into choices that will impact the rest of her life.

The Garage Guerrilla


Collin Pearce - 2020
    But after another woman is found, followed by a third, he quickly realizes that he's onto something much bigger than he had ever anticipated. With the body count rising, Sean does everything he can to end the nightmare. Nearly fifty years later, Detective Jake Caldwell walks onto his first day on the job. Assigned with reviewing cold cases, the young detective becomes inspired by the apprehension of the Golden State Killer and genetic genealogy. As he reads through his city's files, he stumbles upon the paper trail of a forgotten serial killer of his own. But in order to uncover the truth, Jake learns that he'll need the blood from the past.