Book picks similar to
Coastside Detectives: The Grand View by Matthew F. O'Malley
private-investigators
art-theft
artifact
audiobookboom
Three Bodies Burning: The Anatomy of an Investigation into Murder, Money, and Mexican Marijuana
Brian Bogdanoff - 2010
the inside story of the investigation.When two worlds collide-the illegal transportation of tons of Mexican cartel marijuana to inner city gang members in a Midwestern city's "hood"-three bodies end up burning, caught in a web of greed as a major international drug deal goes very bad.The chilling trail of evidence from a remote wooded area where three bodies are set on fire leads homicide detectives across the country chasing down witnesses and conspirators in a two-year search for cold-blooded killers. This case has it all: murder, piles of cash stashed in the most unlikely of places, a blood-soaked crime scene, the remote dump site for bodies, luxury cars, flashy jewelry, and hundreds of pounds of illegal dope.An unbelievable break takes detectives down the rabbit hole where CSI meets Law & Order and where good old gumshoeing and meticulous forensic procedures bring down a mega-million-dollar drug conspiracy and lock up the bad guys for life.Follow the case through the eyes of the gritty homicide/narcotics detective. A handbook for the amateur criminologist, this book is for true crime fans, prosecutors and defense attorneys, and cops and robbers.Warning: This book contains graphic crime scene photos and adult language.
The Tin Collectors
Stephen J. Cannell - 2000
If they catch you breaking the rules, they'll come after your badge. If they want you badly enough, they'll collect more than just your tin.LAPD Detective Shane Scully is startled awake in the middle of the night by a call from his ex-partner's wife, who is being beaten by her abusive husband. Racing to their house to stop the fight, Scully ends up killing his ex-partner, a cop who is beloved within the department. Suddenly, Scully finds himself an outcast, shunned by his fellow cops who intend to exact vengeance no matter what the cost. Internal Affairs zeroes in on the "renegade" cop with their sharpest young prosecutor, the ice queen Alexa Hamilton, who has her own reasons for taking revenge on Scully.Desperate to save his career, Scully starts kicking over rocks within the LAPD. What he uncovers is pure evil: a conspiracy going to the very top that ultimately threatens not just his own life but that of a young teenage boy, Chooch, entrusted to Scully's care by his mother - Sandy Sandoval. Known as the Black Widow, Sandy is a beautiful and courageous woman who also happens to be the LAPD's most important undercover informant, and Scully will do anything to keep her son safe. Stephen J. Cannell combines mystery and violence, loyalty and passion in a tale with an ending as unpredictable as LA itself.
Brooklyn Bones
Triss Stein - 2013
In Brooklyn Bones, a crime of the past comes much too close to home when Erica Donato's teenage daughter Chris finds a skeleton behind a wall in their crumbling Park Slope home. Erica--a young widow, overage history PhD candidate, and product of blue-collar Brooklyn--is drawn into the mystery when she learns that the skeleton is of an unknown teenage girl and that it was hidden there within living memory. Erica and Chris are both touched and disturbed by the mysterious tragedy in their own home. With her daughter's dangerous curiosity and her own work at a local history museum, Erica follows leads about the mysterious skeleton right back to her own neighborhood in its edgy, pregentrification days, the period when the age of Aquarius was turning dark. Now she finds that a cranky retired reporter wants to share old files, the charming widow of a slumlord has some surprises for her, and the crazy old lady who hangs around her street keeps trying to tell her something. Finally, there are some people--including ones she is close to--who know the whole story and will stop at nothing to make sure it stays buried forever.
The Cage
Scott Mariani - 2021
Some want the 'paedo killer' locked up forever. Others think he's a hero. Either way, now it's DI Tom McAllister's job to catch the elusive murderer.Not your ordinary police detective, Tom's a maverick outsider who always gets his man. But with the case spiralling out of control and the killer seemingly always one step ahead, he finds himself drawn into a deadly game of deception that threatens to destroy more than just his career. But the worst is yet to come, as the horrifying truth begins to emerge about the significance of THE CAGE . . .If you're a fan of smart, fast-paced detective thrillers with a twist, the first of Scott Mariani's sensational new DI Tom McAllister series will have you on the edge of your seat and yearning for more!
Greedy Bastards: One City’s Texas-Size Struggle to Avoid a Financial Crisis
Sheryl Sculley - 2020
City infrastructure was crumbling, strong financial policies and systems were nonexistent, many executive positions were vacant, public satisfaction was low, ethical standards were weak, and public safety union salaries and benefits were outpacing revenues, crowding out other essential city services. Simply put: San Antonio was on the verge of collapse.Greedy Bastards tells the story of Sheryl and her new team's uphill battle to turn around San Antonio city government. She takes you behind closed doors to share the hard changes she made and the strategies she used to create mutually beneficial solutions to the city's biggest problems.Many of the issues Sheryl found in San Antonio are present in cities across the US. Packed with wins and losses, lessons learned, and pitfalls encountered, Greedy Bastards is a guidebook for any city official tasked with turning around a struggling city.
Walking Towards Thunder: The true story of a whistleblowing cop who took on corruption and the Church
Peter Fox - 2019
A police officer with 36 years' service in the Hunter region, he rose to national prominence in 2012 for his major role in speaking out for the victims of abuse within the church. He had been at the coalface fighting these heinous crimes for decades. He had worked with the victims and supported their families. He knew an enquiry was long overdue. His decision to become a whistle blower helped trigger Prime Minister Julia Gillard's historic decision to establish a far-reaching Royal Commission into the sexual abuse of children in institutions.He had no idea what speaking up would unleash. Peter's dedication and focus cost him his career, his health and also affected his wife's health. He and his family were threatened. Former friends shunned him. But the victims and the families that he supported consider him their champion. To them he is a hero.Walking Towards Thunder details the cumulative horrors our police face every day, it reveals the cover ups and the way sexual predators were moved around. It shows the backlash he faced and the lengths those in power will go to avoid facing the truth. Confronting and inspiring, this is an unforgettable story.
Deadly Rescue
Misty Evans - 2019
Cooper Harris, head of the SCVC Taskforce, plans to enjoy a weekend getaway with his crime scene photographer wife, Celina Davenport, even if it is a training weekend. Taskforce member, Nelson Cruz, has brought his pregnant wife, Sophie, and she and Celina intend to catch up while spending quality time at the spa in between sessions. When a car bomb goes off, injuring Nelson, along with hundreds of other innocent people, Cooper vows to hunt down the culprit. With Celina by his side, they work together to bring the terrorist to justice…and end up helping Nelson and Sophie welcome a couple of highly anticipated additions to the Taskforce family. Books in the SCVC Taskforce series: Deadly Pursuit – Cooper and Celina Deadly Deception – Thomas and Ronni Deadly Force – Cal and Bianca (aka Beatrice in SEALs of Shadow Force) Deadly Intent – Nelson and Sophia Deadly Affair – Cooper and Celina novella Deadly Attraction – Mitch and Emma Deadly Secrets – Roman and Brooke Deadly Holiday – Cooper and Celina novella Deadly Target – Victor and Olivia Deadly Rescue – Cooper and Celina novella
Dead-End Detective
Amanda Flower - 2020
Samantha Porter—her mentor and business partner at Two Girls Detective Agency—has died in a car crash, and it doesn’t look like an accident. In fact, evidence is pointing toward Darby.Darby had expected to inherit Samantha’s half of the agency, but Samantha had recently changed the will to leave it to Tate Porter, her nephew, who returns to town. Tate is no P.I. He’s a veteran, a world traveler, and something of a mystery himself. But as he helps Darby delve into secret histories and real estate development plans, he does seem to have a knack for the job. Will the agency have a future…even if Darby can prove her innocence in time?
Boy Missing: The Search for Kyron Horman
Rebecca Morris - 2020
Where is Kyron Horman? Why hasn't the woman who police suspect is responsible for his disappearance-Kyron's stepmother-been charged? On the last day he was seen, June 4, 2010, the boy with the toothy smile, crew cut, and glasses posed in front of his science project on frogs. Kyron grinned for a photo taken by his stepmother. She said he walked to his second-grade classroom and turned to wave at her. Then he vanished. That Kyron disappeared from his grade school got the attention of parents around the world. The twists of the case -adultery, sexting, murder-for-hire-keep the story in the spotlight. On the tenth anniversary of Kyron's disappearance, New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Morris tells for the first time the story of the investigation and the toll the boy's disappearance took on his family and law enforcement. Based on years of research and interviews with people close to the case, including Kyron's mother, Desiree Young. the book is the story of the boy's disappearance, the suspicion that quickly fell on one member of a messy blended family, and how Desiree Young turned grief into advocacy. "Boy Missing" examines what recourse families have as they wait for a loved one to be found. It challenges a common assumption in no-body cases: that prosecutors must wait until there is a confession or remains are found. No-body cases can be prosecuted successfully. Jeff Guinn, author of "Manson" and "The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple," calls "Boy Missing " "an important book and one readers will never forget." Rebecca Morris is the author of "If I Can't Have You: Susan Powell, Her Mysterious Disappearance, and the Murder of Her Children," "Ted and Ann: They Mystery of a Missing Child and Her Neighbor Ted Bundy," and other books. A veteran journalist, she appears frequently on network and cable TV as a crime expert.
A Hard Call
Max Walker - 2018
His childhood was rough and adulthood hasn't been a walk in the park either. The only good thing in his life would be Stonewall Investigations, an investigative company he found to work primarily with the LGBTQ community. Things were ok and Zane was finally healing from a personal tragedy but the reemergence of a serial killer turns his world upside down. Lorenzo De Luca is a cocky defense attorney dripping in Italian charm. He’s well known as one of the best lawyers in New York City, a title he worked hard to achieve. When he picks up a difficult case, he finds that he needs extra help. This leads him to Stonewall, where he meets Zane for the first time and instantly feels himself falling for the mysterious and stone-cut detective. The two men have their own hangups to work through, but both men are having a hard time denying the connection between them, even though they’re trying. When fate insists on pushing them together, Zane and Enzo give in and start exploring their feelings. They’ll need to balance their budding relationship with the stress of Enzo’s case, which takes them both on a twisting journey toward the truth, all while a bigger threat looms on the horizon. _______________ A Hard Call is the first book in the Stonewall Investigations series. It's a full-length, steamy gay romance novel.
Nobody's Angel
Jack Clark - 2010
While Chicago cabbie Eddie Miles drives the city streets at midnight, two killers--one targeting prostitutes, the other cab drivers--are out plying their trade.
The Kate Hamilton Mysteries Boxed Set
Fiona Quinn - 2020
in this USA Today bestselling series.MINEA sleepy town in southwest Virginia wakes up to a nightmare of untimely deaths.Not safe at home in Boston, science teacher Kate Hamilton seeks refuge in the small Virginia town where she was born and raised.Scarborough is no longer the bucolic village that she remembered. Pleasantries are only skin deep as big city issues and the politics of the world roil just under the surface.A string of untimely deaths has the whole town grieving. Only Kate thinks something nefarious is afoot.Can Kate convince the local police that coincidences like these are only found in fiction?Kate is determined to solve the puzzle and save lives, especially her own.YOURSNo Good Deed Goes UnpunishedScience teacher Kate Hamilton is hiding out in the small Virginia town where she was born and raised.Her marriage is in tatters. Her future uncertain. Kate begins the new semester at Boonestown High teaching their new STEM CSI classes.An object collected as "evidence" during a class project serves as a distraction for Kate. It's an expensive accessory for a town where their only manufacturing plant has been shuttered.Good deeds can be deadly.OURSOurs is but to do or die.Kate is moving to Washington D.C. to be closer to her disabled SEAL husband.Her marriage is held together by a thread. Her baby is due very soon…too soon.Kate begins the new semester at William Howard Taft High teaching their new criminal justice classes with her neighbor Detective Dave Murphy.Her student find an injured vet. Kate delivers first aid.An object passed from victim to good Samaritan, a class of teens who don’t like to be told “no”, this all seems too familiar to Kate.Good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes.Grab your copy to join in the case and solve these mysteries!The Kate Hamilton Mysteries novellas can be read as a standalones, as part of the series, or as part of the Iniquus World.
The Blue Knight
Joseph Wambaugh - 1972
Gritty, luminous, and ultimately stunning, this novel is Wambaugh at his besta tale of a street cop on the hardest beat of his life. Twenty and two. Those are the numbers turning in the mind of William "Bumper" Morgan: twenty years on the job, two days before he "pulls the pin" and walks away from it forever. But on the gritty streets of L.A., people look at Bumper like some kind of knight in armorthey've plied him with come-ons, hot tips, and the hard respect a man can't earn anywhere else. Now, with a new job and a good woman waiting for him, a kinky thief terrorizing L.A.'s choice hotels, and a tragedy looming, Bumper Morgan is about to face the only thing that can scare him: the demons that he's been hiding behind his bright and shiny badge...
Beautiful Prey 5: The Storm Series - BWWM Romance
Phoenix Daniels - 2021
Hope for the Holidays
Tiffany Snow - 2021
Her husband, a powerful senator, has hurt them one too many times. But it’s hard to hide from someone with keys to all the powers in government. She stops in a little town in Wyoming—too tired, too scared, and too broke to go further.Sheriff Luke Wilson has worked his family’s ranch in Wyoming nearly all his life, save for a few years playing big-city cop in St. Louis. The draw of his family’s home pulled him back and now he runs his ranch and takes care of what little crime Hope, Wyoming has to offer.It’s Christmas, the time for magic and the unexpected miracle. Fate throws a twist into Hope and Luke’s lives, leading them to a new future...if they can escape the clutches of her abusive husband.