Call Me John: A Genealogical Mystery Based on a True story


Michael Schoenholtz - 2021
    A 14-year-old boy disappears from his home without a trace. Ninety years later, a series of chance DNA matches reveals what became of him. John had to grow up quickly — changing his identity, earning a living the hard way, and navigating love, friendship and death during some of the toughest times in American history.With nothing more than an 8th grade education, his journey takes us across America - through Prohibition, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, the gold mines of Colorado and the Second World War to eventually become a success in his own right. A semi-fictional account based on a true story.

Tortured Minds: Pennsylvania's Most Bizarre--But Forgotten--Murders


Tammy Mal - 2014
    A teenage girl disappears on her way home from Coatesville High School. A reputed witch turns up dead in Pottsville. A young woman seemingly helps solve her own murder after she dies in a Philadelphia park.True-crime author Tammy Mal digs up facts on four of Pennsylvania’s weirdest killings in her book Tortured Minds: Pennsylvania’s Most Bizarre—But Forgotten—Murders. These 1930s crimes have long fallen into obscurity, but Mal deftly revives them in stark detail, from discovery of the body and through the trial. Ghosts, witches, resentment, and sex factor into these crimes, giving them a chilling edge as Mal brings them back to life in her latest true-crime book. It’s a look into just what tortured minds can do, certain to convince you to lock your doors after dark.

Under the Hidden Sun


MW Kennard - 2012
    Under the Hidden Sun will keep you turning the pages late at night until the very end.(from Amazon.com)

Now and Forever


Margaret Scutt - 2021
    But if she thinks she’s safe at home, she is wrong.Her scheming brother wants to marry her off to a fortune-hunter, and he won’t take no for an answer. Out on a lonely walk, Catherine is attacked and left for dead.Could this be her brother’s doing?Catherine won’t wait to find out. Her childhood friend, Martin Lacey, lives in the manor house across the woods, and there was a time when he would have done anything for her.But in the turmoil of Restoration England, nothing lasts forever. Will turning up at Martin’s door be the saving of her — or the end?

Lady Hartley's Inheritance


Wendy Soliman - 2005
     Her godmother's son, Luc Deverill, the Earl of Newbury, suspects fraud. Thrown together during the social whirl of a Regency season in full swing, Luc is increasingly drawn towards Clarissa but she thinks him an idle dissipate and finds little to admire in the ways of high society. Racing against time to foil those seeking to deceive Clarissa, Luc is horrified when she places herself in the path of danger. At last a woman has dented his impenetrable heart and he rides to her rescue. But has he left it too late to tell her how he feels?

The Bomb Shelter (David Mapstone Mysteries Book 9)


Jon Talton - 2018
    Forty years ago, a Phoenix reporter was killed by a car bomb in one of America's most notorious crimes. Three men went to prison - but was there more to the story of Charles Page's assassination? More than three low-level players? Did a kingpin order the hit and get away with it? And what was the real motive? Despite the work of teams of journalists and law and legal professionals, no one yet knows why. It's a case custom-made for David Mapstone, the historian-turned-sheriff's deputy. And suddenly Mapstone's boss, newly re-elected Sheriff Mike Peralta, promises to reopen the investigation into the only murder of an American journalist, in the US, in modern times. Why? The promise triggers new murders. The crimes are reenactments of Phoenix's mob-riddled past, where gangsters rubbed elbows with the city's elite amid crosscurrents of corrupt cops, political payoffs, gambling, prostitution, and murder, all shielded by the sunshine image of a resort city. But who is committing them? A former soldier who is an explosives expert and deadly with a knife? A woman with screen-siren looks and extraordinary computer skills? Or someone out of Phoenix's seamy, swinging Seventies with secrets to keep, even though the major power brokers are dead? Mapstone will need all the help he can get. He enlists a PhD candidate and Black Lives Matter activist to help him comb through sealed archives of the original bombing. Mapstone's wife, Lindsey, a top hacker, rejoins the Sheriff's Office and plays a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with the perp or perps - one that goes from the digital to the real and risky world. Somewhere in the house of mirrors surrounding the Page case they must find the key that connects the past to the present. In this swiftly paced, compelling new novel by journalist Jon Talton, the ninth in the David Mapstone series, a big city is trying to keep its darkest history off-limits.

Cullen Year One


Ed James - 2014
    Struggling with his burning ambition, Cullen is assigned a Missing Persons case. Caroline Adamson, a young, recently-divorced Edinburgh mother, has disappeared while on a date.But when Caroline's body turns up, Cullen digs into her past and her private life starts to unravel. Who was she on a date with? What happened during her divorce? What was she doing on Schoolbook?Now, as Cullen investigates, his own private life gets messier and the relationship with his DI deteriorates. As other bodies turn up, Cullen soon finds himself hunting for a ghost in the machine.GHOST IN THE MACHINE is an intense police procedural novel about privacy, loss and social networks that builds to a shocking climax.DEVIL IN THE DETAILDetective Constable Scott Cullen of Lothian & Borders CID, still reeling from the events of a case the previous summer, is caught between antagonism with his superiors and the pressures of a new relationship.But when the body of Mandy Gibson, disabled daughter of a pillar of the community, is discovered one January morning, Cullen is pushed out to Garleton, a typical East Lothian town - affluent, historic and with a good school.Now, as the investigation becomes obstructed by a families broken by the tragedy, Cullen finds himself stuck between his DI and Bill Lamb, the local Sergeant. Is Mandy's religious group connected to her death? Where is the town's bad boy, Jamie Cook? As the community closes ranks, Cullen has to hunt for the devil in the detail.DEVIL IN THE DETAIL is a taut police procedural novel about faith and trust.FIRE IN THE BLOODDetective Constable Scott Cullen, bemused by the managerial positioning surrounding the impending merger of Lothian & Borders into Police Scotland, is torn by his personal and professional ambitions.But when a male human body, battered and unrecognisable, is found in a barrel for Dunpender Distillery's special centenary edition, Cullen is sent out east again.Now, Cullen finds himself trudging through a case with two likely victims who both went missing when the whisky was distilled. Could it be the owner's son, Iain Crombie? Is it Paddy Kavanagh, an employee with a fiery past? As he delves into the ancient history of the Crombie family, Cullen is soon contending with too many plausible suspects and his DI's desire for a quick collar, and finds himself hunting for a killer with fire in the blood.FIRE IN THE BLOOD is a deep police procedural about family, friendship and alcohol.DYED IN THE WOOLDetective Constable Scott Cullen finds his professional and private lives at opposite ends of the spectrum. While his career is stagnating - impacted by the jockeying for position ahead of the Police Scotland restructure as much as by his own inability to push for promotion - his love life goes from strength to stren

Hired Gun


Christopher Kenworthy - 2013
     But when Jemina resists, he brings in some muscle to finish the job. But Luke Horn isn't just a gun for hire. He doesn't like what he hears about Fetterman. So he sides with Jemima and her foreman, Fed Sauermann, to get the rustlers off her land and bring Fetterman’s plans tumbling down. When the three are driven off the ranch, they find a hideout in the hills to hatch a plan to reclaim the ranch. It’s not long before Luke Horn find himself fighting for his life - and the land of the woman he loves. Hired Gun is a thrilling saga of gunplay and romance, perfect for fans of classic Western adventure. Praise for Christopher Kenworthy 'A thrilling read.' - Robert Foster, acclaimed author of The Lunar Code. ‘Kenworthy is a craftsman and entertainer.’ - Richard Foreman, bestselling author of The Sword of Rome series Christopher Kenworthy was a journalist and novelist. His other Westerns include Apache Country and Badlands, and he has also written two naval fiction series - the John Paul Jones adventures and the In the Dark of the Moon saga. Pioneering Press is an imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK’s leading independent digital publisher. We publish new and classic westerns by authors from the US and the UK.

A Lady Defying All for Love


Bridget Barton - 2020
    Her life has always been simple and peaceful until, one day, a new family moves to town and her world is about to get upside down. After she realizes she has started falling for the new family's eldest son, things will inevitably get more complicated than ever. When she finds out that the newcomers are hiding something, will she find the courage to get to the bottom of the mystery, and the compassion to handle what she finds lying there?Benedict Flynn is the eldest son of a highly respected family. When his father, a particularly outspoken member of the House of Lords, gets accused of having widely misused his wealth, Benedict's family doesn't really have a choice...Disappearing from London's social scene seems to be the only way to protect themselves from the malicious rumours. However, when a past acquaintance finds out about them, Benedict needs to take immediate action to preserve his family's reputation. Will he be brave enough to share his secret with the charming lady he meets in town, and ask for her help? And will he dare to admit his feelings for her?Eliza and Benedict soon find themselves in the middle of a web of scandal and confusion; a situation they could have never imagined. Will the chemistry between them be strong enough to help them fight anything that comes into their way? Will Eliza find the strength to defy everything in the name of love?

A Last Goodbye


Dee Yates - 2018
    In time they're joined by rugged farmhand Tom, come to lend some muscle to Ellen's ageing father, who has begun to find sheep farming hard to manage alone. Almost inevitably romance grows between Ellen and the new arrival but once married however, Ellen discovers that Tom has a brutish side to his character. As war in Europe spreads, she begins to dream of him leaving for the trenches as a way for her to escape.Even with Tom fighting abroad however, the family can not hide from the realities of war as a group of POWs are brought to their valley to build a reservoir. And amongst the men, sworn enemies and shunned by all the locals, Ellen finds a gentler heart that she finds difficult to resist...

The Colour of Betrayal


Toni Mount - 2017
    Fearful that his opponent is dying from his injuries, Lawrence seeks sanctuary in a church nearby. When Ducket is found hanging from the rafters, people assume it's suicide. Yet, Sebastian Foxley is unconvinced. Why is his young apprentice, Jack Tabor, so terrified that he takes to his bed?Amidst feasting and merriment, Seb is determined to solve the mystery of his friend’s death and to ease Jack’s fears.

Caledonia


William Kelso - 2013
    At the battle of Mons Graupius the Roman army led by Governor Agricola destroys the Caledonian confederation that has formed to oppose the Roman invasion.In the aftermath of the battle a Caledonian boy reveals a secret that has the potential to change Roman strategy in the north forever.Marcus, an auxiliary Roman cavalry soldier is ordered to investigate andpromptly disappears into the remote trackless wastes of the north.In Rome his estranged father and retired Legionary, Corbulo sets out to find his only son and bring him home. So starts an adventure that will take Corbulo to the remotest parts of Caledonia and plunge him into the low intensity conflict that is raging between the scattered Caledonian war bands and the Roman forts and garrisons of Agricola's occupying army. Corbulo will need all his wits, courage and experience to fend off hostile and proud Barbarian warriors, a gang of murderous mercenaries and the lure of a dazzling prize."

Mrs. O'Malley's Midnight Mystery


M. Louisa Locke - 2020
    O’Malley, especially when you have seven children and are forced to live in one of the crowded neighborhoods South of Market. Late one night, as she sat at the window of her crowded flat, sewing and worrying, she noticed something strange going on across the street. Her decision to investigate will have unexpected consequences. Mrs. O’Malley’s Midnight Mystery is a short story in the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series, and it comes right after the short story, Dandy’s Discovery, and before Lethal Remedies, the seventh novel in the series.

The First Mystery Megapack: 25 Modern and Classic Mystery Stories


Marcia TalleyArt Taylor - 2011
    Chesterton (famous for Father Brown) — and a handpicked selection of modern stories by contemporary masters, including Nora Charles, Marcia Talley, Elaine Viets, and many more! Included in this volume: A SENIOR DISCOUNT ON DEATH, by Nora Charles MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, by Art Taylor THE STOLEN VENUS, by Darrell Schweitzer REAR VIEW MURDER, by Carla Coupe THUBWAY THAM’S INTHULT, by Johnston McCulley THE IDES OF MARCH, by E.W. Hornung PINPRICK, by Skadi meic Beorh THE RED HERRING, by William Hope Hodgson DRAGON BONES, by Jacqueline Seewald THE GOLDEN SLIPPER, by Anna Katherine Green KALI, by Eric Taylor DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION, by Marcia Talley THE BLUE CROSS, by G.K. Chesterton THE WORST NOEL, by Barb Goffman MR. CLACKWORTHY’S POT OF GOLD, by Christopher B. Booth THE MONKEY GOD, by Seabury Quinn WEDDING KNIFE, by Elaine Viets THE MAD DETECTIVE, by John D. Swain THE ADVENTURE OF THE DIAMOND NECKLACE, by G. F. Forrest SECURITY BLANKET, by Toni L.P. Kelner A CROOK WITHOUT HONOR, by Johnston McCulley THE DAUGHTER OF HUANG CHOW, by Sax Rohmer ANCHORS AWAY, by C. Ellett Logan WAYS OF DARKNESS, by E.S. Pladwell THUBWAY THAM’S INTHANE MOMENT, by Johnston McCulley

The Chimneysweep's Daughter


Jean L. Kuhnke - 2020
    Her father was a chimneysweep and she loved him. He was all she had after her mother took off with a man Maggie stumbled upon when she was sent home from school because she came without a lunch…again. From five years old, her life centered on herself and her father. His many years working in soot filled chimneys took a toll on his health until Maggie was fifteen. Their hope of one day buying a little cottage in the country where they would enjoy the fresh clean air and home grown food was close to becoming a reality when his body could not recover from the years of abuse, leaving Maggie on her own. Traveling west with nothing but their few household possessions, ‘Old Mule’, and a wagon, Maggie began her new life alone but determined to find a place that the money they saved over the years would buy. Occasionally, she would supplement her supplies by cleaning a chimney, picking up information along the way.