The Mother's Tale


Camilla Noli - 2009
    She used to be a successful career woman in control of her life and with her husband's undivided attention. But now her control is slipping away. Motherhood is devouring her life. She is desperate to reclaim her sense of self, even if that means thinking the unthinkable.

Bad People: Four terrifying short novels of suspense


Jeremy Bates - 2018
    After a night out with his girlfriend in one of the country's remote provinces, he wakes to find himself in a pitch-black coffin—and quickly running out of oxygen. With only his cell phone and his own wits to rely on, it's a race against time to escape the claustrophobic death trap. SIX BULLETS The end of civilization arrived in the form of a giant asteroid thirteen months ago. For Burt James, a survivalist, it was not a complete surprise. He'd spent much of his adult life prepping for such a catastrophe. Consequently, while the majority of the population scoured the post-apocalyptic landscape for water and food, regressing into primitive killers, he bunkered down in his fortified hilltop home in a small town in the middle of the Australian Outback. But now he's out of food and down to his last six bullets, and he will have to make the most difficult choice of his life. THE MAILMAN Los Angeles, 1985. Never was the motto sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll more apt than the scene on the legendary Sunset Strip with the arrival of the underground Hollywood glam bands. While Mick Freeman, a record executive with a major label, works tirelessly to sign five toxic rockers whom he believes might flip the entire music world on its head, his wife, Jade, spends her days bored and alone at home, struggling with a midlife crisis that threatens to topple their twenty-year marriage. And then she meets the new mailman. Young and handsome, he sweeps her off her feet—straight into a nightmare the likes of which she could never have imagined. RE-ROLL In the near future, breathtakingly humanoid robots called Mechs are for sale, and they're designed to fulfill whatever role you want: husband, wife, best friend, slave. Manufacturers allow new owners one free "roll" to randomly determine their Mech's three leading characteristics. But as everybody knows, scoring your ideal traits is a crapshoot, though you can always re-roll—at a price.

Every Missing Thing


Martyn Ford - 2020
    Two missing children. A lifetime of secrets.Ten-year-old Ethan Clarke’s disappearance gripped the nation. Just as his parents are starting to piece together a life ‘after Ethan’, their world is ripped apart once more when their daughter, Robin, disappears in almost identical circumstances. They’ve lost two children within a decade … and now doubts about their innocence are setting in.Detective Sam Maguire’s obsession with the first case cost him his own family, but he has unfinished business with the Clarkes. He is convinced that discovering what happened to Ethan holds the key to finding Robin. But what if the Clarkes know more than they’re letting on?With the world watching eagerly, the clock is ticking for Sam as he embarks on an investigation that forces him to confront his own demons. To uncover the truth, he must follow a trail of devastating deception—but the truth always comes at a cost …

Crime Fiction: Private Eye Thriller


B.A. Savage - 2016
    When he finds, Coleman's dead he may be pursuing the wrong suspect. Shallow Grave When Stone is hired to pick up a jar of face cream from a Frenchman named Lorenzo Carlos, he thinks it's going to be a quick one thousand bucks, but faith has its own plans. Stone's life is threatened by a cosmetic company owner that has a soft voice but an itchy trigger finger, leading to an explosion that rocks the foundation of the case. All this for a jar of face cream? There's something wrong in Central City, and it's Stone’s job to find out the truth. Wishful Thinking When a carnival employee hires Randall Stone to investigate his girlfriend, a girl is murdered in a fire accidentally blowing a secret wide open. Cold Fury When Stone meets a beautiful woman in the Lake View Bar, she shows him a clipping out of the Personal columns of the newspaper. An attorney wanted to know the whereabouts of Mary Patton, wife of the late, Ben Patton, who died seven years ago in the Philippine Islands. Mr. Patton left a legacy of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars for his wife. She hired Stone to claim her inheritance and he meet a man with his code of vigilante justice and Randall Stone’s on the top of his list.Die to Be Rich When Stone's hired to pick up an envelope for Mellissa, it's supposed to be a simple case, but nothing is as it seems when you’re a private eye. On the way back from the pickup, Stone is covered by two thugs that use him as a punching bag. Now Stone carries out his own brand of justice on the streets of Central City. You’re Going to Die Mr. Stone When a Puerto Rican man walks into Stone’s office and tells him; he’s going to die Stone’s asked to deliver a letter to the man who’s trying to kill the Puerto Rican. A guy just released from prison named Tony Ramirez. And when two men are murdered, Stone tries to find the link between the dead men and lottery racket in the Northpark area. It’s Called Murder Scott Braga has one wish, to talk to his son before he leaves Central City and has 12 hours before he goes. He hires Randall Stone to find his son on Fifth Street one of the most dangerous areas in town. When a murder happens, Stone tries to identify the real culprit. Sweet Letters of Death When a man hoping to find a companion or even a soul mate gets taken for a considerable amount of money through a mail order bride he hires Randall Stone to get his money back. Stone races to expose them before it happens to someone else. Tales of: Detective, Police Detective, Police, Murder, Investigation, Death, Violence, Blood, Shootout, Police Officer, Shot to Death, Corpse, Revenge, Fight, Gun, Murder Investigation, Gunfight, Husband Wife Relationship, Fistfight Neo Noir, Interrogation, Police Investigation, Deception Blood Splatter, Gangst

Slice


David Hodges - 2010
     THERE’S A KILLER INSIDE THE POLICE STATION. A police station should be a safe place. But not when there’s a psychotic serial killer working there. THE FIRST VICTIM IS FOUND GRUESOMELY MUTILATED IN HIS MOST SENSITIVE AREA. HE IS DRESSED IN A JUDGE’S WIG. Detective Superintendent Jack Fulton takes on the grisly murder enquiry and discovers that his murderer might actually be one of the police station staff. MORE EMINENT VICTIMS FOLLOW. KILLED IN THE SAME SADISTIC MANNER. The press nickname the razor-wielding assassin “The Slicer.” With the killer stalking the shadowy Victorian building, Fulton has to contend not only with press harassment and police who will stop at nothing to get a result, but also with other problems much closer to home. As the killer leads him on a grim game of cat and mouse, Fulton has little idea of just how personal that game is about to become . . . YOU WON’T WANT TO PUT THIS ONE DOWN Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Robert Bryndza, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons, Colin Dexter, or Ruth Rendell. THE AUTHOR A former police superintendent, with thirty years’ service. Since ‘turning to crime’, he has received critical media acclaim, including a welcome accolade from Inspector Morse’s creator, the late great, Colin Dexter, and he is now a prolific novelist with eleven published crime novels and an autobiography on his police career to his credit. His previous police experience has enabled him to provide a gritty realism to his thrillers and his Somerset Murder Series, featuring feisty female detective, Kate, and her partner, Hayden, has gone from strength to strength, attracting interest in the United States as well as in the UK. DETECTIVE KATE HAMBLIN MYSTERY SERIES Book 1: MURDER ON THE LEVELS Book 2: REVENGE ON THE LEVELS Book 3: FEAR ON THE LEVELS Book 4: KILLER ON THE LEVELS Book 5: SECRETS ON THE LEVELS Book 6: DEATH ON THE LEVELS STANDALONES SLICE

The Last Lesson


Jon Athan - 2019
    A gang-infested school. A vengeful teacher. After his star pupil, Rina Ogawa, is sexually assaulted in a school restroom, Edward Clifford sets out on a journey to find the truth and bring her attackers to justice. He finds himself delving head-first into the lives of his other students—lives filled with crime, violence, and hatred. What starts as a desperate attempt to achieve justice quickly sends Edward down the path of vengeance... Who attacked Rina Ogawa? Can Edward bring her attackers to justice? Or will he take matters into his own hands? From the provocative author of The Law of Retaliation and Grandfather’s House, Jon Athan brings you a shocking thriller packed with mystery, suspense, and extreme violence. This is a story of human horror. WARNING: This novel contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

Detective Nikki Galena Books 1–5


Joy Ellis - 2021
    A talented young student goes missing on the marsh. Nikki and Joseph find themselves joining forces with a master criminal to save her. They need to look behind the masks, but when they do, they find something more sinister than they ever expected.Book 2: SHADOW OVER THE FENSA man is found executed on a piece of wasteland. The cold-blooded murder triggers terrible memories for Detective Joseph Easter. Just when things seemed to be going better, he realizes that the nightmare is coming back, threatening his career, his sanity, and maybe even his life.Book 3: HUNTED ON THE FENSA vicious criminal is targeting Detective Nikki Galena and her team. One by one he will hunt them down and destroy their lives — unless Nikki can stop him first. Can she save her team and herself from her most determined adversary yet?Book 4: KILLER ON THE FENSDetective Nikki Galena’s dying father has one final request: “Find Eve.” But tracing the mysterious Eve is a challenge that will stretch DI Galena to the limit. Meanwhile a dead drug dealer is found on an abandoned airfield that the locals say is haunted. The trail of both mysteries will lead to the most shocking discovery of Nikki’s career and put her whole team in mortal danger.Book 5: STALKER ON THE FENSDI Nikki Galena’s friend Helen Brook is involved in a serious accident where she is trapped in a collapsed cellar. Weeks on, Helen is still getting flashbacks to a man she says was down there with her and who confessed to a murder.No trace of this man can be found. Then Helen tells Nikki that someone is watching her.Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Peter May, JD Kirk, Angela Marsons, JM Dalgliesh, Elly Griffiths or Ann Cleeves.

Alone, Untouched, Soulless


Robert J. Crane - 2014
    (Approx. 185,000 words total.)Books included:1. Alone2. Untouched3. SoullessAloneSienna Nealon was a 17 year-old girl who had been held prisoner in her own house by her mother for twelve years. Then one day her mother vanished, and Sienna woke up to find two strange men in her home. On the run, unsure of who to turn to and discovering she possesses mysterious powers, Sienna finds herself pursued by a shadowy agency known as the Directorate and hunted by a vicious, bloodthirsty psychopath named Wolfe, each of which is determined to capture her for their own purposes...UntouchedStill haunted by her last encounter with Wolfe and searching for her mother, Sienna Nealon must put aside her personal struggles when a new threat emerges – Aleksandr Gavrikov, a metahuman so powerful, he could destroy entire cities – and he's focused on bringing the Directorate to its knees.SoullessAfter six months of intense training with the Directorate, Sienna Nealon finds herself on her first assignment - tracking a dangerous meta across the upper midwest. With Scott Byerly and Kat Forrest at her side, she'll face new enemies and receive help from unlikely allies as she stumbles across the truth behind the shadowy organization known only as Omega.Additional books not included in set:

Throwaway


Heather Huffman - 2010
    But even if Jessie could walk away from Spence, there are darker forces of evil who won't let her go that easily. In this romantic suspense, author Heather Huffman delivers an adventure from the vibrant streets of St. Louis to the caves of the Ozarks as Jessie discovers whether she can love another, whether she can love herself, and whether any of it is enough.Throwaway is the first installment in the surprisingly warm and funny series The Throwaways, twelve novels that don’t shy away from the dark corners of this world but always shine the light of hope. At the core of the series is a group of strong but often unlikely heroes and heroines coming from all walks of life whose lives intertwine as they fight for justice, for love, and to leave their indelible mark on this world.Immerse yourself in a world of suspense, laughter, and love with The Throwaways.

Impurity


Ray Clark - 2019
    A detective on edge. A community that wants answers. One fateful night when off duty, DI Stewart Gardener intervenes in a street brawl and his wife is shot dead. Trying to come to terms with this, he gradually returns to normal duties policing the streets of Leeds. Finding his wife’s murderer is never far from his mind, but with no leads and a hazy recollection of events, it seems hopeless. Soon he is presented with a shocking case. A man is found dead in a grubby apartment, having been killed in the cruellest of ways. It is not long before another man meets the same fate. The deaths are caused by a rapid and violent disintegration of the victims’ flesh. Pathology cannot ascertain the cause. The only connection between the victims is they both worked seasonally as Santas, dressing up as Father Christmas and entertaining kids in grottos and such like. Who would want to kill such innocuous men as these? The detective is flummoxed. The local community is ruffled. The press is having a field day. The top brass wants answers. Can DI Gardener overcome his grief and solve the case? IMPURITY is the first in a series of six books featuring Leeds based Detective Inspector Stewart Gardener. They are all murder mysteries but as suspenseful as the best thrillers. FREE with Kindle Unlimited. Look out for the next in the series, IMPERFECTION, coming soon on Kindle. If you like crime fiction that has you glued to the page and reading late into the night, this is the book for you!

Gone Woman


A.J. Rivers - 2019
    But when the truth is discovered, Mary’s life could be at stake… It’s the holidays and Mary Whitman has the perfect life. A beautiful home built just for her, and a blissful marriage to her adoring husband. But a terrible accident left her with no memories of her past and a lifelong illness. An illness that keeps her confined in her home. She's plagued by nightmares and haunted by a face of a woman and an empty nursery. As memories start to resurface of people she shouldn’t know and moments she shouldn’t have. Mary is left to wonder how lost she really is. When life with her perfect husband begins to unravel and she sees what seethes below the pristine surface. She begins to uncover the dark truth and learns that there might be more than just her memories that she must save. Will Mary be able to uncover the mysteries of her past? One thing is for certain… Some truths are far too sinister and may be best left buried.

Drowning With Others


Linda Keir - 2019
    Did one of them kill to get it?Prep school sweethearts Ian and Andi Copeland are envied by everyone they know. They have successful businesses, a beautiful house in St. Louis, and their eldest daughter, Cassidy, is following in their footsteps by attending prestigious Glenlake Academy. Then, a submerged car is dredged from the bottom of a swimming hole near the campus. So are the remains of a former writer-in-residence who vanished twenty years ago—during Ian and Andi’s senior year.When Cassidy’s journalism class begins investigating the death, Ian and Andi’s high school secrets rise to the surface. Each has a troubled link to the man whose arrival and sudden disappearance once set the school on edge. And each had a reason to want him gone. As Cassidy unwittingly edges closer to the truth, unspoken words, locked away for decades, will force Ian and Andi to question what they really know—about themselves, about the past, and about a marriage built on a murderous lie.

The Morecambe Bay Trilogy 1: Left for Dead, Circle of Lies & Truth Be Told: The first trilogy in one collection!


Paul J. Teague - 2020
    Two guilty secrets. A memory that won't stay buried ... When Charlotte and Will Grayson return to the seaside resort where they met as teenagers, they hope it'll help to heal the wounds in their marriage. But visiting the dilapidated holiday camp where their relationship began brings terrible memories back from the past. The man who'd once made their lives hell has come back to find them - only, the last time they saw him, they'd left him for dead on the beach. As the threats to their new life become more severe, Charlotte and Will discover that they were mistaken about what happened to Bruce Craven on that fateful night. And now he's returned to finish off what was started thirty years ago. Sometimes the past is best left alone Circle Of Lies Five powerful men. One desperate woman. A seaside town rocked to its core ... When Charlotte Grayson discovers a local author dead in her seaside guest house she’s determined to find out what drove such a successful man to take his life at the pinnacle of his career. After an old newspaper cutting is sent linking the writer to a powerful group of men in the town, Charlotte starts to suspect it wasn’t suicide. Joining forces with a local newspaper reporter, Charlotte soon finds that the sleepy resort conceals many dark secrets. As more bodies are found it seems the resort is at the mercy of a serial killer hellbent on taking revenge. But the truth lies closer to home and Charlotte must confront her own past first before she can remove her family from danger. How far would you go to protect your family’s darkest secret? Truth Be Told An evil man. A quest for revenge. A woman who will do anything to save her family. A truth that must be told ... Charlotte Grayson is caught up with something bigger and more dangerous than she could ever have imagined. What appeared to be a run-down seaside resort has become a living nightmare for her and her family. Now living under the threat of a violent reprisal, Charlotte discovers help where she least expected it. The seaside town has been at the mercy of a powerful group of men for several decades - but that's all about to end. As Charlotte fights to protect her daughter from a vile corruption, she must finally put to rest the demons of her past. This is one night in Morecambe that she'll never forget. In the final reckoning, the full truth must be told ... Buy the entire Morecambe Bay trilogy in one collection!

The Kindness of Neighbors (A Short Story)


Matthew Iden - 2014
    His wife is gone and his neighbors avoid him. He’s a recluse and a creep, and that’s just the way he wants it; he can ignore what they say behind his back if they leave him to his work and his daily walks. But when ten-year-old Emma goes missing in the nearby woods, the eyes of his neighbors turn toward him, their fear and accusations escalating as the days go by. Jack proclaims his innocence, but what the neighbors—and the reader—find out is the last thing anyone would suspect.

Abyss


Sabarna Roy - 2011
    It is essentially a racy crime thriller full of gritty suspense. Act one builds up slowly to result in a crescendo of conflicts between personalities and ideas finally to end with an unnatural death before the interval. Is it a suicide or a murder? Act two evolves through a series of incisive interrogations to unravel the truth, which is deeply disturbing and affecting. As the play unfolds into a very well crafted situational thriller, underneath is the debate about using land for agriculture or for industry, the ethics of a working author and the nexus of a modern state all wonderfully enmeshed into its storyline and the personal lives of its subtly etched out characters. The highpoints of the play are its central conflict between a mother and her daughter and its female sleuth – Renuka.