Book picks similar to
Swamp Hoyden by Jack Woodford


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Bedelia


Vera Caspary - 1945
    But is Bedelia too good to be true? A mysterious new neighbor turns out to be a detective on the trail of a “kitten with claws of steel”—a picture-perfect wife with a string of dead husbands in her wake.Caspary builds this tale to a peak of psychological suspense as her characters are trapped together by a blizzard. The true Bedelia, the woman who chose murder over a life on the street, reveals how she turns male fantasies of superiority into a deadly con.Femmes Fatales restores to print the best of women’s writing in the classic pulp genres of the mid-20th century. From mystery to hard-boiled noir to taboo lesbian romance, these rediscovered queens of pulp offer subversive perspectives on a turbulent era. Enjoy the series: Bedelia; The Blackbirder; Bunny Lake Is Missing; By Cecile; The G-String Murders; The Girls in 3-B; In a Lonely Place; Laura; Mother Finds a Body; Now, Voyager; Skyscraper; Stranger on Lesbos; Women's Barracks.

Twisted City


Jason Starr - 2004
    But things are about to get much worse. When he loses his wallet in a midtown bar, he is launched into a world where he finds himself being blackmailed by junkies, lying to his friends and family, and stumbling into a crime that may cost him his life.

JACKAL: A Suspense Thriller (Jessica James Mysteries)


Kelly Oliver - 2018
    Meet Jessica James.  In Vegas the stakes are high and everyone's an illusionist.  Sent off to Las Vegas in search of her biological father - a washed-up magician called The Mesmerizer - Jessica arrives in town penniless and with nowhere to turn. She ends up crashing on an old school friend's couch and getting a job as a hotel maid.Her first night on the job, she finds a naked guy in the bathtub with a note to call 911, and Jessica suspects her old friend McKenzie might be involved.The guy in the tub is Leo Spencer and he's on his own mission - to solve one of Vegas's coldest cases, the murder of his parents. JACKAL has Oliver's trademark humor and quirky characters. Join Jessica and her posse for a fast paced thrill ride in this AMAZON BESTSELLER.Crackles with energy... Jessica remains an instantly likable protagonist...fast-paced and engaging.---Kirkus ReviewsNobody tops Kelly Oliver for delivering fast-paced narrative, quirky characters, and a plot as twisty as a bucking bronco--all of this leavened with Oliver's trademark wry humor.--Caroline Taylor, author of Loose Ends and The TypistOliver knows how to keep ratcheting up the stakes until the reader feels like they have their own mortgage riding on the roulette wheel. --Cate Holahan, USA Today best selling author of The Widower's Wife.Great cast of characters. A smart and sexy high stakes trip to Las Vegas.---Tracee de Hahn, author of Swiss VendettaWhat Amazon readers are saying:★★★★★ "Fun, action packed mystery. Suspenseful and action-packed mystery with all kinds of twists along the way."★★★★★ "Jessica James is an engaging character and she's got some pretty cool friends, too. The storyline flows beautifully and hooks you until the end."★★★★★"This book was a ton of fun to read. Filled with murder and Mayhem and a bit of hilarity, this book is a keeper. It kept me turning the pages from beginning to end. This is not one you will want to miss."★★★★★ "Such an engaging story. This cozy mystery was a great read, full of twists and turns, secrets and revelations."★★★★★ "This book is a great combination of humor, quirky characters, mystery, and adventure."★★★★★"Amazingly suspenseful read. I really enjoyed every aspect of this book. The added humor really makes the book a hit novel for me."★★★★★ "Fun, hilarious read. Tons of characters, action, the mob is involved and Jessica James and her friend Lolita are hilarious!!! Definitely enjoyed this read." TAKE A TRIP TO VEGAS YOU'LL NEVER FORGET.

Dane Curse


Matt Abraham - 2015
    But after ten years of tossing Buicks at heroes I wised up, took the black cape off my back, and hung out a shingle. Only instead of Dark Deeds Done Daily, this one reads Dane Curse, PI. Now I work cases for the dark denizens I was once counted among. The problems they got aren't the kind that cops care about, so I do what I can, because sometimes even the unjust deserve a little justice. At least that's how it was before the world's greatest superhero was mysteriously murdered, an act so terrible it threatens to start a war that'll tear my home apart block-by-block, unless I find the killer in five days' time. But getting to the truth won't be so easy. I'll have to contend with black capes whose powers and pulse cannons can shred my hide. An army of technologically advanced armored lawmen led by a power-mad government schemer. And white caped heroes whose abilities and intentions are both less than pure. No simple task for a small time PI, so I'll need every bit of my strength, guts, and powers if I'm going to find the killer, save my city, and maybe even get some justice for the greatest hero the world has ever known. In Dane Curse, Matt Abraham, winner of Pulp Detective's 2015 Newcomer of the Year Award, takes us on our first trip through the powered underbelly of Gold Coast City in a fast paced adventure you'll never forget. If you like white knuckled action, devious dames, and heroic villains then get your copy today, and saddle up with the most exciting detective since Harry Dresden!

Gulf Coast Girl


Charles Williams - 1955
    On the boat, a coffee pot is still warm. Clearly, the boat has not been abandoned for long. But what has happened to its occupants? The answer lies in a log book in which our protagonist, Bill Manning, has written his story.

Lot Lizards


Ray Garton - 1991
    When trucker Bill Ketter looks for a little relaxation and release, he discovers, too late, that he has bitten off more than he can chew. In fact, his lot lizard is the one that does the biting--she is a vampire, one of number who move from one truck stop to the next under the watchful and vicious eyes of the repulsive Carsey Brothers. Against his will, Bill becomes one of the undead. He follows the brothers and their cargo to another stop where he meets his ex-wife and children and Bill finds himself battling the vampires and their age-old leader for the life of his teenaged son. Garton has created another small masterpiece, contemporary adult horror at its most gruesome and loaded with extras doses of sex and gore. The confined setting creates a perfect claustrophobic stage for the story and the hellaciously quick pace never lets the action slow down.

Case of the Vanishing Beauty


Richard S. Prather - 1950
    Another dead in a hail of bullets. Would the lovely Lina be next? Even here in the drizzly rain outside the El Cuchillo, she was hotter than a welder's torch. Here's your chance to meet Shell Scott, the sharpest Private Eye you've ever known - the darling of all dames, the envy of all guys.

The Ice Maiden (Detective Inspector Jack Gilbert)


Michael Saunders - 2018
    Simply waiting for a bus why should Anne ever dream of dying? He was an opportunist driven by lust, needing to climax while looking into her eyes as she died. Found two months later she will be like all the others - frozen in time. Hunting the killer down is Detective Inspector Jack Gilbert, a dinosaur of the old school, a fish out of water in the swinging sixties, but with a reputation second to none. What is Jack’s sad secret? What does the future hold for him? Read the ICE MAIDEN and there’s a link at the end allowing you to download for FREE, number one in the Jack Gilbert Series – THE CHOCOLATE KILLER. For you, chocolate will never taste the same again!

Presumption of Guilt: Southern California Legal Thrillers Book One


Rachel Sinclair - 2019
    She was once wrongfully accused, and spent 7 years in prison for a murder she didn't commit. Now sworn to protect the indigent accused, she's persuaded to represent Esme Guitierrez, an El Salvadoran refugee who is accused of killing 21-year-old Aria Whitmore. Aria was the daughter of the prominent billionaire hotelier Jacob Whitmore, and was also an aspiring concert pianist and music composer. As Avery digs further into the case, she realizes that there were some sick games taking place behind the closed doors of the Whitmore mansion, and Avery ends up with more questions than answers.  What happened to Aria's birth mother? How did Julian Rodriguez, a young schizophrenic man, come to befriend Aria? And who is sending threatening emails that are filled with facts that are not widely known to the public? When Avery finds out the answers to these questions, she's shocked. But she also realizes that the big reveal opens up more questions than answers, and the case takes an unexpected turn.  As time runs out to find the true culprit, Avery faces the trial of her life. Amidst an intense media glare, death threats, protestors and stalkers breaking into her home, Avery nonetheless gives this case her all. Because if she doesn't, her client will end up on death row.  With the lightning speed, twists and turns you've come to expect from a Rachel Sinclair novel, Presumption of Guilt is a legal thriller that is not to be missed! Come and meet your newest favorite badass attorney, Avery Collins, today!

Hoodtown


Christa Faust - 2004
    Evolved from lucha libre, the family gimmick is sacred, and the mask is the sole expression of one’s identity. Now, Hood prostitutes are turning-up murdered and worse, unmasked, and the ‘Skin’ establishment is as much help as a paid-off ref. Enter X, former luchadora with a bruised past, a bum knee and no time to play Santo. She’s no hero, but there’s nobody else to tag-in, as her hunt for a killer uncovers a conspiracy that could take down all of maskedkind. Like Casablanca with wrestling masks, Hoodtown is vintage pulp noir with a lucha libre pop culture twist.

Dutch Uncle (Hard Case Crime #12)


Peter Pavia - 2005
    The Dutch uncle in the book is an actual Dutchman whose cocaine and untimely demise set a small swarm of crooks and cops in motion. Harry Healy is the sort-of hero, a likable, small-time criminal, just out of jail, who has a hard time making good decisions. But he's just one player in a memorably quirky cast that includes a dim ex-jock snorting his way through his inheritance; a ditzy babe whose constant nakedness is annoying everyone; a short, chunky detective who struggles with his sensitivity training; and the braces-wearing Latina colleague he might just be made for. Pavia, coauthor of The Other Hollywood, an "oral history" of the porn industry, redraws the hard-boiled boundaries of the Hard Case Crime line a bit to include this offbeat diversion in the style of Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, and Charles Willeford's Hoke Moseley books

Fiddleback


Jeff Vrolyks - 2012
    Breuer has ideas to help Mae, ideas that aren’t very nice. Breuer isn't as imaginary as Mae thinks. Tag Baylor is a bartender who writes fiction as a hobby, posting his works on an amateur website. The heroine in his stories is a young woman named Mae Clark. A man claiming to be Mae Clark’s husband emails Tag, threatening tremendous bodily harm if he continues writing about Mae. Tag is stunned: Mae Clark is a figment of his imagination. Or is she?Warning: Book depicts explicit acts of violence. Discretion advised.

The Hook


Donald E. Westlake - 2000
    He has watched a pseudonym, two careers, and his sales disappear and feels like it may be time to quit writing for good. On the other hand, Bryce Proctorr fires out one bestseller after the next and has a multi-million dollar deal for his next book. Unfortunately, his divorce has given him writer's block and Bryce cannot solve his dilemma as his deadline rapidly approaches. So, Bryce proposes a partnership to Wayne: give Bryce his unpublished manuscript and the two of them can split the advance 50/50. There's just one small catch -- Wayne has to put Mrs. Proctorr six feet under.

Rizal: Life, Works And Ideals


Francisco M. Zulueta
    

Say It With Bullets


Richard Powell - 1953
    Leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, Bill Wayne journeys across the West to discover which one of his former army buddies shot him in the back and left him for dead.