He’ll make her a princess like the others…Detective Jane Harper can’t shake the image of the young woman discovered in a field—eyes closed, a crown of woven vines on her head. She expects macabre murders like this in her native San Francisco, not here. Jane and her partner, Stu, vow to catch the killer, but in this town, that’s easier said than done. The police department is in the grips of a wide-reaching scandal that could topple the entire force, and Jane and Stu face a series of dead ends. Until they meet Ida Lane.Ida knows too well the evil that lurks in the cornfields. Tortured by her mother’s murder years before, Ida is paralyzed by the fear that she could be next. As the killer grows bolder, Jane must persuade Ida to use her remarkable gifts to help in the investigation. It’s a decision that brings them closer to the killer…maybe too close.

    Inside this anthology you'll find a mix of classic mystery and suspense, full-blown action, and blood-curdling suspense. There are tales of vengeance and redemption, good versus evil, and more than a few laugh-out-loud moments. The ebook edition also includes a fully hyperlinked Table of Contents, which gives you a brief synopsis and page count for each story - making it easy to choose what you want to read next. You'll also find a short bio for each author, along with a web link where you can find out more. ~~ Nick StephensonPaydown - by Nick Stephenson. When a high-flying Wall Street investment banker is found brutally killed, what started out as a simple fraud case turns into expert criminologist Leopold Blake's first ever murder investigation. As the glamor of Wall Street is stripped away by a series of catastrophic discoveries, Leopold will have to decide how much he is prepared to risk in order to uncover the truth - and whether it's a price he's willing to pay. Loose Ends - by David Vandyke. There's not much left that can surprise private investigator California "Cal" Corwin any more, especially since the accident. But after a young girl is kidnapped and feared murdered, Cal is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse that will stretch her skills to the ultimate limit. With danger at every turn and with more questions than answers, Corwin must scour the streets of San Francisco to track down the culprits before it's too late - and the clock is ticking... Mr. Mockingbird Drive - by Robert Swartwood. Julio and Tyshawn are far from professional thieves, but they get by. After weeks spent researching the perfect mark, the boys are ready to strike - and the payout is going to be unbelievable...Mr. Mockingbird Drive is a cleverly deceptive piece of flash fiction. The story first featured in Needle: A Magazine of Noir, Winter 2012. Ladies Weekend - by Ryan King. A trip to the Gulf Shores with her three sisters-in-law was not exactly Cathy's idea of a good time. With a dark secret to protect, a weekend stuck with the meddling Biddle sisters might have been too much to bear - but, thankfully for Cathy, there's nothing a little "medicine" can't fix...This delightfully twisted story was first published in 2012. Veritas: Concubine - by R.S. Guthrie. How far would you go to find the truth? Shale Veritas is not his real name, but that's not important. What's important is why he's taken an interest in you - and what you've done to deserve it...This dark, atmospheric tale of revenge, justice, and redemption is not for the faint-hearted. You have been warned. Divide and Conquer - by Kay Hadashi. Nobody ever told June Kato that babysitting could be such hard work ... As a world-class neurosurgeon, June is used to dealing with high-pressure situations. But when a trio of violent thugs invade her home while her four-year-old nieces are staying over, nap time suddenly takes on a whole new meaning. A thrill-ride from start to finish. Recidivist - by Alan McDermott. Something needs to be done about Steven Howe. Even though he's yet to see his twelfth birthday, after 97 arrests the police and social services have had enough. Forced to attend a state-sponsored retreat for troubled youths, Steven is about to find out just how far the government is prepared to go to meet their targets - starting with him. Return of the Bride - by Micheal Maxwell. Tradition has it that Al-Qurnah is the site of the Garden of Eden. But for Phillip Sear, a man who has lived with sin his entire life, it has an entirely different significance. On a journey to redeem himself for a lifetime of selfish choices, Sear will finally learn how to keep his promises - but at what cost?

    But it was an ill wind that blew through the Gulf-coast Florida town in the summer of '52.Diana Landis, well-known in every barroom, and more than a few bedrooms in town, was found beneath the dock, afloat in a fishing net. Her lover, Bo Calhoun, had already seen his family's moonshine still set ablaze by arsonists. Congressman Robert "Snapper" Landis seemed more interested in his tough reelection campaign with Gospel Roy McInnes than in his daughter's murder. And Wesley Stafford, a young seminarian more familiar with salvation than seduction, was in jail when, it seemed, he confessed to the killing.All that was before storekeeper Lily Trulock left her neglecting husband to his beekeeping and ran her skiff to the island of St. Elmo, where an even bigger wind threatened to blow the lid off the whole county!

    When he finally decides to leave the force and start over, he's assigned a string of murders that all bear the signs of a serial killer collecting trophies.As Stanton unravels each grisly crime scene, the mounting evidence points uncomfortably close to him and a case more disturbing than anything he's ever seen.

    Moving to the small town of Broadminster with her young son was a fresh start. Closer to her best friend, with a good job, a new flat, it was a chance to start again. But a killer is attacking divorcees... At the scene of each crime, the name ‘Delilah’ is scrawled in lipstick on the victim’s mirror. The danger is coming closer to home. Kate starts receiving strange ‘gifts’, a dead pigeon, a dismembered moth - she fears she may be the next target Chief Inspect Webb and Sergeant Jackson are in a race against time to unravel this seemingly impossible mystery and find the culprit before the next dead body found is Kate Romilly’s. ‘A Shroud for Delilah’ is a fast-paced crime novel featuring Anthea Fraser’s popular detective David Webb. Praise for Anthea Fraser: “A superbly crafted, riveting, page-turner of a read" - Booklist “Ms Fraser is her dependable elegant, guileful self withholding the killer's identity till a dying fall" - Sunday Times 'A well-mannered, well-plotted and well-told story' - Birmingham Post 'Sympathetic, well-executed book, in which full attention is paid to human feelings and failings' - Yorkshire Post ANTHEA FRASER has written all her life but did not begin to take it seriously until after marriage, when she found herself at home with two small daughters and embarked on a correspondence course with the London School of Journalism. She wrote short stories before turning to novels of the supernatural, and then to crime. Her other books include ‘Pretty Maids all in a Row’, ‘Eleven Who Went Up to Heaven’, The Ten Commandments’, ‘The Seven Stars’ and ‘One is One and All Alone’. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.

    She devours everything she can during her detective training in hopes of being promoted soon. Living in small-town USA has its advantages, like a sense of security, and disadvantages, like being close to Milwaukee and its crime. Washburn County has become the dumping ground of murder victims, courtesy of its neighboring county to the south. When two men are discovered on the outskirts of North Bend, each with a bullet to the head, Amber’s team, led by Lieutenant Jack Steele, hits the highway in search of a killer. Assisted by the Milwaukee PD, they go deep into Brew City’s underbelly, which reveals far more than anyone ever expected. Crimes involving murder and counterfeiting keep the team running in every direction, but it’s Amber’s attraction to a new man in North Bend that puts her front and center on the killer’s short list. She doesn’t get far before the entire case turns upside down. Note: All Amber Monroe books are standalone stories but since characters carry over, they are best read in chronological order. Series One - Amber Monroe Crime Thriller Series #1 Greed #2 Avenged The Amber Monroe Crime Thriller Series follows on the heels of the conclusion of Malice, Book 5 in the Agent Jade Monroe FBI Thriller Series.

    But then, plans have a way of going out the window when a girl learns her parents have skipped town, leaving behind a half-million-dollar debt. Rosemary makes the best of her situation, putting up with her boss's diva antics and halfheartedly fending off the advances of the impossibly sexy stepson who comes with the high-paying gig. Then someone decides to kill the miserable movie star. It's bad news for any chef when a client dies from an allergic reaction after eating your cooking. It's even worse news for Rosemary because the police are determined to charge her with murder. To restore her reputation (and stay out of prison), Rosemary has to find the real murderer--and fast. Her short list of suspects includes a womanizing race car driver, a powerful music producer, Hollywood's hottest leading man, and, oh yeah, Felix, the dead woman's stepson--which gets a little awkward when Rosemary starts dating him. Unfortunately, everything Rosemary thought she knew is wrong--dead wrong. After a romantic dinner with Felix ends in food poisoning, she finds herself unattached, unemployed, and once again on the wrong side of the LAPD. She knows how to salvage an oversalted sauce, but can she salvage the disaster that is her life? And will the hunky homicide detective help her--or book her? ROSEMARY'S GRAVY is the first book in the We Sisters Three series, the new romantic comedic mystery series from Melissa F. Miller, the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of the Sasha McCandless legal thriller series and the Aroostine Higgins legal thriller series.

    

    Enjoy a beautifully told story from a time before smart phones and DNA testing. Full of twists and turns, this will have you gripped from start to finish. Please note this book was first published as “A Certain Blindness” “Jolly good reading with a protagonist you’ll like” Chicago Tribune “Lewis skillfully ties up everything . . . smoothly written. Compassionate yet with plenty of force” New York Times “Well devised and moving. Lewis excels with a certain type of anti-hero, beset with problems, no longer young” Financial Times “Legal shenanigans explicable, whodunit finely spun . . . A nice piece of work, in fact” Oxford Mail “Lewis at his well-rooted best in this drama of bent solicitors and corrupt businessmen living high in the North East. Well worked out investigation, excellent characterisation and a tense climax against Northumbrian scenery. Highly recommended” Sunday Telegraph A SUSPICIOUS DEATH AND A LARGE INHERITANCE WITHOUT ANYONE TO RECEIVE IT. Eric Ward thinks there is something odd about Arthur Egan's life and death. But Ward is a former police inspector, and trained to be suspicious. Egan left a large sum. But Ward makes no progress tracing the dead man's offspring. A photograph of an unknown tombstone is his only clue. He discovers Egan served a term for manslaughter, and that the evidence against him may have been planted. Why had he accepted his fate so meekly? Despite warnings that he is wasting the firm's time, Ward persists in his investigations. AND HIS PERSISTENCE LEADS TO MURDER. And by the time he realizes why, he finds his life and career are both at risk. AND WHAT IS THE CONNECTION TO LORD MORCOMB AT SEDLEIGH HALL? This fast-paced mystery will have you enthralled from the start. Set in England in the late 1970s, this is the first book to feature Eric Ward. More coming soon. DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FAVOURITE MYSTERY WRITER Perfect for fans of Peter James, Ruth Rendell, P.D. James and Peter Robinson. THE DETECTIVE Eric Ward is forced to retire from the police when he discovers he suffers from glaucoma but qualifies as a solicitor (lawyer) and sets up his practice on the Quayside in Newcastle, where he deals with the seamier side of the law. When he marries a wealthy young woman she attempts to persuade him to settle in Northumberland and work with wealthier clients but he stubbornly refuses to give up his criminal practice in Newcastle. Although she draws him into the world of high finance he still insists on continuing at the Quayside—which causes tensions within his marriage, and lead to fatal consequences. Roy Lewis is one of the most critically acclaimed crime writers of his generation. ERIC WARD BOOKS Book 1: THE SEDLEIGH HALL MURDER INSPECTOR CROW BOOKS Book 1: A LOVER TOO MANY Book 2: ERROR OF JUDGMENT Book 3: THE WOODS MURDER Book 4: MURDER FOR MONEY Book 5: MURDER IN THE MINE Book 6: A COTSWOLDS MURDER Book

    And I'm good. Very good.But, I also have a little bit of a problem with placing bets on a sporting events. Not so good.Sometimes my little problem becomes a whole lot of trouble and I need to resort to some, shall we say, less than stellar actions to get out of debt. So, I become my alter ego, JoJo, and fix college basketball games. Hey, a victimless crime, no one's the wiser, and it's better than the alternative, which is a drive into the desert with my loan shark and a shovel in the trunk. Although, it has to be said, my loan shark is pretty good looking.I love Vegas, and I love the life I've built, but when one of my friends is murdered, and another one shot at, I know I need to take a serious look at myself. And I need to call in the big guns. Even if that means teaming up with detective Jack Schiller, a man who's dealing with his own problems. But dang, he sure is sexy.I'm just trying to juggle protecting my friends, helping sexy detective Jack while not letting him get to close, and finding a murderer. And, oh yeah, no one can learn about JoJo.Because if they do, there's no way I'll be able to bluff my way out.

    Ten years ago, Magnolia Steele fled Franklin, Tennessee after an incident that left her with hazy memories and a horror of the place where she had been born and bred. Though her abrupt departure destroyed most of her treasured relationships, she vowed never to return . . . until she has no choice. When Magnolia’s breakout acting role in a Broadway musical ends in disgrace, there’s only one place she can go. She finds herself on her momma’s porch, suitcase in hand. Drama follows Magnolia around like a long lost friend. She reluctantly agrees to help her momma’s catering company at a party for a country music star, only to find herself face-to-face with a sleazy music agent from her past. After a very public spat, Magnolia not only finds him dead but herself center stage in the police’s investigation. Now she must scramble to prove her innocence, relying on the help of acquaintances old and new. But the longer Magnolia stays in Franklin, the more she remembers about the big bad incident that chased her away. The past might not be finished with her yet, and what she doesn’t remember could be her biggest danger.

    Carly knows too much about a powerful Tampa conspiracy. When Carly becomes the number one suspect in the murder of a prominent plastic surgeon, Willa risks everything to uncover the conspiracy and keep Carly alive. Can she do it? Twisted Justice — War hero General Randall Andrews has been nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court and Willa's husband George Carson leads the fight to defeat him. Until George is arrested for Andrews' murder and Willa pulls out all the stops to free her husband. Can Willa defeat the powerful forces against him or will her beloved George die on death row? Open this set and you'll agree with fans of Sue Grafton, Margaret Maron, William Kent Krueger, Louise Penny, John Grisham, Lee Child, and more. Grab your copy now and start reading today!

    Did she simply run off, or is something darker at play?When Patrick Dielman shows up at Detective Jo Larsen’s desk insisting that his wife, Jenny, is missing, Jo wonders if it’s a case of a bored housewife running away.But as she digs deeper into Jenny’s life, Jo learns that Dielman keeps a stranglehold on the family finances, down to the last nickel, and that Jenny’s first marriage dissolved following the death of her young son. By all accounts—including her doctor’s—she never recovered from the loss. Between a controlling husband, a tragic past, and a callous ex-husband, Jo can’t be sure if she should suspect foul play or accept that the woman may have wanted to disappear.For Jo, whose own demons are shadowing her every step, finding Jenny becomes more than the typical protect-and-serve.

    But their chosen sea has a serpent: Mexico's out-of-control drug trade. After witnessing a drug-deal gone wrong, they set off a deadly chain of events that lands them in a sea of intrigue involving a best friend, the Mexican Federal Police, the DEA, US Coast Guard, the INS, and a nasty drug cartel.This fast-paced adventure is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of cutting the lines and shoving off to adventure.Show More Show Less

    Then she receives news that chills her to the core: Jean-Baptiste Chandonne-the vicious and unrepentant Wolfman, who pursued her to her very doorstep-has asked to see her..."Predator" Investigating the disappearance of two sisters in Florida, Dr. Kay Scarpetta follows clues that twist and turn, leading her into the psychopathic depths of a jailed serial killer's mind..."The Book of the Dead" The Book of the Dead is the morgue log, the ledger in which all cases are entered by hand. For Kay Scarpetta, however, it is about to acquire a new meaning.