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Jet Sweep (Burnside Series # 12)


David Chill - 2021
    Burnside is lured into a scheme involving a star football player he had once recruited out of high school, he tries to turn the tables on the perpetrator. But when shots are fired on a darkened L.A. street, he is plunged into a mystifying case where nothing is as it seems – where even murder could be an illusion. The story leads Burnside into the world of startup companies, and the money-hungry people who run them. By pushing his way through a riveting set of clues, he finds a twisted trail of age-old grievances and shocking betrayals. And it wouldn’t be a Burnside mystery if he didn’t manage to also upstage the police, as his investigation is always a step ahead of theirs, creating yet another thorny path for him to navigate.As Burnside races to tie the details together before any more carnage is done, he also gains further insight into his own sketchy history and begins to grasp how his checkered past has led him to where he is now – for better and for worse. His remarkable journey parallels the story and creates depth and texture to one of modern crime fiction’s most irreverent heroes.Jet Sweep is the latest installment of this classic Southern California noir mystery series. With razor-sharp dialogue and sardonic humor, this well-honed thriller is set against a backdrop of an increasingly hot Los Angeles summer. It is a story that comes loaded with high drama, as well as some unexpected surprises!

In My Wake


Ruth Harrow - 2020
    Now Hannah receives the shock of her life when she is told her sister, April, has committed suicide. Distraught, she returns to her childhood home for the funeral.But someone who refuses to forget the past has sickening shocks in store for the grieving family and soon latch onto Hannah instead, leaving her looking over her shoulder at every turn.Now the nightmares aren't only inside Hannah's head ...The close-knit community is rattled as devastating secrets and unspeakable truths are shaken up and it seems everyone has a secret to hide ...Hannah feels her grip on reality slipping as she starts to suspect even those closest to her - including her husband Will. April had uttered words of warning against him, but was it merely jealousy? Or does Hannah truly have something to fear from the father of her child?Could the danger be closer to home than she realises?And why is Hannah’s own father insisting that the past should remain in the past?

Shelby's Gift


Mary Jane Morgan - 2011
    He’s all she has left of her sister, Debbie, who was killed in a car accident six months ago. She’s prepared to fight for joint custody even as she battles feelings she knows she shouldn’t have for the man who is Kyle’s father – and her sister’s husband.Ben Martin is outraged that Shelby wants joint custody of his baby. Yet after his initial anger and feelings of betrayal, Ben suggests a marriage of convenience so that together he and Shelby can provide the love and security he and Debbie wanted their baby to have. What first seems like a workable solution quickly turns into a nightmare of grief and guilt when Ben and Shelby find themselves fighting a fierce attraction – an attraction that seems the worst possible betrayal of Debbie. But Debbie has her own opinion and reaches out from the other side to Shelby and Ben, bringing them the love and healing they need to move forward with their lives.

Blood Sister


Kenna McKinnon - 2015
    Together with handsome detective Mark Snow, they set to bring the killer to justice. But Annie is haunted by her past, unable to overcome her mother's death and her father deserting their family. Soon after, the investigation takes a surprising turn when Annie and her boyfriend find themselves among the suspects. What is the cryptic message left on the late doctor's charts... and is it possible that Annie, or one of her friends, is responsible for the crimes? Praise for BLOOD SISTER: "A charming murder mystery" - Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger "A uniquely courageous and quirky whodunit with a fresh voice." - Jesse Giles Christiansen

The Formula


Sam Artigliere - 2017
    Lauren Remley. Salty Manhattan homicide detective Joe Tenacce and his partner, Jen Salito, are assigned the investigation.Tenacce quickly realizes that, to solve the case, he will need to enlist the help of his son Danny, a theoretical physics-graduate-student-turned-religious-cryptologist whom he despises. Their quest for "the book" and its meaning takes the Tenacces and Salito on a harrowing journey over two continents, through layers of increasingly complex ciphers, all while being pursued by a clandestine cult who will stop at nothing to obtain the book for their own nefarious designs.Can Danny and the detective duo find and decode the book? If so, what does the book say and can they keep it out of the hands of their enemy. Finally, what is the significance of the narrative—woven throughout the novel— that describes the tragic life of physicist Michael Richards?These are the questions that arise as the plot winds and turns toward its surprising end.A Dan Brown-like thriller, but with a twist!

An Aunt Bessie Collection - ABC


Diana Xarissa - 2016
    Elizabeth (Bessie) Cubbon, aged somewhere between free bus pass (60) and telegram from the Queen (100), has lived her entire adult life in a small cottage on Laxey beach. For most of those years, she's been in the habit of taking a brisk morning walk along the beach. Dead men have never been part of the scenery before. Aunt Bessie assumes that the dead man died of natural causes, then the police find the knife in his chest. Try as she might, Bessie just can't find anything to like about the young widow that she provides tea and sympathy to in the immediate aftermath of finding the body. There isn't much to like about the rest of the victim's family either. Aunt Bessie assumes that the police will have the case wrapped up in no time at all, then she finds a second body. Can Bessie and her friends find the killer before she ends up as the next victim?Aunt Bessie Believes that Moirrey Teare is just about the most disagreeable woman she's ever had the misfortune to meet. Elizabeth Cubbon, (Aunt Bessie to nearly everyone), is somewhere past sixty, and old enough to ignore the rude woman that does her best to ruin the first session of the beginning Manx language class they are both taking. Moirrey's sudden death is harder to ignore. Aunt Bessie believes that Moirrey's death was the result of the heart condition that Moirrey always complained about. The police investigation, however, suggests that someone switched some of the dead woman's essential medications for something far more deadly. Aunt Bessie believes that she and her friends can find the killer. But with Doona suspended from work and spending all of her time with the dead woman's long-lost brother, with Hugh caught up in a brand new romance and with Inspector Rockwell chasing after a man that might not even exist, Bessie finds herself believing that someone might just get away with murder. Aunt Bessie Considers it an honour to be giving a presentation about her research at a conference at the Manx Museum. Miss Elizabeth Cubbon is known as “Aunt Bessie” to nearly everyone in her hometown of Laxey. While she never earned a college degree, she’s become something of an expert in the history of the island that she’s called home for all of her adult life. Once she turned sixty, she stopped counting how many years that includes. Aunt Bessie considers it unfair when the entire conference schedule is thrown into disarray by Mack Dickson’s sudden arrival. Mack promises that what he has to say is important enough to warrant the upheaval. But even more turmoil follows when Bessie discovers Mack’s body only a short time after he’s finished giving his speech. Aunt Bessie considers Police Inspector Peter Corkill a poor substitute for her friend, John Rockwell. But the Manx Museum is out of Rockwell’s jurisdiction and that means Corkill is in charge of the investigation, no matter what Bessie thinks. With Corkill insisting that Mack’s death was probably an unfortunate accident, Mack’s slides that shocked the conference disappear. Bessie finds herself drawn into another investigation, and she’s determined to drag her friends, Rockwell, Doona and Hugh, in with her.

Motive


Alan McDermott - 2020
    When the opportunity to work for a Manchester gangland figure arises, he jumps at the chance.Retired DCI James Knight is arrested for a murder he swears he didn't commit.Scott Davison is recovering from a traumatic incident when Kelly Stone walks into his life. Is it a chance meeting, or is she part of the past Scott is trying to escape?Karen Harper has killed before, and she’s planning to kill again…and again.Their lives are entwined, and it’s up to Detective Inspector John Latimer to unravel the threads before it becomes personal.Motive is the latest thriller from million-copy bestselling author Alan McDermott, creator of the explosive Tom Gray and Eva Driscoll series.

Trust (When Bad Things Happen #2)


Sharon A. Mitchell - 2021
    She never dreamed that she'd have to battle the law to protect her medically fragile little boy when his life and sanity are on the line.When her son is targeted and taken, Elizabeth will do anything to save him.Ordinary people, thrust into extraordinary circumstances.

Fringe Theory: An Espionage Thriller of the Cold War and World War 2


Chuck Driskell - 2018
    2018** The Bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy were among the most stunning moments of the 20th Century. Imagine that there was evidence proving the United States, at its highest levels, knew the intent of both events--ahead of time.On the heels of his most successful novel, Final Mission: Zion, in which he tackled the horrors of the Holocaust, Chuck Driskell now takes on Pearl Harbor and the JFK Assassination as only he can, with a decidedly unexpected twist.Enter Max Warfield, a man who supports himself by raiding heroin dealers for their cash. Max's crimes make him the target of a shadowy network. The network takes him by force and gives him a choice: steal the aforementioned evidence for them, or die. While the network has accounted for every single facet of the mission, they've made one critical error: they've grossly underestimated Max Warfield.Once again on the run, and this time in possession of history-altering evidence, Max finds himself in a position to turn the tables on the network. But, by doing so he could decimate the United States and cause significant loss of life.Combining historical fiction, espionage, crime, and intrigue--with a memorable cast of characters--Fringe Theory delivers thrills and chills all the way to its explosive climax in the snowy French Alps.

The Sister


Max China - 2013
    Suspenseful, and thrilling, it is a mystery that unravels over time, following the lives of a group of seemingly unconnected people, as they struggle to bring an unusually talented serial killer to justice. CORNWALL, ENGLAND. In the summer of love, 1967, two children witness a murder. One, a seven-year old boy, views it from fifty yards - the other, a young Irish girl, from miles away... LONDON, 2006. With retirement looming, DCI John F Kennedy reopens the only unresolved case in his career, the disappearance of a young nurse, Kathy, twenty-three years earlier. The broadcast appeal for information on the missing teenage runaway, Eilise; is followed by a cold-case reconstruction of Kathy's last known movements. A new witness comes forward, and Kennedy - now set on the trail of a serial killer - unwittingly sparks a sequence of events that lead back to himself, threatening his own, very private existence. As the investigation unfolds, it becomes apparent that the murderer is no ordinary adversary. Resourceful and cunning, he has been operating undetected for over forty years, and it seems that only the original witnesses from 1967 can stop him. But they have yet to meet... The Sister is much more than just an ordinary thriller. It is the story of a lifetime...The book is a two part pilot episode with resolution, but left open to a series of planned spin-off self-contained episodes involving a selection of characters from the original story, the first of which is due for release in late spring.

Windfall: A Henry Lysyk Mystery


Byron T.D. Smith - 2021
    A fifty-year old mystery could save him – or finish him off.Crossing fiction with a dash of true crime, Windfall: A Henry Lysyk Mystery is Byron TD Smith’s clever “What if…” solution to the most captivating unsolved heist of the twentieth century. Henry Lysyk’s life is a mess. With his marriage over and his accounting career marred by scandal, he retreats to the anonymity of a rented suite in a house shared with strangers. But the trail of a decades-old crime leads a murderous treasure hunter to his doorstep, and Henry is baffled by his neighbors’ cover-up.An unexpected visit from his adventure-hungry niece, Frieda, further complicates Henry’s efforts to lay low. With his houseguest refusing to stay away from the danger, Henry’s terrified they’re about to expose secrets someone would kill to protect. Not knowing who to trust, they must choose which parts of the past to uncover, and which to leave buried.A real-life ransom, a shadowy past, unlikely allies, and ruthless murder. Can Henry unravel this cold case before he and Frieda become its next victims?

Run Away Baby


Holly Tierney-Bedord - 2015
    What her jealous friends don't know is that her reality is far from the pretty picture they see."If you like stories about rebirth and taking your life back, mixed with suspense and even a bit of humor, this book is for you!!"-- Amazon reviewWhen her nails were dry enough, Abby put the spinning tower and manicure accessories away and then returned to the living room where a mid-afternoon talk show was playing. She sat down, nudging the mute button, so if Randall watched the playback of her he would see the program unfolding in the background. As far as she knew, the room wasn't bugged. Not yet, anyhow.Sometimes all the noise became too much for her to bear. She liked to go into her own head. It was the last safe place. But acts like pausing a show to daydream made Randall nervous."What's this about?" he'd ask as he fast-forwarded through moments of Abby's day, pausing at incriminating moments like her staring thoughtfully without distractions, or eating junk food, or disappearing for hours and arriving home empty-handed.Only Krissa had an accurate idea of Abby's life. But even Krissa didn't know Abby's secret name for Randall: He was Papa Rottzy. Because he watched every move she made. And because he was old. And because he was rotten. It was the name she would have called him if she still had a sister, and if this were her sister's problem instead of her own.She'd take her sister out for coffee and ask her, "How's Papa Rottzy? Are you ready to escape from his prison?" She'd be kidding, but she'd be serious.In Abby's fantasies it was always her trying to help one of her little sisters out of this mess, because there was a big part of her that still couldn't believe this was her life.

The Watcher


Matthew Hattersley - 2020
    But when the world’s deadliest female assassin can’t hit the mark, she may be vacationing six feet under...Even hired killers need a break. Acid Vanilla is about to take a holiday, won through sheer sweat and blood, when her boss demands she off a notorious Paris-based hacker. But when the eccentric female target shares a startling revelation about Acid’s troubled past, she can’t pull the trigger.Tangled in a blossoming love/hate relationship with her spared victim and a bounty on both their heads, Acid’s only chance out of the game is to disappear for good. But first she has to battle through a barrage of deadly coworkers, and this killer-for-hire will need every brutal trick in her lethal playbook just to stay alive…Can she help the hacker and get the goons off her back without taking a fatal retirement?Acid Vanilla is the pulse-pounding first book in the Acid Vanilla vigilante thriller series. If you like femme fatales, complex cover-ups, and whip-smart dialogue, then you’ll love Matthew Hattersley’s wild tale. Buy Acid Vanilla and start this explosively addictive series today!For fans of John Wick, Luke Jenning’s Killing Eve, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne.

Past Imperfect


John Matthews - 1999
    The stage is set for one of the most electrifying and intriguing thrillers of all time. Dominic Fornier is the detective who finds himself at the heart of the investigation. A simple provincial case that becomes one of the largest and most important in criminal history; the case of a lifetime, but one that seems impossible to win.Fornier’s only hope is to try to prove a link between the two boys...the final missing key that will expose the killer.A chilling journey through forensic, medical and psychiatric evidence between France, America and London; a breathless paperchase of clues extracted from a young boy's psyche; revenge, blackmail and political corruption behind a trial that captures a nation...and a desperate race against time to catch a murderer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks.