The Transformed


Raphael Hirsch - 2004
    Robert Newman is a man obsessed--obsessed with the death of his wife from a rare genetic disease--obsessed with finding a cure to save her sister from the same fate. After years of single-minded effort, he has developed a revolutionary gene therapy procedure. Now the most devastating of human diseases can be stopped in their tracks. But within weeks, his discovery has unleashed a deadly cancer epidemic. His life is threatened and everyone he loves becomes his enemy. As he searches frantically for clues, he discovers a long dormant secret hidden within the human genome. Dr. Newman realizes that malignant transformation in human cells is not a random event. The marked increase in malignancies has a more horrific explanation. Silent for millennia, Cancer is now awakening as a rationale entity with an agenda of its own. And unless it can be stopped, no one--least of all Dr. Robert Newman--has long to live.

Subculture


Charles Anthony Vilina - 2012
    Another is missing. And a Kentucky town lives in fear. Enter the world of Subculture, a new thriller that blurs the lines between literary fiction and pure genre fiction entertainment. Novelist Charles Anthony Vilina has woven a character-driven tale of murder and suspicion that has readers talking both nationally and abroad.A Kentucky community finds itself in shock and disbelief over the disappearance of two high school boys on a dark December night. Two months later, one boy's body is unearthed on the farm of a reclusive and enigmatic girl, a foreigner of Asian descent. Her arrest and subsequent trial for murder forces this community, and the reader, to appraise their personal beliefs in the face of their deepest fears.For readers looking for a riveting murder mystery, Subculture won't disappoint. For those willing to read between the lines, this new novel dares to examine society's best and worst attributes in the face of fear.

Her Honor's Bodyguard


Johnny Ray - 2012
    When his dad died, leaving him and his mother penniless, he dropped out of law school and ended his relationship with Noella, but in doing so, he stopped a scandal that could have ruined her family. These secrets he would never let her know. Ironically, years later, he would have never guessed she would be instrumental in ruining his career with the Tampa police force. After Noella finished law school and started pursuing her goal of working up the ranks in judgeships, she never considered inviting another guy into her life. As such, when someone attempts to threaten her into vacating her seat on the bench, and by force if necessary, she knows of no one else she really trust as much as Vance, who now has a successful bodyguard and private detective business.She knows that Vance might hate her for her part in having him dismissed from the police force, but what he will never know is that she actually saved him from going to prison. Additionally, she now thinks he was framed, and perhaps by the same people who are threatening her. She had to talk him into taking her on as a client . . . but would he agree to her request?As the number of attacks on her life increases, Vance soon has no choice but to offer her his protection, and in spite of everything, when they see each other again their old attraction for each other returns. She wants the truth. He wants the truth. However, making the ultimate sacrifice is not always easy to understand, whether given or received. Ultimately . . . could they now trust each other with these secrets? While their lives depend on discovering the truth to their past, these truths are locked in deep secrets that could also destroy them.This novel is available also in paperback, hardback, and audio.

The Public Pretender


M.D. Cliatt - 2011
    On her last day at work, a juvenile probation officer she despises drags a weeping young girl before an irritated judge for an unscheduled hearing. Maeven can’t resist the girl’s pitiful pleas for help and decides to intervene. While defending this girl, she discovers people are profiting from imprisoning innocent kids in juvenile placement facilities, but whom? A juvenile psychologist who tries to expose the kids-for-cash scheme is murdered, but he’s left clues. When her oldest son is arrested and detained on false charges, her husband receives a message proposing an offer: Maeven quits her job and the case or they lose their son. Her husband insists that she choose their son. The problem? She won’t sacrifice one for the other.

Follow the Money


Fingers Murphy - 2011
    GET READY TO LOSE SOME SLEEP!"ALWAYS ASSUME PEOPLE ARE LYING, BUT NEVER ASSUME YOU KNOW WHY."Oliver Olson went to law school to help people.But when one of the world’s most prominent law firms offers him a high paying summer job, he thinks he’d be crazy not to take it. He soon finds himself enthralled by a world of wealth, privilege, and power. Blinded by his gilded new world, Ollie is slow to see that something is not right with the case he is assigned to work on - a case with no chance of winning, given to a "summer associate" merely to keep him busy. Are people following him? Is he imagining things? Are they listening to his conversations? Why are people coming out of the woodwork with a sudden interest in a twelve year old murder case? And is it really possible that the wrong man went to prison?Ollie wants to succeed, but when he sacrifices his own moral standards for a shot at the big time, he winds up staring down the barrel of a gun.When you’ve sold out and can no longer follow your heart, you can only FOLLOW THE MONEY.This novel is 75,000 fast-paced words.About the Author: Fingers Murphy is the pen name of a well known international criminal defense attorney.

Murder in a Good Neighborhood


K.K. Chalmers - 2011
    So when Roxanne finds the body of a beautiful young woman the week before Halloween, she is more than happy to leave the detecting to her son Marc, an Eastport, Virginia homicide detective...until a retired astronaut who also happens to be an old flame is arrested and the abbess from a nearby monastery insists Roxanne must help clear his name. Only neither woman realizes that by unmasking a killer, Roxanne is placing someone she loves in mortal danger.MURDER IN A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD was the 2009 winner of the Best Unpublished Novel Contest sponsored by James River Writers and Richmond Magazine. (63,800 words)The author is currently writing a sequel.

An Indecent Death


David Anderson - 2011
    The plot is compelling, the characters are finely-drawn with charming quirks and the sense of place is familiar enough to make the story as unsettling as it is enjoyable to read." ~ Morley from Nova Scotia"I really enjoyed this mystery. It kept me guessing all through the read. Trust me - I usually figure out the mystery before I finish the book. I hope to read more from this author." - Review from Smashwords"This is a riveting murder mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end! It's skillfully written, with such plausible characters that you feel these people could be real. The plot is logically developed to a climax that you won't see coming! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Det. Sgt. Drumm's first case, and look forward to many more." ~ Diane from Ontario"This is an entertaining mystery that kept me guessing. I thought I had the murderer figured out and the detective sergeant didn't know what he was doing. I was wrong." ~ Ginney from Oregon"This book is well written and very entertaining. Drumm is a great character, well developed, as are the others. Lots of possible suspects for the murder and the answer is revealed in a suspenseful way. I always enjoy the sub plots of the lives of the detectives and these are well done." ~ Pat from Ontario"I enjoyed this book immensely. The story was compelling, and Anderson did an excellent job of tying up myriad loose ends into a neat package." ~ Jim from FloridaWhen sexy, seventh grade teacher Paula Noonan is found murdered in a nearby park, Detective Sergeant Nicholas Drumm of the York Police Services is called in.Drumm's previous experience as an elementary teacher comes in handy when the investigation leads him to Paula's school, and a host of suspects, including the school's creepy janitor, an abusive spouse, the principal, a moody and leering fifth grade teacher and the angry and aggressive father of one of her students.If you are a fan of Louise Penny or Peter Robinson, you will love the twists and turns of An Indecent Death.

Crossed


C.J. Graves - 2012
    After dodging bombs in Iraq as an MP, cheating husbands and insurance fraud seem like a walk in the demilitarized zone. But when a young girl is found murdered at a local Christian rock concert, Jayden's military instincts kick in, and any hope for peace and quiet blows up in her face.The case plunges her into the midst of a powerful church family. Hirshel Lightner, the head pastor, tries to crush her investigation. Even worse, Jayden finds herself attracted to Hirshel’s son-in-law, Adam--a man who could be the killer. If Jayden isn’t careful, she might be the next victim.

Charlie's Bones


L.L. Thrasher - 1991
    What she got was a skeleton, suspicious cops ... and Charlie. Ex-truckstop waitress/new heiress Lizbet Lange inherited a mansion from her ex-husband, who neglected to put in an outdoor, Olympic-size pool in the back "grounds" before he died. So, thinking it would be just the thing to cheer her up, seeing as how she's young and alone, she sets up a "dig" with the local pool company, who promptly unearth a human skeleton. And if that isn't bad enough, what with the cops and FBI and all, tromping around in her back yard, thirty minutes later the skeleton's owner, also shows up, albeit in ghost form, and asks Lizbet to help him find out who murdered him back in 1969!

Headhunters


Charlie Cole - 2011
    Simon's industry happens to be the international spy game. When tragedy rips his life apart he relocates to a new town and starts over, only to find that his old life has followed him home. Pursued by industrial spies, domestic terrorists, and his old boss, Simon must unravel a plot to steal secrets from the Department of Homeland Security and frame him for murder. Cut off from official channels and hounded by the police, Simon recruits his own rogue team of operatives to take down the conspirators.

Girl in Trouble


Stacy Claflin - 2017
     Alex Mercer is no stranger to kidnappings. The emotional scars still run deep from his sister’s disappearance years earlier. His daughter Ariana remains safe long after her adoption, and he cherishes the few times a year he gets to see her. The joy is palpable when he takes her on their first one-on-one outing. At least until he pauses to answer a text and Ariana disappears… Wracked with guilt and determined to find answers, Alex teams up with an unlikely ally at the police department. As the clues reveal a pattern of missing girls, the kidnapping case becomes a race against time to save Ariana. What cost is Alex willing to pay to keep his daughter alive? Girl in Trouble is the first book in a series of thrilling stand-alone novels spun off from the USA Today bestselling Gone Trilogy. If you like heart-pounding suspense, page-turning action, and characters you’ll never forget, then you’ll love Stacy Claflin’s engrossing new series.

Still Waters


Misha Crews - 2010
    A disturbing photo that can't be explained... A woman drowning in an ocean of secrets... In 1950s Virginia, beautiful, serious Jenna Damont seems to have found the life she's always wanted. But underneath the shallow gleam of her bright suburban world, murky truths are waiting to surface. On the morning that her husband dies in a tragic accident, Jenna finds a shocking photograph of him in the arms of a beautiful woman. And before she can ask him about it, he's gone forever. Five years later, Jenna has buried her questions and remade her life. But the reappearance of an old love stirs up guilty questions, and she realizes that some secrets weren't meant to be hidden. The deeper she dives for answers, the darker the water gets. How will she find happiness for herself and her family, when every step she takes towards the strange and awful truth seems to lead her right back to her own home shores?

Only the Strongest Survive


Ian Fox - 2011
    What is behind this horrific crime?Raised in a strict religious institution, Emely never knew her parents. Fearing a life of poverty, she starts up a small business that deals mainly with buying and selling stocks. Thanks to her extreme dedication and knowledge, the company grows over time into a major conglomerate. In her desire for ever greater financial security, this beautiful, ambitious CEO has accumulated a number of enemies.But now she finds herself locked in the basement of a remote house in the middle of a forest, watched over by one of her captors who makes her buy and sell stocks for him so he can get rich. Her challenge to survive becomes even more complicated when Emely's captor falls in love with her. ...Check out the great review I got from the independent Midwest Book Review: Another intriguing opening marks Ian Fox's style, which is to grab the reader's attention from the first paragraph of description: "Emely Donnovan, the CEO of Donnovan Corporation, slipped out of her black Porsche Carrera GT sports car and hurried to the entrance of the office building. "Here are the keys, Mr. Kruger," she said to the porter. "The usual space, please."The day proves anything but usual for fast-paced CEO Emely, one of the wealthiest women in America, when she is kidnapped and buried alive; and the story that evolves will delight mystery and thriller readers who would initially predict quite a different outcome from the initial events.As Emely and her kidnapper evolve some unusual bonds, a strange dilemma comes to unfold: what happens when terrorism and a plot for financial gain changes to unexpected romance which is experienced on both sides?There has been much written about emotional connections between victims and captors that evolve as a response to a struggle for survival on the victim's part - but none hold the depth and dilemma of ONLY THE STRONGEST SURVIVE, where the captor himself is drawn to his victim. At first the two are separated by their different objectives: hers to survive, his to reap financial gain: "When she lay on the bed or sat at the desk, she replayed the memory of what had happened to her. She thought about it so much that it gave her a headache. When she wasn't thinking she was crying, and when she wasn't crying, she was asleep.John was not thinking of her. His thoughts revolved around the money that would soon be in his account. Every morning he rang his bank to check the balance. He knew that a transfer from abroad took at least three days, but still hoped that things would perhaps happen sooner."Add to the budding romance other protagonists who have different interests in the changing situation plus swiftly changing motives and treachery and you have a story that follows no predictable path ... and herein lies its delight.Ian Fox's writings will prove compelling to readers who seek complexity and difference in plots. ONLY THE STRONGEST SURVIVE is especially recommended for readers who, in the past, have read many thrillers with too few real surprises. Those who seek the thrill of the unexpected will find Ian Fox's works satisfying on many levels: filled with the depth, detail and turns that you just don't find in too many novels nowadays.Link: midwestbookreview.com/mbw/feb_12.htm#...

Archaea


Dain White - 2011
    Captain Dak Smith saw in her something special, an opportunity to burn for the far horizon as an independent, free from the gloms that hold known space in thrall – but he had to get her running first.Armed with a standard-issue captain's eyebrow and an infectious grin, Captain Smith and his hand-picked crew embark on an adventure through deep space filled with scoundrels, pirates, and some incredibly unfortunate peace-loving rocks that happened to be at the wrong place, at the worst time.

Doppelganger Experiment


Margaret A. Millmore - 2011
    Dreams of a mysterious green building infiltrate her sleep, but are they just dreams or are they memories? As she struggles to recapture a life she doesn't remember she discovers clues to a lost love and dangerous experiments that lead to murder. More flashes of memory and a re-acquaintance with an old scientist lead her to an investigation into the mystery of the green building and the discovery of horrific experiments that end in murder... and something worse than murder. She learns her best friend has betrayed her and the husband she is trying to know and love is not who he says he is. With her trust shattered and her life precariously close to falling apart, she is more dedicated than ever to finding out who is behind the green building and the horrible things that happened there, that happened to her there. The more she learns, the more danger she is in.