Mrs. Thistlethwaite and the Magpie: A Tillamook Tillie Mystery


J.B. Hawker - 2017
    Thistlethwaite and the Magpie: "Super early review on Mrs. Thistlethwaite book from beta reader, Lisa Hudson: AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT!! I've been a fan of J.B. Hawker's fantastic writing for sometime. This book is outstanding!! Her ability to use elderly characters - Matilda Thistlewaite and Slim Bottoms - is brilliant!! These characters (as well as all the other characters) are painted so vividly that you feel as though you would recognize them if you met them in your local church, grocery store, or neighborhood. The story is set in a small town and reflects the devastation and fear brought by the disappearance of a young teenaged girl and the evidence of the return of a serial killer. The author seamlessly weaves the story and has you wanting to read the entire book in one sitting. It's about friendships, families, First Responders, and the criminal element. There are a myriad of surprises scattered all throughout this book. Read it. You'll be so glad you did!! " Fans of Miss Seeton and Mrs. Pollifax will welcome the indomitable Mrs. Thistlethwaite. Like these beloved, mature characters, at the ripe old age of eighty-five Mrs. T. is ready for whatever comes her way. When a beautiful and talented teenage ballet student disappears, rumors fly in the charming village of Tillamook, Oregon. Did she run away to the big city, or is she the latest victim of the notorious serial killer preying upon lonely young women along the coastal highways? Beguiling octogenarian, retired school teacher, Tillie Thistlethwaite, applies her exceptionally sharp mental skills and no-nonsense practicality to the mystery. Petite Mrs. T. and her tall gentleman friend, Slim, reject both theories and launch their own investigation. Will the amateur sleuthing of this unlikely and adorable pair succeed where the police fail, or will they fall victim to foul play?

Field of Fire


James O. Born - 2007
    Born was hailed as "the real thing" by Elmore Leonard; Shock Wave was called "a constant blitz of action" (The Miami Herald); and with Escape Clause, Born was celebrated as "the best thing to happen to Florida crime writing since Elmore Leonard hit the Sunshine State" (Chicago Sun-Times). Now Born takes it to the next level with a remarkable novel of corruption, fraud, and the messy business of murder by explosives. Since returning from Bosnia, ATF agent Alex "Rocket" Duarte has been slowly reacclimating to life in South Florida. But when a gunrunner's car explodes, Duarte's life kicks into high gear in a high-profile hunt for what appears to be a serial bomber. Teamed up with a lawyer from the Department of Justice who herself is looking into possibly related bombings in Virginia and Seattle, Duarte crisscrosses the country, following the bomber and hoping to anticipate his next move, but as he peels away the layers of deception, the lines between friends and enemies begin to blur-and the results are explosive.

The Veiled One and An Unkindness of Ravens


Ruth Rendell - 1988
    Before he can find the answer, he’s nearly killed himself—by a politically motivated car bombing targeting his activist daughter. With the inspector in the hospital, the case falls to his partner, Mike Burden. But when a strange mother and son are suspected, Burdon’s trail leads him down a very twisted road.  An Unkindness of Ravens: When a neighbor’s husband vanishes, Chief Inspector Wexford suspects the cad most likely ran off with one of his girlfriends. However, there are a few nagging concerns, like the man’s suspicious letter of resignation and his abandoned car. And is it just a fluke that his disappearance coincides with a rash of stabbings—all straight through the heart, all with male victims? Behind the seemingly placid domesticity of Wexford’s Sussex neighbors, there’s a growing web of tangling secrets, double lives, and triple-crosses.

For Old Crime's Sake


Rose Pressey Betancourt - 2014
    A routine investigation leads to something major when she stumbles on what she believes is murder. Rival reporter Bill Dangerfield is interested in the case too. Chase doesn’t need him getting in the way of her solving this mystery. Marc Marquez the rookie police officer offers to help Chase, but she doesn't know how deep the New Orleans Police force are involved in the criminal activity. Chase is positive she witnessed a cop disposing of a corpse. Voodoo, suspense, dirty secrets, and the temptation of two gorgeous men won’t stop Chase from scooping this hot report.

Amber Beach / Jade Island / Pearl Cove : Three Books In One


Elizabeth Lowell - 2002
    Howe; engineered by Luann Kindem. Honor Donovan has been shut out of Donovan International by her father and four brothers. When her brother Kyle vanishes, along with a fortune in stolen amber, Honor's questions are ignored by the Donovan males. Defying them, she heads to the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest in search of answers. Jade Island, read by Sandra Burr, directed by Laural Merlington; engineered by Jill Sovis Wild, rugged, and restless, Kyle Donovan has freed himself from the constraints of his father's high-powered global gem-trading empire to become a treasure hunter for his own business, Donavan Minerals and Gems. Now his older brother Archer, President of Donovan International, has asked Kyle to get to the bottom of the disappearance of cultural treasures from the Tang vaults. Pearl Cove, read by Dick Hill; directed by Ruth Bloomquist; engineered by Jeremy Spanos. It is desperation that inspires young widow Hannah McGarry to call Archer Donovan. She only saw the man twice in the past ten years, and he struck her as a cold, ruthless piece of work. But as a silent partner in Pearl Cove, her late husband's pearl farm business, Donovan might be willing to help her...if the price is right.

Tea & Sympathy


J. New - 2021
    Former Agony Aunt. Purveyor of Fine Teas. Accidental Sleuth.When Lilly Tweed former agony aunt with the local newspaper is made redundant, she takes the opportunity to pursue a lifelong ambition, to open The Tea Emporium in the small market town of Plumpton Mallet.But with her replacement making a hash of the column, it’s not long before she is once again being sought for valuable advice.When the body of a local woman is found drowned in the river, the contents of her pockets reveal a letter from Lilly and she’s unwillingly drawn into the case.But is it just a tragic accident, as the police think? Lilly isn’t convinced, but pursuing her own inquiry means it isn’t long before she gets into hot water.

A Haven in Ash


Robert J. Crane - 2017
    A horde of beasts known only as the scourge has ravaged the land, leaving only the village of Terreas to survive. Hemmed in on all sides by the scourge, the denizens of Terreas eke out a lonely existence, trying to survive in a land that is all but dead. Jasen Rabinn is a teenage boy trapped in Terreas but with a mind rooted outside the boundaries of his village. He longs for adventure, and when the mysterious Baraghosa – a sorcerer of a sort not native to Luukessia – comes to Terreas, a chain of events is set in motion that will carry Jasen beyond his simple town. To adventure. To danger. To his destiny.

The John Connolly Collection #2: The White Road, The Black Angel, and The Unquiet


John Connolly - 2012
    It's a case that nobody wants to touch, deeply rooted in old evil—and old evil is Charlie Parker's specialty. He's about to enter a living nightmare, a dreamscape of sorrow haunted by the murderous specter of a hooded woman, by a black car waiting for a passenger that never comes, and by the sinister complicity of both friends and enemies in Larousse's brutal death. Soon, all will face a final reckoning in an unearthly realm where the paths of the living and the dead converge. A place known only as the White Road. THE BLACK ANGELWhen a young woman disappears from the streets of New York City, ties of friendship and blood inevitably draw ingenious, tortured detective Charlie Parker into the search. Soon he discovers links to a church of bones in Eastern Europe, a 1944 slaughter at a French monastery, and to the myth of an object known as the Black Angel—considered by evil men to be beyond priceless. But the Black Angel is not a legend. It is real. It lives. It dreams. And the mystery of its existence may contain the secret of Parker's own origins. THE UNQUIETDaniel Clay, a once-respected psychiatrist, has gone missing. His daughter insists that he killed himself after allegations surfaced surrounding the harm done to patients in his care. Now, a killer obsessed with finding the truth about his own daughter’s disappearance is seeking revenge—and private investigator Charlie Parker finds himself trapped between those who want the truth about Clay’s disappearance to be revealed, and those who will go to any length—no matter the cost—to keep a deep, dark secret about a local town hidden.

Blue Descent


David Wood - 2019
    We replaced it with the edited draft as soon as we were made aware. Please accept our apologies for the mistake. A legend of the deep guards the secret to eternal life! Dane Maddock just wants to hunt for treasure and leave his past behind. After a series of tragedies, the former Navy SEAL and his crew travel to the Bahamas in search of the wreckage of Maelstrom, the flagship of notorious pirate Riddick Blackwood. But what they find sets them on a hunt for one of the greatest legends of the New World—The Fountain of Youth! But has their discovery unleashed something terrible upon the world? As the deaths mount, Maddock and his partner Bones Bonebrake must prevent a dangerous shadow organization from seizing the power that lies beneath the waters. Classic archaeological adventure for the modern reader! Fans of Indiana Jones, Dirk Pitt, and National Treasure will love the Dane Maddock Adventures

Werebear Scare


Nova Nelson - 2021
    Now in her mid-forties, she’s starting to feel like she’s seen it all.But that’s about to change.When a simple case of a missing werebear takes an unexpected turn, Eastwind’s angel sheriff enlists Ruby’s psychic gifts to help find the culprit. But a string of suspicious attacks and rumblings of an old sinister legend lead Ruby True and Sheriff Bloom into uncharted territory.Will they find the one responsible for the carnage before it finds them?Werebear Scare: An Eastwind Witches Paranormal Cozy Mystery is the first book of the Ruby True Magical Mystery series that takes place 30 years before the Eastwind Witches Cozy Mysteries. If you like strong female friendships, gossipy quaint towns, and lighthearted humor, you will love Nova Nelson's delightful tale!Buy Werebear Scare to solve the mystery today!Note: This is a second edition and was previously published under the series True & Bloom.

Blood on the Bulb Fields


Judith Cranswick - 2009
    As if coping with difficult passengers were not enough, one of them disappears in mysterious circumstances. Suddenly a full-scale investigation is in swing headed by the autocratic Peter Montgomery-Jones who doesn’t make Fiona’s job any easier. The reason quickly becomes clear. The missing man was undercover on the trail of diamond smugglers. When his body turns up Fiona must face the fact that she has a murder in her party.The body count quickly mounts up when they move on to Amsterdam and Fiona needs to work out which of her passengers is the killer before she becomes his next victim.

Killing Season: Part 1


Faye Kellerman - 2015
    Ben was the one to discover her body in a shallow grave by the river’s edge on the first anniversary of her disappearance. On that day, he made a promise to Ellen that he would do whatever it took to find the monster who kidnapped and strangled her.Several years later, the police believe Ellen was the victim of a serial killer known as the Demon, but Ben isn’t convinced. As a math whiz, Ben is able to see patterns that don’t match. And when he researches other similar unsolved murders, he’s convinced the killer is still out there stalking more young girls. Though Detective Sam Shanks, the lead cop on the case, thinks Ben’s obsession has gone too far and warns him to back off, he refuses to give up. But when Ro Majors, the most popular girl in school, offers to help him, Ben not only finds an ally in the beautiful cheerleader he’s quickly falling hard for, but he also learns they share a bizarre coincidence that brings them closer together.As their search leads to the grisly discovery of the corpse of Katie Doogan, Ben becomes more desperate than ever to find this cunning, methodical killer before he strikes again.Find out what happens in Killing Season, Part 2, as the danger intensifies when Ben and Ro travel to California in their search to uncover a serial killer's identity.

Contagion / Invasion / Chromosome 6


Robin Cook - 1999
    Robin Cook's signature cutting-edge suspense and bold strokes of reality. The consequences of managed health care in an age when even the wariest consumer may be at risk is the catalyst for Contagion, while a sinister cabal involved with unacceptable medical ethics provides the nerve-jangling backdrop for Chromosome 6. Invasion, published in hardcover for the first time, preys on our deepest fears as it explores a sudden outbreak of a disease unlike anything humankind has ever seen.

Jigsaw


Ted Miller Brogden - 2009
    On a rare, sober day he begins a casual search through college yearbooks and yellowed courthouse records in hopes of finding the one who got away. Instead, an unrecorded codicil suggests their one union was fruitful and reveals a possible heir to an old-moneyed family used to scams and scammers making claims against the estate. After run-ins with a cabal of bankers, lawyers, in-laws, outlaws, and even the F.A.A. Cape begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together...

Sleeping Dogs (Chronicles of Miller's Crossing #1)


Linda L. Chontos - 2016
    If the message it contains is true, the man convicted of a local murder thirty-six years ago is innocent, and the real murderer is walking free. Matty must decide if she is willing to uncover the truth, whatever the cost to herself and those around her. If that wasn’t enough, there’s trouble afoot in their little country church where Matty’s friend, Willa-Mae, is leading the charge to get things back to the way they were before the new pastor arrived with his new ideas.