Crooked Little Vein


Warren Ellis - 2007
    What he got was a virtual cattle prod to the crotch, in the form of an impossible assignment delivered directly from the president's heroin-addict chief of staff. It seems the Constitution of the United States has some skeletons in its closet: the Founding Fathers doubted that the document would be able to stave off human nature indefinitely, so they devised a backup Constitution to deploy at the first sign of crisis. In the government's eyes, that time is now, as America is overgrown with perverts who spend more time surfing the Web for fetish porn than they do reading a newspaper. They want to use this "Secret Constitution" to drive the country back to a time when civility, God, and mom's homemade apple pie were all that mattered.The only problem is, no one can seem to find it . . .So who better to track it down than a private dick who's so down-and-out that he's coming up the other side, a shamus whose only skill is stumbling into every depraved situation imaginable?With no lead to speak of, and no knowledge of the underground world in which the Constitution has traveled, McGill embarks on a cross-country odyssey of America's darkest, dankest underbelly. Along the way, his white-bread sensibilities are treated to a smorgasbord of depravity that runs the gamut of human imagination. The filth mounts; it is clear that this isn't the kind of life, liberty, or happiness that Thomas Jefferson thought Americans would enjoy in the twenty-first century.But what McGill learns as he closes in on the real Constitution is that freedom takes many forms, the most important of which may be the fight against the "good old days." Like Vonnegut, Orwell, and Huxley before him, Warren Ellis deftly exposes the hypocrisy of the "moral majority" by giving us a glimpse at the monstrous outcome that their overzealous policies would achieve.

The Flats


Kate Birdsall - 2017
    When she and her partner, Tom Goran, are called to a new scene in an area of Cleveland known as The Flats, they find that a killer has taken that to new levels.As the investigation takes them deeper into the city’s seedy underbelly, the case hits frighteningly close to home when someone Liz loves is added to the list of possible suspects. While fighting her personal demons, she must also pick her way around the department bureaucracy to avoid being pulled from the case.Liz and Tom will need to solve the most mind-bending mystery of their careers, one in which their personal and professional allegiances—and maybe their sanity—will be tested. But Liz vows to bring the killer to justice at any cost.

When Murder Comes Home


Shana Frost
    Who is responsible? 
 Aileen Mackinnon ditched spreadsheets and a steady salary for the adventurous shores of Loch Fuar in the Scottish Highlands.
Now she's an amateur innkeeper to ten guests. But when one is murdered in his bed and an heirloom goes missing, can Aileen save the inn?
 DI Callan Cameron won't have her nosing about, but with another body he has little choice in the matter.
Tension sizzles as Aileen and Callan step into a world of murders, fibs and heists. They might not always see eye to eye, but can they agree whodunnit?JD Robb meets Agatha Christie in this pageturning murder mystery with a dash of romance.Grab your copy now!Best enjoyed in order: 1. When Murder Comes Home2. When Eyes Don’t Lie3. When Birds Fall Silent

The Virgil Jones Mystery Collection: State Of Anger / State Of Betrayal / State Of Control / State of Deception


Thomas L. Scott - 2020
    Or are they? With no witnesses and very little evidence, the Major Crimes Unit is ordered to find and stop the killers by any means necessary. Except when Virgil's long-lost adopted brother, a convicted felon named Murton Wheeler comes back to town, in trouble and on the run, Virgil knows it's more than just coincidence. He can't prove it...in fact, he's not even sure he wants to. As the bodies continue to mount, Virgil finds himself running out of options, knowing he has to choose where his true loyalties lie...with the people he's sworn to protect, or to the brother that left him behind when he needed him the most. But in the end Virgil discovers he never really had a choice, because the final bullet reveals a truth that will change his life forever.STATE OF BETRAYALTwenty years ago James Pope was shot to death in front of his twin children, Nicholas and Nichole, by a rookie cop named Virgil Jones. Now, as young adults, the Pope twins are looking for revenge against the man they hold responsible for the death of their father. Except twenty years is a long time and Virgil has a few other problems these days, the shooting of James Pope a distant memory. But when Nicholas Pope goes missing and his apartment is found covered in blood, his twin sister Nichole turns to the only person she can think of to help her, the one person who could never turn her away: Virgil Jones.STATE OF CONTROLVirgil is about to discover that time isn’t as linear as it appears and events from his past are about to repeat themselves. When they do, he’ll come face to face with pure evil, forced to make the kind of choice no man should ever have to make. State of Control is a thriller that will make you marvel at the mystery of existence. Filled with Thomas Scott’s unique blend of gripping suspense, humor, action, mysticism, and authentic characters, State Of Control is a story that examines the complexities of good and evil and shows just how far one man will go to stay in control of it all.STATE OF DECEPTIONVirgil Jones is about to learn a lesson the hard way. When the ground beneath your feet begins to shift, it’s not the future you have to worry about. It’s the past. A young female student has gone missing from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Patty Doyle is a Senior with her whole life ahead of her. In the middle of wrapping up her final semester she disappears without a trace, and what begins as a missing person’s case turns into something much more. Virgil thought the murder and mystery of Shelby County was right where it belonged…in his rear-view mirror. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

White Lies


Jeremy Bates - 2012
    Fearful for her safety, she lies about her destination in order to get him out of the car. But when she later discovers that he is a teacher at the same school, she finds herself feeding that initial lie with more lies.Then Katrina meets Jack Reeves. Handsome, charismatic and strong, he is exactly what she needs to extricate her from the expanding network of lies. She falls fast and hard for him. But when Jack lands himself in the middle of a grisly murder, she must decide whether to turn him in--or tell yet another lie.

Need To Find You


Joseph Souza - 2016
    Souza continues to be a master of character development."Yasmine 'Yaz' Weeks would prefer to forget her troubled past and the vile crimes committed against her, but when she discovers a hidden memoir in a kidnapped girl's cell phone, Yaz finds herself on the run with an opportunity for retribution. She soon learns that the memoir has the potential to ruin both the reputation of its late great author, Robert Cornish, as well as the reputations of many influential people.Whip Billings, an ex-cop, unwittingly becomes entangled in the mystery of the missing phone. Realizing that this newfound memoir could significantly hurt the sales of Cornish's classic novel, Force of Will, he begins to search for Yaz. But why are the cops, and a mysterious drug kingpin known only as The Viking, also looking for her?In his quest to find Yaz, Whip uncovers a vast network of political corruption, long hidden family secrets, and a series of reprehensible crimes. As the bodies in town begin to pile up, Whip knows that he must track down Yaz before she also turns up dead.

Seeking Justice


Lexy Timms - 2015
     Rachel Evans has the life most people could only dream of: the promise of an amazing job, good looks, and a life of luxury. The problem is, she hates it. She tries desperately to avoid getting sucked into the family business and hides her wealth and name from her friends. She’s seen her brother trapped in that life, and doesn’t want it. When her father dies in a plane crash, she reluctantly steps in to become the vice president of her family’s company, Syco Pharmaceuticals. Detective Adrien Deluca and his partner have been called in to look at the crash. While Adrien immediately suspects not everything about the case is what it seems, he has trouble convincing his partner. However, soon into the investigation, they uncover a web of deceit which proves the crash was no accident, and evidence points toward a shadowy group of people. Now the detective needs find the proof. To what lengths will Deluca go to get it? Seeking Justice is book one in the Justice Series. It will end on a cliff hanger. Seeking Justice - bk 1 Finding Justice - bk 2 Chasing Justice - bk 3

Vengeance List (Foley & Rose Book 1)


Gary Gregor - 2019
    But after his best friend is murdered and his newfound love kidnapped, Sam has to race against time to not only save his own life, but the life of the woman he loves.Can Russell and Sam put their past differences aside, and catch the killer before he claims another victim?

The Travis Club


Mark Louis Rybczyk - 2013
    His books receive little notice until he unearths a 100 year old mystery that the powerful had hoped would never have been uncovered. How far will the city's power brokers go to silence Taylor and his band of friend known as The Travis Club? Intrigue and romance bring this mystery alive in a one of a kind city, San Antonio.

Price of Justice


Alan Brenham - 2012
    For Detective Jason Scarsdale and police crime analyst Dani Mueller, the consequences of failure are unimaginable. When his beloved daughter, Shannon, is abducted by the killer and Mueller is taken hostage, will Scarsdale continue to play by the rules?

Caught Stealing


Charlie Huston - 2004
    But now Hank is here, working as a bartender and taking care of a cat named Bud who is surely going to get him killed.It begins when Hank’s neighbor, Russ, has to leave town in a rush and hands over Bud in a carrier. But it isn’t until two Russians in tracksuits drag Hank over the bar at the joint where he works and beat him to a pulp that he starts to get the idea: Someone wants something from him. He just doesn’t know what it is, where it is, or how to make them understand he doesn’t have it.Within twenty-four hours Hank is running over rooftops, swinging his old aluminum bat for the sweet spot of a guy’s head, playing hide and seek with the NYPD, riding the subway with a dead man at his side, and counting a whole lot of cash on a concrete floor.All because of two cowboys, two Russian mafia men, and some of the weirdest goons ever assembled in one place. All because of Bud. All because once, in another life, in another world, the only thing Hank wanted was to take third base—without getting caught.

Whatever You Love


Louise Doughty - 2010
    I am calm as I make this promise: I am going to find out what you love, then whatever it is, I am going to track it down and I am going to take it away from you.After the death of Laura's nine-year-old daughter, Betty, is ruled an accident in a hit-and-run, Laura decides to take revenge into her own hands, determined to track down the man responsible. All the while, her inner turmoil is reopening the old wounds of her passionate love affair with Betty's father, David, and his abandonment of the family for another woman.Haunted by her past and driven to a breaking point by her thirst for retribution, Laura discovers the unforeseen lengths she is willing to go to for love and vengeance.

Game of Fear


Glede Browne Kabongo - 2016
     Overachieving good girl Abbie Cooper has her future all planned out. As senior year at her elite private school kicks off, she has one simple goal: get into the Ivy League. But at St. Matthews Academy, nothing is ever simple. The pressure is overwhelming, the secrets are dirty, and the games are wicked. Abbie has a dirty secret—one that could destroy her chances of getting admitted into Princeton, and the lives of those closest to her. One morning, she discovers a note in her locker with the warning, “I know what you did”. Then a photo arrives in the mail. It captures her most shameful deed—the shocking blunder she can never erase, in glorious detail. Someone is out to ruin her, but who and why? The answer lies with the sender of the photo, a mysterious girl known only as The Avenger. For a price, she assures Abbie her secret will remain safe. There’s only one problem: The Avenger may not exist at all. If Abbie doesn’t uncover her true identity before acceptance decisions are made, it’s game over…

By Any Means


James Farner - 2018
    John Williams is determined not to be one of those men. When Harry Heard gives him a fake sword to sell to aristocrat Sir Albert Blackwood, his life changes forever. He meets and deals with industrialists, daughters of dukes, and knights of the realm. But all the while a mysterious serial killer, known only as the Breaker, is picking people off at will. When he makes Sir Albert Blackwood his target, John is forced to put the Breaker's brutal work to an end. Not only his future but his very life hinges on his success. As class and murder collide, can John leave his humble beginnings behind him?

Between a Rock and a Deadly Place


Zoey Chase - 2019
    When her grandmother passes away and leaves her the family campground, it seems like the perfect opportunity to find peace. But not everything is crickets and campfires.The handyman she was promised is less than handy, the campground has fallen into severe disrepair, and with a dwindling reservation list, there's no money to make improvements. Things are looking grim, and then a dead hiker makes everything worse. Can Thea find the killer before Cedar Fish Campground is forced to close forever and she loses everything... again?BETWEEN A ROCK AND A DEADLY PLACE is the first novella in Zoey Chase's Cedar Fish Campground cozy mystery series. For lovers of the outdoors and clean mysteries with a side of romance.