A fascinating study in dark and evil... The stuff of Great British grit and dark, dark humour … Barlow provides plenty of twists and turns before the truth is revealed. But what is most enjoyable about Barlow's writing isn't his story archs or plotting, but his characters, dialogue and sense of place... Beautifully cinematic… far more cinematic than a McDermid or a Rankin. Crimefictionlover.comBarlow throws in plenty of twists before everything is untangled, since of course nothing in the case is exactly what it seems to be, and he spins the yarn in fast-paced, very readable prose. He also does a good job with the setting, the English city of Leeds, and made me feel like I'd been there. HOPE ROAD is a fine novel, the first in a series, and I look forward to reading the others.Rough EdgesHOPE ROAD: a crime thriller - You can't change your past. But what about your future?John Ray, son of crime boss Antonio 'Tony' Ray, is the straight one of the family. With a successful business and a lifestyle to match, he wants nothing to do with his father's criminal world. But what does that world want with him?A young prostitute is found dead in John's car, and Freddy Metcalfe, his best friend and employee, is framed for her death. Freddy denies everything but it's an open and shut case: he's going down for murder. John sets out to find the real killer.But things get complicated. A stash of counterfeit money was also found in John's car, and the police seem more interested in that than in the dead girl. Then Lanny Bride turns up; one of the north's most ruthless criminals (and an old friend of the Ray family), Lanny is desperate to know who killed the girl. But why? Meanwhile, Freddy is too scared to talk to anyone, even his lawyer.John's police detective girlfriend, Denise Danson, has been warned off the case by her boss. But she doesn't believe Freddy is guilty, and secretly helps John look for the murderer. The problem, though, is that uncovering the shocking truth about the girl's death will force John to confront his own criminal past and risk destroying his future, as well as losing the only woman he's ever loved. A novel set in Leeds, this is the first crime-mystery in the LS9 series.

    In Jean Heller’s first mystery featuring the scrappy newspaper columnist, Deuce finds out in short order that if you mess with organized crime, you have to be tough—and you’d better be as much detective as reporter. When she walks into a seedy neighborhood bar in a suburb of Chicago–-all six feet of her, topped with auburn curls—she’s searching for a human-interest story. What she finds is Vinnie Colangelo, an aging mobster living on bad beer, cheap bourbon and regret for the life he wasted.Vinnie hints at secrets much bigger than his rap sheet should entitle him to, and Deuce immediately discovers that somebody’s willing to kill to keep those secrets buried. She uncovers a series of crimes committed over nearly six decades, and, as her human interest story morphs into a hard-boiled, action-packed mystery, she finds herself dead center in a storm of threats and reprisals from the mob.It’s not enough that the mob’s after her, and corrupt government is concealing the evidence that would explain why; even her own editors, frightened of lawsuits and losing subscribers, want her off the story.Fortunately, she has many allies: a network of loyal co-workers and contacts, even an ardent new admirer. But which ones can she trust? At least one of them, she suspects, is hiding a secret–- corruption? Murder? The veteran reporter knows: if you’re talking Chicago crime scene—it’s probably both.Though attacked in her home, stalked, and shot at, Deuce doggedly batters the well-oiled machinery of terror that has kept the secret buried so long. Heller meticulously builds her heroine’s investigation, as the evidence--and the danger--converge in a white-knuckling confrontation.

     When a woman disappears from a motorway service station, DI Charlie Lambert struggles to make any headway finding her. Missing person specialist DI Tanya Miller is called in to take over the investigation, but when it becomes a murder inquiry, she too is threatened with replacement. With a suspected serial killer on the loose, DI Miller must quickly muster her ad hoc team into action. But suspicions about the outsider are rife, and any delay might end in disaster. Is the young detective, woman in a man’s world, up to the task? After the missing woman’s body is found, mutilated and dressed in a wedding gown, the investigation closes in on the missing woman’s husband. He was certainly present at the time of her disappearance and had a possible motive. But following her instincts, Miller is not so sure. And when another woman goes missing, she takes the matter personally. Will Miller find the perpetrator before he strikes again? Based in Oxfordshire and the Midlands this detective murder mystery is set in the heart of England. If you enjoy crime fiction with plenty of twists and full of suspense, BROKEN ANGEL is for you.

    The used car salesman he finds sells her more than a Honda, though, and now Gemma has a dead body in the trunk, a sneaking suspicion of murder, and an entire police force who thinks that the victim is just another hooker. Gemma knows better, and her search for answers takes her to the roughest part of town and inside the world of pimps, dirty senators, and one oddly threatening blues singer. Somebody murdered poor young Opal, and Gemma is determined to catch her killer.Genre: Cozy MysteryLength: 30,000 wordsRead the series in order:Rear-view MurderMall Santa MurderMansions can be MurderCupid’s Corpse

    One of them can't cook, they're short a catering van, and the guest of honor at their first party is murdered.That would be bad enough, but then, Christy's cousin, Celia, becomes the prime suspect.Solving a murder is no easy task, but when drunken death threats, a dashing detective, and terrifying taxidermy are added into the mix, the case becomes almost impossible to crack. Who knew a small town like Fletcher Canyon could be filled with so much craziness? Will the disaster-prone duo find the real killer before Celia's reputation is destroyed, or will Celia end up in prison for murder? Find out in this quick comedy cozy!This novella is the first book in the Mom and Christy's Cozy Mysteries series, and is a complete mystery that you can read in an hour or two. It does NOT contain strong language or graphic violence. But it does contain a cute cat!

    In the 5th action packed Dublin tale by Patrick Emmett (Mike Faricy's Irish alter ego). US Marshall Jack Dillon is still detailed to Dublin's Special Investigative Unit. Once a headless body with a US Marine Corp tattoo is found floating in Dublin's Royal Canal Dillon is on the case. At every turn he seems to come up with more unanswered questions. Meanwhile a series of ATM robberies are occurring across the city and the police seem powerless to stop them and Dillon's looking for a missing American college student...but then Dublin can quickly become an amazingly small world. WHO WILL LIKE IT: Fans of Dev Haskell and rascals like him. Also the fans of Robert B. Parker, Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, Lee Child, Laurence Shames, strong Minnesota men, especially when transplanted to Ireland and drinkers of Guinness everywhere. "Faricy is the next Carl Hiaasen..." - Crime Scene "Faricy is America's hottest new mystery writer..." - The Dirty Lowdown

    But Doug is already working on a story of his own – tracking down a notorious rapist who has just been outed in Fife and thought to be heading for his parents’ home in East Lothian. Tapping his contact and sometime drinking pal DS Susie Drummond, Doug discovers that the woman who fell from the Scott Monument was the daughter of a high-profile MSP. Digging deeper, he and Susie are dragged into a story darker than they could ever have imagined – one that certain people would go to any lengths to keep hidden.

    . . Tabitha and her best friend Nancy have been inseparable for years, but when Nancy suddenly begins avoiding Tabitha shortly after the beginning of their senior year, Tabitha grows concerned. But before she has a chance to find out why Nancy has driven a wedge between them, she learns that Nancy has been murdered, and what’s even worse, the police seem to be looking at her as their prime suspect. Now not only does she feel like she owes it to Nancy to discover the identity of her killer, she also has to do it if she wants to keep herself from being arrested for a crime she didn’t commit. But as Tabitha dives deep into Nancy’s life, she discoveries secrets about her best friend that she never knew anything about. Secrets that will make her investigation more complicated and much more dangerous. Can she find out who killed her best friend? Or will her snooping around lead the killer to selecting her as their next victim? If you are a fan of fast-paced and suspenseful mysteries that keep you guessing then Even Good Girls just might be a book you want to add to your collection of mysteries!

    Nearby, a CIA officer lies buried under two feet of snow. Their secret meeting—sabotaged. When Emma Quinn gets a call in her Manhattan apartment—your grandmother, found dead—she has no reason to suspect foul play. But she is drawn into an intrigue that harks back to the beginnings of the Cold War—and forced to confront the truth about her family and history as we know it.

    . . Former police officer Elle Dahlia is a magnet for death. Still grieving the murder of her fiance, Dahlia travels home to attend the funeral for her stepmother. Haunted by the ghosts of her past, she finds herself staring at the bottom of the bottle.When a young woman is brutally murdered in her home, Dahlia discovers the victim was a young girl she watched over for many years. On a desperate path to avenge the girl’s death, she opens her own, unofficial investigation into the crime. Surrounded by secrets, Dahlia must connect the dots and find the murderer before he finds her.Heart wrenching and suspenseful, Coming Home is a journey into one woman’s soul as she hunts for truth, justice, and the man with evil rooted in his soul.

    Always. Samantha Harris walked away from her family, and magic, years ago. But when a string of murders rocks New York City, Sam can't help but notice that the placement of the bodies screams magic. Except no one in her family seems to pick up the connection. When she tries to give the lead detective a quick hint to send him in the right direction, Sam gets sucked further into the investigation than she ever thought possible. Now Detective Derek Pierce has to put together the half truths Sam is giving him and the facts of the case that get stranger by the second. The killer is closer to Sam than she could've imagined and Derek is the only one who can stop him from tearing her family apart, but only if he knows the whole truth. And the whole truth is exactly what could kill him.

    When workmen make the shocking discovery of a mutilated corpse in a ditch outside the ancient walls, Giles Vernon and Felix Carswell are charged with solving the case. Intelligent and practical, Chief Constable Major Vernon has transformed the old city watch into a modern police force, and he throws himself into the investigation with the same energy. But as he probes a murky world of professional gamblers and jilted lovers, he is drawn into a dangerous emotional game that threatens to undermine his authority. Newly-qualified police surgeon Felix Carswell is determined to make his way in the world on his own terms despite being the bastard son of prominent local grandee Lord Rothborough. Called to treat a girl in an asylum for reformed prostitutes, what he uncovers there brings him into conflict with his new employer, Vernon, and throws the case into disarray. Together they must overcome their differences and find the brutal truth behind the mystery of The Butchered Man. The Butchered Man is the first Northminster Mystery featuring intrepid early-Victorian detectives Vernon and Carswell.

    He’s uber famous. Who’s stalking who?Author Sally Speck has it all – a promising career, great friends, a loving family. So when superstar celebrity Tom Darlington takes an interest in her, she thinks, why not?But the fun fling soon turns into a nightmare, as she’s relentlessly hounded by the media and harassed by Tom's crazed fans. But more worrying is Tom's increasingly obsessive and frightening behaviour.As Sally's life crumbles around her, she learns a shocking family secret that threatens to tip her over the edge. Perhaps drastic action is her only hope of escape...What happens when a celebrity stalks a fan? Find out in this gripping psychological thriller about dark obsessions, family bonds spiralling out of control and just how far we’ll go when pushed past our limits.

    If she doesn’t work there, where has she been going?Matthew Gibbons thought he had it all – a house in a leafy Boston suburb, his wife Ruth and a beautiful son. But when one evening, after texting him ‘leaving now’, she doesn’t arrive home, and the staff at her office say they have no Ruth Gibbons working there, he sees his whole life collapse around him.What could have made Ruth walk away from her home and her family? When Matt tries to piece together his wife’s life, he finds he never really knew the woman he married, the woman who apparently died in a car crash three years earlier…

    the more I find.Ledger Stone is not the man I thought I knew.What I'd thought was a whirlwind romance has turned out to be a hurricane laced with lies.It started with one.Will it end with another? The Wife Lie is a domestic suspense novel where secrets are buried deep.Penny Stone gave up everything for the husband she thought she knew -- and now she must uncover the truth: just how much of her marriage was a lie?And is their love worth fighting for?