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Die Laughing 2: Five More Comic Crime Novels
Ben Rehder - 2014
He's working a routine case, complete with hours of tedious surveillance, when he sees something that shakes him to the core. There, with the subject, is a little blond girl wearing a pink top and denim shorts—the same outfit worn by Tracy Turner, a six-year-old abducted the day before. When the police are skeptical of Ballard's report—and with his history, who can blame them?—it's the beginning of the most important case of his life.LAST CHANCE LASSITERPaul LevineIn this prequel to the “Jake Lassiter” series, the linebacker-turned-lawyer faces overwhelming odds. Fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend, Lassiter rents a grungy law office in a Miami Beach parking garage. What else could go wrong? Well, he could be disbarred for punching out his own client. As for cases, the down-and-out lawyer has only one. Lassiter represents Cadillac Johnson, an aging rhythm and blues musician who claims his greatest song was stolen by a top-of-the-charts hip-hop artist. The evidence is long gone and chances of winning are slim. Except for one thing. “If your cause is just,” Lassiter says, “no case is impossible.”CLIENTParnell HallStanley Hastings couldn't be happier. He had his first paying client, and the assignment was straight out of a forties noir movie, tailing the man's cheating wife and snapping pictures of her at a motel. If only he hadn't fallen asleep on stakeout. When he wakes up the woman is dead, the murder weapon is in his car, and a small town police force straight out of In the Heat of the Night has him cast in the Sidney Poitier role. To clear his name—and get paid—Stanley will have to figure out who his client is, who killed the woman in the upstate motel, and who was the resultant corpse!RADIO ACTIVITYBill FitzhughFM rock deejay Rick Shannon has just been fired from his latest Classic Rock station. He’s thinking it’s time to get out of radio once and for all. But when a famous deejay disappears in Mississippi, Rick gets a job offer to take over the slot. So he packs his bags and moves back to his home state where he comes across a tape of an illegally recorded phone conversation that might explain the fate of the missing deejay. Rick starts looking into the matter, and before you can say “Stairway to Heaven” he’s uncovered a scheme of blackmail, arson, murder, and a major FCC violation. Based on an illegal recording made by the author (and former FM rock deejay), Radio Activity redefines classic rock.CALABAMA Steve BrewerWhen a speeding Corvette flies over his head, leaving him without a scratch, Eric Newlin decides it's an omen and his life is about to change. He's right. Within days, he's broke, homeless, unemployed and getting divorced. He falls so far that he ends up involved in a kidnapping scheme with hillbilly crimelord Rydell Vance. Leavened with dark humor, CALABAMA takes a wry look at California's rural, redneck interior, a bitter, precarious place where it's easy for an outsider's life to spiral out of control.
Precious Things: Some things are worth killing for.
Marie Reyes - 2021
Port Danby Cozy Mystery Series: Box Set
London Lovett - 2019
But their unexpected arrival is nothing compared to the shock of what happens next. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Lacey 'Pink' Pinkerton finds herself caught up in another unexpected murder mystery.
-Tulips and Trouble (Book 5)
Lacey Pinkerton is busy getting ready for spring at Pink's Flowers and at the same time Port Danby is bustling with activity as it prepares for its annual flea market in the town square. In the midst of it all, a talented group of artists has shown up with their easels to paint pictures of the Pickford Lighthouse. When one of the artists turns up missing and then dead, Lacey works alongside of her favorite detective, James Briggs, to solve the murder. What she doesn't expect is to end up on the murderer's short list of enemies.
-Dahlias and Death (Book 6)
Lacey Pinkerton and the town of Port Danby are preparing for the annual Fourth of July celebration at Pickford Marina. Lacey's parents are coming to stay for the week. Lacey and her friends at the Port Danby Garden Club are excited to set up a fundraising booth at the festivities. But the patriotic celebration is cut short when one of the club members is found dead. While her trusted and handsome partner Detective Briggs is dealing with a personal issue, the unexpected return of his ex-wife, Lacey works hard to tamp down the disappointment and find the killer.More in the series:Book 7: Peonies and PoisonBook 8: Hyacinths and HomicideBook 9: Crocuses and CrimeBook 10: Sunflowers and SabotageBook 11: Lavender and LiesBook 12: TBA
Fashion Goes to the Dogs: A Kate Killoy Mystery - Suspense for the Dog Lover
Peggy Gaffney - 2015
Could Not Put Book Down - 5 stars "Peggy's description of the dog show scene is perfect and twisting a plot into the NY show was artful. Love introduced, politely and with good manners, leaving the reader hopeful the relationship continues in the next book. Where does Dillon go now that he is a champion dog? Ah, wait, wait...there will be more books." Sandra M. McDonald Can't wait for the next in the series! 5 stars "This book is a pure delight! ... Peggy writes a good action story, gives great insight into the dog show world, and develops a lovely love story, all around a very strong woman with classic self doubts. What a nice, nice read!" Susan H. An enjoyable story. 5 stars "I like dog books, detective stories, mysteries, and just about anything written well. This one had all of that. Although I haven't met the author personally I know her by reputation in the dog world, so I wanted to see what she had done. Within a few chapters it drew me in. I wanted to know what was going to happen, and found I was beginning to like the characters, which is a big deal to me. Even the names she used were easy to read. Her character development is better than you expect from a first time novelist, and the plot is well thought out with surprises in the right places. I was trying to ration the book and read just a few chapters at a time, but when I started reading today I decided to ignore the world until I finished. It's that good. I haven't enjoyed a book as much as this in ages." Ron Manor. FASHION GOES TO THE DOGS Kate Killoy is an expert at two things; knitting design and dogs. She arrives in New York City to launch her first line of fashion knits and exhibit her champion Samoyed, Dillon, but instead is drawn into a foreign world of international intrigue and attempts on her life. She even finds a dead body on her fashion show’s runway. When this witty romantic suspense story begins, it’s February. Fashion week is winding down and the country’s best known dog show is gearing up for a week of activities. In steps twenty-four year old Kate Killoy who has been showing dogs since she the age of seven and is launching a career as a designer. She is ready to take the fashion world by storm – those fashionable who love dogs. She’s invited her dog breeding friends to model her line of Fancier Fashions, before they compete in the best known dog show in the country. However, when she arrives at the event hotel she finds a poster of herself she never posed for, an FBI agent ready to arrest her and a bitchy dog groomer upsetting all her models. Her Irish temper and New England stubbornness keep her going ‘til the attempts on her life start piling up to the point where the police complain she is ruining the year’s crime statistics. She needs help. Along comes Harry Foyle, a former math geek for the FBI, who offers to help.
Rising From the Ashes
Katy Pierce
Allie Grecco will make them pay.Allie Grecco is living a double life. Thoughtful friend, office drone, and girly college student by day, she becomes a deadly hunter by night, lurking New York City’s seediest alleys to eliminate scumbag predators the cops can’t—or won’t—catch.Since her discharge from the military, it’s the only thing that keeps the nightmares at bay. But everything changes when Allie realizes she’s not the only hunter out there.When one of her sting operations is interrupted by another ex-military operator, Allie learns a secret about her day job at Soldiers for Hire, and is soon put to the ultimate test... a case that could alter the course of her life forever.A civil rights lawyer is missing, and the cops have declared her dead. It smells like a cover-up. Allie Grecco won’t have it. Not on her watch.Rising From the Ashes is book one of Katy Pierce’s Allie Grecco series, perfect for fans of L.T. Ryan. A thrilling roller-coaster ride of one soldier’s journey to face her demons—vigilante-style.
The Silent Sister
Diane Chamberlain - 2014
Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she's in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality, in this engrossing New York Times bestselling mystery from Diane Chamberlain.
The Secrets You Keep
Kate White - 2017
She’s still recovering from a devastating car accident that has left her haunted by recurring, smoke-filled nightmares. Worse still, she can’t shake the ominous feeling her dreams contain a warning. In the beginning, Bryn’s husband Guy couldn’t have been more supportive. But after moving into a new house together, disturbing incidents occur and Guy grows evasive, secretive. What the hell is going on, she wonders? Then, a woman hired to cater their dinner party is brutally murdered.As Bryn’s world unravels—and yet another woman in town is slain —she must summon her old strength to find answers and protect her own life. Her nightmares may in fact hold the key to unlocking the truth and unmasking the murderer.With unexpected, riveting twists, The Secrets You Keep is an utterly compelling psychological thriller that once again showcases Kate White’s extraordinary storytelling talent.
Murder In Miami: A Forest Pines Mystery
Duncan Whitehead - 2017
The FBI claim they need her expertise; but is she just the bait? Meanwhile, as the killings continue, Jenny finds herself embroiled in a mystery involving the board members of a run down condo building in Fort Lauderdale.
The Choir Director Wore Out: The Final Chapter (The Liturgical Mysteries Book 15)
Mark Schweizer - 2018
His writing skills have not improved (despite using Raymond Chandler's typewriter to bang out his hard-boiled prose), but his crime solving prowess is still first rate. He'll need it, since murder seems to abound in the little Appalachian town of St. Germaine, North Carolina. St. Germaine is in a season of change: a couple of new shops have appeared on the square; the Great Smoky Mountain Renaissance Festival has just opened out at Camp Possumtickle; and St. Barnabas Church has a new priest, straight from France. As well as having his Episcopal appointment from the bishop, Father Moneyduck is also a famous mystery author and detective. It's a good thing, because the police department has a raft of homicides on its hands with no end in sight. Of course, they do things a little differently in France ... Hayden Konig's 15th (and final!) mystery The Choir Director Wore Out It s not what you expect ... It's even funnier!
Littered with Trouble
Eryn Scott - 2022
She never imagined she would be a widow before the age of forty. To cope with the sudden loss of her husband, Lou moves across the country to live near her best friend in a town as cute as a button. Even though it means quitting her fancy New York editor job, she now owns the bookstore of her dreams. Well, almost. She definitely didn’t dream about a dead man showing up in her alley. Found with no identification, the police plaster the man’s face everywhere, along with the name of her bookshop, inundating Lou with negative press before she can even open. Worse, Lou was one of the last people to see him alive, and she didn’t even get his name.Worried the mystery man’s family is left without the answers she so desperately needed in her husband’s death, Lou tries to help find the man’s identity. On closer inspection, she realizes her conversation with the mystery man was full of clues. Starting with a confusing book page he left behind, Lou follows the trail. If she can solve this mystery, her bookstore might have a chance at being known for something more than murder.
Before I Let You Go
Kelly Rimmer - 2018
call is the first time Lexie Vidler has heard her sister’s voice in years. Annie is a drug addict, a thief, a liar—and in trouble, again. Lexie has always bailed Annie out, given her money, a place to sleep, sent her to every kind of rehab. But this time, she’s not just strung out—she’s pregnant and in premature labor. If she goes to the hospital, she’ll lose custody of her baby—maybe even go to prison. But the alternative is unthinkable.As weeks unfold, Lexie finds herself caring for her fragile newborn niece while her carefully ordered life is collapsing around her. She’s in danger of losing her job, and her fiancé only has so much patience for Annie’s drama. In court-ordered rehab, Annie attempts to halt her downward spiral by confronting long-buried secrets from the sisters’ childhood, ghosts that Lexie doesn’t want to face. But will the journey heal Annie, or lead her down a darker path?Both candid and compassionate, Before I Let You Go explores a hotly divisive topic and asks how far the ties of family love can be stretched before they finally break.
Into the Water
Paula Hawkins - 2017
Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she'd never return. With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present. Beware a calm surface—you never know what lies beneath.
Watch Me Disappear
Janelle Brown - 2017
No body—only a hiking boot—has ever been found. Billie’s husband and teenage daughter cope with her death the best they can: Jonathan drinks, Olive grows remote.But then Olive starts having waking dreams—or are they hallucinations?—that her mother is still alive. Jonathan worries about Olive’s emotional stability, until he starts unearthing secrets from Billie’s past that bring into question everything he thought he knew about his wife. Together, Olive and Jonathan embark on a quest for the truth—about Billie, their family, and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we love.