Noughts and crosses should be innocent enough, but the American title brings a sinister slant… The state of the bodies is nothing but macabre, sickening. What do the clues mean? Forehead carvings. Drawing pins. A body part snipped off. The game grid has nine boxes for nine bodies, but someone else ruins Zac’s plan, meaning he has a spare box to fill. Who does he choose? And can Bethany ever get over the discovery of that victim? With some corpses discovered en masse, it might be time to call in DI Tracy Collier from Serious Crimes but, as usual, Bethany is determined her team will solve this, and she’ll do everything she can to make it happen.

    Not quite what he expected, and not for the faint of heart.Founded in 2012, The Center for Fiction's Crime Fiction Academy is the first ongoing program exclusively dedicated to crime writing in all its forms. Hone your skills with bestselling crime fiction authors Alison Gaylin and Jason Starr. Attend master classes with crime fiction greats like Mary Higgins Clark, Lee Child, Harlan Coben, Linda Fairstein, Nelson DeMille, Michael Connelly, Lisa Unger, and many more. Students receive a Writers’ Studio membership with access to our extensive circulating collection, and have the opportunity to read their work to an audience filled with editors, agents, and publishing professionals at our seasonal Crime Fiction Slam. Not in New York? Check centerforfiction.org for information about our online classes.

    He lived with his mother in the village of Llan, next door to bright, beautiful 19 year-old Anna Harris. But when Anna's battered body is discovered in a churchyard - and her bloodstained earring turns up Dai's pocket - he immediately becomes the prime suspect.

    She wants answers.Who really killed Vincent Kane's wife? Was it her lover, or is Kane far more devious then even the police suspect?In the end, Blue discovers the truth and learns that the human heart holds many secrets. BLUE STEELE 2 When Blue goes back to her hometown, a quiet visit turns into a nightmare, when her sister, Jenny, is accused of committing murder.With two of the town's leading citizens backing up the accusation, Blue knows that the odds are stacked against her sister. Determined to get to the truth, Blue keeps digging, and when the truth is finally revealed, it's darker and deadlier than she could have ever imagined. BLUE STEELE 3 Blue was looking forward to a day of self-indulgence, when a bank robbery at a local mall forces her into action. The robbers have taken the daughter of Blue's best friend hostage and Blue follows them in a relentless pursuit, determined to get the little girl back safely.With the help of a mysterious stranger, Blue tracks down the murderous thugs, however, circumstances soon turn deadly, and Blue and her new friend find themselves just moments away from death.With little Amy's life on the line, Blue pulls out all the stops and her captors soon learn why the female of the species is the most dangerous. BLUE STEELE 4 While working as a bodyguard, Blue tries to stop a robbery, but the bandits elude her and attempt to exit the scene of the crime.They're caught by the police before they can make their escape, but the money and jewels from the robbery are no where in sight.With no evidence to hold them, the cops must soon release the crooks and admit that they've been outsmarted.However, Blue is on the case and determined to solve the mystery, a mystery with a five thousand dollar reward. BLUE STEELE 5 Blue is on the hunt for a runaway bank robber, but a call from an old client sends her rushing to his rescue.Once the client is safe, Blue, with the help of an old friend, turns her attention back to the bank robber. However, when she finally crosses paths with him, the results are shocking, and deadly. BLUE STEELE 6 While searching for a bail skip in The Piney Woods of Texas, Blue gets dragged unexpectedly into a life and death struggle with a murderous madman. Coming in November BLUE STEELE BOX SET - CAPTURES 7-12

    The Deadly Jellybean Affair guarantees you another head-spinning murder mystery adventure by a retired witch. What secrets lie behind the brutal murder? And can she uncover them without drawing attention from the killer? A Retired Witch… A Cruel Murder… Can a few old tricks solve a crime? Left a very comfortable widow after her dear husband passed, Mary Tuttle has many abilities, some of which have allowed her to open the doors to her dreams, a bead shop by the name of Beads and Baubles. But when she stumbles across the body of a dead Morhollow party-girl, Mary discovers that there are much deeper secrets behind the attack of her newly hired employee, who was beaten, bruised, and hidden just out of plain sight. There is no questioning the fact that Mary is compelled to solve the case and find the killer… But she will need to return to her roots to do it. Faced with the realization she will have to dust off her spell books, consult with her domestic cat, and be sure to steer clear of the police investigation, Mary knows she will have to play things carefully to find out the truth.But she will need to return to her roots to do it. Of course, it would be a lot simpler if the Captain of the Morhollow Police Department didn’t happen to be her son. Can Mary narrow down the long list of suspects before giving herself away? Or will she take one too many risks and place herself in the sights of a killer?

    Accused of a murder she didn’t commit, the loving wife and mother is desperate to clear her name. Despite her violent past, there’s no way she could have beaten her co-worker, Eamon Taylor, to death with a shovel.But, the cops have good reason to suspect Noelle. The murder weapon has her fingerprints on it, the dead body was found in her car, and she was overheard threatening the victim. If she can’t figure out who wanted Eamon dead, her life could be ruined.As she gets closer to the truth, Noelle realizes the real murderer is someone seeking revenge. But, does the brutal killer want to make Noelle pay for long-forgotten sins … or recent mistakes?When her family is targeted, Noelle will do anything to protect her loving husband and two beautiful children, even if it means facing a sadistic psychopath. Can she defeat a deranged murderer, or will she lose the life she loves?

    Casey LePointe West is heiress to one of the greatest fortunes in America. Now, as Hurricane Katrina roars toward New Orleans, these two women are finding common ground in a city of ghosts and grandeur...Alexa as the FBI’s representative in a case guaranteed to destroy careers, and Casey as a woman whose husband has gone missing—and who herself may be the next victim of a brilliant manipulator’s rage. From the violent wards of an insane asylum to the primordial Louisiana swamps, Alexa is entering the darkest corners of a deadly mystery, peeling back layers of family secrets, hidden relationships, and a twenty-five-year-old crime. And as a raging hurricane gathers strength, she is plunged into a frantic race against time, in the eye of a storm of violence...and just where a ruthless killer wants her to be.

    Nine years. Nine years since she stepped over her mother’s drunken body and into a cold Alaska night running south, lost to her mother forever. How did she find me? She hesitates, not wanting to open the envelope, knowing the letter inside will drag her home; back into the bleakness of a life with no exit. Kris Gabriel, twenty-four, Alaska Native, and fierce like a wolverine, returns to Alaska—to find her mother murdered; shot in the face by the double-barreled blast of a shotgun. Angry her mother is pushed around even in death, guilty she abandoned her in life, Kris only knows to fight. Relentlessly, she tracks a trail of pain, of lost love, of lives ripped apart by the frozen north’s unyielding law of survival, never suspecting it’s not what her mother would have wanted. Never suspecting that she has far more at stake than finding her mother’s killer. Broken Angels is fast-paced Alaskan noir filled with richly drawn characters struggling to survive in a hostile country where there are no second chances.

    He pulls into the London Gateway Services, leaving Jennie in the car. But when he returns, she has disappeared. Frantic with worry, he turns to the police for help. The police doubt that Jennie exists: there is no trace that she ever existed.John, convinced Jennie was not a figment of his imagination, sets out in a desperate attempt to find the woman he fell in love with. He has the help of Detective Sergeant Kate Nielsen, herself haunted by a botched undercover operation that led to her being raped four years earlier.Everything he can remember of Jennie – where she worked, where she lived – turns out to be untrue. Nielsen, following John as he lurches from one lead to another, begins to wonder if Jennie could be the eleventh victim of a serial killer. Their investigation becomes increasingly urgent and threatens to bring back dark and murky images from Nielsen’s past.Praise for The Missing:“Karl Vadaszffy’s The Missing is a terrifying and perplexing debut mystery, spare and fast-paced with a terrific ending. I wouldn’t be surprised if it spawns a DS Kate Nielsen series.”
 Glenn Cooper (Library of the Dead and Book of Souls)“A thriller to make your pulse race. Desperation and frustration stain the pages – a cracking good read.”
 James Becker (The First Apostle and The Moses Stone)“Karl Vadaszffy delivers a real treat in The Missing, a thriller written with the passion and intensity of a master storyteller. Mystery, action, a flawed but determined protagonist, this book has it all. I’m a fan of Karl’s skill.”
 Matt Hilton (Dead Men’s Dust and Judgement and Wrath)“A mystery that grips, provokes and most definitely causes the spine to tingle. Nothing is as it seems in this suspense-laden tale, the pith darkening on each exquisitely written page. The Missing moves at a relentless pace, taking the reader on a journey into the twisted mind of a very dark soul. A spellbinding thriller.”
 C. M. Palov (The Templar’s Quest and The Templar’s Code)“The Missing plunges you into a nightmare scenario worthy of Harlan Coben at his best. However, this is more than a suspense novel, it is a perceptive and intriguing human drama. All the interactions ring true and the characters – even the monsters – are always believable.” Elly Griffiths (The Crossing Places and The Janus Stone)
“The Missing is a fast and compelling book, by turns tender and brutal, with a pounding sense of approaching crisis. The author’s command of the scenes is impressive.” Patrick Lennon (Corn Dolls and Steel Witches)“The Missing is a nightmare of a book, triggering a reader’s darkest fears and keeping him in a state of tension from the first page until the last.” Thomas Perry (Strip and Silence)"Karl Vadaszffy's 'The Missing' is a superior thriller, at once an exercise in vicarious paranoia and a horrifyingly convincing look into the mind of a killer. It's a shame Hitchcock isn't around to film it, it's exactly the kind of story he did best." Scott Phillips (The Ice Harvest and The Walkaway)“Karl Vadaszffy is just the sort of writer we should encourage – young, ambitious and creative.” Michael Dobbs (House of Cards and Winston’s War)Visit karlvad.com for Karl's official website.