Mystery Reads

The Big Dive by Bruce W. Most

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For the second time in Joe Stryker’s headline-grabbing career as a street cop, a partner is brutally slain in the line of duty . . . almost in front of Joe’s eyes.

In this sequel to the award-winning Murder on the Tracks, set in 1951 Denver, Joe faces two baffling questions: How did the killer pull off such a brazen murder and escape? And why was Joe’s partner—a by-the-book cop—murdered while burglarizing a pawnshop?

To protect his dead partner’s reputation—and save his own career—Joe must conceal his investigation from his new partner, his superiors, even his wife. All while dodging a homicide detective hell-bent to pin the crimes on Joe.

Facing betrayal from unexpected places, Joe’s investigation leads to a ring of dirty cops—and a dark secret reaching back to the shameful internment of Japanese-American citizens in relocation camps during World War II. Before Joe can answer the baffling questions and track down the brutal killer, he once again must risk his career, his marriage . . . and his life.

“Joe Stryker is back in this tour-de-force novel by award-winning author Bruce Most.”
Novelist Doug Hawk

Targeted Age Group:: 18 and up

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Two things inspired me. After Joe Stryker's debut in Murder on the Tracks, I simply wanted to spend more time with Joe. Like children, characters are your creations, and you want to spend as much time as possible with them. I wanted to follow Joe as he struggles with his strained marriage (now complicated by a child), deals with a changing social and economic world in post World War II, and pursues his quest for justice while clashing with his superiors on the police force.
The second inspiration for the book was two actual historical events I built the plot around: a massive Denver police scandal of crooked cops in the 1950s, and America's abhorrent treatment of Japanese Americans in World War II. So both personal and outside forces twist together for Joe to create what I think is an exciting mystery.

Featured Book: Obsession by Belinda Austin

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On Sale for .99!
Forced into marriage by a shotgun wedding, Dr. Brad O’Boyle and his wife, Ronni, have always had a horrible marriage. When Brad returns home from a medical convention, he seems transformed into a loving husband and father. But then Brad begins acting like a Jekyll-Hide. He is the nice Brad and then he is the Brad who looks at his wife as if he would like to kill her. Something bad happened at that medical convention.

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Featured Book: Croak, Monsieur! by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

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When Jules goes to Marseille to run an errand for the twins, she meets an exotic new friend who offers her a day trip on a French yacht to wash away the gloom of the post-apocalyptic winter Jules has just endured.
The trip promises everything Jules has been craving for the last six months…sunshine, rosé wine, exciting company, bracing sea air…and murder.
What starts out as a pleasure cruise quickly turns into the sail of the damned as, trapped on a boat with a killer, Jules scrambles to find out who not to turn her back on.

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Featured Book: Rizzo’s Rules by George Mazzeo

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A classic Hard-Boiled mystery in the style of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Mickey Spillane. Lou Rizzo is a private eye with a drinking problem. He barely scratches out a living catching wayward husbands. Not very glamorous, but it pays the bills. When his best friend dies in a suspicious accident, the victim’s family asks him to investigate. He reluctantly agrees and soon finds himself drawn into a web of lies and intrigue. Add to that, someone is trying to kill him. To solve the case, he must conquer his personal demons, sort out the clues and stay alive.

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Once Upon a Trailer Park by Maggie Pill

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A new series that’s suspenseful, hilarious, and focused on mature spouses with loving (but sometimes contentious) relationships.
*Once Upon a Trailer Park* begins with a murder on the streets of the Beautiful Bird RV Park in Palm Hill, Florida. As residents learn bits and pieces about the crime (some true, some less so), they form and reform theories of the killer’s identity. It’s the park weirdo. It’s the ex-wife. It’s the victim’s employer.
Residents want to find out the truth, some due to friendship, some from fear, some to protect themselves. It soon becomes clear that asking too many questions leads to danger. In fact, it could spell disaster.

Targeted Age Group:: Adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My Sleuth Sisters Mysteries are very popular, but after seven books, I was looking for something new and fun. People in the RV park we winter in suggested a book about "us," and I'd been wanting to do something with husbands and wives. Like the sisters in my Sleuth Sisters series, the couples in this book love each other but don't always see the world in the same way. That makes for irritation…and humor.

Collateral Carnage: Money. Politics. Big Pharma. What could go wrong? by Christine Saper

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Money. Politics. Big Pharma. What could go wrong?

As PTSD therapist Claire Wilheit is about to learn, a whole helluva lot.

A chance after-hours encounter with a fellow therapist reveals falsified patient files and thrusts Claire into a conspiracy poised to revolutionize treatment for US veterans now and for future generations, with deadly collateral damage.

Locked in a race against time to stop the release of one of most dangerous pharmaceuticals ever developed, Claire is plunged into an intrigue of corruption, runaway egos and medical hubris.

But she’s up against greed, power and a clock that’s about to run out.

Targeted Age Group:: adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Anger and fear. The anger part: Living in Phoenix, AZ, it has been impossible to miss the many scandals and horrendous treatment the veterans have experienced at the hands of the Phoenix VA – of course Phoenix isn't alone, but has been rather a ground zero for exposure. Given my background in health care administration and public health, I find Big Pharma to be a social poison in this country. The fear part: a Congress that lacks the backbone to stand up to drug companies and lobbyists of all ilk, dark money, and the threat of privatization of the wrong things.
Setting the book in the near future gave me a chance to explore these themes and leave readers with a subtle warning about things that require our engagement and vigilance as citizens.

Featured Book: Fries and Alibis: Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Mitzy Moon Mysteries, Book 1) by Trixie Silvertale

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A gift that’s too good to be true. A murder she didn’t commit. A barista in a latte trouble…

Fries and Alibis is the first book in the hilarious paranormal cozy mystery series, Mitzy Moon Mysteries. If you like amateur sleuths, small town intrigue, and a dash of the supernatural, then you’ll love Trixie Silvertale’s twisty whodunit.

Buy Fries and Alibis to serve up the guilty today!

Buy Fries and Alibis: Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Mitzy Moon Mysteries, Book 1) Here

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Featured Book: Murder in the South of France by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

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When her sister dies, Atlanta copywriter Maggie Newberry flies to the south of France to find the little niece that no one in the family even knew existed. Along the way, she finds handsome sexy Frenchman Laurent Dernier to help with the search. Meanwhile, her sister’s murderer sets his sights on the little girl—and Maggie.

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Featured Book: Escape to Osprey Cove by Luisa Marietta Gold

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The mystery begins with an unusual find in the secret compartment of Doug’s new Corvette. It will forever change his and Catherine’s life. Doug’s mysterious behavior after the find forces Catherine to seek escape at The Osprey Cove Lodge. What she finds at the lodge turns out to be far more valuable than Doug’s find. Follow the suspense, mystery, and romance of Book 1 of The Osprey Cove Lodge Series.
Authors Note: The Osprey Cove Lodge series is uniquely written, spanning seven geographic locations from the scenic Canadian region of the Rideau lakes to the beautiful shores of the Caribbean. An interesting web of mystery develops as the characters’ lives intertwine. The setting for The Osprey Cove Lodge was born from my love of the beauty of this region in Canada. The description of the lodge is so beautiful and inviting that you will want to pack your bags and head there.

Buy Escape to Osprey Cove Here

Featured Book: The Stranded in Provence Mysteries, Books 1-3 by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

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Ever wonder what you’d do if someone pushed the re-set button on the world?
The Stranded in Provence Mysteries tell the story of an American woman on vacation in the south of France when the unthinkable happens. After a dirty bomb explodes over the Riviera she finds herself stranded in a French village where daily life is essentially sent reeling back to the 1950s.
So now forget solving crimes with DNA or accessing massive criminal databases. Likewise forget worrying about international terrorism, because that’s now gone too. But you can also forget spending hours on your smartphone, tablet, computer or even TV set.
On the other hand, the bistros are all still open, the produce and cheese markets still run every morning, bicycles dominate the wide avenues instead of cars, and for a budding amateur sleuth and now permanent ex-pat, any murders she stumbles across will have to be solved the old-fashioned way—with brain power and shoe leather.
Oh, and it turns out that romance still works the same as before too.

Buy The Stranded in Provence Mysteries, Books 1-3 Here

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Featured Book: Sins of the Father (The Chronicles of Detective Marcus Rose) Volume 3 by A.D. White

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Detective Marcus Rose enters the emergency room on a stretcher in critical condition after someone has shot him three times. The story then jumps back four weeks to the murder case that ultimately leads to his shooting. Cops have found
25-year-old Sarah Murphy in her home with a fatal stab wound in her back and
through her heart. The number “347” is written in blood on a bathroom mirror. Two other recent killings, one in Virginia and the other in Maryland, have the same M.O., from the manner of death to the bloody number on a mirror. Marcus and his partner, Detective Logan Steele, lock onto a suspect quickly, even if they initially only connect him to two of the victims. As the local newspaper picks up the story and dubs the serial killer “the Boogey Man,” Marcus, believing there’s a chance they don’t have the right culprit yet, continues to investigate. Deciphering the cryptic numbers at the scenes may be the answer to solving the murders. In this story, the homicide unit’s new sergeant, Reginald Powell, offers comic relief, as his
intermittent mumbling renders orders incomprehensible. The lead detective (Marcus Rose) is, as always, profound. He’s a germophobe who often uses hand sanitizer, but it’s apparent that Marcus is also trying to wash away “the stink of crime,”
especially at home with his wife, Gina. You will be anticipating the confrontation that lands Marcus in the hospital. The twists and turns will leave you holding on as you arrive at the stunning conclusion.

Buy Sins of the Father (The Chronicles of Detective Marcus Rose) Volume 3 Here

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Featured Book: Free Falling by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

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A fun family vacation turns into an apocalyptic nightmare when a couple and their young son find themselves trapped in the Irish countryside during an international crisis. Isolated and alone, this suburban American family reaches deep within their reserve of brains and courage to survive.

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Featured Book: The Body Next Door by Gay Yellen

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$0.99 AWARD WINNER! Trouble sticks to Samantha Newman like gum on the sole of a shoe. She’s in desperate need of a new job, a place of her own, and a fix for her rocky relationship with cyber-security expert Carter Chapman. Now there’s a dead man next door, and his missing wife is holed up in the borrowed apartment where Samantha is staying. Dragged into the investigation, Samantha catches the attention of a suspicious homicide detective. To make matters worse, there’s a stalker haunting her balcony. Could it be the real killer? Nearly undone by fear and uncertainty, she must navigate a minefield of secrets to redeem her reputation and reclaim the life she deserves. Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem and Reader’s Favorite Award-winner!

Buy The Body Next Door Here

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Welcome to Mystery Reads

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Looking for your next great mystery? We are here to help you find it. From sleuths to suspense and even romance, we are looking for the best mystery books for you to read. Come join our newsletter to stay on top of our latest finds and maybe even win a book!

Let us know your favorite Mystery genre and what you would like to see on our site.

Notes on a Missing G-String by Winona Kent

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The first time we met Jason Davey, he was entertaining passengers aboard the Alaska cruise ship Star Sapphire, Eight ‘til Late in the TopDeck Lounge.

Then he came ashore, got a gig playing lead guitar at London’s Blue Devil jazz club, and gained a certain amount of notoriety tracking down missing musician Ben Quigley in the Canadian north.

Now Jason’s back again, this time investigating the theft of £10,000 from a dancer’s locker at a Soho gentlemen’s club.Jason initially considers the case unsolvable. But the victim, Holly Medford, owes a lot of money to London crime boss Arthur Braskey and, fearing for her life, has gone into hiding at a posh London hotel.

Jason’s investigation takes him from Cha-Cha’s and Satin & Silk (two Soho lapdancing clubs) to Moonlight Desires (an agency featuring high class escorts) and finally to a charity firewalking event, where he comes face to face with Braskey and discovers not everything Holly’s been telling him is the complete truth.

As he becomes increasingly drawn into the seamy underside of Soho, Jason tries to save Gracie, his band-mate’s 14-year-old runaway daughter, from Holly’s brother Radu, a ruthless pimp, while at the same time protecting Holly herself from a vengeful Braskey – nearly losing his life, and Gracie’s – in the process.

Targeted Age Group:: Adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I'd written about my main character, Jason Davey, in a previous novel set on a cruise ship in Alaska (Cold Play). He was such fun to work with that I wanted to bring him back, this time as an amateur sleuth working in London. I'd never written a full-on mystery before, even though I've been a huge fan of mysteries (print, tv and films) all of my life. Jason's working in a night club called the Blue Devil, which is in the heart of Soho, which is an area in transition – it used to have a very dodgy reputation, but it's currently in the process of reinventing itself. I wanted to tap into the last vestiges of the "red light" districts in the heart of Soho. I'd watched "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" on tv, and read the books that the series was based on, and I was intrigued by the life of someone who chose to make a living as an escort. I was also fascinated by the lives of women who chose to perform in "gentlemen's clubs"…and that intrigue and fascination made its way into the story as Jason is asked to investigate the theft of a considerable sum of money from an exotic dancer who is also working as an escort.

Look Over Your Shoulder by Kim O’Shea

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DS Louisa Williams struggles against the odds to bring the serial killer to justice before he claims any more victims. Two women have already been brutally strangled and Louisa finds herself battling her new DI, as well as the odds, to catch the murderer. With her job on the line, she comes to rely on her colleague Millie and the handsome acting-DC Mark Ward in her fight for justice for the victims and for herself. Mark proves himself to be an invaluable member of the team and Louisa is quick to notice this and seeks his help throughout the case. Will Louisa be able to fit the pieces of this tangled investigation together before her DI transfers her back into uniform? What secret is DI Oakes hiding and will Louisa have the courage to reveal it? Look over your shoulder. You never know who’s behind you.

Targeted Age Group:: 30-70

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I have always loved reading or watching mysteries. My favourites are Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Lewis and Hettie Wainthrop. I wondered if I could write my own mysteries so I took the plunge. I made lots of notes, researched police procedures and then settled down to write an outline.
Bit by bit, word by word I got to know my characters and began to explore my original idea – murder without too much blood or gore.
My characters soon took on a life of their own and DS Louisa Williams was created.

The Christmas Thief by Julie Carobini

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The Christmas Thief is book 1 of 3 in the Cottage Grove Mystery series (Print available for entire series only. Search Cottage Grove Mysteries).

There’s a thief in Cottage Grove, and Tasha’s a suspect. Not exactly the dream she’d had in mind when she moved into her rustic fixer-upper cottage.

Marc Shepherd wasn’t part of her plans either. The Stetson-wearing contractor moved in next door, kicking up dust and threatening to cut down a beloved pine that shaded Tasha’s cabin.

With Christmas around the bend, and a criminal threatening the community’s peace, will Tasha solve the puzzle … before it’s too late?

“A perfect holiday season escape.” ~ Amanda Flower, USA Today Bestselling Author

Targeted Age Group:: 18-65

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
This one actually began years ago after I'd written a few chapters of a romance and sent them to a publishing house. The editor at the time wrote back and asked, "Would you send the rest?"

I was thrilled. So while my little kids napped and played and wreaked general havoc – they're all young adults now! – I wrote the remaining chapters and sent them to the publisher. The book was rejected. Broke my heart, but I wrote another book – and that one was rejected, too. Sigh.

Eventually, I had my first sale, which led to many other book contracts. I never forgot about Tasha and Marc in the town of Cottage Grove, though. Admittedly, when I dusted off that original manuscript, I realized it needed work. So I called my mom, Elaine, a longtime mystery fan, and asked her to brainstorm with me. The result was The Christmas Thief.

Crumbs on the Stairs – Migas en las escaleras: A Mystery in English & Spanish by Karl Beckstrand

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(Humor, bilingual) WHERE did all the crumbs come from? A Hispanic child takes readers on a finding and counting search for the crumb culprit. Includes full text and pronunciation guide in English and Spanish. “Elevando la Lectura Bilingüe” – Tania Navarro, El Observador (ages 2+/ESL, 24 illustrations, hard/soft/ebook)

Targeted Age Group:: 2-12

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
It ambushed me.

The Mute of Pendywick Place and the Torn Page by Alydia Rackham

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London, November 3rd, 1881. A young woman slips through the curtains of fog down Pendy Corner, to the 26th house in the row. She vacillates at the gate. For past that sullen door, she must seek the help of the distinctively eccentric and impatient young language expert named Basil Collingwood. The fate of Europe, and indeed, the free peoples of the world, may depend upon getting him to understand her. The only trouble? She cannot speak a word.
Brace yourself for a heart-pounding, romantic romp through Victorian London, rivaling the best of Doyle and Dickens–for this is only the beginning of a series that will sweep you from the glittering pomp of Hampton Court, to the smoky slums of Shoreditch, up the stairs to 221B Baker Street, and to the murky waters of the River Thames, alongside brilliant, peculiar and outcast characters who find themselves at home within the walls of a sulking old brownstone wedged into a winding London lane: a house known by both Sherlock Holmes and the Queen of England simply as Pendywick Place.

Targeted Age Group:: young adult/adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I was an English major in college, and I adore British Literature, especially Austen, Dickens, Tolkien, and Doyle. I've loved Sherlock Holmes ever since I met him, my favorite book of all time is "A Christmas Carol," I get swept up in the intrigue and humor of all of Jane Austen's stories, and I so enjoy the rich mythology of Tolkien. I also grew up with the film "My Fair Lady," and had the honor of being in the theatrical production twice: first as Mrs. Higgins, then as Eliza Doolittle. "The Mute of Pendywick Place" is a hybrid of everything I love about British Literature, from the language to the history to intrigue to the humor. And especially the mysterious romance of it all. I love these misfit characters who inhabit this dour old house in the middle of Pendy Corner, and I know you will enjoy having tea and chasing along with them on their adventures as much as I do.

Seven Deadly Sinners by Carmel McMurdo Audsley

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A drought, a flood, an outback pub – and a serial killer. There’s no electricity, no phone and no way out. After years of drought, the rains have finally come and the rivers are rising fast. The roads become impassable. When strangers are stranded at an old isolated pub in Outback Australia in 1957, they soon realise that a serial killer lives among them. Can you guess whodunnit? A quick read novella.

Targeted Age Group:: 18+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I like to travel in the outback and have visited lots of isolated pubs, where there are no other people around for hundreds of miles. I wondered what it would be like to be trapped in a wild and lonely place, with a bunch of strangers, and one of them turned out be a cold-blooded killer. I created characters that could easily have existed in 1957, and wanted to give the reader a feeling of what it would be like to live without mobile phones, electricity, enough water to bathe or a proper toilet.

The Moon Warriors: A Novella by Kayla Krantz

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Talia is on a mission. One that will end with her breaking both rules of her Coven—don’t use magic for evil and don’t cross the boundary.

For years, the witches and demons were at war. The only solution was a boundary put between them that neither of them were to cross at the risk of breaking their treaty. To find the truth of her beloved Ian’s death, Talia must follow the clues he’s left behind, the ones that warn he wasn’t the witch she knew. He had a dangerous secret, one that not only caused him to cross the boundary but also left him at the mercy of the demons.

On the other side, Talia realizes the demons are nothing like she’s been told. Wrapped up in the growing mystery of Ian’s death, Talia is joined by a hunky but concerned demon named Marcus. As he guides her through Ian’s secret world, Talia begins to suspect that the demons weren’t responsible for Ian’s fate after all. With the help of Marcus and her familiar, Mushroom, Talia is plunged into the depths of danger and black magic where she makes a startling discovery—the people she loved the most were the dangerous ones all along.

Targeted Age Group:: New Adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
This story was actually inspired by an amethyst crystal that I saw in a store. I loved the way that it reflected the light in the store, and I wondered how it would react to moonlight. Somehow, that blossomed to an entire character and world.

She Doesn’t Want the Worms! Ella no quiere los gusanos: A Mystery in English & Spanish by Karl Beckstrand

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(Humor, bilingual) Top 10 Best Books of 2011 – ForeWord Reviews. “Delightful book…humorous rhyming text…bright illustrations” – Ana Rodriguez for School Library Journal. A STEM book about a bi-racial girl who responds to some unusual gifts–that happen to be alive! Includes full text and pronunciation guide in both English and Spanish, bug finding activity, and online secrets (3+ years for ESL, 24 illustrations, hard/soft/ebook)

Targeted Age Group:: 3-12

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
The story came and pestered me.