Mystery Reads

Walk the Plank by Marilyn Barr

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Walk the Plank by Marilyn Barr

Branko learns he will be sold into slavery when they dock in Charles Town, so he doesn’t hesitate to jump ship onto a neighboring sloop in the harbor. This boat will weigh anchor with him at the helm–once he decides what to do with the lady chained in the cargo hold who claims she’s a vampire.

Magda Dashkovari’s body has been given to science while she’s still living in it. Her prayers are answered when a pirate boards her boat, but she should have asked for her rescuer to be less bloodthirsty than she is…

Scientists hunt her in town, plantation owners hunt him from the north and south, Blackbeard blocks Charles Town Harbor to the east, and a war rages between settlers and natives to the west. These unlikely allies will have to link together to escape a life in chains…but will their trust in each other endure their journey to freedom?

Running with the Enemy by Lloyd Lofthouse

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Running with the Enemy by Lloyd Lofthouse

A US Marine is framed for a crime he didn’t commit. He has a choice to make, save the woman he loves, or prove his innocence. He can’t have both.

“Obviously drawn from the author’s first-hand experiences as a Marine serving in Vietnam … a rough but occasionally heartfelt war story … is quite good and has a lot to say about the nature of the conflict.”
— Judge’s comment from 21st Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.

When Push Comes to Shoot by Rena Koontz

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When Push Comes to Shoot by Rena Koontz

Emma Hunter’s tyrannical brother deserved to die, even if the manner of his murder was horror-movie gruesome. As a police lieutenant, she’s duty-bound to provide whatever assistance she can in hunting down her brother’s killer, but she doesn’t mourn his loss. Business acquaintances, former friends, and even his relatives agree the world is better off without the despicable bully.

With no clues and too many suspects, it looks like the murderer might be home free — until tenacious Detective Jared Jones’ suspicions turn to Emma’s sweet sister-in-law. Emma knows for a fact that her brother’s mentally and emotionally abused wife is innocent, but conflicting loyalties prevent her from speaking up and turning the investigation in the right direction. What’s best for her brother’s widow could cost Emma everything she values — her career, her reputation, even her freedom.

All the Colors of My Soul by Leta McCurry

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All the Colors of My Soul by Leta McCurry

What could drive a loving wife and mother to commit cold-blooded murder?

Growing up in the 1930s Santa Clara Valley, California, Neva Holiday wanted nothing more than to reach eighteen, have a beau, get married and mother a houseful of kids. Simple, quiet, peaceful.

As she blossoms into a young woman during high school, she finds herself torn between a life-long bond with the boy next door and her growing love for a handsome newcomer escaping the destitution of Dust Bowl Oklahoma. Before she can discover the desire of her heart, WWII tears her world apart, plunging her into years of fear and dread of receiving the telegram beginning, “We regret to inform you.”

A son brings joy, purpose and focus to her life until an insidious influence creeps into the family unawares, creating an unspeakable tragedy, forever shattering Neva’s dreams of quiet happiness, and forcing her to confront whether she will turn the other cheek or deliver cold-hearted retribution.

In a dizzying exposé of the human spirit, Leta McCurry weaves a riveting tale of a young woman’s descent into darkness. Emotionally gripping and magnificently crafted, this rich and heart-wrenching novel will keep you on the edge of your seat as you race to its extraordinary conclusion. — Heidi Thomas, Award-winning author of the “Cowboy Dreams” series.

All the Colors of My Soul is a sweeping twentieth-century historical fiction. If you like captivating character studies, poignant moral quandaries, and vivid snapshots of the past, then you’ll love Leta McCurry’s mesmerizing story. — Sally Bates, Award-winning author of Western fiction and poetry.

Targeted Age Group:: 18+
Heat/Violence Level: Heat Level 4 – R Rated

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Two tragic family incidents. The situations were similar but the responses of the individuals involved were vastly different. All the Colors of My Soul is not the story of either of those incidents, but was inspired by the different reactions of the human spirit to an unspeakable tragedy.

How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
Characters are always influenced to some degree by people we have known, particularly in childhood for me. Additionally there are those people who appear for an instant and then are gone, the slouched old man sitting on a park bench, his face a road map of life, the thin woman with a smelly infant slung on her hip, the child with the haunted eyes. They speak to me on a primal level and I remember them. I don't pattern characters after any one person, but exposure to all these are the bits and pieces of the mosaic that becomes a new identity in my stories. Beyond that, the stories themselves are a big factor in character development – kind of like the character rises to the occasion.

Book Sample
Inside my chest, my heart slowly expanded until it pushed against the constraints of my ribs and into my throat as if it would flow out and fill the room with something sparkling and golden, but warm and soft. I held my breath, wanting to extend the moment, to fill my hands with the manifestation of my love for him, to smear it on my face and arms, and his, where it would forever color our skin with a lasting testimony of my unspeakable love for him.

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Brink of Life by Rick Moskovitz

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Brink of Life by Rick Moskovitz

A woman plunges into consciousness in the midst of what seems like someone else’s life, sending her on a quest to discover who she is and to craft an identity that makes sense within her current circumstances. As she digs into the mystery of her life, she uncovers a top secret government organization plotting world domination and a clandestine vigilante organization dedicated to destroying it and is caught between these warring factions. Nobody in her new world is exactly who they appear to be, including herself. Identity, she learns, is complicated and inseparable from the body in which it resides.

Alchemy of Revenge by Athan Noel

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Alchemy of Revenge by Athan Noel

Leo has been betrayed,
Kira has been deceived.
Torn apart, love manipulated into hate, their world is irretrievably shattered as Leo is condemned to a hellish existence.
Dead to the world…
But not dead
A charismatic Israeli ex-assasin and a ruthless drug lord hold the key to Leo’s salvation. The decade-long machinations of an alchemy transforms despair into Revenge on those who stole Leo’s life.
Will he be able to generate hope from hopelessness and rekindle love from the ashes and reunite his lost and destroyed family?

Whispered Wishes by Sue Lilley

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Whispered Wishes by Sue Lilley

Three people are hiding secrets. Time is running out. Secrets can’t stay buried forever…

The reclusive millionaire is protecting his motherless young daughter. The last thing he needs is a romantic distraction. His new neighbour is an intrusion. Yet he can’t get her out of his head…

The ruthless celebrity photographer will stop at nothing and never looks back. He’s the fame-hungry darling of reality TV. But past demons are catching up with him and he’s clinging too close to the edge…

The woman has sworn off men forever. Duped and humiliated, she seeks refuge in her dream cottage in the middle of nowhere. But it’s almost derelict, far from the rural idyll she craves. The guy next door is maddening. A single dad, as hostile as he’s hot…

Then tragedy comes snapping at their heels…

The child goes missing. She’s alone in the depths of winter and the three are intent on blaming each other. After all that’s occurred, old hurts run deep and trust is not on the agenda. But they must team up to find her before it’s too late. Unless they bury their toxic past, they’ll squander all hope of a happy-ever-after.

If you like your relationships fiery and unpredictable, you won’t want to miss this suspenseful romance. Get right to the heart of this sizzling love triangle. An intriguing tale of bad choices and second chances.

Lost in Wildwood by Jason Ryan Dale

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Lost in Wildwood by Jason Ryan Dale

Joshua has been a thief all his life. The biggest score he’s ever seen just fell into his lap. There are stacks of cash in a backroom practically waiting for the right crew to grab them. The planning and preparation have been painstaking, but years in the game have brought Joshua to this moment . . . and he’s ready!

So why is there a knot in his stomach whenever Joshua wakes up in the morning? Maybe it’s because the job breaks every rule that has kept him safe all these years. It involves guns, shady partners, and powerful people who don’t appreciate getting robbed. Or it could be the beautiful girl who’s bringing out feelings Joshua thought were just for other people. The girl who’s making him wonder if there’s something more to life than just the next score.

Only two weeks to get everything set. When the big night comes, bullets fly and friends become enemies. This job is going to end in a test of all Joshua’s skills, and a reckoning with all his demons.

Bodyguard SEAL by Paige Tyler

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Bodyguard SEAL by Paige Tyler

Romance can be dangerous business…
Author Peyton Matthews never expected the price of fame would come to this. But someone has broken into her house in an attempt to steal the highly anticipated book in her YA romance series. A crazed super-fan? Or something more sinister? Either way, she’s on deadline and her publisher is taking no chances. Now she’s got a bodyguard, a hotter-than-hell Navy SEAL who’ll stay with her 24/7. Where she goes, he goes. All day, all night. And suddenly Peyton finds herself living out a romance plot.

But more than your heart can be broken.
Noah Bradley is on medical leave from active duty. With orders to do nothing, he’s about to lose his mind. A man can only play video games for so long. So, when his sister asks if he’d watch over a writer friend for a couple of weeks, Noah jumps at the chance to have something to do. No way did he expect the ‘writer’ to be a famous, walking-talking goddess who makes him more nervous than a room full of terrorists. But he soon realizes the quiet, sweet Peyton is everything he didn’t know he wanted. And for once he wants to have a real relationship. If he can keep Peyton alive.

When she’s kidnapped by the would-be book thieves, Noah is racing against the clock to find her. And he’s running out of time.

A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox

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A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox

Henrietta Von Harmon works as a 26 girl at a corner bar on Chicago’s northwest side. It’s 1935, but things still aren’t looking up since the big crash and her father’s subsequent suicide, leaving Henrietta to care for her antagonistic mother and younger siblings.

Henrietta is eventually persuaded to take a job as a taxi dancer at a local dance hall―and just when she’s beginning to enjoy herself, the floor matron turns up dead. When aloof Inspector Clive Howard appears on the scene, Henrietta agrees to go undercover for him―and is plunged into Chicago’s grittier underworld.

Meanwhile, she’s still busy playing mother hen to her younger siblings, as well as to pesky neighborhood boy Stanley, who believes himself in love with her and keeps popping up in the most unlikely places, determined to keep Henrietta safe―even from the Inspector, if need be. Despite his efforts, however, and his penchant for messing up the Inspector’s investigation, the lovely Henrietta and the impenetrable Inspector find themselves drawn to each other in most unsuitable ways.