crime

Cold Valley Nightmare by Anna Willett

A troubled past resurfaces when an investigative journalist agrees to help find a missing child.

The Australian bush is unforgiving, and there is not much hope when a four-year-old boy, Clem, apparently disappears into it without a trace. When the police begin to suspect the boy’s step-father, his lawyer hires Damon, a specialist private investigator, to help defend him.

No stranger to missing person cases, Damon agrees to let his partner, Lucy, interview the family. There she finds a strong connection to the boy’s mother, and determines to find Clem no matter the cost. Having lost her own parents young, and nearly lost her brother, she hopes it will help her to exorcise her own demons.

Refusing to believe that Clem is dead, Lucy begins a search that will take her into the seedier side of a rural community with many secrets. In so doing, she will stumble across criminal activity that will put her in serious danger.

But it will also stretch her fledgling relationship to Damon, the only person she has ever really trusted. Can she find Clem? Can she find an inner peace? Can she let Damon in?

If you enjoy suspense thrillers you are in for a treat with COLD VALLEY NIGHTMARE. It is a standalone, but you can also read about Lucy’s backstory in the bestseller SMALL TOWN NIGHTMARE, which is FREE with Kindle Unlimited and available in paperback.

The Takeover by Jonathan Dunne

By Mystery Reads Leave a Comment

The Takeover by Jonathan Dunne

Ireland’s underworld is run by the barbaric Doherty family. The head of the clan, Malcolm Doherty, has infiltrated all levels of public office and rules the city’s criminal landscape without mercy or compassion.
Gerald O’Brien is the incorruptible cop on the Dohertys’ trail, obsessive and indefatigable, yet unable to bring them down.
Nathan Corbally is a horrifically abused child, cursed with a terrifying intelligence and raised by a monstrous father, he thieves to fend off starvation. When he steals a piece of clothing belonging to the Doherty family, he sets off a chain of events that will pit him against the rulers of Ireland’s underworld.
Three lives, steeped in violence, are about to clash in a violent grab for absolute power.

Murder Among The Tombstones (A Clara and Iris Mystery Series) by Kim Carter

By AFN Clarke Leave a Comment

A Clara and Iris Mystery

When Atlanta homicide detectives are called in to investigate the murder of a nineteen-year-old girl found dumped in historic Oakland Cemetery, they immediately begin working the case. But with no leads to follow, and their case log growing larger by the day, the murder quickly grows cold.

Desperate to keep the investigation of her deceased sister going, Ginger Baines hires two novice sleuths to solve the case. Widowed, well into their seventies, and new to the world of private investigating, Clara Samples and Iris Hadley aren’t your average private eyes.

When a second body is found in a neighboring cemetery, the plot thickens. With two bodies wrapped, almost lovingly, in a soft blanket before being discarded in a cemetery, could a serial killer be on the loose?
Joined by their young apprentice Quita, Clara and Iris are determined to stop at nothing to find the killer before they can strike again.
But, will their bodies be the next ones discovered among the tombstones?

~Killer Nashville Review & Mystery Finalist for The Falchion Award …
Kim Carter has given us the second in her Clara and Iris Mystery series, Murder Among the Tombstones. Part cozy, part police procedural, Clara Samples and Iris Hadley are septuagenarians who decide to begin their second careers, by opening a private investigation agency in one of the rougher areas of Atlanta. Sounds like a perfect fit, except Iris doesn’t like to drive in traffic or at night, and Clara doesn’t have a lot of confidence. And did I mention a little thing called technology? … Ms. Carter surrounds her stories with very colorful characters. She lives in Atlanta, so she gives us a very realistic picture of the city and its citizens. look forward to reading more of the series and watching the faceoff between two very different generations. A fun series but with an opportunity to hold a mirror up to ourselves.

Targeted Age Group:: 16 and up

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I've been writing mysteries since 1999 when I became ill and housebound for a couple of years. I've always been inspired by beautiful and sometimes haunting places and always loved reading about them and figured I'd try my hand at writing haunting mysteries. Many of the novels remained on my computer for years before friends encouraged me to put them in print.

The characters introduced in my new mystery series 'A Clara and Iris Mystery' with book one 'Sweet Dreams Baby Belle' where Clara and Iris are introduced and now fully developed in book two of 'Murder Among The Tombstones' where both very good friends of my mother and knew they had to be a part of this series!

I will be writing a book from here in this series that takes place in each State of the US, which begins, of course, in both of book one and two in and around historical sites of Atlanta, GA. My third has released of this series, as the mystery takes place in Seattle, WA.
I am currently writing and finishing the next one, book four takes place in New Orleans titled; "Murder On The Bayou." So readers watch for it soon!

Featured Book: Dead Cold by Jennifer Chase

By Mystery Reads Leave a Comment

What happens when one California community has a disturbing spike in homicides? It catapults cops into a deadly game of murder. Frozen human body parts hideously displayed at the crime scenes offers a horrifying interpretation that only a sadistic serial killer could design—and execute.

On the hunt for a complex serial killer, vigilante detective Emily Stone must face her most daring case yet. Stone’s proven top-notch profiling skills and forensic expertise may not be enough this time.

Young and ambitious, Detective Danny Starr, catches the homicide cases and discovers that it will test everything he knows about police work and the criminal mind. Can he handle these escalating cases or will the police department have to call in reinforcements—the FBI.

Emily Stone’s covert team pushes with extreme urgency to unravel the grisly clues, while keeping their identities hidden from the police. With one last-ditch effort, Stone dangles someone she loves as bait to draw out the killer. She then forces the killer out of their comfort zone with her partner Rick Lopez, and with help from a longtime friend Jordan Smith. A revelation of the serial killer’s identity leaves the team with volatile emotions that could destroy them.

The killer continues to taunt and expertly manipulate the police, as well as Stone’s team, and as they run out of time—they leave behind everyone and everything—in Dead Cold.

Buy Dead Cold Here

Jennifer Chase’s Website
Follow Jennifer Chase on Facebook
Follow Jennifer Chase on Twitter
Jennifer Chase’s GoodReads Profile

The Iron Collar, A Joi Sommers Mystery by Susan D. Peters

By AFN Clarke Leave a Comment

Four years after closing the gruesome murder of church Elder Dennis Gregg, Detective Joi Sommers and her partner Russell Wilkerson are summoned to a South Suburban commuter college where the body of a sexy coed is found garroted in the chemistry lab. From their first horrified glimpse at the corpse they recognize they have been tasked with an extraordinary case.
The evidentiary trail leads them to similarly murdered victims. Is this a pattern, or a series of random coincidences? Tracking the wanton killer from the South Suburban hamlet to Chicago’s trendy North side, their investigation thickens and threatens to excavate darkly hidden appetites.

Targeted Age Group:: Adults 18+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I wanted to create a female heroine that was a detective, quirky and imperfect and a character that I'd love to see on the small or big screen. The setting is in the Chicago suburbs of South Holland, Illinois, which was settled by Dutch immigrants in 1894. I wrote the first Joi Sommers mystery, Broken Dolls in 2014 and this is the second. The third Joi Sommers Mystery is in progress.

Featured Book: Scene of the Crime by Jennifer Chase

By AFN Clarke Leave a Comment

A calculating cold-blooded predator closes in…

When a community has barely recovered from a ruthless serial killer six months earlier; now two more horrifying murders hit the radar again. It leaves police burdened with two of the most shockingly contaminated crime scenes ever documented in California’s law enforcement history. The Slayer works behind the scenes as a sinister puppet master, precisely pulling the strings, taunting the police without leaving any viable evidence, and orchestrating his killer hit squads.

The sheriff and district attorney bring in the best investigators. Reunited again, Dr. Chip Palmer, a reclusive forensic expert, joins DA Inspector Kate Rawlins to sort through the crime scene aftermath in search of the truth—all without a probable suspect or a solid motive. Complicating the investigation—sparks reignite between the two.

Ratcheting up the suspense, Chip suffers a nasty fall hitting his head, impairing his perception and giving him a mind-blowing ability for specific detailed recall. Palmer and Rawlins assemble an unusual team including a rookie detective, a forensic supervisor, and an ex-military operative turned bodyguard. After one of their own is kidnapped and the investigation is taken over by the FBI, the now rogue team must pull together their own resources—alone—with a killer waiting to take each one of them out. Scene of the Crime takes no prisoners and leaves everyone fighting to stay alive.

Buy Scene of the Crime Here

Jennifer Chase’s Website
Follow Jennifer Chase on Facebook
Follow Jennifer Chase on Twitter
Jennifer Chase’s GoodReads Profile

Featured Book: Shameful Justice by M A Comley

By AFN Clarke Leave a Comment

Greed is a powerful motive…

With the ultimate goal to achieve something that others have.

This case is close to home… with one of her work colleagues desperate for help.

Lorne’s team are up against the odds… And somebody is restricting Lorne’s usual method of solving a case.

Tick tock… with only 24 hours to raise a vast sum of money to satisfy a kidnapper’s needs, Lorne is forced to seek the assistance of her husband — a former MI6 agent — and a close friend she has turned to before.

More pressure than usual for Lorne to contend with to get the case solved!

Time is of the essence when there is a life at stake…

Buy Shameful Justice Here

M A Comley’s Website
Follow M A Comley on Facebook
Follow M A Comley on Twitter
M A Comley’s GoodReads Profile

Featured Book: And The Forecast Called For Rain by Kim Carter, Authoress

By Mystery Reads Leave a Comment

“The Wait is over Mystery Readers as it’s Raining Murder in Seattle”…New Release by Kim Carter

Detective Jose Ramirez and the Sierra Hills Police Department are scrambling for leads on a killer who has already struck five times, each time leaving his signature trademark: large butcher knives piercing the abdomens of his young female victims.

Profiling the killer is proving to be difficult, and Detective Ramirez knows that it’s only a matter of time before their perpetrator strikes again.

As if Ramirez isn’t frustrated enough, to his dismay, he is assigned a partner. Officer Daniel Chatham, a handsome, young man, fresh out of grad school, has pulled some strings to join the division and becomes Ramirez’s, right-hand man. The lead detective’s anger slowly begins to dissipate as he discovers the book smart kid can be quite the asset.

With Ramirez’s experience, Chatham’s sharp mind and quick thinking, and the insight of Erin Sommers, a beautiful, young journalist, the three make a powerful team gaining on their criminal.

It’s raining… it’s pouring, and a killer is on the loose in the rainy Sierra Hills of Washington State. No one is who they seem, and the plot thickens with every turn. You’ll never guess the ending of this enigmatic tale.

Another thrilling page-turner!

Buy And The Forecast Called For Rain Here

Kim Carter, Authoress’s Website
Follow Kim Carter, Authoress on Facebook
Kim Carter, Authoress’s GoodReads Profile

Featured Book: The Redhead is Dead by Chris Ingram

By Mystery Reads Leave a Comment

Donna Rand has had it up to here with the late-night banging from the apartment upstairs. She needs her rest; in her job as assignment editor at Boston’s top TV news department, Donna is orchestrating coverage of the most lurid crime spree to hit New England since the Boston Strangler: the Packing Crate Killer case. Thanks to her noisy neighbor she finds herself enmeshed in a story that could cost her far more than a few sleepless nights. If she’s not careful, she’ll become part of the story; dismembered and neatly packaged in a wooden crate like all the other victims.

Buy The Redhead is Dead Here

Chris Ingram’s Website
Follow Chris Ingram on Facebook
Chris Ingram’s GoodReads Profile

Featured Book: Vanished: A Luca Mystery – Book 2 by Dan Petrosini

By Mystery Reads Leave a Comment

Obsession can be deadly.
That’s what Dom Stewart discovers when his buddy, Phil, goes missing. Dom has long coveted Robin, Phil’s beautiful wife, … is it time for him to step in?
Detective Luca is also dazzled by Robin; even while acknowledging she may be involved in Phil’s disappearance. Luca struggles with his heart as the investigation reveals the case is about much more than a missing man. Something dark and disturbing is behind the scenes. Is there a murder here?
As fraud and romantic interests verging on pathological fixation emerge, the question remains: what happened to Phil?

Buy Vanished: A Luca Mystery – Book 2 Here

Dan Petrosini’s Website
Follow Dan Petrosini on Twitter