serial killer

Innocence Taken – Pray He Kills You Quickly by Victoria M. Patton

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Innocence Taken – Pray He Kills You Quickly by Victoria M. Patton

Two dead girls, another one missing, and a secret that will rip a tight-knit community apart.

When a missing teen’s body shows up dismembered on the side of the road, Lt. Damien Kaine must crush her parent’s hopes of her safe return. The parents are pushing for details and answers. Two things he can’t give. The abduction of a second girl brings only one clue. The girls look like.

As Damien searches for a sadistic killer, a disturbing pattern emerges. The more he digs into the community’s history, the more missing girls he finds.

With the lack of evidence or movement forward on the case, a quirky FBI profiler is pulled in to assist with the investigation. Damien wrestles with disdain for the agent and an equally strong sexual attraction to her, as he deals with mounting frustrations.

Tensions rise with the abduction of another girl. Damien and his team are in a race against time to save her. But the case is about to take a frightful turn. What they uncover will not only rock them to their core, it will haunt them forever.

Featured Book: Last Girls Alive by Jennifer Chase

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Half-buried in the muddy earth and surrounded by puddles of water lies the naked body of a beautiful young girl. Her pale skin looks like porcelain in the early morning light. Her fragile arms bent and crooked like a broken doll.

When Detective Katie Scott is called to the discovery of a young girl buried on the grounds of a former children’s home in Pine Valley, California, she’s hopeful it’s the end to a devastating cold case she’s been working on. No one has seen Candace Harlan since she ran away from Elm Hill Manor five years ago. Her death will be a tragedy, but it will also bring peace to those who miss her most. But the girl in the ground is not Candace.

The victim is almost identical to Candace in every way, but fear grips Katie as she takes in the black ink that decorates the girl’s back—a terrifying message tattooed on her skin after she drew her last breath.

Forcing down traumatic memories of losing her own parents, Katie is certain someone mistook this poor soul for Candace, and that this crumbling home for lost girls is at the heart of this terrible crime. She sets to work digging into the tragic history of the owners who lost so many children of their own and tracking down the last six residents and the staff who cared for them—but no one wants to talk, let alone remember.

The next day, a second girl’s body is found down by the creek at high water, the same words etched into her skin. Katie’s worst fear is confirmed: someone is picking off the last of the Elm Hill girls one by one. But what does the tattoo mean? And what monster would target these innocent girls who have already been through so much?

Katie must dig deep to confront her own fears and protect the vulnerable—but as the body count rises further, will there be anyone left to save?

An absolutely gripping, dark, and totally unputdownable serial killer thriller that will keep you racing through the pages all night long. Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh will read in one sitting!

Buy Last Girls Alive Here

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

Normalish by Robert Gaspari

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Normalish by Robert Gaspari

Jonah died twice in the same horrible accident that killed his wife. The heroic medical staff revived him both times. Jo discovered afterward he could see and speak with his dead wife. That wasn’t normal, so he coined the term normalish to describe his new reality.

A serial killer stalks a small town for over two years. There only hope lies in the prophecy of a dead gypsy psychic.They await the arrival of the thrice-born man and his familiar to defeat the supernatural murderer that hides in plain sight. Some believe Jo fits that description as the thrice-born man and the spirit of his preternatural wife is his familiar.

Follow the twisted path Jo and Becca take here on the earth and in the astral planes above. Together, they battle with others to do the right thing to end the murderous reign of terror wrought by an ancient evil.

Featured Book: Ruthless, Book 6 of the Mia Kazmaroff Mysteries by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

A new serial killer always kills on Friday and next morning sends a body part and note saying where to find the body to Atlanta Major Crimes division. When Mia’s new stepsister is abducted, Mia thinks she knows things the police don’t. Should she stay out of it and let the police do their job? One thing is sure: The clock is ticking down and unless someone acts quickly, her stepsister will be the killer’s next victim.

Buy Ruthless, Book 6 of the Mia Kazmaroff Mysteries Here

Susan Kiernan-Lewis’s Website
Follow Susan Kiernan-Lewis on Facebook
Susan Kiernan-Lewis’s GoodReads Profile

Featured Book: The Prom Dress Killer by George A Bernstein

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

A psychopathic killer lurks in Miami’s shadows, snatching and murdering young auburn-haired women. Strangely, they are killed without trauma and left clad in frilly prom-style dresses.
Miami’s crack homicide detective, Al Warner, is on the case, but the killer has left few clues. Why were these girls taken and then executed? Was he intent on killing redheads, or was there some other connection? And why were their bodies so carefully arranged in peaceful repose, wearing prom dresses?
Warner’s hunt for this clever psycho is stymied by a lack of evidence as he desperately searches for the latest victim. The suspense ramps up when the murderer finally makes one tiny error.
As Warner and the FBI doggedly zero in on their fleeing prey and his newest captive, the action escalates. Unlikely players are drawn into a tense, deadly game. As the stunning climax plays out, Warner is trapped in a classic Catch-22. In order to snare this lethal psycho, he must make a decision that may haunt him forever.

Buy The Prom Dress Killer Here

George A Bernstein’s Website
Follow George A Bernstein on Facebook
Follow George A Bernstein on Twitter
George A Bernstein’s GoodReads Profile

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

By Mystery Reads Curator 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
Kim Carter, Authoress’s GoodReads Profile

The Daemoniac by Kat Ross

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

The Daemoniac by Kat Ross

Sherlock Holmes meets The X-Files in Book #1 of this paranormal mystery series!

It’s August 1888, just three weeks before Jack the Ripper will terrorize Whitechapel, and another murderer is stalking the streets of New York. His handiwork bears the hallmarks of a demonic possession—but amateur sleuth Harrison Fearing Pell is certain her quarry is a man of flesh and blood. And she hopes to make her reputation by solving the bizarre case before the man the press has dubbed Mr. Hyde strikes again.

From the squalor of the Five Points to the high-class gambling dens of the Tenderloin and the glittering mansions of Fifth Avenue, Harry follows the trail of a remorseless killer, uncovering a few embarrassing secrets of New York’s richest High Society families along the way. Are the murders a case of black magic—or simple blackmail? And will the trail lead closer to home than she ever imagined?

Born To Die by George A Bernstein

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Born To Die by George A Bernstein

Too many infant boys of Palm Beach gentry are dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Only obstetrics nurse, Casey Jansson, is suspicious.
Al Warner, crack Miami Homicide detective, is inactive, languishing on medical leave after a deadly shootout with a serial killer, “The Angel of Death.”
Warner meets Casey at a local pub. Learning of the SIDS deaths from her, Warner concedes it sounds more than coincidental, but can find no obvious Motive or Opportunity. However, he agrees to help investigate, hoping romance develops later.
Casey’s obsession eventually tangles her in mortal danger. Only Warner can save her, if he can figure out where she went, and get there in time.

Featured Book: Rx for Retribution by Sylvia A. Nash

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

New Release
Kindle Edition on Sale on Amazon (regular price $4.99): $2.99 Aug 22-26 Mon – Fri

When two small-town doctors are murdered under similar circumstances, police suspect random act of
violence no longer applies. Their discovery that each man lost a patient because of medical
negligence strengthens their suspicion. Dr. Ellen Guthrie has struggled most of her adult life
with the issue of professional accountability. The murders of her colleagues force her to confront
both the issue and the killer head-on as her psychological clashes turn personal and physical.

Buy Rx for Retribution Here

Sylvia A. Nash’s Website
Follow Sylvia A. Nash on Facebook
Follow Sylvia A. Nash on Twitter
Sylvia A. Nash’s GoodReads Profile

FATAL FORTY-EIGHT, A Kate Huntington Mystery by Kassandra Lamb

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Celebration turns to nightmare when psychotherapist Kate Huntington’s guest of honor disappears en route to her own retirement party. Kate’s former boss, Sally Ford, has been kidnapped by a serial killer who holds his victims exactly forty-eight hours before killing them.

With time ticking away, the police allow Kate and her P.I. husband to help with the investigation. The FBI agents involved in the case have mixed reactions to the “civilian consultants.” The senior agent welcomes Kate’s assistance as he fine-tunes his psychological profile. His voluptuous, young partner is more by the book. She locks horns out in the field with Kate’s husband, while back at headquarters, misunderstandings abound.

But they can ill afford these distractions. Sally’s time is about to expire.

(This book is part of a series but is designed to be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.)

Targeted Age Group:: 18-up

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I wanted to raise consciousness about missing persons. I’ve never had a loved one go missing, but I can imagine what a nightmare that would be, especially if there are no obvious signs of foul play. Then it can be very difficult to get the authorities to take the situation seriously.