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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.

Juicy Jersey by Lizz Lund

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Juicy Jersey by Lizz Lund

Summertime, and the living is… not as easy as Mina had hoped. But, she finally has a full-time job, working alongside her new boyfriend, Jack (that is, Chef Jacque, when they’re at Squirrel Run Acres.) That’s good, right? Except that poor Mina and Jack have been working together a lot lately–specifically fourteen hour shifts in a sizzling kitchen–for months.

When tempers flare hotter than fat on a fire, Jack steps up and splurges for a romantic get-away to Cape May Point, New Jersey. All is forgiven and soon sunset beaches wink from the distance, until Mina’s stuck with dog sitting duties for Jim, her buddy Bauser’s three-legged dog. Complicating the canine conundrum is Bauser’s last minute plea to deliver Jim to a client location, in Bumville, New Jersey. No biggie, except that Bumville lies in the polar opposite direction from Cape May. And Vito and Miriam also happen to be visiting the client–who is none other than Vito’s niece, Helena Pryzchntchynzski. Oy.

Further jeopardizing their journey through Jersey is Jim’s discovery of Babette Bernstein. Her murder launches a connect-the-dots of corpses that ripples dangerously around Mina and Jack. Oh–and the kidnappings, plural–are a little scary, too.

Will Mina and Jack escape the bad guys? Will they survive their first vacation together? More importantly, will they finally have one?

If you’re in the mood for funny fiction, a cast of chatty pets, and unsolved murders–read on. Juicy Jersey packs a roller coaster ride of murders, mayhem and mojitos. Come root for Mina, boo the bad guys and nibble a nosh, courtesy of the author’s recipes in the back of the book, vetted by Lund’s real-life favorite chef, her husband, Chef Andrew.

Featured Book: Vanished? by Christer Tholin

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“He could only hope he’d get out of here in one piece.”
Hunt across Sweden

To come to terms with his recent divorce, Martin, an attorney in Berlin, plans a peaceful vacation – two weeks in a Swedish summer house seem to be the solution. It won’t be peaceful, however, and those two weeks will change his entire life. He takes a liking to Liv, a Swedish woman whom he meets in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, they don’t get to have their first date – Liv disappears under mysterious circumstances. Martin begins his search but soon realises he can’t find Liv in a foreign country by himself. He hires two private investigators, and their discoveries make everything seem even stranger.
The complexities in this suspenseful criminal case lead to a hunt across Sweden. Martin comes close to finding answers, but his search lands him in very real danger, eventually leading to the first deaths. Soon he’s wondering if he can get Liv and himself out of this situation alive.

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Christer Tholin’s Website

A Deal on a Handshake by Vickie Britton and Loretta Jackson

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What a deal! This short story book introduces Sheriff Jeff McQuede, the hero of the High County Mystery Series. In these seven mysteries Sheriff Jeff McQuede finds himself square in the middle of a deal made on a handshake—where the result is murder. Set in modern-day Wyoming, the stories take place at an old-time mountain man rendezvous, in a pawn shop where traders vie over rare Native American pottery, and after an engagement ceremony where two family patriarchs pretend to bridge a lifetime of feuding by the gift of a rare peace pipe. McQuede’s arch-enemy Ruger, is a suspect in many of these tales, and just manages to evade his traps. In each of these stories McQuede= relentlessly seeks out the dangerous men who have broken trust.

Full-length novels in the High Country Mystery Series include Murder in Black and White, Whispers of the Stones, Stealer of Horses, and The Executioner’s Hood.

Targeted Age Group:: General Readership

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
The inspiration to write this book and all the books in the High Country Mystery Series arose from the Wyoming setting and the many stories we’ve heard, both past and present. Our background in antique dealing also led to the creation of many stories that deal with rare finds and artifacts discovered in unusual place such as swap meets. The High Country of Wyoming seemed a perfect place to tell our tales.

Featured Book: The Executioner’s Hood by Vickie Britton and Loretta Jackson @vickiebrit

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Special Price on New Release: Only $1.99 May 30-June 5
“An interesting American mystery book outside the box.” customer review

Sheriff Jeff McQuede finds Durmont’s highly respected judge, Phil Grayson, bludgeoned to death in his study, a black executioner’s hood shoved over his head. Behind him on walls and in display cases is his Old West outlaw collection that includes a death mask, a hangman’s noose, and a Peacemaker.

The judge has many enemies, one, Darin Keefe, just released from prison after serving seven years for a crime involving a city scandal. Judge Grayson’s best friend, John Harwood, was believed to have taken a bribe from Keefe Construction and to have committed suicide rather than face conviction. Has the killer singled out some rare item in this macabre collection to steal and left the rest behind, or is this a modern-day example of vigilante justice?

Buy The Executioner’s Hood Here

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Stealer of Horses by Vickie Britton and Loretta Jackson @vickiebrit

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The famous Carlo painting Stealer of Horses sells for cash in a small Wyoming town and gallery owner Sheldon Spence gives the $200,000 to his wife, who walks over to the bank to make the deposit…and never returns.

A witness claims to have seen a frightened-looking Susan Spence in a battered old Chevy, speeding out of town. And each succeeding clue reveals a different angle on her disappearance. Sheriff Jeff McQuede begins to wonder if this is more than a simple case of kidnapping and robbery. Was Sheldon involved in Susan’s disappearance? Or did Susan and a lover fake the scheme, planning to run off with the money they stole from Sheldon? The identity of a victim found shot behind the wheel of the Chevy holds the key to one ominous question: Is Susan Spence a kidnap victim—or is she part of some sinister ploy?

Targeted Age Group:: General Readership

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
We actually heard a similar story about a woman who went to make a large bank deposit and didn’t return for a long period of time. There were concerns at the time that she might have been kidnapped and abducted. While there was a logical reason for her temporary disappearance, this event inspired our story.