Books to Die For! Podcast

A DEADLY RECKONING UNFOLDSin book three of Michael Balter's award-winning crime thriller series.Marty Schott and Bo Bishop are trying to extricate themselves from a dangerous business partnership with a Russian oligarch when a midnight phone call shatters their plans. Bo’s brother-in-law has been murdered—and the Portland police detective on the scene recognizes them instantly. He’s questioned them before. He hasn’t forgotten.As Marty and Bo dig for answers, they uncover a hidden wire, criminal activity inside their own company, and a killer who isn’t finished. What begins as a murder investigation quickly spirals into a high-stakes web of cigarette smuggling, counterfeit money, and a covert FBI operation they don’t yet understand. Every lead pulls them deeper into a conspiracy that blurs the line between criminals and law enforcement—and puts their families squarely in the crosshairs.At the same time, the cracks between them begin to widen. Marty is still entangled with Natalya, the alluring power broker linked to the powerful investor they’re trying to escape, and Marty’s inability to cut ties threatens everything. Bo’s loyalty is pushed to the limit as secrets, suspicion, and past betrayals collide. With pressure mounting from every direction, a single misstep pulls Marty into a deadly trap—and forces a choice that could cost him everything.In Dead Exit, danger isn’t over—it’s waiting for one wrong move. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alfred Prince has created a social media site that is… EveryThing.“I am looking for investors to support a new tech startup that will transform the world.” Prince had apparently moved into business mode. “It is an app called Triangulation, with an avatar named AL, for Artificial Learning, that will gather the data gleaned by EveryThing, Universe, and Totality.”Max Creed is a modern-day Robin Hood, an anti-hero willing to do whatever it takes to enact justice for those who have been wronged by the ultra-wealthy. He and his band of not-so-merry people investigate a billionaire for shoddy safety protocols on EveryThing, but quickly discover that the diabolical plot is much more elaborate than merely warping hearts and minds.Prince plans to sow the seeds of discord, create chaos, burn the establishment down, and emerge as the de facto emperor of the world. Max Creed is tasked with stopping him. What will happen when an unstoppable force collides with an unmovable object? An electrifying thriller that rivets the reader to the page with a breathtaking climax Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nashville PI Jackson Gamble has had all manner of clients and cases during his long career as a private investigator, but never a client like the one involving convicted triple-murderer Harvey Harris. Until recently a death-row inmate, and now dying of untreatable cancer, Harvey wants to see his daughter one more time before his time runs out. The search seems simple enough, but the girl has been missing ten years, and the case quickly goes into the weeds as Gamble’s search takes him on a three-state chase that involves him with a beautiful woman, two murders, and a conclusion that even an experienced PI like Gamble never quite sees coming. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hardboiled, character-driven, and grounded in real detective work, the Frank Mallory P.I. series blends classic private eye storytelling with high-stakes action. Perfect for fans of Robert B. Parker, Lee Child, Don Winslow, and Vince Flynn.-------------------------------------------------------------------He took the case. Now the case is coming after him.Frank Mallory survived the hit that killed his wife. He left New York, opened a small P.I. office in Buffalo, and built a quieter life. The work is steady. The rules are simple. Keep your head down. Don’t make noise.Then a woman walks into his office.Her brother-in-law disappeared after taking a security job nobody wants to talk about. The police think he ran. His family knows better.Frank starts asking questions anyway.Soon people are following him. Watching his office. Leaning on witnesses. Men with military training and expensive guns who want the whole thing buried.Frank knows how these men operate. He used to be one of them.They think he’ll back off before things turn violent.They don’t know Frank Mallory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this thrilling sequel to Hooked, the secret leaders of a deadly cabal prove to be a veritable match for the determined reporter and the insightful surfing detective who double down to expose them.Investigative reporter Katrina Chopin is back home in San Diego on a mission (or two). The first is personal: reheating the cold case of her parents’ murder and investigating her brother’s reported suicide. The second involves a new spate of deaths with alleged causes that just don’t smell right. She and Detective Ken Goode need each other’s help for both. But she has to keep the sexy surfer at arm’s length, because dating him is off limits. For now.Teaming up, they make coordinated progress down each path. Digging deeper into La Jolla’s corrupt network of elites, they uncover a pattern of lies, depravity, and greed. And with every new discovery, Katrina is pulled closer to danger…and to Goode.Sharing sexy phone calls and sunset drinks isn’t exactly following the rules, but fully crossing that line could jeopardize the case. As they start to connect the dots, they realize they must risk everything to bring down the shadowy cabal that kills to keep its secrets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A psychological thriller inspired by real events revealing the treachery of a ruthless stalker, the alarming failure of the legal system and the unthinkable battle a daughter must face to protect her family.___________________________________________________________________________________________Dawn Smith, a vet tech living in rural South Carolina, catches her boyfriend in a series of lies and abruptly ends the relationship. Rather than accepting the break-up, he begins to stalk and harass her, forcing Dawn to seek a restraining order. Undeterred, he launches a deeply personal attack—suing for guardianship and conservatorship of Dawn’s infirm mother. In court, he manipulates the truth using evidence that he planted while the couple were still dating. And just when Dawn thinks things can’t get any worse, she is faced with an impossible choice: rekindle the relationship or lose her mother forever.Readers also enjoyed Liz's other books with these themes:Free of Malice (self-protection, racial tension)Plea for Justice (self/body-image, literacy)Shades of Silence (grief, sex trafficking)Complimentary excerpts at: www.lizlazarus.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Royce Wilson uses his vast law enforcement forensics experience like a master, weaving images from actual scenes into his novels, giving them a rich feeling of authenticity. After more than 40 years in law enforcement forensics with the sheriff's office in Tampa, Florida, Wilson writes detective mysteries and thrillers with plots that are compelling and entertainingly realistic, and characters we can all relate to and empathize with. You will either love them or hate them.The dialogue is authentic, as are the detectives' work, forensics, and crime scene investigations, and the plots. And, oh yeah, the twists will keep you guessing to the end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sonny Rojas is twenty feet from famous, rubbing elbows with rock gods like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix when his number is called. A night jump gone bad results in a devastating injury, followed by bungled surgery and dependence on painkillers.Busted at JFK after a stint working for George Harrison, Sonny is faced with a choice: prison or cooperation with the FBI in a drug smuggling operation.Thrust into a world he doesn’t belong, Sonny uses his near-famous status to infiltrate the operation of a rock star wannabe drug lord, in the process endangering his life and the lives of his loved ones.In way over his head, the desperate rocker sinks deeper and deeper into a world from which there is no return. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the mood for an idyllic escape? Death on the Rocks will transport you right to the sunshine coast, where a community theatre event finds its members dying, and only senior citizen sleuth Suzanne must use her experience and intuition to follow the all too human twists to the real killer, before the company runs out of understudies.Delightful summer read!- Iona Whishaw, best-selling author of the Lane Winslow mystery series.Every amateur detective secretly believes they are smarter than the police. Suzanne Rickson doesn't think that. She has faith in Sergeant Bridges' assessment that the director of their seniors’ theatre troupe, the beloved Wilbur Ghostkeeper, most likely slipped and perished on the rocky shoreline of the Salish Sea.But Suzanne quickly regrets her naïveté after Wilbur’s widow is violently robbed and assaulted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dark, Southern gothic tale of homicide detective Raven Burns, with a complicated past and a desperate case to solve. Black Girls Lit recommends the first book, A Killing Fire "to crime fiction and mystery lovers and fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn.”“Full-bodied and dynamic characters carry this one along a mystery, tying a brutal past with a bloody present that will keep you guessing right up to the finale.” — Unnerving Magazine on Book 1 in the series.Raven Burns owes her life to the kind souls who looked after her while her father, unbeknownst to them, sowed a path of blood and bodies from California to Louisiana as one of the most notorious serial killers ever known, Floyd “Fire” Burns. When Raven was a girl, Floyd brutally murdered one of those kind souls, Miss Ruth Jefferson, when the woman made the fatal decision to open the door to him on a pitch-black 4th of July night. As Raven learned of her father’s crimes, she vowed to do everything in her power to put men like him away. Decades later Raven’s hunt for a serial killer terrorizing the town leads her right back to that 4th of July night, and a memory that will make her question how much Floyd’s evil has settled in her bones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Detective Rory Scott was in college when six-year-old Savannah Armitage vanished and the body of a missing teen was found nearby in a shallow grave. The case went unsolved, but Rory’s mother's partner, Stephen, was convicted in the court of public opinion. When Rory’s mother refused to leave him, Rory broke familial ties.Six years later, Rory has built a life with her girlfriend Cade. When another child disappears and the unidentified body of a missing teen is found nearby, Rory knows it’s more than a coincidence. She steps in as the lead investigator, determined to find the killer and bring home the missing girls. As media swarms law enforcement for details, the state steps in, and a rookie special agent yanks Rory’s case.In a renegade move, Rory teams up with Savannah’s mother, a woman still desperate to find her daughter alive. When the investigation leads to the two people Rory most wants to avoid—her own mother and Stephen—Rory must face the fallout of her estrangement.As Rory’s personal and professional lives converge, it’s a race against time to find the connection between the cases and bring the killer to justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NONE WITNESSBook One of the Killian Kane SeriesWhen the Church cannot forgive, it resolves.Killian Kane was never meant to survive his childhood.The son of a Chicago Outfit enforcer, he was raised inside a world where violence was currency and silence was survival. By seventeen, he was already cleaning what powerful men left behind. Then he vanished—erased from the criminal underworld by a secretive, Vatican-adjacent authority known only as the Resolution Office.They did not save him.They remade him.Now Killian serves as a Custodian, an operative tasked with containing the unforgivable. He does not kill. He erases evidence. He constructs plausible truths. He ensures the world never learns what the Church itself cannot survive revealing.For years, Resolution has kept its secrets buried.Until a priest in New York commits a brutal, ritualized murder.Killian is dispatched to contain the scandal. But what he finds is not a crime of passion. It is a message.Soon, similar killings emerge across Chicago, Milwaukee, and Indianapolis. Each murder is more public. More symbolic. More deliberate. The killer is not hiding.He is escalating.The man responsible is Lucien, a brilliant and charismatic priest who believes murder is not sin, but sacrament. He targets clergy the Church quietly protected—men whose crimes were buried through settlement, silence, and reassignment. Lucien believes he is delivering divine justice.And he knows things he should not know.He knows about Resolution.He knows about its methods.He knows about Killian.As Killian closes in, the Resolution Office assigns him an Instrument—an assassin authorized to perform Terminal Resolution. Forced into partnership with sanctioned violence, Killian begins to uncover a truth more terrifying than Lucien’s crusade:Resolution did not just recruit him.It engineered him.Now hunted by the system that created him and pursued by a killer who believes himself chosen, Killian must confront the possibility that he was never meant to serve justice.Only to contain it.Because when Resolution fails, there are none left to witness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the frozen heart of the 1883 Canadian frontier, a single death unveils a darkness that could consume a town—and the men sworn to protect it.Corporal Belvedere, a Mountie scarred by a brutal past, and Surgeon Virgil Montgomery, a newcomer haunted by his own doubts, are drawn into a murder investigation in the isolated settlement of Prince Albert. As winter’s grip tightens, the killing exposes a web of secrets buried beneath the snow, threatening to unravel the fragile order of the North-West Territories.In a community steeped in mistrust, Belvedere’s unyielding quest for justice collides with Montgomery’s struggle to uphold his oath to do no harm. Each clue they uncover draws them deeper into a maze of deception, where allies and enemies blur and every step risks a deadly reckoning. As the ice on the North Saskatchewan River begins to crack, they must confront a truth that could cost them their lives—or their souls.A gripping tale of vengeance and redemption, The Laundryman plunges you into a world where justice battles betrayal, and the truth lies buried in a frozen wilderness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer is back with his thrilling Zig and Nola series, unraveling a shocking cold case with a personal—and deadly—twist.Andrew Fechmeier is a master at hiding. He'd better be—he’s spent decades concealing a secret that could get him killed. So when he’s diagnosed with a terminal disease, he heads for the local funeral home carrying the blue suit he eventually wants to be buried in. But what no one knows is that Fechmeier secretly tucked something inside, turning the suit into a final, untraceable hiding spot.It's a perfect plan. Until Fetch is brutally murdered by a mysterious killer who will stop at nothing to find the priceless object hidden in the suit.Wasting no time, the cunning but unconventional Roddy LaPointe opens an investigation into Fetch’s murder, recruiting help from his friend, the brilliant “Zig” Zigarowski. But it doesn’t take long for Zig to discover the real reason Roddy cares so much about this case: Fetch’s death is tied to Roddy’s mother, who was murdered decades earlier.As the relentless killer closes in, Roddy’s twin sister—the enigmatic and volatile Nola Brown—starts investigating for herself, uncovering a sinister plot that reveals their mother’s dark history, the true identity of her killer, and the shocking secret behind her death.Don’t turn your back on The Viper. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SOME SECRETS EVEN MONEY CAN'T BURYWhen Palm Springs millionaire Barney Lochner is found dead in his mansion—and his trophy wife's lover is shot to death at a Salton Sea mini-mart—private investigator Dana Forsythe is pulled into a tangle of greed, lust, and betrayal worthy of the valley's most exclusive midcentury modern zip codes.Dana's client is Jamie Lochner, the trophy wife in question. She swears she's innocent, but the evidence says otherwise: her missing gun, her lover's body, her fingerprints on the life she tried to escape. Hovering over it all is Barney's daughter Nielle, a "daddy's girl" with dark secrets, an inheritance to protect, and a heart of pure venom.As Dana digs deeper, she unearths a deadly family feud and a final reckoning more twisted than anything she could have imagined. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this suspenseful thriller by Caitlin Rother, a journalist and cop fight a sexual attraction as they join forces to expose a layered scheme of dark and dangerous secrets.When investigative reporter Katrina Chopin and surfing homicide detective Ken Goode lock eyes, there’s an immediate attraction. Sparks fly as they bond over cocktails, sharing their common experiences of being orphans and losing loved ones to suicide.But the next time they meet, it’s from opposing sides of a high-profile case. Two biotech execs, whose company is developing a groundbreaking sexual enhancement drug, turn up dead in the wealthy seaside enclave of La Jolla Farms, where Goode can readily see that the forensic evidence doesn’t add up.As they work their own angles, sometimes together and sometimes at odds, their growing attraction threatens to cost them their jobs—and their lives. As Katrina and Goode pursue answers behind these mysterious events, a secret stalker taunts Katrina with details of her tragic past, which takes her to the brink of death. But once the duo rips the mask away from this beautiful paradise, the corrupt underbelly behind all that glitters is revealed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a split-second decision that will shatter his life, insurance salesman Jack Spinks stops to help a young woman walking alone down a back country road. After getting into his truck the mysterious young woman grabs the steering wheel and forces the truck off the road, sending it plunging over a cliff and into the woods. What begins as a simple act of kindness spirals into a nightmare as Jack finds himself trapped in a dark and perilous world, hunted by the woman's cryptic pursuers. As he fights for survival, Jack's journey uncovers a haunting connection to his own past—one that may hold the key to unraveling the mystery and escaping the deadly forces closing in on him. From the highly acclaimed author of A Single Shot, A Reckoning Up Black Cat Hollow is a pulse-pounding crime thriller that weaves together psychological suspense and a gripping mystery, where every step brings Jack closer to a truth he's long buried—and forces him to confront who, or what, he can truly trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugo Marston, former head of security at the U.S. embassy in Paris, has retired and is ready to realize his lifelong dream of owning a mystery and antiquarian bookshop. But when a blackmail scheme targeting a chocolatier leads to murder, Hugo is again called to investigate in the first Paris Bookshop Mystery for readers of Charles Finch, Tasha Alexander, and Lev AC Rosen.Hugo has led an exciting life as an FBI profiler and the US embassy’s head of security, but now he’s ready to embrace a quieter existence as a bookseller in the Marais district of Paris. His former employer, however, has other plans for him. A prominent American citizen is the COO of a boutique chocolate emporium in Paris, where they’ve received a mysterious and threatening note. A blackmailer who goes by the name The Shadow wants half a million euros or else their “darkest secret will be revealed.”Eclat de Chocolat is housed in a chateau dating back to the 1700s. The building, which served as a convent in the first half of the twentieth century, where the angelic Sister Evangeline and her order of nuns helped countless orphans during World War II, has been beautifully converted into a chocolate factory. So what dark secrets could a chocolatier be hiding? The COO has no idea.Involving his friend, Lieutenant Camille Lerens, Hugo begins to investigate. But soon a second note appears on the premises, canceling the blackmail threat. The same day, the body of an employee is found in an old graveyard behind the chocolatier. Now Hugo and Lerens have a murder on their hands, but is it connected to the blackmail attempt? As they dig for secrets and motives, it becomes clear The Shadow’s grave work has just begun . . . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a tainted drug starts claiming lives across the city, Detective Harriet Foster and her team race to track down the source…before it takes one of their own.Chicago’s finest are scouring the city for a tainted new opioid making the rounds, but they’re coming up empty. With five people already dead—a college kid, a new mother, and three poker players—all they really know is the drug’s name: Edge. Where it’s coming from is still anyone’s guess.Detective Harriet Foster doesn’t have time for guessing games. She needs answers. And when the next overdose hits Homicide where it hurts most, Harri is determined to get what she wants. But keeping her eyes squarely on the prize proves harder than expected.Still reeling from her last case (and the stain of suspicion it left on her career), Harri finds herself at a tipping point. The drug isn’t the only edge she needs to worry about. If she can’t come back from her own, there’s no telling whether this investigation will lead to a satisfying conclusion…or her own demise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lost, found, stolen, dead… In a den of enemies, there’s nowhere to hideDebonair jewel thief/insurance investigator Gregory Longdon has always relied on his wits to extricate himself from tricky situations. But when he’s kidnapped and framed for murder in Amsterdam by Russian mafia boss Bogdan Kozlov, living on a knife’s edge stops being a game. Meanwhile, his wife, journalist Emmeline Kirby, is stirring up trouble—as usual—with articles about Kozlov’s diamond smuggling operation and the Golden Tulip, a looted 130-carat yellow diamond with a long, colorful past.As husband and wife fight to clear Gregory’s name, they stumble into a web of blackmail and cover-ups that reaches the highest echelons of the British government and society. Rival underworld figures and the rich and powerful all have designs on the Golden Tulip. Emmeline and Gregory soon learn that running into danger means running for their lives.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It all began with a dog.Not a normal dog, no. A billion dollar robotic prototype. Enter me, Hope Remmie, software writing, self-imposed recluse. My employers forced trip to an electronics convention ended with me finding one dead body, and a dog who followed me home.PIP - Personal Integrate Pet. Also known as a Cyber-Service Dog. Only there’s much more to this metal-bodied wonder.Now, I’m in the middle of a murder investigation, and standing in the eye of a cyber-storm I can’t get out of unless I find the killer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An international mystery. A group of thieves working out of New York, Amsterdam and Paris set in motion a complex art forgery and theft project. Initially they are highly successful, that is until one member is overcome by greed and the promise of a quick buck, not necessarily shared with his partners.This greedy departure from a proven method of operation suddenly goes oh, so wrong. People die, partnerships are threatened and the entire mess lands in the collective laps of the San Francisco Police Department's Homicide Bureau.Inspectors O'Neill, Donnelly, Gibson and Sullivan are now responsible for solving a homicide that will lead them far outside their normal comfort zone. International crime, art forgery and murder, a lethal combination that will test the investigative skills of the Inspectors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Ann Charles packs a punch in this exciting, smart, and sexy jungle romp that combines three of my favorite things: action, mystery, and things that go bump in the night. This series might be her best yet!” ~Renee George, USA Today Bestselling Author of Nora Black Midlife Psychic MysteriesWhatever lies in wait in the jungle isn’t just history ... it’s hungry!Deep in the Yucatán Peninsula sits a long forgotten, mysterious site—lost to time, swallowed by the jungle, haunted by ancient secrets.Archaeologist Dr. Angélica Garcia is chasing clues, and she will stop at nothing to uncover the site’s history. Was it a sacred center? A place of long-forgotten rituals? Or something far more sinister?Quint Parker, a sharp-eyed photojournalist, is chasing Angélica. He never signed up for old curses, creepy whispers in the shadows, or man-eating mosquitoes. He just wants to make sure his girlfriend makes it out of the jungle—alive.The deeper they dig into the past, the more they must confront a deadly truth: Some places should never be disturbed! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

evenge can’t undo what was done.When young psychic Emma Jackson experiences a terrifying vision of a teenage girl being raped, she is shaken to the core. As her husband, David Harris, tries to comfort her, his worry increases when her shattered voice whispers, “Her name was Maggie.” David questions the wisdom of his team of investigators using the paranormal to solve cold cases.Emma and David, and Bryan, a retired police office and his wife, Laura, have been working together with New Elgan Police Service to solve cold cases.They learn that Maggie was a young woman who went missing twenty years ago and has moved on to the afterlife.During a powerful séance, she takes over Emma’s body and demands the investigative team take on her case to find her children.Except, at sixteen years of age at the time of her disappearance she had no children.When the team uncovers a sinister baby ring where young women are kidnapped and forced to breed made-to-order children for the elite, they are shocked to learn their nemesis, the Dark Hands of Anubis is behind the human trafficking.Emma insists on continuing the case, but isn’t Emma’s sanity and peace of mind worth more than solving a cold case from the beyond?Revenge may not be enough … when the cost is way too high. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our world is changing dramatically before our eyes.Increased average global temperatures have wreaked havoc on ecosystems, economies, and people’s lives. Fires rage. Flood waters rise. Storms and heat waves are occurring out-of-season and are becoming increasingly more dangerous and more frequent.Neighborhoods are being destroyed. People are losing their lives and livelihoods. Still, some politicians, some pundits, and some corporate oligarchs continue to deny reality and refuse to take responsibility and necessary action to mitigate this existential crisis.Those who did the least to cause this crisis will suffer the most from its consequences.In On Fire and Under Water, the new crime fiction anthology from Rock and a Hard Place Press, we explore the intersection of climate change and crime, through the lens of fifteen short stories from some of today’s best crime fiction writers. Edited by Anthony Award-winning author Curtis Ippolito and the editorial team at RHP Press, the stories contained within this anthology peel back the curtain on the ways in which climate change impacts real people in their most desperate hour.Some say the world will end in fire. Some say flood. In On Fire and Under Water, you get both. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Wiebe’s Invisible Dead meets John McMahon’s The Good Detective in this gritty detective novel that centers around a man’s struggle to solve a crime that will guarantee the safety of his loved ones, while he faces life changing consequences of his family’s alcoholic past.  Private investigator Jake Joelsen is going to prison for assaulting his sick mom’s abusive boyfriend, but thanks to a suspended sentence, he has two weeks to earn as much money as possible so he can financially support his mom when he’s inside.Enter Nia Rowe, who hires Jake to find her troubled sister, Sadie, a member of a mega-church called Watershed Moments. Jake struggles to stay sober as he encounters old haunts he’s never come to terms with, while trying to rescue Sadie from the grip of powerful people willing to do anything to protect their place on the highest rungs of society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twice dead…A living nightmareThe discovery of a blood-encrusted stiletto knife in journalist Emmeline Kirby’s bag at Heathrow Airport sets in motion a chain of events that ensnares everyone she holds dear. The body of Sebastian Jardine is soon found in the boot of Superintendent Oliver Burnell’s car, leading to accusations that he and Emmeline conspired to commit murder. Desperate to clear their names, she turns to Philip Acheson of the Foreign Office for help. But when two Special Branch officers arrive to arrest him, he is forced to go on the run.Gregory Longdon, Emmeline’s husband and a jewel thief/insurance investigator with ties to the criminal classes and MI5, is the only man Philip can trust. Gregory is on his own quest to prove her innocence in a game that makes no sense. Jardine was no stranger. His old friend was a former Interpol agent, who soured on the law and succumbed to his baser instincts. The real problem is Jardine died five years earlier. A fancy pink diamond with a murky provenance that men are willing to kill to possess holds the key to the truth. From London to Malta, Emmeline and Gregory are drawn into a web of corruption and revenge. Will they forfeit their lives for justice? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An inconvenient alibi…a priceless treasure…an MI6 mole It’s a lethal cocktail Journalist Emmeline Kirby and her jewel thief/ insurance investigator husband Gregory Longdon become targets after a desperate stranger asks them to deliver a fortune in rare red diamonds to hotelier Alexander Colefax. Before they can ask any questions, the man is killed. Driven by dark secrets, Colefax is willing to flirt with treason if it means getting what he wants. His coterie included the son of a Kremlin elite and a Russian mafia boss. When a man’s only loyalty is to money, his enemies become twice as ruthless. After Colefax is bludgeoned to death, Emmeline and Gregory discover that his dangerous games involved not only diamonds, but a stolen Fabergé egg that has vanished and a spy named Snowdrop. The trail of lies and revenge leads to Switzerland, where a treacherous double-cross could cost Emmeline and Gregory their lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prepare for intrigue, suspense, and unforgettable twists in this groundbreaking anthology of queer crime fiction.In 2023, crime fiction anthologies featured 517 stories across 30 titles—but shockingly, fewer than 1 percent were penned by LGBTQ+ writers. Crime Ink: Iconic (An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Famous Queer Icons) is a resounding response to this glaring disparity, offering a vibrant collection of stories by and about queer authors and characters.Drawing inspiration from queer icons—James Baldwin, Oscar Wilde, Candy Darling, Radclyffe Hall, Babadook, Megan Rapinoe, Laverne Cox, Dolly Parton, Vita Sackville-West, and many more—these tales span the rich spectrum of crime fiction, from cozy mysteries and whodunits to noir, psychological thrillers, and police procedurals. Each story is a testament to the depth, ingenuity, and thrilling originality of queer voices in the genre.This anthology showcases an incredible array of talent, including New York Times Best Crime Novels of 2024 honorees Margot Douaihy, Robyn Gigl, John Copenhaver, and Katrina Carrasco; Lambda Literary winners Ann Aptaker, Greg Herren, Ann McMan, and J.M. Redmann; and other celebrated writers like Cheryl Head, Penny Mickelbury, Christa Faust, and Kelly J. Ford. But that’s not all—this collection also includes many more decorated and emerging voices, ensuring a dynamic reading experience as inclusive as it is entertaining.With a foreword by Ellen Hart and an afterword by Katherine V. Forrest, two luminaries of queer crime fiction, this anthology is more than a collection of stories—it’s a movement. Bursting with intrigue, twists, and unforgettable characters, Crime Ink: Iconic is essential reading for crime fiction fans and anyone who craves representation in the stories they love.Includes stories by:Jeffrey Marks • Ann Aptaker • Ann McMan • Cheryl Head • Meredith Doench • Kelly J. Ford • Margot Douaihy • Christa Faust • Robyn Gigl • Greg Herren • Anne Laughlin • Kristen Lepionka • Katrina Carrasco • Mia Manansala • Renee James • Penny Mickelbury • Diana DiGangi • Baxter Clare Trautman • JM Redmann • Katherine V. Forrest • Stephanie Gayle• Marco Carocari • Jeffrey Round• David Pederson • Christopher Bollen • John CopenhaverEdited by:John Copenhaver • Salem West Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lambda Literary Award-winning author, Ann Aptaker's Cantor Gold faces the questions of who are her real friends, and how far she would go to avenge their deaths.Early November, 1958New York CityArt thief and smuggler Cantor Gold's latest underworld caper begins when she arrives at big-time bookie Nick Fortunato's apartment to celebrate his birthday, a ritual the two friends have enjoyed for years. But Nick is missing, and there’s blood on the living room carpet. It’s not Nick’s blood, though. Nick’s death still awaits him. Despite crime lord Sig Loreale’s best plans to protect Nick, with whom Sig has financial dealings, a killer finds Nick hidden away in a cheap hotel owned by Loreale.Among the players in this tale of friendship, betrayal, and the competition for power between the young and the aging, is the beautiful and possibly deadly Abbey O’Brien. She was Nick’s right hand in his bookie operation, and now that he’s dead, she stands to either gain big or lose even bigger.The operatives and bettors in Nick’s bookmaking business have a stake in Nick’s death, too…and motives to either solve his murder or get him out of the way: there’s Freddie Holmes, who sizes you up before you’re allowed entry into the betting parlor; Mike Leandro, leader of the crew that takes phoned-in bets; Chickie D’Andrea, who posts the odds from every track and sporting event; Harry “Horsehide” Lanz, a major gambler and trackside aficionado; Sylvia Georgiadis, an aging grand dame of the gambling world; and others.Assisting Cantor, as always, are her young Guy Friday Judson Zane; cabbie, sometime getaway driver and sometime friend with benefits Rosie Bliss; and Cantor’s criminal mentor Esther “Mom” Sheinbaum.And always circling are the cops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The stunning new psychological thriller from novelist and multi-award winning film actor Richard Armitage.You can’t escape your past. The cut always reopens.In the sleepy village of Barton Mallet, the old ruins of Blackstone Mill watch over the residents and their quiet lives. Ben Knot and his friends are looking forward to a summer of fun and freedom once their last year of high school is over. The class of 1994 have been through a lot together, but teasing turns to bullying when the Knot gang targets young Mark Cherry. As violence escalates, the group fractures and tragedy strikes. Before the summer is over, one of them will be killed. Murdered by someone they called a friend.Thirty years later, Ben is an award-winning architect who has moved his family back to Barton Mallet. His girlfriend, Dani, is a lovely stepmother to his children—budding actor Nate and star athlete Lily—but even though the family is happy, Ben has never been able to forget the tragedy of the past. And it’s a past that is quickly coming back to haunt him, with the murderer’s imminent release from prison. Ben’s glittering career is also starting to tarnish as some shady business deals have put him on the path to bankruptcy. With the killer’s parole date approaching—and the banks calling in their loans—Ben struggles to keep a grip on his perfect life.When Nate lands the leading role in a new horror film, Dani jumps at the chance to propel him towards stardom. But when the film crew descends on the village, the dream starts to turn into a nightmare. The film is not quite what it seems. Ben’s children are being pushed to the limit, and his paranoia makes him question the film makers’ motives. Ben is desperate for answers and will stop at nothing to keep his family safe.If the first cut is the deepest, then the last cut is going to end it all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Genius and the Tramp Fight Fascists in 1930s Hollywood."Ingeniously pairs real-life friends Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin on a roller coaster ride to save America from a fascist threat within its borders." – Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs series.It's 1937 and clouds of war gather over Europe, and American fascists march at home. While the FBI chases suspected communists, Nazi agents plot an armed insurrection. When the world's two most famous men—Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin—uncover the scheme, which includes the assassination of Hollywood's biggest stars, they fight back with nothing but their ingenuity, raw courage, and the fierce resolve of Georgia Ann Robinson, LAPD's first Black female officer.A dangerous chase takes our heroes into the heart of darkness, a fascist encampment in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles where a militia armed with machine guns plans its attack. Batten the hatches: it's brains versus brawn in an explosive, unforgettable finale.Praised by The New York Times for his "realistic, gritty, and fun" novels, Paul Levine delivers a wildly inventive thriller laced with humor and a larger-than-life cast, including Charles Lindbergh, Douglas Fairbanks, William Randolph Hearst, and Joseph Goebbels.Inspired by a true story. Learn more at paul-levine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FBI agent Frank Adler’s life is upended when his daughter vanishes on what should have been the trip of a lifetime. No witnesses. No demands. No trace.Refusing to wait for an investigation from the sidelines, Frank breaks protocol and follows a trail of clues that lead him into a shadowy underworld. As he digs deeper, he finds himself caught in an interconnected web of lies, cartels, cover-ups, corporate greed, and dangerous players who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.With the body count rising and time running out, Frank must uncover the truth before he loses everything he loves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A star reporter who lost his journalistic edge to a life of glamor and excess attends the funeral of a Catholic priest in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. But when he questions the priest's death, he quickly recovers his investigative skills to learn this charming tourist town - once the coal mining capital of the nation - has secrets so astonishing and unimaginable, he finds himself in a deadly struggle for his new love, his life, and his very soul.From Matt Birkbeck, the author of several non-fiction bestsellers including The Life We Chose, Deconstructing Sammy and A Beautiful Child, which was adapted by Netflix for the hit 2022 film Girl in the Picture, comes a stunning, debut work of fiction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A luxurious resort. A dream getaway. A murder that changes everything.Nina and Michael Carr are newlyweds on a romantic minimoon at The Chateau, an exclusive resort nestled in the Catskill Mountains. The setting is perfect—stunning views, lavish accommodations, and a welcome escape from their hectic everyday lives. But when the body of a young woman is discovered near the lake, their idyllic retreat turns into a nightmare.Now, Nina finds herself entangled in a homicide investigation, questioned by detectives who believe she may hold the key to uncovering what really happened. The deeper she digs into the mystery, the more unsettling her memories become—particularly those involving the other guests, and the secrets they seem desperate to hide.As the truth slowly comes to light, Nina must untangle a web of lies before it’s too late. Because at The Chateau, nothing is as it seems—and someone will do whatever it takes to keep the past buried. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shamus Award–winning author Michael Sears brings Queens, New York, to literary life in this crime series debut featuring a somewhat seedy lawyer with a heart of gold (or at least gold plate).Queens, New York—the most diverse place on earth. Native son Ted Molloy knows these streets like the back of his hand. Ted was once a high-powered Manhattan lawyer, but after a spectacular fall from grace, he has found himself back on his home turf, scraping by as a foreclosure profiteer. It’s a grubby business, but a safe one—until Ted’s case sourcer, a mostly reformed small-time conman named Richie Rubiano, turns up murdered shortly after tipping Ted off to an improbably lucrative lead.With Richie’s widow on his back and shadows of the past popping up at every turn, Ted realizes he’s gotten himself embroiled in a murder investigation. His quest for the truth will take him all over Queens, plunging him into the machinations of greedy developers, mobsters, enraged activists, old litigator foes and old-school New York City operators. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

J. D. Horn is the author of the standalone dark fantasy Shivaree and the bestselling Witching Savannah series (The Line, The Source, The Void, and Jilo). The Witching Savannah series has been/is being translated into Russian, Polish, German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Romanian. He and his spouse, Rich, split their time between San Francisco and Palm Springs. During this episode, J.D. discusses his recent change into writing in the Crime Fiction genre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first exciting installment in the Realities series!Things aren't as they appear to be at Bainbridge Psychiatric Hospital. Decorated war hero and politician Captain Oliver Haskell has voluntarily committed himself following the murder of his wife, scientist Hannah Haskell, in the parking lot of her workplace, Wellglad Pharmaceuticals. His case is assigned to Dr. Ella Kramer, a young psychiatrist just out of her residency with a troubled past of her own. After interviewing the captain, Ella starts to listen to her other patients at Bainbridge, who seem to be operating in another reality altogether. But it is when their reality bleeds into Captain Haskell's that Ella is forced to choose between the two worlds and learns to trust her gut about what really happened to Hannah Haskell that night. Detective Paul Moran who is investigating the murder smells a rat-or, perhaps, in this case, a rabbit-as he attempts to unravel what has taken place and its strange connection to the hospital's patients.The Light Runner, the first installment in the Realities series from debut author Ally Walker, is an edge-of-your-seat metaphysical thriller that will mesmerize and haunt you from the first page to its shocking end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Allegra Tarot has an uncanny knack for becoming anyone she wants.Depending on the job, she can transform the carriage of her body or the cadence of her speech. With the pop of a collar or the tousle of her hair, she can dupe your perceptions.As a former T.V. actress, she’s got chameleon abilities, no doubt, and they come in handy now that she straps a Diamondback 9mm and prowls the gritty backstreets of working-class Hollywood, running the grind as a skip tracer.If you want to follow along on her investigations, you better lock in. It’s bound to get your blood thumping, your adrenaline spiking.Partial in Blood is a propulsive, character-driven crime thriller rife with twisty turns and piquant humor. Tag along with Allegra as she leverages her performance chops to investigate the disappearance of a troubled young woman, in the process uncovering a brutal shadow world of corruption and deception. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution—how far would you go to realize a dream? The twenty-two authors in this collection explore the possibilities, with predictably unpredictable results.Featuring stories by Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C.W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June, 1975.The Taylor family shatters in a single night when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them. Decades later, the legend only grows as his career as a horror writer skyrockets.Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent Taylor. Now on the brink of financial ruin, she's offered a job to ghostwrite her father's last book. What she doesn't know, though, is that this project is another one of his lies. Because it's not another horror novel he wants her to write.After fifty years of silence, Vincent Taylor is finally ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All I want is to be innocent again. But that's not how it works. Especially not after the Wheel.The three Bishop sisters grew up in privilege in the moneyed suburbs of Detroit. But as the auto industry declined, so did their fortunes. Harper, the youngest, is barely making ends meet when her beloved, charismatic sister Pam—currently in the middle of a contentious battle with her ex-husband—and her eldest sister, Debra, approach her about joining an exciting new club.The Wheel offers women like themselves—middle-aged and of declining means—a way to make their own money, independent of husbands or families. Quickly, however, the Wheel’s success, and their own addiction to it, leads to greater and greater risks—and a crime so shocking it threatens to bring everything down with it.Megan Abbott turns her keen eye toward women and money in El Dorado Drive, a riveting story about power, vulnerability, and how desperation draws out our most destructive impulses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Detective Mike O'Shea is spiraling—consumed by painkiller addiction, alcohol, and the crushing weight of unresolved grief. As his personal demons threaten to take control, he’s pulled into a chilling case: a woman is found dead, her son rotting beside her, discovered only when neighbors are alerted by the unbearable stench of decay.Meanwhile, O'Shea’s obsession with the killer of his former partner, Sal, continues to haunt him. The elusive murderer has evaded justice for years, but O'Shea has always suspected something more—an untold truth buried beneath the surface. As he digs further, he uncovers a terrifying reality: the killer’s freedom isn’t just a coincidence—it’s the result of high-level corruption that runs far deeper than he ever imagined.As the conspiracy begins to unravel, the threat intensifies, drawing in those closest to O'Shea. Detective Sergeant Amanda Black, one of the few who knows the whole story, becomes the target of an assassination attempt. With her pending promotion and O'Shea’s growing addiction-fueled paranoia, he starts to wonder if he can still trust her—especially if she’s crossing over.Haunted by years of policing that have left him physically and emotionally scarred, O'Shea is worn down by the weight of it all. Torn between his duty and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion, he struggles to hold on as the stakes rise and the lines between right and wrong blur. He must decide whether to keep fighting—or walk away, knowing the cop killer who took Sal’s life still roams free. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Belfast, Northern Ireland: early spring 2017. Retired Chief Inspector Patrick Mullan is found brutally murdered in his bed. Detective Sergeant Ryan McBride and his partner Detective Sergeant Billy Lamont are called to his desolate country home to investigate. In their inquiry, they discover a man whose career with the Police Service of Northern Ireland was overshadowed by violence and corruption. Is the killer someone from Mullan’s past, or his present?And who hated the man enough to kill him twice?Ryan and Billy once again face a complex investigation with wit and intelligence, all set in Belfast and the richly atmospheric countryside around it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Dara Banks, Rock Canyon's leading Realtor, searches for an assistant, finding someone as resourceful as Meryl "Merry" Rafter seems too good to be true. So good in fact, she neglects to run a reference check. Bad move. Before she knows it, Merry, a former “actress” trying to be “helpful,” has insinuated herself into Dara’s business, family, and charity, and may be the only person saving her from prison. Dara becomes suspicious and begins snooping into Merry’s past. Feeling cornered, Merry reciprocates by launching an investigation of her own and realizes—too late—that she may have picked the wrong mark to con. These women’s unsettling discoveries, and their desperate efforts to safeguard their skeleton-filled closets and fragile self-images, lead to an explosive confrontation certain to destroy the lives of everyone in their midst. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deepfakes Can Be MurderKylee Kane, a security consultant for Welch HOA Management, finds the first victim, Andy Fyke, crumpled at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Kylee suspects his fall’s no accident and is tied to Andy’s campaign to prohibit rentals in his Hilton Head Island community. Yet, Andy’s obvious enemies have ironclad alibis.When another Lowcountry HOA retiree dies in a hit-and-run boat tragedy, Kylee begins to think the incidents are linked—even though the victims and their assailants have little in common.The link is the Chameleon, an Artificial Intelligence expert, who can create a deepfake of almost anyone—living or dead. Even more frightening is the Chameleon’s ability to seek out disturbed souls and laser-focus their rage. A talent employed to compel subjects to act as surrogate assassins.When Kylee begins to pursue the Chameleon, the AI expert decides it’s time to groom an assassin to permanently sideline Kylee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New York Times bestselling author Adrian McKinty continues the Edgar Award–winning Sean Duffy series with Hang On St. Christopher.Rain slicked streets, riots, murder, chaos. It’s July 1992 and the Troubles in Northern Ireland are still grinding on after twenty-five apocalyptic years. Detective Inspector Sean Duffy got his family safely over the water to Scotland, to “Shortbread Land.” Duffy’s a part-timer now, only returning to Belfast six days a month to get his pension. It’s an easy gig, if he can keep his head down.But then a murder case falls into his lap while his protégé is on holiday in Spain. A carjacking gone wrong and the death of a solitary, middle-aged painter. But something’s not right, and as Duffy probes he discovers the painter was an IRA assassin. So, the question becomes: Who hit the hit man and why?This is Duffy’s most violent and dangerous case yet and the whole future of the burgeoning “peace process” may depend upon it. Based on true events, Duffy must unentangle parallel operations by the CIA, MI5, and Special Branch. Duffy attempts to bring a killer to justice while trying to keep himself and his team alive as everything unravels around them. They might not all make it out of this one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the role of a lifetime puts the truth into true crime television, the results can be lethal.For bestselling author and criminal psychologist,Dr. Carolyn Harkin the return to her native Northern Ireland has been tumultuous.Having survived an encounter with the notorious How To Be Dead Programme, the dangers of a writing class blurring fact with crime fiction, the resurrection of the ghosts of her past and a threat to her life and the lives of her colleagues, life was now set for a slower pace. Or so she thought.Now, with news of the death by homicide of the wife of her associate, Chief Constable Brian Hannon and a spate of murders of young men to contend with, Dr. Harkin must face her greatest nemesis and the return of the programme in another tale of fiction being blended with reality, and this time it’s set to be a small screen streaming blockbuster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Middleman is an epic drama of whistleblowers, murder, thrills, and legal combat—torn out of today’s headlines.Nicholas “Deke” Deketomis and his law firm take on America’s Big Pharma when Deke’s college pal, Matt Redmond, presents him with a case of possible fraud involving EirePharma, the Redmond family business and a powerful Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM). PBMs serve as the “middlemen” between drug manufacturers and insurance companies, working in cryptic ways to determine not only the cost of drugs but also placing them on insurers’ preferred formularies. EirePharma was recently taken over by the charismatic CEO, Connor Devlin, who has a Rasputin-like influence over Matt’s cousin, Amy, the company’s current president. Devlin may be utilizing racketeering practices—and perhaps murder—to raise the prices of insulin and other drugs for his own profit and to the detriment of consumers.Amy, who at first was in love with Devlin, decides—at great peril—to become her company’s whistleblower and provide evidence to Deke and his team. When key witnesses and even Redmond family members meet mysterious and violent deaths, Amy finds herself a pawn caught in the center of a frightening and deadly game of wills between a formidable gangster, who in the eyes of the public is a respected businessman, and a law firm that is determined to investigate and uncover the Middleman’s crimes.In the tradition of Suspicious Activity and Inhuman Trafficking, Mike Papantonio takes Deke and his cohorts on a new and different kind of legal gamble in The Middleman, which is chock full of the action and thrills for which he is known Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a derelict building for sale, Acapulco police detective Emilia Cruz stumbles on the body of a woman brutally shot to death. Incredibly, the victim was the sister of Acapulco’s ambitious mayor, who is running for re-election against an opponent with deep pockets.Emilia’s investigation is immediately under pressure for a fast result. The victim’s ex-boyfriend has a suspiciously weak alibi but is the crime scene the key to finding the murderer? The building was once used for a secret Mexican government operation targeting a ruthless drug lord.Meanwhile, there’s a conspiracy within the police department to force Emilia out.Before Emilia can save her job or arrest her prime suspect, she’s sent on an errand of mercy to Washington, DC.There she becomes a fugitive hunted by killers masquerading as cops. Alone, desperate and on the run, Emilia turns for help to a man she once vowed to murder.He's her only chance to survive a deadly game of political intrigue on the wrong side of the border.From Acapulco’s beaches to the streets of Washington, DC, the stakes couldn’t be higher in this electrifying, page-turning thriller. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.