Mystery/Suspense books

A BJ Vinson Mystery

Confidential investigator B. J. Vinson thinks it’s a bad joke when Del Dahlman asks him to look into the theft of a duck… a duck named Quacky Quack the Second and insured for $250,000. It ceases to be funny when the young thief dies in a suspicious truck wreck. The search leads BJ and his lover, Paul Barton, to the sprawling Lazy M Ranch in the Bootheel country of southwestern New Mexico bordering the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

A deadly game unfolds when BJ and Paul are trapped in a weird rock formation known as the City of Rocks, an eerie array of frozen magma that is somehow at the center of the entire scheme. But does the theft of Quacky involve a quarter-million-dollar duck-racing bet between the ranch’s owner and a Miami real estate developer, or someone attempting to force the sale of the Lazy M because of its proximity to an unfenced portion of the Mexican border? BJ and Paul go from the City of Rocks to the neon lights of Miami and back again in pursuit of the answer… death and danger tracking their every step.

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Sequel to The Shadow Operation

Leo’s mission is supposed to be routine—befriend high-school student Freya Moore. But things rarely go as planned, and Jack is called in to provide assistance. Questions quickly arise: Why is the Center interested in Freya, who is fellow student Ryan Anderson, and what is he trying to accomplish? The answers will alter Jack’s life forever. Allegiances will be strained, and Jack’s history, identity, and reasons for being at the Center will finally be uncovered.

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Gavin Goode was a star athlete and a good student until one catastrophic decision destroyed his future. As a member of the savage street gang the Cold Bloods, Gavin ran afoul of the leader, Apache, a bigot determined to punish Gavin for his sexuality. After being framed for a crime he didn’t commit, Gavin faces a prison sentence—and the promise of relentless rape and torment. With his spirit almost broken, Gavin learns his beloved father has suffered a near-fatal assault. But a friend appears when Gavin needs him most. Cato has been masquerading as a prison guard when in reality he is a time traveler—one with the ability to wipe the slate clean for Gavin… and his father. 

But changing the past will threaten the future for many innocent people. Gavin finds himself trapped between saving his father and himself or accepting the steep price of preserving the time stream.

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Vice City: Book One

After twenty years as an enforcer for the Vice family mob, Nicholas Pierce shouldn’t bat an eye at seeing a guy get worked over and tossed in the river. But there’s something about the suspected police mole, Miles, that has Pierce second-guessing himself. The kid is just trying to look out for his brother any way he knows how, and the altruistic motive sparks an uncharacteristic act of mercy that involves Pierce taking Miles under his wing.

Miles wants to repay Pierce for saving his life. Pierce shouldn’t see him as anything but a convenient hookup… and he sure as hell shouldn’t get involved in Miles’s doomed quest to get his brother out of a rival street gang. He shouldn’t do a lot of things, but life on the streets isn’t about following the rules. Besides, he’s sick of being abused by the Vice family, especially Mr. Vice and his power-hungry goon of a son, who treats his underlings like playthings.

So Pierce does the absolute last thing he should do if he wants to keep breathing—he leaves the Vice family in the middle of a turf war.

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Jeremy Spencer n’aurait jamais imaginé que l’ordre occulte qu’il avait fondé pour rire avec son petit ami Bowyn lorsqu’ils étaient à l’université deviendrait une organisation internationale rassemblant des centaines de membres. Désormais professeur et spécialiste de la musique de la Renaissance, Jeremy se retrouve de nouveau plongé dans un univers de libertinage et de cérémonies magickes. Les jalousies et rancœurs qui l’ont séparé de Bowyn huit ans plus tôt semblent bel et bien appartenir au passé.

Mais Jeremy commence à se demander si la mélodie vieille de plusieurs siècles qu’on lui a demandé de retranscrire ne recèle pas un sombre secret. À chaque couplet, des volées d’oiseaux se jettent sur le vieux manoir, un mystérieux brouillard s’abat sur le domaine et des nuées de chauves-souris envahissent le dôme du temple. Au cours d’une séance de spiritisme, les participants reçoivent un avertissement énigmatique depuis le royaume des esprits. Alors que le jour de la représentation approche, Jeremy comprend que ce morceau contient peut-être la clé d’un immense pouvoir – un pouvoir pour lequel certains seraient prêts à tuer.

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Serie Bissonet & Cruz, Investigatori Privati, Libro 1

Quando due pregiati quadri risalenti alla Guerra Civile vengono rubati da una famosa galleria di New Orleans, l’investigatore capo della NOPD Montgomery “Beau” Bissonet e il suo collega sono chiamati a risolvere il caso. Nel frattempo, la compagnia assicurativa della galleria ha inviato in città Tollison Cruz affinché conduca un’indagine indipendente, ma non appena l’uomo incontra il detective, le loro personalità entrano in conflitto e lo scontro è inevitabile. 

Il furto diventa subito un caso da prima pagina che coinvolge persone importanti. Quando gli viene ordinato di farsi affiancare da Cruz per arrivare più velocemente a un arresto, Bissonet si infuria. Il rapporto tra i due però si incendia quando scoprono di avere più cose in comune di quanto avessero inizialmente pensato. 

Con i dissidi temporaneamente superati, Bissonet e Cruz iniziano a collaborare, ma non si limitano a un rapporto professionale. Tutto sembra arrestarsi bruscamente quando Beau scopre che Tollison ha omesso informazioni sul caso e nascosto un passato decisamente discutibile. Ciò che segue è così scottante da competere col caldo sole estivo della Louisiana.

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Haunted by the screams of the men he murdered, ex-Marine medic Riff Khora is serving a life sentence on board a prison ship. Seeking more punishment for his crime, he strikes a deal with the corrupt Captain Vidal—an exchange of pleasure and pain—and forges a new life leading the team that surveys space wreckage for salvage.

Ship engineer Zed Jakobsen’s psychometric abilities make prison a sentence worse than death, and the barrage of emotional stimuli is an unending torment. His only regret is that he didn’t kill the monster who sent him to prison, and only a glimmer of hope to escape a judgment he doesn’t deserve keeps him clinging to a brutal existence.

When they board derelict ship Pandora and discover a lone survivor, the hell of prison life plunges into abject horror. An epidemic of violence and insanity consumes their ship, driving the crew to murder and destruction. Mutual need draws Riff and Zed together, and their bond gives them the strength to fight a reality they cannot trust. But Vidal possesses the only means of escape from the nightmare, and he’s not letting anyone leave alive.

2nd Edition
First Edition published as Pandora in the Deep Into Darkness: Aliens, Alphas and Antiheroes Anthology by Smashwords, 2015.

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Buch 1 in der Serie - Verliebte Partner

Deputy US Marshal Miro Jones hat den Ruf, auch unter Beschuss ruhig zu bleiben und einen kühlen Kopf zu bewahren. Diese Eigenschaften kommen ihm in der Zusammenarbeit mit seinem Partner Ian Doyle, einem Elitesoldaten, sehr zu Gute, denn Ian ist der Typ Mann, der in einem leeren Raum einen Streit vom Zaun brechen kann. In den vergangenen drei Jahren in ihrem Job auf Leben und Tod sind aus Fremden erst Kollegen, dann loyale Teamkameraden und schließlich beste Freunde geworden. Miro hat zu dem Mann, der ihm den Rücken freihält, blindes Vertrauen entwickelt … und einiges mehr.

Als Marshal und Soldat wird von Ian erwartet, dass er die Führung übernimmt. Aber die Stärke und Disziplin, die ihn im Einsatz zum Erfolg und zur Erfüllung seiner Mission tragen, versagen überall sonst. Ian hat sich immer gegen jede Art der Bindung gewehrt, aber kein Zuhause zu haben – und mehr noch: niemanden, zu dem er nach Hause kommen kann – frisst ihn innerlich langsam auf. Im Lauf der Zeit hat er, wenn auch widerstrebend, eingesehen, dass es ohne seinen Partner an seiner Seite einfach nicht geht. Jetzt muss Miro ihn nur noch überzeugen, dass Gefühlsbande keine Fesseln sind …

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Seguito di Baci sporchi - Dirty Kiss
Un'indagine di Cole McGinnis

Per Cole McGinnis, ex poliziotto diventato investigatore privato, amare Kim Jae-Min non è sempre facile, perché Jae è riluttante a mostrare apertamente il suo orientamento sessuale. Al contrario, Cole non sa vivere in un altro modo, anche se capisce come si sente Jae. Gli uomini coreani che seguono la tradizione, infatti, non sono gay, perlomeno non quando possono essere scoperti.

Ma Cole non può dedicare troppo tempo a sbrogliare i problemi del suo ragazzo. Ha un incarico da portare a termine. Quando una cantante di nome Scarlet chiede il suo aiuto per trovare Park Dae-Hoon, un coreano gay che è sparito quasi vent’anni prima, Cole si ritrova immerso nel mondo intricato delle ricche famiglie coreane, dove il dovere e la politica significano sacrificare la felicità per conservare imperi aziendali. Ben presto i cadaveri iniziano ad accumularsi senza un’apparente logica. A ogni passo che Cole fa verso il ritrovamento di Park Dae-Hoon, un’altra persona va incontro alla morte, e proprio qualcuno che Cole ama potrebbe essere la prossima vittima dell’assassino.

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Emile  Delaurier ist ein wunderbar militanter Revolutionär, ein Leuchtfeuer der Gerechtigkeit für die ganze Welt. Für Renaire, einen Künstler im stetigen Kampf gegen die Flasche, war es Besessenheit auf den ersten Blick. Seine Hingabe hat zu zwei Jahren tödlicher Partnerschaft geführt, bei der Renaire Delaurier auf seinem unbarmherzigen Weg zur Gleichheit wie ein mörderischer Robin Hood gefolgt ist.

Doch dann ändert Delaurier plötzlich sein Muster und nimmt Renaire mit nach Russland, um eine Journalistin ohne jede unmoralische Vergangenheit zu töten, und ohne seine Tat zu erklären.

Als Interpol Kontakt zu Renaire aufnimmt, hat er eigentlich schon genug Probleme – Delaurier am Leben erhalten, mit ihrer veränderten Beziehung klarkommen und seine eigene Vergangenheit überleben, die ihn immer noch verfolgt. Doch als er erfährt, was Interpol von ihm will, muss Renaire der Wahrheit über Delaurier ins Gesicht sehen: dass ein edler Mann nicht immer ein guter Mann ist. Er steht vor einer Entscheidung, die kein Mann jemals treffen sollte – soll er seinem Herzen oder seiner Moral folgen?

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A BJ Vinson Mystery

Although repulsed by his client, an overbearing, homophobic California wine mogul, confidential investigator B. J. Vinson agrees to search for Anthony Alfano’s missing son, Lando, and his traveling companion—strictly for the benefit of the young men. As BJ chases an orange Porsche Boxster all over New Mexico, he soon becomes aware he is not the only one looking for the distinctive car. Every time BJ finds a clue, someone has been there before him. He arrives in Taos just in time to see the car plunge into the 650-foot-deep Rio Grande Gorge. Has he failed in his mission?

Lando’s brother, Aggie, arrives to help with BJ’s investigation, but BJ isn’t sure he trusts Aggie’s motives. He seems to hold power in his father’s business and has a personal stake in his brother’s fate that goes beyond familial bonds. Together they follow the clues scattered across the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness area and learn the bloodshed didn’t end with the car crash. As they get closer to solving the mystery, BJ must decide whether finding Lando will rescue the young man or place him directly in the path of those who want to harm him.

Second Edition
First Edition published by Martin Brown Publishers, LLC, 2013.

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Les aventures de Philip Potter, numéro hors série

La veille de Noël, en 1966, Philip Potter, un conservateur du Smithsonian au grand cœur, termine ses achats de dernière minute. Au même instant, James, son compagnon depuis plusieurs années, s’ôte la vie chez eux. Inconscient de ce qui l’attend, Philip dépose des cadeaux à un refuge pour sans-abris, un acte généreux qui fera plus tard de lui un suspect dans le meurtre d’un prostitué.

Après la mort choquante de James, deux hommes entrent dans la vie de Philip… et tous deux conduisent une Continental jaune. L’un d’eux, toutefois, est un tueur avec le sang de six prostitués sur les mains. Et tous deux cachent quelque chose.

Comme Philip est sur le point de le découvrir, aucune bonne action ne reste impunie.

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Als  Jesse Morales, frischgebackener College-Absolvent und angehender Krimiautor, sich auf eine Woche als Helfer im Observatorium des Mount Washington einlässt, rechnet er mit harter Arbeit. Womit er nicht rechnet, ist die Leiche, die er zwischen den Felsen im Nebel findet. Der Mann entpuppt sich als der junge Tourist Stuart Warren, für den ein Ausflug auf den Berg mit seinen Freunden tödlich endete.

Der verwitwete Polizist Kyle Dubois wird mit seinem Partner Wesley Roberts mitten in der Nacht zum Schauplatz des Verbrechens gerufen. Obwohl sich Jesse und er augenblicklich voneinander angezogen fühlen, fällt es Kyle schwer, einen so jungen Mann mit einer Vorliebe für Kriminalfälle ernst zu nehmen. Jedoch gelingt es Jesse bald, sich nützlich zu machen, indem er sich ein Zimmer im Hotel der Angehörigen und Freunde sucht, um sich unter sie zu mischen. Was er dort erfährt, könnte bei der Lösung des Falles helfen – oder ihn das Leben kosten.

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When a serious bout of writer’s block threatens to delay mystery author Drew Daniels’s newest book, his aunt offers her New Orleans apartment in the heart of the French Quarter as a writing retreat. She neglects to mention that it’s occupied by the enigmatic and sexy Finn Murphy, a cemetery tour guide with a penchant for Victorian attire and a Cajun accent.

A body discovered in an open crypt forces reclusive Drew to deal with Finn’s eccentric group of friends and his underlying attraction to the hot Cajun—despite warnings about Finn’s violent past. Drew might write this stuff, but he’s never had to solve a real-life murder. With a deadline looming and a killer on the loose, this retreat is proving to be anything but helpful for Drew’s novel. Drew can only hope he won’t end up a tragic tale for the Ghostly Legends & Lore, Inc. haunted tour.

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

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In the small mountain town of Amorea, it’s stretching toward autumn of 1954. The memories of a world at war are fading in the face of a prosperous future. Doors are left unlocked at night, and neighbors are always there to give each other a helping hand.

The people here know certain things as fact:

Amorea is the best little town there is.

The only good Commie is a dead Commie.

The Women’s Club of Amorea runs the town with an immaculately gloved fist.

And bookstore owner Mike Frazier loves that boy down at the diner, Sean Mellgard. Why they haven’t gotten their acts together is anybody’s guess. It may be the world’s longest courtship, but no one can deny the way they look at each other.

Slow and steady wins the race, or so they say.

But something’s wrong with Mike. He hears voices in his house late at night. There are shadows crawling along the walls and great clouds of birds overhead that only he can see.

Something’s happening in Amorea. And Mike will do whatever he can to keep the man he loves.

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Marshals: Book Three

Miro Jones is living the life: he’s got his exciting, fulfilling job as a US deputy marshal, his gorgeous Greystone in suburban Chicago, his beloved adopted family, and most importantly, the man who captured his heart, Ian Doyle. Problem is, Ian isn’t just his partner at work—Ian’s a soldier through and through. That commitment takes him away from Miro, unexpectedly and often, and it’s casting a shadow over what could be everything Miro could ever dream of.

Work isn’t the same without Ian. Home isn’t the same, either, and Miro’s having to face his fears alone… how to keep it together at the office, how to survive looming threats from the past, and worst of all, how to keep living without Ian’s rock-solid presence at his side. His life is tied up in knots, but what if unknotting them requires something more permanent? What would that mean for him and Ian? Miro’s stuck between two bad choices, and sometimes the only way to get out of the knot is to hold tight to your lifeline and pull.

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Sequel to Like I Know Jack

In a mission more twisted than usual, sixteen-year-old agent Jack is assigned to play the role of Jack Elliot. Jack Elliot is the new identity created for Alex Sutherland, a teenager whose father’s criminal activities have forced the family into a witness relocation program. Alex’s family was supposed to be safe, but two previous relocations have already been compromised, so the Center is brought in to investigate. Is there a leak within the witness relocation program, or has somebody in the Sutherland family inadvertently betrayed them?

Jack finds himself in the field with Sean and Instructor Clare Colson acting as the Elliot family—setting themselves up as targets to flush out the truth. With Matt returning to the team, and Martin and Leo as backup, they must figure out how the family's secret identities are being blown and deal with the dangerous consequences.

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En tant qu’ancien agent de la N.S.A, Dayton Ingram est formé aux techniques de la Sécurité Intérieure. Il travaille désormais pour Scorpion et n’aspire qu’à une chose : aller sur le terrain. Intelligent, polyglotte, magicien de la technologie, il obtient sa chance en faisant échouer une agression dans une ruelle. Mais cette chance vient avec un inconvénient : un partenaire, Knighton, qui est un vrai mystère. Malgré ses recherches, Day ne trouve aucune information sur lui, pas même son prénom.

Knight, ancien Marine, a sombré dans la boisson après la disparition de sa famille. Il décide d’en sortir et Scorpion lui offre sa chance : une mission visant à arrêter une grave menace terroriste au Yucatan, avec Day, un bleu.

Pour arriver sur place sans attirer les soupçons, les deux hommes embarquent sur une croisière gay. Day, profondément dans son placard, et Knight, tout aussi enfermé, doivent se faire passer pour un couple. Les tensions sont fortes : l’ex Marine ne communique pas et l’ex N.S.A a les poils qui se hérissent face à la tendance au contrôle de son équipier.

Pourtant, après une soirée bien arrosée, ils se réveillent dans le même lit. Alors qu’ils approchent de leur destination, ils doivent apprendre à se faire confiance et à compter l’un sur l’autre, s’ils veulent infiltrer le camp terroriste et neutraliser le complot visant à détruire l’infrastructure informatique américaine. Et surtout s’ils veulent avoir une vie après la mission. Une vie qui pourrait inclure l’autre…

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