Mystery/Suspense books

Half Moon Bay: Book Two

Angel Daniels grew up hard, one step ahead of the law and always looking over his shoulder. A grifter's son, he’d learned every con and trick in the book but ached for a normal life. Once out on his own, Angel returns to Half Moon Bay where he once found… and then lost… love.

Now, Angel's life is a frantic mess of schedules and chaos. Between running his bakery and raising his troubled eleven-year-old half brother, Roman, Angel has a hectic but happy life. Then West Harris returns to Half Moon Bay and threatens to break Angel all over again by taking away the only home he and Rome ever had.

When they were young, Angel taught West how to love and laugh, but when Angel moved on, West locked his heart up and threw away the key. Older and hardened, West returns to Half Moon Bay and finds himself face-to-face with the man he'd lost. Now West is torn between killing Angel or holding him tight.

But rekindling their passionate relationship is jeopardized as someone wants one or both of them dead, and as the terrifying danger mounts, neither man knows if the menace will bring them together or forever tear them apart.

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Ein Titel der Ein Cole-McGinnis-Krimi Serie

Der ehemalige Polizist und Privatdetektiv Cole Kenjiro McGinnis kämpft noch damit, über die Ermordung seines Liebsten hinwegzukommen, als er mit einem scheinbar alltäglichen Fall beauftragt wird. Der Selbstmord des Sohnes eines erfolgreichen koreanischen Geschäftsmannes entpuppt sich als ganz und gar nicht gewöhnlich, vor allem, als Cole bei seinen Nachforschungen Jae-Min kennenlernt, den gut aussehenden Cousin des Toten.

Jae-Mins Cousin hatte ein schmutziges Geheimnis der Art, mit der Cole sich bestens auskennt und die Jae-Min selbst vor seiner Familie geheim hält. Die Ermittlungen führen Cole von geschmackvollen Villen zu zwielichtigen Begegnungen im Dirty Kiss, wo die Reichen und Verschwiegenen ihr Verlangen abseits ihrer konservativen Familien stillen.

Sie führen ihn außerdem in Jae-Mins Arme, was Probleme mit sich bringt. Der Selbstmord sieht mehr und mehr wie ein Mord aus, während Jae-Min das nächste Ziel zu sein scheint. Cole hat bereits einen geliebten Menschen auf diese Weise verloren – bei Jae-Min wird er es mit allen Mitteln verhindern.

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A BJ Vinson Mystery

B. J. Vinson is a former Marine and ex-Albuquerque PD detective turned confidential investigator. Against his better judgment, BJ agrees to find the gay gigolo who was responsible for his breakup with prominent Albuquerque lawyer Del Dahlman and recover some racy photographs from the handsome bastard. The assignment should be fast and simple.

But it quickly becomes clear the hustler isn’t the one making the anonymous demands, and things turn deadly with a high-profile murder at the burning of Zozobra on the first night of the Santa Fe Fiesta. BJ’s search takes him through virtually every stratum of Albuquerque and Santa Fe society, both straight and gay. Before it is over, BJ is uncertain whether Paul Barton, the young man quickly insinuating himself in BJ’s life, is friend or foe. But he knows he’s stepped into something much more serious than a modest blackmail scheme. With Paul and BJ next on the killer’s list, BJ must find a way to put a stop to the death threats once and for all.

2nd Edition
First Edition published as The Zozobra Incident & The Bisti Business by Martin Brown Publishers, LLC, 2012.

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Il était mort. Et c’était le plus odieux des meurtres. Si effacer l’existence d’un homme pouvait être considéré comme un meurtre.

Lorsque Damien Mitchell reprend connaissance, il n’a plus de vie, plus de nom. Les médecins de l’asile du Montana lui affirment qu’il est délirant et que ses souvenirs ne sont que des mensonges : il est vraiment Stephen Thompson et il a basculé dans la folie, obsédé par une rock star morte dans un violent accident. Sa chance de pouvoir s’échapper pour retrouver sa vie survient quand sa prison brûle, mais un homme armé l’attend, déterminé à ce que, ni Stephen Thompson, ni Damien Mitchell n’y survivent.

Avec un assassin sur les talons, Damien s’enfuit jusqu’à la Ville sur la baie, où il fait profil bas, seule façon pour lui de survivre pendant qu’il cherche son meilleur ami, Miki St John, dans les rues de San Francisco. Retournant à ce qui lui permettait de se nourrir avant qu’il ne devienne connu, Damien chante devant le Finnegan, un pub irlandais sur la jetée, pour avoir de quoi manger, et il tombe bientôt sur le propriétaire, Sionn Murphy. Damien n’a pas besoin d’une complication tel que Sionn et, pour aggraver les choses, le tireur – qui ne se soucie pas de faire face à Sionn, ou à n’importe qui d’autre, si cela lui permet de tuer Damien – resurgit pour finir ce qu’il a commencé.

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Jim Crawford was born wealthy, but he turned his back on it to become a police officer. Add that to his being gay, and he’s definitely the black sheep of the family.

Dr. Barty Halloran grew up with lessons instead of friends and toys and as a result, became a gifted psychologist… with only an academic understanding of people and emotions.

When Jim’s pursuit of a serial killer goes nowhere, he turns to Dr. Halloran for help, and Barty thinks he can get inside the shooter’s mind. In many ways, they’re two sides of the same coin, which both scares and intrigues him. Together, Jim and Barty make progress on the case—until the stakes shoot higher when the killer turns his attention toward Barty.

To protect Barty, Jim offers to let Barty stay with him, where he discovers the doctor has a heart to go along with his brilliant mind after all. But as they close in on their suspect, the killer becomes desperate, and he’ll do anything to elude capture—even threaten those closest to Jim.

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Order of the Black Knights

From Louisiana swamp rat to revivalist huckster to skilled con artist, Matthias Krall clawed his way out of poverty using his natural gifts of grift and manipulation to become the leader of an exclusive retreat center. Exploiting the guise of spiritual guru, Matthias seduces the rich and powerful into turning over their lives and fortunes to his control. But wealth and a small cadre of loyal followers can’t protect Matthias from the betrayal he knows is imminent. Everyone wants what Matthias has, except for one man who wants to destroy it. Dylan Connelly is a reporter who’s determined to prove the charismatic recluse is not only a fraud but a murderer.

Irresistibly drawn to Dylan despite the warnings in his gut, Matthias lures Dylan to his island retreat, determined to destroy his enemy once and for all.

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La  nuit avant son mariage, Zander Walsh, ses parents, et son futur mari se font tirer dessus en interrompant un mystérieux cambriolage alors qu’ils rentrent chez eux. Après trois semaines dans le coma, Zander se réveille pour apprendre qu’il est le seul survivant, et que sa vie parfaite s’est effondrée en un instant.

Le bel agent du FBI Jake Elliot enquête sur l’affaire, et il appréhende le tueur – , qui s’échappe rapidement. Après six mois de recherche, Zander et Jake réalisent que le FBI leur fait obstruction… et qu’ils ont lentement tissé un lien indissoluble qui commence à prendre encore davantage d’importance.

Une fois qu’ils s’embarquent dans une quête afin d’appréhender le tueur pour la seconde fois, ils découvrent que cette nuit épouvantable était bien plus qu’un simple cambriolage. Les grosses entreprises et les politiciens peuvent-ils cacher la vérité, ou les recherches de Zander et Jake pour découvrir ce qu’il s’est passé marqueront-elles la fin de leur nouvel amour et de leur vie ?

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Sequel to Fireworks & Wild Cards
The Wheel Mysteries: Book Four

Gus Goodwin witnesses a young man acting strangely at his occult shop—and a day later the same youth is found brutally murdered at a secluded Radical Faerie sanctuary in the mountains. Gus and his private detective boyfriend, Niall Valentine, once again find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery.

First to cross their path is Professor Alex Kittridge, Gus’s ex-boyfriend. Then into the picture stumbles Autumnsong, the biggest enigma they’ve ever encountered, to complicate the already confusing case. As Gus and Niall try to decipher the meaning of the cryptic poems left at the murder scenes, their pasts not yet laid to rest put a strain on their relationship.

Gus and Niall must uncover a slew of secrets within a spiritual group of queer social rebels before the vile killer strikes again—or the investigation could very well end up being their last.

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Avec  sa crête, ses tatouages et ses piercings, Ridley Corbin correspond à l’image du parfait bad boy – ce qui lui convient bien, puisqu’il se voit comme le défenseur des plus faibles. Mais ce qu’il veut par-dessus tout, c’est devenir le héros d’Alex Firestone.

Alex, bibliothécaire discret et délicat, vient de s’installer à Slater, paisible ville étudiante, dans l’espoir d’échapper à son passé. Solitaire, il se fait toutefois remarquer par la brute du campus. Mais les apparences sont parfois trompeuses. Le passé d’Alex le rattrape, et l’heure vient pour lui de devenir le héros.

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April 1594. William Moodie thinks he’s in love with celebrated actor Richard Brasyer. When Brasyer’s playing company, Goldfox’s Men, comes to town, William is only too willing to leave his country life for the opportunities of the theater and a life in London. Determined to become Richard’s apprentice, William seeks to impress his mentor with his acting—and please him in bed.

Meanwhile, Richard struggles to escape his past as a spy and disentangle himself from the manipulations of his former master and ex-lover, Bennett Goldfox. Swearing off a relationship with his new apprentice proves difficult for Richard, as William uses all his youthful charms to seduce him. When Bennett’s life is threatened, Richard is lured back into the game for one final mission, and he and William travel to Cambridge to hunt down a list of traitors to the Crown.

In the midst of danger and deception, Richard and William come to truly see each other, faults and all, and realize their feelings run deeper than either expected.

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Order of the Black Knights

Gideon Maybury enjoys a life of wealth and privilege, not to mention the advantages his position offers him in his career as a merchant banker and his less public life as a high-class, skilled, and very well-paid assassin for Her Majesty’s government. When his brother dies unexpectedly, he becomes the Duke of Westmoreland.

Michael Mathison has hated Gideon since they were at university together. He’s convinced Gideon had a hand in the death of Michael’s college lover, Christopher, and that he had something to do with the death of his own brother. So he gets a job as Gideon’s driver, enabling him to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the elder Maybury sibling. At first his suspicions seem to be confirmed, but clues emerge that suggest all is not as it appears at Maybury Hall.

As the mystery deepens, so does the attraction between the two implacable enemies, as does the feeling that they have met before—under dark and terrible circumstances. Each has reasons not to trust the other, but neither is averse to a bit of kinky play. Gideon and Michael end up owing each other their lives, and it results in consequences neither could have imagined.

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A Robert Flynn Novel

Robert Flynn abandoned a sterling military career when his best friend and fellow soldier, Wesley Pike, died under his command. More than a decade later, Flynn’s quiet life is disturbed by the troubles of a fledgling CIA and Alexander Grant, a flashy agent with a lot to prove. As the space race between the United States and the Soviets heats up and the body count rises, the two men fight to find common ground. Grant knows Flynn believes in the cause, but all Flynn sees is the opportunity to fail someone like he failed Wes. An attack by a Soviet agent spurs Flynn to action and a reluctant association with the agency, and tilts Flynn’s world on its axis with a shocking discovery: Wesley Pike may be alive and operating as a Soviet assassin.

With Grant to bankroll the operation, his superiors looking the other way, and Flynn’s hard-earned peace officially forfeit, Flynn reunites his old team with the singular goal of finding Wes. But they get more than they bargained for—Wes is amnesiac and dangerous, brainwashed into becoming the perfect weapon. Flynn struggles to reach his friend, lead his team, and navigate his charged relationship with Grant—something neither of them expected and aren’t sure how to parse—while coming to grips with his long-buried feelings for Wes.

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Durant  l’hiver glacial de 1891, alors que la nation est encore sous le choc de la crise bancaire de Baring, l’inspecteur Philemon Raft revient d’un congé sabbatique involontaire, et se retrouve chargé de résoudre l’enlèvement de Miriam Dewberry, une jeune fille de bonne famille. Projeté dans un milieu sordide où les classes supérieures se livrent à des investissements honteux, de l’autre côté de l’océan, pour engraisser leur compte en banque, Raft se retrouve perdu sans son compagnon, le constable Freddie Crook. Loin d’offrir son aide, l’élite cherche à tout prix à empêcher Raft de découvrir la vérité au sujet de la malheureuse victime de cet enlèvement, Miriam Dewberry… qui n’existe peut-être même pas.

Bientôt, Raft découvre que son vieil ennemi, le maître de l’hospice, John Gallant, est de retour à Londres. Gallant n’a pas avoué ses ambitions, mais il en sait assez pour ruiner la carrière de Raft, et peut-être même sa vie. Raft tente de résoudre cette affaire grâce à sa perspicacité habituelle et étrange, mais d’autres forces plus sombres sont à l’œuvre. Londres est encore terrifiée : c’est le Londres de Whitechapel, de Jack l’Éventreur, le Londres de la pauvreté, de la saleté et du désespoir, où s’engager dans la mauvaise allée pourrait envoyer Raft tout droit à la morgue.

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Lorsque Jesse Morales, un jeune diplômé de l’université qui aspire à devenir auteur de polars, se porte volontaire pour travailler au sommet du Mont Washington pendant une semaine, il s’attend à travailler dur. Par contre, il ne s’attend pas à trouver un corps en plein milieu du brouillard, gisant parmi les rochers, le crâne brisé. Le corps est celui d’un jeune touriste nommé Stuart Warren, qui s’est séparé de ses amis pendant qu’ils visitaient la montagne.

Kyle Dubois, un détective de la police d’État veuf, est appelé à se rendre sur la scène du crime en plein milieu de la nuit, ainsi que son coéquipier Wesley Roberts. Kyle et Jesse sont instantanément attirés l’un par l’autre, sauf que la fascination de Jesse pour les affaires de meurtres rend cela difficile pour Kyle de prendre le jeune homme au sérieux. Mais Jesse trouve un moyen d’apporter une aide précieuse au détective en prenant une chambre dans l’hôtel où les amis et la famille de la victime résident et en s’introduisant dans leur cercle. Très vite, il commence à apprendre des choses qui pourraient les aider à résoudre l’affaire… ou l’amener à se faire tuer.

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Bissonet & Cruz Investigations: Book Three

Beau Bissonet and Tollison Cruz are back, along with Bruce, Auggie, and now Bastien, Tollison’s ex-partner. From the initial spark between them in Zurich, Bruce and Bastien’s attraction has flared, and Bastien has come to the Big Easy to explore what lies ahead for them.

It’s Mardi Gras, and New Orleans is alive and festive, teeming with excited tourists and locals alike. The first few parades go off without a hitch. And then a man is targeted, shot, and killed right in the middle of a crowded street. Auggie and Bruce are called in to investigate, but before they even get started, more deaths occur, one at each of the next two parades. Auggie realizes he’s dealing with a serial killer and jumps into action.

Beau and Tollison join the investigation and stumble upon some similarities in the murders that are too strong to ignore. But before they can unravel the perpetrator’s motives and get ahead of him, he fires another shot that affects the tightly knit group of friends in a way none of them could have ever imagined. Together they must all come up with a plan to stop the killing and serve justice in the process.

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Les enquêtes de Bissonet & Cruz, tome 1

Deux tableaux de prix sont volés dans une galerie d’art de La Nouvelle-Orléans et l’inspecteur principal Montgomery Beau Bissonet est chargé de l’enquête. La compagnie d’assurance envoie également un agent, Tollison Cruz, suivre l’investigation. La situation entre les deux hommes est conflictuelle au premier abord : tension, colère et désir mêlés. 

L’affaire, qui implique des personnes en vue, doit être traitée avec précaution. Sur ordre du maire, Bissonet est contraint d’accepter Cruz dans son équipe. Peu à peu, ils apprennent à travailler ensemble et se découvrent de nombreux points communs. Au cours d’un déplacement professionnel, ils vivent une nuit torride et inattendue. De retour à La Nouvelle-Orléans, Beau découvre que Tollison lui a caché son passé. 

Dans le Vieux Carré, la chaleur estivale fait mijoter secrets, trahisons et vengeances. Beau et Tollison trouveront-ils la réponse aux questions qu’ils se posent ?

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Rose and Thorne: Book Two

Hollywood comes to Roanoke when a major film studio announces they’re shooting part of their Civil War film at a local plantation. Vinnie is dismayed to discover the lead actress is none other than the beautiful Caroline St. Clair. Ethan and Vinnie met her in LA the previous Halloween, and Vinnie still hates her for hitting on his man. Ethan reassures his partner that Roanoke is big enough for all of them to coexist without running into one another.

But Fate has it in for Vinnie and Ethan, and they’re assigned to a new case involving the actress. Vinnie has no choice—he has to play nice. It’s small consolation that his new undercover identity involves Hollywood heartthrob Troy McGarrett, who is very handsome and openly gay. Troy also isn’t shy about letting Vinnie know he finds him attractive.

Jealousy abounds, and time is not on Vinnie and Ethan’s side. If they don’t solve the case before the film shoot is done, there’s a good chance they’ll be separated for the first time since they were partnered. Assuming Vinnie doesn’t kill Caroline St. Clair himself.

The author is donating 10% of the royalties from this book to No Kid Hungry. Visit nokidhungry.org for more information about this organization.

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When gay romance writer Trent Copeland runs into handsome American Reed Acton—seemingly by chance—while vacationing in Thailand, it sparks off an irresistible affair. Follow their globe-trotting adventures in the Precious Gems books as they negotiate a relationship while solving crimes in Bangkok, Rome, Tokyo, and Istanbul.

See excerpt for individual blurbs.

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