Category Archives for Mystery-Thriller

A Cupcakes-And-Crime Caper

“I tell myself every day that I don’t hate my job… But there’s a reason I’m trying to leave the madness of the casino pit to become a Private Investigator.”

“Winters will have you giggling into your book!”

Cupcake-loving croupier Tiffany Black is determined to leave her job at the casino for good. She’s one small step away from acquiring her Private Investigator license, and has her eye on the prize.
Accepting her first real case – investigating the murder of casino-mogul Ethan Becker – should be exciting. Instead, things spiral out of control and Tiffany finds herself in over her head, as she confronts secretive suspects, corrupt casino henchmen and a bodyguard with a mysterious past.

Tiffany’s poker-hustling Nanna and pushy parents want her to find a nice man and settle down, but Tiffany just wants to track down the real murderer before he finds her first…

Praise for A.R. Winters:

“You fall in love with Tiffany Black from the start, and the mystery starts immediately” – Melissa Greenberg, Amazon.com Top 1000 Reviewer

“The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery.” – Jaycie D, Amazon.com

Welcome to Desert Palms, a cozy Arizona tourist town set up against the mountains.

Deanna Devlin is a thirty-two year old reporter who dreams of tackling hard-nosed stories, but is stuck writing puff pieces for the local paper.

When a murder strikes Desert Palms, Deanna suddenly gets her chance to cover some hard-hitting news.

Unfortunately, one of Deanna’s good friends is wrongly suspected as the killer by the local police detective. To prove her friend’s innocence, Deanna has no choice but to take matters into her own hands and find the real killer herself.

Books In The Deanna Devlin Series:

Book 1 — Prescription To Die For

Book 2 — A Novel To Die For

Do you love gripping mysteries with great characters?

Discover Detective Tom Mariner in this critically acclaimed series.

‘Collett is a wonderful writer, subtle, clever, strong on atmosphere and character.’ Yorkshire Post

Lucy Jarrett is terrified. Someone is watching her every move, following her home from work and making threatening phone calls. But her husband doesn’t believe her and no one else is listening.

Lucy’s married life is proving anything but blissful. Her musician husband is perpetually away on tour and doesn’t want to start a family.

Lucy finally calls on Detective Tom Mariner for help, and he takes her fears seriously because of the recent murder of another young woman by her ex-partner.

DI Mariner himself is already on the hunt for a sadistic killer. Nina Silvero, wife of an ex-police officer, was duped into sipping sulphuric acid disguised as celebratory wine.

Grappling with Nina’s apparently motiveless killing, Mariner delegates Lucy’s case to Millie Khatoon. Is someone out for revenge against the police?

Can DI Tom Mariner track down the stalker and catch the killer before anyone else dies?

Discover an absorbing crime mystery full of stunning twists and turns.

Perfect for fans of Peter James, Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson. This is the fifth book in the DI MARINER SERIES. More books coming soon!

What readers are saying about MARRIED LIES

“I was well and truly hooked from the beginning.” Lynne

“A fast paced mystery with twists and turns.” Barbara

“An intriguing mystery that kept me on my toes.” Hannelore Cheney

“Well written, with outstanding characters, and a terrific story premise.” Linda Stong

“Great story and I love the partnership between Mariner, Knox and Millie.” Nerys

THE SETTING
Birmingham is a city of stark contrasts with a rich cultural and historical heritage. Playing a key role in the industrial revolution, it helped shape the nation’s manufacturing industry

But with its many green spaces, Birmingham also borders on the beautiful countryside of Worcestershire and Warwickshire, is just a few miles from Stratford on Avon and a short drive from the wild country of mid-Wales.

Birmingham’s population is large and ethnically diverse, and while urban regeneration has forged a modern and culturally vibrant city, the decaying remnants of the industrial past and 1960s concrete jungle give it a unique and gritty character; the dark underbelly policed by DI Tom Mariner and his team.

THE DETECTIVE
Detective Inspector Tom Mariner is, on the surface, an average dedicated policeman, but his experiences as a younger man have given him an insight into life on the dark side, and a clear sense of right and wrong. Mariner has little interest in material things. He lives in a modest canal-side cottage, enjoys the occasional (real) beer and game of dominoes and drives an old car. He is most at home in the outdoors, with an OS map and a compass, and in times of crisis, will take off and walk for miles in any weather.

THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “STALKED BY SHADOWS.”

DI MARINER SERIES
Book 1: Deadly Lies
Book 2: Innocent Lies
Book 3: Killer Lies
Book 4: Baby Lies
Book 5: Married Lies
Books 6-7 coming soon

When Lila Moore inherits her grandfather’s house, she finds herself in a small Midwestern town where margarine is never an acceptable substitution for butter, a coveted family recipe can serve as currency, and the friend who will take your darkest secrets to the grave will still never give you the secret to her prize-winning begonias.

Lila is charmed by the people of Auburn, from the blue-eyed lawyer with the southern drawl to the little old lady who unceasingly tries to set Lila up with her grandson. But when spooky things begin to happen, Lila realizes some of her new friends are guarding a secret like its a precious family heirloom. It’s a dangerous secret, and it has come back to haunt them. Lila is caught in the middle, and her life may depend on uncovering it. But even if she can, can she stay in Auburn when not everyone is what they seem, and even the house wants her gone?

One night can change everything.

‘I know it as soon as I wake up and open my eyes… Something is wrong.’

Her Saturday night started normally. Recently separated from her husband, Ali has been persuaded by her friends to go on a date with a new man. She is ready, she is nervous, she is excited. She is about to take a step into her new future. By Sunday morning, Ali’s life is unrecognisable. She wakes, and she knows that something is wrong. She is home, she is alone, she is hurt and she has no memory of what happened to her.

Worse still, when she looks in the mirror, Ali doesn’t recognise the face staring back at her…

From the no. 1 bestselling author of The Sister, The Gift and The Surrogate, The Date is a gripping page-turner that will keep you awake until the early hours. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and Before I Go To Sleep.

What readers are saying about The Date:

‘Holy cow, what a read! I literally dropped everything I was supposed to be doing after reading the first few pages and couldn’t put it down until I reached the very end… one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read this year and without doubt a new all-time favourite!’ It’s All About Books, 5 stars

‘I literally didn’t put it down once from start to finish!… It sent chills down my spine… The last page of this book gave me goosebumps and I felt glad I wasn’t home alone!… gripping, unnerving and an unputdownable read!’ Rather Too Fond of Books, 5 stars

‘Wow, I would give this a 10 out of 5 stars if I could!… An absolutely fantastic, heart-pumping, twisted, thrill-seeking read that I could not put down… a heart-breaking emotional rollercoaster… The Date completely knocked my socks off.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

‘OMG WOW… you won’t be able to turn those pages fast enough… the final twist will absolutely knock you out… this rare and exceptional book will be put forward for Literature Love’s top 10 books of the year.’ Literature Love, 5 stars

‘Ohhhhhhhh my goodness!!! Louise Jensen has blown my mind AGAIN!… will literally have your jaw dropping… I was nervous to even turn the page (that’s my favourite part of a well written thriller)!!!’ Steph and Chris’s Book Review, 5 stars

‘Every now and then a book comes along that completely blows my mind!! And this is one of them!! To say I loved it is an understatement!! This book was absolutely freaking BRILLIANT!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Mind blowing, edge-of-your seat fantastic!… Kept me guessing straight from the off just when I thought I had it figured out, another twist.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘What a page-turner of a book this is. Just when I thought I had worked it out… bam… another brilliant twist, again and again. This is definitely an edge-of-your-seat story that you won’t be able to put down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Every chapter had me on the edge-of-my-seat and just when I thought I had it figured out Louise threw another twist in the mix!… suspenseful, thrilling, fast-paced and emotional.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Wow! What an incredible book… like a rollercoaster ride – building up, building up. You don’t know what to expect and then BAM, you need to hang on. It’s really that good!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Will have your heart-pounding and flipping the pages. And I was finally stumped, thank you Louise Jensen for putting my inner detective in her place!!!’ The Book Collective, 5 stars

‘The most incredible suspense!… I was flipping pages on my Kindle faster than I could read and I was seriously concerned my Kindle won’t take the pressure.’ Shuffle Book Box, 5 stars

Catherine “Cat” Thompson has been held at gunpoint, stuck in a burning dumpster, chased out of a grocery store, caught impersonating a police officer and almost run over by a wayward vehicle. How’s that for her first day as an amateur sleuth?

With her friend Annie Mae, Cat investigates the brick-paved, oak-lined streets of Savannah to catch their friend’s killer. But it’s anything but smooth sailing for these self appointed detectives. Can they catch the killer before the killer gets them? Or will their first case also be their last?

The Georgia Coast Cozy Mystery Series combines mystery, suspense, humor, and southern charm. Each book is a standalone novel.

99c for a LIMITED TIME! The 13th book in the BESTSELLING Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Series!

A free holiday to a seaside B&B run by drag queens sounds like the perfect way to spend a relaxing week away from Peridale, or so Julia South thought. When she arrives at the quirky B&B with her family, she’s determined to have a fun break, but she quickly finds herself in the middle of another puzzling mystery when a lighting rig falls on the star drag performer, Simone Phoenix.

Was it an accident, or something more sinister? Julia quickly befriends the owner, Russell, and learns that the seemingly tight-knit drag family working at Sparkles are not without their problems. With secrets and lies revolving around love, money, and revenge, each of them appears to have a motive for wanting Simone out of the way. Can Julia resist the lure of cracking yet another case for the sake of having a peaceful family holiday by the sea, or will the urge to uncover the truth take over once again?

Book 13 in the Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery series! Can be read as a standalone but will be enjoyed more as part of the series. A light, cozy mystery read with a cat loving and cafe-owning amateur female sleuth, in a small village setting with quirky characters. Written in British English. No cliffhanger, swearing, gore or graphic scenes!

‘Superb, gritty and realistic’ MEL SHERRATT, million copy bestseller

How long do you hunt for the missing?

A horrible vanishing act…

When a young Josie Masters sees a boy wearing a red football shirt, Dylan Jones, being taken by a clown at a carnival, she tries to alert the crowds. But it’s too late. Dylan has disappeared…

Thirty years later, Josie is working as a police officer in Bath. The remains of the body of a child have been found – complete with tatters of a torn red football shirt. Is it the boy she saw vanish in the clutches of the clown? Or is it someone else altogether?

And then another child disappears…

One crazy old lady. Two gin and tonics. Three derelict, beach-bum friends. Will Val’s fourth stab at starting over add up to a big fat zero?

Come along for the ride as Florida’s crazy-ometer spins off the charts!

St. Pete Beach attracts weirdos like mosquitoes to a bug zapper. After being raked over the coals in Europe, Val Fremden flies back to her old stomping grounds to find everyone and everything she knew squashed under the heels of change.

Seven years abroad has done a number on her finances, credit history, friends and social standing. Divorced, broke, and staring forty-five in its haggard face, Val’s got nothing left to go on but her own dry sense of humor and a pair of wobbly thighs.

Will the life coach advice of a beer-guzzling old lady she meets on the beach help Val find her way — or will it lead her even further astray?

Perpetually primed for disaster, starting over again won’t be easy for Val. But she soon discovers that in the world of the down and out, friends (and enemies) can come from very unexpected places….

If you like wacky, deeply flawed characters and laugh-out-loud situations, you’ll love Glad One! It’s the first book in Margaret Lashley’s hilarious Val Fremden Mystery Series. Grab your copy and board the train to crazy town today!

Praise for Glad One:

“Hooked like a fish. OMG Margaret Lashley is the best! Val could be Stephanie Plum’s double!! Phenomenal writing.”
“If you enjoy Janet Evanovich you will love Margaret Lashley!”
“Her characters are real and full, her situations believable, and her dialogue marvelous.”
“There’s a mystery at the heart of this book – a few of them – that will hook fans of Janet Evanovich and other comic mystery writers.”
“Margaret writes with a “smirk” of a Cheshire cat. Fantastic read.”
“Full of twists and turns as only Margaret Lashley can write!”
“If you like Anne George’s ‘Southern Sisters’ don’t miss Margaret Lashley!”
“The characters are great – so many laugh out loud moments…”
“Glad One is a funny, witty and entertaining book.”

Nothing bad ever happens in Ponderosa Pines

At least, that’s what anonymous gossip columnist Chloe LaRue and her best friend, town matriarch EV Torrence thought—until a resident of their sleepy little village turns up dead. When EV becomes suspect #1, even Chloe can’t stop the rumor mill from churning.

Against Detective Nate Harper and Deputy Dalton Burnsoll’s orders, Chloe and EV mount their own investigation—but what they uncover might just rock the community to its very core. Could one of their own beloved citizens really be a killer?

Clean read: no graphic violence or sex.