Mystery/Suspense books

Im Dorf heißt es, Naomi Teedle wäre eine Hexe. Alle gehen ihr aus dem Weg. Außer natürlich, wenn sie ihre Heilkräuter brauchen. Naomi lebt allein am Ortsrand von Merrychurch. Da sie keine sehr liebenswerte Zeitgenossin ist, hat damit niemand ein Problem. Aber dann wird ihre Leiche gefunden - den Mund vollgestopft mit ihren eigenen Heilkräutern - und plötzlich hat niemand mehr ein böses Wort über sie zu sagen.

Jonathon de Mountford gewöhnt sich langsam an das Leben in dem großen Herrenhaus, das er von seinem Onkel geerbt hat. Und es ist kein einsames Leben: Dafür sorgt Mike Tattersall, der Besitzer des örtlichen Pubs. Jonathon ist über den Mord entsetzt, wundert sich aber auch über den plötzlichen Meinungsumschwung der Dorfbewohner. Hatte niemand im Dorf einen Grund, Naomi Teedle den Tod zu wünschen? Er und Mike beschließen, die Sache nicht einfach auf sich beruhen zu lassen, sondern stattdessen der örtlichen Polizei bei den Ermittlungen zu helfen. Das Problem ist nur, dass ihre „Hilfe“ mehr als nur einen Verdächtigen zutage fördert. Und je länger sie ermitteln, umso länger wird die Liste …

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Private investigator Ben Ames is supposed to be on vacation. He’s followed his rock star boyfriend, Jesse, to the Edmonton Folk Festival, where Jess is doing an acoustic set with friends and having a boozy sulk about his changing image. 

Neither is there to solve a crime, but they’re offered a case anyway when the festival headliner hires them to help his author friend Charlie.

Charlie’s latest manuscript is missing. A normal guy would have backups, but Charlie’s an internet-hating conspiracy theorist who saved his work to a laptop flash drive, and now the drive and the computer are gone. Ben thinks the case is impossible, but Jess could use a distraction, so they pay a visit to Charlie’s river-valley home—where Charlie tells them he knows who took the book, he’s not telling, and a detective can’t help. Good day. 

They’re still in Edmonton, enjoying a lazy summer day, when word comes that Charlie’s been murdered. Back on the case and without suspects or a motive, Ben knows the answers are in that missing book. He just needs to do the impossible and find it….

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Detective Gary Mitchell and psychic Dan Porter have a new cold case to tackle, and new leads to research in the hunt for Gary’s brother’s killer. Their life in Boston has settled into a comfortable rhythm.

But when forensic discoveries in a recent robbery gone wrong share similarities with their three-year-old cold case, all they can do is follow the evidence—and Dan’s gift—which leads them in an unexpected direction, way out of their comfort zone.

Gary and Dan find themselves in a shadowy world where they can trust no one, with unseen opponents who want them to back away from their investigation—and suddenly they’re in a race they have to win.

Because if they don’t, the consequences could be more far-reaching than they could possibly imagine.

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Detective Gary Mitchell and psychic Dan Porter are now investigating cold cases that are literally falling from the sky—a headless body in 2006 and a carpenter who fell from a roof two years ago.

The first case leads them into dangerous territory. The second feels like a dead end.

But what if they’re connected?

Gary has a lot of balls in the air—his work, his new relationship with Dan, his personal quest to discover more about his brother’s murder…. And the more he looks into these two cases, the more convoluted the path becomes.

Everyone is hiding something, and some people would do anything to make sure Gary and Dan don't uncover the truth. 

Dangerous territory indeed. 

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Random letters belong on Scrabble tiles, not dead bodies. But when a demented serial killer targets Boston’s gay population, leaving cryptic messages carved into his victims, lead detective Gary Mitchell has no choice but to play along.

As the body count rises, Gary gets desperate enough to push aside his skepticism and accept the help of a psychic. Dan Porter says he can offer new clues, and Gary needs all the insight into the killer’s mind he can get.

Dan has lived with his gift—sometimes his curse—his entire life. He feels compelled to help, but only if he can keep his involvement secret. Experience has taught him to be cautious of the police and the press, but his growing connection to Gary distracts him from the real danger. As they edge closer to solving the puzzle, Dan finds himself in the killer’s sights….

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Calgary PI Ben Ames expects a relaxing evening off as he supports his boyfriend, Jesse, one of the star performers at a charity concert. But it turns out relaxing isn’t on the program.

When last-minute guest Matt Garrett shows up, it creates a frenzy backstage. An A-list movie star with an ego to match, Garrett has bad blood with many of the performers—Jesse included. So when Garrett turns up dead, Ben begins to dig for the truth, both to protect Jesse and to satisfy his own instinctive curiosity.  

So much for his night off. 

When the police arrive, emotions backstage heat up, but no one can step out to cool off, because the Western Canadian winter is so cold that hypothermia waits outside. With such a high-profile crime, the lead detective seems poised to make a quick arrest… and Jesse’s a prime suspect. Ben has his work cut out for him to solve the murder under the police and paparazzi’s noses before Jesse’s reputation becomes collateral damage.

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Cav Crawford has a lot going on. He’s a college student. He has a side gig as a PI. Oh yeah—and he sees ghosts.

When four teenage boys disappear while ghost hunting but only one reappears days later (covered in blood and with no memory of what happened), the police point the finger at the boy. The boy’s parents hire Cav to prove his innocence, and it doesn’t take him long to realize he’s in over his head. To complicate matters, Cav unintentionally summons the ghost of his dead boyfriend, who can’t seem to move on.

As the investigation deepens, Cav unearths disturbing similarities between his current case and a decades-old murder-suicide. By the time he realizes the power of the dark forces at work, it’s too late—he’s caught the attention of the killer, and he’ll soon learn there’s more than one kind of death…. 

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They say you shouldn’t meet trouble halfway, but Inspector Danny Quirke never has to worry about that. Trouble always finds him.

When a house fire rocks his small town of Kildevil Cove, Danny’s inquiries into the house’s mysterious inhabitants prompt the dispatch of Inspecteur Blaise Pascal from Quebec.

Pascal arrives in perpetual ill humor, but he’s an expert on this particular family. If anyone can determine whether this is a missing persons case or something more sinister, it’s Pascal. 

Pity he doesn’t want to share.

Danny’s cop instincts say Pascal’s secrets are the key to solving this case. But before he can untangle that mystery, a local fishing trawler hauls up a dead body, and a murder victim is found eviscerated on his bed, a grisly message painted on the wall in his own blood. Are these deaths related to the house fire? Who is the message for? And can Danny find the culprit before they carry out the last act of their sinister plan?

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Jonathon de Mountfords Besuch bei seinem Onkel Dominic im Dorf Merrychurch steht von Anfang an unter einem schlechten Stern. Bei seiner Ankunft wartet Dominic nicht am Bahnhof, und als Jonathon ihn schließlich tot in seinem Arbeitszimmer auffindet - offenbar infolge eines Sturzes -, stellt sich seine ganze Welt auf den Kopf. Zum einen ist Jonathon der nächste Erbe des Herrenhauses, zum anderen bezweifelt er, dass es sich bei dem Tod seines Onkels um einen Unfall handelt. Mithilfe von Mike Tattersall, dem Besitzer des Dorfpubs, macht sich Jonathon daran, seine Theorie zu beweisen - soweit er sich konzentrieren kann, ohne von dem gut aussehenden Mike abgelenkt zu werden.

Die beiden stoßen auf eine immer länger werdende Liste von Leuten, die Grund hatten, Dominic den Tod zu wünschen. Als die Ereignisse schließlich eine unerwartete Wendung nehmen, sind die Amateurdetektive ratlos. Erschwerend kommt hinzu, dass der ermittelnde Inspektor der Letzte ist, den Mike sehen möchte, und die beiden strikt angewiesen werden, sich aus den Polizeiangelegenheiten herauszuhalten.

Doch Jonathon fühlt sich durch dieses Verbot erst recht angestachelt, die Wahrheit ans Licht zu bringen …

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Vor sieben Jahren wollte Kriminologe Ben Ames die Polizeikräfte einer Großstadt von innen heraus verändern. Er scheiterte. Jetzt ist er Privatdetektiv und spürt Versicherungsbetrügern und fremdgehenden Ehepartnern durch die Ausläufer der Rocky Mountains nach. Wie die Arbeit als Polizist wäre auch dieser Job einfacher, wenn er kein Gewissen hätte.

Als die Studentin Kimberly Moy verschwindet, bittet ihre Schwester Ben, den Fall zu übernehmen. Aber bevor Ben einem der Hinweise folgen kann - was hat die Fibonacci-Folge mit Kims Verschwinden zu tun? Was wissen ihre unzufriedenen Freundinnen? Und wo ist ihr Auto? -, bringen der Zufall und schlechtes Timing seinen unerwarteten Ex, Jesse, ins Spiel.

Ben hat keine Zeit, Jesse zu dem Junior-Detektiv auszubilden, der er entschlossen scheint zu werden. Amateurschnüffler bedeuten immer Ärger. Unglücklicherweise entpuppt sich der Fall als die Sorte, bei der Verstärkung erforderlich ist, und seine Intuition sagt ihm, dass Kims Geschichte vielleicht kein glückliches Ende hat ...

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Un ancien flic désabusé peut-il retrouver une jeune femme disparue avant qu'il ne soit trop tard ?

Sept ans plus tôt, le criminologue Ben Ames s’était cru capable de faire évoluer la police de Toronto. Ce fut un échec. Devenu détective privé à Calgary, il traque les fraudeurs à l’assurance et les époux infidèles sur les contreforts des Rocheuses. Comme autrefois dans la police, son éthique lui complique la tâche.

Après la disparition d’une étudiante, la sœur aînée de Kim supplie Ben de se charger de l’enquête. À peine a-t-il commencé à étudier le dossier – quel est le rapport entre la séquence mathématique de Fibonacci et la disparition de Kim ? Que savent les amis de la jeune fille ? Où est sa voiture ? –, qu’il tombe par hasard sur son ex, Jesse. Foutu timing !

Jesse semble déterminé à l’assister dans son enquête et Ben n’a vraiment pas le temps de former un novice. À ses yeux, les amateurs ne causent que des ennuis. Malheureusement, il ne peut agir seul, car son intuition l’avertit que Kim est en danger…

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Danger. Desire. Loss. Love.

In every story, there are a thousand more bound up and waiting to be told; here are just a few from the Cole McGinnis Mysteries.

As a heartfelt thank you to the readers who fell in love with Cole McGinnis, Kim Jae-Min and the rest of the cast, Rhys Ford takes us on an adventure in this collection of stories and vignettes. In this ebook and audiobook set, Jae shares his heart as he learns to see, to love, and to accept Cole and the way life changes, sisters of the heart look on the boys they love, and key players in Cole’s life are interviewed about the man who brings mayhem and love into their world. This collection features special notes from Rhys Ford as well as Greg Tremblay, the narrator of the series, previously shared stories from blog tours, holiday posts, and spotlights, a story written exclusively for the celebratory collection, and an invitation to Cole and Jae's wedding.

So, sit back and enjoy a taste of Cole, Jae and everyone else in Dirty Bites, a Cole McGinnis Special Collection.

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Can a disillusioned former cop track down a missing girl before it’s too late?

Seven years ago, criminologist Ben Ames thought he’d change a big city police force from the inside. He failed. Now he’s a private detective trailing insurance frauds and cheating spouses through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Like police work, the job would be easier if he didn’t have a conscience.

When university student Kimberly Moy goes missing, her sister begs Ben to take the case. But before Ben can follow up on any leads—What does the Fibonacci series have to do with Kim’s disappearance? What do her disaffected friends know? And where is her car?—chance and bad timing drop his unexpected ex, Jesse, into the mix.

Ben doesn’t have time to train Jesse into the junior PI he seems determined to become. Amateur sleuths are always trouble. Unfortunately, this is turning out to be the kind of case that requires backup, and his intuition is telling him Kim’s story may not have a happy ending....

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Fortsetzung zu Dirty Laundry
Ein Cole-McGinnis-Krimi

Sheila Pinelli muss unschädlich gemacht werden. Nie zuvor hätte der zum Privatdetektiv gewordene ehemalige Polizist Cole McGinnis daran gedacht, einen Mord zu begehen. Doch vor sechs Monaten, als Jae-Mins Blut über seine Hände rann und der Tod an die Tür seines Liebsten klopfte, wurde die Ermordung von Sheila Pinelli deutlich weniger abwegig.

Während sich Sheila in einem verborgenen Winkel von Los Angeles versteckt, teilen Jae und Cole ein Bett, ein Haus und vor allem ihr Glück. Dass Jae von seiner traditionellen koreanischen Familie verstoßen wurde, hat ihre Beziehung überstanden und nun planen sie, sich ein neues Leben aufzubauen – vorzugsweise ohne die ständige Bedrohung durch Sheila im Hintergrund.

Obwohl die Polizei von Santa Monica Sheila nach einer Verhaftung irrtümlich auf freien Fuß setzt, hat Cole nun einen Hinweis auf ihren Aufenthaltsort. Bis die Spur ihn in ein verrücktes Netz aus Drogen, exotischen Frauen und Tod führt. Doch auch als alles schiefgeht, ist Cole entschlossen, die Frau zu finden, die er einst wie eine Schwester liebte, und sie endgültig aus ihrem Leben zu verbannen.

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There’s trouble brewing in the cold waters of Kildevil Cove, and this time Danny Quirke may be hard put to stop it.

Due to his suspected association with his former boss’s human trafficking organization, Danny has been demoted and is no longer in charge. To make matters worse, he’s broken up with his partner, Tadhg... who may be in serious hot water himself. But then a faceless killer begins targeting Kildevil Cove’s most vulnerable, and Danny can’t refuse when his new boss asks him to take the case.

When Danny pulls a hypothermic young woman out of a small boat in the middle of a blizzard, she whispers a cryptic phrase about a man with no face. But who is he? What is his connection to the murders? And how is Danny going to solve the mystery while he’s the subject of an investigation that could end his career?

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Toby Kipton’s life is disintegrating. First he loses his job. Then, forced to leave the big city, he must return to his small hometown to bury his father.

It only gets stranger and more dangerous from there.

Toby becomes obsessed with his father’s mistress, a woman with whom his dad carried on a secret twenty-year affair. Unraveling the truth leads him deep into the nest of intrigue and vengeful gossip that plagues any small town, and soon Toby uncovers evidence that may tie his father to a local swingers’ club—and murder.

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A vampire succubus created during the Black Plague, Godfrey works as a Boston paramedic and battles loneliness and exhaustion as he fights to keep humanity safe from twin COVID and opioid epidemics.

He has always pursued that which provides him hope—medicine, the cello… love. But yielding to his feelings for his work partner, Trevor, would conflict with Godfrey’s complicated moral code. Instead he feeds on sexual energy when he must and investigates a drug ring in his spare time.

But even a vampire can’t ignore his feelings forever.

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Flynn Dalton doesn’t want to be a hero. But for Genesis, she’ll do whatever it takes.

After her first, deadly brush with the paranormal, Flynn just wants to get back to her life: construction work, semiprofessional bowling, and her fiancée, Genesis. Unfortunately, Flynn’s abilities have caught the attention of the National Psychic Registry, and they have their own agenda. Wherever Flynn goes, the registry follows, setting up tests of her abilities, hounding her to attend the conference in Atlantic City for evaluation and training.

Flynn can handle the registry’s heavy-handed tactics, threats, and guilt trips. She’s even convinced herself she can deal with her own growing—and increasingly dangerous—powers. But the offer to heal the wounds she sustained in Dead Woman’s Pond, wounds that are making it almost impossible to do the work she loves, is much more tempting.

And if the registry learns of Gen’s addiction to dark magic, agreeing to do whatever the registry wants might be the only bargaining chip Flynn has left.

Unfortunately, the registry’s plans for her are much deadlier than a simple series of tests….

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