Category: Crime

Identity by Nora Roberts

Posted May 23, 2023 by Marsha in Author ARC, Contemporary Romance, Crime, NetGalley, Romantic Suspense, Sexual Content, St. Martin's Press, Thriller / 0 Comments

Former Army brat Morgan Albright has finally planted roots in a friendly neighborhood near Baltimore. Her friend and roommate Nina helps her make the mortgage payments, as does Morgan’s job as a bartender. But after she and Nina host their first dinner party—attended by Luke, the flirtatious IT guy who’d been chatting her up at the bar—her carefully built world is shattered. The back door glass is broken, cash and jewelry are missing, her car is gone, and Nina lies dead on the floor.

Soon, a horrific truth emerges: It was Morgan who let the monster in. “Luke” is actually a cold-hearted con artist named Gavin who targets a particular type of woman, steals her assets and identity, and then commits his ultimate goal: murder.

What the FBI tells Morgan is beyond chilling. Nina wasn’t his type. Morgan is. Nina was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Morgan’s nightmare is just beginning. Soon she has no choice but to flee to her mother’s home in Vermont. While she struggles to build something new, she meets another man, Miles Jameson. He isn’t flashy or flirtatious, and his family business has deep roots in town.

But Gavin is still out there hunting new victims, and he hasn’t forgotten the one who got away.

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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Aura of Night by Heather Graham

Posted April 29, 2023 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Crime, Mystery, Owned, Paranormal Romantic Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Series, Sexual Content, Thriller / 0 Comments

True evil never dies. It only waits in the dark.

All book editor Megan Law wants is to bury the memory of her brutal kidnapping and move on with her life. So when her publisher asks her to spin her hellish experience into the next bestseller, Megan agrees only because it might help keep other women safe. Then a mysterious, gruesome package arrives in the mail—a reminder that the nightmare isn’t over just yet.

FBI investigator Ragnar Johnson is running out of time. He knows in his gut there’s more to the recent Embracer killings, and he needs Megan’s help. Even with their rocky past behind them, working together now isn’t going to be easy. But when things take a deadly turn, Megan and Ragnar discover a deep connection that they’ll have to use, because something is trying to tear them apart…forever.

Titles in this trilogy portion of the entire series include — Sound of Darkness —♦— Aura of Night —♦— Voice of Fear —♦—

The entire Krewe of Hunters series includes — Phantom Evil —◊— Heart of Evil —◊— Sacred Evil —◊— The Evil Inside —◊— The Unseen —◊— The Unholy —◊— The Unspoken —◊— The Uninvited —◊—  The Night Is Watching —◊— The Night Is Alive —◊— The Night Is Forever —◊— The Cursed —◊— The Hexed —◊— The Betrayed —◊— The Silenced —◊— The Forgotten —◊— The Hidden —◊— Haunted Destiny —◊— Deadly Fate —◊— Darkest Journey —◊— Dying Breath —◊— Dark Rites —◊— Wicked Deeds —◊— Fade to Black —◊— Pale as Death —◊— Echoes of Evil —◊— The Summoning —◊— The Seekers —◊— The Stalking —◊— Seeing Darkness —◊—Deadly Touch —◊—Dreaming Death —◊—  ♦ The Unforgiven —◊— The Forbidden —◊— The Unknown —◊—  Sound of Darkness —◊— Aura of Night —◊— Voice of Fear —◊—

While I’ve read the entire Krewe of Hunters series over the years, I have not reviewed each novel, and to go back now would be quite daunting and time-consuming.  So, I stick to reviewing the more current trilogy.  

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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Sound of Darkness by Heather Graham

Posted April 27, 2023 by Marsha in A TBR Read, Connection to another series, Crime, Mystery, Owned, Paranormal Romantic Suspense, Series, Thriller, Trilogy / 0 Comments

The cries of the dead are deafening

Women are being taken in Virginia, and FBI agent Mark Gallagher is determined to put a stop to it. Certain he’s closing in on the killer known as The Embracer, Mark is less than thrilled when he’s partnered with rookie agent Colleen Law, worried she’s a liability when there’s so much at stake.

But like everyone in the Krewe of Hunters, Colleen has talents that extend beyond the usual investigative toolbox. She can hear the voices of the victims in her head, and they’re telling her she and Mark are near to uncovering the truth.

When Mark’s prime suspect takes a liking to Colleen, he’s surprisingly protective of his new partner, even as he admits her connection to the victims is key. But tense interrogations turn dangerously personal when someone close to Colleen goes missing, luring the agents deep into the shadows of wooded rural Virginia, where nobody can hear them scream.

The Krewe of Hunters world is vast; most of the novels are part of a trilogy which then moved on to the next case that will begin a new trilogy.

Titles in this trilogy portion of the entire series include — Sound of Darkness —♦— Aura of Night —♦— Voice of Fear —♦—

The entire Krewe of Hunters series includes — Phantom Evil —◊— Heart of Evil —◊— Sacred Evil —◊— The Evil Inside —◊— The Unseen —◊— The Unholy —◊— The Unspoken —◊— The Uninvited —◊—  The Night Is Watching —◊— The Night Is Alive —◊— The Night Is Forever —◊— The Cursed —◊— The Hexed —◊— The Betrayed —◊— The Silenced —◊— The Forgotten —◊— The Hidden —◊— Haunted Destiny —◊— Deadly Fate —◊— Darkest Journey —◊— Dying Breath —◊— Dark Rites —◊— Wicked Deeds —◊— Fade to Black —◊— Pale as Death —◊— Echoes of Evil —◊— The Summoning —◊— The Seekers —◊— The Stalking —◊— Seeing Darkness —◊—Deadly Touch —◊—Dreaming Death —◊—  The Unforgiven —◊— The Forbidden —◊— The Unknown —◊— Sound of Darkness —◊— Aura of Night —◊— Voice of Fear —◊—

While I’ve read the entire Krewe of Hunters series over the years, I have not reviewed each novel, and to go back now would be quite daunting and time-consuming.  So, I stick to reviewing the more current trilogy.  

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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The Night She Vanished by Wendy Dranfield

Posted March 13, 2023 by Marsha in Author ARC, Bookouture, Crime, Mystery, NetGalley, Thriller / 0 Comments

My parents seem to be the perfect couple. But no one knows what I know…

Everyone in the small Midwestern town of Henderson looks up to my perfect parents. With dependable jobs as a midwife and the town sheriff, they help this close-knit community feel safe. 

But the locals didn’t grow up in my parents’ house. They don’t know what I know. And they wouldn’t believe me if I told them…

After my best friend vanished when we were just fifteen, I left town and never looked back. I couldn’t prove it, but I think my parents killed her.

Now, years later, my little sister has vanished. I have no choice but to go home and play happy families again. Because I have to find out what my parents have done to her. I have to try to save her.

But when bones are discovered on a local farm, and all the evidence leads back to our front door, I realize I was wrong about absolutely everything. And that coming back was the deadliest thing I could do…

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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A Dark and Snowy Night by Sally Goldenbaum

Posted March 9, 2023 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Crime, Kensington Books, Mystery, NetGalley, Series / 0 Comments

Winter in Sea Harbor is a feast for the senses. This year, the Seaside Knitters have a sackful of obligations in addition to their usual Christmas preparations. Izzy is so overloaded with knitting classes that she hires an extra salesperson. Cass, juggling the stresses of running her lobster fishery, has finally found a nanny for her active toddler. Molly Flanigan seems practically perfect in every way—until she suddenly disappears, taking Cass’s beloved rescue mutt with her . . .
 
Meanwhile, the holidays are kicking off in style at the mayor’s holiday party, with a celebrity chef catering the event. An additional treat for Ben and Nell Endicott at the festive affair is reconnecting with a dear college friend, Oliver Bishop. But it’s not just reunions and the appetizers that are to die for. Before the partygoers can toast the beginning of Sea Harbor’s festive season, the chef—and young wife of the Endicotts’ old Harvard friend—is found dead in the snow . . .
 
Izzy, Birdie, Nell, and Cass must uncover the pattern to these mysteries to remove suspicion from those they love, bring a murderer to justice—and keep Sea Harbor’s holiday magic from vanishing into the chill winter air . . .

Titles in the A Seaside Knitters Society Mystery series include — Murder Wears Mittens —◊— How to Knit a Murder —◊— A Murderous Tangle —◊— A Crime of a Different Stripe —◊— A Dark and Snowy Night —◊—

There are eleven (11) titles in the A Seaside Knitters Mystery series, a connecting set of stories to the “Society” mysteries.  Some sites combine them all, while others do not.  Yet they all are in the same “world,” so you make that judgment for yourself. 🙂

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Encore in Death by J. D. Robb

Posted February 9, 2023 by Marsha in Crime, NetGalley, Owned, Police Procedural, Series, Sexual Content, St. Martin's Press, This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

It was a glittering event full of A-listers, hosted by Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh, a celebrity couple who’d conquered both Hollywood and Broadway. And now Eve Dallas has made her entrance—but not as a guest. After raising a toast, Fitzhugh fell to the floor and died, with physical symptoms pointing to cyanide, and the police have crashed the party.

From all accounts, he wasn’t the kind of star who made enemies. Everyone loved him—even his ex-wife. And since the champagne cocktail that killed him was originally intended for Eliza, it’s possible she was the real target, with a recently fired assistant, a bitter rival, and an obsessed fan in the picture. With so many attendees, staff, and servers, Eve has her work cut out determining who committed murder in the middle of the crowd—and what was their motivation. As one who’s not fond of the spotlight herself, she dreads the media circus surrounding a case like this. All she wants is to figure out who’s truly innocent, and who’s only acting that way…

Encore in Death is the fifty-sixth (yes, 56th) title in the long, ongoing …in Death series.  For a complete listing of all the titles (along with novellas) in this series please visit our J. D. Robb page.

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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Honor ‘N’ Duty by Tee O’Fallon

Posted February 7, 2023 by Marsha in Crime, Entangled Publishing, NetGalley, Romantic Suspense, Series, Sexual Content / 0 Comments

Two years after his brother’s murder in jail, Department of Homeland Security K-9 Officer Kade Sampson is still haunted by guilt. No man should ever have to arrest his own brother, even if he is laundering money for a drug cartel. Fortunately, Laia Velez—his brother’s gorgeous widow—never learned the truth about Kade’s involvement. But when she asks him for help, he knows that trouble with the cartel is far from over…

Kade is the last person Laia wants to call. But between her house being thoroughly trashed and the uneasy sense that she and her young daughter are being watched, Laia isn’t taking any chances. The cartel wants something from her. And Kade and his K-9 partner, Smoke, are her only chance to survive whatever fresh hell is coming their way…

Now Laia and Kade are trying to stay one step ahead in a game that’s growing more deadly by the minute. But what the cartel wants, the cartel gets. And Kade is running out of time to save the woman he loves from the same fate that killed his brother…

Titles in the Federal K-9 series include — Lock ‘N’ Load —♦— Armed ‘N’ Ready —♦— Dark ‘N’ Deadly —♦— Trap ‘N’ Trace —♦—Serve ‘N’ Protect —♦— Honor ‘N’ Duty —♦—

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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Stolen Angels by Rita Herron

Posted February 2, 2023 by Marsha in Bookouture, Crime, NetGalley, Series / 0 Comments

Twisting her hands together, she bites back a sob. She only turned her back for a second, and then her daughter was gone. Every mother in town would be hugging their children tighter tonight.

Lara is baking cupcakes when her six-year-old daughter Ava runs to catch the school bus just one block away. Chasing after her, Lara sees the bus tumbling past, and waves. But Ava never turns up at school.

Detective Ellie Reeves is in a race against time to find her––in missing child cases, every second counts. Searching the small town of Crooked Creek, she finds the girl’s bunny in the local park, the toy Ava carried around everywhere. Did Ava ever get on the bus?

While Ellie works around the clock, a local reporter gets a message: There are other missing girls out there. Digging into previous cases, Ellie discovers that another girl went missing on the same day the previous year. How many more could there be?

Ellie is certain that the date means something––and that the person who sent the message is the key. But the community is up in arms, everyone worried that their daughter will be next, and blaming Ellie. The pressure is mounting, and time is running out to bring little Ava home. Can Ellie solve the toughest case of her career––and save Ava––before it’s too late?

Titles in the Detective Ellie Reeves series include — The Silent Dolls —♦— Wildflower Graves —♦— The Burning Girls —♦— Frozen Souls —♦— Stolen Angels —♦— Hidden Bones —♦— The Girl in the River —♦— Widow Lake —♦—

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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Desperation in Death by J. D. Robb

Posted September 19, 2022 by Marsha in Crime, Mystery, Owned, Police Procedural, Series, Sexual Content, St. Martin's Press / 0 Comments

New York, 2061: The place called the Pleasure Academy is a living nightmare where abducted girls are trapped, and trained for a life of abject service while their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway who’d been imprisoned there, might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina was the more daring of the two—but they’d been equally desperate.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York, and Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene.

Mina’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty products convince Dallas that she was being groomed, literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking—and that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation expects windfall profits. Her billionaire husband, Roarke, may be able to help, considering his ties to the city’s ultra-rich.

But Roarke is also worried about the effect this case is having on Dallas, as it brings a rage to the surface that she can barely control. No matter what, she must keep her head clear–because above all, she is desperate for justice and to take down those who prey on and torment the innocent.

Desperation in Death is the 55th title in the “in Death” series.  A complete list of all the titles in this futuristic police procedural mystery series can be found on our J. D. Robb page.

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

 

 

 

 

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Overkill by Sandra Brown

Posted August 16, 2022 by Marsha in Crime, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), NetGalley, Romantic Suspense, Sexual Content / 1 Comment

Former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Zach Bridger hasn’t seen his ex-wife, Rebecca Pratt, for some time—not since their volatile marriage imploded—so he’s shocked to receive a life-altering call about her. Rebecca has been placed on life support after a violent assault, and he—despite their divorce—has medical power of attorney. Zach is asked to make an impossible choice: keep her on life support or take her off of it. Buckling under the weight of the responsibility and the glare of public scrutiny, Zach ultimately walks away, letting Rebecca’s parents have the final say.
 
Four years later, Rebecca’s attacker, Eban—the scion of a wealthy family in Atlanta—gets an early release from prison. The ludicrous miscarriage of justice reeks of favoritism, and Kate Lennon, a brilliant state prosecutor, is determined to put him back behind bars. Rebecca’s parents have kept her alive all these years, but if her condition were to change—if she were to die—Eban could be retried on a new charge: murder.
 
It isn’t lost on Zach that in order for Eban to be charged with Rebecca’s murder, Zach must actually be the one to kill her. He rejects Kate’s legal standpoint but can’t resist their ill-timed attraction to each other. Eban, having realized the jeopardy he’s in plots to make certain that neither Zach nor Kate lives to see the death of Rebecca—and the end of his freedom. 

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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Abandoned in Death by J. D. Robb

Posted February 9, 2022 by Marsha in Crime, Mystery, Owned, Police Procedural, Romantic Suspense, Series, Sexual Content, St. Martin's Press / 0 Comments

The woman’s body was found in the early morning, on a bench in a New York City playground. She was clean, her hair neatly arranged, her makeup carefully applied. But other things were very wrong—like the tattoo and piercings, clearly new. The clothes, decades out of date. The fatal wound hidden beneath a ribbon around her neck. And the note: Bad Mommy, written in crayon as if by a child.

Eve Dallas turns to the department’s top profiler, who confirms what seems obvious to Eve: They’re dealing with a killer whose childhood involved some sort of trauma—a situation Eve is all too familiar with herself. Yet the clues suggest a perpetrator who’d be roughly sixty years old, and there are no records of old crimes with a similar MO. What was the trigger that apparently reopened such an old wound and sent someone over the edge?

When Eve discovers that other young women—who physically resemble the first victim—have vanished, the clock starts ticking louder. But to solve this case she will need to find her way into a hidden place of dim light and concrete, into the distant past, and into the cold depths of a shattered mind.

Abandoned in Death is the 54th title in the “in Death” series.  A complete list of all the titles in this futuristic police procedural mystery series can be found on our J. D. Robb page.

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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