Crime Fiction

She wore a gown of brown to Truman Capote’s Black and White ball, while her twin sister danced with the devil in Little Italy. Lieutenant Gene Beckman thought he had seen everything but this Manhattan murder mystery had everybody on edge, including the Mafia and the Teamsters union. Even the president was involved. He wanted to be re-elected. Michael Penn was regarded as a hack journalist, until he won the coveted Wurlitzer Prize for his investigation into the music industry. Now he has another story to tell, and Hollywood is knocking on his door.

Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. Brand-new stories by: Peter Heller, Barbara Nickless, Cynthia Swanson, Mario Acevedo, Francelia Belton, R. Alan Brooks, D.L. Cordero, Amy Drayer, Twanna LaTrice Hill, Manuel Ramos, Mark Stevens, Mathangi Subramanian, David Heska Wanbli Weiden, and Erika T. Wurth. From the introduction by Cynthia Swanson:

The last time Ricky saw his sister was fifteen years ago as she walked him to primary school and then continued on to her secondary school alone. She never arrived. Fifteen years later, following the discovery of another young girl’s remains, Ricky and his girlfriend, Rosie, decide to look into the disappearance of his sister all those years ago and in the process, they discover a further six missing young girls. But when they finally involve the police and the mystery is finally unravelled, the consequences rock their world to the very core.

'Where Life Meets Death' is a modern collection of short, fictional horror stories. Some of these stories feature brutal crimes, some feature those unimaginable horrors best unspoken, some touch on the paranormal and some just twist and turn with a most unexpected ending. Brutal, thought-provoking but most of all delicious. Once you start a story you won't be able to stop until the story is finished. Bedtime reading at its very best.

'Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Weasel Gone?' is the third and final part of the 'Bang Goes The Weasel' trilogy and continues the story of how one determined, young woman can take on organised crime and give them a good run for their money. The best form of defence is attack and nobody expects to be attacked by a dead person. But dead people can move unseen, dead people can inflict pain, torture and havoc, even when they aren't really dead.

This story continues where the first part of this trilogy, Bang Goes The Weasel, left off. Yet more deceit, greed and revenge leading to more murders and villainy. It shows how life goes on, whatever is thrown at you. To move upwards you need to reinvent yourself, accept new challenges, hone your skills and meet your goals. Learning new skills whilst assuming new identities in order to elude these parties bent on your destruction. Will the hero evade the bird of prey that silently swoops down? When you play with the big boys you have to accept the consequences or raise your own game.

Robert H Page is a master of crafting fast-paced, action-packed, twisting and turning stories that you simply can’t put down. If you like Simon Kernick, James Patterson or Harlan Coban then this is for you. A gritty crime trilogy told from the perspective of the bad guys and the victims not the police; similar to a Guy Ritchie movie. Book 1 starts as Dominic Devizes has just escaped from prison and is on his way back to the UK to exact his revenge on the man, a British diplomat, who left him to rot. His plan is to kidnap the diplomat’s daughter, Annie, for ransom.

The underbelly of one of Australia's most sedate and conservativce cities is uncovered to reveal dark secrets and gruesome revelations.

There is a serial killer out there. A serial killer targeting young men. A serial killer who appears to be Linda’s sister Elizabeth. Linda's dead sister Elizabeth. But it can’t be Elizabeth. She's dead. Right? Could she still be alive? Or somehow back from the grave? Or, maybe something even darker is happening … something that threatens Linda's life, as well. Something that has been buried for years in the secrets and lies of her twisted family history. Can she discover the truth before it's too late?

Huddled in a doorway, in a blonde wig, and my best Pretty Woman outfit, I'm already soaked to the skin. As downward spirals go, this was bad. But I wasn’t here because I was reduced to turning tricks for a living. I was here to catch a killer… Throwaways. That's the word they're using for the four Glasgow sex workers who've gone missing. But two people do care. When Suzy Henderson is found dead in a landfill site, her eyes pecked out by crows, they find the finger of another missing woman wedged in her throat.

KILLING DAD A family plagued by an abusive father finally take their revenge. THE SHIFT A detective completes a shift at work like no other. He couldn’t see the hit coming, and he couldn’t see the positive impact he’d had on so many lives. THE MISSING LINK A detective holds a retirement party. His old friend lets him know he knows the truth. THE PARCEL A devoted son carries out his mother’s wishes. DEAD TO THE WORLD A detective stumbles across a murder. The problem is, he is alone with the killer and there is no way out. THE VERDICT

September 1987. The internet is yet to be born, and the iPhone is over twenty years from its inception. A packet of cigarettes costs £1.60 and Rick Astley is number one in the charts with 'Never Gonna Give You Up.' Some things don't change, however; greed, love, jealousy, and a knife sliding through a carotid artery tend to have the same impact on people's lives as they ever did.

It is the summer of 1987.

The man was 100 yards from his moment of destiny. He was oblivious to it, of course. Murderers don't necessarily realise they are killers until a few seconds before it happens. Murderers are sometimes just like you and me. He would never have dreamed that such a thing might happen. Ridiculous. If anyone had told him that today was the day he would turn into a killer, he would have looked at them quizzically; questioning their sanity, instead of his own.

It is Christmas 1987. A perverted criminal sociopath is on the loose. An innocent young woman is murdered in horrific circumstances. DI Stark announces 'Christmas is cancelled,' and his team investigates; aware that every second the maniac is at large moves him closer to his next victim. A second woman is raped and brutalised. How is the killer discovering intimate secrets about his victims? Why does he insist on terrifying them in the lead up to the attacks? What is driving this depravity? Who will the next victim be?

‘I do not know what second it will be, what minute it will be, what hour, or even day. But it will come. You may see it coming. You may not. Regardless, I can guarantee you; there will be a moment like no other when you will draw your last breath. Like it or lump it. And at that moment you will see your final view of the world. However, what I do not know, is whether your last glimpse will be the sympathetic countenance of a loved one or the grotesque, contorted, teeth-clenched face of a crazed killer. Nor do you. That is yet to be determined. Other options are available.’

Could you unwittingly become the target of evil? Could your world be turned upside down and inside out? How could such a thing happen to you? It can’t, can it? Have you ever stopped to consider the transient nature of your life? Do you think that nothing will ever change? That it will always be like this? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m afraid it won’t. Sometimes that is a good thing, and sometimes it is not. Single mum Jane Cooper is forced into an altercation with a woman in a supermarket.

Guilt is a powerful thing, and former deputy Jack Collins is mired in it. Unable to forget the events that have taken place in the town he was sworn to protect, he feels as if he is slowly drowning as he tries to cope with the aftermath of a serial killer's reign of terror, as well as his new - and unwanted - job as chief of police.

In Weeping Rock, South Dakota—a small town crippled by racism, drugs, and violence—Sheriff’s Deputy Liam Matthews has his work cut out for him when he steps in to take over the duties of sheriff from his father, who for far too long has turned a blind eye to certain crimes for what he says is the overall good of the town.

This small town in Prairie County, Montana has been rocked to its very core with the brutal murders of four women. A serial killer, whose calling card is as unusual as it is twisted, is on the loose - and troubled Police Chief Nathan Sommers is bent on stopping him at all costs. While tracking the killer, Nathan must battle his own demons as he struggles to cope with the death of his wife. He feels her dying was a direct result of his actions and is consumed with guilt. His personal life becomes even more complicated when he meets Katie, the pretty new owner of the bakery.

The perfect life. The perfect lie. Family man, Dai Trandahl, appears distraught over the disappearance of his wife and ten-year-old daughter. But when a body is discovered in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, the investigation takes a terrifying turn. Trandahl’s computer reveals evidence of alarming illegal activities, and detectives Temeke and Santiago suspect a connection with a cold case and the recent killing of two young women.

Two best friends. One deadly secret. Something dark and brooding stalks the mysterious Bosque nature reserve. Bird watchers fall prey to the menace and thefts of rare falcons are on the rise. But it is the body of a murdered girl discovered on the banks of The Rio Grande River that eventually brings Detectives Temeke and Santiago onto the trail.

The truth is dead and buried. Or is it? When two bodies are recovered from a house fire, Detective Temeke is called in to investigate what he believes is a routine case. The tragedy takes a more sinister turn when a post mortem reveals that one victim was beaten to death.

When the past and present collide, a boy realizes everything he values is at stake. A ten year enquiry into the murders of several young boys has gone cold. No witnesses, no suspect. Or so police believe, until a mysterious phone call leads the police to the remains of a young boy found near the ancient ruins of an Anasazi settlement. Is this a random act or the work of a serial killer?

When the body of a well known film star is murdered during the Málaga Film Festival, the Guardia Civil once more turn to JD and her team for help. The crime is far from straightforward. The killer has left a trail of clues for the police to follow, but the question is why? And what is he trying to tell them? They can find no obvious motive for the murder of this popular actor, whose naked body was found in the locked basement of the Picasso Museum.

Everyone has secrets. Some more deadly than others. When the ninth girl falls into the clutches of a serial killer, Detective Temeke faces a race against time to save her life. The Duke City Police Department in Albuquerque, New Mexico is no stranger to gruesome murders, but this new serial killer on their block keeps the body parts of his eight young victims as trophies and has a worrying obsession with the number 9.