African American Fiction Mystery

For the last 60 years, fear has seeped into every area of American life: Americans own more guns than citizens of any other country, sequester themselves in gated communities, and retreat from public spaces. And yet, crime rates have plummeted, making life in America safer than ever. Why, then, are Americans so afraid - and where does this fear lead to? In this remarkable work of social history, May demonstrates how our obsession with security has made citizens fear each other and distrust the government, making America less safe and less democratic.

Xavier "Scarecrow" Wallace, a mixed-race MMA fighter on the wrong side of thirty, is facing the fight of his life. Xavier can no longer deny he is losing his battle with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), or pugilistic dementia. Through the fog of memory loss, migraines, and paranoia, Xavier does his best to stay in shape by training at the Philadelphia gym owned by his cousin-cum-manager, Shot, a retired champion boxer to whom Xavier owes an unpayable debt. With his memory in shreds and his life crumbling around him, can Xavier hold on to the focus he needs to survive?

In Calico Springs, Willie’s life has been defined by two powerful forces: God and the river. The “miracle boy” died for five minutes as a young child, and ever since, Willie is certain he survived for a reason, but that purpose didn’t become clear until he found the Game. The Game is called Manifest Atlas, and the concept is simple: enter an intention and the Game provides a target—a blinking blue dot on the map. Willie’s second time playing Manifest Atlas, his intention takes him to an ominous target: three empty graves. Willie is sure the Game is telling him he’s going to die.

The audiobook is a story about two brothers, Kelvin “Kels” Johnson, Jr., and Malik “Lil Ghadi” Johnson. Each of them had eager desires to follow in their father’s legacy for success and power. They wanted to finish the goal their father, Kelvin “Ghadi” Johnson, Sr., started before his incarceration, as well as try to achieve the goal of getting out of the game without getting scarred like their father did. Kelvin “Ghadi” Johnson, Sr.’s name ran throughout the streets of the Eastson Neighborhood, but not even his name could stop what his sons were about to face.

Chicago, 1954. When his father, Montrose, goes missing, 22-year-old army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied by his uncle George - publisher of The Safe Negro Travel Guide - and his childhood friend Letitia. On their journey to the manor of Mr. Braithwhite - heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus’ ancestors - they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales George devours.

Out of the four girls who were in Choices, one, Ecstasy, is dead, and Honey is on the run. There are only two girls left, Candy and China, and their Alter Egos have taken over. China, aka Sherita, gets released from prison and is finally getting to know her estranged teenage son.Candy, now known as Carmen, struggles with demons from the past and is consumed with chasing the ghost of Chanel. Even though she buried her daughter years ago, she still can't accept the child's death.

Miranda Parker’s acclaimed debut introduced sassy bail recovery agent Angel Crawford. In this second tale, Angel is back, and though this brainy part-time sleuth’s been ordered to take a vacation, she’s not slowing down. Determined to catch the killer who murdered her fiancé six years ago, Angel tracks the cold case into the depths of Atlanta’s hidden speakeasy society. And the case isn’t the only thing heating up - sparks are also flying between Angel and a suave U.S. Marshal.

Framed for a high-profile murder, Abrianna Parker finds herself hurtling down a conspiracy rabbit hole in a desperate attempt to clear her name. Her only way out is to go after the most powerful man in the country. But the powers that be play dirty - and expose her billionaire adoptive father, Cargill Parker, and his criminal activity. With charges of collusion swirling on Capitol Hill, police and federal agencies force Abrianna off the grid. But she's not alone. By her side is ex-con turned private investigator Kadir Kahlifa, a man as seductive as he is dangerous.

Sent to prison, Tyrone Stokes left his wife to raise their son, Marcus, alone. Now Tyrone is free, but 17-year-old Marcus is on Louisiana's death row for the murder of a young white girl. Convinced of his son's innocence, Tyrone will sacrifice everything to keep Marcus alive. Cry Me a River offers the distinctive blend of emotional power, vivid imagery, and rich characters that has brought its author national acclaim.

Essence best-selling authors Kiki Swinson and Noire have attracted huge audiences for their sexy, anything-goes fiction. Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless features a novella from each author. Swinson’s electric “Shamelessly Rich” showcases a spoiled bad girl facing a life-changing choice. And in Noire’s “Puttin’ Shame in the Game,” three gorgeous ladies set their sights on a wealthy cop.

Abraham and Abigail head out to a cabin in the woods for their all-expense paid, secluded honeymoon for seven days. They are prepared for a blissful week of enjoying their first days as husband and wife. Their first night there, strange things begin to happen because Abraham is unknowingly at a crossroads with his past. He must make the decision once and for all to live for God. His arrogance has finally caught up with him and he begins to literally be haunted by his past transgressions.

For Piper Jackson, she once had it all. A charming husband, two beautiful children, and a happy life. But the life she deemed as perfect was all yanked from her the day her husband died. Forced to move back to her small hometown, Piper must somehow start over and find solace in the wreckage of her life. Charles Brewer appears to be a friendly neighborhood handyman, deacon, and faithful pillar of the community. But underneath his kind smile, there is a dark energy lurking.

Fifteen-year-old Amani Kendall’s biggest problem is being the only plus-size Black girl at a white private school—until her house burns down and her family is unexpectedly on the run. Suddenly, she’s reeling from the news that her formerly boring mom is being pursued by an ex-boyfriend turned stalker, and her scientist dad has gone MIA. At the same time, she has to navigate an underfunded school in the city, suffering the cultural whiplash of being surrounded by other Black students, including the cute boy who’s an old family friend.

If These Walls Could Talk is consumed with mystery, sex, and action. Each chapter is filled with events that will thrill listeners. After a second chance at life, Lil Riley regains his freedom and has plans to make a positive change in the world. To follow up with the promise he made to his girlfriend, Nicole – he finds himself attending church. Still addicted to a life of fast money as a drug boss and a high-profile pimp, the transition isn't as easy as he thought. When love, witchcraft and betrayal enter the picture, things spin out of control.

Dhata Mays has become used to living on the fringes. Unlike most of humanity, the detective treats the synth population with the respect they deserve. But when a gruesome murder points to a synth as the perpetrator, Dhata must do everything in his power to discover an explanation before the case goes public. In a race against time, Dhata discovers a scheme involving cypher hackers, synth prostitutes, and a pair of rival gang bosses that could tear the city apart. For Dhata to keep the uneasy peace, he'll have to track down the murderers himself, but no one said he had to take them alive.

In February 1971, racial tension surrounding school desegregation in Wilmington, North Carolina, culminated in four days of violence and skirmishes between white vigilantes and black residents. The turmoil resulted in two deaths, six injuries, more than $500,000 in damage, and the firebombing of a white-owned store before the National Guard restored uneasy peace. Despite glaring irregularities in the subsequent trial, 10 young persons were convicted of arson and conspiracy and then sentenced to a total of 282 years in prison.

Tragedy and Victor Powell have moved to the desirable but dark Grayson Glens enclave of dream homes just outside of Chicago. Stressed urbanites, they’ve got to live large in real life to stay large online. With only a few blacks in their elite gated community, they settle in but never quite feel at home. Then, a missing young black woman floats up in the Grayson River. Is the spirit of the mysterious scarlet-lettered woman, Raven McCoy, haunting Grayson during the pandemic?

Dmytryk Knight was a respectable man who had followed the blueprints for the American Dream: go to college, find the girl of your dreams, get married, buy a house on the affluent side of Detroit. He’d done it all by the book. But when a crippling recession annihilates the auto industry, Dmytryk and his wife, Cora, suddenly find themselves without jobs and in foreclosure. And after two years of taking any job they can find and trying to live honestly, they realize that integrity just doesn’t pay the bills.

It's been months since Angel and Pastor Justus Too-Hot-To-Be-Holy Morgan announced their engagement. Yet Angel's barely begun wedding planning. It's not that she's having doubts. She just wants to make sure the past doesn't interfere with their future. For Angel, that means clearing up a kiss-tastrophe with U.S. Marshal Maxim West and facing off with her ex-fiancé's assassin. Angel wants to share her plans with Justus, but before she can do it, a new complication arrives....

Since her encounter with Ori years ago, Jessica has continued her mission to print the truth that the world needs to hear. This pursuit has led her to meet with a source, Zach Carver, a leading mind at Singularity Group. The meeting goes awry, and Jessica awakens to find that she has a gap in time and memory and that Zach is now missing. To her surprise, Ori reappears to help her. His solution involves a promising young recruit, Malik, whose research could be the key to recovering Zach. Yet the forces they are up against have proven they will go to great lengths to remove any obstacle.