American Mysteries

On Christmas Eve, 1951 in New Orleans, fifteen-year-old Johnnie Wise is sold into prostitution by her domineering mother, and her dreams of being an Evangelist or nightclub singer like Billie Holiday vanish like the notes of an old song. In her new life, surrounded by powerful men with even more powerful secrets, Johnnie finds that she can use romance with the men that pay to sleep with her to her advantage, and the teenage girl finds herself thrown into a world of wealth, bribery, and cold-blooded gangsters. But, the underbelly of New Orleans in the fifties isn’t without its dangers.

Lila Macapagal's godmothers April, Mae, and June—AKA the Calendar Crew—are celebrating the opening of their latest joint business venture, a new laundromat, to much fanfare (and controversy). However, what should’ve been a joyous occasion quickly turns into a tragedy when they discover the building has been vandalized—and the body of Ninang April’s niece, recently arrived from the Philippines, next to a chilling message painted on the floor. The question is, was the message aimed at the victim or Lila's gossipy godmothers, who have not-so-squeaky-clean reputations?

Joe Leaphorn may be long retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, but his detective skills are still sharp, honed by his work as a private detective. His experience will be essential to solve a compelling new case: finding the birth parents of a woman who was raised by a bilagáana family but believes she is Diné based on one solid clue, an old photograph with a classic Navajo child’s blanket.

For Reece and Qwess, being rap superstars was the dream, but in real life, nothing moved without the money. So they formed the Crescent Crew, an outfit of young, ruthless hustlers who locked the Southern drug trade in a stranglehold. They're at the height of their power when Qwess is offered a record deal from a major label. He accepts and makes plans for his whole crew to go legit, but Reece enjoys his position as king of the streets and has no desire to relinquish his crown.

A MAN SHOULD NOT DROWN IN A DESERT! BUT ONE HAS. TWICE! Teenage outsiders from the desert town of Smoke Tree find a body floating in a cistern beneath a desert moon, but an autopsy shows the man drowned elsewhere. Why move a drowned man and stage a false drowning? As Deputy Johnny Quentin, investigates, he discovers that the man's wife is also missing. Johnny must find her before the killer claims another victim. Find her in a section of open desert larger than some states. The new deputy, haunted his his tours as a Ranger in Vietnam and the death of his best friend there, must put his ...

A snowmelt has sent floodwaters down to the fields of the Red River Valley, dragging the body of an unidentified Native woman into the town of Ada. The only evidence the medical examiner recovers is a torn piece of paper inside her bra: a hymnal written in English and Ojibwe. Cash Blackbear, a 19-year-old Ojibwe woman, sometimes helps Sheriff Wheaton, her guardian, on his investigations. Now she knows her search for justice for this anonymous victim will take her to the White Earth Reservation, a place she once called home.

The Kremlin has set its plans in motion. Its goal is nothing short of reestablishing the entire USSR, and it is willing to risk World War III in the process. There is only one man who can stop it. But they fear it will cost him his life.

Veteran reporter Jack McEvoy has taken down killers before, but when a woman he had a one-night stand with is murdered in a particularly brutal way, McEvoy realizes he might be facing a criminal mind unlike any he's ever encountered. Jack investigates - against the warnings of the police and his own editor - and makes a shocking discovery that connects the crime to other mysterious deaths across the country. Undetected by law enforcement, a vicious killer has been hunting women, using genetic data to select and stalk his targets.

The Road Beasts: Bear – A Gritty, Mature Romance 🔥 A gruff biker. A fierce, independent woman. A fire that changes everything. 🔥 Brandon "Bear" Kodiac doesn’t believe in fate—until the night he charges into a burning house and pulls Lica Nichols to safety. As a former biker turned contractor, he’s used to fixing broken things, but nothing prepares him for the fiery, stubborn woman who refuses to be saved. Lica Nichols has spent her life proving she doesn’t need anyone’s help. Legally blind but fiercely independent, she’s built a successful career and a life on her own ...

At the end of Edge of Disaster, Luke finds his daughter, Sierra, facedown in the snow. Now Luke wants revenge. As the cult tries to reassemble under new leadership, Luke and his allies work together to end the cult’s reign of terror. He’ll do whatever it takes to protect what’s left of his family, even if it means sacrificing himself.

Carlton “Big-Carl” Watts made his name in the streets by robbing and terrorizing drug dealers in order to provide for his family. That is, until he was murdered by a close friend. Leaving his wife to raise their two sons, ‘Champ and Mook’, alone in a poverty-stricken environment where only the strong survive. After their father's untimely demise, brothers, Champ and Mook, find themselves knee-deep in street life at very young ages. Burdened with the pressures of providing for their family as well as living up to the ruthless legacy their father left behind, they decide to dive head-...

**Previously Published as The Protector's Promise** No matter how strong love is, every love story has its challenges. The same rings very true for Karmen and Desmond. Their love has been a rollercoaster from the beginning, but when Desmond’s past resurfaces, it makes their ride even bumpier. Desmond moved back home, trying to outrun his demons. Soon he realizes there’s only so much running he can do before they catch up with him. When they do, they threaten the life of Karmen and his own. Karmen’s past relationship caused her to keep guys at arm’s length. She’s lived by the motto...

It’s Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Sure, her new business, the Brew-ha Cafe, is looking to turn a profit in its first year. And yes, she’s taken the first step in a new romance with her good friend Jae Park. But her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the family fifteen years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he’s back on his feet and ready to contribute to the Shady Palms community. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the return of her prodigal son.

Now that Nate Kenny has ex-wife Monica back in his arms, it's time to give marriage a second chance. Yet those plans are shattered when Nate and Monica are gunned down in their home. Nate recovers, but Monica falls into a coma. When she eventually regains consciousness, she awakens to a world of infidelity, duplicity, and scheming that could once again lead to spilled blood.

Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorists worst nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by the politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athlete without a care in the world...and then tragedy struck.

In the middle of an important investigation,Smoke Tree Substation Commander Carlos Caballo, known up and down the Colorado River Valley as "Horse," is suddenly called away to find a man who has shot an inspector at the California Agricultural Inspection station in the tiny desert community of Vidal, California. A California Highway patrolman has found the car abandoned alongside Highway95. When Horse and and the patrolman force open the trunk, they discover a body: the man's wife. Horse realizes he and his deputies must find a killer who is on foot in the vast, unpopulated area where the ...

Everyone agrees that the food at Ho-Lee Noodle House is delicious - unless it happens to be deadly. Lana Lee’s stake in her family’s Chinese restaurant is higher than ever now that she’s been made manager. So when she enters Ho-Lee into Cleveland’s Best Noodle Contest, Lana makes it her business to win - at all costs. But when a local food critic receives a threatening note in a fortune cookie and is later found dead, face-down in a bowl of lo mein, all bets are off....

One man’s curse is another man’s weapon. Genetic engineer Neah Haversham thought unlocking the code to her psychic gift would ease the way to blocking it, something she’d wanted since puberty. Within months of finishing her studies, she discovers the life she’d planned has vanished with the rescue of a sarcastic, hardheaded teen with an unprecedented ability. Ouray Bernard is a healer and warrior, a Native American who uses his skills to train other uniquely talented individuals. When called to help the woman invading his dreams, he can’t refuse. Loyalties collide as each defends ...

In the third installment of his acclaimed anthology series, master of crime fiction Lawrence Block has gathered together the best talent from popular fiction to produce an anthology of short stories based on masterpieces of American art. Among the star-studded lineup of writers you'll find Jerome Charyn, Jane Hamilton, Christa Faust, John Sandford, Sara Paretsky, Walter Mosley, Charles Ardai, Barry Malzberg, and Janice Eidus.

An intricate tale of love, haunting memories, and renewal, Second Glance begins in current-day Vermont, where an old man puts a piece of land up for sale and unintentionally raises protest from the local Abenaki Indian tribe, who insist it's a burial ground. When odd, supernatural events plague the town of Comtosook, a ghost hunter is hired by the developer to help convince the residents that there's nothing spiritual about the property.