California Crime

Between 1846 and 1873, California's Indian population plunged from perhaps 150,000 to 30,000. Benjamin Madley is the first historian to uncover the full extent of the slaughter, the involvement of state and federal officials, the taxpayer dollars that supported the violence, indigenous resistance, who did the killing, and why the killings ended. This deeply researched book is a comprehensive and chilling history of an American genocide.

Private investigator Jessica Shaw is used to getting anonymous tips. But after receiving a photo of a three-year-old kidnapped from Los Angeles twenty-five years ago, Jessica is stunned to recognize the little girl as herself. Eager for answers, Jessica heads to LA’s dark underbelly. When she learns that her biological mother was killed the night she was abducted, Jessica’s determined to solve a case the police have forgotten.

Raised in the suburb of Riverside, California, 20-year-old college student Jason Bautista endured for years his emotionally disturbed mother's verbal and psychological abuse. She even locked him out of the house, tied him up with electrical cord, and on one occasion, gave him a beating that sent him to the emergency room. On the night of January 14, 2003, Jason strangled his mother. To keep authorities from identifying her body, he chopped off her head and hands, an idea he claimed he got from watching an episode of the hit TV series The Sopranos.

In this collection of true-life stories, we follow a young deputy sheriff in his adventures patrolling the sprawling heat of Imperial County, California, in the 1970s. From the humor of the town drunk to the tension of pursuing illegal immigrants, this book covers the gamut of a life in service to community and family. With police actions ever more under the microscope, these stories give the reader a broad look at police life and decisions. We ride along with rookie Deputy Pennings as he consoles the grieving, he dodges bullets, and he arrests the bad guys—and in a rural county of more ...

For the man who already has it all, the reasonable thing to do is to take even more! Xavier Hightower, leader of the Duffle Bag Bwoys, robs a massive Mexican shipment that puts his crew at the top of the cartels assassination list. The ruthless criminal mastermind is determined to dominate the state of California in a savage manner never before seen. He gives birth to the first West Coast crime family that he affectionately dubs; the Golden State Heavyweights. But when war is declared on Xavier's criminal empire, he must deal with his demons at the same time that treachery from within ...

Private investigator Jessica Shaw is leading a quiet life in a Californian desert community, where she spends her days working low-level cases. But when a former resident asks Jessica to help her sister, Rue Hunter - a convicted murderer whose execution is days away - Jessica can’t resist the offer. Rue doesn't remember what happened the night two high school students were killed thirty years ago, but everybody in town is certain she’s guilty.

When two men meet in the gym - the ex-boxer Billy Tully and the novice Ernie Munger - their brief sparring session sets into motion their hidden fates, initiating young Munger into the "company of men" and luring Tully back into training. Fat City tells of their anxieties and hopes, their loves and losses, and the stubborn determination of their manager, Ruben Luna, who knows that even the most promising kid is likely to fall prey to some weakness.

Nora Harmon has a lot to be thankful for: two great kids, a stable marriage, and now, a dream career. Software consultant Jane Bell wants Nora on her team. She’s offering a fantastic salary, flexible hours, and a chance to travel the world. It sounds too good to be true, but Jane won’t take no for an answer. Jane acts more like a friend than a boss, and Nora’s personal and professional boundaries begin to blur. Jane is smitten with Nora’s perfect family—particularly her daughter—and far too attentive to Nora’s husband. Nora can’t help but feel insecure and unsettled.

United States of True Crime is an anthology series with books devoted to the most disturbing cases in each of the 50 states. This audiobook focuses on 20 of the most chilling crimes in California history. True crime junkies may recognize some of the highly publicized cases but I’ve made sure to include lesser-known, equally unsettling crimes.

Rachel lives a quiet life in the peaceful countryside, content with her perfect man and her lovely dog. But when she stumbles upon a body in the woods one day, all that shatters. She knows what she has to do: run. Don’t get accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Rachel realises she’s already the prime suspect. With mounting evidence against her, Rachel’s only hope is to keep her past well hidden.

When someone disappears on Northern California’s lawless Murder Mountain, it isn’t news. The vast terrain for illegal marijuana harvests is also a notorious black hole for outsiders. But when that someone is the family friend of the persuasive and righteous Senator Steele, finding him becomes covert investigator Ryan Decker’s mission.

A Second Chance. A Deadly Secret. Grace, a brilliant young scientist with terminal cancer, is offered a revolutionary new treatment: a full body transplant. Reborn into the healthy body of a suicide victim, she is sworn to secrecy about her illicit surgery. But her miraculous recovery sparks suspicion. Grace becomes the target of an unseen enemy who is relentlessly hunting her, determined to unearth the truth and extinguish her borrowed life. Thrust into a sinister cat-and-mouse game, she fights for her life, love, and the very essence of who she is. The Body Transplant is a gripping ...

This is Book 1 of The Jab Bone Murder Mysteries series. Leona Wilkes was a 15-year old daughter of a prominent NorCal family. Sheriff Bob Corman tried unsuccessfully in locating her. With a re-election looming and his approval rating dropping precipitously in the polls, he became more and more desperate for a solution. He enlists in Jab Boone's help to track her. Jab soon discovers that he is the hunted prey—by the same man responsible for killing his wife, Tiffin, along with three other influential women, in a Bay Area car-bombing. Jab discovers a connection between his wife’s murder ...

City Developer Murdered at Historic Castle Anna's Cafe is flourishing. But the town of Dolphin Bay is in uproar as a city developer proposes new construction on the scenic Coastal Walk. Locals flock to the town meeting to protest. Hours later, the man is dead, stabbed to death in a room full of people. The police face a big challenge since everyone present had a motive to kill. When Anna’s friend and local resort owner Charlie Robinson becomes the top suspect, she reluctantly steps in to help. Can she ignore his sordid reputation and trust he is innocent? New secrets are revealed and ...

Book #3 in the Jab Boone Murder Mystery Series A car-bombing, similar to the one that killed Tiffin Boone and friends four years ago, resurfaces in the Bay Area. It turns out that the actual bomb maker, known as The Caveman, has his sights on Jab Boone! Complicating matters is the murder of Under-Sheriff Sherry Davis and the lurid press fascination between Jab and The Caveman. Jab enlists sheriffs in three separate counties as well as the FBI to stop The Caveman from wreaking further havoc!

Just released from prison, Trip Walker’s hopes for a fresh start are shattered after finding his twin sister Rose has vanished without a trace. Determined to uncover the truth, Trip plunges into the dark past he left behind, only to find powerful forces are also hunting for Rose—with sinister intentions. Dodging hired killers and crooked cops, he races to find his sister, all while uncovering secrets of his own family’s past. With time running out and enemies closing in, Trip faces an impossible choice: abandon his search, or risk everything—including his newfound freedom—for the ...

On October 12, 2005, a massive fire broke out in the Wines Central wine warehouse in Vallejo, California. Within hours, the flames had destroyed 4.5 million bottles of California's finest wine worth more than $250 million, making it the largest destruction of wine in history. The fire had been deliberately set by a passionate oenophile named Mark Anderson, a skilled con man and thief with storage space at the warehouse who needed to cover his tracks.

Cloning is a luxury for the wealthy. For Chance Harker, it’s a way of getting on with his lives. Five years ago, when he was sixteen, he and his brother, Marley, were murdered in a kidnapping gone wrong. Chance was revived—and his grieving parents met his existence with anger, neglect, and aversion. The public, though? They can’t get enough of the death-defying stunts he has parlayed into a social media spectacle. But after Chance’s latest “refresh,” he awakens to accusations that he’s killed Lee Conway, a stranger Chance has never met.

In Swimming to Catalina, ex-cop-turned Manhattan attorney and investigator Stone Barrington is back, still smarting from his sudden breakup with brilliant, beautiful magazine writer Arrington Carrington, who has left him to marry Hollywood's hottest male star, Vance Calder. Then Calder calls Stone for help: Arrington has vanished without a trace, and Calder, refusing to call the police, wants Stone to find her.

The day starts like any other in LA. The sun burns hot as the Santa Ana winds blow ash from mountain fires to coat the glittering city. But for Private Investigator Joe Pike, the city will never be the same again. His ex-lover, Karen Garcia, is dead, brutally murdered with a gun shot to the head.