Occult Detective Fiction

NYPD detective John Decker thinks his family’s dark past is behind him when he’s offered the job as town sheriff in his sleepy southern hometown. Happy for a change in scenery, and a quieter way of life, he accepts the position. But when a pair of mutilated bodies are found in the woods just days before a massive storm is due to make landfall, the similarities dredge up the horrific memories of his mother’s unsolved murder almost thirty years ago. A murder that drove his father to madness and an early grave, and John to abandon his high school sweetheart and escape to New York.

Hallie works as a skip tracer—hunting down people wanted by the law, for one reason or another. It's not glamourous, and it doesn't pay all that well. But it's legal work, and that's hard to come by in low city. When her best-and only—friend calls her in a panic, Hallie goes to help and gets a lot more than she bargained for. One of the elite has been murdered and the city police and special investigators are looking for someone to blame. The moment Hallie is near a dead body of one of the ruling class, her hard work and clean record count for nothing.

Hours after throwing a third birthday party for their twins Kathy and Kelly in their Connecticut home, Margaret and Steve Frawley return home from a dinner in New York to discover the police in the house, their daughters missing, and an eight million dollar ransom note. The Frawleys meet the kidnapper's demands, but the abandoned car they're led to contains only Kelly, the body of the driver, and a suicide note, saying he had inadvertently killed Kathy and dumped her body in the ocean.

Weird Tales magazine is known for launching a number of sub-genres of fiction—cosmic horror, swords & sorcery, dark fantasy, and others. It has also greatly added to existing genres like science fiction, horror, and—a personal favorite of editor Jonathan Maberry—weird mystery stories. Or, as they became known—occult detective tales.

Against all odds, Constance has found a way back to the place of her origins, New York City in the late 1800s, and sets off on a quest to prevent the events that lead to the deaths of her sister and brother, and stop Manhattan’s most infamous serial killer, Dr. Enoch Leng of the seminal Pendergast novel The Cabinet of Curiosities, before his nefarious experiments come to fruition.

Bizarre New Orleans Death Ceremony Ends in Murder French Quarter paranormal investigator Wyatt Thomas meets a new client at an bizarre death ceremony in a revamped Canal Street movie theater. The man gives Wyatt a bag of cash and a single clue: a solid gold Krewe of Rex, 1948 Mardi Gras doubloon. His only request is for Wyatt to find the person or persons who murdered his mother. The case isn't simply cold, it's 50-years old. When his client is shot dead on the way out the door, Wyatt must go into hiding, solve both murders, or suffer the same fate

Living in a haunted house is nothing new to Danielle. In fact, she's rather fond of the ghosts who visit Marlow House. But after she brings home the twins, unexplained paranormal activities in the nursery perplex not just her, but the ghosts who frequently visit Marlow House.

County Cork, Ireland. Skye Brigid O'Shea is still struggling to fit in. Still branded an outsider in her adopted rural town, the ex-pat American strives to get her inherited B&B shipshape despite the flaky local help. But after waking with a fright from a dream her fae cat claims she borrowed, the discombobulated newcomer trips over a dead body in her pub. Not about to head the suspect list again, the nosy former nurse chases down clues both mundane and otherworldly.

Seventeen-year-old Everly Hart became a "griever" the day she witnessed a tragic death. Imbued with a second sight, she can now see what others cannot—supernatural creatures called grimms. Then she receives an invitation from the Grimm Society to attend Gravemark, an exclusive school where grievers are trained to track and reap grimms. Everly thought navigating high school and dating was tough, but now her school assignments can kill her.

Fiona MacDonald and her sisters share the mission of maintaining peace in New Orlands, where vampires and shapeshifters hide in plain sight among mankind. As a vampire keeper, is Fiona’s duty to investigate the discovery of a body drained of blood, but this time she must join forces with Detective Jagger DeFarge, who is not only the cop in charge of the investigation but is also a vampire himself.

I've only been back home a few weeks and already strange events are happening all over town. Wishes are coming true to the delight of those affected. Despite the seemingly good fortune, I need to put on my federal bureau of magic badge and get to work. I can't let supernatural shenanigans disrupt the natural order of life here, no matter how awesome they seem. When their good luck starts to take a dark turn, I have to kick my efforts into overdrive. Can I crack the case before these dreams-come-true turn into nightmares?

It is 1890, and in the days before Christmas, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson are visited at Baker Street by a new client. Eve Allerthorpe, eldest daughter of a grand but somewhat eccentric Yorkshire-based dynasty, is greatly distressed, as she believes she is being haunted by a demonic Christmas spirit. Her late mother told her terrifying tales of the sinister Black Thurrick, and Eve is sure that she has seen the creature from her bedroom window. What is more, she has begun to receive mysterious parcels of birch twigs, the Black Thurrick’s calling card.

Hard-boiled police detective Richelle Dadd is back. And in a whole world of fresh trouble. Still...well, dead as the result of a Gypsy curse, she must now face life as a single mom. Not only does Richelle have to worry about all the usual stuff - her baby's health and well-being and keeping a roof over their heads by working a precarious dead-end job - there's also her homicidal ex-boyfriend to fear, the father of her child, stalking them both day and night with the avowed intent of kidnapping baby Tamara.

Despite the rumors, I'm definitely not a witch, my VHS tapes are not cursed, and renting one absolutely will not hurt anyone. Unless they forget to return it on time—late fees are killer. Kidding! As a werewolf, I can smell everyone's emotions. Guilt stinks like rotten fish, happiness is citrusy, and buttery popcorn...well, that's just my snack. But it's all too overwhelming. To make matters worse, a visitor ends up dead in front of my video rental shop and rumors spread fast. Gossiping ghosts and busybody vampires claim my movies magically murdered him.

Federal Bureau of Magic Agent Eden Fury spends her days catching demons and returning them to Otherworld where they belong. Grandma spends her days catching Little Critters on her favorite game and never the twain shall meet. Until they do. When a spell goes awry and allows Little Critters to escape the game, Eden and her family are forced to team up and find them. The creatures might look adorable in the app, but Eden quickly learns they’re far more terrifying and dangerous in real life. Will Eden catch ‘em all or will it be game over for the residents of Chipping Cheddar?

I foolishly believed this day would never come, that life in charming Chipping Cheddar would always be pleasant and somewhat predictable—but all good things must come to an end. And it seems the dormant portal is no exception.

I've finally taken a big step in my personal life when my professional life heats up with a spate of behavioral issues that seem unrelated. When some of the issues become life-threatening, I know that time is running out, but I'm no closer to identifying the root cause. Can I put out another supernatural fire before it spreads or am I doomed to watch the town go up in flames?

The Federal Bureau of Magic Cozy Mystery books are full-length humorous paranormal cozy mysteries. This collection includes Great Balls of Fury, Fury Godmother, and No Guts, No Fury.

Paranormal investigator Wyatt Thomas treks into the dangerous Honey Island Swamp in search of a forbidden convent where all the sisters are vampires When French Quarter detective Wyatt Thomas is awakened from a dark dream by his cat Kisses, he witnesses an eerie funeral procession from the balcony of his Chartres Street apartment. Riding in the limousine ahead of a hearse is his former lover, Desire Vallee - the first time he’s seen her since she became a nun and entered a convent. Desire’s skin is ashen, her once dark hair now ghostly white. He's left with a single clue. Is Desire in ...

Emma Porter is 40, fat, frumpy, and a passionate amateur gardener. When her longtime lover dumps her for a younger woman, Emma escapes the cloying sympathy of family and friends by setting out on a summer-long driving tour of England's glorious gardens. A Dimity-contrived coincidence brings her to Penford Hall, a sprawling Gothic mansion in Cornwall, where she finds a duke in search of a missing lantern with extraordinary powers.