Private Detective Fiction

A short drive outside of the real world Private Investigator Matt Cramer follows an art thief’s RV south from Santa Fe. He’s sure the man has the paintings he stole with him, but Matt’s boss thinks the man is headed to meet a buyer, and the big money is in catching both of them as well as retrieving the art. Matt needs to be there when they meet. A stakeout is never comfortable, but the weather is dreadful… rainy and dismal and Matt is unprepared. He never expected the man would head for a remote campground on a northern bank of the Pecos River. That leaves him sitting in his car, ...

Detective Jake Jackson left London for a quiet life in Caelum Parvum. The idyllic country village offers the peace he craves—tending to his chickens, swimming in his lake, and spending long, lazy evenings with his new love, Livia. It’s the perfect setting for their relationship to blossom. Then a case from the past re-emerges, shattering the calm and plunging Jake into the shadowy world of No Taboo—a clandestine group which serves the extravagant whims of Britain’s elite.

World War II has arrived, and U.S. Army intelligence wants Nero Wolfe urgently. But the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth refuses the call to duty. It takes his perambulatory, confidential assistant, Archie Goodwin, to titillate Wolfe's taste for crime with two malevolent morsels: a corpse that won't rest in peace and a sinister "accident" involving national security. So as Goodwin lays the bait on the wrong side of the law, Wolfe sets the traps to catch a pair of wily killers.

In Amsterdam, four bodies, violently butchered, are discovered in a canal house, the remains of friends and confidantes of the assassin known only as Louis. The men responsible for the murders are Serbian war criminals. They believe they can escape retribution by retreating to their homeland. They are wrong. For Louis has come to Europe to hunt them down: five killers to be found and punished before they can vanish into thin air.

There's nothing like murder to spoil a good meal. That's what Archie Goodwin, the able assistant to Nero Wolfe, discovers at a lavish dinner party hosted by a billionaire. It was a casual evening among gorgeous society girls, until champagne became a murder weapon.

San Francisco homicide detective Frost Easton hadn’t seen his estranged friend Denny in years. Not until he dies in Frost’s arms uttering a final inexplicable word: Lombard. Denny appears to be the latest victim in a string of murders linked by a distinctive clue: the painting of a spiraled snake near the crime scenes. Is it the work of a serial killer? Or is Denny’s death more twisted and personal? To find the answer, Frost reaches into a nest of vipers - San Francisco’s shady elite - where the whispered name of Lombard is just one secret.

Maverick sleuth Declan Miller is back at work following the murder of his wife (and amateur ballroom dancing partner) Alex. Working with new partner and heavy metal enthusiast DS Sara Xiu, he is tasked with investigating the double killing of gangland family scion Adrian Cutler and IT consultant Barry Shepherd at the Sands Hotel. Initial evidence suggests a hired gun and a botched job. The search for the hitman begins and Miller begins to reconnect with his old network.

A Tiffany Black Travel CaperTiffany and Rosie visit a wilderness retreat for digital nomads – a beautiful, relaxing camp in upstate New York. Things get off to a wonderful start… until an unpopular guest is found murdered. Soon, Tiff and Rosie uncover a number of dark secrets – each of the other guests has a motive for murder. But as they investigate, the killer seems to keep one step ahead of them. Will they uncover the truth, or will the killer get away with murder? Praise for A.R. Winters: "The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery." - ...

Hot on the heels of Best Cases of the Continental Op comes Honest Gain: Dicey Cases of the Continental Op, another original compilation from Skyboat Media. The Continental Op is back on the case, tracking down thieves and murderers from the steep streets of San Francisco to the rough and tumble Wild West in Arizona. These six stories featuring the Continental Op show that this private eye is not afraid to get his hands dirty in order to get the job done right, or get himself hurt in the process.

The Big Four: Framed in the doorway of Hercule Poirot’s bedroom stands an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust. The man stares for a moment, then he sways and falls. Who is he? And what is the significance of the figure 4, scribbled over and over again on a sheet of paper? Cards on the Table: Mr. Shaitana is famous as a flamboyant party host. Nevertheless, he is a man of whom everybody is a little afraid. So when he boasts to Hercule Poirot that he considers murder an art form, the detective has some reservations about accepting a party invitation.

Following an unforgettable cast of characters and a jaded female P.I. enmeshed in a criminal conspiracy in 1980s Mississippi, The Queen City Detective Agency is a riveting, razor-sharp Southern noir that unravels the greed, corruption, and racism at the heart of the American Dream.

Alaska aviation entrepreneur Finn Grant died in the fiery crash of his Piper Super Cub. Someone sabotaged his engine, and virtually everyone in southwestern Alaska has a motive, including his betrayed wife, his bullied children, and Liam’s wife, bush pilot Wyanet Chouinard. With few places to turn, Liam asks his former mentor Niniltna post commander Sergeant Jim Chopin, for help, and Jim quickly brings Kate onto the case. Working undercover as - of all things - a waitress at Bill’s Bar and Grill, Kate learns over beer and burgers that Grant’s business had expanded meteorically over the last two years.

A Cupcakes-and-Crime Caper When an organized crime syndicate decides to come after Tiffany and Rosie, the duo must act quickly to ensure the safety of their loved ones. But when a syndicate employee attempting to help Tiffany is found dead, she insists on getting to the bottom of it all. Can Tiffany, Stone and Rosie handle these dangerous criminals? Will this be their last investigation? Praise for A.R. Winters: "The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery." - Jaycie D, Amazon.com "A fun cozy mystery with engaging and entertaining characters" - lq, ...

A Cupcakes-and-Crime Caper Rosie has decided to take up magic as (yet another) hobby. Unfortunately, this hobby leads to Tiffany and her stumbling upon the murder of a popular street magician - a murder which the duo find themselves investigating. Who would've wanted the popular magician dead? Tiffany and Rosie unveil a complex web of unhappy pasts and current grudges. But will they uncover the truth before it's too late? Meanwhile, Tiffany's former assistant, Ian, says he'll be back in Vegas soon to plan his wedding - a plan that doesn't make Rosie happy at all. Praise for A.R. Winters: "...

Sunny Randall is "on" again with Richie, the ex-husband she never stopped loving and never seemed to be able to let go, despite her discomfort with his Mafia connections. When Richie is shot and nearly killed, Sunny is dragged into the thick of his family's business as she searches for answers and tries to stave off a mob war. But as the bullets start flying in Boston's mean streets, Sunny finds herself targeted by the deranged mastermind of the plot against the Burke family, whose motive may be far more personal than she could have anticipated....

It's 1978. Nero Wolfe, New York's 300-pound epicurean genius detective, has been dead for two years, leaving Archie holding the brownstone. In a post-Wolfe dystopia with a sense of humor, Archie, Saul, Fritz, and Cramer find themselves in the crosshairs of a worldwide criminal cartel. In America, it's a time of change: Vietnam, Watergate, free love, smallpox, the reserve clause, and cheap oil are all history. Aided and abetted by Roy Cohn, Richard Wragg, Dorothy Bruce, the Army, FBI, CIA, and the Dutch police, will Saul and Archie live up to Wolfe's legacy?

PI Sunny Randall has often relied on the help of her best friend Spike in times of need. When Spike's restaurant is taken over under a predatory loan agreement, Sunny has a chance to return the favor. She begins digging into the life of the hedge fund manager who screwed Spike over - surely a guy that smarmy has a skeleton or two in his closet - and soon finds this new enemy may have the backing of even badder criminals.

Dr. Willow has a problem. His practice is breaking up and money is missing. As his lawyer Bill and investigators Henry and Laurel start digging, the stakes get higher. The drama unfolds in the courtroom and the hostilities accelerate outside as the team uncovers the secrets of Dr. Willow's pernicious partnership.

DS Lucas Walker is off duty. He's supposed to be showing his little sister Grace the Australian outback, on her visit from Boston, but instead they're headed out bush- where Walker's cousin has been mining for boulder opal. Something seemed off when Walker heard that Blair wanted to get out of Kanpara, so he and Grace are en route to bring him home to Caloodie. But Kanpara is in Channel Country, and a major flood is on the way.

A bomb explodes in the desk drawer of a top TV executive. Was it intended for him or the man who opened the drawer? They each had enemies enough to die a dozen times over. Was it the jealous wife or the ambitious partner? The secretary who got passed around like an inter-office memo? Or the man who couldn’t wash the blood off his hands? Nero Wolfe didn’t want any part of it - but he was up to his neck in the toughest case of his career!