Small Town Crime

A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins, a Black man, is found covered in blood, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tension, this is not just a murder case: it's a powder keg. Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later, the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander's case?

The last thing I expected during Bramble Dale’s big debut cook-off was a dead food critic face-first in a plate of my best friends winning but fatal almond chicken. It was an and accident because she wouldn’t poison him on purpose. Really? Now I’m knee-deep in flour, lies, and a whole lot of bad alibis, trying to figure out who really wanted this foodie dead. Between his baking co-star girlfriend stealing the show and a rival food critic cutting into his review columns this harsh baking judge had more enemies than a guy could choke on. With my pet detective yellow Lab, Peanut, and my ...

In the summer of ’84, fourteen-year-old Frankie Jubilee is shuttled off to Litani, Minnesota, to live with her estranged mother, a county prosecutor she barely knows. From the start, Frankie senses something uneasy going on in the small town. The locals whisper about The Game, and her mother warns her to stay out of the woods and away from adults. When a bullying gang of girls invites Frankie to The Game, she accepts, determined to find out what’s really going on in Litani. She’s not the only one becoming paranoid. Hysteria burns through the community. Dark secrets emerge.

The Forgotten Daughter A Christian Small-Town Detective Thriller About a Vanished Girl and a Secret That Won’t Stay Buried by Russell Knight 📚 She vanished. The town forgot. But God didn’t. Twenty-one years ago, teenager Claire Lawson disappeared from Ashford Hollow. Branded a runaway. Dismissed. Forgotten. Until now. Veteran detective Gabriel Foster, a man shaped by failure and flickers of faith, receives an anonymous envelope with a photo of Claire—dated after the investigation closed—and a charm bracelet stained with blood. Haunted by the case that broke him, Gabriel reopens ...

Murder in the dunes: A new mystery series where dark secrets lurk beneath the surface, with a dash of humor to keep things afloat. On a fog-drenched night, the ferry from Norderney Island collides with a mysterious obstacle just outside Fleetstedt Harbor. One of the lifeboats breaks loose and sinks, though miraculously, no one is hurt. But before long, tragedy strikes again. The owner of the shipping company is found dead in what appears to be a tragic car accident. But Enna and Pavel aren’t convinced. They suspect the crash was no accident—it was murder. The shipowner had a knack for ...

'Wonderful series. A must read!' Widowed cafe owner Anna Butler uncovers shocking secrets from her past as she tries to prove she did not murder her husband. Packed with twists you never saw coming, every book in this series leaves readers wanting more. Leena Clover presents a heartwarming cozy mystery series about family, friendship and the pursuit of a lifelong dream. The last three books build up to an exciting series finale! Recently widowed Anna Butler is busy testing cupcake recipes, trying to cope with the loss of her beloved husband. When the license for her dream cafe is rejected, ...

An Ear for Murder When oboist Sara Baron returns to her hometown for her grandfather's surprise birthday party, she discovers her childhood friend has been murdered and 'hear no evil' isn't an option. Whispered Clues The new community center celebrates its grand opening with a flair. Boom! Lights out! The building contractor? Dead. When Sara's former teacher is accused of the murder, Sara steps in to find the real culprit and restore harmony to her hometown. Bad Vibes A land deal, whistle blowing, a jealous ex. No shortage of motives for her friend’s disappearance. When her friend's ...

In the seaside town of Kinlough, on Ireland’s west coast, three old friends are thrown together for the first time in years. They—Helen, Joe, and Mush—were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann as their group’s white-hot center. Soon after that summer’s peak, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now it’s fifteen years later.

Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on a single day when a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal town he once called home. Twelve years earlier the storm of the century claimed the lives of Kieran’s brother and his friend. There was also a third casualty that day. A teenage girl, last spotted on the sand as the weather rolled in, then never seen again. Kieran has barely arrived back in town after a long absence when a body is washed up on the nearby beach.

She was my first love. Now she's my prisoner. Natalie grew up next door in a home as broken as mine. My childhood was hell and my father was the devil. I was nothing but fists, fury and rage. But Natalie...she was the lovely free spirit who danced barefoot, baked me cookies, and bandaged my wounds. When she ran away, she took my heart with her. Now I’ve found her again. But I've changed. I'm the cold-blooded VP of the Twisted Devils MC. Vicious. Lethal. Deadly. She's too pure for a monster like me, but my black heart beats only for her. She still prefers flower crowns to leather cuts. But...

In this prequel to the international best seller The Ruin, set 10 years prior, bright-eyed Carrie Ryan is at the very start of her career. When she has a hunch about an ongoing murder investigation, she knows it could be her only chance to prove herself and truly break into the “boys' club” of Dublin’s police force.

When Tiffany, Rosie and Nanna go to a silent meditation retreat, they don’t expect much excitement… … until the meditation teacher, “Master Zenon,” is found murdered. Roped into investigating, the trio uncover a host of unexpected secrets. From a scammer pretending to be enlightened, to a student with a dark connection to the meditation guru, to a guest pretending to be someone they’re not… But who, among all these retreat guests, hated Master Zenon enough to kill him? Praise for A.R. Winters: "The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery...

A scarred special operative meets his match with the woman determined to save him from himself. It was just a little accident—but it changed his life. Special Xtreme Ops team, River Hepburn wakes in the hospital to the sight of Sascha—his best friend’s little sister—watching over him. Their emotional bond over her brother’s death is undeniable, but he isn’t prepared to feel more. All he wants to do is return to the line of duty. Accident and injuries are words Sascha Lacey understands, but the name connected with them take her by surprise. Agreeing to nurse River’s injuries is...

The riotous, raucous, and deeply resonant debut novel from “one of the best story writers in the English language today” (Financial Times), Wild Houses follows two outsiders caught in the crosshairs of a small-town revenge kidnapping gone awry.

Welcome to The Berry Home, where the food is to-die-for!When up-and-coming politican Alex Tramden dies after a campaign celebration, everyone blames Kylie Berry. The event was catered, it involved food, and it lead to a strange death. Kylie had nothing to do with Alex’s death! But somehow, she ends up in hot water over it. When everything goes awry, Kylie joins forces with Zoey, Agatha and the rest of the gang. Alex’s killer is going to be brought to justice… unless they get to Kylie and Sage first. Praise for A.R. Winters: "The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a ...

This special operative is her only chance. How can he refuse her? After a major leg wound, Special Operative Chris Paxton is about to finally leave the facility where he’s been recovering. So when he wakes up with no clue where he’s at or who’s kidnapped him, things are about to get lethal. Jersey has no choice but to find herself a bodyguard. Who better than a man sporting enough military tattoos to be his own platoon? She hopes this guy’s as badass as he looks because her family is out for blood—hers. Not only are they gunning for her, but the clock is ticking before more people...

I'm being hunted. Valeria Happy hour with my bestie turns into a night of terror. I'm attacked by criminals who want to kidnap me, use me, own me. Then he steps in – an insanely hot, bearded savage named Havoc. He doesn’t look like my savior, he looks like a tatted killer. But my only choice is to take his hand Havoc The second I see Valeria, I’m obsessed. She is innocence in an irresistible, curvy package. A beautiful vision that sparks my primal hunger. But even a single kiss will ruin me. Because love is a weakness for a monster like me. Yet once she’s safe in my arms, we can’t...

As a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and multiple Edgar Award winner, Block is one of the premier crime writers of the 20th century. He has written over 50 novels, and five different mystery series. A stand-alone mystery, Small Town just so happens to be one of Block’s best yet! Here, he delivers a mesmerizing thriller that wholly embraces New York, the city he knows and loves so well.

During a vicious heat wave, a county maintenance worker stumbles upon two suspicious suitcases abandoned by the side of the road. Sheriff Bree Taggert responds to find two bodies stuffed inside the luggage. The press demands action. The community is on edge. Suddenly, Bree is at the center of a media firestorm. In Oregon, a senator’s daughter goes missing. FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick agrees to keep the politically sensitive case on the down-low.

Two lonely towns in Colorado: Hope and Despair. Between them, 12 miles of empty road. Jack Reacher never turns back. It's not in his nature. All he wants is a cup of coffee. What he gets is big trouble. So in Lee Child’s electrifying new novel, Reacher - a man with no fear, no illusions, and nothing to lose - goes to war against a town that not only wants him gone, it wants him dead. It wasn’t the welcome Reacher expected. He was just passing through, minding his own business. But within minutes of his arrival a deputy is in the hospital and Reacher is back in Hope.