Publisher: Alien Ebooks
Jim, the owner of a small diner, detects some suspicious activity when two strange men come into his shop alongside an undertaker friend of his.
In Paul Halter's The Fourth Door, the impossible becomes reality. A haunted room. An unbroken seal. A murder victim whose very identity is an enigma. And then, a second death in a house surrounded by untrodden snow. Both crimes defy reason?but master detective Dr. Alan Twist reveals that even the most baffling mysteries have rational explanations. This international bestseller is a masterpiece of intrigue and misdirection, hailed as the French answer to John Dickson Carr and a modern rival to Anthony Horowitz (The Twist of a Knife). Fans of Sophie Hannah's Poirot mysteries and the layered puzzles of Knives Out will relish this thrilling, twist-laden tale. Winner of the Prix du Roman Policier, Halter cements his place as a titan of the locked-room genre.Show book
A murdered music mogul. A high-and-mighty widow. To take down a killer, he'll shake Nashville to its knees. When private detective Cooper "Coop" Harrington meets record label mogul Grayson Taylor at a swank gathering of country music artists and politicians he never imagines he'll be investigating his brutal murder less than twenty-four hours later. The suspects are plentiful. More than a handful of people could have wanted him dead. Retained by Taylor's widow, Coop works alongside his best friend and Chief of Detectives, Ben Mason. The investigation leads Coop and Ben to scandalous indiscretions, secrets, and hints of corruption that swirl in the midst of their pursuit of the killer. Coop's faithful friend and assistant, Annabelle, and his loyal golden retriever, Gus, both lend a hand during the investigation. Even his Aunt Camille mines the local gossip mill to unearth potential killers with motive. Yet the case seems hopeless until a crucial piece of evidence emerges that sends Coop on a race to catch the killer before another victim is claimed. Contains mature themes.Show book
SUGAR GOT LOW contains a tale of grifters, a prequel story to the well-regarded Ania series, several trips back to River City and one to La Sombra, Texas. Enjoy a Walter Mitty homage set in San Francisco and a deadly day in Roman Britain, the heartbreaking story of a junkie and the suspenseful one of a murderer in a black car. And at the end of it all, you’ll experience the dark but inspiring title story of perseverance that was only made possible because of a misunderstood lyric. Four-time Derringer finalist Frank Zafiro weaves a lucky thirteen tales drawn from throughout his career with one thing in common – characters you may love or hate, but will certainly feel.Show book
The hypnotic beauty of Caribbean coral reefs meets the affluence and excess of the Mexican mafia in Deep Blue Saloon. Branch Kilgore, a reluctant hit man for the mob, must choose between allegiance to his crime family and the bond he's established with a group of ocean environmentalists. The psychedelic escapism he finds in his dangerously deep diving could kill him - or it could help him find the answer to his dilemma. Branch's cover is working as a divemaster at Caribbean Argonauts Dive Shop on Chinchamos Island, but his real identity is doing dirty jobs for Omar Rasgado, the island's local crime boss. When Omar comes to odds with the dive community over his development of a cruise ship pier that will destroy mangroves and coral reefs, Branch must make a choice between his real job and his cover job - again. Branch has grown weary from his violent life with the mob and he wants to help the divers, but he's bound by loyalty to his boss. To numb the conflict, he heads down into his Deep Blue Saloon, a place far beneath the clear Caribbean waters where he can soak up the vivid color and anesthetic splendor he experiences when he scuba dives too deep. A place where he can forget his troubles until he has enough money stashed to get away from the violence and back to the simple life he once had a short, sweet taste of. But the simple life is so elusive. His sexy, crossword puzzle of a girlfriend Melanie has other ambitions for him, as do dive shop owner Victor, government agent Reiner, and aspiring eco-terrorist Gusano Verde. They all see in Branch's abandonment and fearlessness a means to their own ends. When his wild past begins to catch up to him, and when he's dangerously betrayed by his mob family, Branch must make a choice without breaking his own honor.Show book
The hip-hop culture on the south side of Chicago links these short stories that are otherwise very different from each other in subject and approach. Stark scenes of gang violence, drug use, and prison life are contrasted with light and humorous stories, and the grittiness of urban life is softened by the preoccupations of adolescence, the chance for romance, or the ordinary moments of family life.Show book
A ghost with a secret to tell … but who will hear her? Rev Bernard Paltoquet becomes involved in another psychic mystery when a young woman, Alice Troy, is murdered and Howard Drake, one of Bernard’s parishioners, is convicted of the crime and sentenced to hang. However, thanks to a mongrel dog, Bernard and his psychic doctor friend, Robbie MacTavish, are alerted to Alice’s unquiet spirit at her graveside. But time is running out for Drake, and it is only Robbie who can help him. However, he is convinced the verdict is safe….Show book
