Waif

James R. Milward

Summary

Peggy is shot full of holes. Sammy takes one near the neck and one in the thigh when two of his cases collide.
A waif, Zoë Hummerstein, hires Detective Sammy Shovel to solve a twenty-two year old murder that her father was accused of. Zoë made certain her makeup and clothes were chosen with care before she stepped into the private investigator’s office. Sobbing, Zoë tells her story of a hit-and-run took that took place in San Francisco; not only was her father accused of murdering his wholesale liquor business competitor, but also having an affair with a woman from Oakland. Her father's young business partner, Tony Lucchesi had taken over the business and married a woman named Linda from the east coast; a New Jersey Mafioso’s daughter.
Zoë knew the only way to solve the mystery was for Sammy to find the mistress.
Sammy feels the case seems straightforward and it will be simple enough to prove her father innocent. But Sammy soon learns there are things Zoë didn't tell him: her mother died six months after her father died in prision. Linda took over the company, L&T Liquors, and her father's partner, Tony is somehow different. Sammy learns an astonishing truth; Linda had been paying Zoë's mother a secret monthly stipends. When her mother died, Zoë lost her cash cow.
But when the waif's case slams into another, they explode into a fantastic struggle of such magnitude that it leaves Sammy in shoot up and in totally dismay.The leads will take him on a perilous journey from seemingly unrelated warehouse robberies in San Francisco to a ghastly murder in Oregon.
Like some of Sammy's other cases, Waif is filled with lies and murderous greed, but when he finds the police corruption aspect, he knows Herman Ziece, Zoë’s father, was railroaded for murder. But Sammy needs proof. It came in sealed vials of DNA samples taken years before by a funeral operator. The DNA proves the extraordinary circumstances of the case. However, It almost gets him killed when he falls into a well- laid trap. Regardless of the risks, Sammy Shovel delves into every case with equal gusto—to find out why pure innocent people turns into public enemy number one. Growing more suspicious with each—now provocative— visit from Zoë, Sammy finds her high school yearbook, and it all becomes clear and the answer was right in front of him from the start.
Bullets, threats, and seduction won't stop Sammy Shovel from unraveling the truth.

Available since: 01/17/2018.

Crime & Thriller

Other books that might interest you

The Fuhrer's Orphans

David Laws

In this moving novel based on true events, a teacher and a British spy discover a group of children hiding from the Nazis in WWII Munich. 
 
When their parents are taken to concentration camps, twenty-seven children are left alone, hungry, and scared. Claudia Kellner, a German elementary school teacher, discovers the group hiding in a deserted Munich railroad yard. Only able to hide two of them in her home, she is desperate to find shelter for the others. 
 
Meanwhile, British spy Peter Chesham has penetrated Third Reich territory. But his critical mission is interrupted when he discovers the orphans’ hiding place. Following through on his orders would have fatal consequences for them. But giving up could mean losing the war. Now Peter and Claudia must work together, attempting an impossible rescue operation with the children’s lives—and the fate of the world—at stake.

Show book

The First Murder

Carol Goodman Kaufman

The ME ruled her death an accident. He was dead wrong.
 
When Mary Jane Bennett is found dead in her bed— alone, strangled by her own scarf, and with every door in the house locked — the medical examiner rules her death accidental, the result of a sex game gone horribly awry. State police decline to investigate further, but Queensbridge Police Chief Caleb Crane doesn't buy for a minute that his good friend died this way, so he undertakes his own investigation. Facing town councilors afraid of bad publicity, an angry medical examiner, and his own personal demons, he labors to solve what he believes is the first-ever murder in his pastoral Berkshire Hills village. Complicating things: the list of suspects includes some of the people to whom he is closest — including his own wife.
 
“. . . [a] smartly-paced debut novel . . .”—Gerald Elias, author of the Daniel Jacobus mystery series
 
“. . . one of my favorite mystery reads this year . . . With a talent reminiscent of Louise Penny, Kaufman creates a small town ambience of alliances and hidden resentments among characters whose humanity draws you in while raising your suspicions. The First Murder is an engaging and intriguing journey to an exciting conclusion.”—Sharon Healy-Yang, author of the Jessica Minton Mystery Series
 
“. . . [a] deftly constructed debut novel [that] kept me guessing until the very end.”—Leslie Wheeler, award-winning author of the Berkshire Hilltown Mysteries

Show book

A Slice of Murder

Marissa De Luna

A groom-to-be is cut down at his engagement party, and solving the case won’t be a piece of cake . . . Shilpa Solanki’s talent is making sure that special occasions are accompanied by special cakes, and her first booking after her move to Devon, England—where she’s inherited a house in Otter’s Reach—is a posh engagement party for Mason Connolly and Harriet Drew. Unfortunately, a knife has been used for something other than cutting the cake. Now Shilpa is working to uncover layers of secrets and scandals in hopes of identifying the killer who permanently parted Mason and Harriet—and before she’s done, someone else might get iced . . .

Show book

The Malykant Mysteries -...

Charlotte E. English

To catch a killer, send a monster.
 
There's a realm. Wreathed in ice and snow, drowning in the dark, Assevan needs a different kind of hero.
 
There's a god. Merciless and cold, and quick to anger, the Lord of the Dead insists upon one thing only: vengeance for a murdered soul.
 
And there's a man. A ruthless killer, Konrad is detective, judge and executioner in one. Dauntless, relentless, monstrous, he stands alone against the dark.
 
Meet the Malykant. Justice will be served. 
 
For the first time, all twelve Konrad Savast murder mysteries are collected in one volume! This gigantic compendium includes:
 
DEATH'S DETECTIVE: The Rostikov Legacy, The Ivanov Diamond, Myrrolen’s Ghost Circus and Ghostspeaker
 
DEATH'S AVENGER: The Corpse Thieves, The Spirit of Solstice, The House at Divoro and Snowbound 
 
DEATH'S EXECUTIONER: The Zolin Conspiracy, The Tarasov Despite, The Malefic Curse and Shandral 
 
Dive deep into Konrad's icy world. Binge the whole series in one volume.

Show book