English Authors Mystery

With Apaches on the prod, ex-cavalry sergeant Sean Keegan, bounty hunter Jed Breen, and ex-Texas Ranger Matt McCulloch take shelter in a West Texas way station - along with a hot-as-a-pistol female bound for the gallows, a spiteful newspaper editor, and a coward with $50,000 who promises them five grand if they'll deliver his blood-soaked stash to his wife. Turns out, Indians might be the least of the problems for the trio, soon to be known as the Jackals. The loot's stolen property of the vengeful Hawkin gang, and these prairie rats are merciless, stone-cold killers.

The wolf essence stone - finding it could free werewolves from the curse of the moon. Or it could kill them all. Victoria has burned with "the fever" to find the stone since hearing about it. Hundreds of werewolves before her have died in the quest. That legacy doesn't deter her, though. She's willing to risk anything to find the stone and break the curse that forces them to shift every full moon. Her obsession compels her to travel to Iceland, where she feels the stone calling to her. Pulling her toward it. If only she knew the ancient evil residing inside....

In these psychologically daring, chillingly suspenseful pieces, the author of We Were the Mulvaneys and Blonde writes about women facing threats past and present, once again cementing her reputation for "great intelligence and dead-on imaginative powers" (Los Angeles Times Book Review).

In the forgotten town of Red Fox, a Navajo couple is tortured by things unseen and by motives unknown. Wild animals slink through their house in the dark, a barrage of stones pound their roof nightly, and mutilated sheep carcasses are turning up on their property. Armed with a camera and just enough to go on, Perry and Dex travel to the desolate locale, hoping to film the supernatural occurrences and add credibility to their flailing webcast.

When the lightning illuminated the night, I saw their bloodied faces. They were no longer the boys from next door. As quick as the storm rolled over the neighborhood, a crime of passion was committed, Lucas and Mason Carter dangerously altering the course of all our lives. Ten years later, on my 26th birthday, when detectives come digging for information on a cold case, I find myself once again unwillingly tangled in the spider's web. I hold information on a heinous crime. I have become the number-one target. More specificly, I have become Mason Carter's obsession.

For Jonathan Grave and Gail Bonneville, the Crystal Sands Resort is the perfect getaway - until gunshots shatter the night. Wealthy guests are yanked out of their sleep, herded like animals, forced to submit to their captors' demands. But Jonathan and Gail are no ordinary vacationers. The assassins who invade their bungalow receive a deadly surprise.

When an esteemed institute in London hires Althea and her dive master buddy, Trace, to document a high-stakes treasure expedition, they are pulled into a game that neither of them had realized they were playing.

This is collection of 18 crime stories with a diverse range of characters and scenarios, from guilt-ridden fraudsters to lovesick murderers.

When last we met, dear friends, a man had come calling, claiming to be Crispin Alistair Winterbottom, my dead British ex-spy. A notion I'd find ludicrous, if the handsome imposter didn't, in fact, look exactly like my dead British ex-spy. But there's no time for that mystery when a quiet walk on our private stretch of beach turns up something far more pressing - another tragedy in my beloved small Washington town. That's right. I, Stevie Cartwright, ex-witch turned amateur sleuth, have stumbled upon another murder. But this time it's closer to home, more personal.

Gotcha Detective Agency was hired to protect the author, when it was the assistant who really needed protection. And now it's a race to see who can find the killer. Mimi is determined to make up for puking all over Nick's crime scene by solving the murder before he does. Who will solve this case first?

Paramedic Zoe Chambers is used to saving lives, but when she stops a man from running into a raging inferno in a futile attempt to rescue his wife, Zoe finds herself drawn to him, and even more so to his 10-year-old daughter. She invites them both to live at the farm while the grieving widower picks up the pieces of his life. Vance Township Police Chief Pete Adams, of course, is not happy with this setup, especially when he finds evidence implicating Zoe's new houseguest in murder times two.

There's a body beneath the skip bins. Fae on the forklift. A vampire in the manager's office. And there's definitely something skeevy going on in the locker rooms. Hi. I'm Pet. Well, not exactly Pet. I am a pet. I was meant to stay out of it, but somebody's gotta do something when humans are being killed by Behindkind creatures.

Desperate to pay the rent, Broadway star wannabe Poppy McGuillicuddy is the middle of DJ-ing a Halloween party when a mishap with a cat named Calamity changes her life forever. Suddenly, she's a familiar - as in, a witch's familiar. Or in her case, a warlock's. Even more specifically, a gorgeous warlock...who wants nothing to do with her. Thank God for the ladies from OOPs, who've promised their help as Poppy navigates her accidental paranormal powers.

When Francesca's old high school crush, Todd, is accused of murder, she is convinced he is innocent. The police don't believe Todd's story, and neither does Matty. During the busy summer tourist season at Cape Bay, Francesca sets out to prove Todd's innocence. Matty, however, investigates to prove Todd is guilty. Why does Matty detest Todd so much? But what if he's right - what if Todd is a murderer?

It's Christmas, and I, ex-witch Stevie Cartwright, declare this my favorite time of year. I love the decorations! The food! The Hallmark Channel holiday specials! This year promises to be better than ever because for the first time in a very long time, I'm going to have more than just Cheez Whiz, Triscuits, and the wish to be surrounded by family and friends. My carefully planned holiday bonanza includes all the usual suspects.

Kadence has been sheltered from the world for her entire life, never allowed outside her home. It's not a life she's happy with, but it's one she's come to accept. Everything changes the day her father is slaughtered by a vampire and she escapes the walls that have kept her caged. After she's attacked by the monster responsible for killing her father, Kadence is unsure how to react when she's rescued by Ronan. Though raised to hate vampires, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Ronan as she slowly begins to realize that everything she's been taught over the years may not be true.

Summer tourist season is winding down, but the Cape Bay police find a dead body in the alley beside Mary Ellen's Souvenirs and Gifts. Police rule it a suicide, but Francesca Amaro knows it's murder. Who would buy a bag of souvenirs, including a box of delicious marzipan, only to commit suicide moments later? Even though the police tell her to stay out of the case, Fran is too curious not to investigate, even though she's running a busy and popular cafe.

This quartet of crime stories about deadly books, penned by award-winning contemporary mystery writers, includes The Little Men, What's in a Name?, The Book of the Lion, and From the Queen.

Trouble is brewing in New Orleans. Shifters are moving in, and vampires are being picked off in record numbers. And vampire hunter Phoebe Kilsen is right in the middle of the war. When Phoebe's best friend goes missing along with the consort of the most powerful vampire in New Orleans, Phoebe betrays her heart and her shifter partner by teaming up with the one vampire she's never trusted.

Mags Barkworth still suffers the effects of a life-changing tragedy over a decade ago. She knows her husband loves her. She knows he would never do anything to hurt her, or their daughter. But what if the voice in her head, the one she's pushed away with therapy and anti-depressants, is telling the truth? What if it's all a lie? When Tam, their daughter, draws an uncannily detailed picture of a place she's never been, Mags's life starts to unravel. But even in her most paranoid moment, Mags could never have guessed the secret she is destined to uncover.