Private Cities

Once a police detective in St. Paul, Minnesota, Rushmore McKenzie has become not only an unlikely millionaire, but an occasional unlicensed private investigator, doing favors for friends and people in need. When his stepdaughter Erica asks him for just such a favor, McKenzie doesn’t have it in him to refuse. Even though it sounds like a very bad idea right from the start. The father of Malcolm Harris, a college friend of Erica’s, was found murdered a year ago in a park in New Brighton, a town just outside the Twin Cities.

During one of the first heavy snows of the winter, on the interstate outside the Twin Cities, Rushmore McKenzie is behind a truck behaving erratically when the man in the truck bed dumps a body out onto the road, right in front of McKenzie’s car. McKenzie avoids hitting the body, a bound woman who is just barely alive, but his stopped car in the middle of the road starts a chain of accidents, resulting in a 37-car pile-up. By the time the police arrive, and the EMTs and ambulances have taken care of the immediate injuries, the truck is long gone.

Ex-St. Paul cop Rushmore McKenzie has more time, and more money, than he knows what to do with. In fact, when he’s willing to admit it to himself (and he usually isn’t), Mac is downright bored. Until he decides to do a favor for a friend facing a family tragedy: Nine-year-old Stacy Carlson has been diagnosed with leukemia, and the only one with the matching bone marrow that can save her is her older sister, Jamie. Trouble is, Jamie ran away from home years ago.

Luke Mbeki has never been a fan of politics. His family knows this about him. As well as his friends. Even his colleagues are privy to this fact. He is therefore left bewildered when he finds himself in the middle of not one, but two cases that involve opposing political parties. When he is coerced into pledging his allegiance to one political campaign after the murder of a prominent person on their team, he knows he's definitely bitten off more than he can chew.

A recipe for murder, romance, lies, and mystery is on the menu. In the first episode in the series, in the upscaled suburbs of Bay City, a wealthy man is found murdered in his own bedroom. His wife is missing, and he is the prime suspect. Enter private investigator Johnny Blake, a former homicide detective for the BCPD. Leads become more entangled, and not everything is as it seems. John enlists aid from street-smart kid Jimmy McNeil to help solve the case.

When a twin-engine Beechcraft crashes into one of Richmond’s watering holes and turns happy hour into Hell, theories run rampant. Was it terrorists who, for some reason, decided to vent their spleens on unsuspecting Richmond? Was it a statement by homegrown killers less-than-thrilled that the city still, in the 21st century, chooses to honor Confederate leaders on its most prominent avenue? The obvious answers, though, just don’t pan out. Hard-charging reporter Willie Black’s search for the truth eventually leads him to a small town on the Chesapeake....

Erma Johnson lives in a rough part of Baltimore. Gangs are a fact of life. She lost her daughter and grandson to their violence. She's convinced, however, that her grandson wasn't in a gang. Hacker turned private investigator C.T. Ferguson takes her case. The more he looks around, the more he thinks she's right.

Laurie Montgomery is the owner of the Mystic Journey Gift Shop, a Wiccan, Pagan, and occult supply store. She also runs a local death café in the back of her shop. Now, the members of her group are dropping one by one. Is she to blame? Where does she turn? Who does she turn to? Ride along with Cole and friends in this action-packed tale of lies and betrayal.

Herb Bean watches a lot of television, mostly cop shows and Forensic Files. Now his wife has disappeared without a trace. Herb knows the husband is always the prime suspect. Where do you turn when you are afraid to turn to the police?

Nick O’Flannigan and Sandra Watson, freelance photographers on assignment for Travel USA magazine, stumble upon a mystery when they visit a local brewery. A bartender reveals that her ex-girlfriend, a journalist, was recently murdered and that she is the prime suspect.

Luke thought he had gotten the easiest case in his budding career as a private investigator. He felt sorry for the client who was paying him and promised he’d get it resolved in record time. Everything was going according to plan…until shady characters, hazardous encounters, and the death of a key witness rendered his easy case the worst nightmare from the pit of hell. When he's identified as a suspect in the murder, he realizes he's been on nothing but the road to disaster.

The Austin music scene is just the ticket, and throwing in a little recreation seems like a good idea. But a local musician has been killed, and a new friend of Nick's wants his help. However, the police have warned him off the case, and he really doesn't want to be involved.

Luke Mbeki thought he had everything in life. A successful business. A dependable business partner. A loyal team who were committed to his business goals. Yes, his business was the main priority in his life, and everything else had to play second fiddle. When his business partner is found dead and his business is closed while the police investigate, it seems his ideal life as he knew it is over. Matters take a turn for the worse when the police identify him as a prime suspect. He's confused, afraid, and angry that they would imagine he would ever commit such a heinous crime.

Nick arrives in Bismarck, determined to focus on his photography assignment this time. But there’s been a death in Bismarck. At first glance, it seems like an accident. But Nick spots something odd. The young man who passed away appeared to be healthy. What could have gone wrong? Nick is torn between his desire to help and his obligation to the magazine and the reason for his trip. Will he be able to do both and still stick with his deadline? Only time will tell.