Showing results by author "Blair Howard" in All Categories

A missing person, two murders, an enigmatic Irishman, and a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme bring Harry Starke, Captain Kate Gazzara and her trusty K9 companion, Samson, together again in a bewildering detective thriller that takes them deep into the seedy side of New York City,

The poker game had not yet begun, but we found him at the table, shot three times in the chest. My name’s Harry Starke. I’m an ex-cop turned private investigator. It was the week before Christmas. My friend was dead. I looked down at his body and I made him a promise. I promised to find his killer and break his arms no matter what it took. Bad idea. Everyone knows you don’t make promises like that, not even to the dead.

What happened to Father Marty, a wealthy and corpulent priest...and why is he dead? Did Father Paul play a role in the death of his mentor? If so, what role was it, and did he know he played a part? Was it an accidental death, or worse...premeditated murder? Detective Kate Gazzara doesn't want this case, but her boss, Chief Johnston, wants it closed...and quickly.

When Kelsey Hart disappeared three years ago, her older sister, Brit, never gave up hope. But as time passed, and she heard nothing from her sister, she knew she needed help. Enter PI Harry Starke, the man with a reputation for solving the impossible cases. As Harry digs into Kelsey’s disappearance, he quickly realizes that nothing is as it seems. Slowly, he uncovers dark secrets and a web of lies that will shake the Hart family to its core. And with every clue he uncovers, the mystery deepens, and people begin to die.

Chickamauga: A Novel of the American Civil War is the story of a great battle of the Civil War and the people who fought it, many of them real and some of them the product of the author’s imagination. Chickamauga is a story of the heroism, selflessness, and frailty of the men whose deeds are etched forever on the fields and forests at Chickamauga, the River of Death. Chickamauga is the story of the generals who planned the grand strategies that would be played out by lesser but braver men.

Who was she? Who put her there? Why did she have to die? Harry Starke vows to find the answers to those questions. But the trail has gone cold and Hill House is a desolate ruin with many secrets. To find the answers, Harry must embark upon an investigation that will put him and those close to him in deadly danger, take him to the lost and long-forgotten streets buried under the city, and deep into the Dark Web where he comes face to face with murder, organized crime, prostitution, and human trafficking.

In Liar Liar, Book 8 in the Harry Starke Genesis series, PI Harry Starke is tasked with solving the ten-year-old cold case of Brice Manning, a nineteen-year-old university student whose death was declared a suicide by the police. But Harry, skeptical at first, soon realizes that the case isn’t as simple as it seems, and that the people closest to Brice may be hiding some dark secrets. As he delves deeper, Harry uncovers a web of lies and deceit that will leave you on the edge of your seat.rilling ride from start to finish.

When detective Kate Gazzara is called to investigate the brutal murder of a young couple, she has no idea that she's about to be drawn into a twisted game of cat and mouse with a ruthless killer.

The phone call came on a Tuesday evening in the middle of August. Harry Starke hadn’t heard from his old school friend in almost five years, and he hadn’t thought about him in almost as long. Tom Sattler wanted to meet, and it wouldn’t wait until morning. But when Harry arrived at Sattler’s home less than an hour later, he found him lying in a pool of blood with a single gunshot wound to his head and .22 revolver lying close to his hand. Was it suicide, or was Tom Sattler murdered? If so, by whom and why?

It was Sunday, Cpt. Kate Gazzara’s day off, but with Samson at her side, she and her team must sort through the shady underworld of the city and what little evidence there is to try to find the truth.

Fourteen months after first contact, as the Sovereign Star Systems prepare for another alien attack, Captain Richard Morian and the Avenger are ordered to Beta Arietis in the constellation of Aries where they hope to find new resources and perhaps even new allies to help with the war effort.

It was one of those beautiful, balmy days on Calypso Key in the US Virgin Islands. The sky was blue and a cool breeze was blowing in off the ocean as Harry and Amanda took their vows. All of their friends were there and all was well with the world…and then the sky fell. Harry draws the line at getting involved when the death of one of his father’s friends intrudes upon his wedding day, until he finds out he owes the girl’s father a debt he can never repay. And so he is dragged into an investigation of not just one murder, but two—and the wealthiest, most dysfunctional family he’s ever met.

It takes only one phone call to turn Harry Starke into a monster. It begins when Harry’s kid brother is brutally murdered, his body thrown into the murky waters of the Tennessee River. That alone would be enough to set Harry on the warpath, but less than 24 hours after the body is found, Harry finds out there’s a bounty on his head, too. $25,000. His answer? Strike first and strike hard. And so it begins. Harry and his army of three must go up against old enemies, but they face almost insurmountable odds when they go looking for retribution.

One dark Friday evening in October, Dillon Harper and Brian McDaniel went out to drink a few beers and smoke a little marijuana. Their bodies were found hours later on the railroad tracks north of town. They’d both been struck by the midnight train. The autopsies revealed copious amounts of alcohol in their system so their deaths were deemed accidental. However, the brothers of the two men believe the investigation was botched and, knowing them as they did, don’t believe they were drunk, high, or stupid enough to just lay down on the railroad tracks and go to sleep.

Commodore Richard Morian and the crew of the Avenger find themselves at the forefront of the battle against the Blues. As they face off against unimaginable foes and navigate treacherous political waters, they must rely on their wits, their courage, and their trust in each other to survive. With new technology, advanced weaponry, and a fierce determination to protect their home planet and the galaxy at large, the Avenger is ready to take on almost any challenge.

Emily Johnston is GONE. She’s been GONE for more than a week. She’s also the daughter of Harry Starke’s one-time boss and nemesis, Chattanooga Police Chief Wesley Johnston. Harry and Chief Johnston haven’t seen eye-to-eye in a long time, but when Johnston needs help, he knows there’s only one man he can turn to. But Johnston’s jurisdiction ends at the city limits, and when Emily’s body is discovered in a remote part of the county, Harry has to deal with the imperious sheriff Israel Hands and two incompetent county detectives.

Harry Starke loves a cold case, but this one is really cold, more than a hundred years cold. Family Matters is a tale that takes place on the lonely coast of Maine, where Amanda, a true believer in the paranormal, has inherited—you guessed it—a haunted house. At least that’s what the rumors say. It all begins when Amanda inherits the house, substantial assets, and a large sum of money from her grandmother. The windfall comes with a request to look into the disappearance of Elizabeth, Amanda’s great-great-grandmother, more than a hundred years ago.

In a small but exclusive subdivision of Chattanooga, a devastating house fire leaves a family of five in ruins. The blaze claimed two victims leaving behind a shattered community and a lot of unanswered questions. As Captain Kate Gazzara and her team of dedicated investigators delve into the case, they uncover shocking secrets about the family and their troubled past. With each twist and turn, the evidence points more and more towards foul play, and it becomes clear that someone wanted this family dead.

The USF has assembled the largest battle fleet in its history as they prepare for the inevitable cataclysmic battle with the Swarm. Avenger, a Class C heavy battle cruiser, is sent on an urgent rescue mission to the planet Typhon in the Eta Persei star system. A planet devastated and left desolate at the beginning of the war against the Swarm, an alien invader from another reality. Their intent? The total eradication of the human race from the galaxy. What they find on Typhon could change the outcome of the war.

When the police refuse to investigate the disappearance of Mallory Carver’s niece, Julie, her family turns to private investigator Tucker Randall and thus set off a dangerous chain of events. Julie disappeared while hiking in the beautiful yet treacherous Cherokee National Forest, and Randall, a former FBI agent with a haunted past, can’t understand why the police won’t get involved. But as he delves deeper into the forest’s secrets, he realizes that someone is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the truth buried, and he’s determined to solve the case and bring the missing girl home.