Indie Crime Fiction of the Month for October 2017

Welcome to the latest edition of “Indie Crime Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Crime Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though some September books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

Our new releases cover the broad spectrum of crime fiction. We have cozy mysteries, small town mysteries, paranormal mysteries, police procedurals, psychological thrillers, crime thrillers, private eyes, lost girls, dead bodies, creepy stalkers, grim reapers, seaside hotels, haunted amusement parks and much more.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

Class Conspiracy: A Hank Lancaster Mystery by Ace Beckett

Private Detective Hank Lancaster thinks his new client, local high school history teacher Stephen Bates is intelligent, rational and friendly, but also a conspiracy theorist. Bates believes three members of his high school graduating class have been murdered within the last two months. However, police in three states have ruled the cause of the deaths of the three graduates were accidents or suicide. Lancaster warns his client an additional investigation is probably a waste of time and money. But Bates is not deterred.

Then Lancaster detects disturbing hints of possible homicide in each death. He begins to think his client is correct. These were three carefully planned murders and possibly more to come.
But besides the fact they were in the same high school senior class, Lancaster knows of no link between the three graduates who have died. And no motive for their deaths.

As he digs even deeper into the past, he finds a blood-stained trail and a secret hidden for decades. Lancaster believes at the center of the tangled, confusing web of lies being spun are three of the oldest motives for murder in history – power, money and a dash of revenge.

Little Girl Lost by Alexandria Clarke:

When the seventeen-year-old star of the high school softball team vanishes from a small town, the victim’s estranged older sister, Bridget Dubois, returns home in order to find her. The only problem is that Bridget has a reputation, and the locals aren’t pleased by her reappearance. Without anyone to help her, Bridget must find a way to reconnect with her younger sister before time runs out.
 

Fireworks in Paradise by Kathi Daley

While on vacation in South Carolina, Tj Jensen receives a call that her father has been left in a coma after a devastating car crash. Back home in Paradise Lake, Tj learns the accident that killed family friend Judge Harper and left her father clinging to life wasn’t an accident at all—someone cut their brake lines. To make matters worse, her friend and police contact, Deputy Roy Fisher, is working with a new partner who has no intention of letting Tj anywhere near the case. Facing an investigation more explosive than the annual fireworks show, Tj enlists the help of her best friends to unravel the mystery, all the while navigating a new romance and the thought her father may never wake up.

Fatal Vacancy by CeeCee James:

Maisie Swenson was thrilled to host the premiere party for the hottest new movie release in Hollywood at the five-star Oceanside Hotel, but she had no idea how difficult Hollywood types could be. Dramatic and demanding, she could handle but... murder? She needs to charge more for these events.

Everyone assumed it was an accident when the stunt went wrong, until they saw the body wasn't the stuntman. Now everyone is a suspect - the stuntman who despised the victim, ex-lovers, actors--the list goes on and on.

None of this is Maisie's business until her friend Kristi Bentley, the police officer in charge of security that night, gets suspended for not providing adequate protection. As the circumstantial evidence grows against Kristi, Maisie can't help getting involved to clear her best friend.

The more she digs, the more dirt she finds. Did anyone NOT want this person dead?

Dark Ride by P.G. Kassel:

Some criminals have all the luck, but Marty’s is about to run out…

Marty Wedlow needs one last score before he can skip town. It’s only a matter of time before two thugs he swindled point a finger… and their guns in his direction. But even when Marty is brought to the police station for his latest crime, he’s not worried. Marty is incredibly lucky.

After dodging the long arm of the law yet again, Marty looks for another illicit payday at a local amusement park. What he finds instead is a mysterious stranger who prophesies that his lucky days are running out. He ignores the warnings as he pursues a vicious conquest. But good fortune is a wheel, and Marty is about to find out what happens when it spins in the other direction.

Dark Ride is a supernatural thriller in the vein of The Twilight Zone. If you like eerie amusement parks, pulse-pounding page-turners, and a touch of the paranormal, then you’ll love P.G. Kassel’s electrifying story.

Grim Rising by Amanda M. Lee:

Aisling Grimlock should be happy.

She’s living with and engaged to the man of her dreams, her mother isn’t eating people … at least out in the open, her best friend is distracted by wedding details … mostly, and there are zombies running around Detroit.

Yeah, it’s that last one that’s driving her crazy … especially because no one in her family believes her when she spouts the tall tale.

Aisling Grimlock is a reaper in trouble. She’s got big decisions in front of her and nonstop trouble chasing behind. The dead appear to be rising … and they’ve got their eyes (and teeth, for that matter) trained on Aisling and her family.

Even though the rest of the family thinks she’s exaggerating – or even lying because she’s looking for attention – they’re determined to help before Aisling goes over the edge. It seems there might be a little something going on, and Aisling might have been right all along.

You know what that means, right? Yes, she’s doing her “I’m right” dance … and then ducking for cover.

It’s going to take every Grimlock to fight this enemy, and even then, Aisling will be isolated in the end. The question is: Can she win the day or is she destined to join the creatures stalking her?

Last Chance for Murder by Estelle Richards:

One last chance to get things right.

Too old for Hollywood at age 29, Lisa Chance leaves her failed acting career and a cheating boyfriend in LA and goes home to Moss Creek, Arizona.

The Folly, a stately 1870s mansion in the middle of her hometown, has always drawn Lisa like a magnet. She thought she was done with that place, but now she has the chance to turn it into the coffee shop of her dreams.

But when a dead body turns up on the property, she’s the prime suspect in the murder. Can Lisa figure out whodunit, or will she lose her last chance at happiness?

Last Chance for Murder is the first book in a new cozy mystery series.

Fortune's Wheel by J.A. Whiting:

While working at the chocolate shop and clearing tables, Claire Rollins notices a story in a newspaper left behind by a customer about the cold case murder of a young graduate student. Odd details about the case draw Claire's interest and when her boyfriend, a Boston detective, asks her to read over the old case notes, Claire knows she will be pulled into the decades old mystery. With the help of her "intuition" and with her friend, Nicole, by her side, will Claire find answers before the killer strikes again?

This is book 4 in the Claire Rollins mystery series. This story has mild paranormal elements.

Hibernian Charm by Dean F. Wilson:

A tense urban fantasy mystery with charm!

Melanie Rosen hasn't settled for much, but her travels have brought her to Dublin, Ireland, where she works for the Occult Investigations Unit, exploring the strange and unknown.

Her fiery disposition and tendency to probe where she's not wanted keep her in the office with the paperwork, or chasing cases that don't seem to have an answer.

Then she gets a new case, where a killer slowly paralyses his victims, and leaves a calling card behind: a charm. Her Romani-Irish roots might come in useful, but the more she probes this case, the more she doesn't like the answer. All the clues keep pointing back to her.

This is a standalone tale in the Hibernian Hollows universe.

The Evil One by Cyrus Winters:

Life is perfect. Officer Justin Hodge and his fiance Kellie have just moved into their new apartment and are looking forward to the rest of their sweet lives together. Unbeknownst to them, someone has been stalking the happy copule for an extended period of time - someone violent and jealous who wants to destroy them.

An email is forwarded to Justin's online account, detailing as such. It's from a person - a man or woman - who knows them. It's from someone chilling and deranged. Someone completely, totally EVIL...