Indie Crime Fiction of the Month for August 2018

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 July 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, hardboiled mysteries, small town mysteries, historical mysteries, paranormal mysteries, children's mysteries, crime thrillers, adventure thrillers, noir, private investigators, amateur sleuths, serial killers, kipnappings, missing persons, missing Shakespeare manuscripts, ex-CIA agents, ex-marines, intrepid reporters, crime-busting witches, crime-busting watchmakers, murder in Louisiana, Iowa, Wyoming, LA and the Caribbean 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:

Shady Shenanigans in Iowa by Wendy Byrne:

Former Manhattanite Izzy Lewis is finally settling into small town life in Inez, Iowa—she's got her adventurous surrogate grandmothers, the Q's, her hot boyfriend, Gabe, and the rest of the small town's characters to make sure her days are never boring. But when her good friend Sheriff Nate Crowder’s ex-wife goes missing, right after having a loud argument with him, things go from interesting to downright dangerous.

When a vengeful DA sets his sights on Nate as the prime suspect in his ex's disappearance, Izzy and the Qs jump into action. But between leads that go nowhere, mysterious strangers, enemies becoming friends, and an Izzy double stirring up trouble, they have their hands full trying to figure out what happened to Nate's ex. With the sheriff suspended, the clock ticking, and the danger closing in, can Izzy find out the truth... before she and the Q's are the next victims?

Flea Flicker by David Chill:

When a young football coach doesn’t come home one night, his beautiful young wife turns to Private Investigator Burnside to locate him. But things are not the way they seem in this riveting page-turner, and a simple missing persons case evolves into a shocking murder. There are no shortage of suspects in this intricately woven story, and P.I. Burnside must overcome the many obstacles in his path to get to the truth that no one seems eager to learn.

The 9th Burnside novel is a treat to read, as the story brings back some fascinating characters from Burnside’s past – as well as adding a host of new ones. And it wouldn’t be a Burnside novel without the wise cracking gumshoe engaging in the sharp and cutting banter that has come to define this award-winning series.

Don't Forget Me by Stacy Claflin:

When things can’t get any worse, they always do…

Alex Mercer and his fiancée Zoey have weathered many storms, but this latest one might be too much for even them. She’s hiding a secret she fears will send him running for the hills, and she has to tell him before he finds out on his own. Time is definitely not on her side. But with his busy hours at the police academy, there hardly seems a moment to open up to him.

Alex knows something is wrong with Zoey, but he’s too preoccupied to dig into it. Not only is the academy leaving him physically and mentally drained, he’s convinced he’s seeing Flynn Myer, the man who is supposedly in jail for abducting his daughter. No one believes him, but then he starts getting texts trying to arrange a meeting between him Myer.

Meanwhile, Alex’s boss and mentor, Captain Nick Fleshman, is on the case of a serial killer whose burial ground has been unearthed at the home of one of his deputies—one he has a secret relationship with. While he considers the implications of recusing himself, her father becomes the prime suspect.

Alex wants to help Nick and needs to help Zoey, all while trying to put the Myer case to bed for good. But everyone’s secrets are slowing him down, and the killer is on the prowl again. Alex needs more time, but that’s the one thing no one has left.

Dying Breath by M.A. Comley

She had everything...
Until she drew her dying breath.

DI Kayli Bright receives a disturbing call that she finds impossible to ignore. The case is an unusual one that forces her to dig deep to find the answers.

Was Jessica's death a simple accident?
Or did she lose her life due to something far more sinister?

Can Kayli sift through the shocking deception she uncovers during the investigation to find the truth?

Grab this thriller today if you enjoy an intriguing mystery that will keep you turning the pages.

Reel of Fortune by Jana DeLeon:

Nothing says Welcome Home like a murder.

It’s official. Fortune Redding is out of the CIA and a newly minted resident of Sinful, Louisiana. She never expected her homecoming to be all apple pie and hugs, but a murder wasn’t on her list of things to deal with before she’d even gotten her name stenciled on her mailbox.

Boone Carre—Hooch, to the locals—was a drunk and a louse and had shafted pretty much everyone he’d ever done business with. So when someone kills him, there is no shortage of suspects. Unfortunately, Ally is at the top of the list.

Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie know that Ally isn’t capable of murdering anyone, but with an ambitious ADA looking to make a name for himself, and the local gossip train intent on finding someone to blame, they know they have to find the killer and clear Ally’s name.

Bolt from the Blue by Cynthia E. Hurst:

Luke Alden had everything to live for – a good job, a loving wife and a child on the way – until the events of one stormy night destroyed it all. Some people said it was an act of God, but police in the Cotswold market town suspect it was a very human hand that started a fire and left Alden to die inside a burning building. Did someone resent Alden’s good fortune enough to kill him, or was there another motive? Clock repairer Jacob Silver and his housemaid Sarah Simm join forces with the police to track down a killer who is as elusive as a bolt of lightning, and just as destructive.

‘Bolt from the Blue’ is the seventh book in the Silver and Simm Victorian Mysteries series.

Witch Out of Water by Amanda M. Lee:

Hadley Hunter is the new witch in a town overflowing with paranormal beings. She’s ready to settle, but odd things keeping cropping up and knocking her off her game.

In addition to dating Moonstone Bay’s sheriff Galen Blackwood, Hadley has her hands full when she helps discover a body at a local festival and uncovers a decades’ old feud between two warring families.

The stories are flying fast and furious and the suspects are racking up. At the top of the list is local enigma Booker, a mysterious soul who Hadley is determined to chase until he starts giving answers about his hidden past.

Galen and Booker are at odds – and it’s over more than just the dead body – and Hadley feels caught in the middle. When another witch shows an interest in her magical development, Hadley is eager for a breather. Unfortunately for her, the old witch in town might not be on the up and up.

Hadley has a lot to do. She needs to solve a murder, figure out what’s up with the other witch and get to know a few more locals. That’s on top of bonding with a grandfather she didn’t even know she had. She doesn’t have a job but she’s always working at something … as long as she survives to see another fantastic island sunrise, that is.

Cold Open by Patricia McLinn

As spring beckons, winter chill remains …

In television, a cold open sometimes rolls before the opening credits, often a teaser to news or a feature to follow. For TV journalist Elizabeth Margaret “E.M.” Danniher, a nippy March and April are just a tease for spring after a long Wyoming winter. In her short time in Sherman, she’s learned that winter starts in October and might not end until June. Since last June, a series of murders have tested her and her KWMT-TV colleagues’ reporting – and amateur sleuth -- skills. And the small town’s rumor mill is churning about her relationship with handsome sports reporter Mike Paycik – or is it rugged rancher Tom Burrell?

As winter winds down, Elizabeth is ready for spring and looking for a place of her own. Ah, a little peace and quiet as she begins to settle in Cottonwood County. That is, until she discovers homicide at her front door.

Phyllis Wong and the Return of the Conjuror by Geoffrey McSkimming:

Phyllis Wong, that keen young magician with a talent for sleuthing and getting to the bottom of the strangest mysteries, is back! Incredibly valuable first editions of Shakespeare’s collected plays are appearing for sale, and Chief Inspector Barry Inglis of the Fine Arts and Antiques Squad suspects foul play. These rare First Folios are in mint condition, but seemingly are not forgeries. Where on Earth could they have come from? Has a crime been committed?

Luckily Phyllis is on the case. She suspects villainy dating back to the time of Shakespeare himself, which seems to be seeping into the 21st century. How can she convince Chief Inspector Inglis what’s going on? And how can she do this without giving away the greatest magical secret of all time?

As Phyllis herself says: ‘Fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen … the ride will get bumpy!’

Drip Drop Dead by Willow Rose:

Watch out! The past will always haunt you.
When you hear the dripping…RUN and don’t look back!

Things are going well for Emma Frost for once. She has a sweet boyfriend and has just finished a new book. Her daughter, Maya, is doing well in high school and even Victor is thriving and playing with his new best friend, the strange girl who fell from the sky.

But soon, a murder shocks the island of Fanoe, when a woman is found dead in her bed with no apparent signs of having been killed. But as they find out she died by drowning, and more deaths like it begin to occur around the peaceful island, Emma once again finds herself following signs that lead to her own front door while chasing a killer quite out of the ordinary.

Emma has to ask herself the question: What exactly is going on in her island home and especially underneath it?

As the investigation moves on, and terrifying answers begin to emerge, Willow Rose's compelling story evolves rapidly, resulting in a novel with almost agonizing suspense.

Rising Force by Wayne Stinnett:

Paradise has a price. For Jesse McDermitt, that price is his moral compass and a bullet.

The retired Marine and charter skipper takes on a passenger in Nassau, a young woman who is a breath of fresh air. She introduces him to the laid-back cruising crowd on an idyllic small cay in the Berry Islands. Jesse takes to the relaxing lifestyle like a fish to water.

Living each day on its own terms is a new experience for Jesse, but it doesn't last long. Trouble always seems to find him. When Jesse gets word that someone is destroying nearby patch reefs and poaching sea turtles — and that all this is happening in the same area where a trio of sadistic murderers may be hiding — it triggers his instincts for investigation.

Has Jesse's urge to find out the truth cost him everything? He came to the Bahamas on a fool's errand to reconnect with a lost love. The image of her on a beach in the Virgin Islands fills his mind as he passes out from loss of blood...