Indie Crime Fiction of the Month for September 2022
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 crime fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though some August 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 traditional mysteries, cozy mysteries, animal mysteries, historical mysteries, Jazz Age mysteries, 1930s mysteries, 1950s mysteries, paranormal mysteries, crime thrillers, legal thrillers, spy thrillers, YA thrillers, romantic suspense, FBI agents, lawyers, forensic pathologists, amateur sleuths, journalists, spies, assassins, hitchhikers, kidnappers, crime-busting witches, crime-busting socialites, crime-busting dogs, deadly weddings, amnesiac murder suspects, murder and mayhem in London, Madrid, Montana, Detroit, Washington DC, New England 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:
The wicked kill...but the dead speak Journalist Emmeline Kirby and her jewel thief/insurance investigator husband Gregory Longdon were in the mood for intrigue at the theatre. However, murder was only supposed to take place on stage. All too soon, the evening's peace is shattered when the ceiling collapses in the Upper Circle. In the ensuing chaos of the evacuation, Emmeline and Gregory discover tabloid reporter Verena Penrose in her box. Her neck had been snapped. Verena had done a brisk trade in scandal, blackmail and splashy exposés. Her fatal error was tangling with the Raven, an elusive assassin with ties to the Russians and ETA, the Basque separatist group. Although Verena despised Emmeline, she leaves a cryptic message for her that is too tantalizing to ignore. However the layer upon layer of lies, jealousy and revenge touch too close to home when her brother Adam is implicated in the Raven's schemes to infiltrate the London Diamond Bourse and to murder a prominent British official. To restore the family honor, Emmeline and Gregory race to Madrid only to walk into the Raven's trap.
It’s All Hallow’s Eve, and Vi and friends have been invited to a spectacular party.
When they go, they find themselves blindly following directions to an undisclosed location. Their destination is a surprise. The shock comes after a night of fun when they discover a body in their own auto.
At the start of yet another investigation, they are the suspects, and they’re struggling not just to find the killer, but to clear their names.
If you love small towns, endearing relationships, food, animals, and a touch of murder, you will love this mystery series set in the small town of White Eagle Montana.
In book 14 in the series, strange lights, sounds in the night, cold drafty spaces, and moved and missing items, can only mean one thing to the locals who’ve lived in the isolated Scottish countryside for generations. But in spite of the assurance of the villagers that the other worldly pranksters will have their fun and then leave, the new owner of the Faulkner Castle hires Tony to come to Scotland and install a state-of-the-art security system. Tony doesn’t believe in ghosts and the job seems like a perfect opportunity to take some time away from White Eagle, so he talks to Tess, and they agree to make the trip. Fun is had by all until Tess spots her dad in a local pub and realizes that something more than they originally thought might actually be going on.
Are you selling secrets to the Russians? Michael Gresham Wants to Know.
If you like legal intrigue and spies on spies, here's Michael Gresham in a desperate chess game against a Russian sniper and American lawyers who have sold out to the Russians. The prize is the right to control American oil fields. The Russians have moved in and are claiming parts of oil fields in Oklahoma, Colorado, the Dakotas, and Montana for themselves. The plan is to take control of American energy.
Michael installs a shadow law firm inside a giant law firm and goes after lawyers selling Top Secret documents to the Russians for use in court. He is increasingly successful until the FBI suddenly reports that the Russians have sent an agent to kill Michael. Her name is Nadia Karamov, and she is the product of KGB/FSB schools that have made a deadly manhunter out of her.
Against this backdrop, Michael must root out Russian spies operating in the Gray law firm. Will Nadia get to him first?
Don’t hitchhike, because the person who picks you up could be a serial killer.
Don’t pick up hitchhikers, because they might be your worst nightmare.
What if three of them came together to form one terrifying night?
Get your copy of this gripping thriller novella.
Warning: Don’t read it alone in the dark.
What secrets does the hidden box hold?
In a dark room, aboard a large cargo ship, a man sits shackled in place.
As time passes his situation grows far more desperate.
Unbeknownst to him, his partner Olivia Knight has traveled across the Atlantic to a small coastal town.
There in Newhaven, England all is seemingly idyllic. But with the arrival of agent Knight, that facade is shown to be simply a disguise.
When a man she recognizes turns up dead with a head-shot wound outside his home, Olivia finds herself amid the largest conspiracy of her career.
As she bridges the potential connection of Brock’s shocking background to his kidnapping and the murder in the seaside town.
She soon realizes she must watch her back and trust no one.
A locked box can hold many secrets.
But the one under the floorboard may just put an end to everything once and for all…
Four women. Four great loves. One great partnership.
It’s been years since Ivy Morgan, Harper Harlow, Maddie Graves, and Rowan Gray married the loves of their lives and decided to settle down. Since that time, they’ve joined together to form a fearsome magical quartet. The plan was to stand with one another. Now that plan is being put to the test.
While out morel hunting with her brother, daughter, and nephews, Ivy stumbles across a body, a ritual dagger causing her to fear they’re dealing with something more dangerous than a normal human. Right away, she calls for reinforcements from her magical friends…and they come running.
Ivy’s magic has grown, and she’s much stronger than she used to be. That doesn’t mean she’s ready for what’s coming, especially when it becomes apparent that her daughter might be following in her mother’s footsteps, and being drawn into a dangerous world she doesn’t understand.
A local real estate developer is dead, his wife is missing, and there’s a random ghost hanging around stirring up trouble. Ivy has her hands full, and things are about to get worse.
Magic is might, and this particular foursome is ready. What if they’re not strong enough to fight off a new threat, however? What will it mean for them as a group?
They’re about to find out, and the answer might be more than they can bear.
Note: This series follows the events of the Ivy Morgan, Harper Harlow, Rowan Gray, and Maddie Graves series. It's set seven years after the events of those series. You do no need to read those series, but if you want more of the characters, that's where you can find them.
Scout Randall thought killing the master vampire threatening those she loved would make everybody safe. She was wrong.
One dying utterance changed everything.
Yolanda Stratton haunts Hawthorne Hollow like an oily shadow of death. Gunner, the son she tried to kill, tries to pretend that he doesn’t care that she might have answers. He’s not fooling anybody. Graham, the husband who wishes he would’ve killed her twenty years before, is resigned to the games she will play. And Scout? She’s ready to face off with the face of abject evil, even if it comes at a cost.
Just who will be paying that price, however?
Yolanda won’t explain why the lone zombie that appeared behind the Rusty Cauldron boasted the same symbol she had branded into her shoulder years before. She won’t explain why the past is playing so heavily into the present. She definitely won’t explain why the new witch in town is after Scout…and isn’t afraid to play dirty to end her life.
Scout is a witch with a plan but outthinking an enemy she doesn’t understand could be the end of her.
There’s a whisper on the wind…and it speaks of death. Who will fall?
Avery Shaw wants things to go back to normal but it’s not easy when she’s the current darling of the Detroit media market. Everybody wants a piece of her, and she prefers covering the news rather than being part of it. That’s why she jumps at the chance to cover a quadruple murder on the lake, even though it’s her day off.
Avery realizes right away that the murders weren’t a crime of passion. No, this was a planned hit, and it leads her to look at the old mob faces in the county, who don’t exactly want to invite her into their homes.
When has not being wanted ever stopped Avery? Never, and that’s not changing today.
With war brewing at home thanks to some pesky ducks, a family that refuses to stay out of her business, and a new television reporter trying to be her, Avery has her hands full. That doesn’t mean she’s going to give in to defeat.
Mob hits are one thing. Hits that target children are another. Avery refuses to let the case go, even when it seems the killer has decided to target her.
Avery doesn’t lose. Winning this one might be more than she can handle, however. Not all answers are welcome, and when the truth comes out on this one, Avery might just find she would’ve been better off letting it go.
I thought the worst part of a blackout was waking up in a strange place.
Turns out waking up next to a dead woman is far worse…
Memory lapses have plagued PI Dean Steele since childhood.
This time when he opens his eyes, there's a woman lying nearby.
A woman he doesn't recognize.
As Dean tries to determine how he ended up in the woods next to a dead body, he attempts to piece together the things he remembers.
But the situation takes a bewildering turn when the dead woman’s body disappears from the scene.
Someone doesn't want Dean uncovering secrets, and things get even more heated when one of the people he's been hired to track down winds up brutally murdered.
With no memory of what could have transpired. Dean races to find out the truth behind the case he was hired to solve, and the answers behind the case that could put him behind bars.
Blackouts can take minutes or weeks from your memories.
But what happens when they take your life?
Seeing double is murder!
If one wedding is good, a double wedding is better! Rosa and Miguel agree that walking down the aisle with Bill and Carlotta solves a lot of social and familial problems, but the drama is notched up when a dead body arrives with dessert!
Don’t miss this final installment of a Rosa Reed Mystery series where Rosa finally gets her happily ever after.
Dr. Fitzmorris investigates the connection between a tragic suicide and the gruesome murder of a member of the Ku Klux Klan of Canada in the gripping second novel of the Maggie Fitzmorris Forensic Mystery series.
November 1931: Newlywed, Vivienne Johnson, returns home from a luncheon to find her husband’s body in a pool of blood. The victim, an upstanding citizen and a member of the nonviolent Ku Klux Klan of Canada is presumed to have been killed during a simple robbery.
Forensic pathologist, Dr. Maggie Fitzmorris examines the crime scene; however her findings raise questions that cast doubt on the robbery motive. The victim was struck from behind, but why would he have turned his back on a stranger in his own home? And why strike him repeatedly after death, only to steal his wallet?
When a connection between a recent suicide and the murdered man comes to light, Maggie discovers a chilling glimpse into his background. With the hope of gleaning some inside information, she agrees to meet with the victim’s best friend, also a member of the Klan. But the man’s charismatic personality causes Maggie to let down her guard, which just might bring her under the scrutiny of a cold-blooded killer.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Whitfield, the man Maggie hopes to marry, has moved to another town. With yet more pressure to make a choice between her work and the man she loves, Maggie does her best to hold on to both. But time is running out.
Dead Innocent is a story of deception and intrigue during the Great Depression, a time of desperation and unrest. A mystery that should keep the reader guessing until Dr. Fitzmorris uncovers the final evidence and the true killer is brought to light.
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