Indie Crime Fiction of the Month for March 2023
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 February 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, animal mysteries, historical mysteries, Victorian mysteries, Jazz Age mysteries, paranormal mysteries, crime thrillers, action thrillers, spy thrillers, psychological thrillers, romantic suspense, police officers, FBI agents, private investigators, amateur sleuths, spies, dark secrets, blackmail, mysterious widowers, wrongfully accused suspects, deadly circuses, deadly writing retreats, children in dangers, crime-busting witches, crime-busting socialites, crime-busting reporters, crime-busting photographrs, crime-busting cats, murder and mayhem in London, Louisiana, Maine, Los Angeles, Yorkshire 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:
When Victoria Sedgewick’s cousin falls under suspicion for a crime she did not commit, Victoria must protect her. But with a new danger arising at home and trouble threatening her friendship with Branwell Keats, will Victoria be too distracted to prevent a horrific tragedy?
Reese Link is determined to do right by her deceased older brother, to fill his shoes in the local police department, and to avenge his murder. She also wants to make her father, a local lobsterman, proud. But the local force is male, and close-knight, and Reese soon learns that being accepted won’t be so easy.
Small town life on a harbor in Maine can be rough. Winters can be cruel and stretch forever, while the working class who inhabit the harbor suffer no fools. Reese knows this town like the back of her hand—but when she teams up with a State police officer, she quickly realizes she’ll have to branch out to other areas, way out of her comfort zone. She will have to learn quickly about all regions of Maine, as she hunts deadly killers wherever they may take her.
All along, she must fight her own demons, shake off the heaviness of her childhood, the depression of this town, and ask herself: is she good enough?
Once again, Vi and friends are out and about. This time, they've come to a lovely little seaside carnival to visit friends they haven't seen in a while.
They watched the clowns, witness the acrobats, visit the strange and unusual, and invite the psychic to a small party. Instead of a journey or a windfall, they're told to beware. Is it a surprise their minds turn to crime? Hardly. And when a murder takes place, they have to follow the steps of what happened and prepare for the most unsuaul crime they've seen yet.
A FAME-OBSESSED LOS ANGELES POPSTAR MUST CONFESS TO A DARK SECRET FROM HIS PAST—A SECRET SO TERRIBLE IT COULD DESTROY EVERYTHING HE'S WORKED FOR—IF HE IS TO SAVE THE LIVES OF HIS LOVED ONES.
Chris Flowers, one of the most famous and beloved popstars in the world, wants nothing more than to keep playing shows and creating art for his dear fans. Nearly finished with an album, and only days from playing a major show, Chris receives a fateful phone call threatening to expose a dark secret of his past that could ruin him. The sinister voice demands Chris to “Confess” or else… When the lives of loved ones from Chris’s past—the very people he left behind to pursue stardom—become involved, Chris must decide how important his career truly is for him—and if he’s willing to sacrifice lives for it.
You can’t believe all of them, but can you trust any of them?
Widower Kane Black is still ruinously married to his late wife, Lily. Grief has hollowed him… until he sees a woman with his wife’s inimitable beauty on the streets of Manhattan. He whisks her up to his towering penthouse, protectively under guard, nestling her in dark opulence where Lily’s memory is a possessive beguiling force.
Aliyah, Kane’s mother, deals in science. There are too many questions, too few answers, and too much at stake. “Lily” has dangerous control over Kane and there can be only one queen on the throne.
Amy, Kane’s sister-in-law, has been bloodied by deceit and betrayal, and she’s devolving into murderous rage. She’s paid too high a price and now intends to claim what she’s owed.
Three women, linked by buried secrets, circle the man who unquestioningly accepts the return of his beloved long-dead wife. Kane is happier than he’s ever been, and he’ll do anything to stay that way.
Beckett Rousseau is the firstborn son of one of New Orleans’ most prominent families. He’s the quintessential golden boy—great looks, money, and a political career in his future—until his wife murders him. Or at least that’s what everyone thinks.
Athena Durand is still reeling from her murder conviction but now that it’s overturned, she’s at a loss on how to proceed with her life. As long as people still believe she’s guilty, she has no future in Louisiana and more importantly, she wants to know who killed her husband. When she hears about Fortune’s exploits, Athena knows she is the one person who might be able to give her answers, and her life back. But too many people are harboring secrets about Beckett’s life and death, including Athena.
Can Fortune sort through the half-truths and lies to discover the truth? Or did the jury get it right the first time?
Searching for a fresh start and a serene place to heal from both mental and physical wounds, Agent Spenser Song found herself answering the job posting for the quaint town of Sweetwater Falls...
After a series of tragedies turned her world upside down, FBI Agent Spenser Song felt like a woman adrift in a sea of chaos.
Her brush with death and the tragic murder of her husband left her questioning everything in her life.
And when it became clear that Bureau politics will trump justice, Spenser realized she needed a fresh start.
Looking for a slower pace and needing to heal, Spenser is hired on to be the sheriff in the idyllic town of Sweetwater Falls.
The town is everything her best friend said it would be and all in the Falls was seemingly perfect.
With the exception of her cantankerous landlord, Ryker Makawi, a former Navy SEAL with issues and a past of his own.
When a local woman is murdered, the case proves to be far from simple and Spenser finds herself forced to work with the ill-tempered Ryker.
With her past trying to reach into the present to pull Spenser into a cold dark grave.
Spenser soon realized that the chaos she fled from had found its way back into her life.
Spenser Song came west to find peace. But the new girl in the Falls soon finds herself in the fight of her life.
One of the biggest trivia competitions in the world is coming to Paradise Lodge, and Hali Waverly is expecting an influx of guests. What she’s not prepared for is murder.
When a body drops on the resort’s beach, however, she finds herself knee-deep in the investigation along with her new boyfriend Gray Hunter. Unfortunately for her, there are a few too many suspects for her comfort level.
Between the other contestants—a flamboyant group of individuals whom Hali has trouble relating to—and the workers, there’s no limit to the pool of potential killers. Finding the right one isn’t going to be easy.
When you add in the dark merrow, who continue to make their presence known, Hali has her hands full.
All she wants is a little rest and to have a good time. That might not be in the cards though. When it becomes apparent that someone is trying to control the outcome of the competition, all bets are off.
Beaches, bodies, and Bloody Marys? Yup, things are about to get hairy for St. Pete’s favorite witch and shifter.
Oh, yeah, there will be some shark shifters too.
Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
How would you decide the terms of an extraction?
Jack Storm is facing conflicts on all fronts. While trying to bring his family back together, he must deal with a suspicious extraction where the terms are constantly being manipulated. Not knowing who is pulling the strings, Jack has had enough and determines it's time to do this on his own terms...
Find out how Jack pulls off his most politically charged extraction yet.
Scout Randall’s life has turned from bad to worse. With her boyfriend’s murderous mother on the loose, that means she’s a target. But where will the attack come from?
Scout thought they would have time to figure things out, time to regroup and come up with a plan. She was wrong. The next enemy is on their doorstep.
When a body is found in a remote hunting lodge, a familiar symbol painted on the wall, Scout knows it’s time to go on the offensive. Unfortunately for her, she’s not entirely certain what she’s hunting for.
Is it a human? Is it a vampire? Is it something worse?
Scout and her motley crew of witches and shifters are ready to fight, but when you don’t know your enemy, that’s virtually impossible.
Scout’s answers lie in her past, and the search she thought postponed is suddenly on her. The family that let her go might just be back in the mix. Will they be friends or foes, however?
Big answers are coming fast and furious. Scout’s never been in more danger, and yet if she can hang on just a little bit longer, her past will provide the answers she’s always wanted.
It’s time for the reunion to end all reunions…if Scout can stay alive to see it through.
Avery Shaw thought she’d seen it all. Then she gets the sort of call she never expected.
Buried in a part of the city she never visits, across the road from the Dairy Queen of all places, is Antique Dolls. It’s a niche strip club featuring dancers over the age of 40 … and a very unique clientele.
When a masked intruder comes barreling into the club firing a gun and hits the owner, Avery is intrigued. When she gets to the hospital and hears that the local police secreted away a politician under the cover of flashing lights and jurisdiction problems, she’s practically frothing at the mouth.
Finding a motive for the shooting should be easy, but when a secretive lifestyle minister inserts himself into the investigation, Avery is left spinning. He’s got a colorful past and an army of followers willing to fight for him.
What he doesn’t have is Avery Shaw. She’s determined to uncover the truth, even if it means putting herself in danger. When Grandpa and Mario decide to help—Mario going as far as to position himself as an undercover dancer—Avery has more backup than she bargained for.
Information is coming at her from all sides, and so is danger.
Avery Shaw doesn’t lose. This time, however, there might not be a winner.
Ever since her husband disappeared seven months ago and it came out that he’d been embezzling funds from the town, pet photographer Kiki Long has been keeping a low profile.
But now it’s time to focus on creating a new life for herself.
Risking the wrath of the town’s residents, Kiki attends the annual Pride Falls Fair where she’s regarded with a mix of animosity, curiosity, and pity.
When a participant in the pie eating contest drops dead due to poisoning, Kiki realizes that the pictures she captured at the fair could hold the key to figuring out the mystery of his death. But it’s not like she can go to Sheriff Rockland with them. He still considers her to be a suspect in her husband’s disappearance.
With the help of her cat, Kodak, Kiki sets out to prove that her friend, who baked the deadly pie, did not poison it. Can she catch the killer? Or will this new development be what lands her in prison?
The faster you run, the longer you survive...
After participating in a fundraising run, FBI agent Emma Griffin is invited to a week-long retreat.
Upon her arrival, she is instantly captivated by the beautiful yet eerie surroundings of the remote resort.
Sadly her time at the resort is soon met with misfortune and strange phenomenon.
When people start going missing and the guests start acting strange, Emma gets the sense that no one at the retreat is telling her the truth.
And as Emma attempts to uncover the mystery of the resort, she finds herself becoming a pawn in someone’s twisted game.
In a maze full of murderous traps, the only way to survive is to run.
When a suspicious death takes the life of a friend, our psychic sleuth must expose a killer’s dirty laundry…
Mitzy Moon hopes for a normal day running errands. And this time, she’s determined to get her grandmother’s couture properly cleaned. But her day gets stuck in a spin cycle when she encounters crime-scene tape at the dry cleaner’s and a puzzling murder.
With her only way into the case through an undercover stint in the women’s wrestling league, Mitzy charges ahead with little help from her mentor, Ghost-ma, or her entitled feline. But if the bell rings before she corners the suspect, more lives could end up on the ropes.
Can Mitzy hold a murderer down for the count, or will she be taken out in a lethal smackdown?
Nice girls finish last. Bad girls finish dead.
When Private Detective Winter Black-Dalton receives a slew of messages from a mother desperate to protect her children after a traumatizing divorce, she takes the case without hesitation. Not only is it a welcome distraction from unpacking boxes, but Winter hopes to assuage the guilt still fusing her to her past.
She should have known better.
A crayon drawing of guns and "nakid notty girls" by her client’s five-year-old daughter hints at the wealthy and powerful father’s depraved activities. When the man in question warns Winter off the investigation, he reeks of cunning. But she has no hard facts, only impressions. And with no FBI badge to open doors, she needs to get creative.
But the more Winter investigates, she fears something far more sinister lurks beneath the surface. And when local call girls mysteriously disappear, Winter must risk it all to save other young women from the same fate.
The mystery and suspense continue with Winter’s Rescue, the second book in the Winter Black Season Two series, a thrilling ride that will make you realize things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes they’re much worse.
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