Indie Crime Fiction of the Month for September 2024
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 cozy mysteries, humourous mysteries, historical mysteries, Jazz Age mysteries, 1950s mysteries, paranormal mysteries, crime thrillers, psychological thrillers, legal thrillers, adventure thrillers, police officers, FBI agents, private investigators, amateur sleuths, lawyers, arson, voodoo, crime-busting witches, crime-busting socialites, crime-busting podcasters, murder and mayhem in Florida, Paris, various small towns 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 a blackmailer turns up dead, Barbara’s past finally catches up to her. Forced to search for the real killer in order to clear her own name, Barbara will have to confront secrets she had hoped to keep buried.
But can she regain the trust of those she has betrayed in time to keep the murderer from committing another crime?
I thought I was chasing a mystery. Instead, I walked into a nightmare.
As a true crime podcaster, moving into the notorious "murder house" felt like the ultimate scoop. I returned to my quiet hometown, desperate for answers and a story that could launch my career. My goal? To uncover the truth behind the brutal death of Caroline, a young wife. But each new clue drags me deeper into a deadly web of secrets this town is desperate to keep hidden.
A missing locket. Hostile neighbors. Whispers of a sinister cult.
The more I dig, the more I realize the nightmare isn't just about Caroline—it's personal. My sister's past is tangled in this dark mystery, and someone is watching my every step. As I navigate treacherous lies and unexpected allies, I can't shake the feeling that someone close to me knows more than they're letting on.
Now, with danger closing in, I have to decide: how far will I go for the truth? Because in this town, asking questions could lead to my last breath.
Her Last Breath is the first book in a spine-tingling, unputdownable psychological thriller trilogy that will keep you guessing until the very end.
What is a little murder among old friends?
Paris 1926
Penelope “Pen” Banks and friends have made it to Paris. Unfortunately, things begin to dim in the City of Lights after meeting the first of her fiancé’s friends from the Great War. The brash and bold Freddy Caraway is intent on writing a novel based on the experiences of all his old friends—including Penelope’s fiancé, Richard!
But Richard isn’t the only one with secrets he’d rather not have come to light….
When Freddy is found murdered Richard is promptly taken into custody by the police, having been the last one seen with him. Now, it’s up to Penelope and friends to discover everyone’s secrets—including Richard’s—to determine which was scandalous enough to kill for.
Dev Haskell attends the funeral of a childhood friend and meets her adult children. Her son works for the DEA. Dev investigates a murder and comes across a rather mysterious individual named Boris Bacon. What little information he can find is not encouraging. It turns out the DEA is also investigating Bacon. Dev searches former addresses, which does nothing to improve his assessment of Bacon. Eventually he meets a woman who had a brief affair with Bacon and is frightened that he may return and force his way into her home. Ever the gentleman, Dev offers her his guest room until Bacon is arrested. She accepts and in the process brings another woman into the picture who has Bacon moving into the unit across the hall from her. Suddenly Dev has two House Guests and some serious pressure to help the DEA find Boris Bacon and get him off the street. A great adventure with a lot of laughs, check it out!
A day at the beach turns into potential tragedy when Quinn and Rowan Gray-Davenport witness a boat going down in the cove. A quick swim helps them save a father, twin girls, and a set of pouty grandparents, but then things take a turn.
Rowan’s daughter Lana shows the family photos of the rescue later, and everybody they just saved has a death omen hanging over them. Save for one person, the grandmother. That means that death isn’t done with the family, and it’s up to Rowan and her merry band of paranormal hunters to find the answers necessary to save everybody involved.
It seems this isn’t the first time tragedy has befallen the family. The twins’ mother disappeared months before, abandoning her family and leaving a messy situation behind. As Rowan begins to dig, she realizes there might be more to the story than she ever imagined.
The victims have a lot of money—and it’s old money, so they’re insulated from scandal—but it appears something in their past is threatening their future.
It’s going to take everybody working together to save them. And even then, some ghosts don’t die. They can never be forgotten either.
It’s a race to the finish. Who will be left standing?
A savage killing…
A victim every cop in town wants to avenge...
A shocking confession by an accused with no remorse…
A case no other lawyer would dare touch…
Someone didn’t just want Megan Lewis dead. They wanted her obliterated. Even the most seasoned crime scene analysts were haunted by what they found. When Megan’s married ex-boyfriend admits to the murder, her family may at least get the mercy of swift justice.
Defense attorney Cass Leary has every reason to steer clear of this case. Her client, Reed Karl might just be the most hated man in town. But one look at the police report and Cass knows something doesn't add up. And when Reed’s wife and young daughter beg her to help him, she can’t find the heart to say no.
With the odds stacked against her, Cass is all in on a murder trial that threatens to ruin her career and cost her the one person she can't live without. But only Cass knows there's another, more vulnerable victim's life at stake. If she walks away now, she'll have blood on her hands she can never wash clean.
Sometimes, small-town justice comes with a price too high for even Cass Leary to pay.
Scout Randall thought she had things well in hand. Then a loa landed in her lap and life exploded.
Baron Samedi does what he wants, when he wants. Right now he wants to learn as much as he can about the new pixie apex…and the lamia apex who is gunning for her. He doesn’t care who he annoys as he gathers his information.
Scout’s plan is to ignore him—after all, she has ghouls and random fires to deal with and he’s up to mischief one town over—but it becomes apparent quickly that the loa is in town for more than just a spying mission.
It seems Bonnie is no longer in danger of dying. She’s mastered her new reality and now she has a plan. If she can’t stop the inevitable big battle, she’s going to figure out a way to remove Scout from the equation altogether. If that happens, not only will Scout be gone, but nobody will remember her.
Scout wants to win but is she ready for the sort of battle that requires the ultimate sacrifice? She’s about to find out.
And it’s not going to be pretty.
Would you trust a felon?
FBI agent Emma Griffin has seen more than her fair share of bizarre and brutal cases.
While still recovering from the horrific experience with her stalker, Emma receives an unexpected call.
An escaped inmate, requesting her help...
A man that was last seen hovering over a bodyguard’s bloody body, then fleeing the crime scene in panic. With the search from him still ongoing, Emma continues to receive surprising calls.
It feels like a complicated game of telephone. Unfortunately, a simple misunderstanding leads to many deaths.
This is a case of many twists and turns, and there’s one person whom you should never trust...
Ring. Ring.
Nate Shepherd’s next case sends him north to defend a teenager accused of arson and murder. If the kid started the fire, it’s murder, even if he didn’t mean to hurt anyone.
He started the fire.
Nate Shepherd’s client didn’t intend to kill anyone. That doesn’t matter.
After an old friend recruits him, Nate Shepherd heads north to defend a teenager charged with igniting a blaze that killed a toddler and a firefighter. When he arrives, Nate finds a neglected case and a looming trial date for double murder.
As he scrambles to discover what happened, Nate is resisted by a stonewalling prosecutor and a grieving town, each bent on punishing his client. Worse, every fact Nate uncovers confirms that his client started the tragic Mission Road Fire.
As trial approaches, Nate finds nothing but hatred for his client and growing anger toward him. Facing naked hostility and escalating violence, Nate must go to trial in a town that’s become a tinderbox. And without a defense, Nate’s teenaged client faces life in prison for a crime he didn’t mean to commit.
Jesse McDermitt is back, just as he promised. This time, he is thrust into the heart of the Florida Panhandle's Tate's Hell State Forest, where the tranquil surroundings belie a dangerous secret—a network of clandestine meth labs hidden against the backdrop of the Forgotten Coast’s natural beauty.
Jesse, a retired Marine turned charter boat captain, has brought his family to Apalachicola “for the oysters.” But being who he is, the leisurely cruise soon spins into a gripping quest to unravel the truth behind the illicit operations threatening the region.
As rumors swirl around the waterfront, Jesse is propelled into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, navigating through a maze of secrets and deception to expose the sinister forces at play.
With his trademark blend of resourcefulness and determination, Jesse uncovers a web of intrigue that threatens to tear apart the fabric of the tight-knit community.
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