When a series of arsons target Vermont antiques stores, Detective Adam Dutton and con-woman Beverly Laborde worry that a shop owned by their friend, Harlan, might be next. But the stakes take an even deeper and uglier turn after a body is found inside one of the burned buildings. Was it an accident, suicide... or murder? Adam and Beverly hoped they'd seen the last of a crime syndicate operating under the guise of the Northern Antiquities League and that they could finally put those dark memories behind them. But do the arsons signal the last gasp of the NAL? Or is a new mob threat rising from the ashes? With the help of the mysterious and resourceful "Mr. X," Adam and Beverly race to get to the bottom of the fires and the victim's puzzling death before any more lives are lost... including their own.

The third installment in the Shamus-nominated Scott Drayco series:Three years ago, Scott Drayco left the FBI after an incident involving his partner, Mark "Sarg" Sargosian. Now a freelance crime consultant, Drayco often helps law enforcement on cases, but he never imagined his estranged former partner would turn up on his doorstep, pleading for Drayco's help. A co-ed at an elite Washington, D.C., private college has been murdered, and the victim's friend - Sarg's own daughter Tara - might be the next target.The killer left behind a puzzling music code at the crime scene, and Drayco soon learns he has two things in common with the murdered girl - a music background and synesthesia. The case takes an even stranger turn after a second murder and a second music code, with signs pointing toward a possible ritualistic killing. Then, Drayco himself starts receiving coded messages and finds himself locked in a deadly game with a madman where only one of them may come out alive.

Vermont Detective Adam Dutton has to make one of the hardest arrests of his life—his friend and godfather, Harlan Wilford, who stands accused of murder. Meanwhile, the slightly reformed con woman, Beverly Laborde, returns to Ironwood Junction to take her first tentative steps toward a more normal life and to become Detective Dutton's unofficial "partner," whether he likes it or not. Neither Adam nor Beverly believe for a minute that honest Harlan is capable of murder, but who framed him and why? Was it a disgruntled former customer of Harlan's antiques business? Or another attempt by the crooked mafioso members of the Northeast Antiquities League to get back at Adam? With Adam and Beverly's nemesis, Mayor Titus Lemann, piling on the pressure, and his wife—who also happens to be Adam's ex—piling on the seduction, Adam and Beverly must dodge personal and professional land mines before they blow up in their faces.

Can a piece of music be cursed? When a young marine biologist is found dead of suicide, his father can't believe he took his own life and hires Scott Drayco to prove it was murder. But what of the strange song found with the young man's body... the same song linked to suicides in the '30s? As Drayco digs deeper, the case becomes even more puzzling, but first he has to overcome ghosts from his own past—if he's to prevent more tragedy before it's too late.

A Shamus Award Finalist and Named Best Mystery in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Still suffering nightmares from a case that ended tragically, brilliant freelance crime consultant Scott Drayco considers retiring from crime solving altogether. When a former client bequeaths Drayco a rundown Opera House in a Virginia seaside town, he figures he'll arrange for a quick sale of the place while nursing his battered soul in a peaceful setting near the shore. What he doesn't count on is finding a dead body on the Opera House stage with a mysterious "G" carved into the man's chest. With hopes for a quick sale dashed and himself a suspect in the murder, Drayco digs into very old and very dangerous secrets to solve the crime and clear his name. Along the way, Drayco must dodge a wary sheriff, hostility over coastal development, and the seductive wife of a town councilman - before the tensions explode into more violence and he becomes the next victim. Want to read a Scott Drayco novella for FREE? Sign up for BV’s Mysteries in Crimetime newsletter at bvlawson.com and receive a FREE copy of "The Maltese Moon Rock"! Scott Drayco Thrillers in order: PLAYED TO DEATH (A Shamus Award Finalist and Best Mystery, Next Generation Book Awards) REQUIEM FOR INNOCENCE DIES IRAE Praise for BV's Mysteries in Crimetime: "Lawson uses the gothic features of the abandoned Opera House to great effect, creating an atmospheric background for the crimes and the solving of them, all of it accompanied with music that's almost like another character. The pace never sagged and it kept me enthralled." - Long and Short Reviews "Lawson's book was so good, I read it twice from beginning to end...The citizens of Cape Unity are as diverse and multi-layered as any person living in the large cities, and Lawson portrayed them splendidly." - Reader's Favorite Reviews "The storyline here is nicely structured, and creatively ties together two murder mysteries, which occurred decades apart. The small town setting is ideal, the lead character engaging, and the supporting cast interesting and diverse. Overall, a solid start to this series." - Omnimystery News "A nice tight mystery in a realistic setting. Totally enjoyable." - Terrie Farley Moran, national bestselling author of the Read 'Em and Eat Mystery Series "Now this story was close to brilliance...The plot was fast, dark and thrilling." - IHeartReading.net All in all, an excellent read for lovers of quality mystery fiction." - Jacqueline Seewald, author of The Inferno Collection **

The clock is ticking as crime consultant Scott Drayco and "the world's most diminutive defense attorney" Benny Baskin play games with a dangerous killer in order to save an innocent man from going to jail.Why is the killer texting cryptic poems to Drayco on his cellphone about stolen Egyptian figurines, and what do the messages mean? Was the murder a crime of opportunity or was it planned all along for more sinister reasons?Drayco races around Washington, D.C,. trying to find the answers and avoid becoming a puppet, as the killer pulls the strings.