The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town In the town of Ada, Oklahoma, Ron Williamson was going to be the next Mickey Mantle. But on his way to the big leagues, Ron stumbled, his dream broken by drinking, drugs, and women. Then on a winter night in 1982, not far from Ron's home, a young cocktail waitress named Debra Sue Carter was savagely murdered. The investigation led nowhere. Until, on the flimsiest evidence, it led to Ron Williamson. The washed-up small-town hero was charged, tried, and sentenced to death--in a trial littered with lying witnesses and tainted evidence that would shatter a man's already broken life. . . and let a true killer go free. Impeccably researched, grippingly told, filled with eleventh-hour drama, John Grisham's first work of non-fiction reads like a page-turning legal thriller. It is a book that will terrify anyone who believes in the presumption of innocence--a book that no American can afford to miss.

Night time is the right time... Gwendolyn Kidd has met the man of her dreams. He's hot, he's sexy, and what started as a no-names-exchanged night of passion has blossomed into a year and a half-long pleasure fest. Sure, it's a little strange that he only appears in her bed at night, but Gwen is so sure he's the one, she just can't turn him away... Hawk Delgado knows more about Gwen than she could ever imagine. She's gorgeous, headstrong, and skittish about relationships. But Hawk is facing his own demons, demons that keep him from connecting with anyone. Yet when Gwen is drawn into Denver's lethal underground scene, Hawk's protective nature comes out full force. The problem is, when Gwen gets a dose of Hawk's Alpha attitude in the daylight, she's not so sure he's the one anymore....

Behind the Veneer of Success Lies a Sinister Secret in Such a Good Man, a Detective Joe Burgess Murder Mystery Thriller from Kate Flora—Portland, Maine—When Dr. Eliot Spence is found dead in his pristine condo, Detective Joe Burgess and his team must delve behind his glossy façade to reveal the doctor's insatiable desires, his wife's mysterious death, and a cache of compromising photos.As Burgess and his colleagues strive to uncover the truth about the man colleagues describe as a dedicated and compassionate doctor, they unearth a web of intrigue, shocking family secrets, and hidden agendas, testing their ability to separate fact from fiction.While the detectives try to unravel the enigmatic world surrounding Dr. Spence, their own personal lives are under pressure as demands from their families threaten to derail the investigation, testing their determination—and ability—to bring justice to a man who seemed "Such a Good Man.""Kate Flora...

About the book:"Once She Saw...A Blind Man" is the first installment of the Ms Araminta Cozy Mystery series written by rising author Deborah Diaz. The story revolves around the protagonist Miss Araminta and the surprising turn of events that take place after she witnessed a theft. Beautifully written, "Once She Saw...A Blind Man" is filled with moments of joy, happiness, sadness and despair.About the book:"Once She Saw...A Blind Man" is the first installment of the Ms Araminta Cozy Mystery series written by rising author Deborah Diaz. The story revolves around the protagonist Miss Araminta and the surprising turn of events that take place after she witnessed a theft. Beautifully written, "Once She Saw...A Blind Man" is filled with moments of joy, happiness, sadness and despair. Each character in the book has an interesting back-story that makes them come to life. Sometimes things are not exactly what they seem. Only those who have the heart to dig deeper uncover the truth. And sometimes that one deed saves the lives of many! That is what we come to learn from "Once She Saw...A Blind Man". Order your copy to find out more!Summary of the book:"Once She Saw...A Blind Man" opens with the image of a quiet suburb in Nashville, Tennessee. Miss Araminta, the 67 year old retired insurance agent, is one of the residents of the Melrose suburbia. Though it was not the fanciest of neighborhoods, it had everything the people needed within walking distance. After losing her husband— the only man she had ever loved—in the Vietnam War, Ms. Araminta resolved to live alone. She now owns a small business of selling crocheted dish towels, stoles, mufflers, lap robes and so on. As a respected member of the church, she also does a lot of volunteer work and helps out people in need. One morning while she was on her way to the grocery store, Miss Araminta spotted a seemingly well-to-do woman stealing change from Bill, the blind beggar that the local community knows and loves. Seeing someone steal from this helpless man left Miss Araminta shocked. But she knew she had to help the poor man and seek justice. As she proceeded to find more information about the thief, she discovered something she never guessed. Who is this woman? Why was she stealing from the blind beggar? Will Miss Araminta be able do right by Bill? Order your copy to find out!

Selwyn is brokenhearted when the beautiful Anora chooses to marry the awful-but-rich Farold. It’s bad enough when Farold beats him up in front of the villagers, but nothing prepares him for when Farold is found murdered. All accusing fingers point to Selwyn, who is promptly sealed in a burial cave with Farold’s corpse. But they’re not alone in the cave. A witch appears with an offer of escape if Selwyn will be her servant. The witch brings Farold back from the dead in the form of a bat–too bad he doesn’t know who really killed him! There’s no choice left for Selwyn except to join forces with his worst enemy, a dead man, to find the real murderer.

Three young sleuths investigate the disappearance of a caveman's bones from a museum and uncover skulduggery at a science foundation.

Have you ever met a patchwork man?Lawrence Juste is one. The QC with a conscience - privileged, reputable and emotionally frozen.But Lawrence hasn't always been who he is now. When he is glaringly in the public eye after his enigmatic wife is killed in an apparently random hit and run, he could do with a hidden past surfacing like a hole in the head. Unfortunately the past has a way of finding its way back to you, just like betrayal. His dead wife has helpfully left him a sinister resume of his, and she just keeps adding to it ...Patchwork Man is the first in a suspense trilogy of murder, mystery and lethal romance. Follow the patchwork man's unravelling in the second, Patchwork People, from September 2014.Show moreShow less

A Fishing Trip Nets a Murderer in Dead Man Ohio, a Murder Mystery from T. L. Simmons—The Middle of Ohio—Our intrepid crew of ghost hunters is at it again, this time in Ohio, where ghosts from the state's past roam the woods, and mythological beasts exist only in lore. Or do they?It's Alice's ex-husband, Jack, who spots a strange creature in Twila's little red car after he arrives in Ohio to spend some time fishing with Twila's husband, Jess, near their beautiful farmhouse deep in the woods of Ohio. Twila bravely tries to handle the situation alone, unaware the entity shadowing her is testing her psychic senses.At Jack's call, Alice and Granny pack what they need to help, along with Trucker and Miss Molly, and hie-tail it from Texas to Yankee land.Twila and Jess's farm, filled with historical burial mounds, and surrounded by Amish farmland, seems too peaceful to be dangerous. Perhaps the serenity lulls the local residents into believing...

A Naked Ghost Demands Help in Dead Man Haunt, a Murder Mystery from T. L. Simmons—Mineral Springs, Texas—When Patrick, a gorgeous naked ghost, reaches out to author and paranormal investigator, Alice Carpenter and her cohorts for help, the small town of Mineral Springs, Texas, will never be the same. In exchange for helping him journey to the hereafter, Patrick leads Alice into a crumbling historical hotel, where she discovers a new murder—a woman severed in half at the bottom of an elevator shaft.Joined by her Rottweiler, Trucker, her Siamese, Miss Molly, her mentor and teacher, Aunt Twila, her next-door neighbor, Granny Chisholm, and even her ex-husband, Detective Jack Roucheau, Alice attempts to solve these two murders. Together, they traverse the bowels of the haunted hotel, survive a hair-raising motorcycle ride, and journey the backcountry boondocks with Granny, who fantasizes she's an Indi-500 driver.With only a few minutes left to...

Ghosts With Six-Shooters in Dead Man Hand, a Murder Mystery from T. L. Simmons—Red Dollar, New Mexico—Alice, Twila, Granny, Jack, Trucker, and Miss Molly are smack dab in the middle of another murder investigation, this time in a haunted hotel in Red Dollar, New Mexico. The villain is armed with Black Magic, and there's no escape for anyone during the ice storm.Alice keeps telling herself this is Twila's gig, and she's only here to back up her aunt and mentor as they discipline some rowdy ghosts. But she, Granny, and the pets are on their own when Twila's plane gets delayed. It's not the ghosts she's worried about, though. It's when she discovers the newly-dead woman in the hotel and realizes someone has stolen the poor woman's hands.Twila rides in to do her share about the same time as Jack, Alice's ex. The villains are forced to step up their pace, though, with a homicide detective on the premises and a handless ghost who might expose their...

The second gripping novel in the #1 internationally bestselling Thursday Murder Club series, the first of which Kate Atkinson called "A little beacon of pleasure in the midst of the gloom. . . SUCH FUN!"Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim—the Thursday Murder Club—are still riding high off their recent real-life murder case and are looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet at Cooper’s Chase, their posh retirement village.   But they are out of luck.   An unexpected visitor—an old pal of Elizabeth’s (or perhaps more than just a pal?)—arrives, desperate for her help. He has been accused of stealing diamonds worth millions from the wrong men and he’s seriously on the lam.   Then, as night follows day, the first body is found. But not the last. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are up against a ruthless murderer who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can our four...

Three young detectives go on a high-stakes treasure hunt in order to restore a fortune to the rightful heirs.

An Unwelcomed Pool Guest and a Mean Spirit in Dead Men Talking, a Murder Mystery from T. L. Simmons—Jefferson, Texas—Author and paranormal investigator, Alice Carpenter is well-practiced at disciplining the ten resident ghosts in her lakeside log cabin near Six Gun, Texas. When her cousin Katy calls looking for help with Sir Gary Gavin, the resident ghost at Esprit d'Chene Plantation, the family mansion near Jefferson, Texas, Alice agrees to come to her rescue.Before Alice can even pack her things and necessities for her 150-lb. Rottweiler, Trucker, and Miss Molly, her Siamese, Katy discovers a new murder—a headless corpse floating in her swimming pool that turns out to be Bucky, the black-sheep son of a Texas senator. Even worse, the homicide detective in charge, Alice's ex-husband Jack, thinks Katy's the killer.Katy is arrested giving Alice no choice but to depend on her ghost hunting mentor, Twila, and her elderly neighbor, Granny, to assist...

It was murder that made Paul Van der Voort return to his childhood home in Rotterdam after eight years at sea without once contacting Dr. Pieter Van der Voort, the man who had adopted him when he was ten years old

--- About Ms Araminta --- Araminta Ferguson is a 67 year old retired insurance adjustor. She is helpful and always find herself in the middle of a police investigation.

From the national bestselling author of Prague Fatale, a powerful new thriller that returns Bernie Gunther, our sardonic Berlin cop, to the Eastern Front.Berlin, March, 1943. A month has passed since the stunning defeat at Stalingrad. Though Hitler insists Germany is winning the war, commanders on the ground know better. Morale is low, discipline at risk. Now word has reached Berlin of a Red massacre of Polish officers in the Katyn Forest near Smolensk. If true, the message it would send to the troops is clear: Fight on or risk certain death. For once, both the Wehrmacht and Propaganda Minister Goebbels want the same thing: irrefutable evidence of this Russian atrocity. To the Wehrmacht, such proof will soften the reality of its own war crimes in the eyes of the victors. For Goebbels, such proof could turn the tide of war by destroying the Alliance, cutting Russia off from its western supply lines.Both parties agree that the ensuing investigation must be overseen by a professional trained in sifting evidence and interrogating witnesses. Anything that smells of incompetence or tampering will defeat their purposes. And so Bernie Gunther is dispatched to Smolensk, where truth is as much a victim of war as those poor dead Polish officers.Smolensk, March, 1943. Army Group Center is an enclave of Prussian aristocrats who have owned the Wehrmacht almost as long as they’ve owned their baronial estates, an officer class whose families have been intermarrying for generations. The wisecracking, rough-edged Gunther is not a good fit. He is, after all, a Berlin bull. But he has a far bigger concern than sharp elbows and supercilious stares, for somewhere in this mix is a cunning and savage killer who has left a trail of bloody victims.This is no psycho case. This is a man with motive enough to kill and skills enough to leave no trace of himself. Bad luck that in this war zone, such skills are two-a-penny. Somehow Bernie must put a face to this killer before he puts an end to Bernie.ReviewPraise for *A Man Without Breath“This is the most intelligent brand of crime fiction, and there is moral complexity here in spades.”—The Daily Beast“A Man Without Breath is a masterful accomplishment that delivers a gripping mystery wrapped around meticulously researched history…It brings the deadly past to life.”—The Arizona Republic“Kerr just keeps raising the ante with this series. And this is the best book yet.”—Dayton Daily News“One of these days World War II will come to an end, and then how will we manage without Bernie Gunther, the cynical Berlin cop who has somehow contrived to stay alive and retain some vestige of personal integrity in Philip Kerr’s harrowing historical thrillers?”—The New York Times Book Review“This ninth Bernie Gunther tale (after Prague Fatale) focuses on two months of 1943, mixing real-life characters with fictional ones. Kerr’s historical knowledge and writing skills merge these elements seamlessly in a gripping story of murder, but it is Bernie who holds it all together even as he questions the absurdity of attempting normalcy during war. Mystery, historical fiction, and military history buffs will join existing Bernie fans in welcoming this latest installment in the series.”—Library Journal“Captivating . . . Kerr makes everything look easy, from blending history with a clever and intricate whodunit plot to powerful descriptions of cruelty.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Kerr’s sketch of Goebbels dazzles. The author pulls the reader down into the dark underground of Der Führer’s rabbit hole of totalitarian horror . . . [A Man Without Breath] masterfully explores morality's shadowy gray edge.”—Kirkus*About the AuthorPHILIP KERR is the author of eight previous Bernie Gunther novels. Bestselling Field Gray was nominated for the 2012 Edgar Award for Best Novel. Kerr is also the much-loved author of the fantasy series Children of the Lamp. He lives in London.

Dead Man's Tunnel is the third installment in Sheldon Russell's 1940s series featuring yard dog Hook Runyon.Near the end of WWII, Hook Runyon, railroad bull, and his dog, Mixer, are sent to the West Salvage Yard in the high desert of Arizona. Not far away is the Johnson Canyon Tunnel. Though remote and ordinary as tunnels go, it is the gateway to the steepest railroad grade in North America and a potential bottleneck for the delivery of war supplies. So vital is this tunnel to the war effort that a twenty-four hour military guard has been assigned for the duration. Hook's orders are to catch copper thieves and to stay out of sight and out of trouble. But things go awry when Hook receives a call that one of the guards has been killed mid-tunnel by an oncoming train. Lieutenant Allison Capron from the Army Transportation Department is called in to help with the investigation. At first, suicide by train is suspected, but the evidence soon suggests homicide resulting from a love triangle. Unable to fit his own findings into either of these theories, Hook suspects something more sinister.

Hired by fallen television star Lyle Hudnut, whose career was shattered by scandal, writer Stewart Hoag reluctantly begins penning the actor's memoirs and learns a deadly truth about a network's secret practices. Reprint.From Publishers WeeklyGreat fun from Handler in his sixth Stewart Hoag adventure (The Boy Who Would Be F. Scott Fitzgerald won an Edgar in 1991), despite its overwrought climax and a villain whom psychologically hip readers will spot before the actual unmasking. Former literary boy-wonder Hoagy has sunk to ghosting the showbiz autobio of children's TV star Lyle ("Uncle Chubby") Hudnut, who's attempting a comeback after an arrest for indecent exposure in a Times Square porn theater. Lyle, a 300-pound bundle of crazed energy, ego and cruelty, is sure that someone-or the world-is out to get him and believes the book will generate sympathy. There are personal complications: Lyle's co-star is his ex-wife; the network's executive producer is an ex-girlfriend; his current fiancee is the show's producer, a spot coveted by an assistant producer; and the show's writers are angling for control. A fire on the set, food poisoning and the bizarre murder of the newest cast member wreak havoc. A subplot involves Hoagy's celebrity ex-wife, who's pregnant and won't identify the father, but the best part of the book is Hoagy's gimlet-eyed observations of the fierce, delicious and dizzy infighting in Sitcom Land. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalHandler (The Boy Who Never Grew Up, LJ 9/1/92) presents celebrity ghostwriter Steward Hoag who, on hand to author a book about television comic Lyle Hudnut, finds himself in the midst of mayhem and murder after Lyle's arrest in a porno movie theater. Stewart's dog, Lulu, and his ex-wife, actress Merilee, complicate matters.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

LET US PREYAn impending papal visit is wreaking havoc in Detroit. Rumors run rampant that the pope comes bearing a pronouncement on birth control that will rock devout Catholics to the very foundations of their faith, and Father Koesler can't help but get caught up in the religious controversy. But soon he'll be swept into the secular--and dangerous--business of protecting the pontiff's life. For among the throng of pilgrims lurks a host of predators: a devout man hopelessly twisted by grief, a washed-up reporter desperate to make headlines, and a faceless assassin within the pope's inner circle--all hell-bent on silencing His Holiness."GRIPPING, SUSPENSEFUL . . . Kienzle continues to provide a superior brand of mystery."--Booklist"CRAFTILY PLOTTED."--Publishers Weekly

Murder is no laughing matter. Yet a prominent Indian scientist dies in a fit of giggles when a Hindu goddess appears from a mist and plunges a sword into his chest. The only one laughing now is the main suspect, a powerful guru named Maharaj Swami, who seems to have done away with his most vocal critic. Vish Puri, India’s Most Private Investigator, master of disguise and lover of all things fried and spicy, doesn’t believe the murder is a supernatural occurrence, and proving who really killed Dr. Suresh Jha will require all the detective’s earthly faculties. To get at the truth, he and his team of undercover operatives – Facecream, Tubelight, and Flush – travel from the slum where India’s hereditary magicians must be persuaded to reveal their secrets to the holy city of Haridwar on the Ganges. How did the murder weapon miraculously crumble into ash? Will Maharaj Swami have the last laugh? And perhaps more important, why is Puri’s wife, Rumpi, chasing petty criminals with his Mummy-ji when she should be at home making his rotis? Stopping only to indulge his ample Punjabi appetite, Puri uncovers a web of spirituality, science, and sin unique in the annals of crime.

Who Invited the Dead Man? (Thoroughly Southern Mysteries, No. 3)

The hornets’ nest of Cuban political feuds, police corruption, government agents, and old men with secrets to hide that Tubby stirred up in Night Watchman is swarming with lethal intent. The surviving founders of a 1960s Cuban revolutionary organization have goaded the younger generation of revolutionaries into pursuing the Latin American politics professor who wants to get his hands on the “Papal Scrolls”, the organization’s prized archives. He believes the papers document the existence of a cell of ardent plotters whose below-the-radar activities touched upon the Bay of Pigs invasion and even the Kennedy and Oswald assassinations. The archives were briefly in Tubby’s possession after he stole them, but the younger generation stole them back. The old guard, aggrieved by Tubby’s interference and determined to leave their mark before passing on, have Tubby in their sights, and they’re coming at him from every direction, including through his new ladylove, Peggy O’Flarity. Meanwhile, an axe murderer is rampaging through the city, and it could be Tubby’s new client, Angelo “Fat Man” Spooner. Along the way, Tubby gets to feel good about the proper administering of justice in a case or two.

It's the first day of summer, and preteens Tod and Barney are going to make the most of it. Off they go into the fun-filled woods and marshes, where they find frog eggs, rabbits, tadpoles, and a mysterious Abraham Lincoln-like character with a stovepipe hat and cane. The siren at the mental hospital blasted about the same time the summer adventurers spotted the strange man. Could he be?Tod and Barney are two energetic boys whose antics and excursions will bring many a laugh from the juvenile reader. Both fellows are a little afraid (though they won't admit it) of the mysterious man. How does he suddenly appear from nowhere and then vanish again just as quickly?

From Publishers Weekly Near the outset of Hamilton's well-crafted second Abigail Adams mystery (after 2009's The Ninth Daughter), 16-year-old Lucy Fluckner comes to Abigail for help. A good friend of Lucy's, 24-year-old bookseller Harry Knox, who prints pamphlets for the Sons of Liberty, has been arrested for the murder of Sir Joseph Cottrell, the King's Special Commissioner and, according to Lucy's Tory chaperone, Mrs. Sandhayes, Lucy's fiancé. Lucy insists that the victim, a notorious womanizer, was not her fiancé, her heart all too clearly belonging to the accused. Abigail and her lawyer husband, John, resolve to prove Harry innocent. The disappearance of a Negro servant woman from the house of Lucy's Loyalist parents adds to the intrigue. Hamilton once again brings to life colonial Boston on the brink of revolution, vividly portraying such noted patriots as Sam Adams, leader of the Sons of Liberty; silversmith Paul Revere; and Dr. Joseph Warren. The action builds to a bizarre if satisfying ending.

"B.J. Daniels is at the top of her game...the perfect blend of hot romance and thrilling suspense." – New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan New York Times bestselling author B.J. Daniels returns to her fan-favorite series Whitehorse, Montana, with two great stories of suspense and two cowboys who won't be riding alone for long DARK HORSE For twenty-five years, the case of the McGraw twins kidnapping has remained unsolved. As the eldest son, Cull oversees the McGraw horse ranch, wary of prying eyes. So when true-crime writer Nikki St. James comes forward with new information, Cull can't believe his father invites her onto the compound. His family has suffered enough—he's not about to let St. James snoop and ruin them completely. But Nikki finds the eldest McGraw's protectiveness as endearing as it is aggravating. After all, this case is personal to her, too... And her secrets can set the truth...

Murdered in the Man Cave is a cozy mystery novel by bestselling crime writer R. Barri Flowers.In the first book of this exciting new cozy series, Riley Reed has a popular blog offering advice on home décor and renovation and does part-time consulting work in Cozy Pines, Oregon.When Riley is asked by an old flame, Brent London, a bestselling mystery writer, to help him spruce up his man cave as a newly single man, she readily accepts the assignment. But when she discovers him bludgeoned to death with a pool cue in his man cave, she finds herself thrust into the investigation to track down the killer.The suspects are many, including three of Brent's four ex-wives, two girlfriends, his niece, a former research assistant, a financial advisor, and his housekeeper.When two people are arrested for Brent's murder, Riley is less than convinced that the true culprits are in custody, and makes it her mission to prove otherwise.An alleged suicide and confession seems a bit too pat for Riley,...

Rilee Dust isn’t your typical wood carver, she’s young and making a go of it in the small village of Tickle Creek, Oregon. She’s also the only one in town who isn’t determined to get rid her strip club neighbor. Everyone else, however, is ready to evict the Girls, Girls, Girls. When a dog adopts her and turns her life upside down, Rilee’s not so sure it’s a good thing. Especially when he leads her to a moose, a man and a dead body. Because the moose kicked her butt, the man saved her life and the dead body is one of her customers. Now Rilee’s smack dab in the middle of all the small town politics with a killer on the loose who has an ax to grind. And Rilee just may be the next victim to have her name carved in stone.

A serial killer is showing Hoagy his novel in progress--and every chapter is murder....Once Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag was the toast of the publishing world and the husband of luscious Broadway beauty Merilee Nash. Now, reunited with Merilee in proud parenthood, Hoagy ghosts celebrity memoirs to pay the rent. And solves the occasional murder, aided by Lulu, his anchovy-eating basset hound.A ghostwriter usually chooses his clients, but this time Hoagy finds himself chosen. His new client calls himself the Answer Man, and he's mailing Hoagy anonymous installments of his work in progress. Each one narrates the stalking and strangling of a lovely young woman--and it's no sooner in Hoagy's mailbox than the cops find her corpse: branded with orange-lipstick question marks. Hoagy's deadly pen pal--bent on a megabestseller and a movie deal--is seeking his literary advice, and Hoagy's being tagged by both the police and the press as a twisted killer's go-between.Hoagy has some questions of his own for the elusive Answer Man. But the closer he gets to the truth, the less he likes what he finds. For Hoagy fears the prolific killer may be someone too close to him for comfort. And that the next chapter of the Answer Man's grisly opus might be Hoagy's last.From Library JournalGhost-writer Stewart Hoag confronts the biggest challenge of both his writing and sleuthing careers. A calculating serial killer in New York writes about his crimes as they occur and sends the chapters to Hoag, his "collaborator." Pressured by police and press, Hoag suspects an old friend. Fun reading from the author of The Girl Who Ran Off with Daddy (LJ 2/1/96).Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistNearly 30 years ago, three boys became friends: unassuming, nerdy Ezra Spooner; Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag, who became a famous writer; and Tuttle Cash, the golden boy who had everything. The three eventually drifted apart, but they're about to be reunited in a most chilling manner. Hoagy recently received the first chapter of an unsolicited manuscript from an unidentified author. The chapter is a daring, violent, menacing, and brilliant story about a serial killer who befriends a young woman who works in a pet store and then strangles her with a lamp cord. A few days later, to Hoagy's horror, the body of a young woman--a pet-store employee--is found. The victim's physical description, the modus operandi, and the location of the body are identical to the murder described in the chapter Hoagy received. Teaming up with his old nemesis, hip, hyper NYPD Lieutenant Romaine Very, Hoagy struggles to make sense of the chilling case and soon finds himself suspecting that one of his old pals may be the killer. Handler has written a sleek, sophisticated, over-the-top story that's filled with red herrings, laugh-aloud humor, and plenty of suspense. Four stars. Emily Melton

Hoagy discovers a rock god’s deadly side is more than an actFrom the first time they played on the Ed Sullivan Show, Us was the hottest band on earth. For more than a decade, the group tore through the charts and indulged in an endless cycle of drugs, women, and violence, until two musicians died—the drummer by drugs, the guitarist by a crazed gunman. Once the band was finished, lead singer Tristam Scarr retreated to the English countryside, hiding from the world until the day he hires an American to ghostwrite his memoirs. Stewart Hoag arrives in London in the company of Lulu, his ever-hungry basset hound, to find the rock idol of his youth reduced to a wheezing, frail fortysomething. The first thing Starr tells him is that their drummer never overdosed—he was murdered. And as their interviews progress, Hoagy learns that working for a rock star is almost as dangerous as being one.