A Dangling Kind of Minute "Have dinner with me tonight." The gruffness of Crew's voice made me shiver all over, especially when he didn't move after speaking, mouth grazing over my earlobe, faint trace of his teeth nibbling at the edge. He was lucky we were thirty feet up on a narrow platform because had we been on the ground? He'd have been at risk of a hard landing and some rather private activity that may or may not have ended in the pair of us getting arrested. Seriously. Yum. Now that the annex is ready to open and her romance with Crew is budding with spring, Fee prepares for the wedding of the year while trying to balance her mother's continuing self-confidence issues and her own rapidly expanding business. An afternoon of zip lining at a new park seems like a great way to let off some steam--until an activist protesting the park is found murdered. Once again in the middle of a murder investigation, Fee finds working with Crew instead of against him puts her in more danger than ever! cozy murder mystery series, cozy murder mystery, cozy murder mystery books, cozy murder, cozy murder mysteries, animal cozy mystery, animal cozy
Read for free right now! A contemporary cozy murder mystery first in completed series from international multiple-award-winning mystery bestselling author Patti Larsen A girl, a pug, and murder. Who knew running a bed and breakfast would be so deadly? In this award-winning first in series, discover a charming and hilarious world where picturesque landscapes meet dastardly deeds, and a spirited heroine finds herself entangled in a web of secrets. Get ready to cozy up with Fiona Fleming, her faithful pug Petunia, and a murder mystery that will have you laughing and gasping for breath. When Fiona inherits her grandmother's quaint bed and breakfast, Petunia's, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to return to her beloved hometown of Reading, Vermont. Little did she know that her homecoming would bring more than just nostalgia—it would lead her straight into a whirlwind of mayhem! Just as Fee starts settling into her new role as an innkeeper, she receives shocking news: the ownership of her cherished property might be in jeopardy. Determined to protect her grandmother's legacy, Fiona dives headfirst into the investigation, only to find herself in the spotlight as the prime suspect in a spine-chilling murder. But this is no ordinary murder mystery. Prepare to be delighted as Fee's relentless pursuit of the truth takes her on a wild journey through the quirky and captivating world of Reading, where everyone has a secret, and nothing is as it seems. From peculiar townsfolk to eccentric guests, Fee encounters a colorful cast of characters who will keep you guessing and chuckling at every turn. As she navigates the seedy underbelly lurking beneath the town's charming façade, Fiona's quick wit and determination become her greatest assets. With Petunia, her loyal four-legged companion by her side, she uncovers a string of clues that lead to shocking revelations. And with each discovery, the plot thickens, intensifying the suspense and leaving you on the edge of your seat. Patti Larsen's Bed and Breakfast and Murder is a delightful blend of humor, mystery, and cozy charm that will enchant fans of lighthearted crime fiction. Prepare to lose yourself in a captivating tale filled with unexpected twists, laugh-out-loud moments, and a heroine you can't help but root for. So, grab your coziest blanket, curl up in your favorite armchair, and embark on an unforgettable adventure with Fiona, Petunia, and the quirky residents of Reading, Vermont. Let this whimsical murder mystery whisk you away into a world where danger and laughter go hand in hand. Don't miss out on the hilariously entertaining and award-winning Bed and Breakfast and Murder – because sometimes, even murder can't dampen the spirit of a small town with big secrets! Find the rest of the Fiona Fleming Cozy Mysteries available now: Chocolate Hearts and Murder Fame and Fortune and Murder Ghosts and Goblins and Murder Ganache and Fondant and Murder Ropes and Trees and Murder Anchors Away and Murder Guns and Ammo and Murder Runways and High Heels and Murder Plaid and Fore! and Murder Whips and Spurs and Murder Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Murder Pirate Gold and Murder KEYWORDS: free cozy murder mystery series, cozy murder mystery, cozy murder mystery books, cozy murder, cozy murder mysteries, animal cozy mystery, animal cozy, cozy romance mystery, mystery women books, mystery romance
A chilling account of the murders of two hunters in rural Michigan—a mystery that haunted a community and baffled the police for two decades. In the bitter cold of 1985, two buddies from Detroit embark on a hunting trip to the Michigan wilderness, unaware they will soon become the hunted. The eerie silence surrounding their sudden disappearance is broken after nearly two decades when a relentless investigator inspires a terrified witness to break her silence. The witness narrates a haunting scene that had unfolded years back, pointing fingers at the prime suspects—the Duvall brothers. With no bodies unearthed, the justice system is riveted by the startling revelations during an electrifying trial in 2003. The brothers, Raymond and Donald Duvall, had bragged about the murders, evocatively explaining how they dismembered their victims and fed them to pigs. Despite the shocking confession, the case holds its ground purely on a single witness’s account, taking the courtroom through a labyrinth of dark secrets and sinister acts. This gripping thriller presents a vivid tale of crime that reveals the devastating power of evil.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Goldfinch comes an utterly riveting novel set in Mississippi of childhood, innocence, and evil. • “Destined to become a special kind of classic.” —The New York Times Book Review The setting is Alexandria, Mississippi, where one Mother’s Day a little boy named Robin Cleve Dufresnes was found hanging from a tree in his parents’ yard. Twelve years later Robin’s murder is still unsolved and his family remains devastated. So it is that Robin’s sister Harriet—unnervingly bright, insufferably determined, and unduly influenced by the fiction of Kipling and Robert Louis Stevenson--sets out to unmask his killer. Aided only by her worshipful friend Hely, Harriet crosses her town’s rigid lines of race and caste and burrows deep into her family’s history of loss. Filled with hairpin turns of plot and “a bustling, ridiculous humanity worthy of Dickens” (The New York Times Book Review), The Little Friend is a work of myriad enchantments by a writer of prodigious talent.
In the summer of 1937, with the Depression deep and World War II looming, a California triple murder stunned an already grim nation. After a frantic week-long manhunt for the killer, a suspect emerged, and his sensational trial captivated audiences from coast to coast. Justice was swift, and the condemned man was buried away with the horrifying story. But decades later, Pamela Everett, a lawyer and former journalist, starts digging, following up a cryptic comment her father once made about a tragedy in their past. Her journey is uniquely personal as she uncovers her family's secret history, but the investigation quickly takes unexpected turns into her professional wheelhouse. Everett unearths a truly historic legal case that included one of the earliest criminal profiles in the United States, the genesis of modern sex offender laws, and the last man sentenced to hang in California. Digging deeper and drawing on her experience with wrongful convictions, Everett then raises detailed and haunting questions about whether the authorities got the right man. Having revived the case to its rightful place in history, she leaves us with enduring concerns about the death penalty then and now. A journey chronicled through the mind of a lawyer and from the heart of a daughter, Little Shoes is both a captivating true crime story and a profoundly personal account of one family's struggle to cope with tragedy through the generations.
Years ago, Lucas Davenport almost died at the hands of Clara Rinker, a pleasant, soft-spoken, low-key Southerner, and the best hitwoman in the business. Now retired and living in Mexico, she nearly dies herself when a sniper kills her boyfriend, the son of a local druglord, and while the boy's father vows vengeance, Rinker knows something he doesn't: The boy wasn't the target-she was-and now she is going to have to disappear to find the killer herself. The FBI and DEA draft Davenport to help track her down, and with his fiancie deep in wedding preparations, he's really just as happy to go-but he has no idea what he's getting into. For Rinker is as unpredictable as ever, and between her, her old bosses in the St. Louis mob, the Mexican druglord, and the combined, sometimes warring, forces of U.S. law enforcement, this is one case that will get more dangerous as it goes along. And when the crossfire comes, anyone standing in the middle won't stand a chance.... Filled with the rich characterization and exceptional drama that are his hallmarks, Mortal Prey proves that John Sandford just keeps getting better.
It's the summer after Mercy Heron graduates from high school, and she's living in the household of her domineering grandfather and a grandmother whose behavior has always been erratic -- some folks even call it crazy. They've raised Mercy since her mother died giving birth to her under the June apple tree, after Father Heron locked her out and ignored her pleas for help. Mercy's days are spent working at the local diner, and hanging out with her wild best friend Della. Unlike Della, she's never seriously considered leaving the insulated community on Crooked Top mountain. Not until that summer when she meets Trout, a man who opens Mercy's eyes to a world beyond what she's known -- both physically and emotionally. Their relationship must be kept secret, because Father Heron won't approve of his granddaughter being involved with a migrant worker. But when Mercy tries to escape, she'll learn just how powerful, and ruthless, her grandfather can be. And the truth of her past will threaten to forever bind her to the mountain.
The twentieth century looms just a few years away, bringing with it the belief in progress and a new world. But for Josiah Fuller, William Corvin, and the Rider in the Appalachian backwoods and small towns, there is nothing but a world where bloodshed is paid for in blood, and violence is the ultimate law of the land. When seventeen-year-old Josiah Fuller comes home to find his parents hanged and mutilated and the family house burned to the ground, he sets off to find the man responsible for their murders and avenge their deaths. His journey takes him through new towns and wildernesses he has not seen before. He meets people who show him the realities of living in a violent world, forcing Josiah to decide what is most important to him: vengeance or grace. Years after running away from home as a young boy, William Corvin returns with his new bride to take over the family’s coal mining operation. Though he is haunted by the violence of his past, he sets out to live a peaceful life and start a family there. However, Corvin’s hopes of peace are challenged when a horrible act of violence causes him to revert back to the man he once was. After being visited by an angel in a dream years earlier, the Rider has become a man with violence in his blood, believing himself to be appointed by God to collect the souls of sinners. He travels around on his horse, killing whoever he feels is deserving of God’s wrath and vengeance. These three men move along their individual paths, their stories intersecting one another, as they search for an understanding of the violent world in which they live. The novel examines the power and fragility of belief and conviction within humans, showing how one small act often leads to consequences that reach far beyond anyone’s imagining. Praise for A MURDER COUNTRY: “A Murder Country is an existential, primordial fable. You will hear this novel compared to the work of Cormac McCarthy. You're going to hear that a lot. And it's true, Daily is mining a dark American seam. He's of a tradition that starts with Hawthorne, and on to Poe, to Dickinson. From Melville, to Steinbeck, to O'Connor. And yes, to McCarthy. And now beyond. You must read this book. But steel yourself.” —Grant Jerkins, author of A Scholar of Pain and A Very Simple Crime “In A Murder Country, author Brandon Daily has crafted a dark and beautifully written story of death and violence in a mystical landscape of tortured souls struggling with their innermost desires and demons. Daily’s style is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy at his finest, but with twists and turns that make this work uniquely his own. An excellent read!” —William Rawlings, author of A Killing on Ring Jaw Bluff “A Murder Country is a beautifully written, razor-sharp historical thriller. The prose is so assured and powerful, the characters so vivid and fully formed that it’s hard to believe this is a first novel. You won’t be able to put it down.” —David Bell, author of Never Come Back “Brandon Daily has managed what is rare in a debut novel, the synthesis of adventure and philosophy, of gritty realism and metaphysics. In the traditions of Jack London and Cormac McCarthy he has delivered an engaging story of the hardness of human nature and the quest for vengeance, all set in an expansive and questioning vision.” —Anthony Grooms, author of The Vain Conversation and Bombingham
From New York Times bestselling author Alex Tresniowski comes a “compelling” (The Guardian) and “riveting” (The New York Times Book Review) true-crime thriller recounting the 1910 murder of ten-year-old Marie Smith, the dawn of modern criminal detection, and the launch of the NAACP. In the tranquil seaside town of Asbury Park, New Jersey, ten-year-old schoolgirl Marie Smith is brutally murdered. Small town officials, unable to find the culprit, call upon the young manager of a New York detective agency for help. It is the detective’s first murder case, and now, the specifics of the investigation and daring sting operation that caught the killer is captured in all its rich detail for the first time. Occurring exactly halfway between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the formal beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in 1954, the brutal murder and its highly-covered investigation sits at the historic intersection of sweeping national forces—religious extremism, class struggle, the infancy of criminal forensics, and America’s Jim Crow racial violence. History and true crime collide in this “compelling and timely” (Vanity Fair) murder mystery featuring characters as complex and colorful as those found in the best psychological thrillers—the unconventional truth-seeking detective Ray Schindler; the sinister pedophile Frank Heidemann; the ambitious Asbury Park Sheriff Clarence Hetrick; the mysterious “sting artist,” Carl Neumeister; the indomitable crusader Ida Wells; and the victim, Marie Smith, who represented all the innocent and vulnerable children living in turn-of-the-century America. “Brisk and cinematic” (The Wall Street Journal), The Rope is an important piece of history that gives a voice to the voiceless and resurrects a long-forgotten true crime story that speaks to the very divisions tearing at the nation’s fabric today.
Based on the Port St. Lucie Legend Back in the 1970s, a series of bizarre incidents occurred at what has since been known as "The Devil Tree." Beneath this ancient denizen, evil was wrought by a sick serial killer, calling upon forces most evil and dark. People were hung there ... and bodies buried there ... exhumed by the police. Overcome by superstition, some tried to cut down the tree, to no avail. Since then, it has stood in a remote section of a local park—left to its own devices—quiet in its eerie repose—until now! Bestselling psychological-thriller author Keith Rommel has imagined the whole tale anew. He's brought the tree to life and retold the tale with gory detail only possible in a fiction novel. Action-packed, with spine-tingling detail, this thriller is beyond parallel in the ground it uncovers ... one author's explanation of what may have really been said—what may have really happened—under Port St. Lucie's "Devil Tree."
