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 October 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, holiday mysteries, historical mysteries, Jazz Age mysteries, paranormal mysteries, crime thrillers, psychological thrillers, legal thrillers, medical thrillers, adventure thrillers, revenge thrillers, romantic suspense, police officers, FBI agents, amateur sleuths, lawyers, vigilantes, stalkers, missing persons, serial killers, crime-busting witches, crime-busting socialites, murderous Santas, murder and mayhem in New York, London, Florida, Michigan, the Everglades, Outer Space and much more.
Don’t forget that Indie Crime Fiction of the Month is also crossposted to the Indie Crime Scene, a group blog which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things crime fiction several times per week.
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:
Murder With Mirth by Blythe Baker:
Now that the murder of Miles’ late wife has been solved, Sylvia and Miles return to New York, intent on announcing their engagement. But disaster – and death – strike again, when least expected.
With a dead dinner guest and a long list of suspects, Sylvia and Miles will have to act quickly to outwit a vicious killer.
The Butler Did It by Jerry Boyd:
The fleet manages to catch the Squirrel responsible for the horrible things they’ve seen recently. That should be a good thing, shouldn’t it? Turns out it’s only the beginning of their troubles, as their journey to collect a bounty on him turns into an adventure. Follow along, as Bob and the fleet get the best of the situation.
A Murderous Little Christmas by Beth Byers:
It has been five years since Violet and her twin gathered up their friends and traveled to the aid of their aunt. Who they failed. Agatha Davies was murdered, their family faced many of its demons, and Violet met the love of her life.
A lot has happened since then, mostly of a murderous nature. This year, they’re determined to take back Christmas. Fate, it seems, has other things in store. Feeling like death is stalking them, Vi and friends set up for the holiday. When the bodies start appearing, it’s clear that death is stalking them and this time–they might not be as lucky as before.
Villain, Smiling Villain by Beth Byers:
Smith is back in London with a bustling family life and a busy work schedule. All is right with the world. Or, at least as right as it gets with Smith.
So no one is surprised when along comes a foe. This foe, however, is entirely unexpected. He’s not an old enemy. He’s not a current case. All things indicate that he is, in fact, entirely new.
For some reason, his focus is on Smith, Beatrice, and their daughters. Who is he? Why is he chasing Smith’s family? And just which of them will prove to be the greatest villain?
Behind the Lies by Maren Cooper:
Will Franklin—former academic geek, now recognized as a rare talent in the “fake it ’til you make it” biotech industry—is in the wings for his dream job as next CEO of a global powerhouse. Or so he thinks, until his boss, Chet, calls him into his office and angrily tells him he is going to be fired. Chet hints at impropriety, but won’t say more—and before Will can press him he falls so ill that he’s put on ventilator care.
Now, instead of losing his job, Will finds himself in the position of supporting Chet’s family through the hell of a dire illness. Just as suddenly, he finds his leadership ability tested by a crippling cyberattack that threatens the entire industry and leaves him with little time to untangle the mystery of whatever it is that Chet uncovered before he got sick.
Can Will clear his name before the ax falls—or his marriage collapses—due to his lapse in judgment? And does Bella, a young and beautiful rising star making waves with her own start-up company, have anything to do with this mess?
When Jill Morgan left Tempest Island after high school, she didn’t know what she wanted to do the rest of her life. The only thing she’d ever loved was writing fiction, but that was a pursuit with no financial guarantees. So she did the responsible thing and got her college degree, then a job that provided a good living, and she wrote in her free time. She never expected to become a bestseller, but her books—written under a pseudonym—brought her millions of happy readers.
And a stalker.
When her identity is compromised, Jill decides to disappear until the cops can identify the man threatening her. Her first thought is returning to Tempest Island, one of the many places her father was stationed with the Navy, and the only one that had ever felt like home. Plus, she had connections there who could help her remain off radar. It was just a matter of time until the cops had her stalker in custody and Jill could get back to normal. But being on Tempest Island again brings back old memories and creates some new ones, forcing her to take a hard look at her carefully crafted life.
Can she build a new life for herself on Tempest Island? Or will the stalker end that journey before it even gets started?
Whispers of the Dead by Elle Gray:
Storyville is a small town with world altering mysteries. Here the impossible is this town’s reality.
In the wake of her partner’s disappearance, FBI agent Cora Pratt calls for backup and accepts the aid of Sheriff Highsmith.
As the search for Nolan continues, Cora ventures deeper into the many mysteries in the supernatural small town.
When the hunt for answers leads her to a secret library within a library.
She is finally able to learn what lies behind some of the towns’ many secrets.
As Cora unravels her own tangled past connections to Storyville and the town’s secrets. Her dreams become far more jarring.
With dreams and reality converging and more truths finally found.
Cora must now follow the whispers from the past to save the future of Storyville and maybe even humanity itself…
“Welcome home. We’re alone now, no one can hear you.”
Blake Wilder has captured many dangerous criminals over the years.
When a familiar case lands on her lap, she could have never imagined the horrors that would follow.
A serial killer with a chillingly familiar pattern resurfaces, and it will take all her wit and power to ensure that the culprit never sees the light of day again.
As the case and the body count mount, it becomes apparent that he’s not just a step ahead of Blake: he’s a shadow in the darkness, a relentless tormentor who’s watching her every move.
While the killer continues to elude and taunt Blake at every turn. It seems only a matter of time before she either captures the predator or becomes prey herself.
Think you’re alone? Think again…
Against the Witchy Tide by Lily Harper Hart:
Hali Waverly is gearing up for a big change. The hip surgery she’s been dreading is only two weeks out, and that means it’s time to get things in order before she’s down for the count to recuperate. She has a plan….and then the unthinkable happens.
When leaving the doctor after scheduling surgery, a bank robbery suspect crosses Hali’s path. When his mask is removed, her boyfriend Gray Hunter recognizes him as a fellow shifter, and the questions only grow from there.
It seems there are a lot of strange shifters hanging around St. Pete Beach, and they don’t belong to the same faction. The one spot they agree to meet is Hali’s tiki bar…and sparks—and fur—are about to fly.
Hali doesn’t want to get involved in pack politics, but she might not have a choice. For Gray, who turned his back on the pack years ago, the appearance of warring factions on his turf means bad things are about to happen. He has no choice but to stand up and fight, however.
Hali knows what she wants for her future. Unfortunately for her, she’s going to have to go to war to get it. This fight—so many claws and teeth to contend with—might be out of her reach.
That won’t stop her from fighting…even to the death.
Seasonable Doubt by Robin James:
It’s the week before Christmas and Santa is on trial for attempted murder…
Known to locals as the “Christmas Guy,” Nick Whittaker has delighted his neighbors with an elaborate holiday light show and his uncanny resemblance to Santa Claus. A bit of a loner, Nick has found his place and his calling as a mall Santa in the quaint Northern Michigan town of Helene. He’s the last person anyone would have suspected in the brutal beating of a local politician. But when the bloodied murder weapon turns up in his trash and surveillance video puts him at the crime scene, Nick finds himself on trial for his freedom.
Defense attorney Cass Leary has a soft spot for lost causes. When she crosses paths with Nick Whittaker on a trip up north, she realizes she’s his one shot at a fair trial. As a blizzard barrels down on Helene, Cass quickly learns the evidence against Nick may not be what it seems. Both he and the victim had enemies and secrets that could bury them and a courtroom bombshell throws everything into chaos. As Cass races against time to unravel the twisted threads of this mystery, whispers of intrigue and betrayal echo through the courthouse.
In the dead of winter, Cass Leary fights for justice in a town where even Christmas can’t thaw the icy grip of suspicion.
White Witchmas by Amanda M. Lee:
Chestnuts are roasting. Jingle bells are rocking. The halls are about to be decked.
In other words, Christmas is about to hit Hemlock Cove. Hard.
There’s just one little problem…or maybe two. Okay, there are three big problems plaguing Bay Winchester before she can enjoy the holidays.
The first is that the warden who lost his job thanks to a prison break weeks before is determined to stalk Bay until she magically fixes his life. He keeps showing up in the oddest of places and making the sort of demands she can’t fulfill.
The second involves Aunt Tillie, who has decided to gift her nemesis Margaret Little a special spell rather than a lump of coal this holiday season. It involves her Christmas decorations taking on a life—and voice—of their own. The spell, however, isn’t nearly as contained as it was supposed to be.
When a body shows up at the local private school, that means it’s one problem too many for Bay. And she doesn’t know which problem to solve first.
The headmistress of the school was involved in a convoluted affair with father of one of her students. The list of suspects who wanted her dead was long and sundry, however.
All Bay wants is to surprise her husband with a dog for Christmas and to eat her weight in cookies. She has to save the day first, though.
Murder, mayhem, and mistletoe are on the menu.
Death might not be far behind.
Buckle up, because the Santa decorations are coming to town.
Till Death Do Us Part by Willow Rose:
Death was the only way she could leave.
Rachel Baker, a devoted mother of three, disappeared one Monday morning after dropping off her children at daycare. Her car was found on the side of the road, but there’s no trace of her anywhere. Soon, the questions start piling up:
What happened to her?
Would she leave her children just like that?
Was the husband involved?
When they find out she was planning to leave her husband, the question arises whether he killed her because she wanted to leave or if her sister helped her disappear. Who tells the truth, and who hides an ugly secret?
FBI Agent Eva Rae Thomas is in the middle of renovating her house with her boyfriend, Detective Matt Miller, when she is called in to assist with this strange case.
She knows Rachel, as their children are best friends, and has no problem taking over, trying to find her friend and fellow mom.
But when Rachel’s body turns up in a storage unit, and Eva Rae digs deeper; she realizes this killer is especially vicious and determined not to be found.
Meanwhile, the husband and mother-in-law fight over the right to the children, and things soon turn ugly as secrets are gushing out of the closet on both sides, one darker than the next.
Jessie Bell’s last parole hearing was a disgrace.
One board member called her a witch and a harpy and said that, given the chance, he would have her put down like a rabid dog.
Ten years in prison for killing her sadistically abusive husband had turned Jessie Bell into a poisoned, embittered, and dangerous person. The parole hearing was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was payback time.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth? No, not for Jessie Bell. Her version of justice wasn’t just about getting even. It was about taking back twice as much as had been taken from you. Two eyes for one. Justice meant redressing all the imbalances – and putting out only one eye didn’t compare to the loss of all the advantages of losing two eyes.
Fortunately, Jessie is offered the position of the late Pavo, Regan’s Uncle Paul, in the Organization.
And she accepted it.
“Justice,” she murmured. “Poetic justice. Justice that I can create myself.”
She balled up her fists on the table. “Yeah, there’s more than a few people I know who need some poetic justice right about now.”
A former Delta Force operative is serving a life sentence for killing an eight-year-old girl. He was found guilty just because he could have done it and people feared him? Who was the real killer?
It was like the whole world was turning crazy. A judge’s son murdered innocent kids, then had his kids, in turn, murdered. Dangerous chemicals killed hundreds, then spread into the water supply. The City turned into a permanent rush hour – a panicked slow crawl. Drug dealers and pimps were getting killed on the streets.
Karma? Jessie had always been a fan of ordinary human beings carrying out the work of karma.
There is only one person who could possibly stop the inevitable bloodbath that Jessie is about to unleash on the city – Judge Regan St. Clair – but to do so, she must cross the line she has sworn never to cross – join the Organization.
But maybe it is as Uncle Paul always said: “The end justifies the means.”
Weigh Anchor by Wayne Stinnett:
A lifelong friend finds something deep in the Everglades that is so very odd, that when he calls Jesse McDermitt, at first the semi-retired former special operator is in total disbelief. But he is also very intrigued, and the duo set out on another adventure reminiscent of their childhood days.
But their youthful quest had been all about fun and make-believe. This one was real, waiting nearly a century to be discovered.
There is another party interested in what Billy Rainwater stumbled upon. They have been searching for decades and will stop at nothing to recover what they believe to be not only their personal property, but their legacy. The Glades never gives up secrets readily.
Deep in the River of Grass, untold dangers lurk, waiting to snatch the unwary. It raises its ugly head in the backcountry of the Middle Keys, as well. But when it finds its way into the parking lot of Jesse’s favorite watering hole, a line in the sand has to be drawn once again.
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