Showing results by author "Lawrence De Maria" in All Categories

THE TWO MASSACHUSSETS HOMICIDE COPS WONDERED WHY I WAS MENTIONED SO PROMINENTLY IN A MURDERED NUN'S OLD DIARY. I knew why. Many years before she became Sister Veronica, Ronnie Frost was a vivacious college co-ed -- and my lover. I always wondered what became of her after she mysteriously disappeared. I also knew I had to find out who killed her! Was her murder random? Or tied to something in her past? IF YOU LIKE STRONG CHARACTERIZATIONS, GREAT DIALOGUE AND SURPRISES, PULITZER-NOMINEE LAWRENCE DE MARIA’S ALTON RHODE MYSTERIES ARE IN A CLASS BY THEMSELVES.” (John Crudele, New York Post);...

A RUSSIAN SCIENTIST REVIVES A VIRUS FROZEN FOR 30,000 YEARS! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?*** Well, just about everything, as terrorists use the deadly pathogen to attack one of America's iconic sports events. ***"WELL-DRAWN CHARACTERS, TANGLED RELATIONSHIPS, GOOD-NATURED BANTER, UP-TO-DATE TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES (DRONES, EXPLOSIVES, ETC.) AND A CURRENT-EVENTS ATMOSPHERE CREATE A RICH ARRAY OF INTEREST HOOKS FOR READERS. SIBERIA, THE KREMLIN, MARSEILLES, JEDDAH AND LOUISVILLE, KY. --- FOR NOTHING LESS THAN A CRESCENDO OF ACTION (BESIDE THE HORSE RACE) AT THE KENTUCKY DERBY --- ARE PART OF THE...

Alton Rhode was sitting in his office minding his business when a gunman walked in and shot up the place. He told the private eye he would come back and kill him, if he pursued the Frank Pace case. Since Rhode didn't know anyone named Frank Pace, and in fact had no clients at the time, he wasn't really worried about what was an obvious case of mistaken Identity. But later, a nun walked in and said she was looking for her brother, Frank Pace. He was about to hire Rhode but had been murdered, and his body misplaced. Then, things really got weird!

TWO WOMEN, ONE OF WHOM JILTED HIM, HELP A PRIVATE EYE STOP A BIOLOGICAL CATASTROPHE! "Amazing how this story paralleled what is happening worldwide now during the COVID-19 pandemic ... a look into the future."***A prominent law firm asks an investigator to look into the death of a business executive. The firm's client is the dead executive’s widow – a woman who deserted the private eye years earlier! Against the backdrop of his own personal turmoil, the dogged investigator is soon enmeshed in an international conspiracy fueled by perverted science, and old Cold War hatred.***“IF YOU ...

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ABUSED, DESTITUTE CHILDREN GROW INTO VENGEFUL, RICH ADULTS? *** Alton Rhode goes to Oregon to bury his aunt. It turns out she left him a valuable piece of property. But that is not his only surprise. A local sheriff seeks his help on what she suspects is the murder of a prominent citizen. There are few clues and no real evidence of foul play. But a discovery by some kids on a field trip tantalizes the private eye. What he eventually finds out tests his faith in both justice and the law. *** “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ...

IT WAS A SIMPLE INSURANCE INVESTIGATION -- UNTIL THE LIES AND BODIES STARTED PILING UP! Alton Rhode starts out in a Northern nursing home and winds up in a Southern town, where a military academy may be more soiled than local Civil War statues covered in bird droppings. He uncovers a twisty financial conspiracy involving radioactive isotopes, sex, and murder. "ALTON RHODE MYSTERIES ARE IN A CLASS BY THEMSELVES.” (John Crudele, New York Post); “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A ...

A PRIVATE EYE'S LOVER ASKS HIM TO FIND OUT WHO KILLED HER EX-HUSBAND! Alton Rhode travels to San Francisco to investigate an alleged suicide and winds up ensnared in a web of cryptocurrency-fueled murder and international intrigue! The private eye knows a lot about murder and almost nothing about bitcoins. But he soon gets educated about the latter with the help of an unorthodox but brilliant young woman. And his own expertise comes in very handy when he runs into a bunch of Russians and Chinese whose motives are both murderous and mercenary. With scenes in New York, San Francisco and ...

Publish AND Perish? A revered environmental author is worth more dead than alive! WHEN HE AGREED TO GIVE AWAY THE BRIDE ON BALD HEAD ISLAND, A PRIVATE EYE DIDN'T COUNT ON BECOMING SHARK BAIT! A "destination" wedding on a charming island off the coast of North Carolina turns deadly! Taking a break from the festivities, Alton Rhode and his lady love, the beautiful Alice Watts, meet the island’s most-famous resident: the reclusive author, Ashleigh Harper, whose classic environmental novel inspired a generation of America’s youth. But all is not what it seems, and Rhode is soon involved in ...

A SEARCH FOR THE MAN WHO SHOT A COP ON HALLOWEEN ENDS IN THE PAST! Private eye Alton Rhode is angered when a police pal is critically wounded while handing out candy. Then, a spate of child murders shocks the community. Rhode uncovers a connection between the crimes. What he learns is scarcely believable -- and puts him in the sights of a perverted killer hiding in plain sight.***"This was another terrific whodunit in the Alton Rhode mystery series. In each mystery, the methodology used by Rhode to solve the crime is completely plausible. That is one of the most fascinating points to these ...

DARK SECRETS LINK TWO WOMEN TO A MURDERED BANKER! A security guard apprehends Elizabeth Olsen fleeing a mansion with a revolver in her hand. Inside, John Denton, a prominent banker, lies dead. Elizabeth claims she is innocent. But she acknowledges that Denton was her lover, and her story has more holes in it than the victim. No one believes the sexy, amoral woman. Not even her high-powered lawyer. But her wealthy father does, and wants Alton Rhode to clear her. Then, the case takes an even more tragic turn, sending the private investigator on a journey into the dark past of a Southern town,...

SHE LOST THE BABY, AND HER HUSBAND SEEKS REVENGE! *** Alton Rhode sets out to buy some Chinese takeout food, only to become involved in a possible war between rival Tongs. But that is just the beginning in a mystery that soon spirals out of the private eye's control. It includes arson, and an assassination that hits very close to home. A vengeful Rhode's investigation alienates friends and foes alike. And almost gets him killed. *** “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A MASTER OF ...

SEXUALLY ABUSED BY HER FATHER, A SCIENTIST TAKES A PERVERTED REVENGE AGAINST ALL MEN! *** The death of a spider monkey in a South American rain forest is the prelude to unsolvable human murders in Canada and the United States. Spurred on by a suspicious priest, a private eye begins a hunt that spans thousands of miles. A SIREN'S TEARS features a twisty plot, innovative detective work, sharp dialogue and a nail-biting ending. *** “More chills and thrills, as an intrepid P.I. hunts a Black Widow serial killer. SIREN’S TEARS, from Pulitzer-nominee Lawrence De Maria, is another winner.” (...

A SMALL SOUTHERN TOWN HARBORS MANY DARK SECRETS! LORENE ROBILLARD BETRAYED ALTON RHODE AND ALMOST GOT HIM KILLED. NOW, SHE WANTS HIS HELP! ***Never one to hold a grudge, the private investigator soon finds himself in a Southern town that has more secrets than pigeons on Confederate statues. But with two brutish killers straight out of “Deliverance” on his tail, Rhode is forced to call for backup. The new ally, making his own contributions to a rising body count, helps uncover a murderous financial conspiracy in this twisty mystery that mixes Southern Gothic with a tale of redemption.***...

Janet Evanovich described SOUND OF BLOOD: "A great read with a shocking ending." TRAGEDY STALKS A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR LOOKING INTO A SUSPICIOUS DEATH WHEN HE FALLS IN LOVE WITH THE WOMAN RESPONSIBLE. Bodies pile up from coast to coast as Jake Scarne uncovers a web of murder and fraud. ***“IF YOU LIKE THRILLING ACTION, CRACKLING DIALOGUE AND A TRAGIC LOVE STORY YOU WON’T SOON FORGET, THEN SOUND OF BLOOD, THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE JAKE SCARNE SERIES, IS JUST A CLICK AWAY!” (John Crudele, New York Post); “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ...

IT'S "ALL HANDS ON DECK" AS THE C.I.A. TRIES TO FIND A TERRORIST HYDROGEN BOMB! "Set aside a few hours for this one. You won't want to put it down. But read it early in the day. Reading it before bed could cost you some sleep." (AMAZON REVIEW) "Morrigan", a mysterious and rich ISIS puppetmaster, is financing a plot that will restore a reeling Caliphate to glory. Every major intelligence agency in the West is frantically hunting for the city-busting H-bomb. In America, Cole Sudden, the ace of a secret C.I.A. unit, is cooling his heels. The agency, worried about his recent notoriety, has ...

WHAT IF THE C.I.A. HAD ALL THE NATION’S WITNESS PROTECTION LISTS? An ultra-secret unit of the Central Intelligence Agency forms an unholy alliance with vengeful mob bosses. In return for loads of cash, the unit’s agents bump off mob turncoats. The C.I.A. unit, feared even by other agency operatives, insists on two caveats. The doomed turncoats must be deserving of the death penalty. And the mob bosses must provide anti-terrorist information when and where they can. A win-win situation, right. The C.I.A. gets information, and a slush fund it can hide from Congress. And some real ...

SHE WENT HOME TO FIND PEACE AND QUIET. AND FOUND NEITHER! Ellen Shaw, a disgraced big-city journalist, heads home to Iowa to bury her mother. Once there, she takes a job at a local paper, and decides to pursue a cold case her writer mom was following. But more than memories lurk in the small town of Middleton. Soon Ellen Shaw, and a friendly local policewoman, are engulfed in a murderous conspiracy that involves a brutal Las Vegas crime family. “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A ...

THREE YOUNG WOMEN DISCOVER MURDERS AT A NURSING HOME! In a match made in hell, a serial killer with mommy issues lands a maintenance job at nursing homes run by twin brothers who believe some residents live entirely too long. Using a pandemic's death toll as a cover, the brothers use their new hire in a murderous insurance and "legacy" scheme. But they did not count on an idealistic -- and suspicious -- young women. *** “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A MASTER OF THRILLER DIALOGUE....

A DYING HIT MAN CONFESSES A MURDER, AND ASKS A PRIEST TO AVENGE IT.***Even powerful mobsters are expendable to a criminal financial mastermind who hides in plain sight among New York’s power elite.But in pursuing his deranged dream, the man has made a fatal mistake. There are some people, on both sides of the law, who want him to pay for killing a young girl.In locales as varied as Paris, New York, Florida and the Bahamas, MADMAN’S THIRST is a non-stop thrill ride, where billions are at stake in an international conspiracy involving a foreign power. With non-stop pacing, biting dialogue...

A SECRET THAT DIED WITH THE NAZIS MAY THREATEN THE MODERN WORLD! Two ace secret agents track a mysterious transmission at Europe's largest scientific project! They soon find out that some of their most dangerous enemies are close to home. *** "PULITZER-NOMINEE LAWRENCE DE MARIA HAS ANOTHER WINNER IN COLE SUDDEN, AN ASSASSIN WORKING IN AN OBSCURE C.I.A. UNIT EVEN THE AGENCY WORRIES ABOUT!” (John Crudele, New York Post); “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A MASTER OF THRILLER DIALOGUE...