American Detective Fiction

Cops can make mistakes, even when they're not rookies. Deeply traumatized by a shooting incident, Cass Raines resigned from the Chicago PD, leaving one less female African-American on the force. Now she's the head of a one-woman private investigation agency. She also plays chess with the only father figure she's ever known, Father Ray Heaton. When Father Ray asks Cass to look into a recent spate of vandalism at his church, she readily agrees to handle the case. But only hours later she's horrified to discover his murdered body in the church confessional, a dead gangbanger sprawled out nearby.

They were madly in love. The perfect couple. That was the story everyone in South River believed...until Gin Talcott and Adam Archer are found shot in their bed. Adam is dead at the scene. Gin is fighting for her life. Detectives Greta Jessup and Finn Pate are assigned to the case. Greta has a long history with Gin’s first husband, Eddie, and is determined to protect his 18-year-old twins. Piper discovered the bodies. Daniel is missing—and so is Adam’s gun.

After the death of her father at age eight, Marvelous “Marvel” Stephens, was uprooted from her home to be raised by her father’s parents. As much as she adored her grandparents, her own need for companionship developed as the only child in the household. That all changed when troubled ten-year-old, D'usse “Duce” Phelps, and his uncle moved down the street. From the first point of contact, their friendship took off, causing the two to be inseparable. What seemed like an odd pairing to everyone was a match made for them. Marvel has always been aware of D'usse’s troubled upbringing...

When a Western star is gunned down at a rodeo, Ellery Queen saddles up to solve the mystery.

Buck Horne has roped thousands of cattle, slugged his way out of dozens of saloons, and shot plenty of men dead in the street - but always on the back lot. He's a celluloid cowboy, and his career is nearly kaput. The real box-office draw is his daughter, Kit, a brawling beauty who can out shoot any rascal the studio has to offer. Desperate for a comeback, Buck joins Wild Bill Grant's traveling rodeo for a show in New York, hoping to land one last movie contract.

Meet the gang; Wynn, Daena, Kaiman, and Teion. They’ve been thick as thieves since the third grade and blood couldn’t make them closer. While time seemed to sail by, friendship turned into love, and lust morphed into infatuation. Unbeknownst to the gang, the sins of their parent’s past have created a prowler that’s willing to do anything he can to obtain his heart’s desires; including kill. On the night deemed as a rite of passage for teenagers, tragedy is struck. Leaving everyone wheeling, friendships torn, and lovers scorned. Buckle up, because this two part series is about to ...

Considered by many to be the first modern mystery novel, Trent's Last Case introduces the gentleman sleuth Philip Trent, a freelance reporter and invistigator. Trent becomes involved in the case of the murder of millionaire American financier Sigsbee Manderson, slain while on holiday in England.

An Ear for Murder When oboist Sara Baron returns to her hometown for her grandfather's surprise birthday party, she discovers her childhood friend has been murdered and 'hear no evil' isn't an option. Whispered Clues The new community center celebrates its grand opening with a flair. Boom! Lights out! The building contractor? Dead. When Sara's former teacher is accused of the murder, Sara steps in to find the real culprit and restore harmony to her hometown. Bad Vibes A land deal, whistle blowing, a jealous ex. No shortage of motives for her friend’s disappearance. When her friend's ...

The Mrs. Holmes mystery series distinguishes itself by offering stories that can be enjoyed in just a few minutes. It is the ideal series for fans of cozy mysteries, thrill-seekers, busy people, and those who prefer quick reads over lengthy 50,000-word novels. Opening this book quickly turns into a whirlwind of intrigue with “Slumber, Sneakers, and Stardust: Mrs. Holmes and the Mall Mystery.” On the busiest shopping day of the year, known as Black Friday, a mysterious man with a soldier-like vibe enters a mattress store and lies down. However, when he fails to wake up, the cozy ...

During his first trip to England in 1899, murder was the last thing that Hamlin Garland, the so-called "Dean of American Letters," expected to find. More predictable were his descriptions of American baseball and visits with notables like Arthur Conan Doyle and George Bernard Shaw. Yet when Garland tells Sherlock Holmes of a suspicious death that occurred at Hearthstone Hall, the detective replies, "You have described the ingredients of a classic murder mystery-a dead dowager empress and a collection of courtiers any one of whom might be the killer."

January 1970 finds Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, LA’s premier Black detective, at 50 years of age despite all expectations. He has a loving family, a beautiful home, and a thriving investigation agency. All is right with the world… and then Amethystine Stoller, his own personal Helen of Troy, arrives. Her ex-husband is missing. A simple enough case. But even as Easy takes his first step in the investigation he trips. He falls into the memory of things past. Little things, like loss, love, a world war, and a hunger that has eaten at him since he was a Black boy on his own.

Joe King Oliver’s beloved Grandma B has found a tumor, and at her age, treatment is high-risk. She’s lived life fully and without regrets, and now has only a single, dying wish: to see her long-lost son. King has been estranged from his father, Chief Odin Oliver, since he was a young boy. He swore to never speak to the man again when he was taken away in handcuffs. But now, Grandma B’s pure ask has opened King’s heart, and through his hunt, he gains a deeper understanding of his father as a complicated, righteous man—a man defined by women, a man protected by women, a man he wants to know.

When Catherine Saxon, an American correspondent reporting on the war in Europe, is found murdered in her London digs, news of her death is concealed by British authorities. Serving as a linchpin between Scotland Yard and the Secret Service, Robert MacFarlane pays a visit to Maisie Dobbs, seeking her help. He is accompanied by an agent from the US Department of Justice - Mark Scott, the American who helped Maisie get out of Hitler’s Munich in 1938. MacFarlane asks Maisie to work with Scott to uncover the truth about Saxon’s death.

The sole survivor of his family’s gruesome murder years earlier, poor little Ned Lawton has struggled to put the dark events behind him. So, when a brash New York detective darkens his doorway demanding an interview, the wealthy young gentleman immediately shuts him out. But a rash of murders in America are mirroring of the London killings, and Patrick Kelly knows Ned might be the key to stopping the bloodshed.

A wealthy debutante dodges an arranged marriage by becoming a Pinkerton agent, only to find out her first assignment will involve working undercover with the man she was supposed to marry. All her life, Bernadette Chambers has been following orders about how to dress, what to say, and who to say it to. However, she draws the line at marrying a man she’s never met, even though it means she’ll be disowned. Desperate for both money and adventure, she signs on as a Pinkerton agent, never dreaming her new partner will be the very man she was trying to avoid. Park Harrington is a shipping ...

An impoverished spinster in love with a man who’s married to his job…and the twist of fate that makes it his job to protect her… Madeleine Caruthers has been madly in love with her pastor for over a year, but (despite her conviction that the attraction is mutual) he’s made it clear he’s married to the church. So, when her friends summon her to Texas, she doesn’t think twice about signing on as a Pinkerton agent to help bring a dangerous cattle rustling gang to justice. As far as she’s concerned, women can marry their jobs, too. Pastor Josh Michaelson hates the fact that he’s...

A fake bride, a groom who’s not the man he claims to be, and their highly inconvenient spark of attraction… Lorelai Woods is convinced she's engaged to the perfect man, until she discovers he’s part of a cattle rustling gang trying to steal her blind. In a desperate bid to regain control of her family’s ranch, she applies for a job as a Pinkerton agent. Unfortunately, they need her to serve undercover as the fake bride of a fellow agent for a few weeks before launching an investigation into her family’s troubles. John Langston was pressed into sailing on a pirate ship when he was ...

When Melody Owens receives a call informing her that her seven-year-old daughter, Haven, is missing, her world is shattered. After she learns the details surrounding Haven’s disappearance, she is angry but keeps her anger at bay so she won’t cause further pain for her family. As she copes with Haven’s disappearance, she discovers a shocking betrayal that makes keeping her family together nearly impossible. Rueben Owens can barely stand seeing his family in agony. He feels helpless and like a failure for not protecting his daughter. He does all he can to comfort his wife Melody and ...

A marriage of convenience that sparks an accidental attraction… Jolene Lilygate makes a childhood pact to come to the aid of her two best friends — anytime, anywhere, no questions asked. So, when they summon her to Texas years later, she packs a bag and boards the next train. She soon finds herself serving as a detective-in-training with a highly experienced but very grumpy Pinkerton agent. When the agency assigns them to work undercover as a married couple, her grumpy partner shocks her by proposing a marriage of convenience instead. Agent Edgar Barella jumps at the chance to sink his ...

Romaine Wilder, big-city medical examiner with a small-town past, has been downsized and evicted. With few other options, she’s forced to return to her hometown of Roble in East Texas, leaving behind the man she’s dating and the life she’s worked hard to build. Suzanne Babet Derbinay, Romaine’s Auntie Zanne and proprietor of the Ball Funeral Home, has long since traded her French Creole upbringing for Big Texas attitude. She’s a member in a number of ladies’ auxiliaries and clubs, including being in charge of the Tri-County Annual Crawfish Boil and Music Festival. Hanging on to ...

Along the ever-changing border of gentrifying Los Angeles, 17-year-old Monique Darson is found dead at a condominium construction site, hanging in the closet of an unfinished unit. Homicide Detective Elouise "Lou" Norton's new partner, Colin Taggert, fresh from the comparatively bucolic Colorado Springs police department, assumes it's a teenage suicide. Lou isn't buying the easy explanation. For one thing, the condo site is owned by Napoleon Crase, a self-made millionaire...and the man who may have murdered Lou's missing sister, Tori, 30 years ago.