African American Mystery Suspense

Essence® best-selling authors Kiki Swinson and De’nesha Diamond are two rising stars in the world of urban fiction. Heist presents two novellas starring young women hustling their way to the top of the game through daring robbery schemes. In Swinson’s The Ultimate Heist, pampered Shannon Marshall is accustomed to a big-money lifestyle. Her world is shattered, however, when her man is thrown into prison for gun running.

𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓'𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍, 𝑴𝒂𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂, 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝒔𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒂 ...

Blanche White returns to Farleigh, North Carolina for the summer to help her best friend with her catering business. It's a homecoming rich with the potential for new romance and fraught with the pain of facing the man who raped her at knife-point years ago but was never prosecuted for the crime. Shortly after Blanche arrives, a young woman is murdered and the clues point to the rapist. Blanche investigates, determined not to let him get away with another crime...nor is she willing to let his money-hungry sister marry a sweet, mentally-challenged man for his wealth.

Just when Aja and Ro were starting to heal and fall in love; the unthinkable happened and they are torn apart. Aja is missing and Ro is devastated and driven into an unstable condition. Can he find Aja in time before he loses himself? Ace has been in love with Kyra since they were young. He had given up on her and moved on with Camille. When circumstances start to lead him back to Kyra, her secret comes out devastating him. Will he forgive Kyra and choose her? Or will her secret lead him to stay with Camille? Akia and Ray have always been the perfect couple. But cracks start to form when ...

The Misfits are back and now they are international. Trigga, Diamond, and the crew are in London. Dame has been handled and everything should be perfect. But when a plan works too perfectly, there is bound to be some unfinished business. Secrets are exposed. Diamond has learned the game and now she must continue to embrace a life she was not meant to live while understanding the truths of her own past.

The D-City crew has had their share of up and downs, but nothing like the drama that they are facing now. Kyra and Ace are both devastated to learn that their daughter has been kidnapped, and that Shelly, Kyra’s mom, has been killed. Will their grief tear them apart? Or draw them together? Akia has always been a killer. Now that Ray has taken their daughter, Akia is in beast mode! Can Tan handle Akia the Killer? Or will he throw in the towel like Ray? Ro/Viper thought that he was getting everything under control. He and Aja are engaged, about to start a family, and he is getting help for ...

In the gritty urban landscape of Brooklyn, a tale of loyalty and betrayal unfolds, where alliances are tested, and lives hang in balance. Bucktown Hittaz delves into the life of Blood, a fearsome youngster whose unwavering loyalty is put to the ultimate test. Blood, a product of the tough streets of Brooklyn, has always stood by his mentor, Big, a well-respected figure in their neighborhood. But when Big is unjustly incarcerated, Blood finds himself thrust into battle against a ruthless group of old heads led by a notorious gangster, Duke. As Blood fights to protect his mentor’s legacy ...

Identity thief Lauren Kelly thought she was safe. The millions she stole from her double-crossing accomplice and ex-lover Matt Connors bought a quiet upscale life for her; her unsuspecting new husband, Drake; and their precious baby. But betrayal was just the beginning. When both Drake and the baby go missing, it's courtesy of a vengeful Matt. Lauren has less than 24 hours to give him back the money. She's prepared for any payback - but nothing can keep this exchange from going all-the-way wrong.

Sixteen-year-old Diamond "Ray-Ray" Jenkins has it made in the shade, until one wrong move by her parents turns their lives upside down. Their secret of taking from the wrong street King in the Trap, Damien Orlando, has now put her in peril. The death of her parents signals an end to Diamond's semi-perfect life, putting her in the hands of evil. Her only salvation is to learn the game, and to put her trust in a kid wearing a hoodie.

For Carter Madden, his time in the military isn't the only thing that haunts him. For Serenity Taylor, unanswered questions can drive a sane mind mad with speculation. But a Madden man may not be for every woman, especially when broken promises cut deep and unknown secrets whisper loudly in the dark.

Valentine Miller’s heart doesn’t live up to her name. She was burned by love and has made a career out of destroying others’ relationships. She is a media queen (known as the Queen of Mean) that hosts a show that exposes cheaters to their significant others. She has made a lot of enemies, and now, one of them wants her dead. In steps Arkell (Ark) Watson, a former savage turned legit. After watching the woman that he loved die because of his profession, he decides to run a security service that becomes one of the best in the country. After a run in with Valentine and subsequently ...

Armand Blackstone wants very little in life, and needs even less--he's a millionaire in his own right, and scion of the Blackstone Empire. He has everything at his fingertips, everything a man could want--except Jo Dawson. His borderline obsession has lasted for over a decade, and he manages it the same way he controls everything else around him: with icy perfection. Simultaneously distancing himself and yet staying constantly aware of her, he's managed to keep his dignity intact and stay away from the one woman that drives him past the point of control. But now she's at risk, his younger ...

You thought that things were crazy in the first series, just wait until you read the sequel. Melissa and August just want some peace in their life, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen with everyone from their past resurfacing. No matter how hard everything becomes between the new couple. Mike and Cassandra were finally in a place in their life that they loved, and they were in a place with each other that they loved even more. Carissa thought that she had lost everyone and felt that she was never going to be accepted again, so she did the only thing she felt was right. Side ...

In the pulsing heart of New Orleans, where ancient magic whispers through cobblestone streets and neon-lit jazz clubs, Detective Jason Chalk thought he knew the score. But when a routine drug bust spirals into a grotesque tableau of ritualistic murder, Jason finds himself standing at the threshold of a world he never knew existed—one where the lines between saint and sinner, magic and madness blur into oblivion. A cryptic symbol carved into flesh becomes Jason's obsession, a key to unlocking secrets that have lain dormant for centuries. As he delves deeper, the very fabric of reality ...

In this suspenseful Southern tale, we are introduced to King, a Southern born and bred hustler who is determined to take the drug empire handed to him by his father into the legitimate world of the music industry. Little does he know that when the streets birth you, trying to leave can be deadly. King's life is looking good when he meets a beautiful, classy queen.

MEMORIES BECOME THE MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON WHEN YOU CAN'T TRUST YOUR OWN. Willow Harper has been charged with the brutal murder of her friends. But confined to Bordeaux Behavioral Hospital with no recollection of that tragic night, she is left questioning her own innocence. Public defender Donovan Thomas takes on her case, determined to get to the truth. But Willow's convenient amnesia raises more questions than answers. Why can't she recall any details? And why does it seem like she's hiding something? But to comprehend Willow's unstable grip on reality means confronting the cracks in his ...

It's scorched-earth, all-or-nothing war for Memphis' most merciless ride-or-die women, and even their survival skills are no guarantee. And once alliances splinter and explosive revelations rip apart their empire, one diva's revenge will become the ultimate deadly reign.

Beautiful, powerful, successful, and the daughter of a billionaire, there’s nothing Tierra wouldn’t do for her family. Her family, especially her father, are the people she loves most in the world. Tierra knows that she can be overprotective and overbearing at times, but hey, she has learned that’s what it takes to get what you want in this life. But when her father’s health starts declining, Tierra isn’t sure what to do for the first time. Her father’s regular doctor is unavailable and the new doctor, Carter, makes her feel things she would rather not think about. Sure, he is ...

Dontay Walker had it rough growing up in the projects with a drug-addicted mother who forced him to become a man at the young age of 15. His father was a rolling stone, having multiple children with many women. Dontay always fought for his father's attention - until taking his spot became more important than gaining his love. Now, at the age of 30, Don is the leader of one of the most successful and most feared drug organizations in the city of Philadelphia.

In this explosive fourth installment of The Thugtress of Harlem, Lady reigns supreme over the DuPont crime family after the death of Drac. Firm in her newfound position, she controls the family with an iron fist. Confined to federal lockup, fighting unbeatable charges, Big Bear’s infuriated when learning that mostly everyone has flipped on him. Tension rises behind bars, and he strikes a powerful Harlem figure. This move brings forth chaos in the streets, causing many to flip on the DuPont’s for his actions. With Harlem turning on the DuPont’s, and even their own soldiers flipping, ...