American Crime

Doing Time: For the prison writers whose work is included in this anthology, it means more than "serving a sentence"; it means staying alive and sane, preserving dignity, reinventing oneself, and somehow retaining one's humanity. For the last quarter century the prestigious writers' organization PEN has sponsored a contest for writers behind bars to help prisoners face these challenges. The contest honors the best short stories, plays, essays, and poems among hundreds submitted annually by men and women nationwide.

On October 20, 1973, in San Francisco, a White couple strolling down Telegraph Hill was set upon and butchered by four young Black men. Thus began a reign of terror that lasted six months and left 15 Whites dead and the entire city in a state of panic. The perpetrators wanted nothing less than a race war.

On September 5th, 1934, a young beachcomber made a gruesome discovery on the shores of Cleveland’s Lake Erie: the lower half of a female torso, neatly severed at the waist. The victim, dubbed “The Lady of the Lake,” was only the first of a butcher’s dozen. Over the next four years, twelve more bodies would be scattered across the city. The bodies were dismembered with surgical precision and drained of blood. Some were beheaded while still alive.

On February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, a sophomore in college and heiress to the Hearst family fortune, was kidnapped by a ragtag group of self-styled revolutionaries calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Army. The already sensational story took the first of many incredible twists on April 3, when the group released a tape of Patty saying she had joined the SLA and had adopted the nom de guerre “Tania.”

There will be blood.My name is Lordes Donovan. Some people call me Lord but I’m no savior. My mother never wanted me. My trash bag father never cared about me. Being raised without parents had its pitfalls but I’m resilient. I’m stronger than the weak people that created me. I’m an only child. I like it that way. I never needed a big family. I never needed the love of a woman. All I have I acquired on my own. I’m a self-made multi-millionaire bachelor with no time for serious romantic connections until … As soon as I caught her in my arms I knew I had to have her. LaBria Harris ...

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

The fast-paced, hood drama continues in BBW Looking for Love 4. The tension is heating up between Jevon and Detective Robinson. He’s a criminal. She’s a cop. They’ve got no business being in a hotel room together. Will they be able to control their intense desires? Breanna’s life has been thrown upside down. She's gone from one crisis to another. But there’s always been someone there to save her. Her luck might’ve just run out. Shaniyah really wants to build something with Jevon. But she’s starting to realize that there might not be room in his life for a serious relationship....

She thought he would save her. Now they are crawling through hell together with nothing left but guilt, rage, and a chance at revenge. Brianna trusted Sergei with everything. Her safety. Her secrets. Her heart. But when the Black Veil captured them both, stripped them, and forced them to perform for the camera, that trust shattered. She expected to hate him. He expected to be hated. But what neither of them expected was the fire that still burns beneath the wreckage. Every scrape of their bodies in the vents, every whispered promise of escape, reignites the hunger they both swore to bury. ...

It is dawn on Thursday, 14 February 2019, and armed FSB agents are raiding Michael Calvey’s Moscow apartment. He is being arrested for a crime that never happened.

For Reece and Qwess, being rap superstars was the dream, but in real life, nothing moved without the money. So they formed the Crescent Crew, an outfit of young, ruthless hustlers who locked the Southern drug trade in a stranglehold. They're at the height of their power when Qwess is offered a record deal from a major label. He accepts and makes plans for his whole crew to go legit, but Reece enjoys his position as king of the streets and has no desire to relinquish his crown.

There will be betrayal. My name is Labria Harris. I didn’t ask for this life. The man a love is knee deep in it. I stood by Lordes but there is only so much I can deal with. He wants to be a Bregoli and there is nothing I can do to stop him. With that name comes rules that I don’t think I can live by. I want to fight for us but I can’t be the only one going into battle. This isn’t the life I dreamt of when I met the man I fall in love with. Author's Note: This is a dark romance novel with mature themes that might make some readers uncomfortable. There may be triggers that affect ...

We are behind, and below, the scenes of JFK's presidential election, the Bay of Pigs, the assassination - in the underworld that connects Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, DC....

" La Mia Famiglia is more than the usual coming-of-age story. Anthony Scarpo's personal journey against struggles outside his control, is framed against the backdrop of growing up in his father's bar business, the insular world of 1960s and 70s Tampa, and the unnerving specter of the Mafia. An intriguing, and well-paced, story that belongs firmly in the Tampa history canon." Scott M. Deitche. Author Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld From modest beginnings in a Pennsylvania coal mine to the height of success in Tampa, Florida, there was one constant threat in the ...

Some of the best-known and most influential pieces of crime fiction have been from African American writers. Be it Walter Mosley's great Detective Easy Rawlins, or the mean streets of Harlem at the hands of Chester Himes, the stories and characters in this anthology have shaped the mystery genre with their own unique viewpoints and styles. Contributors to the collection include Robert Greer, Chester Himes, Walter Mosley, Cary Phillips, Frankie Bailey, and Richard Wright.

After surviving A brutal attack, Jayla wakes up in the hospital, dazed and confused. She's grateful to be alive. But she's desperate to check on her son who was also seriously injured. Unfortunately for her, a major obstacle stands in the way. Despite all the work he's done in the streets, Drako has never found himself in handcuffs before. That's about to change. All he wants to do is get to the hospital and check on Jayla and her little boy. But his nemesis Detective Fields has other ideas. He's been trying to put Drako behind bars for several years. This might just be the opportunity he's...

With Drako's help, Harmony has managed to stay clean these last few months. He's become her new addiction. As long as he keeps showing her love and affection, she knows she'll be all right. Unfortunately, he seems to be pulling away from her since Jayla showed up at the club. She's not willing to share him. But she’s willing to do everything necessary to get rid of her rival. Jayla's baby daddy Keenan isn't dead. At least not yet. His captors have filled his head with lies. He believes that Jayla and his son are being brutally mistreated by Drako. Now he's being sent on a mission to take ...

After being kidnapped and taken to a warehouse, Jayla thought that she had only a few minutes left to live. In those final moments, all she cared about was protecting her son. But just when she'd given up any hope of surviving, a guardian angel swooped in to save her. Drako isn't your typical guardian angel. He's a notorious Harlem Kingpin with a violent past, a turbulent present, and a very dangerous future. He agrees to take Jayla and her son from their captors. He plans on putting her to work in his club, Shakerz. Jayla has no choice but to agree to this unusual arrangement. She's ...

A Marine returns home after suffering wounds from an RPG blast that killed many of his squad members, including his best friend. He now faces brutal battles at home. Sully’s parents are estranged, his father is an invalid, and the family ranch is nearing bankruptcy. Murdering thieves are stealing champion horses and disappearing into the desert like ghosts. While attempting to make peace with his abusive father, Sully discovers the shocking secrets that drove his parents apart. Deeply resentful, he works with his father solely for the survival of the ranch. Sully finds comfort in Maggie, ...

When a reservation scout discovers a woman’s body, it triggers a chilling chain of events including corruption, kidnapping, and murder. Rex Chambers—charismatic, powerful, and on the verge of becoming Oregon’s next governor—harbors dark secrets he’ll do anything to protect… An extortionist threatens to blow up a hydroelectric dam unless a ransom is paid. Is the threat real, or a smokescreen for his evil intentions? ... Credit Manager Shayla Treppa investigates illicit payments to a shadowy corporation—then she vanishes without a trace… A young Native American, distrustful of...

Broken Angel was written by USA TODAY Bestselling Author Reana Malori She was an angel... craving chaos. He was a demon... seeking peace. When Nico Mitchell met Lavinia Ross, it was annoyance-at-first-sight. She pushed his buttons, created chaos in her wake, and made him fall in love with the very essence of her soul. He’d never claimed to be a nice man, or even a good man, but none of that mattered to her. When Lavinia believes he’s betrayed her, the anger and retribution are swift and unmistakable. They call him a demon, but he needs his broken angel to soothe his soul. They were a ...