Animals Crime Fiction

"The cows moved away from him as he stepped into the mud. The stench of manure and wet soil wafted over the area as Hamid saw something lying on the ground before him. Pushing one beast away from the site, Hamid saw a foot and a black gumboot sticking out from the mud. There was a mound of dirt around the boot, and as Hamid pulled on the boot, it came away. Ted Lassiter's red wool sock stood out in contrast to the brown of the mud. Hamid pulled out his phone and called the police." Detective Inspector Linden McCoy is called out to investigate a series of murders in the farming communities ...

A charming English village mystery.A stand-alone Chapman and Morris Mystery.After a tough winter, Kate is excited to receive a new house-sitting job in a clifftop manor house. As soon as they arrive, she experiences feelings of insecurity and the increasing sense she is being watched. Her sense of vulnerability is escalated by the paranoia of a young groom who does little to hide her attraction to Simon while persuading him to investigate the death of her grandmother. She believes her relative was murdered after seeing someone whose funeral she attended years earlier.While Simon chases ...

Some old grudges fester until they explode in dangerous ways. Pam and Paul Bigelow were excited and honored to be hosting the Sunrise Harbor Maine Animal Shelter’s annual Valentine’s Day charity event. They certainly didn’t anticipate their elegant Victorian mansion turning into a cold-hearted crime scene. We’re talking a man strangled with a string twinkling lights, the disappearance of a treasured family heirloom, and shelter dogs cowering in fear. All this happening in the span of a five minutes, all in complete darkness, and none of it making a bit of sense. Who’d want to ...

Standing quietly at the elevator door to the North Tower of the Ultimo Hotel in Las Vegas, JW watches the numbers go down as the elevator descends to him. He thinks—sixty-five floors? There is a serial killer up there! If the mission is a success, it means a second career chasing serial criminals with a special FBI task force. If not, the Lieutenant will be going home defeated and outsmarted by a warped criminal mind. JW needs this to work; he needs another chance at the man who shot him. The elevator doors open, and the team steps aboard.

Threats. Robberies. Vandalism. Is Oscar really the mastermind behind the latest Happy Hills crime spree? Or is there something more sinister going on? As the Canine Detective Club works to save Oscar’s good name and crime fighting reputation, little do they realize they’re being drawn into an even more dangerous and potentially life-threatening mystery. On the other side of a padlocked gate are neighbors desperately calling out for help. Will Oscar be able to save them in time? Could this mysterious property somehow be linked to Oscar’s past? An Oscar look alike leads them on an ...

When popular Bigfoot skeptic Kevin McNight is murdered, Jean Williams refuses to believe Detective Wheeler’s explanation that the killer was just a bear – she believes there was a human involved, and she’s determined to find justice for Kevin. With the local Bigfoot festival just days away, there many who stand to benefit from Kevin’s death - from the well-known Sasquatch believer Roy Turner, to the event organizers who profit from the festival each year, to the Bigfoot “researchers” who despised Kevin. In between working at her aunt’s bakery café, Jean finds time to slip ...

It’s lambing season at Oak Tree Farm! When a little lamb loses his mother, Jasmine names him Lucky and steps in to bottle-feed him and patiently help him learn to walk. With a sheepdog to train and two helpless baby birds to raise, it’s hard work for Jasmine to juggle all of her animals, even with the help of her best friend, Tom. But when sheep rustlers strike her family’s flock, taking Lucky with them, Jasmine will have to summon the courage for her most daring rescue yet.

On July 2, 2022, two criminals set out to rob a jewelry shop in Geneva. But even with a foolproof plan, their "perfect" heist will prove far from uneventful. . . Twenty days earlier, on a luxurious estate along the shores of Lake Geneva, Sophie Braun prepares to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Her life seems perfect: she has a fairytale marriage, two perfect children, and lives in a stylish modern mansion surrounded by lush forest. But her idyllic world is about to crumble. Her husband is becoming embroiled in petty schemes.

Two grisly murders are committed at a meatpacking plant by a person wearing a cow mask. Not long after, the CEO of a water park is brutally killed by someone wearing an orca mask. Interpol Agent An Chang believes these are the latest acts of a ruthless serial killer he has been chasing for more than 20 years...a killer who targets those who harm innocent animals.

A Cupcakes-and-Crime Caper When Paul Alwes, a "life coach" is murdered, Tiffany and Rosie are asked to investigate. But who would want to kill a popular life coach? Unfortunately, as they look into Paul's life, the harsh truth is revealed: Paul was a fake. Suddenly, it seems as though many in his life would've wanted him dead - including Tiffany's clients - and Tiffany and Rosie must race time to uncover the killer before they strike again...

They say small towns conceal big secrets—Holly’s learning the truth may be far more sinister… Moving to a coastal town got Holly away from the big city and corporate jobs. Little does she know she’s landed right in the middle of a mystery. As she pieces together information from the locals about the very rich Mongomery clan and their big house on the hill, the patriarch of the family dies. The suspicious circumstances regarding his death and rumors of the old man being cruel and arrogant paint a clear picture in people’s minds, despite the death being ruled natural causes. When an...

Midnight Rider Productions is a dark-web nightmare machine, headed by the one man who years ago drove Darby to hide in the seamy environs of Old Town and make his life there. But Darby left his own mark back in the day, and the shadowy head of production has a grudge to settle. Rider has found him at long last and plans to make an example of him.

HO HO HOMICIDE? When the man who plays Santa for the Maycroft Christmas Festival goes missing, the committee turns to Deena Sharpe to find him. Her reputation for solving mysteries is legendary. But when the case becomes a kidnapping, she's worried something sinister has happened. Sharpe Claus has plenty of suspects and enough finger pointing to keep Deena on her toes. Follow along as she tries to solve the case of the missing Santa! This fun, cozy Christmas novella can be read as a standalone in the Maycroft Mysteries by USA Today Bestselling Author Lisa B. Thomas. Like all the books in ...

One of America's most highly acclaimed mystery writers brings us another installment in the career of Henrietta "Henrie O" Collins, an ex-reporter turned sleuth. These days, Henrie O is teaching journalism at Thorndyke University, where she encourages an ambitious student to pursue an investigative series about three unrelated and hitherto unsolved local crimes. But the student's study habits get her killed.

On July 2, 2022, two criminals set out to rob a jewelry shop in Geneva. But even with a foolproof plan, their “perfect” heist will prove far from uneventful. . . .Twenty days earlier, on a luxurious estate along the shores of Lake Geneva, Sophie Braun prepares to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Her life seems perfect: she has a fairytale marriage, two perfect children, and lives in a stylish modern mansion surrounded by lush forest. But her idyllic world is about to crumble. Her husband is becoming embroiled in petty schemes.

Sometimes it is better leaving the past in the past… The Paul Madison PI cozy mystery series continues… A determined private investigator learns that even heroes aren’t perfect. A compassionate Medical Examiner must watch as the past begins to destroy the present. A vengeful crime boss systematically eliminates everyone who has wronged her. A shadowy spirit guide always shows up in the nick of time. A short read cozy filled with mystery, romance, and a touch of magic. Paul Madison finds himself facing family secrets that have the power to change his life forever. An unwelcome relative...

Max Darling hasn't been interested in crime since his brush with a seductive young woman put him in danger of losing his freedom. He even refuses to talk to a woman who calls for help and says she is afraid. The caller leaves word she's hidden something in the antebellum house Max and his wife, Annie, are restoring.

When the town playboy Robert Knox is killed, Shepherd Fall’s baker Janelle becomes the prime suspect. After all, she was the last one to see him alive, and was linked to him romantically. But Jean knows there’s no way someone as sweet as Janelle could be a killer! Diving head first into Rob’s life creates ripples in the town, and Jean quickly learns he was the cause of many secrets. A dentist and his pregnant wife, a waitress, and a reporter all seem to be a part of the web Rob found himself caught in. As things become more dangerous, Jean realizes that she’s caught in the web too, ...

How do you cope when the impossible happens? Poppy Parker's world is collapsing. Life was so safe and easy before her Grandma Beth had a stroke and ended up in a nursing home. Now she's desperately homesick and struggling to cope with life in a children's center. Worried her grandma may need help, Poppy runs away to visit her, never expecting to witness a serious crime that lands her under the temporary protection of the lead detective. Fearing that the police will return her to the children's center once she's no longer useful, Poppy hesitates to help them identify the suspect, focusing ...

Dave Sanchez, crime-fighting courier, has just been handed the scariest package he's ever seen, and it's addressed to none other than the dastardly Damien Black! Dave is well award that he should deliver the package, but when he sees the evil-looking potion inside, he knows he can't. So he comes up with a totally clever ruse to trick the villain and...it backfires. Big-time. Soon he's facing off with six-horned goats, terrifying tarantulas, a java-junkie monkey - and, of course, Damien Black!