California Crime

Umiko Wada never set out to be a private detective, let alone become the one-woman operation behind the Kodaka Detective Agency. But so it has turned out, thanks to the death of her former boss, Kazuto Kodaka, in mysterious circumstances. Keen to avoid a similar fate, Wada chooses the cases she takes very carefully. A businessman who wants her to track down his estranged son offers what appears to be a straightforward assignment. But she should have known that the simplest cases are never really simple at all. Soon she finds herself pulled into a labyrinthine conspiracy.

The day starts like any other in LA. The sun burns hot as the Santa Ana winds blow ash from mountain fires to coat the glittering city. But for Private Investigator Joe Pike, the city will never be the same again. His ex-lover, Karen Garcia, is dead, brutally murdered with a gun shot to the head.

Alex Wright’s life as a surfing real estate appraiser in Laguna, California turns dark. In the months that follow the tiki torch march in Charlottesville, Virginia, first the wife of his dog grooming friend, Samantha, is brutally assaulted for no reason other than her same-sex marriage. Then two weeks later a seventeen year old high school student is murdered possibly because he is Jewish. Alex feels the need to deal with these crimes, and to attempt to end hatred in Orange County, California. Follow his path to solving these crimes and gather support for his newest crusade. This is the ...

After a long Labor Day weekend, 73-year-old Eugene Washington is found dead in his Leimert Park home. At first blush, his death seems unremarkable- heat wave combined with food poisoning from a holiday barbecue. But something in the way Washington died doesn’t make sense. LAPD Homicide Detective Elouise "Lou" Norton is called to investigate the death and learns that the only family Washington had was the 6,000-member congregation of Blessed Mission Ministries, led by Bishop Solomon Tate. But something wicked is lurking among the congregants of this church.

Delve into the hidden underbelly of crime as we unveil the secrets of the Los Angeles Mafia Crime Family. From its elusive origins to its far-reaching influence, prepare to uncover the tangled web of power, intrigue, and betrayal that defined this criminal empire.

Book #3 in the Jab Boone Murder Mystery Series A car-bombing, similar to the one that killed Tiffin Boone and friends four years ago, resurfaces in the Bay Area. It turns out that the actual bomb maker, known as The Caveman, has his sights on Jab Boone! Complicating matters is the murder of Under-Sheriff Sherry Davis and the lurid press fascination between Jab and The Caveman. Jab enlists sheriffs in three separate counties as well as the FBI to stop The Caveman from wreaking further havoc!

She was leaning against the door. Her smile was a sickly twisted grimace; the sort a prisoner gives a judge when he's asked if he has anything to say before he's sentenced. Russell Haxby is a ruthless used-car salesman obsessed with manipulating and cavorting with married women. In this classic of hard-boiled fiction, Charles Willeford crafts a wry, sardonic tale of hypocrisy, intrigue, and lust set in San Francisco in the early '50s.

Just released from prison, Trip Walker’s hopes for a fresh start are shattered after finding his twin sister Rose has vanished without a trace. Determined to uncover the truth, Trip plunges into the dark past he left behind, only to find powerful forces are also hunting for Rose—with sinister intentions. Dodging hired killers and crooked cops, he races to find his sister, all while uncovering secrets of his own family’s past. With time running out and enemies closing in, Trip faces an impossible choice: abandon his search, or risk everything—including his newfound freedom—for the ...

This suspenseful true story of a drug cartel hitman who got away with murder after murder in California's Central Valley over three decades reveals how the criminal justice system fails our most vulnerable immigrant communities. On the surface, 58-year-old Jose Martinez didn't seem evil or even that remarkable - just a regular neighbor, good with cars and devoted to his family. But in between taking his children to Disneyland and visiting his mom, Martinez was also one of the most skilled professional killers police had ever seen.

Book 7 of the Jab Boone Murder Mystery Series Sheriff Corman, Jab’s sworn enemy, recommends Jab to a Central California sheriff. Corman wants Jab to track a 12-year old cold case. Even harder, Jab would have to track the victim’s voice only. Complicating Jab’s time are ultra-extremist Arab murderers, practicing their deadly skills in Northern California. They’re targeting young, Mayoral daughters with Clare Blevens, Jab’s star tracking pupil, next!

She played with fire to save her legacy. He walked through flames to protect her. With her father's terminal illness draining their funds, Peach has resorted to desperate measures, including secretly dancing for strangers online to maintain the family ranch. But when she discovers hidden cameras in her bathroom and starts receiving threatening messages from an obsessed fan, she realizes that she's not the only one with secrets to hide. When mysterious CC Investments offers to buy the property, the small town's mistrust of outsiders threatens to destroy Peach's last chance at salvation. ...

In Swimming to Catalina, ex-cop-turned Manhattan attorney and investigator Stone Barrington is back, still smarting from his sudden breakup with brilliant, beautiful magazine writer Arrington Carrington, who has left him to marry Hollywood's hottest male star, Vance Calder. Then Calder calls Stone for help: Arrington has vanished without a trace, and Calder, refusing to call the police, wants Stone to find her.

1800's Spanish California meets modern-day crime tale leading to the Monterey Peninsula. For James Michener, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Clive Cussler fans. The Monterey Peninsula's rich past and present are tied together through a two century old secret and the legacy of Robert Louis Stevenson in this complex mystery/thriller. The Stevenson Plan delves beyond the well-known images into the history and culture of this unique corner of the world. FBI Agent John Gibson finds himself re-assigned to investigate a mesmerizing heist from the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank that leads him to ...

His worst enemy becomes his last hope… When Trip Walker’s nemesis, Eddie, survives a brutal attack, Trip is blindsided by Eddie’s bombshell revelation: the person behind the attempted murder is Rose—Trip’s sister. Driven to confront the shocking truth, he must delve into her hidden past, placing him in the crosshairs of a violent gang she once called friends. And with the police circling and old enemies holding grudges, Trip confronts a deadly dilemma. He’s forced to team up with Eddie and his ruthless crew, all while knowing they could betray him at any moment. Caught between ...

Jaleesa, Kai, Ilya and Dani are online best friends, and superfans of the hit TV show City of Night. Fantasising about the show in their chatroom, they find an escape from their troubled small-town lives. Everything changes when Chloe, make-up artist to the show's star Alice Temple, enters the chat. When Chloe tells them Alice is in danger the four resolve to save her, and make their way to California. But fantasy is quickly overtaken by reality. Alice's troubles, they discover, will shine the spotlight on all of them. And not in a good way.

Alan Woolsham was at the top of his game. He was an acclaimed television star in England and had come to New York to film four special TV shows dealing with British antiques. The shows were to be taped at the Whitney Museum, and Alan hoped to open up a whole new viewing audience for his wildly successful show. But things didn’t go as planned. Murder does have a way of changing things. So much for stardom in the States. Marty and her husband, Jeff, were in New York City for what the hype promised to be a television and museum extravaganza about British antiques. Marty, an art and antique ...

Thirty-something ex-cop-turned-P.I. Cal Corwin faces her most puzzling murder case yet. When a friend of a friend dies in suspicious circumstances, the police believe it's open-and-shut. As Cal digs deeper to get to the bottom of the mystery, she finds herself a target for those who want the truth to stay dead and buried.

After ten long years as a private detective, Stockton native Jake Carter is finally closing his LA agency. In just a few days he’ll put the missing teens and cheating spouses behind him and join the city's corporate world full of cushy jobs and hefty paychecks. But when his former partner is found dead in a Stockton homeless camp, murdered by a ruthless serial killer who’s targeting the city’s most vulnerable population, Carter will put his dreams on hold and return to his hometown to find the madman responsible before he strikes again. But solving this case won’t be so easy. ...

Fifteen amazing authors. Fifteen tales with “cemetery plots”. Welcome to the 2021 Capitol Crimes Anthology. A cadre of superlative judges selected the best of the best to put in this audiobook. With a foreword by best-selling author Catriona McPherson, delve into the creative minds of Capitol Crimes members. The setting: Northern California. The theme: that place we all finally must visit, the cemetery. The plots and characters are as diverse as the authors. And their stories will touch your spirit where adventure and fear intersect.

Who is Claire Gravesend? So wonders PI Lee Crowe when he finds her dead, in a fine cocktail dress, on top of a Rolls Royce, in the most dangerous neighborhood in San Francisco. Claire's mother, Olivia, is one of the richest people in California. She doesn't believe the coroner: her daughter did not kill herself. Olivia hires Crowe, who - having just foiled a federal case against a cartel kingpin - is eager for distraction. But the questions about the Gravesend family pile up fast.