California Crime

Between 1846 and 1873, California's Indian population plunged from perhaps 150,000 to 30,000. Benjamin Madley is the first historian to uncover the full extent of the slaughter, the involvement of state and federal officials, the taxpayer dollars that supported the violence, indigenous resistance, who did the killing, and why the killings ended. This deeply researched book is a comprehensive and chilling history of an American genocide.

Private investigator Jessica Shaw is leading a quiet life in a Californian desert community, where she spends her days working low-level cases. But when a former resident asks Jessica to help her sister, Rue Hunter - a convicted murderer whose execution is days away - Jessica can’t resist the offer. Rue doesn't remember what happened the night two high school students were killed thirty years ago, but everybody in town is certain she’s guilty.

When Carol Montecalvo began writing to a man in prison through a program at her church, she considered it her Christian duty. But the letters soon became her lifeline, something she actually looked forward to sending and receiving. She fell in love with the man behind the letters and just before Dan was released, they wed in the prison chapel. Their marriage lasted nine years, until the fateful night when Dan stoically called 911 to report his wife's murder.

On a beautiful October day in the San Fernando Valley, teenager Missy Avila was lured into the woods, beaten, tortured, and drowned. Missy's best friend, Karen Severson, publicly vowed to find the killer and even moved in with Missy's family to help. Three years later, a surprise witness exposed the murderers as Missy's two best friends—one of whom was Karen. New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delivers a story full of twists, turns, betrayals, and confessions.

Raised in the suburb of Riverside, California, 20-year-old college student Jason Bautista endured for years his emotionally disturbed mother's verbal and psychological abuse. She even locked him out of the house, tied him up with electrical cord, and on one occasion, gave him a beating that sent him to the emergency room. On the night of January 14, 2003, Jason strangled his mother. To keep authorities from identifying her body, he chopped off her head and hands, an idea he claimed he got from watching an episode of the hit TV series The Sopranos.

For the man who already has it all, the reasonable thing to do is to take even more! Xavier Hightower, leader of the Duffle Bag Bwoys, robs a massive Mexican shipment that puts his crew at the top of the cartels assassination list. The ruthless criminal mastermind is determined to dominate the state of California in a savage manner never before seen. He gives birth to the first West Coast crime family that he affectionately dubs; the Golden State Heavyweights. But when war is declared on Xavier's criminal empire, he must deal with his demons at the same time that treachery from within ...

Written years before Jordan Harper’s breakout success, Everybody Knows, this stirring and brutal bildungsroman tells the story of young Luke Crosswhite, who after years apart from his criminal family returns to their flock deep in the California desert. Luke’s father is serving time for a brutal murder that Luke himself witnessed; now, his uncle vies for power and rival biker gangs encroach on the family’s various criminal enterprises.

Rachel Newhouse disappeared on the night of November 12, 1998. Only months later, in the same town, Aundria Crawford lost her life in an act of unimaginable violence. As authorities worked to find clues, parole officer David Zaragoza paid a routine visit to one of his charges - Rex Allan Krebs, a violent serial rapist who'd served only 10 years of a 20-year sentence. After sending Krebs back to jail for violating his parole, Zaragoza found a key chain belonging to one of the victims. An intensive search led to the gruesome discovery of buried remains near Krebs' secluded cabin.

City Developer Murdered at Historic Castle Anna's Cafe is flourishing. But the town of Dolphin Bay is in uproar as a city developer proposes new construction on the scenic Coastal Walk. Locals flock to the town meeting to protest. Hours later, the man is dead, stabbed to death in a room full of people. The police face a big challenge since everyone present had a motive to kill. When Anna’s friend and local resort owner Charlie Robinson becomes the top suspect, she reluctantly steps in to help. Can she ignore his sordid reputation and trust he is innocent? New secrets are revealed and ...

Man Found Dead On Park Bench The Butler women are thriving. Anna's Cafe is a big success and her friendship with ex police chief Gino Mancini is progressing slowly but steadily. Now she wants to focus on finding her husband John's killer. When a man is found dead in the botanical garden, Anna feels obliged to help Gino investigate. The police suspect the old man's son, a hostile young man with a clear motive. For the first time, Anna is inclined to agree with them. As details of the crime emerge, Anna realizes the dead man was hated by many. False alibis, feuding neighbors and estranged ...

Nora Harmon has a lot to be thankful for: two great kids, a stable marriage, and now, a dream career. Software consultant Jane Bell wants Nora on her team. She’s offering a fantastic salary, flexible hours, and a chance to travel the world. It sounds too good to be true, but Jane won’t take no for an answer. Jane acts more like a friend than a boss, and Nora’s personal and professional boundaries begin to blur. Jane is smitten with Nora’s perfect family—particularly her daughter—and far too attentive to Nora’s husband. Nora can’t help but feel insecure and unsettled.

When two men meet in the gym - the ex-boxer Billy Tully and the novice Ernie Munger - their brief sparring session sets into motion their hidden fates, initiating young Munger into the "company of men" and luring Tully back into training. Fat City tells of their anxieties and hopes, their loves and losses, and the stubborn determination of their manager, Ruben Luna, who knows that even the most promising kid is likely to fall prey to some weakness.

In this collection of true-life stories, we follow a young deputy sheriff in his adventures patrolling the sprawling heat of Imperial County, California, in the 1970s. From the humor of the town drunk to the tension of pursuing illegal immigrants, this book covers the gamut of a life in service to community and family. With police actions ever more under the microscope, these stories give the reader a broad look at police life and decisions. We ride along with rookie Deputy Pennings as he consoles the grieving, he dodges bullets, and he arrests the bad guys—and in a rural county of more ...

When someone disappears on Northern California’s lawless Murder Mountain, it isn’t news. The vast terrain for illegal marijuana harvests is also a notorious black hole for outsiders. But when that someone is the family friend of the persuasive and righteous Senator Steele, finding him becomes covert investigator Ryan Decker’s mission.

Chill is back on the streets after a state paid vacation in the penitentiary, how will he support his family? He works for a refrigeration company, but when the goverment goes after him for back child support by garnishiering his pay. He can't win for losing. When he is given the opportunity to make more money than he has seen in years, he jumps on it with two feet and is soon laundering credit.

This is Book 1 of The Jab Bone Murder Mysteries series. Leona Wilkes was a 15-year old daughter of a prominent NorCal family. Sheriff Bob Corman tried unsuccessfully in locating her. With a re-election looming and his approval rating dropping precipitously in the polls, he became more and more desperate for a solution. He enlists in Jab Boone's help to track her. Jab soon discovers that he is the hunted prey—by the same man responsible for killing his wife, Tiffin, along with three other influential women, in a Bay Area car-bombing. Jab discovers a connection between his wife’s murder ...

On October 12, 2005, a massive fire broke out in the Wines Central wine warehouse in Vallejo, California. Within hours, the flames had destroyed 4.5 million bottles of California's finest wine worth more than $250 million, making it the largest destruction of wine in history. The fire had been deliberately set by a passionate oenophile named Mark Anderson, a skilled con man and thief with storage space at the warehouse who needed to cover his tracks.

Rachel lives a quiet life in the peaceful countryside, content with her perfect man and her lovely dog. But when she stumbles upon a body in the woods one day, all that shatters. She knows what she has to do: run. Don’t get accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Rachel realises she’s already the prime suspect. With mounting evidence against her, Rachel’s only hope is to keep her past well hidden.

A private eye is framed for murder ...and must take down the mob to clear his name. Small-town private eye Roy Flynn turns high-flying fugitive when he is framed for the assassination of a drug kingpin. He flees with the drug trafficker’s wife to Barcelona, Porto Fino, and Bangkok in order to take down drug rings and uncover who set him up. Acclaimed mystery author Fritz Galt unleashes a timely tale in this gripping new international mystery, replete with chic European hotspots, super yachts and exotic locales. Chasing the Tiger will totally captivate you as it takes you on an ...

Oakland, California, 1983: a city churning with violent crime and racial conflict. Officer Hanson, a Vietnam veteran, has abandoned academia for the life-and-death clarity of police work, a way to live with the demons that followed him home from the war. But Hanson knows that justice requires more than simply enforcing the penal code. He believes in becoming a part of the community he serves - which is why, unlike most officers, he chooses to live in the same town where he works. This strategy serves him well...to a point. He forges a precarious friendship with the drug king of East Oakland.