Small Town Crime

The winters in Willow Falls, Iowa are cold, brutal and unforgiving. And so is the town’s newest visitor. Except he’s not passing through. He’s here on vacation, for some fun and he’s going to stay for a while. They call him “Robin Hood”, a winter serial killer who has left a gruesome trail of horror and d ath across four Midwestern states. His grisly trademark is skewering his victims to tree trunks using a hunting crossbow. Now he’s here.

Reunions Can Be Murder The town of Pelican Cove is abuzz with gossip. The infamous class of 1988 is back home for their 30th reunion. It's a time to indulge in nostalgia and take a trip down memory lane. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the big event, the grand unveiling of the time capsule. But the gala dinner takes a morbid turn when a man is shot dead. Petitioned by the grieving widow, local cafe owner Jenny King takes on the belligerent reunion delegates. As long buried secrets begin to surface, Jenny's sleuthing abilities will be tested. Meanwhile, the town folk are busy raising funds to ...

Whether in Truman Capote’s detailed murder of the Clutter family or Ted Bundy’s small-town charm, criminals have always roamed rural America and towns worldwide. Featuring murder stories, criminal case studies, and more, The Best New True Crime Stories: Small Towns contains all-new accounts from writers of true crime, crime journalism, and crime fiction. And these entries are not based on a true story - they are true stories. Edited by acclaimed author and anthologist Mitzi Szereto, the stories in this volume span the globe.

In The Accountant’s Cookbook for Murder, buttoned-up accountant Martin Wells never expected murder at the Redwood County Cook-Off. When a food critic dies mid-bite, Martin must follow the breadcrumbs—through sabotage, suspects, and savory secrets—to solve the case. It’s a cozy mystery where spreadsheets meet sabotage, and the recipe for murder gets personal.

A body is found on a quiet lane in Exmoor, victim of a hit and run. He has no ID, no wallet, no phone, and - after being dragged along the road - no recognisable face. Meanwhile, fresh from his last case, DCI Craig Gillard is unexpectedly called away to Devon on family business. Gillard is soon embroiled when the car in question is traced to his aunt. As he delves deeper, a dark mystery reveals itself, haunted by family secrets, with repercussions Gillard could never have imagined. The past has never been deadlier.

A seemingly straightforward private case turns out to be much more complicated - and sinister - than Special Agent A. X. L. Pendergast ever could have anticipated. Pendergast, together with his ward, Constance Greene, travels to the quaint seaside village of Exmouth, Massachusetts, to investigate the theft of a priceless wine collection. But inside the wine cellar, they find something considerably more disturbing: a bricked-up niche that once held a crumbling skeleton.

A sparkling Christmas light display ends in a deadly shock when a body is discovered beneath the twinkling decorations. Can an injured community cop illuminate the truth before the celebratory lights blow a festive fuse?On medical leave, Sergeant Keya Varma channels her dedication and passion into creating mince pies and seasonal delights for her buzzing café. But her holiday cheer is challenged when a Christmas lights enthusiast is found dead amidst his dazzling display. With the police station in turmoil, this dedicated detective puts aside her medical leave to untangle the mysterious ...

A body in the waves. A town full of secrets. A detective duo like no other. What should have been a routine lifeguard exercise turns deadly when Inspector Enna Koopmann stumbles upon a chilling discovery—a man floating in the North Sea, the victim of a suspicious drowning. With no obvious motive and a million euros mysteriously wiped from his debts before his death, Enna and her meticulous new partner, Detective Chief Inspector Pavel Neuhof, have their work cut out for them. As they dig deeper into the case, they uncover a web of secrets lurking beneath this quiet coastal town. But every ...

In the sprawling expanse of the Rocking W Ranch, high on top of Misty Mountain one woman's idyllic new start at life as a nanny takes a treacherous turn. Danica Cooper, recovered gambling addict and moving on with her life after helping bring down a crime boss, is now the nanny for the Dylan Wyatt’s twin boys. Dani hopes to find solace and purpose amidst the growing ranch. Little does she know that her picturesque world is about to be shattered by a sinister force. A mysterious man, lurking in the shadows, has cast a dark cloud over The Rocking W. His demand is simple but ominous – one ...

In a sleepy North Carolina textile town, rookie reporter Ronald Truluck is bored with writing about lawn mower thefts when he gets a tip—city councilman Lamont Moody got drunk, drove his Bonneville off the road, and ripped up somebody’s front yard. But the police let him walk away. Recognizing a cover-up when he sees it, Ronald vows to break Lamontgate and make his bones as a serious journalist. It won’t be easy. Ronald is a long-haired pothead who’s loosey-goosey with the facts. His paper, The Eagle, runs pet-of-the-week photos on the front page, not corruption stories.

After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now, more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.

Sophie knew real fear and never more so than now. They had to escape the increasing danger...and that meant leaving their home. And she knew it might not be there to come back to. But their options were few...staying could be deadly. She knew disappearing wasn’t enough...they needed a safe place. Somewhere no one would ever think to look. She’d desperately hoped their grandmother’s house would be safe... That didn’t work out. Caleb was determined to keep his best friend’s widow and children safe. But first he had to find them. Travel with Caleb, Sophie and her family on an ...

In the town of Ada, Oklahoma, Ron Williamson was going to be the next Mickey Mantle. But on his way to the Big Leagues, Ron stumbled, his dreams broken by drinking, drugs, and women. Then, on a winter night in 1982, not far from Ron’s home, a young cocktail waitress named Debra Sue Carter was savagely murdered. The investigation led nowhere. Until, on the flimsiest evidence, it led to Ron Williamson. The washed-up small-town hero was charged, tried, and sentenced to death - in a trial littered with lying witnesses and tainted evidence....

When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path. But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened. Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by its toe. It's seared into Atlee Pine's memory: the kidnapper's chilling rhyme as he chose between six-year-old Atlee and her twin sister, Mercy. Mercy was taken. Atlee was spared. She never saw Mercy again. Three decades after that terrifying night, Atlee Pine works for the FBI. She's the lone agent assigned to the Shattered Rock, Arizona resident agency, which is responsible for protecting the Grand Canyon. So when one of the Grand Canyon's mules is found stabbed to death at the bottom of the canyon - and its rider missing - Pine is called in to investigate.

"I can explain." That's what everyone says when they're caught breaking the law. City Council Commissioner Sloane Bishop is a murderer. I don't think she meant to kill her abusive ex. But when I walk through the door, he's breathing his last. I was on my way to do the job myself; too bad she beat me to it. Now the cops want to know what happened. They're sniffing around and asking questions. Sloane has a choice: marry me or go to prison. After all, they can't make your husband testify against you... It's a spousal privilege marriage of convenience. Filthy Sinner is the third book in The ...

She's pregnant with my baby, now she's on the run. Nicolette was supposed to be a one night stand. She's the daughter of my brother's sworn enemy. But a few nights in a fancy hotel room changes everything. I heard Nicolette left town, running from the man that knocked her up. Except I'm the only man she's been with. If she's going to be the mother of my child, she belongs to me. I don't care how long I have to hunt her or what it takes to keep her. Nicolette Calvino will be mine. Savage Prince is the fourth book in The Valenti Crime Family series, featuring a morally grey anti-hero that ...

She’s got one good leg. Two bad habits. And enough attitude to burn this whole town down. Nik Briscoe is an ex-Navy SEAL with a titanium prosthesis, a telekinetic secret she’ll kill to protect, and a gift for pissing off all the wrong people. After getting blamed for a New Orleans drug boss’s dead brother, Nik’s been on the run—living out of her pack, staying one jump ahead of the bounty hunters sent to collect her head. Her latest stop? Possum Trot, Alabama. She just wants a burger and five minutes of peace. What she gets is a twitchy junkie with a six-shooter, a murder rap ...

It is a cold January morning, and Shetland lies beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a splash of color on the frozen ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbor, Catherine Ross. The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man - loner and simpleton Magnus Tait.

In The Poisoned Pastry, baker Fiona Turner’s new gourmet doughnut was meant to save her family bakery—until a food critic dies after tasting it. With Sweet Blessings Bakery shut down and her dream in jeopardy, Fiona trades her apron for detective work. Someone’s mixed murder into her recipe, and she’s determined to uncover the truth. Armed with baking instincts, loyal staff, and town gossip, Fiona must catch a killer before her future is left in crumbs.