Southern Crime Fiction

Her fiancé battles terrorists… He's one of America’s elite…Marrying him is a risk – suppose he doesn’t come home?Alex, now living in Virginia and working in Washington, DC for the Institute of Medicine, is recalled to the Big Easy to investigate a series of hospital crimes where she reconnects with her ex-husband Robert, the calm, steady surgeon.She realizes she misses him desperately as guilt consumes her…A series of emergency calls, one from the hospital, another from her home, Twist her heart and her…What will she do? She’s being pulled in so many directions… Evil ...

From the Editor: Night in London is a feast of non-stop action. It moves with the velocity of a breaking wave. And it gains a special impact from the fact that it rings of authenticity. When Casey Christie describes the viciousness and extreme brutality of a criminal gang, he is writing from raw experience. Christie was at the cutting edge of the police drive against criminals in Johannesburg. And we meet again with the colourful crew he assembled in his first novel set in South Africa—the fearsome Black Bastards, so called because they have special police dispensation to wear all-black ...

In the far south, a young girl goes missing, lost without trace in the wilderness beyond her remote family cottage. A year later, her father disappears in the exact same place. Then, nothing. At all. Eventually, the years grow over the grief. The decades wear away the questions and life flows past the forgotten tragedy. Until Finn moves into the abandoned home, looking for a fresh start.

The polite Piedmont town of Hillston, North Carolina, wants to go on believing it is still too temperate to require homicide experts. But when the wife of a state senator is found beaten to death, the inner circle of Hillston’s ruling families arranges to have the case assigned to Detective Justin Savile, the charming black sheep of the dynasty that founded the town. Aided by his wise-cracking partner and a young woman from the Carolina mountains whose strength and love rescues him from his own destructive impulses, Savile sets out to unravel the deceit hidden in Hillston’s past.

When forensic psychologist Claire Britten started working with lawyer Nick Markwood on his South Shores project, she had no idea it would endanger her life - and the life of her daughter. But when the little girl goes missing from her South Florida home and Nick insists his longtime nemesis is to blame, Claire frantically follows the trail to the Cayman Islands, desperate to save her daughter before it's too late.

"What I love about Steven F. Freeman’s writing is that he keeps you guessing; just when you think you’ve figured it all out, he throws another curveball at you. This clever style of writing keeps the reader on their toes throughout. The action in When the Killing Starts begins on page one and never lets up. This novel can be read as a stand-alone story. Action/thriller readers will love this book as much as I did." - Readers' Favorite The Winter Olympics: the perfect time for competition, sportsmanship…and mayhem Days before the Winter Olympics are scheduled to begin, host country ...

Samantha Patrick's cousin Sarah has lived with an abusive husband for thirty years. After a brutal attack she finally finds the courage to leave. Sarah goes to Land's End looking for safety and comfort with her family on this small, idyllic island but the horror is not over yet. Someone is stalking Sarah. Is it the abusive husband or someone else? Will Land's End be the place where Sarah finds new life, or it will be where it ends?

A young black woman, Jamila Mosely, is killed, but slain even worse by media coverage that refuses to let her be an innocent victim. Per usual, they air her most questionable photo, and hint at sketchy associations to portray her as a victim to her own devices. Detective Sawyer takes it personal. Sawyer becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth and restoring dignity to the name of a young lady not much older than her daughter Star. And yet there is still the unresolved issues with Chosen, Travis, Duke, and even her struggling marriage to contend; Sawyer has a full plate. Under the ...

A cabin in the woods. Three dead, one in critical condition. Property owned by not just any Tennessee local, but one of the richest men in the country. Vera Boyett isn’t quite sure what it means. But that’s why Sheriff Gray “Bent” Benton called her: to figure it out. Criminal analysis is what she does best. Even when the town is in panicked shambles, even when the case is more delicate than most…and even when it’s not the only case on her plate.

"The Serpent and the Menace brilliantly blends the mystery and crime thriller genres and can be enjoyed from both the fictional thriller and historical aspect." –Anne Brownlow, ex-criminal investigator John Doby is many things: a venomous snake hobbyist and societal dissident with a list of priors not for the faint of heart, an autodidact versed in herpetology and Native American languages—and according to some, a “carnival attraction” and “welfare queen.” But is he the person responsible for the disappearance of local boy, JC Wagoner, in this quiet community? Is John involved? ...

The deed is done when flower petals land on the body. To this serial killer, it’s all about the flowers. It always has been and always will be. A young female slides onto a stool at a hotel bar, hoping to escape life for a few minutes. She promises herself one drink will make it all better, even though she doesn’t drink alcohol. Halfway through her drink, she chats with a nice-looking guy. Then things turn for the worse. The following day, Sheriff Steele responds to a report of a deceased body at the park. The victim was later identified, and her death shocked even the hardened agents ...

Black ops specialist Aubrey Sentro may be one concussion away from death. But when pirates seize the cargo ship she’s on, she must decide whether to risk her life to save her fellow passengers. Sentro’s training takes over, and she’s able to elude her captors, leaving bodies in her wake. But her problems are just getting started. Her memory lapses are getting more frequent, symptoms of serial-concussion syndrome. As she plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with the pirates, she pushes herself to survive by focusing on thoughts of her children.

She’d known the boy he was and it had never been a secret that she loved him with all her heart...then walked away...her dreams and hopes lost. Years later her life depends on the man he’s become. Dark secrets and twisted truths...hidden clues and unexpected danger...a lost island of dreams and mystery... There was only time to grab her purse and the small keepsake box she couldn’t leave behind. She had no choice but to trust a family friend with his own share of secrets to keep them safe from a mysterious and threatening danger. But was her heart safe from him...was it ever? Addie ...

Flooded by memories, poisoned by Agent Orange, Dan Lambert kills a man in a moment of fear and fury - and changes his life forever. Pursued by police and bounty hunters, Dan flees south toward the Louisiana bayous. In the swamplands he meets Arden Halliday, a young woman who bears the vivid burdens of her own past, and who is searching for a legendary faith healer called the Bright Girl. Looking for simple kindness in a world that rarely shows it, bound by a loyalty stronger than love, Dan and Arden set off on a journey of relentless suspense and impassioned discovery....

With one phone call from a man he barely recalls meeting years ago, South Florida detective Louis Kincaid heads to the Michigan town of his college days to reopen a disturbing cold case -- and finds himself confronting his own painful past secrets...secrets that risk his future with the woman he loves, detective Joe Frye.

All Mel and Dana wanted was a weekend break... Mel and Dana take a long weekend break with the family on a Lake Erie island, or so they planned. Things just never seem to work out as they plan because crime follows them everywhere. Will they ever get a break? Probably not, but maybe Mel will find the career spark that's been missing for a while. This is a short story featuring Mel and Dana that takes place sometime after Book 12 of the Morelville Mysteries series. You don't need to have read the series to enjoy this story, but it will certainly help you understand Mel and her motivations. ...

Which of the following short stories would you read first? A.) A stubborn donkey challenges a Tennessee race horse. B.) A chess match ends in bloodshed. C.) Two sisters beg a funeral director to play their daddy's favorite Johnny Cash song. D.) A shooter takes aim from a church baptistry. E.) Two astronauts survive a horrific spinout only to return to earth and find everybody else walking around in super slow motion. Why not read them all? They're all in this far-flung collection of short stories and more. Scroll up and get them now with just one click.

In the second entry of his compilation of the most notorious deeds in European history at his point in time, Alexandre Dumas composes an essay covering a span of nearly 300 years of strife between the Catholics and Protestants of Southern France. Dumas recounts numerous instances of bloody conflict, unruly mobs, assassination, and political turmoil as the Protestants of the region fight to live and worship as they choose and Catholics endeavor to suppress a dangerous threat to their hegemony.

When one of Hannah Huntsford's friends goes missing, the private investigator starts a frantic search to find her. Hannah is determined to find her friend at all costs. She's willing to risk life and limb to get answers.

Alex returns to Wyndley Farm, her childhood home in Virginia, to await the birth of her baby. An urgent call from Crescent City Medical Center compels her to return to New Orleans to investigate cruel, questionable incidents and heinous patient deaths. Digger Stildove returns from Yemen where he has searched for Jacob Stark. Michaela McPherson travels from Richmond with police dog Angel to consult with Commander Francoise in his search for St. Germaine. Events unfold as the evil continues and the hospital attempts to safeguard patients and staff.Updated 10.9.2020