Western Crime Thrillers

Tales is a collection of six short stories by Montana author Dave Lloyd.

A young woman is found laid out on top of a coral sarcophagus in the Key West Cemetery, her nude body wrapped carefully in a white silk sheet tied at the waist with a wide red ribbon and a diamond ring in her mouth. Key West detectives David Sharkey and Doug Webber are baffled by the bazaar staging of the body. As they start their investigation, Titus Steel, a young private investigator from Miami, offers to help with valuable information that this has happened twice before.

In the dark heart of West Virginia, an ancient evil awakens—one that has been buried for centuries, bound by a curse and fueled by a thirst for blood. Baron Reiner Vischi, once a nobleman, is resurrected from his grave, and with him, a reign of terror begins. But this is no ordinary vampire story. Tainted by the modern world’s drug epidemic, Reiner must navigate a city rife with addiction, corruption, and an insatiable hunger for crack cocaine. Detective Christian Thalmus, disgraced but determined, is called to investigate a series of brutal murders that defy explanation—victims ...

Created by Les Savage, Senorita Scorpion is in fact Elgera Douglas, a young lady who became a legendary outlaw defending her family's land and legacy, the fabled Lost Santiago Mine. Beautiful and deadly. A crack shot. A fast-thinking, daring fighter who is ruthless to those who threaten the land and people under her protection!

The grand re-opening of the saloon was the biggest event the Gulch had seen in 20 years–the last biggest event in memory being the local Radio Shack carrying cell phones and the only used car dealership in the county now selling cars and trucks that weren't manufactured in the 1970s.

Juni is dying to meet Hunter, Chad’s husband. Seems like it’s easy to be married to Hunter. He plays squash and makes bank. As far as awkward meetings go, where somebody ends up dead, this one’s #goals. Chad’s shadow, Beck, is now his best student, as Juni slowly hands over the reins of Home’s daily operation - and indoctrination - to her ex. She’s slightly jealous of Chad’s ability to mindshare with "our kids", - a talent Juni lacks. Pop’s passing brings Juni to a decision point. Is Chad ready to know the truth? Yes. Is Chad ready to know the whole truth?

A bounty hunter always catches his man, even if the men he is chasing are dangerous gang-bangers and murderers. Mysterious bounty hunter Spade is hired by the new governor of Texas when voters start to become terrified of the crime waves that are taking over the state. Spade is ordered to kill Gomez and Santez, two of the most wanted murderers in Texas. He is given permission to use any force necessary to get the job done.

Sometimes bad people just need to go down, and for whatever reason, there's usually no one else around to do it. He just wanted to pass through town unnoticed, but vicious outlaws made his business their own and picked a fight he was desperate to avoid. The worst sin yet, they've targeted an innocent woman and her child in their schemes. Austin must now take up his gun and do what he hates but is better at than anyone else: fight without mercy, fight to the end, and win at all costs....

Marvin was sitting on the hood of his car on the edge of town, watching the sun come up over the horizon. He closed his eyes and tried hard to remember the last time he felt even remotely human–or at least what would pass for human–but, as always, he came up empty.

Three victims have been found, all killed in the same manner. Drowned when their cars were submerged in the Sacramento River. The killer’s trademark is an obscene word written on the side of each victim’s car. The police have few clues, but the victims all have one thing in common: they were aggressive, inconsiderate, mean drivers. They paid the ultimate price. When the vigilante is classified as a serial killer, the FBI steps in to help.

Luis Machi has had enemies for a long time: after all, he's built his success on dirty deals - not to mention his cooperation with the military junta's coup years ago, or his love life, a web of infidelities. What's new is the corpse in the boot of his car. A body with its face blown off, detained by a pair of furry pink handcuffs that Machi knows well. Someone is trying to set him up, but the number of suspects is incalculable. Machi is stuck dredging his guilty past for clues and trying to dispose of the mystery corpse. But time is just another enemy, and it's running out fast.

The rain pelted against the windowpanes of Amanda Gray's office, as if nature itself was mourning the loss of the prominent businesswoman. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the desk lamp that illuminated Amanda's lifeless body. She lay sprawled across her desk, a look of terror etched onto her face. The air was heavy with the scent of stale coffee and the metallic tang of blood.

Jacob Enright's dead men stayed dead. But their memories did not. The nightmares persisted. They always did. Knowing it was a dream did nothing to lessen its horror. Gambling, drinking, whoring, and killing. It had become like second nature to the ex-lawman turned vigilante. Wanda Blackfoot had loved Jacob for as long as she could remember, but now Wanda didn't know who she was anymore, or more precisely, she didn't know what she was, without Jacob by her side acting as her touchstone.

Follow Jamie, a 10-year-old American boy who was kidnapped from his school and smuggled out of the country along with dozens of other children. After hearing a shocking story about his parents and why he was kidnapped, he forms a bond with one of his captors and makes friends with some of the other children. Knowing the fate that awaits him and the other children, Jamie fears these newfound relationships won’t last.

Dennis and Sarah Coleman wake up one Sunday to find the message "You’re all grounded!" on both of their phones. They at first think it’s a prank, but they soon figure out that they and their two young children are locked in the house and their communications with the outside world have been severed. They then get a phone call and learn that they are at the mercy of a psychopath hell-bent on punishing them for their sins. They must do as he says if they ever want to leave their house alive.

When dozens of children disappear within hours in broad daylight from schools all over North America, it quickly becomes apparent that this isn’t an ordinary kidnapping. Agent Harper and Detective Boyd begin a race against time to find out where the children have gone before it’s too late. As the sun sets, only one child has been found and her captors detained. Will they reveal the clues needed to find the other children?

Brad Kelly planned for weeks, set everything carefully in place. Then, he hit the Pioneer State Bank for $53,000. Will he kill to keep it?

Earl Webb's telegram to General William Harding said it all: “Located John Fenner here using alias John Steen. Have hint he is planning Pensacola train robbery. Will try to pick him up before he leaves here. Please send requisition warrant at once.” That is, it said everything except the harrowing task of getting John Fenner back to Texas.

Lonesome Jim Barkley had once been a town-taming law man. Now he was a man with a reward on his head, wanted for robbery and murder. The banker, Tade Wardow, knows this and thinks he can turn it to his advantage in a way that will also make Barkley money. Yet, for Barkley, there is another consideration, one more urgent than robbing Wardow's bank.

Chadwick has the world at his fingertips. An elite editor in Manhattan's publishing world. A hot and heavy newlywed in a plural marriage. The fortunate son of a mystical matriarch. When Chad heads home to bury his estranged mother Hazel, he plans to confront his toxic ex, Juni, for what he vows to his husband and wife will be the final time. But Saw Creek, Oregon, is far from the idyllic logging community Chad remembers as a kid. For starters, why the hell has the town cemetery been converted into a communal farm?