Category: Crime

Unearthed by Anna J. Stewart

Posted April 17, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Contemporary Romance, Crime, Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Series, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments

After surviving betrayal and violence, forensic investigator Dr. Cassia Davis lives a life of isolation, her once-brilliant career confined to online consulting. When a Hollywood Hills murder mystery exposes a mass grave connected to her past, Cass must confront the man who shattered her trust—FBI Special Agent Mitchell Keaton.

His mistake nearly cost her life. Now, working together on the crime scene investigation, they must unearth the truth about a serial killer tied to The Circle of the Red Lily, a ruthless secret society that controls Hollywood’s darkest corners.

But digging into the past means reopening old wounds. As their passion reignites, Cass and Mitch must overcome guilt, trauma, and the lies that tore them apart. Because the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous the hunt becomes.

Solving her biggest case means facing her greatest fear.

Titles in the Circle of the Red Lily series include:  Framed ~ Vanished ~ Unearthed ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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Deadly Rodeo Threat by Sami A. Abrams

Posted April 8, 2026 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Crime, Harlequin, Love Inspired Suspense (Harlequin), Mystery, NetGalley, Series, Small Town Romance, Suspense / 0 Comments

A trail of missing women leads him right into a killer’s trap.

When his twin sister disappears, Navy SEAL Logan Russell’s search for her leads him deep into the woods, where he finds her best friend in the clutches of a masked assailant.

Sheriff Isabelle Sinclair is determined to solve Lisa’s mysterious disappearance the night of her last rodeo—and someone will do anything to keep her from digging too deep.

When crucial evidence links Lisa’s case to a string of barrel racers who’ve also vanished, Logan and Izzie fight against the clock to track down a suspected serial killer.

But when he sets his sights on Izzie, can they outsmart their enemy before both women end up dead?

Titles in the Stone Creek Ranch series include:  Christmas Rodeo Killer ~ Deadly Rodeo Threat ~ Rodeo Witness Protector ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.  Yet, keep in mind that this story is a “Suspense” novel, so there may be some indication of violence within the storyline.

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Witness Protector by Jude Bayton

Posted April 7, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Crime, Debut Title, Harlequin, Harlequin Romantic Suspense, NetGalley, Romantic Suspense, Sexual Content, Standalone / 0 Comments

She’s seen too much.  And a chance reunion is her only hope for survival.

Witness to a murder. No passport to go home.

Mia Jones never expected to run into Jack Brannon in the middle of nowhere. Their affair years ago left her heartbroken, but now Jack is her only hope.

The Law Enforcement Park Ranger thinks his eyes are playing tricks on him when he spots Mia at a local diner. He’s even more surprised when he learns she’s in hiding—and why.

Determined to keep her safe and bring a killer to justice, Jack takes the woman he never forgot on a road trip in search of answers…and the ultimate retribution.

~Standalone~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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Bait the Devil by Winter Austin

Posted April 5, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Contemporary Romance, Crime, Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Series, Small Town Romance, Trigger Situations Possible, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments

In bounty hunting, clean jobs are a myth. Dot knows—she’s seen the blood.

Dot Ybarra doesn’t bluff. Fresh into her bounty hunting career, she’s already earning a reputation for results. But when a “routine” rogue bounty—taken as a favor to her lawyer cousin—turns lethal, she’s staring down a case with international reach, bodies in its wake, and the stench of power.

Her business partner, T.J. Roman, is hiding a secret. If Dot finds out … well, she can’t find out. It would end the effective partnership they’ve built. But the trail won’t wait. What should have been a clean pickup of a fellow military veteran spirals into a hunt through the shadows, where one wrong move could see them both buried in an unmarked grave.

To stop the predators at the center of a violent trafficking ring, they’ll have to go straight into its core—and make themselves the bait. Every step makes them vulnerable to each other as well.

The devil’s coming for them.

Dot plans to be the one still standing after he bites.

Possible Trigger Warning

Titles in the A Bounty of Shadows series include: Ride a Dark Trail ~ Bait the Devil ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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Carnival Cold Case by R. Barri Flowers

Posted April 1, 2026 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Crime, Harlequin, Harlequin Intrigue, Mystery, NetGalley, Series, This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments

His mind should be on the case…  But he can’t stop thinking of her

When Stefanie Nguyen discovers a dead body at the annual Founder’s Day celebration, police detective Campbell Sawyer picks up the case.

Could the murder be related to a cold case his father worked? Or to a sinister cult?

Despite his goal of keeping things strictly business, Campbell is deeply drawn to Stefanie as he investigates the mystery. Can he keep her safe as the danger escalates?

Titles in the Criminal Case Files series include:  Explosion at the Marina ~ Carnival Cold Case ~ Targeted at Christmas ~ Ranger in Pursuit ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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Long Lost Winter by Nicole Helm

Posted December 7, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Connection to another series, Contemporary Romance, Crime, Marietta Montana, Modern Western Romance, Mystery, Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments

A stranger with no name. A family with too much to hide. And a storm that could bury the truth forever.

Private investigator Samantha Price thought winter in Marietta, Montana, might slow things down. But with the high-profile trial of Benjamin Bennet dominating headlines, and her agency, Honor’s Edge Investigations, busier than ever, there’s no rest in sight. Especially when a rugged John Doe—who looks alarmingly like Nate Bennet—walks in seeking help to uncover his past.

DNA says he’s family. But there’s no record of who he was before. No name. No past. No trail to follow.

The deeper Sam and Nate dig into the tangled branches of the Bennet family tree, the more disturbing the picture becomes. As long-buried secrets come to light, their search for answers draws unwanted attention—and someone will do anything to keep those answers hidden.

When a dangerous storm descends on the mountains, Marietta is cut off—and so are Sam and Nate. Now, the clock is ticking. Can they uncover the truth in time to give a man back his name…without losing their lives in the process?

Titles in the Western Edge Mystery series include: Double-Edged Reckoning ~ Dark Mountain Ambush ~ Long Lost Winter ~ Murder Never Forgets ~ Dead Man’s Alibi ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

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A Chain of Pearls by Raemi A. Ray

Posted October 23, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Crime, Mystery, Series, Small Town Romance, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments

The last thing she wants is to dig up the past…

When the body of a celebrated journalist is fished from the Edgartown Harbor, the official report rules his death accidental. But why was he alone on a senator’s yacht during a nor’easter? That’s only the first question London-based lawyer Kyra Gibson has when she arrives on the idyllic island of Martha’s Vineyard to settle her estranged father’s affairs.

She’s not looking for closure. She has not seen him in decades since he left her with her aunt following her mother’s death. But as Kyra delves deeper into her father’s life, she learns he had many regrets and wasn’t as retired as she believed. The more Kyra discovers, the more questions she has. With the help of world-weary detective, Tarek Collins, they uncover a web of intrigue and corruption involving a powerful senator, a dubious energy company, and brutal murder.

As they chase down clues, Kyra and Tarek flirt with danger and race against time to solve the murders and uncover the dark secrets lurking beneath Martha’s Vineyard’s picturesque façade of old money, wealth, and privilege.

Titles in the Martha’s Vineyard Murders series include:  A Chain of Pearls ~ Death at Dark ~ Widow’s Walk ~ Final Exit ~

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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Framed in Death by J.D. Robb

Posted September 5, 2025 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Crime, Mystery, Owned, Police Procedural, Series, Sexual Content, St. Martin's Press, This one's a Keeper, Thriller / 0 Comments

 

Manhattan is filled with galleries and deep-pocketed collectors who can make an artist’s career with a wave of a hand. But one man toils in obscurity, his brilliance unrecognized, while lesser talents bask in the glory he believes should be his. Come tomorrow, he vows, the city will be buzzing about his work.

Indeed, before dawn, Lt. Eve Dallas is speeding toward the home of the two gallery owners whose doorway has been turned into a horrifying crime scene overnight. A lifeless young woman has been elaborately costumed and precisely posed to resemble the model of a long-ago Dutch master, and Dallas plunges into her investigation.

Framed in Death is the sixty-first (61) title in the ongoing …in Death series.  A complete list of titles is available at the Amazon In Death page.

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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Ride a Dark Trail by Winter Austin

Posted August 21, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Crime, Mystery, Series, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments

Will her life philosophy, “Do right, fear no man,” get her killed?

A string of bad luck has left former Army helicopter pilot Dot Ybarra with a serious case of wrecked nerves and a need for peace and solace at her family’s Idaho ranch. Instead, she encounters a desperate mother who stumbles onto their land, begging Dot to rescue her kidnapped daughter.

There’s a bounty on the kidnapper’s head, and fugitive recovery agent T.J. Roman is not about to let that paycheck slip through his fingers. Together, he and Dot rescue the child.

But their actions set off an explosion of secrets in Euskadi. The sheriff is slinking around with a new shady sidekick, Dot’s friends are stabbed, and armed mercenaries attack her ranch, forcing her to use her hunting and archery skills to defend her family. Cornered by the unknown enemy’s three-pronged attack, Dot and her charges retreat deep into the Payette National Forest. Isolated in the mountainous forest, separated from T.J. and any help, Dot must make a hard choice: fight or walk away?

Will her first recovery job be her last?

Titles in the A Bounty of Shadows series include: Ride a Dark Trail ~ Bait the Devil ~

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

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Identity by Nora Roberts

Posted May 23, 2023 by Marsha in Author ARC, Contemporary Romance, Crime, NetGalley, Romantic Suspense, Sexual Content, St. Martin's Press, Thriller / 0 Comments

Former Army brat Morgan Albright has finally planted roots in a friendly neighborhood near Baltimore. Her friend and roommate Nina helps her make the mortgage payments, as does Morgan’s job as a bartender. But after she and Nina host their first dinner party—attended by Luke, the flirtatious IT guy who’d been chatting her up at the bar—her carefully built world is shattered. The back door glass is broken, cash and jewelry are missing, her car is gone, and Nina lies dead on the floor.

Soon, a horrific truth emerges: It was Morgan who let the monster in. “Luke” is actually a cold-hearted con artist named Gavin who targets a particular type of woman, steals her assets and identity, and then commits his ultimate goal: murder.

What the FBI tells Morgan is beyond chilling. Nina wasn’t his type. Morgan is. Nina was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Morgan’s nightmare is just beginning. Soon she has no choice but to flee to her mother’s home in Vermont. While she struggles to build something new, she meets another man, Miles Jameson. He isn’t flashy or flirtatious, and his family business has deep roots in town.

But Gavin is still out there hunting new victims, and he hasn’t forgotten the one who got away.

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

NetGalley ARC

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