From Beat It to Billy Jean, the songs we know and love take on a brand new, thrilling connotation in this anthology edited by Don Bruns. In this second collection in the Music and Murder Mystery series, nine award-winning, bestselling authors have written their own interpretations of the Thriller song list. With original work from some of the best mystery authors out there, the anthology includes stories from Heather Graham, Jeffery Deaver, William Kent Krueger, Dahlia Rose, and David R. Slayton, among others. With poignant, frightening, and intriguing stores from some of the best writers in the genre, this eerie collection is sure to keep you up at night—and maybe even haunt your dreams.
A New Orleans detective’s investigation of a fellow cop’s murder reveals surprises in this mystery from the USA Today–bestselling author of Thrill Kill. One of Quentin Archer’s fellow officers has been shot dead in broad daylight, in his own squad car. A random cop killing…or something more sinister? With no leads to go on, Archer turns to voodoo queen Solange Cordray for help. But is he prepared to take her advice? As Archer uncovers some surprising facts about the dead man’s past, there is another murder. With the simmering racial tensions in the city threatening to escalate into outright violence, Archer begins to suspect there’s far more to Officer Leroy’s killing than he’d first supposed. Could it be part of a carefully orchestrated plan of revenge…? “Even if there seems no room left for the unexpected, Bruns still has one last surprise up his sleeve.”—Kirkus Reviews “Richly nuanced…Bruns clearly loves New Orleans and pithily inserts details of the city’s complex history and culture.”—Publishers Weekly
In this “utterly compelling” mystery, a triple homicide draws detective Quentin Archer and a voodoo queen into the steamy underbelly of New Orleans (Jeffery Deaver). “With charismatic characters, superb locations, and a great hard-edged story,” Don Bruns introduces his Quentin Archer Mysteries (Lee Child). When a prominent New Orleans judge is brutally murdered, former Detroit cop Quentin Archer is handed the case. His enquiries will lead him into a world of darkness and mysticism which underpins the carefree atmosphere of the Big Easy. Interrogating crooked police officers, a pickpocket, a bartender with underground contacts, and a swamp dweller, Archer uncovers some troubling facts about the late judge’s past. But it’s only when he encounters a beautiful young voodoo practitioner that he starts to make headway in the investigation . . . Solange Cordray volunteers at the dementia center where her mother lives. When she starts reading the mind of one of her patients, she learns that a secretive organization known as Krewe Charbonerrie may be behind the murder of the judge. And when a second judge is murdered—and then a third—Solange and Quentin’s investigation takes them deep into the darkest parts of the Big Easy . . . “This thriller immediately casts a spell on you and doesn’t let go until the very last page!” —Jeffery Deaver
Inspired by songs from AC/DC’s bestselling album, Back in Black, this anthology contains ten murder mysteries from ten bestselling writers—including a new Jack Reacher original by Andrew Child. The third in the collection of the Music and Murder Mystery Series, Back in Black features one story for each song from the seminal hard rock album of the same name. This book showcases ten brilliant mystery writers at the top of their game, including Reed Farrel Coleman, Heather Graham, Tori Eldridge, Ward Larsen, and Andrew Child, among others. Chilling and unexpected, Back in Black has a mystery for everyone.
USA Today best-selling author Someone is about to make a killing in the music industry. Why would songwriting legend Gideon Pike mysteriously disappear just when he is about to turn his 30-year career into a multi-million dollar profit? Music columnist Mick Sever is back in Don Bruns' third suspense masterpiece. This time he's looking for answers and his missing friend in the gritty backrooms of South Beach's biggest nightclubs, dodging suicide speedboats and running from sniper fire. What surfaces is how the major players in the music industry are not making the headlines, they're just pulling the strings that create them. Hit it right and the royalties, even someone else's, can rake in millions for the rest of your life. The key is finding Gideon before Korean mobster Jimmy Shinn does. Jimmy is ready to cash in on the one secret that will bring Gideon to his knees and strip away what's left of his career, his fortune, and his life. Whoever gets to Gideon first will either save him or pull the trigger. The deadly race is on.
A New Orleans homicide detective investigates a rash of murders shaking up Mardi Gras in this mystery by the USA Today–bestselling author of Casting Bones. Three murders so far. No apparent motive; no link between the victims; none of them have been robbed. One item ties them together: a can of spray gas known as Chill has been left at the scene of each crime. Is someone killing for kicks? With no leads to pursue and no witnesses coming forward, all the cops can do is wait for murder number four. As rumors emerge, Archer realizes there’s a pattern taking shape. Could there be more to these seemingly random killings than meets the eye? Teaming up with voodoo queen Solange Cordray, Archer begins to uncover evidence of a shocking conspiracy. “Bruns brings the chaotic frenzy of Mardi Gras to life.”—Publishers Weekly “Thrill Kill explores gang turf wars, drug cartels and human trafficking as well as energy forces and the supernatural. If thrillers are your genre, this is a great one!”—Fresh Fiction
USA Today best-selling author Rock and roll journalist Mick Sever is back with a new assignment: interview music legend Danny Murtz. Murtz's walls are lined with platinum records, but his closet is full of skeletons. Known for producing an unbelievable string of hits, Murtz is also tied to a string of disappearances. Seems a number of Murtz's romantic conquests have vanished into thin air. After his latest incident, Murtz conveniently retreats to his secluded St. Bart villa.Before Mick can hop a plane to the island, he's nearly run down by a speeding car. Coincidence? Maybe, but hitmaker Danny Murtz and near misses go hand in hand.After receiving anonymous threats, Murtz is convinced: someone wants to bring him down. Even his longtime secretary Nancy, and attorney/manager/cleaner-upper Harvey Schwartz are suspect. And that meddlesome Mick Sever is digging too deep. If Danny Murtz has his way, Mick will only need a one-way ticket to paradise. Because if Mick isn't careful, his next column will be an obituary—his obituary. Sun, sand and a psychopath: it's a deadly mix.
It' s official: stumbling, bumbling James Lessor and Skip Moore are licensed private investigators. Now, that' s some scary stuff. It could take time to get More or Less Investigations off the ground, so James takes a job with a traveling carnival show. But this show has a dubious reputation, having had a string of accidents and at least one death in the past year. When they' re hired to investigate what' s caused the carnival chaos, James and Skip set into motion a dizzying, roller-coaster chain of events. After a terrifying trip on the Dragon Tail ride, a not-so-fun dust-up in Freddy' s Fun House, and a host of threats, James and Skip realize they' ll get anything but cooperation from this cantankerous cast of carnies. But when a carnival worker is murdered, James and Skip will have to act fast . . . because they might be next in line. For James and Skip, the only thing sweeter than the smell of corndogs and fried dough will be the sweet smell of success— but in this case, &‘ success' means getting out alive. This investigation is going completely off the rails.
USA Today best-selling author While their last venture was hardly crowned with success, James Lessor and Skip Moore, (and their white box truck) are back. When Reverend Preston Cashdollar and his traveling tent revival come to town, James and Skip reinvent themselves--as holy rollers. But these two aren't seeking salvation; they're seeking the Almighty dollar. After all, Cashdollar's prosperity gospel draws thousands of people with open minds-and open wallets. With a few modifications to the truck, Less or Moore Catering is ready to roll, and the entrepreneurs are born again, intent on making a mint by selling meager meals to the hungry masses. Cashdollar may preach about seeing the light, but his organization has a dark side of greed, corruption, and murder. What in the name of all that is holy have James and Skip gotten themselves into? This meals-on-wheels venture is more like hell on wheels. As James and Skip seek the truth, they'll learn that the stuff dreams are made of may be their worst nightmare. They'll either need to keep the faith, or run like the devil.
USA Today best-selling author A 1935 hurricane in the Florida Keys destroyed the East Coast Railway, killed five-hundred people and blew away the town of Islamorada. Lost in that storm was Mathew Kriegel, a finance director for the railroad, and one and a quarter million dollars in gold. Now newly minted private investigators Skip More and James Lessor, of More Or Less Investigations have been hired to find that lost treasure. Fighting off competitors, scuba diving, digging in a spooky cemetery and almost getting killed is only part of their job. Skip and James have stumbled onto the biggest most dangerous adventure of their lives.
An attractive sous chef at the famous restaurant L' Elfe is murdered and half the employees are suspect. Lacking confidence in the police to solve the murder, Chef Jean Bouvier seeks a quicker solution. He hires private eyes James Lessor and Skip Moore to go undercover and discreetly investigate his restaurant staff. But their investigation turns up far more than they bargained for. Skip' s charming girlfriend, Emily, confesses that the murder victim and she had been close friends at one point in their lives and had shared a very dark secret. But Emily refuses to elaborate, building a wall of defense between herself and the two young detectives. The more Skip and James investigate the background of the victim and the people she knew, the more they are convinced that this shared secret has far-reaching implications that may lead to the motive for the murder. The closer they get to the answer, the more desperate someone is to stop them.
USA Today best-selling author Best friends James Lessor and Skip Moore are hardly on the fast track. While James works as a line cook at Cap'n Crab, Skip spends his days selling - or rather, attempting to sell - security systems to people who (a) have no money, and (b) have nothing they care to protect. James and Skip aren't upwardly mobile, but they're about to get literally mobile when James spends a surprise inheritance on a white box truck. An investment in the future, he surmises, as these two are starting a business - solely devoted to hauling other people's stuff. But the fledgling business takes a shocking turn when James and Skip unload the contents of their first moving job and find some unexpected cargo - a bloody human finger. James and Skip must scramble to stay one step ahead of the perpetrators of the gruesome crime in this witty, gritty mystery about big dreams, big ideas - and big trouble. Instead of chasing the American dream, James and Skip will be running for their lives.
Featuring a new Jack Reacher story by Andrew Child! A dangerous drifter, a hired gun, a grisly corpse—you never know who you’ll run into at the Hotel California. Eight deliciously talented mystery authors have lent their skills of crafting murder and suspense to this collection of gripping short stories. Each of these eight provocative tales is designed to entertain and mystify—and maybe even chill you to your core. Get lost in the wild imaginations of such New York Times bestselling writers as Andrew Child, Heather Graham, Reed Farrel Coleman, and John Gilstrap, plus authors Rick Bleiweiss, Jennifer Graeser Dornbush, Amanda Flower, and Don Bruns. From the titular tale “Hotel California” to a new, original Jack Reacher adventure, these stories have a little something for every mystery lover. Go ahead. Check in, enjoy some room service, and stay until the very last tantalizing page. Just don’t forget to search the closet or behind the curtains.
For rock and roll writer Mick Sever, another story, another deadly island paradise is all in a day' s work. This time, Mick heads to Nassau, Bahamas, home of the legendary Highland Studio. Known for pumping out hits that burn up the charts, Highland is where the magic happens— or rather, where the magic happened until a devastating fire destroyed the entire studio. No one knows how the fire started, who started it— or whose body was found among the charred remains. Sent to get the inside story on the opening of the new Highland Studio, Mick finds this is hardly the Phoenix-rising-out-of-the-ashes story he expected. Some say the studio' s haunted; some say it' s cursed, but one thing is for sure: someone— or something— wants to stop the music. A smashed guitar and erased tracks send a subtle warning, but murder? That' s an entirely different tune. If Mick doesn' t act fast, Highland Studio, along with everything and everyone in its path, could go up in smoke. It' s not always better to burn out than to fade away.
USA Today best-selling author Best friends James Lessor and Skip Moore are still stuck in dead-end jobs, still living in their ratty apartment in Carol City, Florida, and still dreaming of hitting the big time. It seems those dreams are finally within reach when James lands a job to install a state-of-the-art security system for Synco Systems. There's a huge commission-and plenty of strings-attached. To collect on the cash, James will have to provide additional services by assuming the role of pretend boyfriend of Sarah Crumbly, an employee who's having an affair with Sandler Conroy, Synco's married president. When Sandler's wife offers James a tidy sum for the dirty details about what's going on at Synco, James and Skip resurrect their entrepreneurial dreams and go into the business of being spies. The spymobile-their beloved, rattletrap of a boxtruck-is on its last legs, and they'll have to spend a small fortune on spy equipment, but there's no business like spy business. In this spy game, James and Skip may be the ones who get played-or worse.
USA Today best-selling author For those who love humor as well as fast-paced mysteries, the “Stuff” series seven book collection has it all. Combining the stumbling shenanigans of James Lessor and Skip More, two twenty-something ne’er-do-wells trying to succeed as crime solvers produces laugh-out-loud moments while delivering a great mystery. For any fans of “the Hardy Boys” these books are a must read to witness them “all grown up”.
Is it suicide or murder when Academy Award winning actor Jason Londell leaps to his death during the filming of a TV show in Miami? Londell' s actress girlfriend hires private investigators James Lessor and Skip Moore to investigate. They uncover a plot loaded with twists and fueled by money and greed. The case sends James, Skip, and Skip' s girlfriend Emily to Los Angeles where the blonde beauty goes undercover in Hollywood and is “ discovered” by a talent agent. The normally level-headed Emily gets carried away by the dream of a career in pictures, but true to the cause of the case, she works with the guys to bring down the killer. Caught up in the world of movies, actors, actresses, and Hollywood, the trio finds that it really is the land of make-believe — but murder is still the real thing.
For rock and roll writer Mick Sever, another story, another deadly island paradise is all in a day's work. This time, Mick heads to Nassau, Bahamas, home of the legendary Highland Studio. Known for pumping out hits that burn up the charts, Highland is where the magic happens-or rather, where the magic happened until a devastating fire destroyed the entire studio. No one knows how the fire started, who started it-or whose body was found among the charred ruins. Sent to get the inside story on the opening of the new Highland Studio, Mick finds this is hardly the Phoenix-rising-out-of-the-ashes story he expected. Some say the studio's haunted, some say it's cursed, but one thing is for sure: someone-or something-wants to stop the music. A smashed guitar and erased tracks send a subtle warning, but murder? That's an entirely different tune. If Mick doesn't act fast, Highland Studio, along with everything and everyone in its path, could go up in smoke.It's not always better to burn out than to fade away.
Grab your sunscreen! You’re in for a whirlwind, music-inspired, fun-filled trip to South Beach, Miami—then on to St. Barts and the Bahamas. Music columnist Mick Sever follows pop stars around the world, looking for a story—that’s his job. But he gets way more than he bargained for in these garden spots. The Mick Sever Music Series Trilogy begins with South Beach Shakedown as songwriting legend Gideon Pike mysteriously disappears just when he’s about to turn his thirty-year career into a multi-million dollar profit. New York Times best-selling author Michael Connelly describes the results: “A glitzy high-speed run from the back alleys to the burnt beaches of Miami Beach. It’s hard to tell where the terrain is most dangerous.” St. Bart’s Breakdown follows when Mick encounters sun, sand, and a psychopath—in the person Danny Murtz, a music legend with walls lined with gold and platinum records—and a closet full of skeletons. The series concludes with Bahama Burnout when Mick is called to the legendary Highland Studio in Nassau, where the magic happened—until a devastating fire left only charred remains—and a dead body. On a personal level, Mick Sever learns some tough lessons throughout this trilogy. According to Booklist, “Bruns nails the world of celebrity journalism.”
Congressman Shapply, a former music insider who now leads the crusade against offensive lyrics in rap songs, is attacked and murdered in from of his Washington D.C. home. His son Nick is arrested and charged with murder. For veteran music journalist Mick Sever, covering this case is personal. Sever, best friend of the accused killer, believes his friend's claims of innocence. With the help of an old flame, Mick must penetrate the bizarre Shapply family - the icy matriarch Alicia, the disturbed daughter Amber and the religious brother-in-law - to find the truth. The investigation will take Mick from the halls of the Capital to the beaches of Barbados. Threatened by unknown assailants and dangers at every turn, Mick becomes the hunted as killer turns the tables in a stunning climax.
When successful and charming rock journalist Mick Sever goes to Jamaica to see the 'next big thing', a reggae/rap band with a flare for hypnotic beats and violent lyrics, he finds that there's more than just sun, sand and music on the island of Jamaica. Danger, lies, sex and murder abound in the tropical paradise. Led by front man Derrick Lyman, a talented and captivating performer with a radical political message, the band seems set for instant stardom. But then a young girl is savagely murdered at an afterparty celebrating the band's first American concert in Miami. Roland Johnson, the band's security guard is caught, with a knife in his hand at the crime scene. Roland is arrested and charged with murder. For all involved the case is closed - all except Mick Sever. Sever, a relentless and charming sleuth, isn't convinced that the simple guard is the cold-blooded killer everyone thinks he is. Stories of other murders and violence that follow the band lead Sever to believe there is more to the story than meets the eye. Threatened by the band, the police, and dangerous unknown assailants, Sever with the help of his beautiful and intelligent ex-wife Ginny, is determined to learn the truth. In the world of music, with double deals, beautiful women and sexy sounds, nothing is as it seems. Set against the exotic backdrops of Florida and Jamaica, this is an edgy, atmospheric, edge-of-your-seat mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the shocking ending.
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