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The Queen of the Rex Ball at New Orleans’ raucous and world-famous Mardi Gras—beautiful, vibrant, and dressed in an ivory silk lamé gown with chevrons and gold beading—collapses and dies. Was foul play involved?Jenna Depreaux, a maiden in the Queen’s court, is rich, popular, and jealous. By any measure —birth, social standing, looks—she should have been selected queen. Or so she believes. Is there blood on her hands?Detective Decker O’Day is on the case. A tough kid from the Irish Channel, he is the son of a cop who was beaten to death on the job and a mother who lost her way to alcohol and promiscuity. He teams up with Detective Gail Waites. She carries her own baggage: a Black woman and a lesbian, her daughter is found dead under mysterious circumstances—nude and drugged, and dumped outside University Hospital.Meanwhile: Two gunmen kill fifty-three souls at a Jewish Synagogue in town. A popular anchor at the local TV news station disappears without a trace. A woman is killed when an unidentified pair drops a cinderblock from an overpass, smashing the windshield of her car.As the bodies pile up, as New Orleans society closes ranks, O’Day and Waites must avoid attempts on their own lives and puzzle together the disparate crimes. Are the events connected? Conflicts arise and tempers flare in this taught and picaresque psychological thriller.

Clyde's idyllic afternoon in the surf with his mates is interrupted by the news that there's been a quadruple suicide in an apartment overlooking the beach.Two of the deceased are the parents of Barry Wilkinson, one of Clyde's childhood friends, a man he hasn't seen since Clyde donned the khaki and left for war. Wilkinson engages Clyde to discover the identity of a mysterious woman who has been left a huge sum of money in his father's will.On the surface, what appears to be a straightforward case evolves into a complex story of deception, lies, violence and murder. Relationships are tested and new ones formed, and Clyde discovers that those connections that seem unrelated are closely linked behind a veil of secrecy.The early summer of 1957 is a time in which Clyde nearly loses everything he holds dear—his own life included—all because of two couples who died while playing bridge at the beach.Bridge at the Beach (The Clyde Smith Mysteries Book 5) - Kindle edition by Jones, Garrick. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

In 1939, fourteen-year-old Violet and her parents arrive at the Sulphur Springs Hotel, drawn in along with other desperate guests by legends of the waters’ restorative properties. Here, curious young Violet strikes up an instant friendship with the hotelier’s worldly daughter, Julia. Together, they attempt to solve the mysteries behind the hotel’s luxury façade — including the cases of the brownie thief, the secretive hotel director, and the flirtatious gardener.But when one of Violet’s investigations leads her to commit an act of treachery, she unwittingly aides a murderous plot. Seventy years later, the killer has yet to be caught.In 2009, a widowed Violet returns to the hotel, now in ruins. Her intention is to solve this cold case. The scene of the crime reveals new clues and revives old memories, including that of her lost family and her own sexual awakening. Now, confronting her final years, Violet is desperate to make peace with her ghosts, even if she may be seventy years too late.The Sulphur Springs Cure - Kindle edition by Round, Jeffrey. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Women Empowered, Enlightened, and TransformedStep back in time to the revolutionary 1970s with Desert Haven, a compelling exploration of a hidden facet of history. Born at the crossroads of feminism, sexual liberation, lesbian separatism, and a return to nature, this novel breathes life into the movement that sought to forge self-governed women-centered societies within intentional communities. Across a span of forty years, Desert Haven meticulously weaves the political, social, and spiritual tapestry of a marginalized subgroup within the queer community. Through nuanced storytelling, the women grapple with the challenges of preserving their vision, offering tales of grief and hope, loss and celebration, passion, and solitude.Against the evocative backdrop of women's land, where cactus and creosote stand beneath expansive skies and monsoon rains paint the landscape, Desert Haven unfolds through fifteen interconnected characters over four decades. Each character, a chapter in this rich narrative, contributes to a chorus of diverse voices that resonate with the intricacies of the broader community. As women seamlessly flow in and out of each other's stories, Desert Haven reveals a network of evolving relationships, creating a captivating portrayal of resilience and the enduring bonds that shape our collective history.Desert Haven - Kindle edition by Starr, Penelope. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Who wouldn't want sage yet sassy advice from the ghost of their dead cat?It's 1987 and New York actor/singer/waiter Matthew is struggling to restart his career, regain a sense of optimism, and open himself up to dating in the aftermath of his lover's death from AIDS-all with the spiritual guidance of his recently deceased cat, Hobo. Life is uncertain in this turbulent era of the '80s, as the gay community is reeling from the onslaught of AIDS and struggling with the government's lack of support. After some missteps seeking love in all the wrong places, will Hobo's lessons for Matt on how to believe in himself, and in his ability to find love, lead to romance once again? Can he get his career back on track if he auditions for a new and timely show? Will he find his voice on the grand stage and realize his dream of making it to Broadway? Find out in this journey of discovery- a sweet and entertaining valentine of a yarn.A Cat in the Act - Kindle edition by Arsenault, Brian. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

After 25 years, how do you rebuild your life?Hannah's wife has died unexpectedly.Just as 70-year-old writing professor Hannah Greene walks into her retirement party, she's called to the ER because Grace, her wife of 25 years, has been in what turns out to be a fatal car accident. This was definitely not part of the plan the two had for their lives, especially since Grace was ten years younger than Hannah. The plan had been for Hannah to join her art history professor wife on a sabbatical trip to Europe. Grace would do research, and Hannah would figure out what she wanted to do in her retirement.How does an independent, feisty lesbian adjust to both her suddenly widowed and newly retired life? How can she survive the loss of the spouse who statistically should have survived her?Grace Period tackles these questions head-on in an intimate, witty portrayal of a woman grappling with the new and unexpected turn her life has taken. It is a tale of love, loss, and survival.Grace Period - Kindle edition by Nonas, Elisabeth. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

From international best-selling author GAVIN STONEBook two in the ‘SPIES FOR HIRE’ series is out now!Jensen is back again. An unexpected knock at the door from a former work colleague is the catalyst to Jensen’s perfect life being thrown into turmoil. Thrust back into work, Jensen teams up with his friends Marshall and Darius, to track down a former CIA agent. The closer he gets, the harder the task becomes. Framed for acts of terrorism and being hunted by law enforcement globally, his race across England, Europe and America becomes increasingly challenging. Running from the law and trying to stay alive, he’s forced to fight an unknown enemy, while dealing with the possibility of betrayal by someone in his own team. The harder he tries to get to the bottom of his predicament, the more problems he’s faced with. Each question that gets answered, only leads to a longer list of more questions in his tangled web of espionage, imposters and betrayals. Not knowing who he can trust, he has to make every play carefully to get out of this one alive. As his world comes crashing down around him, Jensen has to give it all he's got, to save himself and find out who is behind his torment."Gavin Stone is a true insider, an expert not only in body language, counterterrorism, and tradecraft, but in all the intricacies of espionage. Extensive experience plus encyclopedic knowledge, make Stone a go-to guy in the field." - I.S. Berry – Former CIA spy & Author, The Peacock and the Sparrow

A Podcast To Kill ForHello, Homicidettes! Welcome to Murder, We Spoke. Listen to the nine-episode series that tells the story of the infamous Murder, We Spoke podcast trio – Bernie Brown, Paula Anderson, and Jane “Crescendo” Doe – on their deadly quest to become true crime podcasting legends.

When a popular mystery novelist dies suspiciously, his writing partner must untangle the author’s connection to a serial killer in award-winning John Copenhaver’s new novel set in 1950s McCarthy-era Washington, DC.In May 1954, Lionel Kane witnesses his apartment engulfed in flames with his lover and writing partner, Roger Raymond, inside. Police declare it a suicide due to gas ignition, but Lionel refuses to believe Roger was suicidal.A month earlier, Judy Nightingale and Philippa Watson—the tenacious and troubled heroines from The Savage Kind—attend a lecture by Roger and, being eager fans, befriend him. He has just been fired from his day job at the State Department, another victim of the Lavender Scare, an anti-gay crusade led by figures like Senator Joseph McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover, claiming homosexuals are security risks. Little do Judy and Philippa know, but their obsessive manhunt of the past several years has fueled the flames of his dismissal.They have been tracking their old enemy Adrian Bogdan, a spy and vicious serial killer protected by powerful forces in the government. He’s on the rampage again, and the police are ignoring his crimes. Frustrated, they send their research to the media and their favorite mystery writer anonymously, hoping to inspire someone, somehow, to publish on the crimes—anything to draw Bogdan out. But has their persistence brought deadly forces to the writing team behind their most beloved books?In the wake of Roger’s death, Lionel searches for clues, but Judy and Philippa threaten his quest, concealing dark secrets of their own. As the crimes of the past and present converge, danger mounts, and the characters race to uncover the truth, even if it means bending their moral boundaries to stop a killer.Amazon.com: Hall of Mirrors: A Novel (A Judy Nightingale and Philippa Watson Mystery): 9781639366507: Copenhaver, John: Books