Inside Writing Mystery, Noir & Detectives

It’s 1920 New Orleans and Jesse Pike is slowly ascending the New Orleans upper-class social scene. He’s the owner of the most popular brothel in the entire city, and rubs shoulders with businessmen, corrupt politicians, and stage stars alike. He’s also the leader of a violent street gang that pulls off the biggest heist of liquor since the beginning of prohibition. Jesse sets up a scheme to sell the booze, and use the profits to help him start a legitimate business. However, several obstacles get in his way: Clyde, the mentally disturbed oldest Pike sibling, is released from prison and takes issue with how Jesse runs things; Jesse's aging mentor refuses to let him leave behind crime; and an overzealous young DA decides to reopen an investigation into the liquor heist to increase his chances of being elected mayor. Jesse is forced to make a decision: does he walk away from a life of crime and his family forever? Or will he continue down the road of violence that has begun to erode his psyche, much as it has Clyde's?The Pike Boys, according to a reviewer, is a "compelling story of the Pike family's struggles against poverty, violence, substance abuse, mental illness, and their quest to rise above it all while living in the crime-ridden New Orleans of the gangster era." It has all the thrills, plot twists, and quick pace of conventional gangster fiction, with the heart, depth, and nuance of a literary novel. In between the shootouts, violence, and debauchery, there is the overarching question of "can people actually change?" The reader will see that the answer is not so simple—especially when you live in a place like New Orleans.(Good for fans of Mario Puzo and Dennis Lehane; and lovers of Sopranos, Godfather, and Peaky Blinders!)

The thriller series continues with busy trauma surgeon, Dr. Kyle Chandler, pursuing is side hobby of private investigation. A wealthy client has requested Kyle to attempt to track down two historical items related to a supposed family curse. Despite his initial hesitancy about the investigation, Kyle sets off to France to take on the case. On his journey on to Paris, and then on to Boston, multiple interested parties threaten Kyle, as they desperately want these two items. With the help of his girlfriend, Caroline Martinelli, the growing danger of the situation puts the couple at risk as they inch closer to finding the two lost items. Chance occurrences become the clues to uncover the truth -- and the truth nearly costs them their lives.

In his debut novel, "Trust No One," Michael Hearns introduced readers to the captivating world of Vice Intelligence and Narcotics detective Cade Taylor. The subsequent books, "Grasping Smoke: A Cade Taylor Novel" and "One More Move: A Cade Taylor Novel," were widely acclaimed solidifying Cade Taylor as a remarkable action-driven character in the literary realm. Now, in "Choices and Chances: A Cade Taylor Novel,"South Florida undercover detective Cade Taylor makes a triumphant return in Hearns' latest addition to the series. Cade finds himself embroiled in a complex homicide case that thrusts him smack dead into the heart of the investigation. Reluctantly, he must collaborate with an old police academy classmate turned homicide investigator, all while evading the intrusive interference of a federal agent that jeopardizes his standing with both the police department and the Drug Enforcement Agency. As the case unfolds, Cade discovers a Caribbean connection that stretches from South Florida to Philadelphia, making it the most intricate case of his career. The danger is palpable, and every twist and turn tests Cade's mettle in dangerous heart-stopping moments keeping him and the reader on the edge of their seats. Staying true to the Dark Tropics literary genre he pioneered, Hearns immerses readers in the vibrant energy of South Florida, revealing that sunshine isn't always the best disinfectant. Sometimes, it's the scouring of cold steel brass shells and lead bullets that reveal the truth.

Tattooed from her neck to her toesand sporting a gold tooth as sharp as her wisecracks, Sister Holiday struggles to stay on the righteous path. Never one to make things easy for herself, she’s committed to taking her permanent vows with the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and joining former fire inspector Magnolia Riveaux’s latest venture, Redemption Detective Agency—both in service of satisfying her eternal quest for answers.When Sister Holiday and Riveaux set out to bust a philandering husband, they instead find the body of a priest floating in the swollen Mississippi River, and with it, Redemption’s next case. It’s significantly more gruesome than their orig­inal mission, but Sister Holiday feels called on by God to hunt down the murderer and keep her community safe.As a torrential rainstorm drowns New Orleans for three harrowing days over Easter weekend, Sister Holiday and Riveaux follow the clues. With the stakes rising alongside the relentless floodwaters, our favorite punk nun-sleuth throws herself into the deep end yet again.A lacerating and lyrical plunge into obsession, deception, and the questions that hold us captive, Blessed Water is a lights-out mystery that will leave you breathless.

“What happens at Grandma’s house, stays at Grandma’s house.”The problem is A. J. (Alison Jane) Cadell can’t remember Grandma or her house.Dreaming of becoming a best-selling romance novelist, Alison is invited to Beech Grove, British Columbia to be a Writer-in-Residence and reside at Thistlewood Manor for a month. When a resident of the manor is found dead, Alison is drawn into a mystery involving a grandmother she doesn’t remember, a father she thought was long dead, and a handsome firefighter who could be the link to solving the mystery.Will someone be after her next?

Sometimes you have to become what you hate to protect what you love.Danny Ryan is rich.Beyond his wildest dreams rich.The former dock worker, Irish mob soldier and fugitive from the law is now a respected businessman – a Las Vegas casino mogul and billionaire silent partner in a group that owns two lavish hotels. Finally, Danny has it all: a beautiful house, a child he adores, a woman he might even fall in love with.Life is good.But then Danny reaches too far.When he tries to buy an old hotel on a prime piece of real estate with plans to build his dream resort, he triggers a war against Las Vegas power brokers, a powerful FBI agent bent on revenge and a rival casino owner with dark connections of his own.Danny thought he had buried his past, but now it reaches up to him from the grave to pull him down. Old enemies surface, and when they come for Danny they vow to take everything – not only his empire, not just his life, but all that he holds dear, including his son.To save his life and everything he loves, Danny must become the ruthless fighter he once was – and never wanted to be again.Ranging from the gritty back rooms of Providence, RI to the power corridors of Washington, DC and Wall Street to the golden casinos of Las Vegas, City in Ruins is an epic crime novel of love and hate, ambition and desperation, vengeance and compassion