Bøger udgivet af Level Best Books

Way DEAD Upon the Suwannee River is a dark descent into the underbelly of a small Southern town where mob mentality, cocaine murders, and monsters lurk in the swampy woods surrounding the great Suwannee River. Southern charm and religious values are practically currency, and townsfolk die of natural causes, not murder. Until now. The infiltration of the Real U.S.A. (The United Survivalist Army) on the banks of the Suwannee escalates violence to a level that has the potential to change the sleepy town of Whitecross, Florida forever. But over the Women's Preservation Club's dead bodies. Reminiscent of The Help and Fried Green Tomatoes with a twist of True Detective, this offbeat, fast-paced mystery blends humor, dark plot, and quirky characters-keeping you on the edge of your seat or making you fall out of it laughing as it witnesses beauty and brutality in a small Southern town, twisting, turning, and teasing to the surface one suspicion, one misunderstanding, and one murder at a time.

Detective Joe Erickson is called to investigate a burned-out pickup truck containing the charred bodies of two individuals. The truck's license plate helps identify the victims as a young man and his cousin, who were living in a house owned by the man's father. But when a suspicious area in the backyard is excavated, and skeletal remains are found, the case grows increasingly complicated. Who would burn the two victims beyond recognition? And could the skeletal remains have anything to do with it?

Tammy Wright, a bestselling mystery author, returns to her hometown to give her Aunt Clara a hand with running her ceramic shop during tourist season. She discovers that two vindictive realtors have been bullying her aunt and others into selling their properties to make room for new housing developments. Those who don't comply pay the consequences. Tammy stumbles upon a body, and when her aunt refuses to give in to either realtor, she disappears without a trace. With the help of an old schoolmate turned policeman, Tammy must step out from behind her computer screen and her fictional mysteries to confront real-life crime. If she doesn't, she may never see her aunt again.

Twenty-five-year-old Victoria Justice has never really gotten over a near drowning at the hands of her high school bully but has attempted to build her confidence and career as a court stenographer under the mentorship of The Honorable Frederica Scott Wannamaker, the county's first African American Superior Court judge. But when Victoria's childhood nemesis appears on the court docket, our heroine's carefully crafted world implodes―evidence goes missing, a potential mistrial abounds, and the judge winds up drowned in the courthouse bathroom. Victoria quickly realizes her trial transcript unlocks everyone's secrets...including the murderer's. But can she suppress her fears long enough to crack the code, reclaim her voice, and avoid the crosshairs of the killer?

Two women's lives intersect. One goes missing and needs to be found while the other must remain lost. Both their lives depend on it. Following a horrific event twelve years ago, Cheryl MacGregor disappeared from the city where she grew up and moved to a remote northern town, assuming a new identity with her husband, Jim. She thought she was safe from the danger that led her to flee-until her parents' deaths last year. When Jim's receptionist, Julia, mysteriously vanishes from her home Cheryl teams up with Detective Scott Evans for two reasons: to find Julia and to write the exclusive report that will forward Cheryl's career as a journalist. While investigating the possibility that Julia's disappearance may be linked to strange happenings at an abandoned mine, Cheryl uncovers a connection to her own former life, reminding her that the threat to her family is still out there. As wildfires threaten the town, Cheryl and Detective Evans race against the encroaching smoke to find Julia before it's too late. When the investigation hits too close to home, Cheryl must face the reality that she may never be lost enough to escape her past.

It was supposed to be a simple and quick assignment for Marina DiPietro and Nick Donahue. Help Marina's client, Adnan bin Haddad, guard his fabulous racehorse, Devil Wind, from human predators who are threatening the stallion with death if millions aren't paid in "protection money." Just guard the horse and catch the attackers before they strike. If you're lucky. Turns out, the threat against the horse is just the opening gambit in a deadly game with ISIS. With events spiraling out of control, Nick and Marina must stop the terrorists from getting the real prize they're after: a weapon of mass destruction that could tear the world apart. Now, Nick has to use all the cunning, skill, and subterfuge he's acquired as a gambler to discover the 'tell' that will help him turn the predators into prey. And there's no time to lose.

For a decade, the Magic Box game store in Marysburg, Indiana, has hosted a twenty-four-hour gaming marathon as a fund-raiser for a local charity. Shockwaves go through the town when the newest marathon champion is strangled less than an hour after the event's conclusion. In the parking lot right behind the game store. Marysburg resident and record store owner Darcy Gaughan isn't convinced the police are correct then they label the murder a robbery gone wrong. When the Magic Box's owner asks her to look into the case, she finds not everybody believes in fair play, especially when gamer reputations are at stake.

The quaint town of Brookville was just what Trixie Tanner needed for a fresh start. The condominium brochure promised, "Your vacation destination for everyday living," and so far, it was true. She loved her new condo, the charming town, and her new life. But during Trixie's early morning run, all that changed. A piercing scream shattered the morning tranquility and the illusion. When the body of a young woman is discovered murdered on the condominium trail, Brookville's idyllic façade starts to crumble. Despite warnings from law enforcement and the formidable medical examiner, Trixie and her new friends Martha, a quirky CSI-wannabe, and Kathleen, a prim and proper retired schoolteacher, the Lady Dragons of Brookville join forces to find the killer and become the voice for the dead.¿ ¿

Liza Johnson, at loose ends on summer break from teaching fifth grade, is drawn into intrigue when her 84-year-old neighbor, Mrs. Wilkens, insists that Ramona, Liza's former GED student, has been murdered. Everyone assumes Ramona, a recovering addict, died of an accidental or intentional overdose, but Mrs. Wilkens is out to prove them wrong. Liza is urged to act when the voice in her head of her twin sister Charlee, who died at age four, tells her, Help Mrs. Wilkens. Spurred by the irrepressible Mrs. Wilkens and Charlee, Liza finds herself embroiled in an investigation involving a failing church, a very ill pastor's wife, and a secret within the walls of the parish house. Adding to the intrigue, she becomes the begrudging caretaker of Goldie, Ramona's cat-the only witness to her death.

Parker City, 1985 . . . A picturesque spring morning takes a disturbing turn when the frozen body of a young woman is discovered in a field on the outskirts of the city. As Detectives Ben Winters and Tommy Mason arrive on the scene, they have no idea upon what type of an investigation they are about to embark. With no identification, no breadcrumbs to lead them to the girl's origins, or even a cause of death, they face a daunting task ahead as they take on their latest case. As the investigation lingers in limbo, a surprise revelation connects it to a mysterious chapter from Parker City's past. One that Tommy's own uncle was a part of four decades early as a debonair private investigator working for the venerable Stride Detective Agency, tenaciously searching for the missing daughter of a former diplomat. It's a connection that binds two generations of detectives in an intricate web of intrigue. In this captivating new installment of Parker City Mysteries, both investigations unravel simultaneously, forging an unbreakable link between the past and the present. As Ben and Tommy navigate their way through the case, they must confront the truth to a secret that has remained concealed for far too long.

Mysteries of Golfton Hills is a set of sixteen gripping psychological suspense, crime, and thriller short stories set in the fictional town of Golfton Hills, Florida, situated in the Panhandle. An assortment of crimes and victims with storylines including infidelity, seduction, betrayal, revenge, kidnapping, sex trafficking, arson, tax fraud, robbery, murder, serial homicides, undercover operations, and more heart-pounding twists and turns with unpredictable or surprising conclusions that will keep you glued from start to finish.

When Carter McCoy learns he hasn't got long to live, it's time to take care of something he has wanted to do for years--kill the man responsible for his daughter's death. But Carter has no experience killing and isn't even sure he can do it. Breanna needs to escape her toxic home life or end up living a life of regret. When she happens upon the old man with a rifle, she sees a light at the end of her dark tunnel. Carter may be the answer to her problems, if he lives long enough to help her. Carter is a man on borrowed time, and what he does with the rest of it could change who he has been his whole life. With the police closing in one step ahead of death, Carter has the opportunity to change Breanna's life and give her the chance his daughter never had. With his trusty dog, Chester, at his side, Carter's last act will be the one that defines who he is.

Layla Dolak blamed her sister Erika for destroying all of her hopes and dreams. Over the past several years, Layla was kicked out of college, had most of her possessions and all of her hair stolen from her, and was about to lose custody of her daughter. And Erika, in Layla's mind, was responsible for all of that. So when Erika died suddenly, Layla thought she might have a chance at the life she wanted again. That changed when Layla's young daughter, Juniper, accused her mother of murder. Juniper asked Nerissa Kaiming and Isaiah Funderburke, who provide support for children in crisis her school, for help, and the sleuthing duo started looking to see if there was any truth to the allegations. Nerissa and Funderburke usually work as a team, but this case sees them following different investigative pathways as they unearth long-buried family secrets that could potentially obliterate the remains of an already fractured family.

A social media collab turns deadly for influencer Coco Cline. ¿ Cordelia "Coco" Cline is over the moon when she learns mega-influencer LaTàge wants Center of Attention Consulting to handle her rebranding campaign. But things come crashing down when Coco arrives for a brainstorming meeting only to find LaTàge dead on the floor of her rented mansion. While the Central Shores police don't suspect Coco of the disturbing crime, the Internet has other ideas. Coco is horrified to see the hashtag #CocoClineistheProblem trending everywhere on socials, with anonymous accounts accusing her of having a hand in LaTàge's tragic death. ¿ Armed with her phone and her fabulous friends (dubbed the Sleuth Squad), Coco dives into LaTàge's glamorous, over-the-top world of influencer-turned-celebrity. Who in Central Shores would want the LA native dead? What skeletons had LaTàge been hiding? ¿ Join crime-solving influencer Coco Cline for her most outrageous case yet as she and her friends uncover long-buried scandals trending just below the surface.

Josie Posey and her posse of Mahjong Mavens are at it again in this cozy mystery where the retired big-city crime reporter turned small-town crime solver uncovers another murder in her picturesque English Village. When a clockmaker's daughter returns home for a visit, reporter Josie is assigned the task of interviewing the talented watch designer. That very afternoon, the young woman falls from a ladder while inventorying antique clocks. At first, Josie is certain the fall was an accident. Everyone loved Ella McGregor Benjamin. But Ella's deathbed statement is a mysterious riddle that can't be ignored. With her Old English Sheepdog Moe by her side and an ever-growing list of suspects, Josie scrambles to identify the killer before anyone else gets hurt. The local police chief wants Josie to help solve the puzzle but stay out of his murder case. The editor of The Village Gazette wants an in-depth story for the next edition. And somebody wants Josie to stop asking questions. Deadlines loom. In this fast-paced rollercoaster ride of a mystery, the clock is ticking as Josie vows to find the killer before time runs out.

Einstein Flint is an ex-rodeo rider, born in Brooklyn and raised in every other borough in the city.¿ Now, he's banged-up, burnt out and back in NYC, bouncing at Boom Boom's. Dasha Bragin was smart, fearless and...remorseless as desert sun. But now she's dead and the cops are pretty sure Flint is their guy. ¿Flint and Dasha had been a couple before the cops found her body, damaged in ways that don't allow the next breath. When word on the street gets out that Flint had brought somebody into town to kill her, the police are even more certain they have their man.¿ Flint learns the street chatter is coming from people that Flint thought were his friends-he's not sure who he can trust or why he's being setup. Flint finds the first loose thread when Dasha's roommate, Mya, shows up at his door looking for help.¿ Dasha and Mya, had taken off a private, high stakes game for almost a million dollars and then left a trail of bread crumbs.¿ But they had picked the wrong game-these boys would kill you for insulting their sister.¿¿ Take their money? They would pull you apart, one thin layer at a time...until the only thing between you and dead was that wishes don't come true.¿ Einstein has to find a path to the real killers and take them down without becoming part of the body count. Boom Boom's Last Call is influenced by characters like James Sallis' Lew Griffin, Robert Crais's Elvis Cole and a young Dave Robicheaux-men who know that words like honor and duty have become a punch line...but they just don't get the joke.

New York City private eye Nic Knuckles gets the call all private investigators live for: a mysterious client with money to burn who needs answers and needs them now. The job is simple. Fly to Kleinstadt, Indiana, and determine whether fifteen years ago, teenage murder victim Mindy Bauerman got justice, or if her classmate, Timmy Hanlon, had been wrongly convicted and wasting away in prison. Nic's analytic skills lack the rigor of a Sherlock Holmes, as memories of past romantic failures derail his thinking. But they all pale in comparison to the long-running emotional issues Nic has with his mother. He may not have a silky-smooth interrogation style, and more than one Nature documentary has informed his decision-making, but Nic's saving grace is a relentless drive to solve criminal mysteries and a soft spot for forgotten victims and their loved ones. As Nic himself would say, "I'm a big city private eye with a boatload of heartbreak, traversing the universe in pursuit of justice for the little guy."

When Phoenix probation officer Casey Carson goes to work, she expects naked people to answer doors, meth-addicted clients to hit on her, and angry judges to chew her out in court. After a routine home visit with a client, a Diablo gang member, goes horribly wrong, she knows she must watch her back. Even she must admit that a one-eyed, bad-ass, angry gangster and his crew gunning for her is a bit more than she was trained to handle. Casey has even more reason to fear Diablo when her cousin Hope goes missing, and it looks like their handiwork. With women vanishing at an alarming rate in the area, police treat Hope's disappearance as a priority. Still, Casey can't sit on the sidelines, even with her ex-husband leading the investigation. After she receives information that proves her suspicions about Diablo right, the gang will do anything to keep her from sharing it with police, even if that means taking her on a one-way trip to the desert.

It all begins at 6:10 a.m. on a Friday morning when Glen Brebeuf calls demanding answers. He had reported his former lover, Elizabeth MacDonald, missing the previous day and Detective Mike O'Shea finds himself cleaning up the mess some rookie had made of the initial call. Within hours, Mike takes over the investigation and is on the doorstep of the missing elderly woman's home, determining that Elizabeth MacDonald-Sibby Mac to her friends-is not missing. Sibby Mac has been murdered. In Man At The Door, the third in Desmond P. Ryan's Mike O'Shea Crime Fiction Series, Detective Mike O'Shea solves a homicide, juggles an increasingly complex personal life, and continues to hunt for the cop-killer who has remained at large for the past thirteen years. Whether as a stand-alone or as your next step in the Mike O'Shea Crime Fiction Series, Man At The Door will keep you reading far too late into the night following Detective Mike O'Shea through the twists and turns of a homicide investigation.

A cross between Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and a Cheers bartender, Sally Witherspoon, a fifty-something accountant turned biker-bar owner, loves solving puzzles. Up to now, she has focused on helping neighbors and friends find lost jewelry, lost pets, and lost loves. But when she finds her best friend and business partner, Bill Arnold, dead in a dumpster behind her bar on a Saturday night, she needs all her wits and grit to find out who did it. And she won't stop until she does.

Lauren and Kane each harbor a dark secret. One of them believes their secret is safely buried, but the other is very much aware their skeletons share the same closet. After Lauren experiences a traumatic assault, she returns to her small hometown of Lamington, Massachusetts. Finding a job in a local bookstore, she meets the charming Kane, a security consultant, and an immediate attraction sparks between the two. As their relationship develops, she puts her past behind her and looks forward to the future. When Lauren finds a box of Kane's hidden in the attic, long-buried memories are triggered. Faced with a discovery that makes her life a living nightmare and promises to destroy her hope of happiness, she takes matters into her own hands.

When Maddie McGuire finds herself tumbling over a cliff while hiking The Cotswold Way, she uncovers much more than ancient woods. Terrified by her shocking discovery, she returns to the safety of her international internship at the Roman Baths only to find competition in the form of the tittering, aristocratic Gwendolyn De Valence, who has captured the attention of everyone Maddie hopes to impress. Turning to her boyfriend Constable Edward Bailey, only reveals dark secrets about his past, leading her down a dangerous path which, this time, she may be unable to escape.

There are no lattes in jail. Décor diva, Sari-not-sorry Samson, a doting shih-tzu mom, loves her eclectic clients, coffee, and her bffs, though not necessarily in that order. Her meticulously organized life is turned upside down when the authority-shy interior decorator witnesses a suspect fleeing a murder scene. When Sari works up the nerve to report what she saw, a hard-nosed detective turns the tables and eyes her as a suspect. Mad as heck, and determined to prove her innocence, Sari steps way out of her comfort zone and dives into investigating the murder. Strange and sinister events shatter her peaceful existence, and against the advice of a madcap supporting cast-her granola-eating parents, her gbf, and her bff-Sari's tenacity gets the best of her. The suspects are many and the clues are piling up, but even Sari is shocked when she discovers the killer's identity. Get ready for snarky banter, fun flirtation, and an ensemble of quirky characters in this lighthearted Cozy Mystery.

Librarian Greta Plank is hard at work planning and preparing for Larkspur's Fall Festival and regional tourism showcase which, if successful, will be a boon to the local economy. But disaster strikes and chances of a positive review look slimmer than a periodical's spine when a series of pranks escalates and one of Larkspur's own is found dead the same day the reporter is set to arrive. Desperate to defend her town's character and get to the bottom of the circulating mayhem, Greta begins indexing suspects. Could the crimes be an outside job, undertaken by someone intent on harming the town's reputation? Or is someone closer to home trying to ruin Larkspur from the inside? With destruction of property, sabotage, and strange animal mishaps piling up on top of murder, Greta wouldn't recommend this 'choose your own (disastrous) adventure' to anyone. In the end, she must decide who she can trust so she can close the book on these crimes before the shadowy vandal authors another kill.

Penelope Sutherland and her Red Carpet Catering Crew have landed in sunny California for their latest gig, a blockbuster action movie starring Sebastian Beauregard, the hottest new actor out of Australia. Movie industry buzz and the studio boss, Calvin Pope, a seasoned producer who's seen it all, say he's about to be the next big breakout star. When a stunt gone wrong endangers the lives of everyone on the set, Penelope wonders if it was really an accident or if someone was trying to snuff out that bright star. When Calvin's wife goes missing in the middle of the night after a violent altercation with Calvin, Penelope sets out to uncover a killer, who might be hiding in plain sight.

Penelope Sutherland is home for the holidays and looking forward to spending some quality time with her loved ones. She's also catering her first documentary, a history of the Vitrine Theater and the Big Apple Dancers, who put on the world famous Christmas Extravaganza each year in New York City. Penelope's best friend Arlena Madison is the director, and the granddaughter of one of the show's famous Snow Queens. But not everyone is in the holiday spirit. When one of the dancers mysteriously disappears then turns up dead right before opening night, it looks like Christmas might be cancelled. The police are at a loss to uncover who has it out for the theater company, so it's up to Penelope to cook up a plan to find out if the Vitrine is cursed or haunted by its past before the killer can strike again.

Penelope's life revolves around cooking and keeping her Red Carpet Catering business afloat, and she's just landed a hearty new job for her and her staff. Just when Penelope thinks life couldn't be sweeter, a panicked late-night phone call from Max, her best friend's brother, ends abruptly with shots fired on his end. The next morning, a handsome model and club promoter turns up dead, and when the police serve up Max as their main suspect, Penelope risks it all to prove his innocence (and find him before the police do). With her relationship as sturdy as a soup sandwich and her own life being threatened, it's up to Penelope to find the truth before anyone else is eighty-sixed.

Lights, Camera...Cook!Penelope Sutherland and her Red Carpet Catering company just got their big break as the on-set caterer for an upcoming blockbuster. But when she discovers a dead body outside her house, Penelope finds herself in hot water. Things start to boil over when serious accidents threaten the lives of the cast and crew. And when the film's star, who happens to be Penelope's best friend, is poisoned, the entire production is nearly shut down. Threats and accusations send Penelope out of the frying pan and into the fire as she struggles to keep her company afloat. Before Penelope can dish up dessert, she must find the killer, or she'll be the one served up on a silver platter.

Filming a movie on a sunny Florida beach may seem like working in paradise, but dealing with the brutal heat, a difficult director, and a leading lady with a serious aversion to seafood makes for a challenging task for Penelope Sutherland and her Red Carpet Catering crew. After two girls go missing during a raucous beach party thrown by the movie's director, the cast and crew fall out of favor with the Andrea Island locals. When an eccentric celebrity chef is accused of the crime, Penelope steps in to help her former culinary school instructor find the truth. Surrounded by suspicious locals with a history all their own, she uncovers clues from the past, revealing an undercurrent of evil amid the powdered-sugar sand of their beach.

After surviving a brazen attack at one of her favorite local cafes, Penelope Sutherland is ready to escape the big city and head to her next film set. She and her Red Carpet Catering crew set up their kitchen on location in the tranquil mountains of Vermont, but peace and quiet aren't on the menu. Things heat up when a series of accidents befall the celebrity tennis pro consulting on the film. Mixing in an uptight director, an isolated location, and a quirky bunch of locals with secrets of their own creates a recipe for disaster. After Penelope suspects a connection between the cafe attack and the incidents on set, she must uncover the truth before her goose gets cooked.