When several people involved in bidding for an oil refinery are murdered, the situation becomes far more than a billion-dollar business deal. A self-made woman in the oil industry, Lynn Dayton fights to save lives when escalating attacks reveal a hired assassin’s plan to disrupt energy trade, wreck world economies, and draw another global power into dangerous confrontation with the United States. Are the killers rogue civil servants challenging the Cherokees’ financial independence, Sansei operatives again wreaking violence, or sinister investors swapping the bidding war for a real one? Lynn Dayton and Cherokee tribal executive Jesse Drum must learn to trust each other so they can find and stop the killers. Can sobering up really be fatal? How have so many of the deaths been made to appear accidental? Who’s creating weapons with modern poisons and ancient Cherokee arts?
Meet L. A. Starks
Texan L. A. Starks is the author of the award-winning Lynn Dayton thriller series: 1) 13 DAYS: THE PYTHAGORAS CONSPIRACY, 2) STRIKE PRICE, and 3) THE SECOND LAW, with a fourth underway for publication in 2023. The SECOND LAW was a mystery/thriller quarterfinalist in the 2019 BookLife Prize competition, an Action/Adventure finalist in the 2020 National Indie Excellence Awards and was a quarterfinalist in the 2023 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition.
Starks is honored “Risk Reduction” was chosen for the second SinC North Dallas anthology, Reckless in Texas, due out in early 2023. A previous short story, “Gumbo Filé,” was published in the Dreamspell Nightmares thriller anthology. “Essence of Genius, Genius of Essence” won honorable mention in WOW!’s Spring 2021 Flash Fiction contest.
L. A. Starks earned a B.S. (engineering) at Tulane University and an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Besides writing high-stakes thrillers, she is a paid contributor to Seeking Alpha for her energy investment articles and has run twenty-one half-marathons.
Like the 19th century American Wild West, the continent of Ethuin promises great success to those willing to risk mortal danger. Eliza Dolan, a young woman naturalist, answers Ethuin’s call in hopes of helping the frontier town of Purple Sage. Hired by the wealthy businessman Simone Chenevert and forced to partner with a grizzled and quiet hunter named Cooper Bohannon, Eliza pursues a mysterious creature known simply as “The Beast.” While Eliza expects the wild animals, she finds herself ill-prepared for the even wilder townsfolk and a zealous religious leader. During her quest for the truth, Eliza is faced with the difficult fact that the world’s most dangerous “beasts” are rarely animals.
Meet Keagan Trischman
Keagan Trischman (he/him/his or they/them) was born and raised in San Diego, California. Keagan is a transmasculine, non-binary person who holds a B.S. in Wildlife Biology. He has fostered a love for nature and animals from a young age. When Keagan isn’t writing, painting, horseback riding, or exploring the outdoors, he is spending time with his animals.
Murders Most Foul “What would you say if I were to tell you I believed…that in the heart of every man and woman alive, there lies the potential for ultimate evil?” So begins a mystery of murder, jealousy, and revenge, as old friendships are tested and new alliances form. When a wealthy heir invites half a dozen people to his recently inherited estate, all hell breaks loose, and it will be up to the quirky, lovelorn Inspector Willem Broekstein to find out whodunnit. But of course all is not as it seems, and Broekstein will need his wits about him if he’s to keep from losing his head—or his heart—along the way.
Meet Milo James Fowler
Milo James Fowler is the cross-genre author of more than thirty books: space adventures, post-apocalyptic survival stories, mysteries, and westerns. A native San Diegan, he now makes his home in West Michigan with his wife and all four seasons. Some readers seem to enjoy the unique brand of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and humor found in his ever-growing body of work. Soli Deo gloria.
A simple missing person case spirals into murder. In a sizzling Los Angeles summer, it takes all of P.I. Burnside’s investigative skills to crack a case where nothing is as it seems.
Meet David Chill
David Chill is a USA TODAY Bestselling author. He was born and raised in New York City and moved to Los Angeles where he earned a Masters degree from the University of Southern California. David Chill is the author of thirteen novels in the Burnside Mystery Series, which feature a wise-cracking private investigator who was a former LAPD officer and college football star.
A sleepy town on the west coast of England. Nothing really happens here. Until now…
Two stabbings. The victims: a man named Arthur and a mysterious knight. Detective Inspector Niamh Khalid finds herself drawn into a world of myth, magic, and betrayal. Can she solve an impossible case and keep her brother safe?
Things aren’t looking too great for DI Niamh Khalid. Her brother Lance has been arrested, her superior officer is breathing down her neck, and she is investigating an attempted murder, with no suspects and no clues to the identity of the victim.
Then, Lance and his friends discover another dead body: a young man, dressed as a knight.
Soon, a series of terrifying incidents threaten to derail Niamh’s investigation. Lance is clearly hiding something, and Niamh’s journalist ex-fiancé is back in her life, asking awkward questions.
When criminal barrister Merlin Rhys seeks her out with a stunning revelation, Niamh begins to appreciate just how strange and frightening a mystery she and Lance have become involved in.
Can myth and magic be real? Can they help Niamh solve her case, and save both her brother and her world?
Police procedural meets Arthurian fantasy. Fans of Ben Aaronovich, V.E. Schwab and women detectives will love Kingsrise, an urban fantasy mystery by first-time author Anne Mattias.
“Kingsrise was a wonderful read, combining mystery, fantasy, and legend seamlessly.” – Goodreads review.
“Whether you enjoy detective stories or fantasy or are a fan of Arthurian legend, you’re going to find this book an enjoyable read that will captivate your imagination and take you on the adventure of a lifetime.” – The Faerie Review
Meet Anne Mattias
Anne Mattias is a British author, who loves books, films, plays, and cats (oh, and also cake – lots and lots of cake!). She tried writing her very first novel at the age of eight, but the draft was sucked into another world when a portal opened in her great-grandmother’s haunted cellar. These days, when she isn’t making stuff up, she enjoys running, swimming, laughing at eighties movies with her brother, and catching the latest musical theatre shows.
Plagued with doubt and anxiety, twenty-nine year old Lily moves to the small town of Paradise to start fresh and heal. Her life seems to be going her way with new romantic opportunities, however she quickly learns that Paradise doesn’t live up to its name when she becomes the victim of a crime. She’s dating Rob, who seems to have it all, but she finds herself also interested in Sky a Native American man who comes to her aid time and time again. However, Sky is suspected in the crime against her and all evidence points to him. Who can she trust? Just Shy of Paradise intertwines the true historical events in Shoshone and pioneer history with a contemporary story of romance, intrigue, suspense, and a touch of humor. Can generational trauma be part of our characters 150 years after a tragedy such as the Bear River Massacre? Can conflicts between pioneer settlers and the Indigenous people of Cache Valley persist in the 21st century?
Meet Carole Thayne Warburton
Carole Thayne Warburton is the author of five published novels. Her novels are character driven with mystery and suspense. Besides writing, Carole is an accomplished potter. She enjoys life in Cache Valley with family and friends.
1 body. 2 killers. 14 witnesses.
No one knows what happened. Early in the 1940s, while the New York skyline was darkened by World War II dimouts, the enigmatic Natalie entwines herself in the lives of Raymond Grant, famed Wall Street playboy, and Gordon Flynn, seasoned private eye. From the moment Grant lays eyes on Natalie in the Copacabana, he refuses to be without her. And Flynn doesn’t stand a chance against the damsel in distress, sauntering into his office and asking him to peer behind the curtain of one of New York’s brightest shining stars on her behalf. What then leads to Natalie’s life culminating in a standoff with not one, but both of these men in front of fourteen horrified onlookers? Alluring, mysterious, and completely unrelenting, Natalie is at once a noir crime thriller, a modern heist, and an engrossing tale asking why rather than the who. Roberts enthralls us with a con, a cop, a gumshoe, and an investor, each discovering in their own way that Natalie is a force to be reckoned with.
Meet Josh Roberts
Josh is a Columbus, Ohio native. He worked in the web development industry for over a decade and has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering. When he’s not writing, he’s hanging out with his family, reading, watching movies, or doing a project of some sort on the computer. Aside from that, he’s played electric bass for over fifteen years, written a couple of film scripts (one terrible, one that may not be), and has never been to Disney World.
Lady Justice Takes a C.R.A.P., Lady Justice and the Lost Tapes & Lady Justice Gets Lei’d, volumes 1,2 & 3 in the 45 volume Lady Justice mystery/comedy series, featuring Walt Williams, the sixty-five year-old retiree who decides to become a cop. If you love a good mystery – If you love to laugh – You will love the adventures of Walt and his senior citizen sidekicks. Sixty-five year old Walter Williams always dreamed of being a hero. In Lady Justice Takes a C.R.A.P., follow Walt’s incredible journey from retired realtor to head of the City Retiree Action Patrol. In this action-packed hilarious adventure, Walt and his band of scrappy seniors give Lady Justice a hand by capturing the ‘Realtor Rapist’ and bringing down the ‘Russian Mob’. As a uniformed officer, he and his partner, Ox, find very unorthodox ways of bringing criminals to justice. But they have plenty of help from others in the senior set. Meet sixty-five year old Willie, the former con man, who has given up his shady ways to be Walt’s friend and sidekick. Then there’s Mary, the seventy-five year old apartment manager with a 36 inch baseball bat and an attitude to match. This merry band of seniors is kept on the straight and narrow with words of wisdom from eighty-five year old Professor Leopold Skinner. And what hero would be complete without a heroine by his side? Meet Maggie McBride, Walt’s sweetheart and helpmate, and discover that intimacy doesn’t disappear with the arrival of Social Security. Every Golden Ager knows that as we grow older, we face a whole new set of challenges in life. Walt and his friends meet these challenges head-on and you’ll have a hard time not laughing out loud as they thumb their noses at the ravages of Father Time. I guarantee, after reading Lady Justice Takes a C.R.A.P., you will come away with a new light-hearted perspective and respect for the triumphs and challenges of the senior set. In fact, you may even be prompted to ask your Grandpa what he’s been up to lately! In Lady Justice and the Lost Tapes, Walt and his band of scrappy seniors continue their battle against the forces of evil. When an entire Eastside Kansas City neighborhood is terrorized by the mob, Walt and his partner, Vince, go undercover as a gay couple at the ‘Cozy Corner’ lounge to unravel the mystery. The amazing discovery of a previously unknown recording session of a deceased rock-n-roll idol stuns the music industry, but elation turns to tragedy when the owner of the lost tapes is kidnapped. All of the characters you loved in the first novel, Maggie, Willie, Mary, Ox and the Professor are back and help Walt in his quest for justice in ways you can’t imagine. Meet two new friends, Pastor Bob and Jerry The Joker who fit perfectly into this gang of Golden Age misfits. Walt and his friends prove, once again, that life is far from over after retirement and that the experience, patience and perseverance that come with age can overcome evil deeds and the ravages of Father Time. But did I mention that while Lady Justice is grateful for the assistance, she can’t help laughing at their methods. And neither will you! The beautiful Hawaiian Islands seemed like the perfect place for Walt and Maggie to be married, but in Lady Justice Gets Leid, ancient artifacts, political zealots and a tiny lizard drag the honeymooners from their posh hotel into the steamy rain forest and an icy cave inside a dormant volcano. Willie and Mary travel along as the best man and bridesmaid, but are these wacky friends helpful or part of the problem? What turns up from Walt’s past that turns everything upside down? Can love survive the challenges of age, the wrath of the ancient gods and a past that neither of them suspected? Only Lady Justice knows for sure.
Meet Robert Thornhill
Award-winning author, Robert Thornhill, began writing at the age of sixty-six and in ten short years has penned forty-three novels in the Lady Justice mystery/comedy series, the seven volume Rainbow Road series of chapter books for children, a cookbook and a mini-autobiography.
Lady Justice and the Sting, Lady Justice and Dr. Death, Lady Justice and the Vigilante, Lady Justice and the Candidate, Lady Justice and the Book Club Murders, Lady Justice and the Cruise Ship Murders, Lady Justice and the Vet and Lady Justice and the Pharaoh’s Curse won the Pinnacle Award for the best new mystery novels of Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Spring of 2013, Summer of 2013, Spring of 2014 and Fall of 2014 from the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs.
Many of Walt’s adventures in the Lady Justice series are anecdotal and based on Robert’s real life.
Although Robert holds a master’s in psychology, he has never taken a course in writing and has never learned to type. All 53 of his published books were typed with one finger and a thumb!
His wit and insight come from his varied occupations, including thirty-three years as a real estate broker.
When Brianna Hatherd’s family falls victim to a brutal home invasion, her life is shattered, and she’s compelled to return to her hometown of Cullton, Pennsylvania. But as she confronts the wreckage left behind, she’s met with a chilling silence from the local authorities. Undeterred, Bri digs deep within herself and makes a heartfelt plea for justice, desperately hoping that someone will answer her call and bring solace. Little does Bri know that her plea has not gone unheard. Soon after, an insidious series of supernatural deaths begin to plague Cullton. Daunted by premonitory dreams, Bri delves into the enigma as suspicion descends upon her. Just when she feels hope slipping away, a stranger reveals the shocking truth about the town’s darkest secrets and the unimaginable price that comes with answered prayers. Within the depths of Cullton, where whispers linger, and unseen forces stir, Bri must summon her courage and face the unknown. With time ticking away and her loved ones’ lives at stake, Bri embarks on a race against a fate she never dreamed possible.
Meet K. L. Bedwell
From an early age, storytelling fascinated me. The art of transporting someone to another time and place has no measure. Embrace and draw from your surroundings, and the world is your playground. Let your mind wander, and your world can transform into something unimaginable that screams to be shared. For now, my wife and I call the east coast of the United States home. And If I’m not behind the keyboard, I can be found shredding the trails on my mountain bike.
There are times in your child’s life you’ll always remember… The day they were born. Their first steps. The first time they tried to murder you…
What if those closest to you wanted you dead?
Could you ever really trust them?
Take a dark turn down this family tree as a father suspects his daughter of something truly evil. What lengths will he have to go to find the truth?
Meet Michael Kelso
Former Corrections Officer turned Author. I’ve published 2 crime/mystery novels based in a prison, a YA novel, and several short horror story collections. Currently working on part 2 of a 2 part mystery/suspense novel. Some of my stories have been narrated by youtubers, garnering more than 3 million views over the last year.
