English Detective Noir

All kinds of evolved life forms wash up on the beaches of Key West, just waiting for a chance to wreak havoc on the general population. Take Douglas Barnes, president of Barnes Waste Management, who gets his jollies by sending some amazing things into the outer atmosphere; or Dougie Barnes, who has a predilection for poetry, parrots and perversion. Into this haven for the insane waltzes Trula Montoya, a former TV actress with a secret, and Shaw Chandler, a disenchanted EMS worker on the scent of murder.

It’s been three days and now everyone in Brighton is looking for her. There is an army of police searching, her picture is on every front page, and the public can’t get enough of it. Gangs of good citizens are going door to door, turning their neighbors’ houses upside down, but still no one can find her. For Brighton’s No.1 Private Detective, Joe Grabarz, it brings back too many memories of his first case, another missing girl, when he learnt too many lessons the hard way.

Senator Gerald Albers is at the top of his game politically when mob-like characters blackmail him to the tune of more than a million dollars in order to keep the politician’s secret sex life out of the media. Albers, dreading the worst outcome, and unwilling to involve the police, hires private eye and former Chicago cop, Cleve Hawkins, to track down the threatening miscreants.

Socialite, Bethany Hubbard, hires ex-Chicago homicide cop, turned private eye, Cleve Hawkins, to shadow her husband, Thad, whom she suspects of being unfaithful. Hawkins finds that her high-level chemist husband has been abducted outside of his office in Chicago's Loop, delivered to members of the mob in New Jersey where the knowledge of his company's top secret project will cost him his life. Forever vigilant Cleve Hawkins, continues to work the case and track down Hubbard's killers.

The fog isn’t the only thing wreaking havoc at La Jolla’s landmark Hotel California. A prankster has been hiring employees for nonexistent jobs, a decomposing whale ends up beached in front of the hotel and interrupts a grunion run, and a group of swingers has arrived at the property for a love-in. Not for the first time, hotel detective Am Caulfield is overheard saying, “Hotels are like a circus without the tent.” In addition to those headaches, Am has more than a few mysteries on his hands: Which one of the hotel guests murdered the famed paranormal debunker in room 374?

Blacklisted by the police. Being sued by a client. And broke. Things can’t get any worse for Brighton’s No. 1 Private Detective, Joe Grabarz, in this blistering debut novel from award-winning writer Tom Trott. That’s when his best friend’s body washes up on the beach. Could it really have been 10 years? How could his life have ended like this? He needs answers. But with the city in the grips of organised crime, and struggling to deal with an influx of legal highs, who cares about just another dead drug dealer?

Under a Bangkok bridge, inside a bolted-shut Mercedes: a murder by snake - a charismatic African-American Marine sergeant killed by a methamphetamine-stoked python and a swarm of stoned cobras. Two cops - the only two in the city not on the take - arrive too late. Minutes later, only one is alive: Sonchai Jitpleecheep - a devout Buddhist, equally versed in the sacred and the profane - son of a long-gone Vietnam War G.I. and a Thai bar girl whose subsequent international clientele contributed richly to Sonchai’s sophistication. (Abridged edition.)

When a disgraced former pop star plummets to her death from her Osaka apartment, all signs paint a picture of a troubled young woman who took her own life. But once her parents hire Kyoko Nakamura to learn the truth, the private detective discovers not everything is as it seems. Kyoko's investigation will lead her into a world of drugs and prostitution, face to face with dangerous criminals, and through the seedy underbelly of Japan's music industry.

Called to the scene of a murder outside Trige, Roland Benito assumes it's a case of petty criminals who made a gruesome mistake. After all, home robberies have been plaguing all of East Jutland for years. But it soon becomes clear that the men who beat Albert Hovgaard to death inside his country estate were no ordinary thieves. Meanwhile, journalist Anne Larsen has been out of work since the financial crisis shuttered the Daily News. But now an unwelcome visit from the past has her investigating a series of missing homeless people.

Garwood would soon be captivated by this homeless man living on the streets of Montreal. What power did he have and why did Adam take him on with no retainer or promise of future payment? Much against the advice of his partner and friends, he delves into and uncovers the corruption, cover ups, and payoffs involving top executives working for one of Canada's largest pharmaceutical companies. As the story unfolds, Adam is disillusioned with Gritty when his true identity is revealed. Murder, exploitation, and the stealthy night life of the rich and famous come to play as Adam watches them navigate Montreal's secret passageways searching for lust and medicating themselves in order to deal with the light of day.

When Ruby hears from her best friend Elizabeth that two of their old classmates have been murdered, Ruby is more certain than ever that leaving her hometown was the right decision. But after Elizabeth suddenly stops responding to texts, and Ruby hears a third classmate has been killed, she knows in her heart what has happened. Elizabeth is dead too. Missbrook Bay is a place haunted by memories Ruby wanted to forget, and people she never wanted to see again, but Ruby has no choice but to go back to investigate.

Just when DI Tom Mariner seems to be settling down with his new girlfriend...everything kicks off. First, a badly decomposed body of a young woman is found in a Birmingham sewer. The police can't identify her and dub her "Madeleine". Then, an important politician and his wife are shot on an isolated road. "Vengeance is mine" is scrawled in blood at the scene. Finally, a bomb explosion in the busy city kills five people, causing chaos and panic. Can Detective Mariner and his team get to the bottom of crimes that will come very close to home for him and his team?

You are offered the getaway of a lifetime on a remote island with a group of strangers. Things have been difficult recently, so you jump at the chance to swim under the summer sun, explore the peaceful woodlands and return to an elegant hotel for a glorious dinner. As the boat pulls into the harbour, you’re surrounded by crystal-clear water and soon you are alone. Just the peace and quiet you were promised. No phone signal, no internet…no way to call for help. But nothing will go wrong in paradise, right?

Hot on the heels of Best Cases of the Continental Op comes Honest Gain: Dicey Cases of the Continental Op, another original compilation from Skyboat Media. The Continental Op is back on the case, tracking down thieves and murderers from the steep streets of San Francisco to the rough and tumble Wild West in Arizona. These six stories featuring the Continental Op show that this private eye is not afraid to get his hands dirty in order to get the job done right, or get himself hurt in the process.

Nikki Dymtryk is Hollywood's hottest reality TV star, known for her wild party lifestyle and prolific sexual conquests. But when the ratings for her show Being Nikki begin to drop, the Dymtryk family engineers a new plan to keep Nikki in the limelight: reinventing the young star as a bestselling author. Nikki's team hires Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag to ghostwrite a steamy romance novel showcasing the glitz and glamor of the Hollywood elite.

To find the killer, he must lose his mind...When a missing teenager is found on her parents’ doorstep, Jennifer Standing becomes the only survivor in an ongoing serial killer investigation led by Detective Inspector Matthew Myers. The case has nearly broken him. The faces of the victims haunt his every waking moment, and now, at last, he has the suspect in custody. However, when another man’s body is found with Jennifer’s DNA on his skin, and the suspect refuses to talk, Myers is forced to let him walk free - a move that will push him to the very edge of sanity.

I've spent a long time peering into the faces of girls on missing posters, wondering which one replaced me in that basement. But they were never quite the right age, the right look, the right circumstances. Until Olivia Shaw, missing for one week tomorrow. Whoever stole me was never found. But since I was taken, there hasn't been another girl. And now there is.

Three cell phones ring in an opulent London suite. The calls go unanswered, because their recipients are dead. Earlier that night, four old friends and lovers meet for a reunion dinner. Miko and Robert haven't seen each other in 10 years; Miko hates Robert for the money he's made with shady ethics. Unbeknownst to Miko, his wife, Veera, also slept with Robert the last time everyone was together. Robert's young trophy wife, Elise, has no old grudges to bear, but will be swept up in the murderous fray.

Fourteen-year-old Jesse is shipped halfway round the world after the death of his father. He struggles to adapt to life on the Welsh Atlantic coast but eventually befriends John, a popular, charismatic, and outwardly charming boy. But as their friendship grows, a darker side to John emerges. Will Jesse notice before it's too late?

In Jonathan Kellerman’s gripping novels, the city of Los Angeles is as much a living, breathing character as the heroes and villains who roam its labyrinthine streets. Sunny on the surface but shadowy beneath, this world of privilege and pleasure has a dark core and a dangerous edge. In True Detectives, Kellerman skillfully brings his renowned gifts for breathless suspense and sharp psychological insight to a tale that resonates on every level and satisfies at every turn.