Vigilante Crime

Populations died in the most devastating plague to ravage the planet in the history of man. Billions are dead, leaving just a handful of people scattered across the world, struggling to live the lives they have left. Some chose to struggle with the land, scratching out a living on a piece of property and hoping to make it from one day through to the next. Others, the vigilantes and brigands, chose to prey on the survivors. They hunt, kill and torture those who want nothing more than to be left alone to live in peace.

Male batterers of women are being beaten to death by a bat-wielding female vigilante. Each victim had recently been on trial for domestic violence-related charges, but was set free through plea bargains, technicalities, or acquittal. Two Portland Police Bureau Detectives - Sergeant Ray Barkley and his partner Detective Nina Parker - investigate the killings. Among the list of suspects is Criminal Court Judge Carole Cranston, who presided over the trials of all the victims and has dark secrets she is in no hurry to share. Barkley quickly develops an attraction to the beautiful Carole....

When the body of an anonymous young Hispanic woman dressed as Queen Marie Antoinette is dredged from the Detroit River, the Detroit Police Department wants the case closed out fast. Wayne County coroner Dr. Bobby Falconi gives the woman’s photo to his old pal August Snow, insisting August show it around his native Mexicantown. August’s good friend Elena recognizes the woman immediately. Her story is one the authorities don’t want getting around - and she’s not the only young woman to have disappeared during an ICE raid only to turn up dead a few weeks later.

The only male to be adopted into the notorious Parish family, Tony Parish always did right by his vigilante sisters. But when an attempt to protect one of them went horribly wrong, he had to fake his own death to escape his fanatical family. Tony set sail and ended up in Dominica - face to face with the woman of his dreams.... After the death of her mother, Honor Silva moved to Dominica, where her family could help her heal and move on. But her activist mother left her more than money, she left her proof that could take down one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.

Frustrated that his organization is crumbling while he’s in prison, Mallette starts getting desperate. Willing to do anything to get the former detective out of his life and further drive him into a hole he can never recover from, Mallette orders the kidnapping of the kids of Jacobs’ brother. Fearful that the kids might end up like the rest of his family, Jacobs frantically searches the city to find them before they end up in the cemetery. With time growing short, and Jacobs knowing that his enemy is willing to do the unthinkable, Jacobs enlists the help of unlikely allies.

Two startling facts exist in the simple plains state of South Dakota. Number one - if you die, there will be no autopsy - unless the coroner is absolutely certain there were suspicious circumstances. Number two - most coroners are untrained morticians looking to make a little extra money. In the dying town of Dansing, South Dakota, salvation comes in the form of a rich retired basketball player who promises to build a gaming casino and hunters paradise. The only person suspicious of his motives is a down-and-out reporter from the local radio station.

After the events of episode one and barely surviving the first outbreak in the hospital, George now knows the Hybrid Corporation is a company that will stop at nothing to get what they want. Looking to avenge his friend Dave, George knows that Dave was murdered, but the NYPD is calling it a suicide. George decides to make a huge change in his life by becoming a vigilante and try to expose Hybrid without the help of local authorities, whom he believes are in cahoots with Hybrid.

After her father's death, Sabrina Brooks - heir to the Brooks Chemical Company - is putting her life back together. When she gains access to top-secret government archives, Sabrina uses her knowledge of chemistry to become a vigilante known as the "Nightcrawler" and wages war against the ruthless drug gangs of New York.

Tropical heat, money, and lust. Henry Miller once said, "One's destination is never a place, but always a new way of seeing things." I think that’s why, on an extended vacation from my programming job to Cartagena, Colombia, I let a rich and chatty American expat tell me his story. I wasn’t impressed or even particularly interested - not until I met his beautiful assistant and heard rumors that the man had a dark secret. Even then I became intrigued, mostly, I suspect, because learning the truth was a way to get to know her.

Cryer once had another name, but he can't remember it. The man he used to be was stabbed in the head by an assailant. After months of catatonia, Cryer awakens in a mental facility to find that his former life is almost completely forgotten. He knows his wife and daughter have been murdered - he saw them die moments before his own assault - but his shattered mind is incapable of retaining their names. Or even his own.

Amelia is fresh from her victory over ARC when a massive hurricane strikes New Orleans. In the aftermath, a pile of bodies is found and all evidence points to the Wraith as the perpetrator. Has the killer of evil lost her grip on reality and started murdering indiscriminately? Or is there something even more dangerous in the world than the Wraith? With every superhero in North America gunning for Madisun Dumas, Arsenal has to race against the clock and stand up to her own teammates to prove the vigilante's innocence.

Leaving an apprentice unsupervised has never been a good idea. With Esper neglecting her duties as magical teacher, Tiffany takes her education into her own hands. Struggling with self-esteem and credibility with the universe, she resorts to trying a magical performance-enhancing drug. Of course, Esper has problems of her own. Unbeknownst to her, a crack squad of assassins is hot on her trail, and this time they're bringing twice the number of wizard-hunters along. It would be a great time for a fully-trained and capable apprentice to have her back. Wouldn't it?

In the constant war against her darker side, Esper was forced to win a daily battle for control. One loss was all it took for the roles of warden and prisoner to switch. Now, with her friends as hostages, this new Esper relies on advice from her better half to keep up the illusion that this is still the Esper they know and love. When their newly acquired base of operations gets hijacked, Esper has to balance between maintaining her cover and doing what she knows it's going to take to get her ship back.

With the capture of the Eye of Ra, Esper and her friends discover that small problems have started looking too small. When a plague breaks out on the occupied planet of Meyang, she decides it's time to see what her new ship and crew are capable of. However, the situation is more complicated than they counted on. Not only does the occupying force not want them there, the azrin living on Meyang are none too keen on interference from outsiders. But never let it be said that Esper wasn't willing to help those who refused to be helped.

The only clue to his identity was a small medallion with the words "Lazarus Gray" stamped on it. He took that name and became one of Sovereign City's greatest heroes, forming an alliance with other lost souls like himself. Together, they are Assistance Unlimited...and now they face their greatest threats ever!

When a twin-engine Beechcraft crashes into one of Richmond’s watering holes and turns happy hour into Hell, theories run rampant. Was it terrorists who, for some reason, decided to vent their spleens on unsuspecting Richmond? Was it a statement by homegrown killers less-than-thrilled that the city still, in the 21st century, chooses to honor Confederate leaders on its most prominent avenue? The obvious answers, though, just don’t pan out. Hard-charging reporter Willie Black’s search for the truth eventually leads him to a small town on the Chesapeake....

Ana Jacobs knows the Elite and their depravity all too well. She was one of them once. Her father was a member of the Inner Circle and head of the Trinity funding the corruption of Sun City. When he learned she knew the names of those he'd hidden so well, he turned his back on her, had her kidnapped and tortured to protect his secrets. When she escapes the island and learns of her father’s death at the hands of a knife-wielding vigilante called the Nightwatchman, she returns to Sun City, vowing to use her knowledge to protect the city.

Esper made that promise. Now it's time to make good. The Cult of Ra has a flagship, and thanks to a turncoat in their ranks, Esper and her friends know where it's going to be. Better yet, they know that Pharaoh Ramesses XIII will be aboard. It's time to cut the head off the cult.

Esper tracks the Cult of Ra to an arms factory on a grimy colony world. With limited magical resources, they're reduced to doing their vigilante act the old-fashioned way. But when their best efforts fall short, Esper is forced to make an impossible choice. In the aftermath, Esper is going to have to reevaluate her priorities and rediscover what magic means to her. With her powers returned, so has the dark voice that haunts her day and night.

Sunshine of Your Cult is the fifth mission of Black Ocean: Mercy for Hire. It follows the exploits of a pair of do-gooder bounty hunters who care more about saving the day than getting a payday. Mercy for Hire builds on the rich Black Ocean universe and introduces a colorful cast for new and returning listeners alike. Fans of vigilante justice and heroes who exemplify the word will love this series.