Showing results by publisher "Lethe Press" in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

During the last desperate days of the Vietnam War, American soldier Israel Broussard is assigned to a secret CIA PSYOP far behind enemy lines meant to drive terror into the heart of the North Vietnamese and end an unwinnable war. When the mission goes sideways, Broussard is plunged into a nightmare he soon finds he is unable to escape, dragging a remnant of that night in the Laotian wilderness with him no matter how far he runs. 

Set during the height of World War II, The German examines the effect a series of ritualistic murders has on a small, Texas community. A killer preys on the young men of Barnard, Texas, leaving cryptic notes written in German. As the panic builds all eyes turn toward a quiet man with secrets of his own, who is trying to escape a violent past.

The year is 1935, but this is an America where cross-dressing goes almost unremarked, often unnoticed, and gay relationships are mundane; gay marriage, a quotidian fact of life. Famed chef and female impersonator Pancetta Brulee of New Orleans has been hired to cater a gay engagement party for two prominent grooms at the infamous Faux Pas Island and the Robicheaux estate. Both the family and island have a terrible past, and most Cajuns and Creoles avoid the place like the plague.

Outside an isolated cabin, winter fog caresses spruce trees. Inside, two men, lovers, have enacted a plan of revenge, kidnapping the handsome son of the man who wronged one of them. Al, the accomplice, has stalked Rob for weeks, and his infatuation for the young man has grown deeper than he ever anticipated.

Mirna Fowler believes she has been cheated in life, growing up in a broken home alone with a drunken and gambling-addicted father. Now she works at a small hair salon in Reno, doing her best to survive while she saves money for school and hoping to get a degree that will take her places. But in the wake of her father's death, Mirna inherits his extravagant debt, an amount of money she can never repay. As her fractured world begins to crumble, the search for the truth sets her on a path where life hangs on her every move. 

Angela Dunnewald's sense of self, of direction, is fraying. She finds herself lost and alone despite a calendar full of society events, charity meetings, shopping dates, and dinners her aloof husband expects her to attend. Her best friend is a vivacious flirt, but Angela only strays when she discovers a young drifter haunting the grounds of her house. Desire to be intimate unlocks the need for achievement; Angela becomes unrecognizable to her peers and to herself.

Returning to California after eighteen terrifying months in Vietnam, Captain Joe Harding is assigned a trio of duties: assisting his fatherly former commander at base operations, spying on misbehaving bomber pilots and organizing an air show designed to counter the anti-war fever sweeping the state. Meanwhile, his much younger tennis partner has enrolled at Cal Berkeley, enmeshed himself in pacifist politics and resumed his role as Joe's lover.

Noah's text says, I've found some candidates for murder. Ray chuckles and knows that Noah sent the message to cheer him. Both boys realize they stand apart from others their age. One lacks social graces, the other has perfected being charming. Both are too willing to embark on a true challenge of their superiority but neither realizes what such a crime will do because no matter how they see themselves, how they need one another, they still possess the same emotions of H. sapiens.

During Prohibition a shamed wrestler named Butch "The Butcher" Cardinal is framed for murder and subsequently hunted by the cops, the mob, and a mysterious cabal who are eager to acquire a stolen trinket that might very well be as magical as the men claim. During the frame-up Butch came into possession of the piece and the cabal will do whatever they can - including murder - to get their hands on the object.

Carter Calhoun was once a Hollywood legend, an agent both loved and loathed by stars and studio executives alike. But then the suicide of his lover and star client, matinee idol Sam Madison, sent Carter to the bottom of the bottle. Carter became a housebound recluse. Now, years later, new evidence reveals Sam may have been murdered and Carter emerges from seclusion to find his killer.

Meet Kim Claypoole, restaurateur, reluctant heroine and amateur sleuth with moxie galore. In Small Town Trouble, the first in a series from mystery writer Jean Erhardt, Claypoole's adventure begins as she leaves her home in the Smoky Mountains to help save her mother Evelyn from financial disaster. Claypoole leaves in her wake her Gatlinburg doublewide, her restaurant, The Little Pigeon and her restaurant partner and sometimes best friend Mad Ted Weber as well as a budding secret love affair that's hotter than an Eskimo in July.

A panicked call from his ex-wife summons Ken Nicholson back to New Orleans, where his son has been attacked and left for dead. While his child's life hangs in the balance, Ken endures visions connected to a terrifying time from his past. As a teenager, he witnessed the brutal deaths of several young men, an act orchestrated by his benefactor, Travis Brugier. Following the shocking spectacle, Brugier kills himself before Ken's eyes. Now, decades later, someone wants Ken to remember, wants Ken to return to those violent days.

Retired Denver Police homicide detective Jack Dolan discovers the bodies of two brutally beaten young men while riding on the trails near his mountain home. To solve these murders, he calls upon his former lover, Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent Michael Day, the reclusive Native American woman who sold him his horse, and his unusual power of speaking with the dead - a talent he learned as a rookie detective from a cop nicknamed Old Grim.

It could be curtains for college theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza. With dead bodies popping up all over campus, Nicky must use his drama skills to figure out who is playing the role of murderer before it is lights out for Nicky and his colleagues. Complicating matters is Nicky's huge crush on Noah Oliver, a gorgeous assistant professor in his department, who may or may not be involved with a cocky graduate assistant... and is also the top suspect for the murders!

Artie's performing career has him traveling more. Aunt Ruth tries to wean herself from San Francisco into married life in Hillsborough. Tim's family - both adopted and blood - are beset by drama amid a rash of armed robberies in the neighborhood. There's a sexy new cop on the beat. And people are getting shot. Nick is in Europe with his grandmother, and Tim is left behind to figure out the rules of a modern gay relationship.

The Mile-High City has its troubles. Fortunately it also has a troubleshooter, Riley Connors, who is more than what she seems: law student, waitress, and flirt. Because Riley has a past and connections that enable her to protect the people around her. She's a nemesis to many.

Riley Connors has some serious woman problems. The love of her life, Ali Garcia, won't give her the time of day, but plenty of others want a piece of her. Riley's stream of one night stands doesn't get her any closer to Ali, but does get the attention of a dangerous old flame who brings the past crashing back. While trying to make time to focus on her second year of law school, she and Charlie race to stop whoever is checking names off of a hit list, as the victims get closer to home.

At 24, Steph Anderson has been two years a widow. Her husband, Tom, was the second victim of a brutal serial murderer terrorizing Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England. The Sherpas, a self-help organization for the bereaved, introduce Steph to Alice Armstrong, a frail elderly woman whose twin brother was violently killed in the kitchen of the remote country cottage they shared. Working to restore the garden Alice's brother loved, Steph discovers renewed life and purpose.

Gay tourists are arriving in San Francisco by the planeload for the party of the decade at the Moscone Center, a tribute to a late disco star. On the same night as the dance festival, an infamous evangelist plans to bring his nationwide crusade against gay rights to the Civic Auditorium a few blocks away. Tim Snow finds himself caught in the middle when his activist friends plan a protest. For Tim, the fun and the intrigue are about to begin.

Six of Marco Fontana's early cases show some of the forces that helped shape the young P.I. In high school, Fontana discovers that he has a knack for crime solving - not only that, he likes it. When his English teacher is accused of murdering the school disciplinarian, Marco takes it upon himself to investigate. Some years later, after Marco has explored his options, we find him in his first office on Latimer and Twelfth. Trouble easily manages to find him there.