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Straw Men
by Martin J. SmithHe is a madman known as the Scarecrow. For eight years he has languished in prison, convicted of a vicious attack that left a rookie policewoman near death--and unable to remember her past. When DNA evidence surfaces that frees him, Teresa Harnett must face the possibility that her flawed memory put the wrong man behind bars. But then the phone calls begin--and the crackly, threatening voice of the Scarecrow reawakens her terror. Only Teresa's onetime nemesis, psychologist Jim Christensen, can pull the truth from her shattered mind--before the man who left her for dead can finish the job...
Straw Men: A Thriller (The Memory Series #3)
by Martin J. Smith“An engrossing mystery with a wonderfully unique sleuth [who] tackles the most mysterious setting of all: the Bermuda Triangle of human memory” (Barbara Seranella, author of the Munch Mancini Novels). Eight years ago, Brenna Kennedy defended Carmen DellaVecchio. He was a loner, a freak, and accused of the brutal rape and near-murder of Pittsburgh cop Teresa Harnett. She lost the case and DellaVecchio was sent to prison. But now, DNA evidence has cast doubt on DellaVecchio’s guilt, and he is freed while waiting for a new trial. Kennedy continues to believe he is an innocent man. But if DellaVecchio is not guilty, then a dangerous sociopath is still out there. Kennedy’s boyfriend—the brilliant and compassionate psychologist Jim Christensen—has dedicated his career to studying the effects of memory loss, including victims of trauma. When Teresa Harnett asks him to help her remember the events of that terrible night, he reluctantly agrees—and soon all of them are caught in the web of a madman who will kill to stay free . . . In this finalist for the Edgar and Barry Awards, Michael J. Smith delivers “the creepiest good time I’ve had in ages—a genuine page-turner” (Laura Lippman, New York Times–bestselling author of And When She Was Good).
Strawberried Alive (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #14)
by Jenn McKinlayThe crew from the Fairy Tale Cupcakes shop risks getting burned when they set out to find a murderer who is terrorizing their town Life is smooth as buttercream at the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery, and newlyweds Mel and Joe are stopping to smell the flours. But things start to crumble one night when an unknown gunman takes a shot at Mel. Though the bullets miss their mark, the cupcake crew goes on high alert to figure out who would want to kill a small-town baker, and why. When more business owners are attacked, things turn fatal, and locals begin to wonder if the killer could be one of their own. Every shop owner in town starts to fear it&’s only a matter of time before they too become victims of the mystery murderer. Despite the cupcake crew's superb baking skills, it will be anything but a piece of cake to catch the killer, as they try to prevent anyone else from being berried.
Strawberries and Crime: A Finn Family Farm Mystery (A Finn Family Farm Mystery #2)
by Elle Brooke WhiteIn Elle B. White's delightful second Finn Family Farm mystery, farmer Charlotte Finn and her sleuthing baby pig are neck-deep in strawberries and crime.Things are finally growing smoothly on the Finn Family Farm. With the help of caretakers Joe and Alice Wong and farmer Samuel Brown, Charlotte Finn is starting to feel at home at the Santa Barbara County produce farm she inherited. But all is not strawberries and cream: A blight is destroying young berry plants. Worse, another mysterious death is shaking Little Acorn.The victim is grizzled, cantankerous Linc Pierce, the only farmer in Little Acorn whose strawberry crop was fruitful. Charlotte and her old friend Beau Mason find him hanging from the rafter, an apparent suicide. But a cursory search turns up a half-eaten sandwich. Who eats before he kills himself?Chief Goodacre suspects foul play. Her prime suspect is Beau, who exchanged words--and worse--with Linc earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Little Acorn's farmers point accusing fingers at one another, recalling Linc's suggestion that someone sabotaged their strawberries. As Charlotte searches for clues to exonerate Beau, she finds something on Linc's workbench not buried in dust. Could this be why Linc's strawberry plants are alive? And, perhaps, why Linc is dead?Now, if Charlotte and Horse--the farm's baby pig with a bottomless stomach and an insatiable hunger for sleuthing--can't root out the murderer, they, too, may end up dead and berried.
Strawberry Concrete
by Scott Morales<p>A police detective learns of a plot against the sitting president and discovers new evidence in another notorious murder back in November 1963 . . . Detective Jack Lefleur of the Camp Simmons, Indiana PD has had a difficult year. After returning to the job from suspension, facing an impending divorce and financial ruin, he receives a phone call from an enigmatic recluse, who passes on a dire warning of a history-changing event and a clue to a mystery.<p> <p>Acting on the tip, Lefleur discovers a body—and evidence that puts the dead man in Dallas, Texas, in 1963—on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. As the investigation yields more questions than answers, Lefleur learns of an attempted assassination of the sitting US President. And while Lefleur works to stop the assassin, he will learn the truth behind two of the 1960s&’ most defining moments . . .<p>
Strawberry Murder (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries #13)
by Summer PrescottThere’s something about that guy... The producers of Missy's baking reality show bring the production back to LaChance, to make the small-town gal a national television star. Almost immediately, a spat erupts between one of her new employees, her best friend, Echo, and a member of the production crew. When the contentious crew member is found murdered, Echo and her new boyfriend mysteriously disappear, causing speculation as to their involvement in the crime. When Chas and Missy do some digging, it turns out Echo's boyfriend isn't quite what he seems. With the odds stacked against suspects who are way too close to home, will this be the case that finally unravels Missy's sweet dreams of success?
Strawberry Shortcake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (A Hannah Swensen Mystery #2)
by Joanne FlukeIntrepid amateur sleuth and bakery owner Hannah Swensen finds herself judging a baking contest where the competition is really murder in this cozy culinary mystery for fans of Jenn McKinlay, Ellie Alexander, Laura Childs and Kate Carlisle. When the president of Hartland Flour chooses cozy Lake Eden, Minnesota, as the spot for their first annual Dessert Bake-Off, Hannah is thrilled to serve as the head judge. But when a fellow judge, Coach Boyd Watson, is found stone-cold dead, facedown in Hannah&’s celebrated strawberry shortcake, Lake Eden&’s sweet ride to fame turns very sour indeed. Between perfecting her Cheddar Cheese Apple Pie and Chocolate Crunchies, Hannah&’s snooping into the coach&’s private life and not coming up short on suspects. And could Watson&’s harsh criticism during the judging have given one of the contestants a license to kill? The stakes are rising faster than dough, and Hannah will have to be very careful, because somebody is cooking up a recipe for murder . . . with Hannah landing on the &“necessary ingredients&” list.
Strawberry Shortcake Murder: A dangerously delicious mystery (Hannah Swensen #No. 2)
by Joanne FlukeA Bake Off turns deadly... Joanne Fluke's intrepid amateur sleuth, Hannah Swensen, returns in another dangerously delicious mystery Strawberry Shortcake Murder. Packed full of delicious recipes and perfect for fans of M. C. Beaton and H. Y. Hanna.'Tasty enough to serve to mystery readers still hooked by the foodie fad' - BooklistIt's the first annual Bake Off in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and bakery owner Hannah Swensen is thrilled to be serving as head judge. But things soon turn sour when fellow judge, Coach Boyd Watson, is found stone-cold dead, face down in one of Hannah's celebrated strawberry shortcakes.Between perfecting her Cheddar Cheese Apple Pie and Chocolate Crunchies, Hannah begins snooping into the Coach's private life, and finds she's not short on suspects. Could Watson's harsh criticism during the Bake Off have given one of the contestants a license to kill? The stakes are rising quicker than dough, and Hannah will have to investigate carefully before somebody cooks up another recipe for murder... What readers are saying about Strawberry Shortcake Murder: 'The series has a warm, homely type feel and are really nice light reading''Has you guessing from start to finish''Just as delicious as ever!'
Strawberry Sunday: A John Marshall Tanner Novel (The John Marshall Tanner Mysteries #11)
by Stephen GreenleafWhile recovering from a gunshot wound, John Marshall Tanner meets a woman worth fighting for John Marshall Tanner left most of his blood in a vacant lot on Twentieth Street, along with the body of his closest friend. Tanner and Charley Sleet shot each other at the same time—a tragic finale to a long friendship that left Sleet dead and Tanner bleeding out on the sidewalk. The EMTs saved Tanner, but he isn&’t sure he wants to be alive. The uncertainty doesn&’t last long though, and soon he will find a reason to live—and to die. While he recuperates in the hospital, Tanner befriends Rita Lombardi, a strawberry picker from Haciendas who is recovering from corrective surgery on her clubfeet. Rita leaves the hospital walking tall, but soon after, she&’s murdered in her hometown, unforgivably guilty of promoting unionization. To avenge her, Tanner will hunt for the killer as long as the blood keeps pumping in his veins. Strawberry Sunday is the 13th book in the John Marshall Tanner Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Strawberry Sunday: John Marshall Tanner Investigation 13 (John Marshall Tanner Mysteries #13)
by Stephen GreenleafRecuperating in hospital from a near-fatal gunshot wound, P.I. John Marshall Tanner meets Rita Lombardi, a fellow patient recovering from life-changing surgery. Struggling with a deep depression, Tanner finds a friend and confidante in Rita.When Rita leaves the hospital, she and Tanner promise to stay in touch - but tragic events prevent a reunion. Rita is found murdered, killed by an unknown assailant.Determined to solve the mystery surrounding his friend's death, Tanner journeys to Rita's hometown in Salinas Valley, home to the strawberry pickers of California. Surrounded by rumours of Rita's revolutionary past, Tanner begins a desperate journey that takes him deep into a network of violence and corruption within the strawberry industry.
Strawberry Tattoo (Sam Jones #5)
by Lauren HendersonSam Jones, sculptress and reluctant sleuth, can't resist the opportunity to do Manhattan when she's invited to New York for a group show at a gallery featuring young British artists. New York, loud and brash as Sam herself, welcomes her with open arms and plenty of her favorite margaritas. She's even reunited with Kim, a best friend from childhood who's transformed herself into a quintessential New Yorker, complete with weekly spinning classes and an East Village studio apartment. Despite Sam's promise to stay out of trouble, however, trouble keeps finding he -- one of the gallery's employees is found strangled in Central Park's Strawberry Fields not long after Sam arrives, and the gallery itself has been trashed with graffiti. While Sam's new Manhattan friends pop Prozac and fret about the police investigation, the rest of the young Brits turn up in New York, including the one Sam drunkenly groped in a club not so long ago. Will the exhibition be a success? Will Sam's current boyfriend -- the dashing actor Hugo -- find out about her moment of abandon? And will the details of the strawberry tattoo give away the murderer's identity before Sam herself becomes a target?
Strawberry Yellow (The Mas Arai Mysteries #5)
by Naomi HiraharaCurmudgeonly Japanese American gardener and unwitting detective Mas Arai is back in this fifth in the Edgar Award-winning series. Naomi Hirahara has created a memorable protagonist unlike any other: a Hiroshima survivor, Los Angeles gardener, widower, gambler, grandfather, and solver of crimes. In Strawberry Yellow, he returns to the strawberry farms of his youth and encounters family intrigue, danger, and murder.The series' most compelling and evocative mystery yet is set in the strawberry fields of Watsonville, California, where young Mas first arrived as a Hiroshima survivor in the 1940s. He returns for the funeral of a cousin and quickly gets entangled in the murder of a young woman. Was his cousin murdered, too? Mas has to figure out what happened, keep himself safe, and uncover the mystery of the Strawberry Yellow blight and a new strawberry varietal so important that it could be inspiring a murderer.Naomi Hirahara is an engaging speaker who's always a hit at bookstore and mystery events. She's very active in the Japanese American community in California and is a past president of the southern California chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. She won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original Mystery for Snakeskin Shamisen, the third in the Mas Arai series.
Strawgirl
by Abigail PadgettThis is Book 2 in the Bo Bradley mystery series. (The first book, "Child of Silence", is already in Bookshare collection.) Bo Bradley is a CPS worker who also has manic-depression. The characters are well-rounded, and the story keeps you guessing what might happen next. This one focuses on the death of a small child and many mistakes in the police's and public's choices of the guilty person. Satanic abuse is blamed and debunked, rituals and cults debunked, while Bradley and her cohorts track down the truly guilty person. A possibly-romantic attachment for Bradley is continued in this story, but not yet decided. A quick read, and not depressing, even with the subject matter of child abuse.
Stray (Stray Ser. #1)
by Monica HessePerfect for fans of Black Mirror and Warcross, this suspenseful novel asks what it means to live a life that isn't your own. Lona Sixteen Always has spent most of her life as someone else. Part of a unique virtual reality experiment for troubled kids who have been "rescued" by the government, she spends twenty-three hours a day on the Path, reliving the decades-old, perfectly ordinary memories of a perfectly ordinary boy. Any other life is unimaginable--until one day someone appears on Lona's screen who doesn't belong. Fenn, a boy from her past, has returned to set her free. Lona is wrenched brutally into an existence that is suddenly all her own, one that promises liberty and love, but also holds threatening secrets. And it turns out that there is a heavy price to pay for straying from her assigned path. In Stray, Edgar-award winning master of suspense Monica Hesse brings us a richly imagined speculative world where there are no easy answers--and no easy way out. *This ebook includes bonus excerpts from Monica Hesse's historical fiction novels Girl in the Blue Coat and The War Outside.
Stray Bullets (Detective Ari Greene Ser. #5)
by Robert RotenbergStray Bullets is Robert Rotenberg's third intricate mystery set on the streets and in the courtrooms of Toronto.In The Guilty Plea and Old City Hall, critically acclaimed author Robert Rotenberg created gripping page-turners that captured audiences in Canada and around the world. Rotenberg's bestsellers do for Toronto what Ian Rankin has done for Edinburgh and Michael Connelly for Los Angeles. In Stray Bullets, Rotenberg takes the reader to a snowy November evening. Outside a busy downtown doughnut shop, gunshots ring out and a young boy is critically hurt. Soon Detective Ari Greene is on scene. How many shots were fired? How many guns? How many witnesses? With grieving parents and a city hungry for justice, the pressure is on to convict the man accused of this horrible crime. Against this tidal wave of indignation, defense counsel Nancy Parish finds herself defending her oldest and most difficult client. But does anyone know the whole story?
Stray Bullets (Detective Ari Greene Ser. #5)
by Robert RotenbergStray Bullets is Robert Rotenberg's third intricate mystery set on the streets and in the courtrooms of Toronto.In The Guilty Plea and Old City Hall, critically acclaimed author Robert Rotenberg created gripping page-turners that captured audiences in Canada and around the world. Rotenberg's bestsellers do for Toronto what Ian Rankin has done for Edinburgh and Michael Connelly for Los Angeles. In Stray Bullets, Rotenberg takes the reader to a snowy November evening. Outside a busy downtown doughnut shop, gunshots ring out and a young boy is critically hurt. Soon Detective Ari Greene is on scene. How many shots were fired? How many guns? How many witnesses? With grieving parents and a city hungry for justice, the pressure is on to convict the man accused of this horrible crime. Against this tidal wave of indignation, defense counsel Nancy Parish finds herself defending her oldest and most difficult client. But does anyone know the whole story?
Stray Bullets (Old City Hall #3)
by Robert RotenbergIn The Guilty Plea and Old City Hall, critically acclaimed author Robert Rotenberg created gripping page-turners that captured audiences in Canada and around the world. Rotenberg's bestsellers do for Toronto what Ian Rankin has done for Edinburgh and Michael Connelly for Los Angeles. In Stray Bullets, Rotenberg takes the reader to a snowy November evening. Outside a busy downtown doughnut shop, gunshots ring out and a young boy is critically hurt. Soon Detective Ari Greene is on scene. How many shots were fired? How many guns? How many witnesses? With grieving parents and a city hungry for justice, the pressure is on to convict the man accused of this horrible crime. Against this tidal wave of indignation, defense counsel Nancy Parish finds herself defending her oldest and most difficult client. But does anyone know the whole story? Stray Bullets is Robert Rotenberg's third intricate mystery set on the streets and in the courtrooms of Toronto.
Streak of Lightning
by Clare O'DonohueNell and Jesse are taking time off from work. They've bought their tickets and made reservations. Nothing can stop them from enjoying a romantic weekend in New York City...except a murder. When Joe, the ill-tempered owner of Archer's Rest's only pizzeria, gets locked up overnight for disorderly conduct, it turns into a life sentence when he dies in his cell. Jesse's most trusted deputy was by his side, so what could have gone wrong? This freak event sets the town abuzz like a streak of lightning. How will Nell, Jesse and the Someday Quilts ladies crack this inexplicable case?
Stream of Death
by Bill StackhouseA Catskills community is rocked by a dog who digs up a famous stolen diamond and Sicilians who have sworn a vendetta for a World War II crime. Sicily, World War II. The Allied landing has begun. Will the Italians fight with the Germans, or run? The answer leads a German officer to a murderous act and the theft of a Sicilian family heirloom. Ulster County, New York, the present. The Catskills community is the perfect, peaceful place for a widowed mother to raise her son, work in her brother's pub, and date the chief of police. Young Danny and his ace dog love to fish and make two friends, both old men, who share their stream with him. Nature's generosity and Danny's skill is such that fish becomes a regular menu item at the pub. All goes swimmingly until one day, the dog digs up a pouch containing the long missing Isabela Pendant. More shocking, someone soon shoots the senior gentleman, the one who is married to toothsome Cynthia. He falls into the stream, but a young Protestant priest fishes out the dying man and hears his last confession. Chief McAvoy would like to know what it was, but Fr. John's lips are sealed. In Greene County, just to the north, a luxurious retirement home houses Don Vittorio Gianelli, brother of the long dead Contessa whose dazzling diamond has now reappeared. Chief McAvoy finds this coincidence hard to swallow. But no matter how he prods, no information falls his way. In the end, like a fisherman, he relies upon guile to reel in his killer... This atmospheric and unusually plotted novel balancing hardboiled and softer elements adds up to a knockout debut for Bill Stackhouse.
Streams of Babel
by Carol Plum-Ucci“A story about the threat of bioterrorism as seen through the eyes of the generation that will grow up with it as a reality . . . page-turning intensity.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Bioterrorism has come to a small town in New Jersey. Two residents die of brain aneurysms within twenty-four hours and several teens become ill with a mysterious flu, leading the government to suspect that a terrorist cell has unleashed a deadly biochemical agent. With each glass of water they drink, the people of Trinity Falls are poisoning themselves.A world away in Pakistan, a sixteen-year-old computer genius working as a spy for the U.S. sees an influx of chatter from extremists about a substance they call Red Vinegar that will lead to many deaths. Can he warn the victims before it’s too late? “The teens are the focus here, all excellent character studies drawn adeptly with few words. The swift pace grabs the reader right from the start . . . Plum-Ucci takes the incredible and makes it all too believable.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“A compelling tale of bioterror . . . a tautly paced thriller that will force readers to think about the complexities of living in a post-9/11 world.”—School Library Journal“A page-turner . . . Plum-Ucci has also fleshed out a basic panic-inducing scenario into a thriller more thoughtful than most.”—Booklist
Street Boys: A Novel
by Lorenzo CarcaterraNaples, Italy, during four fateful days in the fall of 1943. The only people left in the shattered, bombed-out city are the lost, abandoned children whose only goal is to survive another day. None could imagine that they would become fearless fighters and the unlikeliest heroes of World War II. They are the warriors immortalized in Street Boys, Lorenzo Carcaterra’s exhilarating new novel, a book that exceeds even his bestselling Sleepers as a riveting reading experience.It’s late September. The war in Europe is almost won. Italy is leaderless, Mussolini already arrested by anti-Fascists. The German army has evacuated the city of Naples. Adults, even entire families, have been marched off to work camps or simply sent off to their deaths. Now, the German army is moving toward Naples to finish the job. Their chilling instructions are: If the city can’t belong to Hitler, it will belong to no one.No one but children. Children who have been orphaned or hidden by parents in a last, defiant gesture against the Nazis. Children, some as young as ten years old, armed with just a handful of guns, unexploded bombs, and their own ingenuity. Children who are determined to take on the advancing enemy and save the city—or die trying.There is Vincenzo Soldari, a sixteen-year-old history buff who is determined to make history by leading others with courage and self-confidence; Carlo Maldini, a middle-aged drunkard desperate to redeem himself by adding his experience to the raw exuberance of the young fighters; Nunzia Maldini, his nineteen-year-old daughter, who helps her father regain his self-respect— and loses her heart to an American G.I.; Corporal Steve Connors, a soldier sent out on reconnaissance, then cut off from his comrades—with no choice but to aid the street boys; Colonel Rudolph Van Klaus, the proud Nazi commander shamed by his own sadistic mission; and, of course, the dozens of young boys who use their few skills and great heart to try to save their city, their country, and themselves.In its compassionate portrait of the rootless young, and its pitiless portrayal of the violence that is at once their world and their way out, Street Boys continues and deepens Lorenzo Carcaterra’s trademark themes. In its awesome scope and pure page-turning excitement, it stands as a stirring tribute to the underdog in us all—and as a singular addition to the novels about World War II.
Street Cat Blues (Cat Noir)
by Alison O’LearyA jaded tabby cat suspects everyone when an elderly neighbour gets put down in this witty mystery series debut . . . After spending several months banged up in Sunny Banks rescue centre, life is looking good for Aubrey, a large tabby cat who has finally found his forever home with Molly and Jeremy. However, all that changes when a killer begins to target elderly people in the neighbourhood. Aubrey wasn&’t particularly upset by some of the previous deaths—particularly that of Miss Jenkins, who enjoyed throwing stones at cats. But the latest victim, Mr Telling, was one of the good humans. Aubrey may be a pampered house pet now, but he still knows his way around the streets—and along with a few other local felines, he intends to pounce on this two-legged predator . . .
Street Dreams (Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus Series, #15)
by Faye KellermanCindy, a rookie cop, digs into the case of a developmentally disabled teenager who abandoned her baby.
Street Judge
by Greg MathisIn this fast-paced, sexually charged thriller, a newly appointed judge is caught up in a gritty case involving a brutally murdered woman as well as a blackmail scheme involving an overzealous femme fatale determined to sleep her way to the top of Detroit's society page. Detroit was once considered the murder capital of the nation, and as fresh-tothe-bench Judge Mathis discovers, it may be living up to its name. In one of the city's most horrific crimes ever, a young single parent has been discovered decapitated in an alleyway, with her head located several blocks away. The police are stumped until the arrest of a drug dealer promises to reveal vital information about the case. The only problem? The drug dealer won't talk to anyone but Judge Mathis. The dealer demands privileges and assurances of safety from Mathis, who refuses to bend his moral code and give in to the conditions, setting the investigation back to square one. But Mathis isn't about to give up and finds himself unable to stop thinking about the case. So he sets out on the streets, using his savvy and connections to uncover the motives and means that led to the woman's death. Crossing paths with people from his past who have decided to benefit from criminal activity, Mathis stands up for the innocents who cannot defend themselves. From establishing a drug rehabilitation center to helping the youth through a mentoring program, Mathis is much more than a judge, for he once walked on the wrong side of the law as well. Drugs and murder are not the only issues that Judge Mathis must contend with. An overambitious assistant district attorney has decided to use her feminine wiles to sleep her way to the top with several of the most powerful men in Detroit. Using sex as a weapon and blackmail as the ultimate threat, she has caught them all up in a web of deception and Judge Mathis must help his close friends to salvage their lives before her game becomes deadly.
Street Legal
by Rafi ZaborA righteously satisfying read of a thriller, metaphysical novel, and screwball comedy, from the author of The Bear Comes Home.With the twists, turns, and smash-ups of a thriller, the sudden depths of a metaphysical novel, and the fizz of a screwball comedy, Street Legal is high entertainment and a righteously satisfying read, from the author of the greatest novel ever written about a saxophone-playing bear.Street Legal features an old-time skunk dealer, sniffing the new breezes, wants to open an Old-Time Grass Business Theme Park with rides and a disco. His foot soldier, a strapping, confused kid who might be on the spectrum. A frustrated cop who isn't allowed to collar anyone important because the town needs the business who consoles himself by trying to make a last-chance bust and grab some of the action. A slick, unsettling stranger buying up properties under cover for a major tobacco company but really out for himself. A Tibetan Buddhist lama from New Jersey who sounds like Tony Soprano when discoursing on the dharma who finds his disciple, a wry, reticently sexy earth mother wracked with concern for the wayward young man who is her son.