Books to Die For! Podcast

When a tainted drug starts claiming lives across the city, Detective Harriet Foster and her team race to track down the source…before it takes one of their own.Chicago’s finest are scouring the city for a tainted new opioid making the rounds, but they’re coming up empty. With five people already dead—a college kid, a new mother, and three poker players—all they really know is the drug’s name: Edge. Where it’s coming from is still anyone’s guess.Detective Harriet Foster doesn’t have time for guessing games. She needs answers. And when the next overdose hits Homicide where it hurts most, Harri is determined to get what she wants. But keeping her eyes squarely on the prize proves harder than expected.Still reeling from her last case (and the stain of suspicion it left on her career), Harri finds herself at a tipping point. The drug isn’t the only edge she needs to worry about. If she can’t come back from her own, there’s no telling whether this investigation will lead to a satisfying conclusion…or her own demise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lost, found, stolen, dead… In a den of enemies, there’s nowhere to hideDebonair jewel thief/insurance investigator Gregory Longdon has always relied on his wits to extricate himself from tricky situations. But when he’s kidnapped and framed for murder in Amsterdam by Russian mafia boss Bogdan Kozlov, living on a knife’s edge stops being a game. Meanwhile, his wife, journalist Emmeline Kirby, is stirring up trouble—as usual—with articles about Kozlov’s diamond smuggling operation and the Golden Tulip, a looted 130-carat yellow diamond with a long, colorful past.As husband and wife fight to clear Gregory’s name, they stumble into a web of blackmail and cover-ups that reaches the highest echelons of the British government and society. Rival underworld figures and the rich and powerful all have designs on the Golden Tulip. Emmeline and Gregory soon learn that running into danger means running for their lives.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It all began with a dog.Not a normal dog, no. A billion dollar robotic prototype. Enter me, Hope Remmie, software writing, self-imposed recluse. My employers forced trip to an electronics convention ended with me finding one dead body, and a dog who followed me home.PIP - Personal Integrate Pet. Also known as a Cyber-Service Dog. Only there’s much more to this metal-bodied wonder.Now, I’m in the middle of a murder investigation, and standing in the eye of a cyber-storm I can’t get out of unless I find the killer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An international mystery. A group of thieves working out of New York, Amsterdam and Paris set in motion a complex art forgery and theft project. Initially they are highly successful, that is until one member is overcome by greed and the promise of a quick buck, not necessarily shared with his partners.This greedy departure from a proven method of operation suddenly goes oh, so wrong. People die, partnerships are threatened and the entire mess lands in the collective laps of the San Francisco Police Department's Homicide Bureau.Inspectors O'Neill, Donnelly, Gibson and Sullivan are now responsible for solving a homicide that will lead them far outside their normal comfort zone. International crime, art forgery and murder, a lethal combination that will test the investigative skills of the Inspectors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Ann Charles packs a punch in this exciting, smart, and sexy jungle romp that combines three of my favorite things: action, mystery, and things that go bump in the night. This series might be her best yet!” ~Renee George, USA Today Bestselling Author of Nora Black Midlife Psychic MysteriesWhatever lies in wait in the jungle isn’t just history ... it’s hungry!Deep in the Yucatán Peninsula sits a long forgotten, mysterious site—lost to time, swallowed by the jungle, haunted by ancient secrets.Archaeologist Dr. Angélica Garcia is chasing clues, and she will stop at nothing to uncover the site’s history. Was it a sacred center? A place of long-forgotten rituals? Or something far more sinister?Quint Parker, a sharp-eyed photojournalist, is chasing Angélica. He never signed up for old curses, creepy whispers in the shadows, or man-eating mosquitoes. He just wants to make sure his girlfriend makes it out of the jungle—alive.The deeper they dig into the past, the more they must confront a deadly truth: Some places should never be disturbed! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

evenge can’t undo what was done.When young psychic Emma Jackson experiences a terrifying vision of a teenage girl being raped, she is shaken to the core. As her husband, David Harris, tries to comfort her, his worry increases when her shattered voice whispers, “Her name was Maggie.” David questions the wisdom of his team of investigators using the paranormal to solve cold cases.Emma and David, and Bryan, a retired police office and his wife, Laura, have been working together with New Elgan Police Service to solve cold cases.They learn that Maggie was a young woman who went missing twenty years ago and has moved on to the afterlife.During a powerful séance, she takes over Emma’s body and demands the investigative team take on her case to find her children.Except, at sixteen years of age at the time of her disappearance she had no children.When the team uncovers a sinister baby ring where young women are kidnapped and forced to breed made-to-order children for the elite, they are shocked to learn their nemesis, the Dark Hands of Anubis is behind the human trafficking.Emma insists on continuing the case, but isn’t Emma’s sanity and peace of mind worth more than solving a cold case from the beyond?Revenge may not be enough … when the cost is way too high. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our world is changing dramatically before our eyes.Increased average global temperatures have wreaked havoc on ecosystems, economies, and people’s lives. Fires rage. Flood waters rise. Storms and heat waves are occurring out-of-season and are becoming increasingly more dangerous and more frequent.Neighborhoods are being destroyed. People are losing their lives and livelihoods. Still, some politicians, some pundits, and some corporate oligarchs continue to deny reality and refuse to take responsibility and necessary action to mitigate this existential crisis.Those who did the least to cause this crisis will suffer the most from its consequences.In On Fire and Under Water, the new crime fiction anthology from Rock and a Hard Place Press, we explore the intersection of climate change and crime, through the lens of fifteen short stories from some of today’s best crime fiction writers. Edited by Anthony Award-winning author Curtis Ippolito and the editorial team at RHP Press, the stories contained within this anthology peel back the curtain on the ways in which climate change impacts real people in their most desperate hour.Some say the world will end in fire. Some say flood. In On Fire and Under Water, you get both. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Wiebe’s Invisible Dead meets John McMahon’s The Good Detective in this gritty detective novel that centers around a man’s struggle to solve a crime that will guarantee the safety of his loved ones, while he faces life changing consequences of his family’s alcoholic past.  Private investigator Jake Joelsen is going to prison for assaulting his sick mom’s abusive boyfriend, but thanks to a suspended sentence, he has two weeks to earn as much money as possible so he can financially support his mom when he’s inside.Enter Nia Rowe, who hires Jake to find her troubled sister, Sadie, a member of a mega-church called Watershed Moments. Jake struggles to stay sober as he encounters old haunts he’s never come to terms with, while trying to rescue Sadie from the grip of powerful people willing to do anything to protect their place on the highest rungs of society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twice dead…A living nightmareThe discovery of a blood-encrusted stiletto knife in journalist Emmeline Kirby’s bag at Heathrow Airport sets in motion a chain of events that ensnares everyone she holds dear. The body of Sebastian Jardine is soon found in the boot of Superintendent Oliver Burnell’s car, leading to accusations that he and Emmeline conspired to commit murder. Desperate to clear their names, she turns to Philip Acheson of the Foreign Office for help. But when two Special Branch officers arrive to arrest him, he is forced to go on the run.Gregory Longdon, Emmeline’s husband and a jewel thief/insurance investigator with ties to the criminal classes and MI5, is the only man Philip can trust. Gregory is on his own quest to prove her innocence in a game that makes no sense. Jardine was no stranger. His old friend was a former Interpol agent, who soured on the law and succumbed to his baser instincts. The real problem is Jardine died five years earlier. A fancy pink diamond with a murky provenance that men are willing to kill to possess holds the key to the truth. From London to Malta, Emmeline and Gregory are drawn into a web of corruption and revenge. Will they forfeit their lives for justice? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An inconvenient alibi…a priceless treasure…an MI6 mole It’s a lethal cocktail Journalist Emmeline Kirby and her jewel thief/ insurance investigator husband Gregory Longdon become targets after a desperate stranger asks them to deliver a fortune in rare red diamonds to hotelier Alexander Colefax. Before they can ask any questions, the man is killed. Driven by dark secrets, Colefax is willing to flirt with treason if it means getting what he wants. His coterie included the son of a Kremlin elite and a Russian mafia boss. When a man’s only loyalty is to money, his enemies become twice as ruthless. After Colefax is bludgeoned to death, Emmeline and Gregory discover that his dangerous games involved not only diamonds, but a stolen Fabergé egg that has vanished and a spy named Snowdrop. The trail of lies and revenge leads to Switzerland, where a treacherous double-cross could cost Emmeline and Gregory their lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prepare for intrigue, suspense, and unforgettable twists in this groundbreaking anthology of queer crime fiction.In 2023, crime fiction anthologies featured 517 stories across 30 titles—but shockingly, fewer than 1 percent were penned by LGBTQ+ writers. Crime Ink: Iconic (An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Famous Queer Icons) is a resounding response to this glaring disparity, offering a vibrant collection of stories by and about queer authors and characters.Drawing inspiration from queer icons—James Baldwin, Oscar Wilde, Candy Darling, Radclyffe Hall, Babadook, Megan Rapinoe, Laverne Cox, Dolly Parton, Vita Sackville-West, and many more—these tales span the rich spectrum of crime fiction, from cozy mysteries and whodunits to noir, psychological thrillers, and police procedurals. Each story is a testament to the depth, ingenuity, and thrilling originality of queer voices in the genre.This anthology showcases an incredible array of talent, including New York Times Best Crime Novels of 2024 honorees Margot Douaihy, Robyn Gigl, John Copenhaver, and Katrina Carrasco; Lambda Literary winners Ann Aptaker, Greg Herren, Ann McMan, and J.M. Redmann; and other celebrated writers like Cheryl Head, Penny Mickelbury, Christa Faust, and Kelly J. Ford. But that’s not all—this collection also includes many more decorated and emerging voices, ensuring a dynamic reading experience as inclusive as it is entertaining.With a foreword by Ellen Hart and an afterword by Katherine V. Forrest, two luminaries of queer crime fiction, this anthology is more than a collection of stories—it’s a movement. Bursting with intrigue, twists, and unforgettable characters, Crime Ink: Iconic is essential reading for crime fiction fans and anyone who craves representation in the stories they love.Includes stories by:Jeffrey Marks • Ann Aptaker • Ann McMan • Cheryl Head • Meredith Doench • Kelly J. Ford • Margot Douaihy • Christa Faust • Robyn Gigl • Greg Herren • Anne Laughlin • Kristen Lepionka • Katrina Carrasco • Mia Manansala • Renee James • Penny Mickelbury • Diana DiGangi • Baxter Clare Trautman • JM Redmann • Katherine V. Forrest • Stephanie Gayle• Marco Carocari • Jeffrey Round• David Pederson • Christopher Bollen • John CopenhaverEdited by:John Copenhaver • Salem West Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lambda Literary Award-winning author, Ann Aptaker's Cantor Gold faces the questions of who are her real friends, and how far she would go to avenge their deaths.Early November, 1958New York CityArt thief and smuggler Cantor Gold's latest underworld caper begins when she arrives at big-time bookie Nick Fortunato's apartment to celebrate his birthday, a ritual the two friends have enjoyed for years. But Nick is missing, and there’s blood on the living room carpet. It’s not Nick’s blood, though. Nick’s death still awaits him. Despite crime lord Sig Loreale’s best plans to protect Nick, with whom Sig has financial dealings, a killer finds Nick hidden away in a cheap hotel owned by Loreale.Among the players in this tale of friendship, betrayal, and the competition for power between the young and the aging, is the beautiful and possibly deadly Abbey O’Brien. She was Nick’s right hand in his bookie operation, and now that he’s dead, she stands to either gain big or lose even bigger.The operatives and bettors in Nick’s bookmaking business have a stake in Nick’s death, too…and motives to either solve his murder or get him out of the way: there’s Freddie Holmes, who sizes you up before you’re allowed entry into the betting parlor; Mike Leandro, leader of the crew that takes phoned-in bets; Chickie D’Andrea, who posts the odds from every track and sporting event; Harry “Horsehide” Lanz, a major gambler and trackside aficionado; Sylvia Georgiadis, an aging grand dame of the gambling world; and others.Assisting Cantor, as always, are her young Guy Friday Judson Zane; cabbie, sometime getaway driver and sometime friend with benefits Rosie Bliss; and Cantor’s criminal mentor Esther “Mom” Sheinbaum.And always circling are the cops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The stunning new psychological thriller from novelist and multi-award winning film actor Richard Armitage.You can’t escape your past. The cut always reopens.In the sleepy village of Barton Mallet, the old ruins of Blackstone Mill watch over the residents and their quiet lives. Ben Knot and his friends are looking forward to a summer of fun and freedom once their last year of high school is over. The class of 1994 have been through a lot together, but teasing turns to bullying when the Knot gang targets young Mark Cherry. As violence escalates, the group fractures and tragedy strikes. Before the summer is over, one of them will be killed. Murdered by someone they called a friend.Thirty years later, Ben is an award-winning architect who has moved his family back to Barton Mallet. His girlfriend, Dani, is a lovely stepmother to his children—budding actor Nate and star athlete Lily—but even though the family is happy, Ben has never been able to forget the tragedy of the past. And it’s a past that is quickly coming back to haunt him, with the murderer’s imminent release from prison. Ben’s glittering career is also starting to tarnish as some shady business deals have put him on the path to bankruptcy. With the killer’s parole date approaching—and the banks calling in their loans—Ben struggles to keep a grip on his perfect life.When Nate lands the leading role in a new horror film, Dani jumps at the chance to propel him towards stardom. But when the film crew descends on the village, the dream starts to turn into a nightmare. The film is not quite what it seems. Ben’s children are being pushed to the limit, and his paranoia makes him question the film makers’ motives. Ben is desperate for answers and will stop at nothing to keep his family safe.If the first cut is the deepest, then the last cut is going to end it all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Genius and the Tramp Fight Fascists in 1930s Hollywood."Ingeniously pairs real-life friends Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin on a roller coaster ride to save America from a fascist threat within its borders." – Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs series.It's 1937 and clouds of war gather over Europe, and American fascists march at home. While the FBI chases suspected communists, Nazi agents plot an armed insurrection. When the world's two most famous men—Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin—uncover the scheme, which includes the assassination of Hollywood's biggest stars, they fight back with nothing but their ingenuity, raw courage, and the fierce resolve of Georgia Ann Robinson, LAPD's first Black female officer.A dangerous chase takes our heroes into the heart of darkness, a fascist encampment in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles where a militia armed with machine guns plans its attack. Batten the hatches: it's brains versus brawn in an explosive, unforgettable finale.Praised by The New York Times for his "realistic, gritty, and fun" novels, Paul Levine delivers a wildly inventive thriller laced with humor and a larger-than-life cast, including Charles Lindbergh, Douglas Fairbanks, William Randolph Hearst, and Joseph Goebbels.Inspired by a true story. Learn more at paul-levine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FBI agent Frank Adler’s life is upended when his daughter vanishes on what should have been the trip of a lifetime. No witnesses. No demands. No trace.Refusing to wait for an investigation from the sidelines, Frank breaks protocol and follows a trail of clues that lead him into a shadowy underworld. As he digs deeper, he finds himself caught in an interconnected web of lies, cartels, cover-ups, corporate greed, and dangerous players who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.With the body count rising and time running out, Frank must uncover the truth before he loses everything he loves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A star reporter who lost his journalistic edge to a life of glamor and excess attends the funeral of a Catholic priest in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. But when he questions the priest's death, he quickly recovers his investigative skills to learn this charming tourist town - once the coal mining capital of the nation - has secrets so astonishing and unimaginable, he finds himself in a deadly struggle for his new love, his life, and his very soul.From Matt Birkbeck, the author of several non-fiction bestsellers including The Life We Chose, Deconstructing Sammy and A Beautiful Child, which was adapted by Netflix for the hit 2022 film Girl in the Picture, comes a stunning, debut work of fiction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A luxurious resort. A dream getaway. A murder that changes everything.Nina and Michael Carr are newlyweds on a romantic minimoon at The Chateau, an exclusive resort nestled in the Catskill Mountains. The setting is perfect—stunning views, lavish accommodations, and a welcome escape from their hectic everyday lives. But when the body of a young woman is discovered near the lake, their idyllic retreat turns into a nightmare.Now, Nina finds herself entangled in a homicide investigation, questioned by detectives who believe she may hold the key to uncovering what really happened. The deeper she digs into the mystery, the more unsettling her memories become—particularly those involving the other guests, and the secrets they seem desperate to hide.As the truth slowly comes to light, Nina must untangle a web of lies before it’s too late. Because at The Chateau, nothing is as it seems—and someone will do whatever it takes to keep the past buried. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shamus Award–winning author Michael Sears brings Queens, New York, to literary life in this crime series debut featuring a somewhat seedy lawyer with a heart of gold (or at least gold plate).Queens, New York—the most diverse place on earth. Native son Ted Molloy knows these streets like the back of his hand. Ted was once a high-powered Manhattan lawyer, but after a spectacular fall from grace, he has found himself back on his home turf, scraping by as a foreclosure profiteer. It’s a grubby business, but a safe one—until Ted’s case sourcer, a mostly reformed small-time conman named Richie Rubiano, turns up murdered shortly after tipping Ted off to an improbably lucrative lead.With Richie’s widow on his back and shadows of the past popping up at every turn, Ted realizes he’s gotten himself embroiled in a murder investigation. His quest for the truth will take him all over Queens, plunging him into the machinations of greedy developers, mobsters, enraged activists, old litigator foes and old-school New York City operators. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

J. D. Horn is the author of the standalone dark fantasy Shivaree and the bestselling Witching Savannah series (The Line, The Source, The Void, and Jilo). The Witching Savannah series has been/is being translated into Russian, Polish, German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Romanian. He and his spouse, Rich, split their time between San Francisco and Palm Springs. During this episode, J.D. discusses his recent change into writing in the Crime Fiction genre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first exciting installment in the Realities series!Things aren't as they appear to be at Bainbridge Psychiatric Hospital. Decorated war hero and politician Captain Oliver Haskell has voluntarily committed himself following the murder of his wife, scientist Hannah Haskell, in the parking lot of her workplace, Wellglad Pharmaceuticals. His case is assigned to Dr. Ella Kramer, a young psychiatrist just out of her residency with a troubled past of her own. After interviewing the captain, Ella starts to listen to her other patients at Bainbridge, who seem to be operating in another reality altogether. But it is when their reality bleeds into Captain Haskell's that Ella is forced to choose between the two worlds and learns to trust her gut about what really happened to Hannah Haskell that night. Detective Paul Moran who is investigating the murder smells a rat-or, perhaps, in this case, a rabbit-as he attempts to unravel what has taken place and its strange connection to the hospital's patients.The Light Runner, the first installment in the Realities series from debut author Ally Walker, is an edge-of-your-seat metaphysical thriller that will mesmerize and haunt you from the first page to its shocking end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.