Gritty Crime

Author Ron Chepesiuk chronicles the little known history of organized crime in Harlem.

African American organized crime has had as significant an impact on its constituent community as Italian, Jewish, and Irish organized crime has had on theirs. Gangsters are every bit as colorful, intriguing, and powerful as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, and have a fascinating history in gambling, prostitution, and drug dealing. In the late 1800s, Harlem became a highly fashionable neighborhood.

The first three books in the Rebecca Watson crime thriller series. Stone Cold Detective Rebecca Watson is tracking a vicious serial killer in Eugene Falls, Florida. As a distraction, she’s dragged back into court for the retrial of a man convicted of murdering his girlfriend five years earlier. His defense attorney will use any means to get his client freed, including uncovering old wounds from Watson’s past. As the case takes a few hard turns, nothing can prepare her for the world she’s about to encounter, the past that haunts her, and the truth behind the serial killer’s motive. ...

When Lieutenant Mark Wheeler of the South Carolina Police Department arrives at a possible murder-suicide, he realizes almost immediately things are amiss. The crime scene is brutal, but upon further investigation, he unveils a sadistic killer at play who will stop at nothing to get away. As the case unfolds, nothing can prepare Wheeler for the gauntlet of turmoil and trouble. Relentlessly pursuing a psychopath who has flown under the radar for years, Mark fights to keep control—driven to bring this monster to justice. Will the sadistic killer finally be caught or will his instincts which...

Nikki Ashford had it all. Not only was she drop-dead gorgeous with a figure to match, but she was smart – a top student at one of the most elite high schools in town. Moreover, Nikki was used to getting her way. As an only child, she was spoiled rotten by parents who had worked their way out of the hood in order to give her everything she ever wanted. The only problem was that Nikki wanted everything: clothes, money, jewelry... But at the top of the list was Quilon – who, shockingly, didn’t want Nikki. Unfamiliar with being denied what she wanted (and certainly not accustomed to being...

A frozen corpse. A property deal worth killing for. DCI David Garrick thought he'd seen it all—until the bodies started piling up. Deep in the bowels of a commercial freezer, death wears a familiar face. What begins as a straightforward case of greed and betrayal quickly spirals into something far more sinister. While Garrick struggles to balance sleepless nights with a newborn and watch his once-loyal team fracture under the weight of personal ambitions, a ruthless killer is orchestrating chaos from the shadows. Each new victim brings Garrick closer to a terrifying truth: somewhere in ...

To hunt a killer in paradise, Sofia Costa must use every skill Interpol ever taught her—and stop a murderer who’s been watching from the start. Sofia Costa is no ordinary investigator. A former Interpol forensic polyglot turned luxury travel security consultant, she’s brilliant, solitary, and trained to blend in anywhere. When a discreet message summons her to the legendary Hotel Miramare high above the Amalfi Coast, she expects a petty theft. What she finds is far more sinister. Priceless heirlooms are being returned as if the thieves had a change of heart. A young woman is found ...

Growing up in the hood, Micha knew there were certain unwritten rules that were sacrosanct - practically biblical commandments: Do what you have to to get over. Never snitch; do your time like a man. And - above all else - never drop any hint that you might be gay. (Hell, if anybody even joked about it, you were honor-bound to break their jaw!) Initially, Micha has no problem with any of these, but an unexpected encounter suddenly awakens something in him that he never knew existed. Feelings. Longings. Desires. Physical needs that women prove incapable of satisfying. As Micha grapples with ...

A luxury kidnapping? Or a disaster in the making? He’s done this before—followed women, watched them, waited for their secrets to surface. It always ends the same. He chooses the perfect victim. And then he makes them pay. But this one? She’s too perfect. Too normal. The kind of woman who smiles like she has nothing to hide. That’s what gives her away. When she leaves the hospital that night, he’s ready. Calm. Precise. Until she turns to him and says: “This is a mistake.” She’s not talking about him. By the time he realizes he’s taken the wrong woman—she’s already ...

Late at night on a deserted Chester ring road, a man is run down and killed. But is it an accident, suicide, or murder? First thing next day Inspector Walter Darriteau is on the case. The dead man was a lay preacher up for promotion. Surely that couldn’t be relevant, but they are zealous and jealous in that game. Or could it be something more sinister? Why didn’t the driver stop? And the wife doesn’t seem too upset about it. Her main concern is the insurance policy that should pay off their mortgage. Where was she when it happened? “The Murder Diaries – Seven Times Over” is the ...

My first husband died under mysterious circumstances. Some might call it bad luck. I call it survival. Now, I’m arranged to marry Antonio Bianchi, heir to a mafia empire and a man who could destroy me if he learns the truth. Antonio is everything I fear: ruthless, unrelenting, and dangerously irresistible. When I crash his bachelor party to uncover what kind of man he truly is, I think I’m a step ahead. But he catches me. And instead of punishing me, he stakes his claim in ways that leave me breathless. He says I belong to him. That he’ll strip me bare until I have no secrets left. ...

When a Janie Doe is found strangled in a small clearing along Whisper Creek in Charleston, South Carolina, Lieutenant Mark Wheeler must use all his resources to find a sadistic killer. As he digs deeper into the investigation, the case stirs up old wounds from his past. Soon he discovers there may be a connection between human trafficking and his victim. Suddenly, all of Charleston is in an uproar for the police to find the girl’s killer. When the case takes a few hard turns, nothing can prepare him for the world he’s about to encounter, the past that haunts him, and a city on the brink...

From Warren Adler, bestselling author of The War of the Roses—now a major motion picture starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman—and Shannon McKenna, master of romantic suspense, comes a gritty noir crime thriller of deception, revenge, and redemption. They’re ghosts. They’re thieves. And they’re running out of time. Framed and forgotten, Henry Cody lives in hiding under a stolen name, plotting revenge against the people who ruined his life. Amber Wright is a career con artist with a past full of danger and a future that’s closing in fast. When a violent encounter ties ...

In the concrete kingdom of Hard Max Penitentiary, fear is currency and respect is power. And for years, Reggie has been the king. From his throne of concrete and steel, Reggie rules the yard with an iron fist, a grip earned through blood and the ghost of the tyrant he himself deposed. His empire is built on established rules and brutal order. The gangs are in line, the guards are managed, and the contraband flows. But the foundations of his kingdom are beginning to crack. A new inmate, Dre, is the tremor. He’s not a mountain of muscle or a vicious killer. He’s quiet, observant, and ...

She says I’m a beast. She's right. But I’m the man she needs if she wants to survive. I’m no family man. Big, bearded, tatted – I’m no teddy bear either. As a member of the Twisted Devils MC, I fix bikes and break heads. At night, it’s all about easy riding and fast women. No commitments, except to my club. Until Trixie. That night, everything changes. The curvy bar singer takes the stage and my world shifts. She’s gorgeous. And her sinful voice stirs an animal inside me. All I want is one night. Nothing more. She tells me I'm full of it. She wants nothing from a man like me. ...

She’s innocent. Desperate. In danger. And she’ll have to marry me if she wants to stay alive. I’m a dangerous man with demons in my past. Avery's my total opposite – an innocent who likes the quiet life. I have no business being close to a good girl like her, but she’s in danger. And I’m the only devil who can help. She’s being targeted by some vicious criminals. For her protection, I have keep her close. So close we both might just lose control. We have to crash a cartel wedding. Posing as man and wife. It’s just pretend. A fake marriage to keep her safe. Except the heat in...

I’ve always known two things: The Gallaghers and the Bianchis are sworn enemies. And Enzo Bianchi is the last man I should ever want. But how do you ignore a man who seems to be everywhere you go? Dark, brooding, and untouchable, Enzo watches me with an intensity that steals my breath. He’s dangerous, a man who could burn my entire world to the ground with a single glance. And yet, I can’t stop fantasizing about him. My family would never forgive me if they knew the truth. But I can’t help it. Enzo is everything I’ve ever craved. And when he offers me a way out of this life, I ...

Fleeing a homicide in Brooklyn, Ace and Stacy find themselves in Miami, a city pulsing with opportunity and danger. As they reconnect, the weight of their past hangs heavy, leading to a crucial conversation about their futures. Ace proposes a daring shift from their life as robbers to the enticing but perilous world of drug trafficking—a move that promises wealth but also invites peril. Stacy, inspired by Ace's ambition and seeking a fresh start, willingly follows him into this new path. Their initial success in the Miami drug market quickly escalates, drawing the attention of Soul, the ...

Teacher by day, member of the MC at night. My TA is asking for her cherry to be popped. She's curvy, innocent, and obsessed with touching me. She asks for a ride after class one day. I take her on my steel horse, then I take her unprotected. Her body is mine, and everyone’s going to know. She’ll wear my mark like a brand now that she’s knocked up. I’ve spent my whole life protecting my brothers. But it’s time to protect my new family. Nobody touches a Queen except her King. A fast-paced age gap romance where the hero intentionally swipes the heroine’s v-card and knocks her up. ...

Best-selling author Britney King returns with an adrenaline-fueled thriller about an unlikely array of characters and their heart-pounding plunge into the dizzying depths of madness. March 2020: Stranded on a remote cruise ship as the pandemic ravages the world, 753 desperate passengers find themselves in a perilous situation. With no hope of docking in sight and dwindling supplies, each must fight their inner demons to survive. Among them are an eclectic mix of people—a father desperately searching for a way to save his daughter's future, an artist running from a broken past, and a ...

The only thing more dangerous than the city's criminals is the monster that hunts them. In the rain-soaked alleys of Grave’s Landing, a terrifying creature of fang and claw stalks the guilty . The Iron Hounds gang, rulers of the city's underworld, are being torn apart one by one. To the desperate citizens, this monster is a dark savior. For Corbin, the quiet and scarred bookbinder, it is a curse he can barely control. Each month, he unleashes the beast within, aiming its rage at the predators who prey on the innocent as penance for a past he cannot escape. But a new power is rising from ...