Writing Detective Mysteries

Cyrus Shelton has spent the last twenty-three years locked up in the Huntsville State Penitentiary with only one thing on his mind - revenge on the arresting detective, Frank Windom, and his lousy defense attorney, Jonell Simone. Now paroled and having learned Windom had the nerve to die, he sets his sights on Windom's former partner, Jack West.

A #1 Amazon Best Seller Mystery Writing in a Nutshell Edgar Allan Poe Award Winner John McAleer & Andrew McAleer Edgar Allan Poe Award winner, Pulitzer Prize nominee, and best-selling author John McAleer, Ph.D. (Harvard), taught crime fiction at Boston College for nearly four decades, nurturing authors like George V. Higgins (The Friends of Eddie Coyle), Chuck Hogan (The Town), Margaret McLean (Whitey on Trial), Edward Hannibal (Blood Feud), James Devlin (Elmore Leonard), James F. Murphy, Jr. (Quonset) and Ted Murphy (the Belltown mysteries). Now, in Mystery Writing in a Nutshell, he and ...

The Art of Suspense: Mastering Mystery and Thriller Writing is a comprehensive craft guide designed for writers who want to elevate their ability to create tension, deepen emotional stakes, and keep readers turning pages late into the night. Blending psychological insight with practical technique and demystifies how suspense truly works—why it grips us, how it manipulates our expectations, and what separates a predictable story from an unforgettable one. We will explore the core mechanics of suspense, including the psychology of fear and anticipation, the strategic use of foreshadowing, ...

From “one of today’s most interesting thriller writers” (Lee Child) comes an immersive, propulsive novel in which a detective and a crime writer conduct parallel investigations, six years apart, into a series of puzzling murders. “[Nesbo] can heighten suspense with a single word and...

Master the Art of Mystery Writing Whether you're crafting a cozy whodunit, a hard-boiled noir, or a psychological thriller, this comprehensive guide will teach you how to write mysteries that keep readers guessing until the final page. USA Today bestselling author Steve Alcorn draws on more than 25 years of teaching experience to break down the essential elements of compelling mystery fiction: intricate plotting, memorable characters, escalating suspense, and satisfying reveals. Through detailed examples from Agatha Christie, Michael Connelly, Gillian Flynn, and dozens more, you'll learn ...

Charlie McGinley wanted literary fame—He got a front-row seat to murder. Charlie writes hardboiled detective novels from his New Mexico ranch. His books sell, but never earn the respect he craves. He wants to be taken seriously. Maybe even win an award. So, when world-famous author Jon Masterson invites him to join his prestigious writer’s group, Charlie jumps at the chance. Sure, Masterson’s rich, smug and conceited, but Charlie’s willing to play nice if it means finally being taken seriously as a writer. Then cracks in the façade start to appear. Is Masterson mentoring new talent...

The first entry in a clever, lighthearted mystery series set in modern Provence—a delightful blend of Agatha Christie and Peter Mayle—featuring the irrepressible Penelope Kite, a young-at-heart divorcee with a knack for stumbling across dead bodies. It’s love at first sight when Penelope...

Amanda Lester wouldn't be caught dead going into the family business. Her ancestor, Sherlock Holmes's colleague Inspector G. Lestrade, is a twit. Nevertheless her parents refuse to see his flaws, and she's going to a secret English school for the descendants of famous detectives whether she likes it or not. When Amanda arrives at the dreaded school, she considers running away - until she and her new friends discover blood and weird pink substances in odd places.

'A deeply satisfying read' Sunday Times Christmas Day, and DCI Tom Reynolds receives an alarming call. A mass grave has been discovered on Oileán na Caillte, the island which housed the controversial psychiatric institution St. Christina's. The hospital has been closed for decades and onsite...

A brutal murder and the kidnapping of a two-year old boy disrupt the return of Milton PD Detective Steve Marks from his Florida vacation. A homeless man has been savagely murdered behind the Trips Aces Casino and Henry Burnett, the son of the owner of the Burnett Furniture empire, has been kidnapped. Clues in both cases are scarce. As more homeless men become victims of the murderer dubbed The Shadow, and there is nothing pointing to little Henry's return, the pressure on Marks and his young partner, Anders Hedberg, mounts. Milton's mayor wants fast action in both cases while the Burnett ...

Kids can be so cruel. They'll call you names. Hurt your feelings. Push you to your death. In the garden of an abandoned house, Luke Connolly lies broken, dead. The night before, he and his friends partied inside. Nobody fought, everybody else went home safely. And yet, Luke was raped and pushed...

“The ultimate truffle true crime tale”*: A thrilling journey through the hidden underworld of the world's most prized luxury ingredient. *Bianca Bosker, New York Times bestselling author of Cork Dork Beneath the gloss of star chefs and crystal-laden tables, the truffle supply chain is...

A Serving of Hope, translated from the Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood, is the fourth book in the bestselling, heartwarming sleuthing series, perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. This is an interconnected series, which can be read separately, or binged all at once! If I hadn't searched...

"Beneath a Buried House is a wonderful book, full of twists and turns and surprises." –Crime-Spree Magazine Things aren't always what they seem. Tulsa Police Detective, Kenny Elliot's quest to uncover the truth behind the death of a transient, makes him a target—from whom or what, he isn't sure. When he brushes the dirt from the surface of an apparent John Doe overdose case, he finds a labyrinth of misdirection and deception, and a trail, which leads him to an encounter with an aberration in human nature, the likes of which he's not prepared to deal with. Drawing on his strength of ...

In the third book in the Search and Rescue Dog Series, a young Native American woman, unexpectedly escapes from the Wyoming Women's Minimum Security Prison just before being released, puzzling everyone. Lincoln County Deputy Nate Garner and his search and rescue dog Boo are quickly dispatched to track the running fugitive across the plains of Wyoming and into the Utah wilderness. Accompanying them is teenage Caleb who watches as Kwayah, called “The North Wind,” stays one step ahead of her pursuers.

Jake O’Hara and her colleagues are looking forward to a complimentary weekend in Manhattan’s swanky Plaza Hotel, the venue for the Greater New York Crime Writers’ Conference. The conference kicks off on St. Patrick’s Day, making the atmosphere a bit more festive—and chaotic—than usual. But things get way out of hand when Senator-turned-writer Charlie Fione and actress-turned-writer Holly Halligan partake of some green beer—that leaves them permanently green around the gills. Now Jake’s Irish eyes are far from smiling as she delves into a mystery and tries to rewrite a ...

A bestselling diva. A fatal book signing. And a witch who'd rather be reading. Bibliomancy witch Mercy Brew owns Bewitching Books in the quirky seaside town of Hemlock Hills, where Peculiars secretly live among humans. Between organizing her grand reopening and getting her stubborn ghostly aunt to cross over, Mercy just wants to focus on community, friendships, and her heart-fluttering attraction to Vaughn, the broody werewolf who looks unfairly good in a toolbelt. When Mercy agrees to host a book signing for a cantankerous author with more enemies than fans, she expects drama, not a crime ...

Cursed by a Native American brave, the Bennet House is one of the most haunted locations in Niagara Falls. This is where Emlyn Goode and all but one member of her writers’ group hunt for ghosts on Halloween. What they find in the house, isn’t a ghost, though. It’s the body of Edward Bennet, the missing group member. A few days earlier, Edward had shown Emlyn a document he’d found in the Bennet House, and told her it would anger people if made public. When Edward is found, the document is missing. Emlyn is certain that document will identify Edward’s killer, but her search for it ...

Murder has come once more to the seaside town of Crab Cove, testing the mettle of "almost handsome" Detective Simon Grave and his "nearly invisible" partner, Sergeant Barry Blunt, who investigate a locked-room mystery with a significant twist: the prime suspects are in the locked room, not the victim, a logic-defying situation that challenges the team at every turn.

With her books sporting other people’s names, ghostwriter Jake O’Hara works behind the scenes. But she never expected a séance at a New York apartment to be part of her job. Jake had signed on as a ghostwriter, secretly writing for a grande dame of mystery fiction whose talent died before she did. The author’s East Side residence was impressive. But her entourage—from a Mrs. Danvers-like housekeeper to a lurking hypnotherapist—was creepy. Still, it was all in a day’s work, until a killer started going after ghostwriters, and Jake suspected she was chillingly close to the ...