Showing results by author "Lawrence De Maria" in All Categories

Looking into the "suicide" of his lover's ex-husband sounds like a hairball to a private investigator. But he never imagined it could get him killed! Alton Rhode travels to San Francisco to investigate an alleged suicide and winds up ensnared in a web of cryptocurrency-fueled murder and international intrigue! The private eye knows a lot about murder and almost nothing about bitcoins. But he soon gets educated about the latter with the help of an unorthodox but brilliant young woman. And his own expertise comes in very handy when he runs into a bunch of Russians and Chinese whose motives ...

NEVER ONE TO HOLD A GRUDGE, ALTON RHODE DECIDES TO HELP OUT A FORMER HOOKER WHO ONCE PLOTTED TO HAVE HIM KILLED. SHE WANTS HIM TO FIND OUT WHO MURDERED HER GRANDFATHER WITH AN ICE PICK! LORENE ROBILLARD BETRAYED ALTON RHODE AND ALMOST GOT HIM KILLED. NOW, SHE WANTS HIS HELP! ***The private investigator soon finds himself in a Southern town that has more secrets than pigeons on Confederate statues. But with two brutish killers straight out of “Deliverance” on his tail, Rhode is forced to call for backup. The new ally, making his own contributions to a rising body count, helps uncover a ...

SHE WENT HOME TO FIND PEACE AND QUIET -- AND FOUND MURDER! Ellen Shaw, a disgraced big-city journalist, heads home to Iowa to bury her mother. Once there, she takes a job at a local paper, and decides to pursue a cold case her writer mom was following. But more than memories lurk in the small town of Middleton. Soon Ellen Shaw, and a friendly local policewoman, are engulfed in a murderous conspiracy that involves a brutal Las Vegas crime family. “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A ...

THE MOB BLACKMAILS TWO SPORTS ICONS WHO MURDER A YOUNG COCKTAIL WAITRESS. An innocent man is in jail for the crime they committed. A media giant has that part of the story, but is afraid to publish without ironclad proof. They hire a dogged investigator to get it. Meanwhile, the woman freelancer who uncovered the injustice can’t leave it alone. All hell breaks loose, as great detective work reveals a plot far worse than anyone imagined! ***“De Maria is a talented writer who has produced a body of work that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. His novels are sure to please fans of...

A MOB PRINCESS IS APPARENTLY KIDNAPPED! JAKE SCARNE AND A MOB ENFORCER TEAM UP TO RESCUE HER. *** Alana Dallas has been snatched from her Ivy League college. Her mother, Maura, head of San Francisco’s powerful Dallassio crime family, will do anything to get her back safely. As would the fearsome Vincent Anastasia, the elderly family enforcer who adores the girl. Reluctant to contact the F.B.I., Maura Dallas turns to Jake Scarne, who has both police and underworld contacts. And a reputation for doing the impossible – usually because he will bend, even break, the law to help a client. But...

A private investigator uncovers a lottery scheme and finds love on a benighted Caribbean isle. Then, tragedy strikes. Not once. But twice! What starts out with Jake Scarne helping a friend turns into a wrenching disaster involving casinos, cartels, drugs, and death. *** "De Maria ranks up there with Sanford and Child." (Amazon Review) ; “JAKE SCARNE THRILLERS NEVER DISAPPOINT!” (John Crudele, New York Post); “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A MASTER OF THRILLER DIALOGUE.” (...

IT'S "ALL HANDS ON DECK" AS THE C.I.A. TRIES TO FIND A TERRORIST HYDROGEN BOMB! "Set aside a few hours for this one. You won't want to put it down. But read it early in the day. Reading it before bed could cost you some sleep." (AMAZON REVIEW) "Morrigan", a mysterious and rich ISIS puppetmaster, is financing a plot that will restore a reeling Caliphate to glory. Every major intelligence agency in the West is frantically hunting for the city-busting H-bomb. In America, Cole Sudden, the ace of a secret C.I.A. unit, is cooling his heels. The agency, worried about his recent notoriety, has ...

An F.B.I. agent thinks she has found a serial killer who hides behind his wealth and political connections. But the hare soon turns on the hound! A SERIAL KILLER WITH MONEY AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE RUNS AFOUL OF A DOGGED F.B.I. AGENT -- AND JAKE SCARNE. "IF YOU LIKE HARD-BOILED ACTION, MEMORABLE VILLAINS AND TWISTY PLOTS, THE JAKE SCARNE THRILLERS NEVER DISAPPOINT!” (John Crudele, New York Post); “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A MASTER OF THRILLER DIALOGUE.” (Washington ...

SHE SURVIVED THE NAZIS IN WORLD WAR II, BUT NOW WAS WORTH MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE! An investigation into the death of an elderly woman in a rent-controlled Manhattan building uncovers a diabolical conspiracy! She lived alone and refused to move. That frustrated building moguls who had counted on her to die. So, they decided top speed things up. But they didn't count on Noah Sealth. Or Jake Scarne! ***“IF YOU LIKE HARD-BOILED ACTION, MEMORABLE VILLAINS AND TWISTY PLOTS, THE JAKE SCARNE THRILLERS NEVER DISAPPOINT!” (John Crudele, New York Post) ***“A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE ...

A SECRET THAT DIED WITH THE NAZIS MAY THREATEN THE MODERN WORLD! Two secret agents track a mysterious transmission at Europe's largest scientific project! They soon find out that some of their most dangerous enemies are close to home. "PULITZER-NOMINEE LAWRENCE DE MARIA HAS ANOTHER WINNER IN COLE SUDDEN, AN ASSASSIN WORKING IN AN OBSCURE C.I.A. UNIT EVEN THE AGENCY WORRIES ABOUT!” (John Crudele, New York Post); “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A MASTER OF THRILLER DIALOGUE.” (...

Brother and sister orphans find the man who abused them! Alton Rhode goes to Oregon to bury his aunt. It turns out she left him a valuable piece of property. But that is not his only surprise. A local sheriff seeks his help on what she suspects is the murder of a prominent citizen. There are few clues and no real evidence of foul play. But a discovery by some kids on a field trip tantalizes the private eye. What he eventually finds out tests his faith in both justice and the law. “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE ...

Two thrilling mysteries by a Pulitzer nominee! *** “IF YOU LIKE STRONG CHARACTERIZATIONS, GREAT DIALOGUE AND SURPRISES, PULITZER-NOMINEE LAWRENCE DE MARIA’S ALTON RHODE MYSTERIES ARE IN A CLASS BY THEMSELVES.” (John Crudele, New York Post); “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A MASTER OF THRILLER DIALOGUE.” (Washington Independent Review of Books); “WHILE DE MARIA MAY HAVE BEEN AN AWARD-WINNING FINANCIAL REPORTER, HE'S AN AWFULLY GOOD FICTION WRITER AS WELL.” *** SISTER Was...

SHE WAS RICH AND BEAUTIFUL, AND ASKED ME TO SAVE HER DYING CHILD! A woman begs Alton Rhode to find the bank-embezzler lover who left her pregnant and in the lurch. She says her waif-like daughter needs the fugitive’s bone marrow to survive. But the trail has been cold for 14 years! That’s the least of Rhode’s problems. Local mobsters have their own agenda. Only a mysterious guardian angel – with an automatic pistol – keeps the private eye alive long enough to find the missing man. Then things really get weird! “DE MARIA HAS WRITTEN A STUNNER OF A PRIVATE EYE MYSTERY, WITH AN ...

What are the odds of three serial killers working in the same college town? Astronomical. Unless two of them are twin brothers! The third is someone they hire to do maintenance at their nursing homes. A match made in hell! Using a pandemic's death toll as a cover, the brothers, who know a good thing when they see one, use their new hire to help them with their murderous insurance and "legacy" scheme. But they did not count on an idealistic -- and suspicious -- young woman. “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY....

A BEAUTIFUL INTERNATIONAL ASSASSIN STALKS THE WORLD'S MOST-POPULAR THRILLER WRITER! One author has already been savagely slain. Sebastian Quimper fears he will be next. With good reason. The police have a threatening letter. It claims terrorists will seek revenge because the famous Quimper “insulted” Islam in one of his books! The literary superstar will be the featured speaker at a conference in Manhattan. The N.Y.P.D. will be out in force to protect him. But Quimper’s publishers are still nervous. He sells millions of books and is the key to a huge publishing merger – if he stays ...

VERA HOPE, A SCIENTIST WHO HAS DEVELOPED AN ARTIFICIAL KIDNEY, IS THE TARGET OF A MAN WHOSE DIALYSIS EMPIRE IS THREATENED! *** Hiding from the assassins that killed her husband, Vera Hope runs into Jake Scarne in the Caribbean. The private eye is only seeking peace and quiet as he tries to forget the trauma of his recent cases. But he finds neither, and soon becomes involved in the tragedy that is Vera Hope's life. *** “IF YOU LIKE HARD-BOILED ACTION, MEMORABLE VILLAINS AND TWISTY PLOTS, THE JAKE SCARNE THRILLERS NEVER DISAPPOINT!” (John Crudele, New York Post) INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM ...