Rural Thriller

Big secrets run deep. Former FBI agent Jack McBride took the job as chief of police for Stillwater, Texas, to start a new life with his teenage son, Ethan, away from the suspicions that surrounded his wife's disappearance a year earlier. With a low crime rate and a five-man police force, he expected it to be a nice, easy gig; hot checks, traffic violations, some drugs, occasional domestic disturbances, and petty theft. Instead, within a week he is investigating a staged murder-suicide.

Andrea Brafford’s life is nearly perfect. A passionate marine biologist happily married to Craig, the man she loves, she has recently moved into a home commensurate with their success to enjoy a life many others only dream about in one of Houston’s most desirable suburbs. But only a few months later, a trial that dramatically polarizes their town names Craig Brafford as a defendant in the murder of his young wife, shattering the serenity of the peaceful community. Andrea’s life remains a mystery that investigators and public opinion equally fail to solve.

As if baking holiday cookies, knitting a sweater for her husband, and making her daughter’s angel costume for the church pageant weren’t enough things for Lucy Stone’s busy Christmas schedule, she’s also working nights at the famous mail-order company Country Cousins. But when she discovers Sam Miller, its very wealthy founder, dead in his car from an apparent suicide, the sleuth in her knows something just doesn’t smell right.

In the days of the frontier West, it was not unusual for desperadoes and fugitives from justice to seemingly disappear from the face of the earth. Shadow on the Trail by Zane Grey, one of the best-selling authors of all time, is the story of one such man who returned to reestablish himself in a law-abiding society. In Texas, young bank robber Wade Holden, once the toughest, fastest trigger man in the notorious Simm Bell gang, makes a promise to his dying mentor that he will go straight. But with the Rangers on his tail, he struggles to find sanctuary.

There will never be another Western writer like Louis L’Amour. A legendary author and indisputably the greatest storyteller in his genre of all time, L’Amour captivated millions of readers and has sold well over three hundred million copies of his works, which includes nearly ninety novels and countless short stories. Mistakes Can Kill You highlights an essential selection featuring nine of L’Amour’s earlier short stories, sometimes written under the pen name Jim Mayo, that exemplify the rugged morality of the best Western writing.

A collection of stories capturing what it means to be a cowboy.

You are cordially invited to a murder… Judith Spears was looking forward to a quiet retirement in her picture-perfect English village. Unfortunately, peace and quiet were never really her thing. When a loud-mouthed local media celebrity is accused of murder on his country estate, Judith finds herself dragged back into the business of uncovering the truth. He insists he’s been framed — and for reasons she’d rather not explain, Judith is uniquely qualified to help. As lies unravel and secrets surface, Judith’s sharp instincts prove invaluable… though she’s far less keen on the ...

Bo Tully, sheriff of Blight County, Idaho, has dealt with small-town crime throughout his long, storied career. Now, contemplating retirement after years on the job, Tully is faced with perhaps his most perplexing case yet. When area bald eagles start getting picked off by a ghost-like killer, and when a prominent local rancher is murdered by an arrow with eagle fletching, things gets complicated fast. In this fast-paced whodunit, Tully has a vast array of suspects to choose from, including the rancher's gorgeous, bird-loving wife, who mysteriously leaves for a ranch in Mexico the day of the murder.

Mystery doesn’t take a holiday… and neither does danger. It’s Christmas Eve in River Bend, and psychic Gabby McAllister is looking forward to a quiet celebration with her family and maybe a little warmth from Lucas Hartley—if things stay peaceful for once. But peace is the last thing this holiday has in store. When a wrecked car is found abandoned on a snowy roadside and two children vanish without a trace, Gabby’s visions pull her straight into the heart of a chilling mystery. What starts as a tragic accident quickly spirals into something far darker—and far more urgent. With ...

“Sharks are as timid as rabbits,” says a superintendent of the Coast Guard, dismissing the possibility that a shark could be the culprit in an unprecedented fatal attack at the Jersey Shore. It’s July, and swimming in the sea is a popular new pastime, but people up and down the East Coast are shocked and mystified by the swimmer’s death. A prominent surgeon at the shore, Dr. Edwin Halsey is the one who examines the victim, and the only one who believes the perpetrator was a shark—and that it will strike again.

CHLOE MORRAND HAD TURNED HER LIFE AROUND She’d been taking her meds. She’d kicked her drug abuse. And she loved her new job at Yellowstone National Park Life was looking up. Her father, Rick Morrand—local attorney—is hopeful that Chloe is finally on the right track. But on the morning she fails to show up at his house to pick up her nine-year-old daughter, Abby, alarms ring in his head. His greatest fear becomes reality when Chloe’s body is found at the base of the Sawtooth in Montana’s rugged backcountry. Authorities assume suicide— for good reason. But Rick doesn’t buy it....

Sierra Ravenswood is the new part-time employee of the Flower House, a flower shop in Aerieville, Tennessee. Things take a decidedly negative turn when a customer drops dead in the middle of her new bouquet-arranging workshop at the store. The town is on edge, and Sierra knows that murder is something that an upbeat attitude and a bouquet of sweet-smelling roses can't fix. She's determined to figure out whodunit, before anyone else in town meets an untimely reason for needing funeral flowers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A real giggle that shows age makes us have more fun! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you love Thursday, you'll enjoy Friday's murder club ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A fast moving, water tight plot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A huge amount of cozy fun A visit to the doctor can be a worry – but when Judith Spears is around, you know it will be murder. When an unidentified body is found in Little Pickton’s doctor’s office, it opens a can of worms with feuding colleagues, squabbling siblings, and a locked door mystery that has DS Collins and DC Eastly bamboozled. Luckily, poking her nose in where it ...

A stand-alone mystery featuring DCI Peter Hatherall. It's hard to defend yourself when you have memory lapses, and everyone thinks you are crazy. Journalist, Megan Roach, is given a story by an old man in a nursing home that could make her famous. When her carefully constructed life starts to unravel, she is forced to confront her childhood demons and the possibility she could be a murderer. DCI Peter Hatherall uncovers a conspiracy that confronts his own beliefs and goes far deeper than Megan Roach imagined. But can he believe anything she says?

Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives at the idyllic getaway, she’s pleased to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells—and he’s eager to introduce her to his easygoing way of life. But there are things Grace discovers that she’s not too pleased about: A lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn’t right with the ranch.

I never believed I’d see my daughter again. Until a mysterious girl arrives at my door in the middle of a snowstorm. My five-year-old daughter Riley disappeared from a playground ten years ago, moments after I opened a cryptic letter from what the police believed was a deranged fan. In the aftermath of Riley’s disappearance, I tried to create a safe place for myself. I live alone in a secluded cabin in Montana, writing horror novels and hiking with my dog. Until Miranda knocks on my door, half frozen, telling me an unbelievable story. There is no reason for a young girl to be out in a ...

Minnesota, 1977. For the teens of one close-knit community, summer means late-night swimming parties at the quarry, the county fair, and venturing into the tunnels beneath the city. But for two best friends, it’s not all fun and games. Heather and Brenda have a secret. Something they saw in the dark. Something they can’t forget. They’ve decided to never tell a soul. But their vow is tested when their friend disappears—the second girl to vanish in a week. And yet the authorities are reluctant to investigate.

A collection of stories from the most famous Western author of all time! Desert Death-Song is a compilation of some of Louis L’Amour’s greatest stories, many of which might otherwise be difficult to find. Whether he was writing under his early pen name, Jim Mayo, or his own, L’Amour’s stories are unforgettable, touching on rough and rugged American ideals, and set in the untamable frontier of the Western United States.

Winner of the 2024 Audie Award for Thriller/Suspense! "Lazarre-White masterfully portrays people of multiple races, old and young. He also delivers Cosby's reflections on family, grief, and faith with genuine introspection and without distracting from the tense plotlines...This is a gripping...

Cormac McCarthy, best-selling author of National Book Award winner All the Pretty Horses, delivers his first new novel in seven years. Written in muscular prose, No Country for Old Men is a powerful tale of the West that moves at a blistering pace.