Smart Crimes

They vanished without warning. Some were stolen in the night. Others disappeared in plain sight. Their stories shocked the world. True Crime – Taken! plunges readers into fifteen of the most haunting abduction and kidnapping cases in modern history. From Elizabeth Smart’s chilling captivity to the mysterious disappearance of Maura Murray, from the milk carton heartbreak of Etan Patz to the jaw-dropping tale of Colleen Stan’s years in a box—this collection leaves no stone unturned. Logan Carter weaves deeply immersive, narrative-driven accounts of survival, mystery, endurance, and ...

On June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the daughter of a close-knit Mormon family, was taken from her home in the middle of the night by religious fanatic, Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. She was kept chained, dressed in disguise, repeatedly raped, and told she and her family would be killed if she tried to escape. After her rescue on March 12, 2003, she rejoined her family and worked to pick up the pieces of her life.

Featuring a Special Introduction by Michael Connelly and a cameo by Harry Bosch! A reluctant detective. A town full of secrets. A past that won’t stay buried. In this gripping box set, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Michael Lister presents six pulse-pounding novels featuring the complex and compelling Detective John Jordan—a former cop turned prison chaplain and then cop again who can’t escape the call of justice. After leaving Atlanta behind, John returns to his North Florida hometown, seeking peace. But murder has a way of finding him, pulling him back into the ...

400 Things Cops Know shows police work on the inside, from the viewpoint of the regular cop on the beat - a profession that can range from rewarding to bizarre to terrifying, all within the course of an eight-hour shift. Written by veteran police sergeant Adam Plantinga, 400 Things Cops Know brings the listener into life the way cops experience it - a life of danger, frustration, occasional triumph, and plenty of grindingly hard routine work.

A reluctant psychic with a haunted past. A straight-laced FBI agent sworn to protect. A mystery they must solve together. Hailey Arquette uses ancestry rooted in the occult to hide her gifts in the small southern town of Hamchet, Texas. Experiencing a victim’s last moments when touching an object isn’t something she can turn off, but helps her to navigate the shadowy world where betrayal walks hand in hand with a smile. A threat against family forces Agent Trenton Briner back to Texas and into a mystery steeped in whispers of Vodou and magic. At each turn, he finds the raven-haired ...

It was supposed to be fun. A relaxing trip to a remote mountain retreat where there’s no phone reception. Three couples, friends since high school, are looking forward to a weekend of drinking, reminiscing and flirting. When someone suggests swapping partners, it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. The lights will be switched off, for privacy. It’s not really cheating if you don’t know who you were with, right? But when the lights come back on, one of the men is dead. No-one can agree who was in which bedroom with whom.

Survival. Justice. Hope. She was only thirteen when her nightmare began. Ripped from the arms of her murdered mother, Jayme Closs was taken by a man who had fantasized for years about kidnapping a young girl—any girl—and making her his own. For eighty-eight days, Jayme lived in fear and isolation, hidden beneath a bed, trapped in a remote cabin in the woods. But she never gave up hope. When the moment came, she ran—and changed everything. 88 Days: The Abduction of Jayme Closs is a powerful true crime story of unimaginable horror, unbreakable courage, and the pursuit of justice. ...

In a world where technology reigns supreme, where homes are controlled by AI and convenience comes with a voice command, a sinister shadow looms over the utopian facade of Siliconia Heights. As smart homes turn deadly, Director Victor Hanley of the Bureau of Artificial Intelligence Law Enforcement (B.A.I.L.E.) takes action. Enter Special Agents Caine and Aibel, an unlikely duo armed with wit, expertise, and an unyielding determination to unravel the enigma plaguing Siliconia Heights. Their journey delves into the heart of the digital domain, where each malfunctioning gadget and suspicious ...

A kidnapping in London, a disappearance in Beijing… the past is catching up with the future for her. Nancy Wu, the renowned lawyer and Queen’s Counsel, has lent her formidable skills to DCI Pole and Scotland Yard for many years. It is high time she directs her exceptional mind to solving a cold case that has been haunting her for far too long... her father’s disappearance from Beijing 30 years ago. When her young friend Ollie, a genius biotech researcher, is kidnapped, drugged, and left for dead in London, she joins forces with Pole to find the culprit. As the links between the two ...

A girl ensnared, a young boy lost, both victims of ruthless traffickers. Nancy makes a promise… to bring them home safe, no matter the cost. International Criminal Court investigator, Nancy Wu is on her way to challenge the United Nations in an effort to save young boys abducted from their war-torn country. As she flies to New York, she meets a girl in need. And Nancy can’t look the other way. She launches into her new investigation with the same grit and shrewdness she’s shown in the past, bringing the fight right to the trafficker’s door. With young lives at risk on both sides of ...

When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out.

An old social phenomenon known today as "cancel culture" is largely responsible for America's incessantly high crime, incarceration, and recidivism rates. It began with the unreasonable discrimination and disenfranchisement of virtually all ex-prisoners being enshrined into national law by the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The nefarious wording within these post-Civil War amendments paved the way for the federal government, state governments, and mainstream society to basically declare that any person convicted of a "felony" is effectively no ...

Psychedelic drugs being used to treat anxiety and depression? Yes, at a select Nevada hospice where legally-sanctioned LSD is employed as a compassionate treatment for terminally-ill patients. But when a variant (or analogue) of standard LSD is introduced at the facility, unexpected consequences emerge. Plot threads interweave between the hospice and the university that furnishes the drug and between two patients with inoperable brain tumors: Garrett Wayley, a chemistry grad student, and Nick Farris, a San Diego police detective. When their brain tumors mysteriously improve after LSD ...

Darwin (Sarah Roberts Book Thirty-Eight) When Sarah Roberts tries to deliver a message at the Toronto airport, she finds her contact surrounded by police officers. Determined to complete her task, Sarah takes a risk and ends up arrested. Across town, Parkman is ambushed at a bustling mall, and thousands of miles away in Italy, Darwin’s house gets raided by unknown assailants. Alex decides to investigate things on his own and uncovers a group of rough-looking men in Sarah’s apartment—but they aren’t waiting for her—they’re after Darwin. Why Darwin? Parkman might have an idea ...

Four bestselling mystery authors meet up for a writers' retreat in tropical climes, on the dreamy Caribbean island of St. Mary. Seeking to infuse their tales with authenticity, they enlist the expertise of Penny Küfer, a spirited and sharp-witted private investigator known for her prowess in unraveling complex crimes. Penny arrives on St. Mary anticipating a serene break from her usual caseload, envisioning tranquil days under the tropical sun. However, while enjoying a romantic sunset on her very first evening, she witnesses a murder. As the line between fiction and reality blurs, Penny ...

In Ukraine a modern-day human rights' crusader disappears. In London his mother seeks the only person who can save him before it is too late… Lawyer and former Queen’s Counsel, Nancy Wu receives a desperate call from an old friend whose son vanished 6 months ago. What terrible facts of abuse did he unearth that made him a target for the oppressors? Has he gone in hiding or is his disappearance much more sinister? On a crusade of her own, Nancy accepts an offer from the International Criminal Court to join its team of investigators. She’s prepared to challenge any authority in any ...

Chris Thomas is not yet 30 years old when he finds himself managing the immense pressure, eccentric personalities, and extenuating circumstances of an international story, where one small misstep could adversely impact the search for a missing teenager and the reputation of her family. Now, 20 years later, Thomas takes listeners behind the scenes, providing new details, perspectives, and commentary on finding Elizabeth Smart.

When a killer strikes, PI and single mom, Tracy Belden puts game nights on hold to solve a puzzling case of murder. I'm Tracy Belden and I'm hunting ghosts, Until a tour through a haunted mansion turns up a murder victim. When my landlady's mysterious past is connected with the high-profile murder, I can’t stay on the sidelines. I know nothing about fine art or million-dollar forgeries. But I’ve never left a crossword puzzle unfinished, Will I be able to prove my friend innocent of murder? If you like fast-paced, humorous cozies, dive into the Crossword Puzzle Cozy Mysteries! Available ...

It appeared to be the most simple of cases. Two men meet in a room, one man is later found murdered while the other man vanishes. To everyone involved it was an open and shut case. To everyone, that is, except Detective Chief Inspector James Thaw...

When a killer strikes, single mom and PI, Tracy Belden puts game nights on hold to solve a puzzling case of murder. I’m Tracy Belden and I’m getting out of town. A quick meeting with a client in Las Vegas will pay for a weekend getaway for me and my guy. But our perfect plan derails when my client is found dead. Now the police and the perps both accuse me of having a priceless artifact. The only way to prove my innocence–and finish my crossword puzzle– is to find the missing object and track down the killer. If you like fast-paced, humorous cozies, dive into the Crossword Puzzle ...