23 results for "Detective"

Crime scene: a novel

Kellerman, Jonathan,Kellerman, Jesse
"A former star athlete turned deputy coroner is drawn into a brutal, complicated murder in this psychological thriller from a father-son writing team that delivers "brilliant, page-turning fiction" (Stephen King). Natural causes or foul play? That's the question Clay Edison must answer each time he examines a body. Figuring out motives and chasing down suspects aren't part of his beat--not until a seemingly open-and-shut case proves to be more than meets his highly trained eye. Eccentric, reclusive Walter Rennert lies cold at the bottom of his stairs. At first glance the scene looks straightforward: a once-respected psychology professor, done in by booze and a bad heart. But his daughter Tatiana insists that her father has been murdered, and she persuades Clay to take a closer look at the grim facts of Rennert's life. What emerges is a history of scandal and violence, and an experiment gone horribly wrong that ended in the brutal murder of a coed. Walter Rennert, it appears, was a broken man--and maybe a marked one. And when Clay learns that a colleague of Rennert's died in a nearly identical manner, he begins to question everything in the official record. All the while, his relationship with Tatiana is evolving into something forbidden. The closer they grow, the more determined he becomes to catch her father's killer--even if he has to overstep his bounds to do it. The twisting trail Clay follows will lead him into the darkest corners of the human soul. It's his job to listen to the tales the dead tell. But this time, he's part of a story that makes his blood run cold. Praise for Jonathan Kellerman "Jonathan Kellerman's psychology skills and dark imagination are a potent literary mix."--Los Angeles Times "Kellerman doesn't just write psychological thrillers--he owns the genre."--Detroit Free Press "A master of the psychological thriller."--People Praise for Jesse Kellerman "Gripping and compelling. but what truly separates Kellerman from the pack is his prose. Jesse Kellerman tightens the noose slowly, and we his readers can do nothing but turn the pages."--Harlan Coben, on The Genius "Kellerman has a gift for creating compelling characters as well as for crafting an ingenious plot that grabs the reader and refuses to let go."--Publishers Weekly (starred review), on The Genius"--
Ballantine Books 2017 381 pages

Malibu burning

Goldberg, Lee
"Hell comes to Southern California every October. It rides in on searing Santa Ana winds that blast at near hurricane force, igniting voracious wildfires. Master thief Danny Cole longs for the flames. A tsunami of fire is exactly what he needs to pull off a daring crime and avenge a fallen friend. As the most devastating firestorms in Los Angeles' history scorch the hills of Malibu, relentless arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his wild card of a new partner, Andrew Walker, a former US marshal, suspect that someone set the massive blazes intentionally, a terrifying means to an unknown end. While the flames rage out of control, Danny pursues his brilliant scheme, unaware that Sharpe and Walker are closing in. But when they all collide in a canyon of fire, everything changes, pitting them against an unexpected enemy within an inescapable inferno"--Dust jacket flap.
Thomas & Mercer 2023 277 pages

The beast

Kellerman, Faye
"Over the years, Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus have got through a lot together. They've faced more than their share of serial killers and psychopaths. But this time two very different cases may cause them to re-evaluate everything they hold dear. One case involves Gabe, the troubled boy they've taken into their home. The other is much stranger - a man is found dead in his apartment, apparently mauled by his pet tiger. There is more to each case than anyone expects. But will Decker's family distractions finally prove too much? And when the truth comes out, will Rina and Peter's family survive?"--
William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 2013-08-06 371 pages

Hidden in smoke

Goldberg, Lee
"After dozens of Hollywood apartment buildings erupt in flames during a single night of terror, arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker are assigned to catch the serial torcher and end his spree. But then a catastrophic fire destroys a major freeway, crippling the city and forcing Sharpe and Walker to take on another massive case. Desperate for help, they know exactly who to call: homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone. Together the four detectives must quickly figure out whether the freeway disaster was a tragic accident...or the work of a mastermind with a horrific plan. As the investigations collide, an old foe with a revenge scheme enters the fray, igniting a race against time to stop a conspiracy of deception, corruption, and murder."--
Thomas & Mercer 2025 279 pages

Fake truth

Goldberg, Lee
"Author Ian Ludlow writes great adventures, but after helping Chinese movie star Wang Mei defect to the United States, he becomes the accidental hero of a real-life espionage thriller. Now he's stuck with the actress - and suffering a nasty case of writer's block - when he stumbles into a secret Russian plot using "fake news" to outrage Americans into believing a terrifying lie. The only weapon Ian has against the global conspiracy, and the assassins who are closing in on him, is his vivid imagination. If his story isn't a killer thriller, he's dead."--Publisher description
Thomas & Mercer 2020 279 pages

Blood defense

Clark, Marcia
Samantha Brinkman, an ambitious, hard-charging Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, is struggling to make a name for herself and to drag her fledgling practice into the big leagues. Sam lands a high-profile double-murder case in which one of the victims is a beloved TV star, and the defendant is a decorated veteran LAPD detective. It promises to be exactly the kind of media sensation that would establish her as a heavy hitter in the world of criminal law. Though Sam has doubts about his innocence, she and her two associates (her closest childhood friend and a brilliant ex-con) take the case. Notorious for living by her own rules and fearlessly breaking everyone else's, Samantha pulls out all the stops in her quest to uncover evidence that will clear the detective. But when a shocking secret at the core of the case shatters her personal world, Sam realizes that not only has her client been playing her, he might be one of the most dangerous sociopaths she's ever encountered.
Thomas & Mercer 2016 389 pages

The stranger in the lifeboat: a novel

Albom, Mitch
Adrift in a raft after a deadly ship explosion, nine people struggle for survival at sea. Three days pass. Short on water, food and hope, they spot a man floating in the waves and pull him in. The man, strange and quiet, claims to be the Lord. Is the man who he claims to be? What actually caused the explosion? Are the survivors already in heaven, or are they in hell? Years later, when the empty life raft washes up on the island of Montserrat-- the events recounted in a notebook-- it falls to the island's chief inspector to solve the mystery of what really happened. -- adapted from jacket
Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 2021 271 pages

The Hellfire Club

Tapper, Jake
"Charlie Marder, a World War II veteran and popular academic, is an unlikely congressman. Thrust into office by his power-broker father's connections, Charlie is determined to use his new position for good. He quickly learns, however, that in 1950s Washington, little is as it seems. Struggling to navigate the treacherous waters alongside real-life figures such as President Dwight Eisenhower, Senator John F. Kennedy, and Roy Cohn, Charlie is confronted by a world in the throes of McCarthyism, where no one trusts anyone. His education in the compromising and occasionally illegal ways of Washington makes him question his own ethical compass and the morality of men he admires, including his father. Alongside his pregnant wife, Margaret, a zoologist with ambitions of her own, Charlie struggles to do what is right while learning more about the mysterious circumstances of his predecessor's death. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful politicians and businessmen, a fatal car accident plunges Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a conspiracy that could change the course of history. When Charlie learns too much, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career... but for his life.--
Little, Brown and Company 2018 342 pages

The golem of Hollywood

Kellerman, Jonathan
"Detective Jacob Lev has awakened dazed and confused. It appears he picked up a woman the night before, but can't remember anything about it. And then suddenly, she's gone. Not long after, he's dispatched to a murder scene at a house in the Hollywood Hills. There is no body, only a head. And seared into a kitchen counter is a message: the Hebrew word for "justice." Lev is about to embark on an odyssey--through Los Angeles, London, and Prague; through the labyrinthine mysteries of a grotesque ancient legend; and most of all, through himself. All that he has believed to be true will be upended. And not only his world, but the world itself, will be changed."--Back cover.
Jove Books 2015-07-28 677 pages

Killer look

Fairstein, Linda A.
"New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein delivers a heart-pounding thriller that explores the dark secrets of Manhattan's iconic fashion scene in her latest Alexandra Cooper novel. New York City is one of the fashion capitals of the world, well-known for its glamour and style. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the runway, where American haute couture continually astounds with its creativity, daring, and innovation in the name of beauty. Yet high fashion means high stakes, as Alex Cooper quickly discovers when businessman and designer Wolf Savage is found dead in an apparent suicide, mere days before the biggest show of his career. When the man's daughter insists Savage's death was murder, the case becomes more than a media sensation: It is a race to find a killer in a world created entirely out of fantasy and illusion. With her own job at the DA's office in jeopardy, and the temptation to self-medicate her PTSD with alcohol almost too strong to resist, Alex is not anyone's first choice for help. But she is determined to uncover the grime--and the possible homicide--beneath the glitz. Along with detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, Alex must penetrate the twisted roots and mixed motives among the high-profile players in the Garment District. The investigation takes the trio from the missing money in Wolf Savage's international fashion house to his own recovery from addiction; from the role of Louisiana Voodoo in his life to his excessive womanizing; and to the family secrets he kept so well-hidden, even from those closest to him--just as things are about to get deadly on the catwalk. With Killer Look, Linda Fairstein proves once again why she is the "Queen of Intelligent Suspense."* *Lee Child Linda Fairsteinwas chief of the Sex Crimes Unit of the district attorney's office in Manhattan for more than two decades and is America's foremost legal expert on sexual assault and domestic violence. Her Alexandra Cooper novels are international bestsellers and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. She lives in Manhattan and on Martha's Vineyard"--
Dutton 2016 383 pages

36 righteous men

Pressfield, Steven
"New York homicide detectives pursue a serial killer in this apocalyptic thriller. When detectives James Manning and Covina "Dewey" Duwai are called in to investigate a series of bizarre murders, they make a shocking discovery: the legend of the hidden righteous ones, the 36 who preserve the world from destruction, is no legend at all. They are real, and they are being murdered. As the bodies pile up and the world tilts into chaos, Manning and Dewey must protect the righteous ones from a ruthless killer able to beguile his victims and command them against their will"--
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc 2020 340 pages

Keep her safe

Hannah, Sophie
Pushed to the breaking point, Cara Burrows flees her home and family and escapes to a five-star spa resort she can't afford. Late at night, exhausted and desperate, she lets herself into her hotel room and is shocked to find it already occupied -- by a man and a teenage girl. A simple mistake at the front desk but soon Cara realizes that the girl she saw alive and well in the hotel room is someone she can't possibly have seen: the most famous murder victim in the country, Melody Chapa, whose parents are serving natural life sentences for her murder. Cara doesn't know what to trust -- everything she's read and heard about the case, or the evidence of her own eyes. Did she really see Melody? And is she prepared to ask herself that question and answer it honestly if it means risking her own life?
William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 2017 346 pages

A game for all the family

Hannah, Sophie
"Pulled into a deadly game of deception, secrets, and lies, a woman must find the truth in order to defeat a mysterious opponent, protect her daughter, and save her own life in this dazzling standalone psychological thriller with an unforgettable ending from the New York Times bestselling author of Woman with a Secret and The Monogram Murders. You thought you knew who you were. A stranger knows better. You've left the city and the career that nearly destroyed you--for a fresh start on the coast. But trouble begins when your daughter withdraws, after her new best friend, George, is unfairly expelled from school. You beg the principal to reconsider, only to be told that George hasn't been expelled. Because there is, and was, no George. Who is lying? Who is real? Who is in danger? Who is in control? As you search for answers, the anonymous calls begin a stranger, who insists that you and she share a traumatic past and a guilty secret. And then the caller threatens your life. This is Justine's story. This is Justine's family. This is Justine's game. But it could be yours"--
William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 2015 447 pages

Death of a cheerleader

Ostow, Micol
Betty, Veronica, Cheryl, and the rest of the River Vixens are heading out of town for the weekend on a cheerleading retreat. So Archie, Jughead, and the rest of the guys decide to have a poker night at La Bonne Nuit. But a storm causes the power to go out, and the speakeasy goes into lockdown. When the lights come back on, all of the cash is gone. The thief has to be someone the guys know -- but who? A few hours away, the River Vixens are ready to enjoy a few days of nature and team bonding. But when they arrive at the cheerleading camp, there are two other feuding squads already there. The team from Stonewall Prep claims that the Greendale girls are the reason one of their teammates went missing two years ago. Betty and Veronica volunteer to investigate after creepy things start happening all over camp. And when one of the cheerleaders nearly drowns in the lake, B & V know they have to find out the truth before anyone else gets hurt -- or worse.
Scholastic, Inc 2020 298 pages

The house of love and death

Klavan, Andrew
When four members of a wealthy household are killed in their suburban Chicago mansion, shock reverberates around the quiet community. The only witness is a small child, and with the obvious culprit soon behind bars, it seems like an open-and-shut case. Enter Cameron Winter. Winter -- a spy turned English professor -- has a unique knack for solving complicated crimes. Despite the lead detective blocking his involvement, Winter discovers this seemingly safe suburban paradise is concealing something dark, something that people want to keep hidden -- and he will do anything to bring the truth to light.
Head of Zeus 2024-05-09 337 pages

The killing joke

Horowitz, Anthony
When Guy Fletcher protests at a feeble joke he overhears in his grotty local pub, he finds himself headbutted and struck by an idea in quick succession. Is it possible to trace a joke all the way back to its original source? Guy's meandering trail leads him to a humourless Hungarian dentist, a hyperactive troupe of Boy Scouts, a group of giggling grave-diggers and half a dozen undercover detectives. And there are some pretty odd things happening along the way. Guy is sure he's being followed by a sinister Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman. He has an unfortunate accident on a banana skin. And there's a fly in his soup. Guy is on the verge of discovering something very unpleasant. Making jokes is no laughing matter...
Orion 2005 384 pages

Walking shadows

Kellerman, Faye
Greenbury, New York. The brutally beaten body of a young man is discovered in the woods adjacent to an empty vacation home. Brady Neil had no criminal record, few friends, worked full-time, and attended community college. When Brady was a baby, his father, Brandon Gratz, was convicted of robbing and killing the owners of a local jewelry store. Decker begins to suspect that the son's murder may be connected to the father's sins. When one of Brady Neil's friend goes missing, Decker and his temporary new partner, Hamilton PD cop Lenora Baccus, discover a bloodbath. With the help of the Greenbury detectives, Decker is determined to see justice done. -- adapted from jacket.
William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 2018-08-28 367 pages