Hector Belascoaran Shayne Detective Novels

"Vividly rendered and psychologically astute, this somewhat transparent puzzler provides an unusually immersive perspective on familiar historical territory." -Booklist World War I is raging in Europe, but as the deadly influenza pandemic of 1918 sweeps like a wildfire through Boynton, Oklahoma, Alafair Tucker is fighting her own war. Her daughter, Alice, and son-in-law, Walter Kelley, have both come down with the flu, and Alafair has moved into town to care for them after quarantining her young children at their sister's farm. Boynton as a whole isolates itself like an old English plague village, discouraging anyone from coming into town and the residents from traveling outside. A new doctor applies science to treating the stricken, but Alafair applies all she knows about hygiene, nutrition, and old and trusted country remedies. Unable to aid her sons and sons-in-law fighting overseas, this is danger she can combat. One autumn afternoon, screams coming from next door alert Alafair that Alice's neighbor, Nola Thomason, and her son Lewis have suddenly and unexpectedly succumbed. Yet there is something about the way the pair died that causes Alafair to suspect their deaths were due to poison rather than to influenza. The epidemic is so overwhelming that it is many days before the only doctor left in town can confirm Alafair's suspicions; neither Nola nor Lewis died of the flu. The only witness to their deaths, twelve-year-old Dorothy Thomason, a special friend of Alafair's daughter, Sophronia, is so traumatized that she is rendered mute. Were Nola and her son murdered, and if so, why? The usual motives for murder are greed, or jealousy, or hatred. Or could it be, as Alafair fears, that the Raven Mocker, the most dreaded of the Cherokee wizards or witches, the evil spirit who takes to the air in a fiery shape to rob the old, the sick, and the dying of their lives, is hunting victims and bringing misery to the innocent?

Next book in the Posadas County Mystery Series "This is one of the very best entries in a consistently excellent series."-Booklist STARRED review When County Sheriff Bill Gastner retired from Posadas County, Deputy Robert Torrez rose through ranks of small town law enforcement. But what were Torrez's first days as a rookie officer like? It's 1986. Undersheriff Bill Gastner is enjoying his usual insomnia alone inside his old adobe when jolted by a horrendous noise. Dreading what he will find, he hastens to the nearby interstate exit where a violent crash has occurred. Not only is the vehicle that struck the support pillars totaled and the driver and a passenger crushed inside, a dead boy has been ejected. As the appalled Gastner recognizes the youth and swings into action, the first deputy to join him at the scene is rookie Robert Torrez, the department's newest hire. Before Gastner can head him off, Torrez sees that the boy is his spirited younger brother. And the girl crushed inside the SUV is a younger sister. The driver of the Suburban, also dead, is the assistant District Attorney's teenaged son. Two local family tragedies. A shaken couple reports that when the Suburban, careening at nearly 100 miles an hour, passed them on the interstate, activity inside hinted at its occupants' panic. Were the three dead kids running from someone? Further investigation reveals that a fourth teen should have been in the vehicle, but is now missing. Where had the four kids been? And why? In this riveting addition to the Posadas County Mysteries, readers will get a glimpse into Deputy Robert Torrez's first big case. Thrilling and emotionally propulsive, Easy Errors proves that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Steven F. Havill's acclaimed series is: • Perfect for fans of C.J. Box and Michael McGarrity • For readers who enjoy police procedurals and Southwest desert mysteries Praise for the Posadas County Mysteries: "Gastner is a unique and endearing protagonist who certainly deserves plenty of encores."-Booklist STARRED review for Heartshot "Full of bright local color and suffused with a compassionate understanding of human motivation, this intelligent, understated mystery deserves a wide and appreciative readership."-Publishers Weekly STARRED review for Out of Season "The Posadas County Mystery series notches its sixteenth with all its signature virtues intact: good writing, an unerring sense of place and a protagonist it's a pleasure to root for."-Kirkus Reviews STARRED review for The Fourth Time is Murder "If you haven't yet discovered these wonderful mysteries, you are in for a treat!"-ANNE HILLERMAN, New York Times bestselling author for Lies Come Easy

Someone is running a campaign to discredit Cairo's senior police officials. Is Garvin, the Commandant, playing power games, or is he trying to get to the bottom of the allegations of corruption? What about Garvin's senior deputy, McPhee, a man who might finally be going round the bend? And what of the Mamur Zapt himself? He may be the British head of the city's Secret Police, but is he above suspicion? After all, he does have an Egyptian mistress, placing him not only under the uncomfortable suspicion of having divided loyalties, but bringing him under her own stern scrutiny. Owen's attempts to get answers and avoid political (and personal) embarrassment take him into uncharted territory, the world of Cairo's female rites. And more terrifyingly, into one of Egypt's traditional crafts-snake catching. How do you milk a cobra? Do snakes have ears? Can they be tamed? Can a mere woman fill the traditional role of snake catcher without the undying opposition of the Rifa'i-and without losing the plague of Egypt?

"The exploration of relationships between parents and their adult children elevates this novel above most humorous mysteries, rewarding readers with an enjoyable read that induces as many warm feelings as it does laughter."-Kings River Life Magazine Fresh from her introduction to the dangerous world of criminals and cons in Jump the Gun, smart, sexy, and movie-crazy Annabelle Starkey flies to Portland, Oregon, to visit to her newly relocated parents. They, like Annabelle, are rebooting their lives-though the directions their new starts will take are not yet clear. Annabelle is now part of a fledgling detective agency headquartered in New York, home turf to her boyfriend, Mickey, just retired from the NYPD. Safely arrived at her parents' home, Annabelle is ready to relax when she discovers her backpack has been switched for one holding a gun-a gun linked to a murder. Has she been set up? Or is she simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? The Portland PD isn't sure. Then a frantic young woman appears and claims the gun is hers. And, worryingly, could the man who sat next to Annabelle on the plane be stalking her? Alarmed-and absent a gun of her own-Annabelle is armed only with wits, wisecracks, and her ability to run. Mickey and streetwise backup Luis rapidly arrive, adding boots on the ground and their seasoned crime-busting skills, but it is Annabelle who pieces together a case traversing Portland's patchwork of communities, proving to herself, her partners, and parents that, as investigator, she's got the right stuff.