It’s
FAVORITES time! I asked the people in the Facebook M/M Rec Room what their
favorite Murder Mysteries were. Now, a majority listed a TON of Josh Lanyon
books so I have added them to this post but not all. Perhaps I’ll just have to
have Josh on my blog as a special lol. Clearly that’s a writer who does amazing
murder mystery! But, I got a great list of outstanding books and I’m going to
share them with you today.
Fatal
Shadows (Adrien English Mysteries: Book 1)
One
sunny morning Los Angeles bookseller and aspiring mystery author Adrien English
opens his front door to murder. His old high school buddy (and employee) has
been found stabbed to death in a back alley following a loud and very public
argument with Adrien the previous evening.
Naturally the cops want to ask Adrien a few questions; they are none too
impressed with his answers, and when a few hours later someone breaks into
Adrien's shop and ransacks it, the law is inclined to think Adrien is trying to
divert suspicion from himself.
Adrien knows better. Adrien knows he is next on the killer's list.
Murder
& Mayhem by Rhys Ford
Dead
women tell no tales.
Former cat burglar Rook Stevens stole many a priceless thing in the past, but
he’s never been accused of taking a life—until now. It was one thing to find a
former associate inside Potter’s Field, his pop culture memorabilia shop, but
quite another to stumble across her dead body.
Detective Dante Montoya thought he’d never see Rook Stevens again—not after his
former partner’d falsified evidence to entrap the jewelry thief and Stevens
walked off scot-free. So when he tackled a fleeing murder suspect, Dante was
shocked to discover the blood-covered man was none other than the thief he’d
fought to put in prison and who still made his blood sing.
Rook is determined to shake loose the murder charge against him, even if it
means putting distance between him and the rugged Cuban-Mexican detective who
brought him down. If one dead con artist wasn’t bad enough, others soon follow,
and as the bodies pile up around Rook’s feet, he’s forced to reach out to the
last man he’d expect to believe in his innocence—and the only man who’s ever
gotten under Rook’s skin.
Slasherazzi
by Daniel A. Kaine
Recently
promoted to Detective, Alex is out to prove himself and the Slasherazzi case is
the perfect opportunity. Mutilated corpses are showing up across Tampa, and
when the team discovers the newest victim was tortured alive, Alex becomes more
determined than ever to stop the crazed serial killer before the horrific
stabbings escalate further.
With the return of Alex’s ex-boyfriend and journalist, Vince, the investigation
takes a dangerous twist: the killer starts showing a personal interest in Alex.
Can he stop the murders and salvage his relationship with Vince, or does he
risk letting both men get away?
Heart
to Hart by Erin O’Quinn
Michael
McCree is one with a mysterious past, who ends up as a newspaper man, thereby
meeting the strikingly handsome Simon Hart, who comes to his shop to turn in an
obituary notice.
Simon’s flat-mate and former business partner has been killed, and Simon, a
private investigator, needs to track down the murderer. Michael, immediately
smitten with the sulky and sexy man, lays a plan to first become his new
roomer, then his business partner.
But Simon, stricken by his recent loss, is having none of Michael’s undisguised
interest.
Not a man to be deterred easily from a goal, Michael sets about winning Simon’s
affection. That particular battle is almost as difficult as tracking down the
murderer of his predecessor, a nosy detective who was getting too close to the
crimes of an evil person.
Simon spends more time ducking Michael’s advances than actually finding clues
and solving the mystery. Inquiring minds want to know—how hard is Simon really
trying to avoid Michael? And Michael isn’t hiding his forthright urges, but
what secret is he hiding?
NOTE: This story is part of The Gaslight Mysteries series.
The
Master of Seacliff by Max Pierce
A
gothic mystery with a decidedly masculine point of view.
The year is 1899, and Andrew Wyndham is twenty years old - no longer a boy, but
not yet the man he longs to become. Brought up by a harsh and stingy aunt and
uncle in New York City after the death of his parents, young Andrew dreams of
life as an artist in Paris. He has talent enough but lacks the resources to
bring his dream to fruition. When a friend arranges for him to work as tutor to
the son of a wealthy patron of the arts, Andrew sees a chance to make his dream
come true and boards a train heading up the Atlantic coast. His destination is
the estate called Seacliff, where he'll tutor his new charge and save his pay
to make the life he dreams of possible. But danger lurks everywhere and nothing
is quite as easy as it seems.
Seacliff: A dark and brooding cliff-top mansion enshrouded in near-eternal fog,
dark mystery, and suspicion - perhaps a reflection of the house's master. An
imposing Blackbeard of a man, Duncan Stewart is both feared and admired by his
business associates as well as the people he calls friends. And his home, in
which young Andrew must now reside, holds terrible secrets, secrets that could
destroy everyone within its walls.
Snowball
in Hell by Josh Lanyon
Los
Angeles, 1943
Reporter Nathan Doyle had his reasons to want Phil Arlen dead, but when he sees
the man's body pulled from the La Brea tar pit, he knows he'll be the prime
suspect. He also knows that his life won't stand up to intense police scrutiny,
so he sets out to crack the case himself.
Lieutenant Matthew Spain's official inquiries soon lead him to believe that
Nathan knows more than he's saying. But that's not the only reason Matt takes
notice of the handsome journalist. Matt's been drawn to men before, but he must
hide his true feelings—or risk his entire career.
As Nathan digs deeper, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay one step ahead
of Matt Spain—and to deny his intense attraction to him. Nathan's secrets may
not include murder, but has his hunt put him right in the path of the real
killer?
The
Best Corpse for the Job by Charlie Cochrane
Tea and
sympathy have never been so deadly.
Schoolteacher Adam Matthews just wants to help select a new headteacher and go
home. The governors at Lindenshaw St Crispin’s have already failed miserably at
finding the right candidate, so it’s make or break this second time round. But
when one of the applicants is found strangled in the school, what should have
been a straightforward decision turns tempestuous as a flash flood in their
small English village.
Inspector Robin Bright isn’t thrilled to be back at St. Crispin’s. Memories of
his days there are foul enough without tossing in a complicated murder case.
And that handsome young teacher has him reminding himself not to fraternize
with a witness. But it’s not long before Robin is relying on Adam for more than
just his testimony.
As secrets amongst the governors emerge and a second person turns up dead,
Robin needs to focus less on Adam and more on his investigation. But there are
too many suspects, too many lies, and too many loose ends. Before they know it,
Robin and Adam are fighting for their lives and their hearts.
Drama
Queen by Joe Cosentino
It
could be curtains for college theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza. With dead
bodies popping up all over campus, Nicky must use his drama skills to figure
out who is playing the role of murderer before it is lights out for Nicky and
his colleagues. Complicating matters is Nicky's huge crush on Noah Oliver, a
gorgeous assistant professor in his department, who may or may not be involved
with a cocky graduate assistant...and is also the top suspect for the murders!
You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino's fast-paced,
side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat, delightfully entertaining novel.
Curtain up!
Laurel
Heights by Lisa Worrall
Detectives
Scott Turner and Will Harrison are sent undercover after an apparent
murder/suicide in Laurel Heights, an exclusive gay housing community. Will the
two closeted officers be able to hide their attraction while each believing the
other is straight? And is there a killer amongst them waiting to claim his next
victim?
CONTENT ADVISORY: This title includes scenes of dubious consent
A
Matter of Time Series by Mary Calmes
Book
1:
Jory
Keyes spends his time drinking and cruising gay bars picking up one night
stands. Then suddenly he becomes the only witness to a brutal murder. Although
the killer vows to silence him, Jory refuses to go into witness protection.
This puts him into conflict with Sam Kage, a very straight and very hot police
detective. When passion flares between the two men, Sam is astonished. Is he
really gay? And if so, what will this mean to his career, and his life? As the
danger threatening Jory increases, Sam senses that nothing is as it seems, and
wonders who is really after his newfound and forbidden love?
Psycop
Series by Jordan Castillo Price
Book
1:
Among
the Living
Victor
Bayne, the psychic half of a PsyCop team, is a gay medium who’s more concerned
with flying under the radar than in making waves.
He hooks up with handsome Jacob Marks, a non-psychic (or “Stiff”) from an
adjacent precinct at his ex-partner’s retirement party and it seems like his
dubious luck has taken a turn for the better. But then a serial killer surfaces
who can change his appearance to match any witness’ idea of the world’s hottest
guy.
Solving murders is a snap when you can ask the victims whodunit, but this
killer’s not leaving any spirits behind.
A
Reason to Believe by Diana Copland
Detective
Matthew Bennett doesn't believe in ghosts. So when the spirit of a murdered
child leads him to her body, he's shaken to the core--and taken off the case.
Unable to explain his vision, or to let go of the investigation, Matthew turns
to renowned medium Kiernan Fitzpatrick. Though he has doubts about Kiernan's
claims to communicate with the dead, Matt is nevertheless drawn to the handsome
psychic, who awakens feelings he thought were long-buried.
Haunted by the lingering spirit of the little girl, Kiernan is compelled to aid
in the search for her killer. The chance to get closer to the enigmatic Matt is
an unexpected bonus. Although Kiernan's been betrayed by people who turned out
to be more interested in his fame than in himself, with Matt he's willing to
risk his heart. As the two men grow closer, Kiernan helps Matt rediscover that
life offers no guarantees--but love offers a reason to believe...
The
Psychic & the Sleuth by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
Trusting
a psychic flash might solve a mystery…and lead to love.
Inspector Robert Court should have felt a sense of justice when a rag-and-bones
man went to the gallows for murdering his cousin. Yet something has never felt
right about the investigation. Robert’s relentless quest for the truth has
annoyed his superintendent, landing him lowly assignments such as foiling a
false medium who’s fleecing the wives of the elite.
Oliver Marsh plays the confidence game of spiritualism, though his flashes of
insight often offer his clients some comfort. Despite the presence of an
attractive, if sneering, non-believer at a séance, he carries on—and
experiences a horrifying psychic episode in which he experiences a murder as
the victim.
There’s only one way for Court to learn if the young, dangerously attractive
Marsh is his cousin’s killer or a real psychic: spend as much time with him as
possible. Despite his resolve to focus on his job, Marsh somehow manages to
weave a seductive spell around the inspector’s straight-laced heart.
Gradually, undeniable attraction overcomes caution. The two men are on the
case, and on each other, as they race to stop a murderer before he kills again.
Infected
Series by Andrea Speed
Book 1
In a
world where a werecat virus has changed society, Roan McKichan, a born infected
and ex-cop, works as a private detective trying to solve crimes involving other
infecteds.
The murder of a former cop draws Roan into an odd case where an unidentifiable
species of cat appears to be showing an unusual level of intelligence. He
juggles that with trying to find a missing teenage boy, who, unbeknownst to his
parents, was "cat" obsessed. And when someone is brutally murdering
infecteds, Eli Winters, leader of the Church of the Divine Transformation, hires
Roan to find the killer before he closes in on Eli.
Working the crimes will lead Roan through a maze of hate, personal grudges, and
mortal danger. With help from his tiger-strain infected partner, Paris Lehane,
he does his best to survive in a world that hates and fears their kind... and
occasionally worships them.
Cole
McGinnis Series by Rhys Ford
Book
1: Dirty Kiss
Cole
Kenjiro McGinnis, ex-cop and PI, is trying to get over the shooting death of
his lover when a supposedly routine investigation lands in his lap.
Investigating the apparent suicide of a prominent Korean businessman's son
proves to be anything but ordinary, especially when it introduces Cole to the
dead man's handsome cousin, Kim Jae-Min.
Jae-Min's cousin had a dirty little secret, the kind that Cole has been
familiar with all his life and that Jae-Min is still hiding from his family.
The investigation leads Cole from tasteful mansions to seedy lover s trysts to
Dirty Kiss, the place where the rich and discreet go to indulge in desires
their traditional-minded families would rather know nothing about.
It also leads Cole McGinnis into Jae-Min's arms, and that could be a problem.
The death of Jae-Min's cousin is looking less and less like a suicide, and
Jae-Min is looking more and more like a target. Cole has already lost one lover
to violence he's not about to lose Jae-Min too.
The Dead
Past by Kate Aaron
Puddledown,
England
The year is 1948, the war is over and the evacuees have gone home, although rationing
continues. For Hugo Wainwright, who escaped conscription and never had to fight
for his country, very little has changed. He lives a quiet life away from the
big cities, knowing his desires for other men will lead to disaster if he ever
acts on them.
Tommy Granger spent his service on the battlefields of France. He experienced
it all: the bloody horrors of war, and the chaos of Dunkirk. Finding employment
as groundskeeper in the woods on the outskirts of Puddledown, he lives in
solitude, trying to forget all the terrible things he’s seen.
When Hugo stumbles over a body not far from Tommy’s cabin, both men’s lives
change forever. There’s a killer in the woods, and the townsfolk are sure Tommy
is the culprit. Can Hugo unmask the murderer and prove the innocence of the man
he’s falling for, or are the deadly consequences of Tommy’s past about to catch
up to him and separate the two men forever?
Murder
on the Mountain by Jamie Fessenden
When
Jesse Morales, a recent college grad who aspires to be a mystery writer,
volunteers to work on the summit of Mt. Washington for a week, he expects to
work hard. What he doesn’t expect is to find a corpse in the fog, lying among
the rocks, his head crushed. The dead man turns out to be a young tourist named
Stuart Warren, who strayed from his friends while visiting the mountain.
Kyle Dubois, a widowed state police detective, is called to the scene in the
middle of the night, along with his partner, Wesley Roberts. Kyle and Jesse are
instantly drawn to one another, except Jesse’s fascination with murder mysteries
makes it difficult for Kyle to take the young man seriously. But Jesse finds a
way to make himself invaluable to the detective by checking into the hotel
where the victim's friends and family are staying and infiltrating their
circle. Soon, he is learning things that could very well solve the case—or get
him killed.
That's all for now folks! If you're murder mystery fans I hope you check out these great books!
