Small Town Crime

Twelve conspirators meticulously plan to throw open all the gates to the prison that contains them, so that more than a thousand convicts may escape and pour into the nearby small town. A search ensues, but the twelve get away. After two years, all efforts by police have been in vain. The mayor and city attorney meet, and Leah Hawkins, former star basketball player and resident good cop, is placed on sabbatical so that she can tour the country learning advanced police procedures. The sabbatical is merely a ruse, however, as her real job is to track the infamous twelve. And kill them.

When beloved mayor turned state senator Carlton Osborn is found dead on his boat, the prime suspect is the only other person on board: his pregnant teenage girlfriend, Amber Vega. Struggling to restore his self-confidence after a string of personal and professional losses, Spencer Dunn isn’t eager to defend a young woman who is almost certainly guilty yet refuses to follow his legal advice. But once Spencer starts digging, he realizes this case isn’t as simple as the police are making it out to be.

When a young woman dies in a late-night restaurant fire, the owner, Bobby Carter, is charged with arson and murder. The evidence is stacked against him, but something doesn’t add up. And his only chance for justice rests on the shoulders of small-town lawyer Leland Munroe… Leland is convinced someone’s out to frame his client. But as the trial heats up, he realizes that he's facing more than just a legal battle.

A stunning thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands and Treasure & Dirt. A man runs for his life in a forest. A woman plans sabotage. A body is unearthed. Newly-minted homicide detective Nell Buchanan returns to her home town, annoyed at being assigned a decades-old murder - a 'file...

T.J. had the world in the palm of his hand. He was handsome. Popular in school. Smart. A stellar athlete. The son of superstar pro quarterback Tony Okerson, he seemed destined to follow in his father's footsteps to a career of gridiron glory. That bright, shining dream ends when T.J.'s lifeless body is found on a rocky shoreline near his family's Chesapeake Bay home.

Nothing casts a more sinister shadow over our nation's history than the gruesome lynchings that happened between 1882 and 1937, claiming 4,680 victims. Often, in a show of racist violence, the lynchers tortured their victims before murdering them. Most killers were never brought to justice; some were instead celebrated as heroes, their victims' bodies displayed or even cut up and distributed as trophies.

Running his own law firm is harder than Leland Munroe ever imagined, but he’s determined to make it work. Judy Reed, accused of killing her wealthy father, is just the kind of high-profile and high-paying client he needs to keep his firm afloat. Yet the deeper he digs, the more complex her case becomes. Nurse LaDonna Winters’s financial situation isn’t as ideal. Struggling to make ends meet, she can barely afford legal representation. But her case is compelling—accused of a crime at her hospital she insists she didn't commit, LaDonna is desperate to clear her name.

Charlotte McKay is new to Sweetwater Falls, but that doesn’t mean she's about to look the other way when everyone’s least favorite miser goes missing. Following her dream of selling her cupcakes at a bakery is put on hold as she follows a trail of clues, each stranger than the last. Nearly every person in Sweetwater Falls has a grudge against Amos, who was known more for his penny-pinching than his benevolence.

On a warm Florida evening, Karen Gregory saw a familiar face at her door. What the beautiful young woman could not know was that she was staring into the eyes of her killer - a savage monster who would rape her, stab her to death, and leave her battered body on the floor outside the bedroom. Detectives frantically sifting through the evidence were tormented by one disturbing question after another....

Brought to you by Penguin. Cross Rivers is the kind of small town where everyone knows your name – and your secrets. Silas Tucker was destined for glory until a devastating accident brought him back to the place where his life fell apart. His father was gunned down on a deserted country road...

Whether in Truman Capote’s detailed murder of the Clutter family or Ted Bundy’s small-town charm, criminals have always roamed rural America and towns worldwide. Featuring murder stories, criminal case studies, and more, The Best New True Crime Stories: Small Towns contains all-new accounts from writers of true crime, crime journalism, and crime fiction. And these entries are not based on a true story—they are true stories. Edited by acclaimed author and anthologist Mitzi Szereto, the stories in this volume span the globe.

A vindictive killer, deadly secrets, and a community on a knife edge. When Emmett opens his wheelie bin to dispose of the morning waste, he finds a decapitated head staring back at him. Someone is killing the local prostitutes, chopping them up, and dumping the parts in wheelie bins around the...

When Charlotte discovers a dead body her first day in the cozy town of Sweetwater Falls, she worries she may have made the wrong choice, moving from the big city to a small town. She was hoping for a family feel and a fresh start, not a shakedown from local law enforcement and an aunt who keeps disappearing right when danger nears.

The eight book in P F Ford's gripping West Wales Murder mysteries series...

A brilliant new whodunnit, perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton and Richard Osman! A night of tricks, treats, and murder… When an old school acquaintance calls on auctioneer Felicia Grant for help, she finds herself at a glittering bash at the exclusive yet mysterious Aquitaine club. What starts as...

NO ONE IS EVER INNOCENT IN PARADISE. **THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH** **A TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024** A small town. A closely guarded secret, stretching back decades. And blood in the water. 'A masterful, stunning thriller. A twisting mystery epic in scale yet intricate in detail...

A BRAND NEW chilling, pulse-pounding psychological thriller from BESTSELLER Amanda Brittany 🏘️🩸😯 'Twisty and heart-stopping' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Valerie Keogh Eleven years ago, Maple Close was scarred by a horrific crime. Three teenage girls who lived on the secluded...

‘“Well, he’s dead,” Doc Partridge said flatly, making a note of the time […] death occurred due to a blow or blows to the head.’ Looking for a brilliant best-selling murder mystery with a feisty female detective? Then meet DI HILLARY GREENE, a policewoman struggling to save her...

The serial murders of elders in Åre hide a blood-chilling motive in a riveting novel of suspense by the #1 internationally bestselling author of Hidden in Lies.

A Cozy Mystery in The Bestselling Ham Hill Murder Mysteries from France Evesham!One unexplained disappearance is strange, but two are sinister. In Lower Hembrow, an idyllic village nestled beneath Ham Hill in Somerset, the villagers are preparing to enjoy the autumn traditions of the rural...