Today's Featured Books

A lovely coffee table book incorporating poetry and illustration. Written especially for seniors, this book is about all of the caring, hard work, and thoughts still felt by an aging population. "I hope this book will be a keepsake on a bookshelf to read when someone needs some inspiration or comfort. It will bring back some memories of how life flourished years ago." -Arlene Kinnavy. From $28.23 SHOP NOW / 

 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the Howard County Mysteries series from Dale E. Lehman, award-winning author of mysteries, science fiction, and humor:

• Book 1: The Fibonacci Murders
• Book 2: True Death
• Book 3: Ice on the Bay
• Book 4: A Day for Bones 

The Fibonacci Murders by Dale E. Lehman

“I start with zero. Nobody dies today.”

The strange note delivered to Detective Lieutenant Rick Peller of Howard County, Maryland, proves to be a warning shot. Soon Peller and his protégés, Detective Sergeants Corina Montufar and Eric Dumas, are pursuing a cunning killer basing murders on the Fibonacci series, a mathematical sequence in which each number is the sum of the preceding two. And the only thing Peller knows for sure is that the series never ends.

As the murderer switches up methods, locations, and even the meanings of the numbers, questions multiply. Are the murders random, or do they have a purpose? Why is the Pentagon eager to keep a lid on the investigation? Does the killer know Peller? Can the detectives stop him before he commits his final, terrible crime? 

Praise for The Fibonacci Murders
"Total mastery of the storytelling arts... A genuine 'page turner' from beginning to end." ~The Midwest Book Review

"A mind-blowing contemporary murder mystery." ~Julia Wilson, Christian Bookaholic

True Death by Dale E. Lehman

Accident? Or Murder?

Four years ago, Detective Lieutenant Rick Peller’s wife Sandra died on a country road. The driver who rammed her car vanished without a trace, leaving police stunned and baffled. But it wasn’t murder. It was a freak accident, and the statute of limitations has run out. Now a bungled robbery raises new questions. As Detective Sergeants Corina Montufar and Eric Dumas investigate, Peller’s memories awaken, triggering a series of insights that shine new light on Sandra’s death.

The trail leads police to a meddlesome writer, a hot-blooded enforcer, and a cold-hearted criminal mastermind. Yet mysteries remain. Who could possibly have wanted Sandra dead? Was she targeted for murder, or did she just get in the way? And what became of the detective who originally investigated the accident?

Praise for True Death
"A well-constructed, multi-threaded plot, interesting, rounded characters, and a good sense of settings – some of the best American police procedural work I’ve read." ~Amazon UK Review 

"A marvellous contemporary murder thriller." ~Goodreads Review

Ice on the Bay by Dale E. Lehman with Kathleen Lehman

The forecast: Record cold. The crimes: Colder still.

Case #1: Hardworking veterinary technician Jayvon Fletcher was honest, friendly, and without an enemy in the world. But he vanished two Christmas Eves ago, leaving behind only a broken window and smears of blood. Now Detective Lieutenant Rick Peller is asked to take another look at the cold case, although he doubts he can shed light on the young man’s fate.

Case #2: Detective Sergeant Corina Montufar puzzles over a fire in an exclusive area. The details are familiar: two other houses burned the previous year in exactly the same way. But the arsonist is in prison now. Is this a copycat crime, or is the real culprit still at large?

Case #3: It’s only mid-January, and already Detective Sergeant Eric Dumas is staring at Howard County’s first murder victim of the year. Michio Tamai kept an address book overflowing with criminal cohorts. But even his friends were his victims. Not one of them is sorry he’s dead. Any might be his murderer.

While temperatures plummet, cold cases collide with new crimes, and somewhere a killer with blood as icy as the waters of the bay watches and waits.

Praise for Ice on the Bay
"Plenty of nail-biting moments to ratchet up the suspense." ~Laurie Jenkins, Amazon Vine Reviewer

"A cracking crime suspense novel with enough twists and turns to make a belly dancer faint." ~Diane James, BookGobbler

A Day for Bones by Dale E. Lehman

Bones litter the street…

A catastrophic flood in Ellicott City leaves more than damaged buildings in its wake: a human skeleton now lies scattered along Main Street. Did a colonial settler wash out of his grave? Or is it murder? As Detective Lieutenant Rick Peller and his team investigate, the descendants of James Ferring, a local business icon from a bygone era, become the focus, and Peller is sure they’re hiding something.

There are clues aplenty. The gun shop owned by Chuck Ferring is a magnet for vandals and thieves. Art Ferring’s horse was gunned down by an unknown assailant. And the Colonial Bakery, the jewel in the Ferring crown, is the only possible source of the bones. The family has explanations for everything, until a double murder threatens to unravel their secrets. And now, someone lurking in the shadows will stop at nothing to prevent Peller from uncovering the truth.

Praise for A Day for Bones
"A  wholly original and very enjoyable read." ~The BookLife Prize

Recommended Read 2024: Author Shout Reader Ready Award

About the Author

          

Free online tonight: That's Absurd! Join for a wild and wacky online live reading event to hear from a collection of authors from the upcoming That's Absurd! anthology. Friday, May 31, 6:30 PM CDT. 

“In tragedy every moment is eternity; in comedy, eternity is a moment.” ~Christopher Fry

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the work of Maggie Smith, author of "compelling and savvy" page-turners that feature ordinary women facing extraordinary challenges. 

"Impressively original, inherently engaging, fully entertaining, and truly memorable." ~Midwest Book Review on Truth and Other Lies

Blindspot

An ambitious district attorney. An enemy she can’t see. A daughter at risk.

Rachel Matthews is used to stress—from the cutthroat world of the district attorney’s office to her escalating clashes with her teenage daughter. So when a stranger sends a lavish bouquet with a macabre message and leaves a disturbing video on her doorstep, she’s quick to act. Teaming up with an old classmate turned private investigator, Rachel wades through old case files, searching for someone harboring a grudge against her.

But before she has time to pinpoint a suspect, her stalker issues a demand—he wants money, lots of it, or he’ll hurt her daughter. In a dangerous gamble, Rachel agrees to meet her stalker on an isolated beach, only to find herself fleeing from a shocking crime scene. Can she solve the puzzle of who wants to destroy her before she loses her family, her career, and her freedom?

Fans of Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent will enjoy this taut tale of an ambitious prosecutor trying to save herself and her family from the revenge of a sadistic stalker, right up to novel's surprising climax. 

Praise for Blindspot
"A smart, twisty cat-and-mouse revenge tale." ~Robert Dugoni, author of the Tracy Crosswhite Series

"A clever, authentic crime novel." ~Libby Fischer Hellmann, author of The Ellie Foreman Mystery Series

"An often-crafty whodunit laced with traditional elements of mystery and suspense." ~Kirkus Reviews

Truth and Other Lies

Three women. Two secrets. One lie.

Megan Barnes' life is in free fall. After losing her boyfriend and her job as a reporter in the same day, she retreats to Chicago and moves in with Helen, her over-protective mother. Before long, the two are clashing over everything from pro-choice to #MeToo, not to mention Helen's run for U.S. Congress, which puts Megan's career on hold until after the election.

Desperate to reboot her life, Megan gets her chance when an altercation at a campus rally brings her face-to-face with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jocelyn Jones, who offers her a job on her PR team where Megan is pulled into the heady world of fame and glamour her charismatic new mentor represents.

Then an anonymous tweet brings it all crashing down. To salvage Jocelyn's reputation, Megan must locate the online troll and expose the lies. But when the trail leads to blackmail and circles back to her own mother, Megan realizes if she pulls any harder on this thread, what should have been the scoop of her career could unravel into a tabloid nightmare.

Readers who love Jodi Picoult's topical plot twists and Liane Moriarty's character-driven novels will devour this fast-paced tale of three women whose lives converge as one fights a devastating accusation, another campaigns for a contested seat in Congress, and a young reporter with ties to both navigates the tricky line between secrets and lies.

Praise for Truth and Other Lies
Winner, 2022 National Indie Excellence Juror's Grand Prize

Winner, 2022 American Writing Awards Best Debut Fiction

1st Place, 2022 Pencraft Awards for Literary Excellence

"Twisty, timely, and rivetingly thought-provoking." ~Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of Her Perfect Life

"A sharp exploration of the complex relationships between women...mothers and daughters, mentors and protégés, best friends and frenemies." ~Karen Karbo, author of In Praise of Difficult Women

"An engaging and topical tale of politics and journalistic ethics with a feminist slant." ~Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

          

Free online tonight: 2024 Anne Halley Poetry Prize Reading. Hosted by The Massachusetts Review, tonight's event honors 2024 Anne Halley Prize winner Michael Lavers, who will read his prize-winning poem "Sun, Birds, and Leaves" and other works. Wednesday, May 29, 7 PM EDT. 

"If the next is better, I’ll still miss this world." ~Michael Lavers, "Coda"