Death Blows

Death Blows is a fast-paced, exciting follow-up to Dying Bites—DD Barant and The Bloodhound Files just keep getting better, and Jace Valchek's world keeps getting stranger ... FBI profiler Jace Valchek was pulled into this parallel realm to hunt for Aristotle Stoker, a human serial killer who preys on vampires and werewolves. Now she works for the National Security Agency of the Unnatural States of America—and her boss is a vampire. At a bizarre crime scene, Jace finds a bloodsucker murdered by magic, fried to the bone and dressed in the costume of the comic book hero the Flash—a character who isn't supposed to exist here. Comic books have been outlawed for their powers, including crossover spells like the one that transported Jace to this world. Soon, she's following a trail of dead bodies into the sinister underworld of black-market comics—where a deranged madman gives new meaning to the term "super-villain"...

During the Great Depression, black intellectuals, labor organizers, and artists formed the National Negro Congress (NNC) to demand a "second emancipation" in America. Over the next decade, the NNC and its offshoot, the Southern Negro Youth Congress, sought to coordinate and catalyze local antiracist activism into a national movement to undermine the Jim Crow system of racial and economic exploitation. In this pioneering study, Erik S. Gellman shows how the NNC agitated for the first-class citizenship of African Americans and all members of the working class, establishing civil rights as necessary for reinvigorating American democracy. Much more than just a precursor to the 1960s civil rights movement, this activism created the most militant interracial freedom movement since Reconstruction, one that sought to empower the American labor movement to make demands on industrialists, white supremacists, and the state as never before. By focusing on the complex alliances between unions, civic groups, and the Communist Party in five geographic regions, Gellman explains how the NNC and its allies developed and implemented creative grassroots strategies to weaken Jim Crow, if not deal it the "death blow" they sought.

Homicide detective Veranda Cruz takes on the most ruthless member of the Villalobos cartel. Phoenix homicide detective Veranda Cruz is on a mission. After Hector Villalobos tried to destroy her family, Veranda vowed to take down his powerful crime syndicate. Beautiful, shrewd, and lethal, Daria Villalobos is on a mission of her own. Determined to be the first woman to take the reins of her father's notorious cartel, she hatches a plot to eliminate Veranda. When the investigation blows up in Veranda's face, the hunt is on to stop a bomber. Veranda battles her department and her personal demons as she takes on Daria. To survive her most cunning adversary yet, will she make a pact with a killer? Praise for Death Blow, Book 3 in the Veranda Cruz Mysteries: "If you're in the mood for a nonstop exposé of every fear you've ever had about cartel crime, Veranda Cruz is the woman to follow."—Kirkus Reviews "Finally! A kick-ass female protagonist and an author who knows firsthand the world she writes about. The combination makes for an explosive read that grabs you from page one and doesn't let go."—Alex Kava, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Lost Creed "Red alert to all readers of police procedurals with a strong thriller bent: Isabella Maldonado's Death Blow delivers non-stop action with substance, grit and surprises."—Lisa Preston, author of The Clincher "Gritty, raw, and realistic, Isabella Maldonado's Death Blow is the real deal."—Bruce Robert Coffin, bestselling author of the Detective Byron mystery series "A gritty, gut wrenching, page-turning thriller featuring a woman cop bent on bringing down a twisted cartel leader for reasons of her own. Death Blow grabs you from the first jaw dropping scene to the last and Maldonado's stellar writing weaves it all together."—Jamie Freveletti, internationally bestselling author of Blood Run Praise for Phoenix Burning, Book 2 in the Veranda Cruz Mysteries: "Maldonado's a writer to watch, and she showcases her own extensive law enforcement background in this tightly plotted police procedural."—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "Maldonado, a former law enforcement officer, brings her experience and expertise to this gripping police procedural. With its gritty heroine, this action-packed mystery will attract readers who enjoy crime novels about the war on drugs."—Library Journal "Phoenix may be burning, but Maldonado's star is rising. Gritty and gripping."—J. A. Jance, New York Times bestselling author "Maldonado's writing always bristles with urgency and authority."—MysteryScene Magazine "Delivers a brilliant and complicated heroine, accented by a take-no-prisoners plot...It's spicy, smart, and entertaining, definitely worth your time."—Steve Berry, author of The Lost Order Praise for Blood's Echo, Book 1 in the Veranda Cruz Mysteries: Winner of the 2018 Mariposa Award for Best First Novel "A highly entertaining police procedural...Maldonado rises to her written challenge to entertain, enthrall, and engage readers in this high-octane thriller."—Suspense Magazine "A tense thriller with a strong sense of place and an insider's look at some of the most dangerous work in law enforcement."—Jan Burke, New York Times bestselling author "An ex-narc leads a war against a powerful crime family. The payoff is satisfying."—Kirkus Reviews

When Laura Radburn's tenant, Crystal Mar, is murdered, Laura finds herself unexpectedly appointed as legal guardian of Crystal's 4-year old child. Shortly after she takes Karma in, Laura begins receiving death threats. Is someone after the child -- or is Laura herself the target? The appearance of a handsome stranger, Dane Lanford, leads Laura to suspect he may be the father of the child, and a cold-blooded killer

“Slow and steady wins the case” as a dedicated London policeman puzzles through a fatal fall, a financial mystery, and an eccentric family’s many secrets (Kirkus Reviews). Miss Penelope Blow’s fatal fall from her bedroom window would seem like a tragic accident, if it weren’t for Penelope’s multiple visits to Scotland Yard before her death, trying to get in touch with Inspector Littlejohn. Now, before he ever had a chance to talk to the woman, he’s driven to look deeper into a case that may very well be murder—with no cooperation from Penelope’s wealthy, secretive, and thoroughly odd family . . . “As is often the case in Bellairs’ novels, his prose is often very wryly amusing. . . . One of his most readable tales, offering an interesting mix of characters and a satisfying puzzle to solve.” —Mysteries Ahoy

Captain Jack is looking forward to a kickback life on the Florida coast, surrounded by his loving family, magnificent scenery, and good friends. Having entrusted his marketing business to his children, he begins a new life as a charter boat operator running tours for dolphin watchers. Sounds safe, sounds relaxing...until all hell breaks loose. After a young friend dies under mysterious circumstances, Jack finds himself embroiled in murder, acts of terrorism, and threats to his safety that not even Homeland Security can control. In Bradley L. Campbell's The Death Blow to America, readers follow his intrepid protagonist from Cuba to Brazil, from Jamaica to the Florida Everglades, in a frantic race against time.

Without warning, China and Pakistan launch devastating offensives against Nepal and Bangladesh. The U.N. Security Council is baffled—why would China ally itself with India’s northern neighbor? Then they learn that the Chinese are secretly planning to occupy Pakistan and take their oil reserves—by building a pipeline through India. Only one irrepressible force stands a chance against the immovable object that is the Chinese army—Lieutenant Commander Blake Murdock and his elite SEAL team. But they’ll have to walk a fine line, for even the slightest slip could lead to a full-blown nuclear war.

A respected journalist describes the abuse he suffered at the hands of a close family relative, the effect this had on his formative years and how he overcame the anger and self-doubt it left behind.