Featuring a new Jack Reacher story by Andrew Child!
A dangerous drifter, a hired gun, a grisly corpse—you never know who you’ll run into at the Hotel California.
Eight deliciously talented mystery authors have lent their skills of crafting murder and suspense to this collection of gripping short stories. Each of these eight provocative tales is designed to entertain and mystify—and maybe even chill you to your core. Get lost in the wild imaginations of such New York Times bestselling writers as Andrew Child, Heather Graham, Reed Farrel Coleman, and John Gilstrap, plus authors Rick Bleiweiss, Jennifer Graeser Dornbush, Amanda Flower, and Don Bruns. From the titular tale “Hotel California” to a new, original Jack Reacher adventure, these stories have a little something for every mystery lover.
Go ahead. Check in, enjoy some room service, and stay until the very last tantalizing page. Just don’t forget to search the closet or behind the curtains.
For rock and roll writer Mick Sever, another story, another deadly island paradise is all in a day's work. This time, Mick heads to Nassau, Bahamas, home of the legendary Highland Studio. Known for pumping out hits that burn up the charts, Highland is where the magic happens-or rather, where the magic happened until a devastating fire destroyed the entire studio. No one knows how the fire started, who started it-or whose body was found among the charred ruins. Sent to get the inside story on the opening of the new Highland Studio, Mick finds this is hardly the Phoenix-rising-out-of-the-ashes story he expected. Some say the studio's haunted, some say it's cursed, but one thing is for sure: someone-or something-wants to stop the music. A smashed guitar and erased tracks send a subtle warning, but murder? That's an entirely different tune. If Mick doesn't act fast, Highland Studio, along with everything and everyone in its path, could go up in smoke. It's not always better to burn out than to fade away.
An attractive sous chef at the famous L'Elfe is murdered and half of the employees are suspect. Lacking confidence in the police to solve the murder, Chef Jean Bouvier seeks a quicker solution. He hires private eyes James Lessor and Skip Moore to go undercover and discreetly investigate his restaurant staff. But their investigation turns up far more than they bargained for. Skip's girlfriend, Emily, confesses that the murder victim and she had been close friends at one point in their lives and had shared a very dark secret. But Emily refuses to elaborate, building a wall of defense between herself and the two young detectives. The more James and Skip investigate the background of the victim and the people she knew, the more they are convinced that this shared secret has far-reaching implications that may lead to the motive for the murder. The closer they get to the answer, the more desperate someone is to stop them.
Rock-and-roll journalist Mick Sever is back with a new assignment: interview music legend Danny Murtz. One of the most successful producers in history, Murtz has walls lined with platinum records-and a closet full of skeletons. But before Mick can hop a plane to the island paradise where Murtz has secluded himself after his latest "incident" (Murtz's romantic conquests have a way of vanishing into thin air), he's nearly run down by a speeding car. Coincidence? Anonymous threats have Murtz convinced that someone is out to bring him down. Ravaged by mounting paranoia and fueled by drugs and alcohol, Murtz begins to suspect everyone, and Mick Sever is at the top of his list. If Mick isn't careful, his next column will be an obituary-his obituary.
"Capturing Murtz's rising anxiety with a ravaged voice, narrator Paul Garcia duels with himself as he pulls things back with a more well-balanced portrayal of Sever. The result is a thrilling mind game in which each player lays it all on the line while Garcia shows listeners his colorful palette of vocal abilities."-AudioFile
Best friends James and Skip, struggling in dead-end jobs, decide to purchase a truck and start a business hauling other people's stuff. But the fledgling enterprise takes a shocking turn when they unload the contents of their first moving job and find some unexpected cargo: a bloody human finger.
"This quirkily engaging mystery by the author of the Mick Sever series is a buddy novel as funny as the movie Dumb and Dumber."-Library Journal
Against the exotic backdrop of Jamaica and Florida, charismatic rock reporter Mick Sever investigates a reggae band’s involvement with the violent deaths of young girls in this gripping mystery of music and murder.
“Don Bruns has staked out his turf…sex, drugs, rock & roll, and murder. What more could you want?”—Sue Grafton, author of P is for Peril
After the murder of a crusader against offensive lyrics in rap songs, the investigation takes Mick Sever to Barbados in search of the killer.
“Bruns is a master story teller, and Barbados Heat is an incredibly fast-paced tale. Its complex plot would suffer in lesser hands. Bruns, however, is a master at keeping things moving, rendering the difficult easily understandable. This book will put Bruns’ name on the ‘A’ List of many readers, and deservedly so. Highly recommended.”—Indianapolis Star
Why would songwriting legend Gideon Pike disappear just as his 30-year career turns a multimillion-dollar profit? Music columnist Mick Sever goes looking for his friend in the gritty backrooms of Miami's nightclubs, dodging suicide speedboats and sniper fire. Whoever gets to Gideon first will either save him or pull the trigger.
This entertaining collection features thirteen short mystery stories from some of our finest writers, all based on some piece of music. Each story is accompanied by a short introduction, song lyrics, and an interview with the writer. Finally, the book is packaged with a music CD with recordings by the authors.
"A great collection of short stories about murder and music."-MyShelf.com
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