LA Mysteries

Meet Los Angeles police officers, private eyes and amateur sleuths who star in detective novel series. There is always another crime to solve in these thrillers available to borrow from the Lititz Public Library.

VigilanteVigilante by Stephen J. Cannell (Shane Scully – streetwise LAPD detective)
When an aggressive police critic and gang activist turns up dead, Detective Scully fears the killer is a fellow member of the police department.

Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais (Elvis Cole – private detective)
A man Cole helped to free from a murder charge three years earlier is found dead with photos of murder victims surrounding the corpse.

Murder Season by Robert Ellis (Lena Gamble – robbery-homicide detective)
Called to the scene of a double murder, Gamble discovers one victim is a well-connected politician and the other a man acquitted just days ago of murdering his neighbor.

Cut, Paste, Kill by Marshall Karp (Lomax and Biggs – LAPD detectives)
On the hunt for a vigilante stalking unpunished criminals, Lomax and Biggs race to decode scrapbooks left at murder scenes before the killer has time to strike again.

Killer by Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware – child psychologist and police consultant)
When the child custody case initiated by a successful physician against her sister erupts into murder, Alex works to save the little girl at the center of the cruel dispute.

Death by TiaraDeath by Tiara by Laura Levine (Jaine Austen – freelance writer)
Hired to write lyrics for a contestant in a talent competition, Jaine is plunged into a world of vicious stage mothers, exacting judges and trash-talking teens that turns deadly.

Rose Gold by Walter Mosley (Easy Rawlins – 1940s private detective)
When a boxer-turned-revolutionary kidnaps the daughter of a weapons manufacturer and threatens to execute her for ransom, Rawlins is tapped by the LAPD to navigate the standoff.

The Border Lords by T. Jefferson Parker (Charlie Hood – sheriff’s deputy)
Hood must determine if an ATF undercover agent broke with his mission when he dropped out of sight or if the disappearance has a different explanation.

Reckless Disregard by Robert Rotstein (Parker Stern – lawyer and former child star)
Crippled by courtroom stage fright, Stern takes on a dicey case for an elusive video game designer facing a movie mogul’s libel lawsuit.

City of StrangersCity of Strangers by Mark Wheaton (Luis Chavez – priest)
The archdiocese asks Father Chavez to undertake an inquiry into the brutal murder of a priest, an investigation that leads to a conspiracy linked to one of the world’s oldest criminal organizations.

Blood Defense by Marcia Clark (Samantha Brinkman – criminal defense attorney)
Sam lands a high-profile double-murder case in which one of the victims is a beloved TV star and the defendant is a decorated veteran police detective.

Little Elvises by Timothy Hallinan (Junior Bender – burglar)
Junior, who has developed a reputation as a competent private investigator for crooks, is bullied into proving an aging music industry mogul is innocent of the murder of a nasty tabloid journalist he threatened to kill.

The Woman in the Camphor Trunk : An Anna Blanc MysteryThe Woman in the Camphor Trunk by Jennifer Kincheloe (Anna Blanc – 1908 police matron)
A former socialite and disinherited heiress, Anna tracks down the murderer of a missionary in Chinatown while trying to prevent the outbreak of a bloody war between rival Tong factions.

Romeo’s Way by James Scott Bell (Mike Romeo – former cage fighter)
Hired by a California senatorial campaign do undercover work, Romeo attempts to find out who is behind the hit job on an honorable man.

Missing Persons by Michael Brandman (Buddy Steel – LAPD homicide detective)
Learning that a world-renown broadcast minister’s wife has gone missing, Buddy follows links to a complex web of twisted families, con artists, corrupt public officials, violent enforcers and a femme fatale.

Crush by Phoef Sutton (Caleb “Crush” Rush – bodyguard/bouncer)
When the wild daughter of an unprincipled billionaire tycoon comes to Crush for help, he must use his wits, martial arts training and knowledge of the Russian mafia to clean up her mess and stay alive.

Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman (Molly Pink – amateur detective)
Accused of murdering the leader of a weekly needlework group, Molly decides to take up crochet while unraveling the clues to catch the real killer.

April 20, 2018