“My friend and business partner, Gerald Peyton was 12 minutes late to the funeral. I’d reminded him it started at 2 p.m. “Yeah, yeah, Frank,” he said. “I’ll be there. Just be sure you make it.” Well, here I sat on my thumbs, and he was the no-show. He stopped at a bar and got sloshed, I thought.” RomanceMysteryThrillerSuspenseNoirDetective FictionHardboiledPrivate Eye Book:Death Car Source: Death Car
“Quote is taken from Chapter 1: A decade ago when Isabel’s husband Max had died, they’d moved in together and merged their possessions. Neither sister brought any fussy teapots, canaries, sachets, or doilies, but lots of other stuff had to either stay or go. Looking at the lime green armchair gave Alma the willies. Her suggestion to slipcover it in a more subdued color had garnered Isabel’s frosty stare, and Alma had dropped the matter.” HumorRomanceCatsCozyCozy MysteryWomen SleuthsWhodunitCozy MysteriesCoziesMysteries Cozy Book:Quiet Anchorage Source: Quiet Anchorage
“From Chapter 1: Isabel went into the kitchen. Their butterball of a beagle wagged his tail and peered up at her with his soulful brown eyes. He was eager to get his reward for looking cute as a button, and he knew she was a pushover.” LoveLifeRomanceCozy MysteryDogs And Humans Book:To Dye For Source: To Dye For
“Shouldering the duffel bag with the Marine Corps bulldog, Old Man knocked Jan's photo off the bed table. He turned to stone staring down at the photo. His face then splintered into hurt. Tears seeped into his eyes. He grappled for the nearest bedpost and slumped forward on extended arms. His shoulders jerked and head sagged a little while his heart broke. Old Man cried the mute cry of men of his generation.” MenRomanceSuspenseNoirThrillers MysteryPrivate DetectiveWhodunit Book:The Blue Cheer Source: The Blue Cheer
“I cadged a complimentary green matchbook with a gold bird icon from the Bell canning jar. Later we'd use the matches to light our spliffs. My fingertips tapped the stem to the gizmo that dinged a bell. Nobody came out. Wrong signal, so I did two bell rings. No response prompted me to tap out a series of bell rings.” ActionMysteryCrimeAdventureSuspenseNoirSmoky Mountains Book:Lake Charles Source: Lake Charles
“My feet crunched over dry hickory leaves. Wood rangers had stapled up Smokey Bear (“Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires!”) signs along the state roads. One cigarette butt flicked out a passing car window and there’d be real hell to pay.” RomanceCrime FictionPrivate InvestigatorNoir FictionHardboiledMen S AdventureDetective Novels Book:The Blue Cheer Source: The Blue Cheer
“CHAPTER 1: My old car battery, dead as a turd, rode in the trunk of Dreema’s sedan. She’d told me to take it. I felt embarrassed to drive it, but I had no other way to pick up a new car battery.” RomanceSuspenseCrime FictionNoirPrivate InvestigatorHardboiled Book:Traffic Source: Traffic
“Kenneth Oscuro ripped off 13 cartons of cigarettes from a bodega. He then turned around and swapped them, even up, at a pawnshop for a 12-inch cutthroat razor. He made it his most prized possession.” Crime FictionNoirPrivate InvestigatorHardboiled Book:Outside the Wire: A Washington, D.C. Private Eye Novel Source: Outside the Wire: A Washington, D.C. Private Eye Novel
“From Chapter 1: "You’re not a local.” I paused, unsure. “Or are you?” “Sort of. Randall Van Dotson is my dad. I’m Rennie.” After tossing her head that coy, sweet way girls do, she gave me a candid appraisal.” Crime FictionMystery SuspenseNoir FictionHardboiled Book:Pelham Fell Here Source: Pelham Fell Here
“Love does many things, but it does not pay the rent or buy the groceries,” I said. “Do you accept old-fashioned cash?” Sonja asked. “Is a crawdad’s ass watertight?” I replied.” RomanceThrillerSuspenseCrime FictionNoir Mystery Book:Clock Source: Clock
“Isabel and Alma Trumbo are the sisters who reside in the brick rambler on Church Street. They are a bit, uh, different and unorthodox. Borderline eccentric, some of the townies say, especially Alma.” “What do the borderline eccentric sisters Isabel and Alma know about solving a murder case?” Dwight gave it a moment’s reflection. “They could probably write a book about it.” Small TownSenior CitizenTraditional Whodunit Book:Fowl Play Source: Fowl Play
“Get a load of this, Frank.” Gerald Peyton’s pause set off his pronouncement. “She is expecting to get a wedding ring.” “That’s understandable,” I said, unsure how he could afford a ring on what our firm cleared. Diamond rings—more sold in December than in any other month of the year—went for a cool grand per karat. Weeks ago, I’d priced them—again—for my domestic situation. “What seems to be the problem?” “That’s a big leap for me to make.” “I expect you’ll make it with room to spare.” MilitaryCrime FictionDetective NovelHardboiledCrime Noir Book:After the Big Noise Source: After the Big Noise
“In near panic, I craned my neck to gaze over the cabin’s roofline a bursting fireball.” RomanceMysteryAdventureThrillerSuspenseCrime FictionNoirDetective NovelHardboiled Book:The Blue Cheer Source: The Blue Cheer
“Just the night before, a puma’s howl had set a chill at my spine and, man, life didn’t get any richer than that.” RomanceMysteryAdventureThrillerSuspenseCrime FictionNoirDetective NovelHardboiled Book:The Blue Cheer Source: The Blue Cheer
“I let my gaze travel out the picture window. Unlike at my old doublewide trailer perched on the fringe of a played out quarry, here I owned a real yard with real grass that screamed for mowing each Monday a.m. I sat at the kitchen table, cooling off from just having finished this week's job. Yes, here in 2005, I was a full-fledged suburbanite, but I'd been called worse.” RomanceCrimeCrime FictionNoirAdventure FictionDetective NovelHardboiled Book:The Zinc Zoo Source: The Zinc Zoo
“Dreema and you disagree. She cottons to Richmond, but you can't be weaned off Pelham. So I offer you a fair middle ground: relocate to northern Virginia. She transfers to the state morgue on Braddock Road, and you get to stay near your old beat.” RomanceMysteryThrillerSuspenseCrime FictionAdventure FictionDetective NovelPrivate Eye Book:The Zinc Zoo Source: The Zinc Zoo
“Quote taken from Chapter 1: That's the idea. Listen, Frank, this one is different. She's a keeper." He let that part gel in me. "Get your head screwed on straight and move to Richmond. You hate it living in Pelham.” RomanceCrimeThrillerSuspenseCrime FictionNoirDetective NovelHardboiled Author:Ed Lynskey
“A diamond wedding ring, you say?” I studied his face. Was he putting me on? He looked earnest. “As any guy would expect, a diamond is what she’s after,” I said. “Did you hold out hope you’d get by for anything less?” MilitaryCrime FictionDetective NovelHardboiledCrime Noir Book:After the Big Noise Source: After the Big Noise
“Quote taken from Chapter 1: "Is Petey Samson a bloodhound for real?” Blue asked. “I could’ve sworn he’s a mixed breed, what my folks used to call a pound mutt.” “Oh, brother,” Alma said. “I wished you hadn’t said that.” “I’ll have you know Petey Samson is no pound mutt,” Isabel said, shaking her finger at Blue. “His best breeding lies in his bloodhound line,” she said. “I didn’t know that,” Blue said. “Pay no mind to Isabel,” Alma said. “She’s just being overprotective of her fur baby.” Mystery SuspenseCozy MysteryCozy Mystery SeriesWomen SleuthsWhodunit Book:The Amber Top Hat Source: The Amber Top Hat
“She craved a tall glass of the fresh-squeezed lemonade from the pitcher she’d left chilling in the fridge. Two glasses served with a generous slice of pound cake with orange glaze icing sounded twice as nice.” HumorRomanceCozyCozy MysteryWomen SleuthsWhodunitCozy MysteriesCoziesMysteries Cozy Book:Fur the Win Source: Fur the Win