Showing results by author "Lawrence De Maria" in All Categories

An F.B.I. agent thinks she has found a serial killer who hides behind his wealth and political connections. But the hare soon turns on the hound! A SERIAL KILLER WITH MONEY AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE RUNS AFOUL OF A DOGGED F.B.I. AGENT -- AND JAKE SCARNE. "IF YOU LIKE HARD-BOILED ACTION, MEMORABLE VILLAINS AND TWISTY PLOTS, THE JAKE SCARNE THRILLERS NEVER DISAPPOINT!” (John Crudele, New York Post); “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A MASTER OF THRILLER DIALOGUE.” (Washington ...

SHE SURVIVED THE NAZIS IN WORLD WAR II, BUT NOW WAS WORTH MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE! An investigation into the death of an elderly woman in a rent-controlled Manhattan building uncovers a diabolical conspiracy! She lived alone and refused to move. That frustrated building moguls who had counted on her to die. So, they decided top speed things up. But they didn't count on Noah Sealth. Or Jake Scarne! ***“IF YOU LIKE HARD-BOILED ACTION, MEMORABLE VILLAINS AND TWISTY PLOTS, THE JAKE SCARNE THRILLERS NEVER DISAPPOINT!” (John Crudele, New York Post) ***“A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE ...

SHE IS BEAUTIFUL AND WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH HER MOBSTER FATHER. BUT HIS LOVE MAY SAVE HER LIFE! A dying mobster is worried that his estranged daughter is about to marry someone just like him. He asks Jake Scarne for help. Scarne agrees to look into the matter but warns that he will let the chips fall where they may, romance-wise. Unfortunately, his client is not the only one who dislikes the potential groom. After many innocents die, the private eye feels duty-bound to set things right. “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK ...

A private detective finds misfortune in his fortune cookie! Alton Rhode sets out to buy some Chinese takeout food, only to become involved in a possible war between rival Tongs. But that is just the beginning in a mystery that soon spirals out of the private eye's control. It includes arson, and an assassination that hits very close to home. A vengeful Rhode's investigation alienates friends and foes alike. And almost gets him killed. “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A MASTER OF ...

A woman scientist and her team are close to discovering a cure for many diseases. Until all of them but her are murdered! Enter Jake Scarne. He is determined to keep Dr. Lena Caldwell alive. It won't be easy. An unholy cabal of top pharmaceutical and medical executives, worried about their profits, hire an assassin to stop her work. Scarne usually gets the job done, but his track record of keeping women safe is spotty. But then he finds an unlikely ally in someone who has lost a beloved relative to one of the diseases Dr. Lena Caldwell can cure! THE CRITICS HAVE SPOKEN! "IF YOU LIKE HARD-...

One of Ashleigh Warren's best friends is in trouble. Missy Boatwright has been getting mysterious letters in the mail, and has found diamonds she didn't know about in her safe deposit box! She asks Ashleigh and Taylor Goodwin to investigate, and they soon discover a vast international conspiracy.

AN ULTRA-SECRET C.I.A. UNIT HAS HACKED ALL THE NATION’S WITNESS PROTECTION LISTS. WHAT DOES IT DO WITH THEM? It forms an unholy alliance with vengeful mob bosses. In return for loads of cash, the unit’s agents bump off mob turncoats. The C.I.A. unit, feared even by other agency operatives, insists on two caveats. The doomed turncoats must be deserving of the death penalty. And the mob bosses must provide anti-terrorist information when and where they can. A win-win situation, right. The C.I.A. gets information, and a slush fund it can hide from Congress. And some real slimebuckets get ...

SEXUALLY ABUSED BY HER FATHER, A SCIENTIST TAKES A PERVERTED REVENGE AGAINST MEN! *** The death of a spider monkey in a South American rain forest is the prelude to unsolvable human murders in Canada and the United States. Spurred on by a suspicious priest, a private eye begins a hunt that spans thousands of miles. A SIREN'S TEARS features a twisty plot, innovative detective work, sharp dialogue and a nail-biting ending. *** “More chills and thrills, as an intrepid P.I. hunts a Black Widow serial killer. SIREN’S TEARS, from Pulitzer-nominee Lawrence De Maria, is another winner.” (John...

A FRENCH POLICEWOMAN BATTLES MODERN TERRORISTS WHO PLAN TO DESTROY PARIS! *** "I was on the edge of my seat reading this book! First, just the thought that a bomb of this magnitude could be sitting in the store room for decades was petrifying. Second, Paris is my favorite city so the thought of it being destroyed literally made me hold my breath throughout the book." *** "Starts off fast paced and never slows down. Good mix of history, science and Paris and never bogs down." *** THE FLORIDA WEEKLY RAVES: “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING...

SHE WENT HOME TO FIND PEACE AND QUIET -- AND FOUND MURDER! Ellen Shaw, a disgraced big-city journalist, heads home to Iowa to bury her mother. Once there, she takes a job at a local paper, and decides to pursue a cold case her writer mom was following. But more than memories lurk in the small town of Middleton. Soon Ellen Shaw, and a friendly local policewoman, are engulfed in a murderous conspiracy that involves a brutal Las Vegas crime family. “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A ...

IT WAS A SIMPLE INSURANCE INVESTIGATION -- UNTIL THE LIES AND BODIES STARTED PILING UP! Alton Rhode starts out in a Northern nursing home and winds up in a Southern town, where a military academy may be more soiled than local Civil War statues covered in bird droppings. He uncovers a twisty financial conspiracy involving radioactive isotopes, sex, and murder. "ALTON RHODE MYSTERIES ARE IN A CLASS BY THEMSELVES.” (John Crudele, New York Post); “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A ...

Looking into the "suicide" of his lover's ex-husband sounds like a hairball to a private investigator. But he never imagined it could get him killed! Alton Rhode travels to San Francisco to investigate an alleged suicide and winds up ensnared in a web of cryptocurrency-fueled murder and international intrigue! The private eye knows a lot about murder and almost nothing about bitcoins. But he soon gets educated about the latter with the help of an unorthodox but brilliant young woman. And his own expertise comes in very handy when he runs into a bunch of Russians and Chinese whose motives ...

What are the odds of three serial killers working in the same college town? Astronomical. Unless two of them are twin brothers! The third is someone they hire to do maintenance at their nursing homes. A match made in hell! Using a pandemic's death toll as a cover, the brothers, who know a good thing when they see one, use their new hire to help them with their murderous insurance and "legacy" scheme. But they did not count on an idealistic -- and suspicious -- young woman. “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY....

Publish AND Perish? A revered environmental author is worth more dead than alive! WHEN HE AGREED TO GIVE AWAY THE BRIDE ON BALD HEAD ISLAND, A PRIVATE EYE DIDN'T COUNT ON BECOMING SHARK BAIT! A "destination" wedding on a charming island off the coast of North Carolina turns deadly! Taking a break from the festivities, Alton Rhode and his lady love, the beautiful Alice Watts, meet the island’s most-famous resident: the reclusive author, Ashleigh Harper, whose classic environmental novel inspired a generation of America’s youth. But all is not what it seems, and Rhode is soon involved in ...

Halloween is scary enough without people coming back from the dead! Private eye Alton Rhode is angered when a police pal is critically wounded while handing out candy to Trick-or-Treaters. Then, a spate of child murders shocks the community. Rhode uncovers a connection between the crimes. What he learns is scarcely believable -- and puts him in the sights of a perverted killer hiding in plain sight. "This was another terrific whodunit in the Alton Rhode mystery series. In each mystery, the methodology used by Rhode to solve the crime is completely plausible. That is one of the most ...

DARK SECRETS LINK TWO WOMEN TO A MURDERED BANKER! A security guard apprehends Elizabeth Olsen fleeing a mansion with a revolver in her hand. Inside, John Denton, a prominent banker, lies dead. Elizabeth claims she is innocent. But she acknowledges that Denton was her lover, and her story has more holes in it than the victim. No one believes the sexy, amoral woman. Not even her high-powered lawyer. But her wealthy father does, and wants Alton Rhode to clear her. Then, the case takes an even more tragic turn, sending the private investigator on a journey into the dark past of a Southern town,...

THE MOB BLACKMAILS TWO SPORTS ICONS WHO MURDER A YOUNG COCKTAIL WAITRESS. An innocent man is in jail for the crime they committed. A media giant has that part of the story, but is afraid to publish without ironclad proof. They hire a dogged investigator to get it. Meanwhile, the woman freelancer who uncovered the injustice can’t leave it alone. All hell breaks loose, as great detective work reveals a plot far worse than anyone imagined! ***“De Maria is a talented writer who has produced a body of work that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. His novels are sure to please fans of...

THE HITMAN IN MY KITCHEN WASN'T THERE TO SHOOT ME. HE WANTED MY HELP! From a cinematographer: I came across your book GUNNER and the way you open with a hitman calmly sitting in his old skipper’s kitchen asking for help completely hooked me. That moral pivot, from professional kill to personal reckoning over a Medal of Honor recipient, isn’t just a plot device, it is a gut punch about loyalty, patriotism, and the price of following orders. It’s been a while since I got that can’t-put-this-book-down feeling. Thank you. The depth, the emotion, the rhythm of the story ... it was all so...

NEVER ONE TO HOLD A GRUDGE, ALTON RHODE DECIDES TO HELP OUT A FORMER HOOKER WHO ONCE PLOTTED TO HAVE HIM KILLED. SHE WANTS HIM TO FIND OUT WHO MURDERED HER GRANDFATHER WITH AN ICE PICK! LORENE ROBILLARD BETRAYED ALTON RHODE AND ALMOST GOT HIM KILLED. NOW, SHE WANTS HIS HELP! ***The private investigator soon finds himself in a Southern town that has more secrets than pigeons on Confederate statues. But with two brutish killers straight out of “Deliverance” on his tail, Rhode is forced to call for backup. The new ally, making his own contributions to a rising body count, helps uncover a ...

A private investigator uncovers a lottery scheme and finds love on a benighted Caribbean isle. Then, tragedy strikes. Not once. But twice! What starts out with Jake Scarne helping a friend turns into a wrenching disaster involving casinos, cartels, drugs, and death. *** "De Maria ranks up there with Sanford and Child." (Amazon Review) ; “JAKE SCARNE THRILLERS NEVER DISAPPOINT!” (John Crudele, New York Post); “A LAWRENCE DE MARIA TITLE GIVES YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE BOOK MARKETPLACE TODAY.” (Florida Weekly); “A MASTER OF THRILLER DIALOGUE.” (...