Myst Noir: African-American Mysteries

Fall/Winter: Featured Titles

Anybody's Daughter
Pamela Samuels-Young

When 13-year-old Brianna is ensnarled in the horrifying world of human sex trafficking, her Uncle Dre, a man with his own criminal past, scours the dark corners of L.A. determined to find her. Dre ultimately comes up with a daring plan that puts many lives in danger—including his own. But will he find Brianna before it's too late?

Chill Run
Russell Brooks

Starving author Eddie Barrow, Jr., will do anything to get a book deal with a NYC publisher. Even if it means getting caught by the media while engaging in S&M with a female celebrity as a publicity stunt. What Eddie gets instead are details of a billion dollar fraud scheme from a suicidal client who's fatally shot minutes later. Now on the run from the law and the killers, Eddie seeks help from two unlikely friends—an alcoholic and a dominatrix. With few resources, Eddie races to clear his name, unveil the fraud scheme, and expose the killers before he becomes their next victim.

The Red Queen Dies

Frankie Y. Bailey

The year is 2019, and a drug used to treat soldiers for post-traumatic stress disorder, nicknamed "Lullaby," has hit the streets. Swallowing a little pill erases traumatic memories, but what happens to a criminal trial when the star witness takes a pill and can't remember the crime? When two women are murdered in quick succession, biracial police detective Hannah McCabe is charged with solving the case. In spite of the advanced technology, including a city-wide surveillance program, a third woman is soon killed, and the police begin to suspect that a serial killer is on the loose. But the third victim, a Broadway actress known as “The Red Queen,” doesn’t fit the pattern set by the first two murders.

In the Beginning
Abby Vandiver

In the Beginning is set in 1997 and finds Biblical Archaeologist Justin Dickerson unhappy with her life. She has decided to run away from her problems. Intervening, her mentor asks that she go with him to the Fifty Year Jubilee commemorating the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Jerusalem. There she finds that in 1949 Jerusalem some of the 2,000 year old manuscripts, hidden in clay pots in the caves of Qumran, may have been destroyed. Justin, obsessed with this revelation, is determined to get to the bottom of the deceit. Uncontrollable emotion takes hold of her, and family and faith help guide her as she unfolds the truth of Earth's ancient mysteries discovering wht really happened In the Beginning . . .

MystNoir's Featured Mysteries for Winter 2013

Caren Gray manages Belle Vie, a sprawling antebellum plantation that sits between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, where the past and the present coexist uneasily. The estate's owners have turned the place into an eerie tourist attraction, complete with full-dress re-enactments and carefully restored slave quarters. Outside the gates, a corporation with ambitious plans has been busy snapping up land from struggling families who have been growing sugar cane for generations, and now replacing local employees with illegal laborers. Tensions mount when the body of a female migrant worker is found in a shallow grave on the edge of the property, her throat cut clean.

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She’s a cop-turned defense lawyer. Her husband is a research scientist. She lives in a half-million-dollar home. Yet on this night, Andrea Wilson—a woman who seemingly has everything—awakens to a living nightmare. Her husband Paul is dead, she’s covered in his blood, and the police are banging on her door. Andrea doesn’t remember what happened, but she knows how it looks. With just a split second to make a choice, Andrea decides to run, and in doing so, risks everything in an attempt to clear her name. Enter Detective Mike Coletti. He and Andrea shared a relationship once. Now all they share is the chase. As Andrea races to prove her innocence and Coletti struggles to track her down, they each uncover clues about the mystery of Paul’s death. Along the way, Andrea uncovers the biggest mystery of all: Is her husband actually still alive?

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A brutal murder, missing documents and an unscrupulous opposing counsel lead attorney Vernetta Henderson on a quest for justice—and ultimately—revenge. The hotshot L.A. lawyer takes on a corporation with a long history of discriminating against women. While Vernetta simply wants justice for her clients, the corporation’s hired gun wants to win . . . and she doesn’t care how. On the home front, Vernetta’s infamous sidekick Special has finally found true love. But is the price more than she’s willing to pay?

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Ten’s soon-to-be-adopted daughter, Chela, runs into old friend Maria from her earlier days as a prostitute in Los Angeles. The pair dives into the South Beach club scene, but Maria mysteriously goes missing. When Maria’s body washes ashore, Chela and the authorities fear that her suspicious death is connected to a serial killer preying on young prostitutes. Tennyson believes he knows who the killer is, but the suspect escapes when the actor-detective tries to capture him.When it’s believed the suspected killer may have committed suicide, things return to normal for Ten and his family. But the respite doesn’t last long, and Tennyson discovers someone is after him, his girlfriend, and Chela. Realizing it’s the killer who’s terrorizing him, Ten is presented with a lose-lose dilemma: save his daughter or the woman he loves.

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Love is in the air in Willow, Ohio, but not for teacher Kendra Clayton. Her lawyer boyfriend, Carl, dumped her and moved away and the other man she thought she could count on, Reverend Morris Rollins, has romantically hooked up with her nemesis, Detective Trish Harman. Even Kendra's grandmother has a new man in her life, a widower named Leonard Duncan, who Kendra doesn't trust for a minute. Adding to Kendra's misery is murderer Stephanie Preston, who Kendra was set to testify against, is on the loose and may be seeking revenge. Making matters worse, Kendra discovers the dead body of local art dealer, Justin Ramey during the reception for recent art school graduate Joy Owens. Joy is hardly Kendra's favorite person. So When Joy asks her to find Justin's killer because her best friend, Pia--Justin's estranged daughter--is the prime suspect, Kendra tells her to take a hike. But when Joy tells Kendra she has some juicy dirt on her grandmother's new man, and will only give it up if she agrees to help her clear Pia, Kendra grudgingly finds herself teamed up with Joy Owens in the hunt for a murderer.

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Cover Reveal: Sly, Slick & Wicked By Angela Henry

COMING NOVEMBER 2012!

Dumped by her boyfriend, stalked by an escaped murderer out for revenge, and ignored by friends and family busy with their own love lives, Kendra Clayton is not having fun. When she stumbles over the dead body of local art dealer Justin Ramey, things get even worse. Kendra's least favorite person, Joy Owens, needs her help to clear her best friend —Justin's estranged daughter, Pia —of his murder. And she won't take no for an answer!

Featured Titles for July/August: LA Blues & LA Blues 2 by Maxine Thompson!

LA BLUES by Maxine Thompson

Growing up in foster care, Zipporah “Z” Saldano never dreamed of becoming a police officer, but after she’s rescued from a hostage situation during the LA Riots, she chooses a career in law enforcement. After ten good years on the force, Z is involved in a domestic homicide case gone awry. Her partner is killed, and Z is fired when alcohol is detected in her system. It’s two long years before she gets sober and opens her own private investigation firm. Now Shirley, her former foster mother, is in need of Z’s help. Someone has murdered her grandson, a high school basketball star, and she wants Z to find out who did it. Z soon finds herself in deeper trouble than when she was kicked out of the LAPD. What she discovers is a conspiracy much deeper than anyone would believe, and she finds her own life is in danger.

LA BLUES 2 by Maxine Thompson

Life hasn’t always been easy for Zipporah “Z” Saldano, but at 35, she’s finally come to grips with some of her demons, and things are looking up. She’s moved beyond mourning the loss of her LAPD job, her partner, and her murdered nephew. She has a new love, Detective Romero Hernandez, and she’s dedicated to remaining sober. Her new business, Saldano’s Private Investigation, is thriving.
Just when she thinks she has a handle on life, though, her oldest brother, Mayhem, is kidnapped. His involvement with the Crips leads Z to believe that a Mexican gang has something to do with his disappearance. Chaos returns to Z’s life when she discovers that the gang has ties to her boyfriend’s family. Will Z be able to get her brother back? Will her relationship with Romero survive? Things are going on that are not right. Nothing is as it seems, and once again Zipporah Saldano will have to contend with mystery and mayhem in the City of Angels.

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Featured Title for May: Cooking the Books By Bonnie Calhoun

After her mother dies from a heart attack, Sloane Templeton goes from Cyber Crimes Unit to bookstore owner before she can blink. She also "inherits" a half-batty store manager; a strange bunch of little old people from the neighborhood who meet at the store once a week, but never read books, called the Granny Oakleys Book Club; and Aunt Verline, who fancies herself an Iron Chef when in reality you need a cast iron stomach to partake of her culinary disasters. And with a group like this you should never ask, “What else can go wrong?”

A lot! Sloane begins to receive cyber threats. While Sloane uses her computer forensic skills to uncover the source of the threats, it is discovered someone is out to kill her. Can her life get more crazy?

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