Drop Dead Crime
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
with stories by
Lisa Regan, Leslie Wolfe, Colleen Helme, Amy Vansant, Julie Smith
Five women. Five sublime authors of crime fiction. One stunning book.
Gripping thrillers, packed with deviously executed crimes and in-depth investigations are some of the most popular reads available on traditional and virtual book shelves today.
Now, you can sample some of the best female writers of crime fiction, in Drop Dead Crime, a collection of novellas packed with the twisted plotlines and memorable characters that excite readers and leave them demanding more.
Lisa Regan, Leslie Wolfe, Colleen Helme, Amy Vansant, and Julie Smith are among the most skilled and prolific writers of the genre today, and each one knows exactly how to tease a story to maximum effect. Their use of strong female leads, combined with delicately balanced plots, means suspense is always kept at a fever pitch—ready to boil over at any second.
Lisa Regan’s Over The Edge is guaranteed to keep you up at night. When P.I. Jocelyn Rush witnesses a young mother jump from a bridge, she is determined to solve the mystery of why, and what she finds is a complex web of secrets and lies so shocking it could destroy the people left behind.
Leslie Wolfe introduces FBI Agent Tess Winnett in Not Really Dead, a fast-paced, intense thriller about a serial killer who makes a terrible mistake.
Colleen Helme stuns with Behind Blue Eyes. A grisly murder along with a new client hiding a deadly secret is just the beginning for Shelby Nichols, mind reader extraordinaire. Don't miss this exciting thriller!
In Amy Vansant’s exclusive novella Parental Kilt, the stars of her "Kilty" romantic suspense series, Catriona Phoenix and Brochan the Highlander, find themselves trapped in a serial killer's maze during a movie wrap-party gone wrong. The serial killer was supposed to be dead, but the bodies are piling up...
Julie Smith brings a dazzling story of suspense, The Big Crazy. Detective Skip Langdon, NOPD, while navigating a world of chaos and betrayal after Hurricane Katrina, takes on a gang of rogue cops who may be acting as self-appointed executioners.
Get a copy of Drop Dead Crime today and sample some of the best crime fiction writing, from some of the best female crime writers around!
**Only .99 cents!!**
Goodreads * Amazon
This started with a story that quickly pulled me in, Over the Edge by Lisa Regan. What starts with an everyday occurrence quickly spins out of control and PI Jocelyn Rush can’t move on until she uncovers the reason behind everything. This novella is from a series that I’ll definitely read. There was a lot packed into this book, and a full case to be solved with a not-surprising-to-me ending. This is a must read, though do read the Jocelyn Rush series first!
Behind Blue Eyes from Colleen Helme is not a storyline I would have typically read. The main character, Shelby Nichols is an amateur PI and mind reader. I enjoy suspense but am not usually a fan of anything paranormal or along those lines. The writing was well done, light and offered some funny parts. This novella is part of the Shelby Nichols series, so start at the beginning!
The Big Crazy by Julie Smith was a lot for a novella. This was from the series Skip Langdon and I think if I had read the previous tales it would have been more enjoyable. There were a lot of characters to get to know in a novella when you have no history or knowledge of anyone. It was fast paced tale, taking place during a natural disaster, with police detective Skip Langdon taking on rogue cops. My reading just this novella did a disservice to this series; I really need to read the series first and then come back to this. The tale was well written and I’ll definitely check out the series.
Now, to the one author I recognized and had actually read: Leslie Wolfe’s Not Really Dead. Unfortunately, this was not from her books I’ve read, but from her Special Agent Tess Winnett series, one I will be reading. I love this author’s writing and her ability to pull you into a story. Her characters are not perfect. She writes strong, female leads who are imperfect. Sometimes I question their actions and I’m not always a fan, but the author always gets me on board with the main character, even when I’m shaking my head.
I think this collection is a great introduction to new authors, especially for those of us who enjoy strong female leads in our books. There are no ‘helpless females’ lead characters waiting to be saved in this collection! If you enjoy murder and suspense, these are authors I’d definitely recommend checking out - I definitely will be!
4 Stars
Drop Dead Crime is a collection of five mystery, suspense and some paranormal novellas featuring female leads, from authors Lisa Regan, Leslie Wolfe, Colleen Helme, Amy Vansant and Julie Smith. I’m a fan of mystery and suspense books and was excited to read this as I’ve only read Leslie Wolfe before. My one disappointment, because it’s me, is that some of these novellas (or possibly all) are based on established characters or series, and it was obvious. So, if you’re in no hurry, take the time to read the series tied to each novella before reading the novella!
This started with a story that quickly pulled me in, Over the Edge by Lisa Regan. What starts with an everyday occurrence quickly spins out of control and PI Jocelyn Rush can’t move on until she uncovers the reason behind everything. This novella is from a series that I’ll definitely read. There was a lot packed into this book, and a full case to be solved with a not-surprising-to-me ending. This is a must read, though do read the Jocelyn Rush series first!
Behind Blue Eyes from Colleen Helme is not a storyline I would have typically read. The main character, Shelby Nichols is an amateur PI and mind reader. I enjoy suspense but am not usually a fan of anything paranormal or along those lines. The writing was well done, light and offered some funny parts. This novella is part of the Shelby Nichols series, so start at the beginning!
Parental Kilty by Amy Vansant was the perfect novella, by which I mean that the length and the story that didn’t feel overly rushed. This is also part of a series, Kilty, and if you are interested in time traveling, a big Scotsman in a kilt and a strong female, you’re going to want to read more. I enjoyed the story, but I was pretty clueless about the time traveling portion while reading. When I decided to find out if this novella was part of a series, for the purpose of writing this review, I learned about the time traveling. Now it makes a lot more sense, lol. The murder mystery was no surprise to me, I had guessed what was really going on, but it was still enjoyable, as was the writing.
The Big Crazy by Julie Smith was a lot for a novella. This was from the series Skip Langdon and I think if I had read the previous tales it would have been more enjoyable. There were a lot of characters to get to know in a novella when you have no history or knowledge of anyone. It was fast paced tale, taking place during a natural disaster, with police detective Skip Langdon taking on rogue cops. My reading just this novella did a disservice to this series; I really need to read the series first and then come back to this. The tale was well written and I’ll definitely check out the series.
Now, to the one author I recognized and had actually read: Leslie Wolfe’s Not Really Dead. Unfortunately, this was not from her books I’ve read, but from her Special Agent Tess Winnett series, one I will be reading. I love this author’s writing and her ability to pull you into a story. Her characters are not perfect. She writes strong, female leads who are imperfect. Sometimes I question their actions and I’m not always a fan, but the author always gets me on board with the main character, even when I’m shaking my head.
I think this collection is a great introduction to new authors, especially for those of us who enjoy strong female leads in our books. There are no ‘helpless females’ lead characters waiting to be saved in this collection! If you enjoy murder and suspense, these are authors I’d definitely recommend checking out - I definitely will be!
**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**
Lisa Regan is the USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Detective Josie Quinn series as well as several other crime fiction titles. She has a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master of Education degree from Bloomsburg University. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, daughter, and Boston Terrier named Mr. Phillip.
Colleen Helme is the author of the bestselling Shelby Nichols Adventure Series, a wildly entertaining and highly humorous series about Shelby Nichols, a woman with the ability to read minds. When asked if reading minds is something Colleen wishes she could do she says, “No way! It gets Shelby into so much trouble that I would never want that ability.” Known for her laugh since she was a kid, Colleen has always tried to find the humor in every situation and continues to enjoy writing about Shelby’s adventures. Besides writing, she loves reading, biking, hiking, and playing board and card games with family and friends. She loves to connect with readers and admits that fans of the series keep her writing.
Amy Vansant is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, specializing in fun, comedic reads about accident-prone, easily distracted women with questionable tastes in men.
So, autobiographies, mostly. Ha! But seriously… She writes happy, occasionally slightly twisted, thrilling, romantic comedies, mysteries, and urban fantasies.
Edgar-winner Julie Smith is the author of more than twenty mysteries, most set in New Orleans and starring one or the other of her detective heroes, a cop named Skip Langdon, and a PI named Talba Wallis. (Both female, both tough and wily.) She also has two series set in San Francisco.
Her novel, NEW ORLEANS MOURNING, won the Edgar Allan Poe award for best novel.
She changed direction in 2010, with her start-up digital publishing company, booksBnimble (www.booksBnimble.com), beginning with four books by friends. She later added other authors and got the rights back to her own books, Then in 2015 booksBnimble spun off bbnmarketing (www.bbnmarketing.com), with the aim of helping self-published authors find their audience and backlist print authors find their way back into the game.
Twelve years after Hurricane Katrina; Skip Langdon returned last year in MURDER ON MAGAZINE. But so many readers have asked--what did she do when Katrina struck? That story's THE BIG CRAZY.
Leslie Wolfe's novels break the mold of traditional thrillers. Fascinated by technology and psychology, Leslie brings extensive background and research in these fields that empower and add texture to a signature, multi-dimensional, engaging writing style.
Leslie released the first novel, Executive, in October 2011. It was very well received, including inquiries from Hollywood. Since then, Leslie published numerous novels and enjoyed growing success and recognition in the marketplace. Among Leslie’s most notable works, The Watson Girl (2017) was recognized for offering a unique insight into the mind of a serial killer and a rarely seen first person account of his actions, in a dramatic and intense procedural thriller.
A complete list of Leslie’s titles is available at http://wolfenovels.com/titles.
Leslie enjoys engaging with readers every day and would love to hear from you.
Become an insider: gain early access to previews of Leslie’s new novels!
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
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