MURDER MYSTERIES AND NOIR SHORT STORIES BY LONNI LEES
I am promoting these books because Lonni is my wife and she often has murder on her mind. Besides that, these books are very good reads.
See also does illustrations for other writers, see examples below.
New Book: Broken
A series of seemingly unrelated murders rattles a small desert town. As one death follows another, the only common thread is that all of the victims had their necks broken. When clues begin to point to one of the two cops on the case, the officers become more determined than ever to find the real killer.
A skeletal hand, buried in the desert, holds a clue.
Available on Barnes&Noble and Amazon
Deranged, A Novel of Horror
Synopsis: Just an ordinary-looking man, Charlie Blackhawk is really a monster inside–a cold-blooded killer who likes to use a knife. When his path crosses that of Meg Stinson and her 12-year-old daughter, Sabrina, their lives are changed forever.
From a review: The book is beautifully plotted, with Lees leaving the actual kidnaping until relatively late in the story. This allows her to explore the characters and their various interactions with friends and family, leaving the reader with a true sense of caring about their fates. By the time the abduction happens the reader has gotten to know Sabrina quite well so you really feel for her and her family.
This book won a first place award from the Public Safety Writers Association.
Amazon (Link to paper and kindle) Barnes&Noble: Paperback, Nook
Independent comments:
“DERANGED is a hell of a good read by a bright new talent. It’s a harrowing ride, a first novel mixing crime with horror and horror with crime in a way you won’t soon forget. Bravo!” -Gary Lovisi, HARDBOILED magazine and Gryphon Books
“Lonni Lees sends chills down my spine!” -Terrill Lee Lankford, Novelist and Film maker
The Mosaic Murder: A Maggie Reardon Mystery Novel
Synopsis: The artists’ reception at the popular Mosaic Gallery in Tucson, Arizona is a great success, but the next morning, when the body of Armando, the owner’s husband, is discovered, things start turning ugly. Every artist becomes a suspect, and each of them has their own reason to want the man out of the picture. But who disliked him enough to want him dead? Police Detective Maggie Reardon is on the case.
Amazon: Paperback, KindleBarnes&Noble (Link to paper and Nook)
Independent comment:
Review by Terry Butler, artist and writer:
“This is Lonni Lees’ third book and her second novel. I’ve had the pleasure of reading them all as well as her online and print stories, but I have to say this one is my flat-out favorite.
“Lonni lives in Tucson and writes her descriptions of the area and its harsh beauty, plants and weather with a sure hand. And the best thing about that is her exercise of self control, showing us that the right amount of atmosphere is just enough, leaving her room to draw the character of Detective Maggie Reardon in detail–flaws and strengths alike, just as in all human beings. Maggie is no superhero hard-boiled dudette in sexy clothes, but a smart, interesting woman whom we end up caring a great deal about.
“In fact all the characters in this book are well described and believable, even if some of them are a bit weird. But then, who are artists and gallery hangers-on if not umm, “unique” individuals? Its a great milieu for a mystery and Lonni keeps us guessing all the way.
“It’s great to see a new writer getting this much better with each outing, and word is that Lonni has another of Detective Reardon’s adventures in the pipeline. I’ll be waiting!”
The Corpse in the Cactus: A Maggie Reardon Mystery
Synopsis: Tucson police detective Maggie Reardon is back, in the sizzling sequel to The Mosaic Murder.
The murder that Detective Maggie Reardon just solved at a local Tucson art gallery has already created repercussions, complicating her life both legally and personally. Her new lover dropped to second place when a new man entered the picture. A dead man whose body had been found at The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum lying under a bed of cactus. What at first appeared to be a tragic accident was quickly starting to smell like murder. This book is also a first place award winner.
Independent review:
By Terry Butler
For this reader one of the great pleasures of reading P. I. or Police Procedural novels in series is the opportunity to move along with a good writer as she develops the character of her protagonist and those close to that person. That’s why I was so glad to see that up-and-comer Lonni Lees has continued to flesh out the intriguing character from 2012’s “The Mosaic Murder”–Detective Maggie Reardon of the Tucson P.D.
And this book is even more compelling than the first book in the series, because as Ms. Lees has deepened our attraction to a believable and likeable cop with a heart, she now provides Det. Reardon with a lightly drawn but troubling back story that promises a more complex psyche than is at first apparent. Something powerful happened to Maggie to form her toughened vulnerability somewhere along the line and I want to know what it was!
Crawlspace, and other dark stories
This is a book of noir style short stories.
Deep beneath the surface, they hide in all of us. The crawlspaces, cobwebbed basements, shadowed alleyways and musty attics of our minds; they are the dark and dangerous corners of the human psyche. Dormant, they lie in wait. Some pretend they’re not there and go about their innocuous lives, while others grab hold and pull them to the surface, feeding on their dark forces. Whether a career criminal, a madman, a thug, an abused spouse or an innocent child, within these pages you’ll find those who have embraced that darkness. Some tap into it for survival, some for greed. Some use it for destruction, some just because it’s there. It dwells within all of us, waiting.
Amazon: Paperback, Kindle Barnes& Noble: Paperback, Nook
Independent comment:
“When Hardboiled Magazine publishes new authors, I’ve learned over the years it’s worth paying attention, and Lonni Lees is no exception. Her crime story, “The Blue-Eyed Bandit,” merges a pitch-perfect Black Mask pulp style with a more modern, psychotic noir, with the result being that Ms. Lees is someone readers should be on the lookout for.” -Dave Zeltserman, Author of Small Crimes and The Caretaker of Lorne Field.
Lonni’s Illustrations
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