"LUTZ OFFERS UP A HEART-POUNDING ROLLER COASTER OF A TALE." —Jeffery Deaver ROGUE WARS With the U.S. seemingly linked to a terrorist bombing in a Baltic nation and a Russian troop buildup just over the border, the covert Gray Outfit sends Thomas Laker to untangle the mess. But after a second attack leaves him out in the cold, Laker's on his own. Five thousand miles away in Miami, Laker's partner and NSA codebreaker Ava North is investigating the murder of a fellow agent. When tracks lead to a Cuban-American billionaire in bed with the Jersey Mob, Ava's superiors want her to lay off. Not a chance. Though oceans apart, Laker and Ava discover their separate missions are tied to one explosive plot. The only way out is to breach all protocol and play by their own rules . . . JOHN LUTZ IS . . . "A MAJOR TALENT." —John Lescroart "AMONG THE BEST."...

Set in post 9/11 Manhattan, Lutz's gritty psychological thriller finds NYPD homicide detectives Rica Lopez and Ben Stack on the hunt for a vengeful serial killer whose modus operandi includes binding and burning his prey in their high-rise co-ops. The only clue they have to go on is that the Torcher has an apparent penchant for wealthy victims, so they start at square one and investigate all of the known arsonists in the city. In the end, Rica and Stack prove to be no match for the Torcher, who manages to stay several steps ahead of them until the very end, but their lack of leads doesn't make this book any less compelling. Lutz's details concerning police procedure, fire-fighting techniques and FDNY policy ring true, and his clever use of flashbacks draws the reader deep into the killer's troubled psyche. The novel's primary weaknesses include the tenuous romantic link between Ben and Rica, frequent point-of-view shifts and an overwhelming parade of possible suspects ranging from an avaricious real-estate magnate and her aging male escort to a lesbian mayoral campaign manager. Unlike many authors in the genre, however, Lutz manages to present a fully realized villain who simultaneously inspires the reader's sympathy and revulsion. 

"A MAJOR TALENT." —John Lescroart"IN RARE FORM." —The New York Times Book Review "AMONG THE BEST." —San Diego UnionPretty Maids All In A RowSix dead women in a hotel room. Five of them students, still in their teens. Tied up. Tortured. The NYPD recognizes the suspect's signature—three bloody initials carved into each victim's forehead. Ex-cop Frank Quinn has faced this madman before. Both bear scars from their last encounter. Killer and cop, hunter and prey . . . In a deadly game of matched wits, only one can prevail. It's not just about who gets killed. It's about who will survive . . ."LUTZ OFFERS UP A HEART-POUNDING ROLLER COASTER OF A TALE." —Jeffery Deaver

Imitation is the deadliest form of flattery...After a messy break-up, Allie Jones finds herself living alone in her New York City apartment, no one to share her bed with—and more urgently, no one to share her rent. The solution seems clear: she needs a roommate. And Hedra Carlson seems perfect—she's shy, quiet...safe. But soon Hedra's disturbing envy of Allie's looks and social life becomes unsettling. She wears Allie's clothes, even buys a wig in Allie's color and style. Then the obscene phone calls begin, Allie's credit cards vanish, and she discovers Hedra is living a dangerous double life...and far worse. For Hedra's twisted admiration has no limits, the nightmare has just begun, and there will be a bloody price to pay."Gotham paranoia at its creepiest." – Kirkus Reviews"A contemporary horror tale that few readers will be able to put down." – Publishers Weekly"Single White Female is great!" –...

A Madman's Obsession Is A City's NightmareHe comes out when the sun goes down. He's made New York City his shooting gallery. The Night Sniper threatens to increase the body count—unless legendary homicide detective Vin Repetto is willing to engage him in a lethal game of cat and mouse. When the next victim is murdered right before Repetto's eyes, the game is set to begin. But The Night Sniper doesn't realize they're playing by Repetto's rules. . ."A HEART-POUNDING ROLLER COASTER OF A TALE." —Jeffery Deaver on Night Victims"A PAGE-TURNER. . .TWISTY, CREEPY." —_Publishers Weekly_ (starred review) on Mister X"LUTZ IS IN RARE FORM." —_The New York Times Book Review_ on Chill of NightAnnotationA sniper's bullet kills a lowly theater district shop owner. It's the first of several killings in what becomes a twisted cat-and-mouse game between the "Night Sniper," so-called because he only strikes after sunset, and retired New York detective Vincent Repetto.

From Publishers WeeklyNoir is a fitting descriptive for Edgar-winning Lutz's latest Fred Carver mystery (after Hot ), even though the middle-aged PI with a bum knee plies his trade on the sun-drenched west coast of Florida. After retiree Jerome Evans dies unexpectedly, apparently from a heart attack, his flinty widow, Hattie, receives a note suggesting that her husband was murdered, and hires Carver to investigate. While poking around the total-care retirement village of Solartown, Carver learns that Hattie's next-door neighbor is smitten with her, that the deceased had been fooling around with the widow Crane and that Jerome's coronary was verified by the village's medical center. After finding Maude Crane's body, apparently a suicide, the PI is warned off the case with a vicious beating from a steroid-using, alcoholic sadist named Adam Beed. Wary but undeterred, Carver uncovers connections that link Beed, the medical center and a drug company, grasping the details of their chilling experiment only when he and Hattie are in Beed's nasty clutches. Although the ending is a bit abrupt, the story is highly satisfying, powered mainly by the bleak, consistent outlook of its hero, who observes that if he changed his occupation, "he'd miss the job but not the people." Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Devastated by the murder of their loved ones, former NYPD detective Ezekiel Cooper and Cara Callahan hunt down the Night Caller, but Cara's ploy to change her life to resemble her dead sister's might make her the next victim.

JOHN LUTZ IS . . . "A MAJOR TALENT." —John Lescroart "AMONG THE BEST." —San Diego Union "IN RARE FORM." —The New York Times Book Review THE UNKNOWN SPY Officially, Thomas Laker is an employee of the NSA. His real employer, known as the Gray Outfit, is not listed—anywhere. When a Washington, D.C., insider is killed in a bomb explosion, Laker teams up with cryptographer Ava North on a desperate search for clues. The only thing certain is that another act of terrorism is imminent. Delving into the dangerous past when America was drawn into global conflict, they discover one of history's greatest—and deadliest—secrets. In the wrong hands it can unleash unimaginable destruction. Now, to keep his homeland from plunging into its darkest hour, Laker will have to defend everything he believes in . . . "LUTZ OFFERS UP A HEART-POUNDING ROLLER COASTER OF A...

A collection of twenty-seven short mystery/thriller stories with an introduction by John Lutz, author of Better Mousetraps, Endless Roads, Shadows Everywhere, and The Nudger Dilemmas.

From Publishers WeeklyHeat-seeking Florida PI Fred Carver (Burn, Torch, Spark, etc.) tackles the highly flammable abortion issue in his searing 10th outing. Carver's live-in lover, Beth Jackson, who is black, discovers that she is pregnant and, after much thought, decides that she will proceed with the pregnancy. When she stops by the Women's Light Clinic to cancel her appointment, she passes through a gauntlet of anti-abortion protesters from Operation Alive. An explosion rips the clinic just after she enters-killing a doctor and a patient and injuring Beth, who loses her baby. Investigations by the FBI and the local police, headed by William McGregor (surely one of the most unsavory police officers in the genre) result in an early arrest of a young and fanatical member of Operation Alive. On his own, Carver investigates Operation Alive's leader, Rev. Martin Freel of the Church of the Clear Connection, and talks with the widow of the slain doctor, with a surviving physician determined to carry on the clinic's work and with other witnesses and suspects. Another bomb explodes at another clinic, and a sadistic, Bible-spouting killer surfaces. Behind the intransigent and hackneyed rhetoric of both sides, Carver finds venality aplenty as he and Beth attempt to come to terms with their loss. Veteran novelist Lutz ties some nifty twists into his plot, which moves quickly towards a final deadly confrontation. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistThis time out, crime strikes very close to private detective Fred Carver's home. His significant other, journalist Beth Jackson, is pregnant with their child. Carver is delighted when she changes her mind about having an abortion--until she goes to the clinic to cancel her appointment. As she enters, a bomb explodes, killing two clinic workers. Beth loses the baby. Local police and the FBI very quickly arrest a likely suspect, but driven by loss and anger, Carver begins to investigate other possibilities. His primary target is Operation Alive, a militant church-based group of anti-abortion demonstrators, but as he pursues his case, events point Carver toward a different motive for the bombing. Lutz is a reliable creator of mysteries, and Carver, a middle-aged former cop who has been pensioned after losing the use of one leg to the gun of a teenaged convenience-store robber, is an engaging hero. Here Carver's almost inchoate ruminations about the fanaticism of anti-abortion zealots are especially well done, and fans of the balding, disabled detective won't be disappointed. Thomas Gaughan

From Publishers WeeklyLutz's Florida-based crime capers, most recently Spark and Hot , feature PI Fred Carver. Tense and relentless tales, they are essentially linear stories in which the reader is drawn along in the wake of brutal and seemingly unrelated events. Lutz highlights his series' hallmarks: Carver has a bullet-damaged bum knee, a powerful upper body, a black journalist girlfriend named Beth, an urbane Latino cop pal named Desoto and an alarmingly redneck cop enemy named McGregor. His cases tend to explode dramatically, often moments after he's been hired. No exception here. Young wife and mother Donna Winship throws herself in front of a truck minutes after handing Carver a check and asking him to follow her. She told him she was unhappily married, guiltily having an affair and worried about her husband's finding out. The day after her death, her husband Mark shoots himself. He was also less than faithful. Donna's lover has two names and works as a male model and occasional paid escort. Mark's lover also models once in a while. A coincidence? Hardly, since both extramarital interests moonlight for the same agency. Motivated by a sense of responsibility, curiosity and Donna's check, Carver continues to investigate and is soon joined by Beth, who is working on the story. Another death knocks down a third side of a "love square." Lutz's blunt character sketches and gradually connected events are subtly effective. His dogged Carver is a believably heroic guy, tough, scarred and able to exhibit fear and courage at the same time. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistIn the Florida of crime fiction, only the thinnest of lines separates the everyday civilized world from a subterranean sickness oozing near the surface like sewage in an untended sinkhole. The function of the Florida private eye is to stand guard between these worlds, a hard-boiled catcher in the rye keeping as many innocents as possible from slipping into the slime. Lutz's Fred Carver performs that function as well as anyone since Travis McGee, and Carver's Florida is way more bent than McGee's ever was. In his eighth adventure, the somewhat mellowed Carver--thank his no-nonsense lover, black journalist Beth, for that--takes on the peculiar case of a married woman who wants him to follow her and her lover. Soon the woman, her husband, and her lover are all dead, and Carver is losing the battle of the slime three to zip. That's not the final score, of course, but even when Carver wins a few, there's always a sense of loss, of order giving a bit more ground to chaos. Call it a moral defeat: Florida is full of them, and Lutz makes us feel their sting. Bill Ott

The successful and happy world of David and Molly Jones is thrown into turmoil by the emergence of Deirdre Grocci, an erotically obsessed woman from David's past who will stop at nothing to get him back. 

RetailA con man takes to the road with a blond drifter, trying to stay one step ahead of a vengeful killer in this chilling thriller from New York Times–bestselling author John Lutz Lou Roebuck couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended on it. If he could, he might not have lost his job and his wife, or ended up driving over his old nemesis, Ingrahm, in his Thunderbird. Now Roebuck’s a thief and a murderer on the run with nobody to listen to his tall tales but Ellie, a pretty blonde who’s looking for excitement. They’ll have to keep moving, though, because not only are the cops dangerously close behind, but Ingrahm’s cold killer friend, Gipp, is coming after them as well. Roebuck’s going to have to do some pretty fast talking if he and Ellie want to keep breathing. And if he can’t lie his way out of this one, he’s going to find himself lying in an early grave. A true master of suspense, John Lutz dazzles with a breakneck thriller that has more twists and turns than a winding country road. The Truth of the Matter is a bravura display of Lutz’s justifiably acclaimed storytelling prowess.

An amateur ballroom dancer is targeted by a serial killer in this riveting mystery by veteran John LutzMary Arlington only feels alive when she is dancing. The rest of her life, dominated by a violent boyfriend and a mother intent on drinking herself to death, isn't worth being awake for, but when she dances the tango her troubles disappear. She's gotten so good that her studio is taking her to the national competition in Ohio, where she will prove to the world and to herself that her hobby is more than a pastime. That is, if she can stay alive until the music starts to play.At dance competitions across the country, amateur dancers have been turning up with slit throats. Mary follows the killing spree in the newspapers, morbidly fascinated by the deaths of women so similar to her. When the killer comes for her, she will need more than rhythm to survive.This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Lutz including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from...

The killer's depravity is insatiable. What he does to his victims is unthinkable. Homicide detective turned P.I. Frank Quinn has seen this M.O. before. A demented ritual, it's the work of Daniel Danielle - a notorious serial killer who blurs the line between male and female, human and monster. Danielle disappeared ten years ago. Is a copy cat repeating the crimes? Or has Danielle made a deadly return? Either way, this time the killing won't stop.About the AuthorA multiple Edgar and Shamus Award winner, John Lutz is the author of over 40 books. His novel SWF Seeks Same was made into the hit movie Single White Female. His lives in St Louis, Missouri.

Good Night, Sleep TightPreviously titled The Night SpiderA computer programmer, a casting director, a call girl. The victims have nothing in common except the manner in which they spent their last night—wrapped in their own bed sheets in a bloody ritual of slow, agonizing death.. . . And Never Wake AgainFor NYPD Captain Thomas Horn, this adversary is unlike any he has met before. Methodical and highly skilled, the killer is always one step ahead, able to enter buildings without detection and leave no trace behind. To stop this deadly rampage, Horn must unlock the secrets of a cunning enemy who is saving his most shocking surprises for last…“John Lutz knows how to make you shiver.” —Harlan Coben“Lutz ranks with such masters as Lawrence Block and Ed McBain.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch“A heart-pounding roller-coaster of a tale.” —Jeffery Deaver

When a client dies in a car explosion, Orlando detective Fred Carver learns the man may not have been who he said he wasFor Bert Renway, it starts out as a simple proposition: a fat bundle of money to spend a few weeks impersonating Frank Wesley, a local tycoon. But after a while Bert grows suspicious of the easy money, and seeks help in the shape of Fred Carver, an ex–Orlando policeman turned private investigator. Like Bert, Carver smells trouble, and agrees to help him find out who his employers are and why they want him to play Wesley. Neither of them is suspicious enough. A few minutes after Bert leaves, an explosion sounds in the parking lot—the new client’s car gone up in a burst of flame. When they pull his body from the wreckage, dental records identify him not as Bert Renway, but as Frank Wesley. Carver doesn’t care. He’s on the case no matter who the man was. This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Lutz including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

Darker Than NightA killer dubbed "The Night Prowler" has turned the city that doesn't sleep into a town kept awake by terror. Unseen, he enters couples' homes. Unsuspected, he lingers until the perfect moment arrives. He leaves "gifts" for his victims—before taking their lives.Enter ex-homicide cop Frank Quinn, still reeling in the wake of an elaborate setup that ended his career. For Quinn, this isn't just any job—it's a last chance to salvage his reputation. As the investigation proceeds, the murderer loses no time stalking new prey: a loan officer and her high-earning husband; a couple who made a killing in the stock market; a pretty actress and her prosperous lover. New York Times bestseller Frank Quinn, the relentless detective who made his debut in John Lutz's acclaimed thriller Darker Than Night, faces his toughest—and most personal—case yet... An Invitation Written In Blood. . .A madman is stalking...

FIND THE CAT, CATCH THE KILLERDead in her penthouse apartment. Designer scarf around her neck. Dismembered finger in a place it should never be. What the police haven't found is her diamond-and-ruby bracelet, switched with a cheap imitation. A bracelet that mysteriously ended up around the neck of a little girl's pet cat. Now the feline is missing, the killer has struck again—and former NYPD detective Frank Quinn has to track down both the cat and the culprit before the next body drops. Quinn's played his share of cat-and-mouse games before. But this time, when fingers are pointed, the claws come out..."Lutz knows how to make you shiver."—Harlan Coben on The Night Spider"A heart-pounding roller coaster."—Jeffery Deaver on Night Victims"Nail-biting...dramatic suspense."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Mister X18,000 Words.

Publisher's WeeklyIn this latest Fred Carver mystery, Lutz ( Kiss ; Tropical Heat ) sets his aging knight errant from Orlando, Fla., against younger villains on the nowhere fringes of the Florida Keys. Crusty old Henry Tiller--an ex-cop from Milwaukee living on tiny Key Montaigne--suspects that his wealthy retired neighbor, Walter Rainer, is a drug dealer responsible for the death of a 13-year-old runaway. Brushed off by local cops, Tiller hires Carver to investigate. Carver knows more is involved than just an old man's active imagination when Tiller is hit by a car; later, his own car is followed to Key Montaigne and he receives a death threat. After Tiller dies from his injuries, Carver brings in his live-in lover Beth, ex-wife of a drug kingpin and a martial arts expert. Obsessed with nailing Rainer, Carver and Beth ignore warnings to keep constant watch on the Rainer household. While Lutz creates terrific characters in this concise, crisply told escapade, the surveillance of the bad guys drones on, and when the true nature of Rainer's criminal activity is unmasked, the payoff doesn't seem to warrant the buildup. Despite these lapses, Carver remains one of the genre's most credible protagonists. Library JournalThe award-winning author of Kiss ( LJ 9/1/88) and Flame (Holt, 1989) returns with detective Fred Carver, investigating in the Florida Keys.

When a nervous husband asks him to track down his heroin addict wife, Fred Carver learns that not every client can be trustedWhen he meets Bob Ghostly, it's hardly the first time that Fred Carver has been asked to find a missing spouse. But Ghostly's tale about a beautiful woman who fled for no apparent reason doesn't quite convince Carver, who presses for more detail. Finally Ghostly admits it. His wife was beautiful, intelligent, and kind, but she was also a heroin addict. She fled their Florida home with half their savings—nearly $10,000—and he's afraid she's going to put it straight into her veins.Carver goes looking for the troubled young bride, but when she shows up on her own—terrified and looking for protection—a routine case becomes one that could prove lethal for the well-meaning PI. This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Lutz including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's personal collection.

Twelve tales of mystery from the pen of bestelling author John Lutz, Shadows everywhere collects much of the author's early work. You'll meet everyone from a "hardscrabble farm woman" to a volatile trucker with an explosive cargo, a cliff driver with dreams of gold, and women who are digging for it. Not every PI is a good guy, and not every villain gets his due.

eBook, 147 pages

SUMMARY: When a maniacal killer terrorizes the city, dismembering his victims with careful precision, homicide detective Frank Quinn, facing his toughest case yet, is drawn into this psychopath's deadly game when the last names of the victims spell out "Q-u-i-n-n." Original.

When a client dies in a car explosion, Orlando detective Fred Carver learns the man may not have been who he said he wasFor Bert Renway, it starts out as a simple proposition: a fat bundle of money to spend a few weeks impersonating Frank Wesley, a local tycoon. But after a while Bert grows suspicious of the easy money, and seeks help in the shape of Fred Carver, an ex–Orlando policeman turned private investigator. Like Bert, Carver smells trouble, and agrees to help him find out who his employers are and why they want him to play Wesley. Neither of them is suspicious enough. A few minutes after Bert leaves, an explosion sounds in the parking lot—the new client’s car gone up in a burst of flame. When they pull his body from the wreckage, dental records identify him not as Bert Renway, but as Frank Wesley. Carver doesn’t care. He’s on the case no matter who the man was. This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Lutz including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

A bloodthirsty lake monster menaces a small town in the Ozarks   When the men find him, the boy's legs look like they were run through a wood-chipper. He's bleeding heavily and near death, but he still has strength to tell them of the monster that attacked him: a dark, massive creature that emerged from the bottom of the lake. The child dies before he can say more.   Sheriff Billy Wintone has seen too much superstition, drunkenness, and rage in this small Ozarks town to believe the delirious boy's tale of a monster lurking under the lake's dark waters. Like it or not, however, Wintone must scour the woods for the man or beast who killed the child before the start of fishing season. When another body is found chewed to pieces, the Sheriff begins to wonder what evil lies at the bottom of Big Water Lake.   This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Lutz, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's personal collection.

When he is accused of stalking a woman he swears he's never met, a local businessman asks Fred Carver for help clearing his nameJoel Brandt swears he's never met the woman before. His wife dead six months before, the small-time businessman is perplexed when Del Moray police inform him that a local woman, Marla Cloy, has accused him of harassing her. According to her, Joel has been lurking outside of her house, following her car, even assaulting her at the grocery store. Brandt says it's all a lie, but the police don't believe him.He goes to Fred Carver, an ex-cop turned PI, for help clearing his name. The harder Carver looks, the less he understands. There is no apparent connection between the two people, and yet one of them is trying to destroy the other's life. When this game turns deadly, who will be the first to go?This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Lutz including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's personal collection.

JOHN LUTZ IS . . . "One of the masters."--Ridley Pearson "Among the best."--San Diego Union "An enormous talent."--Publishers Weekly LOVE THEM TO PIECES A beautiful jogger, drained of blood, dismembered, then meticulously reassembled on the grass in Central Park. Subway derailments, plummeting elevators, collapsing construction cranes, apartment explosions--all creating a bloody, senseless puzzle. Detective Frank Quinn knows that even while the slayer is taunting the cops and the public, he's also screaming to be caught. But Quinn will have to risk everything he holds precious to bring in this killer. . . "White-knuckle suspense."--Booklist on Frenzy "One of the top ten mystery novels of 2013." --The Strand Magazine on Twist

RetailTHE BIRTH OF A KILLING FRENZY****The killer has a pattern. Abduct a girl from a beachside community. Tie her up. Torture her to death. Move north along the coast. Repeat. With each gruesome killing, a clue is delivered to New York City investigator Frank Quinn. The ex-homicide detective understands that the message is more than a taunt. It is an invitation—to play. And the game has just begun…*“LUTZ OFFERS UP A HEART-POUNDING ROLLER COASTER OF A TALE.” —Jeffery Deaver*12,500 Words****

On The Trail Of A Bloody Killer...Frank Quinn is sure he is hunting for a madman: someone who is shooting young women in the heart, defiling their bodies, leaving only the torsos to be found. Quinn, a former NYPD detective, is called into the case by an ambitious chief of police and mobilizes his team of brilliant law-enforcement misfits. But in the concrete canyons of New York, this shocking serial murder case is turning into something very different...A Cop And A Victim Fight Back....Jill Clark came to the city with too many hopes and too little cash. Now a seemingly deranged woman is telling her an extraordinary story. New to an exclusive dating service, Jill is warned that other women have died on their dates-and that she could be next. Struggling against a death trap closing in around her, Jill has a powerful ally in Frank Quinn. But no one knows the true motives behind a rampage of cold-blooded murder-or how much more terrifying this is going to...

 A serial killer claims the life of Fred Carver's eight-year-old son, sending the ex-cop on a mad hunt for vengeanceA year ago, Fred Carver was nothing but a disabled ex-cop whose career, marriage, and family were all little more than fading memories. But then, while working as a private detective, he met Edwina Talbot, and ten months of life together has made him happier than he has been in years. But fate does not let men like Fred Carver stay happy for long.On the eve of a visit from his ex-wife and their two children, tragedy upends his new life. As if Florida in July weren't hot enough, a madman is on a killing spree with a homemade flamethrower. After Fred's eight-year-old son becomes the third victim, a man who has spent his life trying to catch murderers now has some killing to do of his own.This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Lutz including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's personal collection.