Dead at Third

Dead at Third

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

Former cop Henry Walsh is a level-headed, straight-shooter who likes a drink or two and lives on a friend's boat in Florida. Frustrated he can't even land a job as a dispatcher, he gets a shot working security for a professional baseball team in Jacksonville. It's not his idea of excitement, but it pays the bills. Henry's been crossing off the days, waiting for the season to end. And when the team once again misses the playoffs, he stops in at his friend's bar the next morning to celebrate. But after a couple of "Hair of the Dog" Bloody Marys, Henry gets a call from his assistant, Alex Jepson. What she tells him means the off-season break he'd been looking forward to will have to wait. Turns out a couple of fishermen pulled third baseman Lance Moreau's dead body from the St. Johns River. And thanks to razor-thin evidence and a weak alibi, the Sheriff's Office arrests aging star Jackie Lawson for murder. But team owner Bob...
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Dead in the Creek

Dead in the Creek

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

<p><b>In his most challenging case yet, Henry struggles when his newest client is killed before he's even had the chance to meet her...</b><br><br>The truth is, Sarah Jenner wasn't exactly clear when she first called Henry. She wanted to hire him...but couldn't say why. Not until they met.<br><br>And then she was dead.<br><br>When Sarah's sister asks Henry to investigate what the cops are calling an accident, he has a hard time buying her questionable suspicions. Other than an apparent disdain for Sarah's husband, the sister may not have much of a case.<br><br>But a surprising discovery opens the door to the secret Sarah may have been hiding. Henry and his partner Alex rethink the case and dig deep into the investigation. But it only leads them to more questions without answers. It starts to wear on them both. The strain on their relationship becomes clear, and neither one knows where to draw the line....
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Dead Luck

Dead Luck

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

Private Investigator Henry Walsh and his partner, Alex, are at it again with another mystery they may not be able to solve together. Could this case be their last?Former pro football star Ray Rivers swears he had nothing to do with the death of a high school principal found dead in the boy's locker room. But the rumors won't stop, and he'd like Henry and Alex to find who's behind them.The case takes a sharp turn in the wrong direction, before they even get started, when Ray's wife is found murdered in her home. And it doesn't take long for the sheriff's office to take Ray into custody.It's hard for anyone to argue against the evidence the cops have in their hands. But Henry knows it's too soon to jump to conclusions, with so many stones left unturned. Even with his doubts, Henry promises to do whatever he can to clear Ray's name.But a shocking twist brings the case to a sudden and unexpected halt without resolution.Henry knows it'll take...
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Dead or a Lie

Dead or a Lie

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

<p><strong>Private Investigator Henry Walsh thought trouble was done knocking. But when it arrives on his doorstep, he can't ignore the call to chaos...<br></strong><br>Eager to savor his newfound sense of home, Henry finds solace elusive in the place he once considered a haven. Struggling to keep Walsh Investigations afloat, he yearns for a game-changing client. However, fate deals a different hand when an unwelcome specter from his past, Brock Mason, resurfaces, seeking Henry's aid.<br><br>Reluctant to reopen old wounds, Henry turns Brock away, only to reconsider when his old friend vanishes without a trace.<br><br>The catch?<br><br>The truth lies in the enigmatic streets of Miami.<br><br>Against the stern warnings of his partner and fiancée, Alex Jepson, Henry dives into the Magic City's intricate web, where danger flows through the veins of the streets like a heartbeat. As lies and deception weave...
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Dead Men Don't Smile

Dead Men Don't Smile

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

<p><b>Henry Walsh is back to solve a puzzling mystery in Fernandina Beach when a lifelong friend confesses to a murder...</b><br><br>He refuses to believe Charlie Senecal is a killer. But the circumstances surrounding the crime raise far too many questions.<br><br>And if the man Henry's known since the third grade is innocent, then why would he confess to a murder he didn't commit?<br><br>It just doesn't add up.<br><br>But Henry knows Charlie hasn't been himself since he lost his job as police chief. And with his wife now gone, his state-of-mind has to be questioned...<br><br>Henry's instincts take over as he ignores the facts others choose to accept. But his way of thinking could lead him into trouble, as he heads north of the border looking for answers.<br><br>It's clear the cops aren't the only ones who want Henry out of their way. Just as he starts to make headway, he's thrown into a...
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The Night the Music Died

The Night the Music Died

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

<b>Another exciting investigation throws Henry deep into a mystery surrounding the death of someone from his past...<br><br></b>When local musician Bonnie Chapman's husband shows up at Henry's door, he makes it very clear he'll pay whatever it takes to get to the bottom of his wife's untimely death. <br><br>But Henry's reluctant to take the case, and has a few questions of his own before he'll decide.<br><br>With his partner Alex by his side, it doesn't take them long to find some answers and a handful of suspects with something to gain with Bonnie gone...<br><br>But just when it starts to look easy, things take a turn in the wrong direction. Henry struggles with an unexpected threat, and it puts the investigation in jeopardy. Alex does all she can to protect him.<br><br>But Henry's stubborn as a mule. He refuses to let his own dire circumstances get in the way of finding the truth. Even if it means his own...
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A Shot in the Dark

A Shot in the Dark

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

<p><strong>Now that Henry's on his own, it's not just his PI business that's falling apart...<br></strong><br>After a trip to the West Coast of Florida to visit his parents, he's not exactly sure what he's supposed to do next. With his partner, Alex, now gone, he's feeling a bit lost. He's even considered walking away from Walsh Investigations for good.<br><br>But everything changes when he receives a call from a woman who wants to find her father's killer. The problem is, the murder took place over a decade earlier.<br><br>The last thing Henry needs is a cold case nobody's been able to solve. But finding answers, when nobody else can, is the one thing that drives him. And he's somewhat intrigued when he learns the woman's never actually met the man she calls her father.<br><br>He finally agrees to investigate, and his first step is to dig deep into the past. But it soon becomes clear someone's gone to great...
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Play It Down

Play It Down

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

The one thing that can ruin a good night of fooling around is a murder in the morning...Former crime journalist Joe Sheldon has really taken to his new role, tracking down deadbeats for his bookie friend Dickie.It's a far cry from covering the dark side of Miami for the local rag.He enjoys getting to act like a tough guy, even if he goes out of his way to avoid the violence.But when Joe gets involved with the wife of the man he's trying to track down, things get... more than a little complicated.Especially after she turns up dead.Between an angry husband who has apparently pissed off the mob and cops who think Joe's somehow involved with all the murders taking place, this time it looks like he's in real trouble.If he can't bring the truth to the surface soon, he just may be the one who pays the ultimate price...
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Play It Cool

Play It Cool

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

He'd much rather write about a crime than get wrapped up in one...When former crime journalist Joe Sheldon loses his job at with the local newspaper, all he wants is to sit back and sip vodka cranberries, watching the downtown lights from his balcony with vinyl records playing in the background.But money turns out to be an issue, especially with the way rents are rising at his high-rise Miami apartment.So when his old friend Dickie Caldwell turns him onto a gig tracking down deadbeat gamblers, Joe jumps at the chance to put some extra money in his pocket.But everything changes when Dickie's girlfriend mysteriously goes missing. A questionable ransom note leaves Joe scratching his head.Something's not quite right...Is it all a setup?Joe makes a promise to help his friend and will do whatever it takes to find some answers. But soon he ends up in over his head when a simple plan turns deadly.Now... it's only revenge he's...
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The Crystal Pelican

The Crystal Pelican

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

<p><b><b>In his most thrilling mystery yet, private investigator Henry Walsh dodges bullets, bombs, and married women to help find a friend's missing fiancé...<br><br></b></b>Just as he's about to begin the search, an explosion rocks the marina where his friend was staying. When divers from the Sheriff's Office come up out of the water empty handed, Henry can only fear the worst.<br><br>But he keeps his promise, and leaves no stone unturned as he continues his search for his friend's fiancé. And as he hunts for those responsible, it's Henry who soon becomes the hunted. <br><br>The target on his back only grows, and he must fight to keep those around him out of harm's way.<br><br>His normally hard-shelled partner Alex is worried they're in way over their heads. She pleads with him to leave it in the hands of the Sheriff's Office.<br><br>But walking away was never Henry's thing. And he knows...
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Drag the Man Down

Drag the Man Down

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

When the drinks are flowing and the money's good, crime is one temptation George Sisco finds hard to resist... After three years behind bars in a Rhode Island state prison, all George wants is to live a somewhat normal life. Maybe he'll meet a nice girl...open the restaurant he always talked about in the yard.But after a couple of beers and a half bottle of bourbon, George heads out in the middle of the night and breaks into a local boxer's home. He walks out six minutes later with a championship belt and a box full of cash he found bolted to the bottom of the bed.When he meets Sam, a pretty waitress working her way through school at the diner, George promises himself he's done with crime...and the only life he's known will be a thing of the past.If it were only so easy...The floodgates open when George runs into some old friends. Violence and double-crossing follows when a simple plan goes a little too far. And every move they...
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The Last Ride

The Last Ride

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

<p><b><b>One Sunday morning, John Thompson went out for a ride on his bike. He never made it home.</b><br><br></b>Was it really just an accident? <br><br>That's the question ex-wife Angela Thompson has for the Sheriff's Office. But they refuse to investigate further...<br><br>She'd been told by a mutual friend that if anyone can get to the truth, it's Henry Walsh. He'd only recently aced the Florida private investigator's exam and paid his one-hundred-sixty-seven dollar fee. But with the ink still wet on his new business cards, he's got his first big client.<br><br>At first, he's reluctant to take the case. There's no doubt, the evidence is thin. But Henry's a headstrong, straight-shooter. He'll take his chances.<br><br>And he could use the work.<br><br>John Thompson had some questionable business dealings with a friend. And with an ex-wife, a dead wife, a young widow, and a...
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Play It Again

Play It Again

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

Writing about crime is a lot easier than being at the center of it...For former crime journalist and struggling want-to-be author Joe Sheldon, the only thing worse than stumbling upon a dead body is being the prime suspect in the murder.With his face potentially front and center on missing surveillance video and a witness who saw him with the victim just before her death, Joe knows he's in deep.Whoever killed the woman wanted something, and if Joe doesn't unravel the truth and expose those responsible quickly, he won't be the only one at risk.His friends are caught in the crosshairs of a deadly game.The stakes are high, and the players on both sides are determined to win.Who will come out on top?
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Dropped Dead

Dropped Dead

Gregory Payette

Gregory Payette

A simple infidelity investigation gets turned on its head when a man under surveillance falls to a surprising death...Private investigator Henry Walsh won't argue with the actual cause of the man's ultimate demise. Not after he witnessed the victim land poolside from seven floors above. But how the man went off the balcony is up for argument. Too many questions remain...When the sheriff's office quickly concludes it was suicide, Henry's left scratching his head. And his suspicions are raised when his client, the victim's widow, declines his offer to investigate further.It just doesn't add up.With his partner Alex by his side, the two take the case into their own hands. But soon their relentless pursuit of the truth throws them into a dangerous situation they didn't see coming.On the run from those who are out to stop them, reality hits hard when the threats Henry ignored come back to bite him. He'll have no...
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