A West Virginia cop must determine who had an axe to grind with a notorious womanizer in this mystery series opener.

Retirement is on the horizon for Det. Sam Lagarde of West Virginia’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and he’s looking forward to it. As a cop with a reputation for persistence, he’s earned some relaxation. But first, there’s the matter of a head . . .

Ben Cromwell is discovered, decapitated, in a dumpster behind a Charles Town spa. A known regular at the regional jail, Cromwell was no stranger to trouble. He was also no stranger to the ladies.

As Lagarde begins digging into the victim’s life, he finds five women with one thing in common: their hatred of Ben Cromwell. Determining which of them followed through on that feeling won’t be easy, but if Lagarde doesn’t lose his top, he’ll come out ahead . . .

“Layer upon layer, Ms. Fite connects the dots between her well-defined and wonderfully diverse characters.” —Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, author of Please Say Kaddish for Me

“[Ginny Fite] has no trouble delving into the dark side of people and showing us that evil exists.” —Katherine Cobb, author of Break Out the Dawn

“Not your ordinary murder mystery! . . . I couldn’t put it down.” —Tonya Royston, author of Surrender at Sundown

A West Virginia cop investigates the murder of a philanthropic philanderer in this mystery by the author of Cromwell’s Folly.

A detective with West Virginia’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Sam Lagarde appreciates a good horseback ride now and then to clear his thoughts. He keeps two horses of his own and finds their companionship to be more reliable than any of his previous marriages. And now his knowledge of horses may come in handy on his current case . . .

Wealthy Grant Wodehouse is found pinned to his stable with a pitchfork through his chest. Lagarde’s certain it was a crime of passion. The trouble is Wodehouse had plenty of enemies: women he’d slept with, their husbands, people he’d swindled in business dealings, and even his own children.

To discover who murdered Wodehouse, Lagarde must first narrow his list of suspects. Unfortunately, the killer is all too willing to help.

Praise for Cromwell’s Folly

“[Ginny Fite] has no trouble delving into the dark side of people and showing us that evil exists.” —Katherine Cobb, author of Break Out the Dawn

“Not your ordinary murder mystery! . . . I couldn’t put it down.” —Tonya Royston, author of Surrender at Sundown

A West Virginia detective investigates a marriage that ended in murder in this mystery by the author of No Good Deed Left Undone.

Methodical detective Sam Lagarde knows what it takes to solve a murder. But as for his personal life, he’s not certain how he managed to find romance at his age. The big mysteries for him have always been love and women . . .

All the evidence in his latest case, the murder of Harold Munson, points to his wife, Charlotte, as the primary suspect. Aside from having the means and motive, she’s unbothered by the news of his death. She would much rather focus her time on her potentially Nobel Prize–winning cancer research and on quality time with her young lover. And when another body is found, she’s looking all the more guilty.

However, dogged Detective Lagarde is not so sure. But identifying the real killer means diving deep into the unhappy couple’s dirty laundry and seeing who doesn’t come out clean.

“A well-planned, well-conceived murder mystery. . . . There is so much attention to detail that you’re not reading the story, you’re living it.” — K.J. Simmill, author of the Forgotten Legacies series

“A brilliant mystery that mixes science and suspense in just the right doses to keep you turning pages (and meeting interesting characters) until the end.” —Sherri Moorer, author of the Tanger Falls mysteries

A suburban housewife’s world blows up when her husband is accused of espionage in this thriller by the author of the Sam Lagarde mysteries.

In Washington, DC, FBI agent Clay Turnbull’s peaceful lunch in the park ends with a storm of agents. The news reports say he is arrested for spying for the Russians, while Turnbull believes it is connected to his investigation of an international drug cartel. Unfortunately, his life is cut short before he can share the truth . . .

The assassins who take out Turnbull are a powerful bunch, with a reach that extends all the way to the White House and its senior personnel. Turnbull’s discovered their enterprise may be in danger, and now they must do whatever it takes to protect the highest levels of their democracy. With the CIA, FBI, and NSA technology at their fingertips, no one will be safe. Especially not Turnbull’s wife and teenage daughter. They should run . . .

“No End of Bad is another page-turner that kept me up late and made me get up early until I read the last word. Fite is a pro at weaving an intricate plot that makes you gasp time and again.” —Jeanie Loiacono, literary agent