Abby L. Vandiver

From a simple robbery gone horribly wrong to a grisly murder in a secret love dungeon, this stellar collection of crime fiction short stories showcases some of today's finest voices of color. Edited by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Abby L. Vandiver, this thrilling anthology will keep you on the edge of your seat. Welcome to Midnight Hour... Jennifer Chow: "Midnight Escapade" After years of silence, two women decide to meet up in a unique escape room but get trapped in a deadly game from which there may be no escape. Tracy Clark: "Lucky Thirteen" A gun. A last meal. And only one survivor. Sometimes the stars align--but only for the lucky one--as predator and prey come face-to-face one fateful New Year's Eve. H. C. Chan: "Murderer's Feast" Techpreneur John Manley left a trail of duped investors and damaged women in his wake. What happens when two hundred of his closest enemies gather for a five-day gourmet retreat? Christopher Chambers: "In the Matter of Mabel and Bobby Jefferson" It's almost midnight, it's snowing, and a bored call center worker catches a customer inquiry that smells of murder. Is he a knight rescuing the intended victim or someone else's pawn? Plus, stories by Richie Narvaez, Frankie Bailey, E. A. Aymar, Faye Snowden, Tina Kashian, and many more.

A Chilling Anthology of Crime Fiction from 20 Authors of Color

Midnight Hour

Romaine Wilder, big-city medical examiner with a small-town past, has been downsized and evicted. With few other options, she's forced to return to her hometown of Roble in East Texas, leaving behind the man she's dating and the life she's worked hard to build. Suzanne Babet Derbinay, Romaine's Auntie Zanne and proprietor of the Ball Funeral Home, has long since traded her French Creole upbringing for Big Texas attitude. She's a member in a number of ladies' auxiliaries and clubs, including being in charge of the Tri-County Annual Crawfish Boil and Music Festival. Hanging on to the magic of her Louisiana roots, she's cooked up a love potion or two--if she could only get Romaine to drink it. But her plans are derailed when the Ball Funeral Home, bursting at the seams with dead bodies, has a squatter stiff. Dead Guy is a problem. Auntie Zanne can't abide by a murderer using her funeral home as the dumping grounds for their crimes, and Romaine doesn't want her newly elected cousin, Sheriff Pogue Folsom, to fail on his first murder case. Together, Romaine and Auntie Zanne set off to solve it. With a dash of humor, a dollop of Southern charm, and a peek at current social issues in the mix, it's a fun romp around East Texas to solve a murder mystery of the cozy kind. - - - - - - - - - - - - - SECRETS, LIES, & CRAWFISH PIES by Abby L. Vandiver A Henery Press Mystery. If you like one, you'll probably like them all. Praise: "The amusing narrative zips along, providing a multilayered plot with loads of plausible suspects and possible motives. Cozy fans will look forward to Romaine's future exploits." - Publishers Weekly

Abby L. Vandiver

About

Books

Join the club