Books published by Level Best Books

Parker City now...Parker City then...Every city has its stories and secrets.  In the spring of 1981, Parker City is rocked by a series of brutal murders. Unthinkable crimes the likes of which are unheard of in the close-knit community. Under great pressure from the powers-that-be, it is made clear to newly minted Parker City Police Detectives Ben Winters and Tommy Mason that their first case could very well be their last if they can''t catch the killer.  Decades later, after distinguished careers in law enforcement, Ben and Tommy find themselves on the eve of retirement. But in their final days on the job, their very first case comes back to haunt them in a heart-wrenching twist, leaving everyone to wonder-did they get it wrong all those years ago? Has the killer been on the loose all this time?  The investigation unfolds simultaneously in the ''80s and the present as the case of the Spring Strangler looms large over Parker City. 

When Redwoods Park Enforcement Ranger Kathleen Shepherd finds a third dead bear in the forest, its paws and gallbladder harvested, she contacts U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services for assistance. They send Nick Tanner, one of an elite cadre of undercover USFWS Special Agents. Highly valued in Traditional Chinese Medicine, bear gallbladders fetch the type of money that attracts dangerous and desperate criminals. When the killing of bears escalates to a series of equally macabre human murders, Nick and Kathleen follow the clues that lead them into a lethal trap-all under the darkly surreal canopy of the world''s oldest known living organisms, the old-growth redwoods. 

Strait-laced forty-something Franco definitely picked the wrong night to get freaky. A hook-up with a hot guy on his Manhattan rooftop, and a joint he''s unaware is laced, leaves him dazed. And-if memory serves him-the sole witness to a murder across the street.  Except, the cops can''t find a crime scene or a body, and Franco''s perforated recollections and conflicting testimony leave the detectives unimpressed. When days later the mutilated body of a philanthropic millionaire is discovered, he''s not only shocked to learn he knew him, but with Franco''s fingerprints all over the crime scene, he quickly graduates from unreliable witness to prime suspect. And the random trick who could alibi him has vanished into the anonymity of the Internet.  Unsettled, and confronted with forty-year-old memories, when Franco''s father was murdered in front of him during Manhattan''s infamous blackout, a shocking revelation finallyΓÇ»unmasks the man who pulled the trigger that night. And painting Franco the perfect suspect.  With a target on his back and time running out, the truth will set Franco free, or earn him a toe tag at the morgue. 

Olivia Callahan's life is shattered when she regains consciousness in a hospital and discovers she is paralyzed and cannot remember a thing. An apparent assault landed her in the hospital, but nobody knows who attacked her, or why.

She''s into high tech. He''s into homicide. The North Woods rock and roll when a savvy cyber-sleuth teams up with a hunky homicide cop to route corporate miscreants and to solve a murder. When she arrives in Wisconsin''s North Woods to determine who is sabotaging an unpopular business project, Laura Goode discovers her only contact is now a corpse. Gar Morris, information officer at Great Northern Shoe Company, was a local lothario whose killer could be anyone from an enraged husband to a bitter factory worker whose job is heading overseas.Along with murder, office politics thwart Laura''s mission to find out who is sabotaging the project. Adding more complications to her life, boyfriend Jack, a cop, and husband Taylor, with more money than sensitivity, appear unannounced on alternate weekends. Who needs these distractions when you''re swanning from boardroom to bar room, trolling for bass, hunting hackers, and rescuing your kidnapped cat? A nude biker''s club and the whitewater raft trip from hell provide a bizarre but thrilling climax.

Star ballerina Leah Siderova becomes a murder suspect when her main rival is found stabbed in the back.

It's New Year's Day and Jude Dillane discovers the body of a man with a knife through his heart. The New Year's Eve Serial Killer has struck again. Jude risks her life to find the killer before he can strike again.

There's a shooter on the loose who keeps missing his target. It's up to rookie lawyer and spunky sleuth, Corrie Locke, to find the gunman before he hits his mark.

Travel writer Lee Smith is halfway through her 7,000 kilometre cross-Canada road trip, enjoying the view from the top of The Sleeping Giant in Lake Superior, when she agrees to take a 500 kilometre detour north.  Despite its isolation, the fly-in Ojibway community of Webequie First Nation is having problems with the neighbours. Multiple mining companies are clamouring to tap into the $60 billion mineral field that envelopes Webequie. Even Lee''s significant other, Jack Hughes, is blasting gaping wounds in Mother Earth to increase the shine of the bottom line at Hughes Diamonds. A prospector has been shot - and his face has been carved. An elder is arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police, but the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service officers in Webequie don''t think he did it. Visiting Texan hunters are shooting anything that moves. A little boy carefully hides the big shiny rock crystal that he found in the river. A little girl thinks she''s seen a ghost. An accredited Sasquatch researcher is thrashing around in the bush. While trying to find a killer who isn''t done yet, Lee stumbles on the rough edges in her relationship with Jack, gets almost as high as the dancing green shapes of the Wawatay in the night sky, crosses paths with a porcupine, and circumnavigates wolverine traps on the run of her life. The killer is hunting her. If she takes a wrong turn she''ll be heading down a path with No Return. 

"Intelligent, touching, wise and evocative - fans of Louise Penny will adore this!Winter Witness is a wonderful book." Hank Phillippi Ryan ~ USA Today Bestselling author of THE FIRST TO LIE &Agatha and Anthony Award WinnerWhen a beloved nun is murdered in a sleepy Catskill Mountain town, a grieving young widow finds herself at the center of the turmoil. Bianca St. Denis is searching for a job and seeking acceptance in her new home of Batavia-on-Hudson. Agatha Miller, the nun''s closest friend and the ailing local historian everyone loves to hate, shares her painful personal history and long-buried village secrets with Bianca. Armed with this knowledge, Bianca unravels the mysteries surrounding the death while dealing with the suspicions of her eccentric neighbors.  However, Bianca''s meddling complicates the sheriff''s investigation as well as his marriage. Can Sheriff Mike Riley escape his painful past in a town where murder and infighting over a new casino vie for his attention?  Danger stalks Bianca as she gets closer to the truth. Can the sheriff solve the mystery before the killer strikes again? Can the town heal its wounds once the truth has been uncovered? 

The Senior Sleuths, Dick and Dora Zimmerman, much like Nick and Nora Charles from the Thin Man series, and their cozy group of interesting, quirky friends take on crooks and murderers while dealing with an outrageous case of elder abuse.

Maggie White, a downsized American executive stuck in Rome on her husband's expat assignment, is finding the dolce vita isn't all it's cracked up to be. She's taken a job offering painting instruction to well-heeled travelers and her boss-a rather unpleasant English lord-has turned up dead in his penthouse. Maggie's left with a palazzo full of suspicious guests, a valuable painting her boss might have stolen, and a policeman who's decided she's the prime suspect. Now Maggie must keep the tour up and running while she tracks the killer and works to clear her name.

When Pennsylvania State Trooper Jim Duncan responds to a murder scene at a local mining company, the call hits close to home. The victim, Lonnie Butler, is a friend and neighbor who was just beginning to get back on his feet after a year of financial difficulties. Despite entertaining out-of-town family, Jim vows to stay involved in the case. Meanwhile, Fayette County Assistant Public Defender Sally Castle faces an ethical dilemma. Her newest client, Ethan Haverton, may be deeply involved in Lonnie's homicide. Technically, Sally could break privilege, but she chooses not to, a decision that put her at odds with Jim. As the investigation continues, the rift in Jim and Sally's friendship deepens. Can the battling couple patch the break and bring the killer to justice-or will their discord allow a friend's killer to go free?

The new Gamay Nouveau is here-and it''s killer.Celia Bouchet is hot smoke in silk pajamas, the beautiful daughter of Napa Valley scion Florian Bouchet, owner of Domaine Laurent winery. When two costly paintings in Domaine Laurent''s tasting room vanish and then Bouchet himself dies suddenly, his mistress, Napa''s most exclusive high-end realtor, and Celia''s possessive fiancé can''t wait to get their hands on Bouchet''s insurance settlement. But by the Friday after Thanksgiving, eight more people across the nation are dead-each of them poisoned after a few sips of Domaine Laurent''s celebrated debut vintage Gamay Nouveau.Were the poisonings bio-terrorism? Revenge? Industrial espionage? The FBI moves rookie agent Wynn Cabot into the investigation and she''s joined in the hunt by her boss, Special Agent André Bishop. Wynn, whose dyslexia is an asset in puzzle-solving, must solve the case before she herself is murdered or her first case will be her last. Set in the lush wine country of northern California, Nouveau Noir exposes the fascinating detail and vulnerabilities of the wine industry.

In a small New York town, secrets lurk and betrayal is just around the corner. The morning after the worst blizzard of 1934, Detective Steven Blackwell takes on a highly charged murder case. The investigation starts badly: one clue, lots of lies and alibis. To make things worse, Steven is seeing visions of a woman in his house. One night, she speaks. Her name is Olivia Watson and she lives in 2014. She believes time has folded over in the house they share. As their relationship deepens, Steven’s investigation intensifies. Soon he can no longer trust anyone in his own time. Can Olivia help crack the case—and catch a killer? The past collides with the present in DOORWAY TO MURDER, an exciting new mystery by debut author Carol Pouliot.

On a sunny spring day in 1934, local lothario Frankie Russo is murdered in broad daylight. It seems no one saw anything, but things are not always what they seem in this small New York town.Tackling the investigation, Detective Steven Blackwell discovers Frankie’s little black book, a coded list of dozens of flings, affairs, and one-night stands−and a solid motive for the widow. Soon, what appeared to be a straight-forward case gets complicated. Two months ago, Steven came face-to-face with 21st-century journalist Olivia Watson when time folded over in the house they share−80 years apart. Now, Steven and Olivia test the boundaries of time travel, risking the exposure of their secret. Olivia travels to Steven’s time, where she is embraced by the community,  and unwittingly gets involved in Steven’s investigation, which puts her in danger.Can Olivia outsmart a killer before becoming the next victim? Can Steven and Olivia solve the case of the poisoned philanderer in time to protect her true identity and their time-travel secret? Every moment’s a masquerade in Threshold of Deceit, the exciting second installment in The Blackwell and Watson Time-Travel Mystery series.

Somebody tried to kill me.Travel writer Lee Smith experiences a bumpy landing when she returns to Canada from a Caribbean cruise. A text from her best friend, billionaire Jack Hughes, appears on her phone before her plane has even reached the gate in Toronto—Somebody tried to kill me.Even worse, it happened at Berkshire, the prestigious school where they first met.Twenty years earlier, Berkshire’s iron gates and thick walls may have kept Lee safe from the media frenzy resulting from her father’s sensational trial, but they also locked her into her own kind of prison. Despite the elaborate story she made up to hide her identity, her classmates found out who she really was and bullied her mercilessly. The emotional scars left behind still haven’t healed.Berkshire’s walls haven’t kept a current student safe, either. A seventeen year old girl has tumbled out of the Berkshire tower to her death—did she jump? Was she pushed?Lee would rather travel to any other place on the planet than return to Berkshire but Jack needs her help. And maybe the time has come to finally face her old demons. Braving Berkshire, Lee finds sex tapes, a blackmail scheme, and a murderer who’s only just getting started—and it looks like Lee could be next on the list.