by Ross Thomas (1984)
Presents the story of a Washington, D.C. policeman, the murder of his sister under suspicious circumstances, and his investigation of the crime.
George P. Pelecanos
A gang war breaks out between drug dealers in Washington after one man insults another. The protagonists are two drug-dealing friends, Dimitri Karras, a Greek, and Marcus Clay, an African American. Part crime novel, part analysis of our violent society.
C. J. Box
When two sisters set out across a remote stretch of Montana road to visit their friend, little do they know it will be the last time anyone might hear from them. The girls - and their car - simply vanish. Former police investigator Cody Hoyt has just lost his job and fallen off the wagon. Convinced by his son, who the girls were coming to visit, and his former rookie partner Cassie Dewell, he sets out for the girls' last known location.
Ruth Rendell
Once, when Benet was 14, her mother had tried to stab her with a carving knife. It was some time since she had seen her mad mother, so when she arrived at the airport, Benet tried not to hate her. But then the tragic death of a child begins a chain of deception, kidnap and murder.
Ken Bruen
Someone is scraping the scum off the streets of Galway, and they want Jack Taylor to get involved. A drug pusher, a rapist, a loan shark, all targeted in what look like vigilante attacks. And the killer is writing to Jack, signing their name: C-33. Jack has had enough. He doesn't need the money, and doesn't want to get involved. But when his friend Stewart gets drawn in, it seems he isn't been given a choice. In the meantime, Jack is being courted by Reardon, a charismatic billionaire intent on buying up much of Galway, and begins a tentative relationship with Reardon's PR director, Kelly. Caught between heaven and hell, there's only one path for Jack Taylor to take: Purgatory.