Archives: Portfolio

Hold on tight for a literary thrill-ride into the wickedly clever, frightening, and exhilarating world of Top Suspense, a sizzling collaboration of twelve master storytellers at the peak of their powers in thirteen unforgettable tales. This pulse-pounding anthology – packed full of cold-blooded killers, erotic tension, shady private eyes, craven drug dealers, vicious betrayals, crafty thieves, and shocking twists – is only a taste of the thrills you will find in the breathtakingly original ebooks by these authors.

So sit back, bite down on a piece of strong leather, and prepare to get hit by some gale-force suspense and writing so sharp it will draw blood.

Top Suspense includes:

Unreasonable Doubt by Max Allan Collins
Death’s Brother by Bill Crider
Poisoned by Stephen Gallagher
Remaindered by Lee Goldberg
Fire in the Sky by Joel Goldman
The Baby Store by Ed Gorman
The Jade Elephant by Libby Fischer Hellmann
The Big O by Vicki Hendricks
The Chirashi Covenant by Naomi Hirahara
El Valiente en el Infierno by Paul Levine
A Handful of Dust by Harry Shannon
The Canary by Dave Zeltserman
The Chase by Top Suspense Group

Speed.

It’s exhilaration. It’s freedom. It’s risk. It’s escape. It’s sex.

And it’s money…quickly won and quickly lost.

But for four young urban street racers in L.A., speed is something else entirely. It’s a way of life… and the only way they know that they’re alive.  And they need to prove it to themselves…every second of every day.

Buckle up, friends. It’s a hell of a ride.

Fast Track is the exhilarating new adventure from Lee Goldberg, bestselling author of King City, The Walk, McGrave and the Adrian Monk series of original mystery novels.

(And if you like the book, don’t miss the hit feature film Fast Track: No Limits, loaded with street racing action and breathtaking stunts, now available on Amazon Prime, Apple and on DVD)

Now, for the first time anywhere, both of Lee Goldberg’s widely acclaimed “Charlie Willis” crime novels — My Gun Has Bullets and Dead Space — are combined together, complete and uncut, in one incredibly low-priced ebook.

MY GUN HAS BULLETS

When Beverly Hills Police Officer Charlie Willis pulls over a speeding Rolls Royce hell-bent for Neiman Marcus, he’s surprised to see Esther Radcliffe, the geriatric star of the TV series Miss Agatha, behind the wheel. He’s even more surprised when she guns him down and keeps on driving. A few hours later, he wakes up in the intensive care unit…to find a William Morris agent, a network president, and the head of Pinnacle Studios standing at the foot of his bed. They have a proposal for him: in exchange for conveniently forgetting who shot him, they’ll make him the star of his own series, “My Gun Has Bullets.” So Charlie trades in his real badge for a fake one…and so begins an uproarious but deadly romp through the wonderful world of TV make-believe…with real bullets.

“It will make you cackle like a sitcom laugh track. Goldberg keeps the gags coming right up to the end.“–Entertainment Weekly

“A very funny novel…a pinch of Carl Hiaasen, a dash of Donald Westlake, and a heaping portion of avarice and inanity Hollywood Style. It’s boffo!“– Booklist

DEAD SPACE

Ex-cop Charlie Willis handles “special security” at Pinnacle Pictures. His job: to protect the studio and its stars, to stop scandals before they explode, to keep the peace in the land of make-believe. When Pinnacle revives the cult, 1960s TV series Beyond the Beyond as the cornerstone of a fourth network, two powerful forces fight for control of the show–a talent agency that uses blackmail, torture, and murder to keep its clients on the A-list, and a homicidal legion of rabid fans led by an insane actor who thinks he’s in outer space.

(This book was originally entitled Beyond the Beyond when it was published by St. Martin’s Press in 1997)

Double Impact brings together two of Lee Goldberg’s most exciting, funny, and acclaimed adventures — Watch Me Die and McGrave — for the first time in one bargain-priced volume.

WATCH ME DIE

“As dark and twisted as anything Hammett or Chandler ever dreamed up….” Kirkus, Starred Review

“Approaching the level of Lawrence Block is no mean feat, but Goldberg succeeds with this engaging PI novel.” Publishers Weekly

Harvey Mapes is a 26-year-old security guard who spends his nights in a guard shack outside a gated community in Southern California, reading detective novels, watching reruns, and waiting for his life to finally start… which happens when Cyril Parkus, one of the wealthy residents, asks Harvey to follow his beautiful wife Lauren.

The lowly security guard jumps at the opportunity to fulfill his private eye fantasies and use everything he’s learned from Spenser, Magnum, and Mannix. But things don’t exactly go according to the books…or the reruns. As Harvey fumbles and stumbles through his first investigation, he discovers that the differences between fiction and reality can be deadly.

McGRAVE

“Pages of awesomeness…a super-breezy and easy read,” Bookgasm

“Sitting down to read McGrave is like getting hit in the face with a double-fistload of two-by-four… Strap in and hold tight,” Mel Odom, author of the Left Behind Apocalypse series

Los Angeles cop John “Tidal Wave” McGrave is an unstoppable force of nature who always gets his man…even if it means laying waste to everything around him, including his own career…which is exactly what happens in his pursuit of Sebastian Richter, the ruthless leader of an international gang of violent thieves.

When Richter flees to Berlin, McGrave chases after him…even though the cop doesn’t know the language, the laws, or the culture. But McGrave doesn’t care…he speaks the universal language of knee in the groin and fist in the face…and he won’t let anything get in his way.

Hold on tight for a wild, rollicking, action-adventure novella that captures all of the fun, excitement and pure escapist pleasure of the Dirty Harry, Lethal Weapon and Die Hard movies…with the humor, sharp dialogue and inventiveness that you’ve come to expect from Lee Goldberg, bestselling author of The Walk and fifteen hilarious Adrian Monk mysteries.

Three Dazzling, Widely-Acclaimed Stories From #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Lee Goldberg collected into one thrilling book

In Jack Webb’s Star, a struggling reporter comes up with a bizarre scheme in a desperate attempt to reinvigorate his love life.

 “Lee Goldberg’s Jack Webb’s Star is a riotous caper crime with a nasty twist…” —Los Angeles Times

“Jack Webb’s Star is a darkly funny story about a heist that could only happen in Hollywood. The author is on top of his game,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer

In Remaindered, a once-famous novelist embarks on a self-financed book tour through middle America to save his career…and discovers a novel way to die.

“I loved everything about it. More awesomeness from Lee Goldberg,” Sara Gran, author of “Dope” and “Come Closer.”

 “Remaindered is brilliant! Hilarious, suspenseful, with booksigning sequences that induce PTSD… bravo!” Barry Eisler, bestselling author of “Hard Rain.”

In Bumsicle, a homeless woman freezes to death, unlocking troubling memories for a weary cop and a powerful Chief of Police. 

“Lee Goldberg has the goods.” William Link, Emmy Award winning writer/co-creator of “Columbo” and “Murder She Wrote”

“One of the wiliest short stories I’ve read in many years. Lee Goldberg at his very best,” Ed Gorman, Mystery Scene Magazine

Kevin Dangler is a once-famous author desperate to regain his lost glory while traveling the back-roads of middle America, selling remaindered, fifth-editions of his first book out of the trunk of his car. Along the way he meets his ultimate fan…who might be his salvation…or perhaps a novel way to die.

This story was an Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Choice Award finalist and has previously appeared in the anthologies Three Ways to Die and Top Suspense.

BONUS FEATURE: The story contains a link to a free, streaming video of the acclaimed movie version of  Remaindered, written & directed by Lee Goldberg.

Los Angeles cop John “Tidal Wave” McGrave is an unstoppable force of nature who always gets his man…even if it means laying waste to everything around him, including his own career…which is exactly what happens in his pursuit of Sebastian Richter, the ruthless leader of an international gang of violent thieves.

When Richter flees to Berlin, McGrave chases after him…even though the cop doesn’t know the language, the laws, or the culture. But McGrave doesn’t care…he speaks the universal language of knee in the groin and fist in the face…and he won’t let anything get in his way.

Hold on tight for a wild, rollicking, action-adventure novella that captures all of the fun, excitement and pure escapist pleasure of the Dirty Harry, Lethal Weapon and Die Hard movies…with the humor, sharp dialogue and inventiveness that you’ve come to expect from Lee Goldberg, bestselling author of The Walk, Watch Me Die, The Dead Man, and fifteen hilarious Adrian Monk mysteries.

McGrave is guaranteed to leave you breathless…and with a big smile on your face.

Harvey Mapes is a twenty-nine-year-old security guard who spends his nights in a guard shack outside a gated community in Southern California, reading detective novels, watching TVLand reruns, and waiting for his life to finally start…which happens when Cyril Parkus, one of the wealthy residents, asks Harvey to follow his beautiful wife Lauren.

The lowly security guard jumps at the opportunity to fulfill his private eye fantasies and use everything he’s learned from Spenser, Magnum, and Mannix. But things don’t exactly go according to the books…or the reruns. As Harvey fumbles and stumbles through his first investigation, he discovers that the differences between fiction and reality can be deadly. With the help of his mortgage-broker neighbor and occasional lover Carol, Harvey uncovers a blackmail plot that takes a sudden and unexpectedly tragic turn…plunging him into a world of violence, deception, and murder…and forcing him to discover what it really takes to be a private eye.

(previously published as “The Man With The Iron-On Badge”)

The out-of-this-world Hollywood thriller by New York Times bestselling author and TV producer Lee Goldberg

“This sharp roman a clef goes where no Hollywood satire has gone before—a stingingly funny novel.” Entertainment Weekly

Ex-cop Charlie Willis handles “special security” at Pinnacle Pictures. His job: to protect the studio and its stars, to stop scandals before they explode, to keep the peace in the land of make-believe. When Pinnacle revives the cult, 1960s TV series Beyond the Beyond as the cornerstone of a fourth network, two powerful forces fight for control of the show—a talent agency that uses blackmail, torture, and murder to keep its clients on the A-list, and a homicidal legion of rabid fans led by an insane actor who thinks he’s in outer space.

“Goldberg uses just about everything he can think of to send up the studio system…you name it, he’ll make you laugh about it.” Analog

“An outrageously entertaining take on the loathsome folkways of contemporary showbiz,” Kirkus Reviews

“Mr. Goldberg has an observant eye and a wicked pen,” The Washington Times

“Wonderfully revealing and uncannily accurate,” Vancouver Sun

“The novel’s satiric slant is strong enough to have an effigy of Goldberg beamed into outer space at the next Star Trek convention,” Los Angeles Times

(Previously published as Beyond the Beyond)

The outrageously funny thriller about Hollywood that only Lee Goldberg, #1 New York Times bestselling author and hit TV producer, could have written

When Beverly Hills Police Officer Charlie Willis pulls over a speeding Rolls Royce hell-bent for Neiman Marcus, he’s surprised to see Esther Radcliffe, the geriatric star of the TV series Miss Agatha, behind the wheel. He’s even more surprised when she guns him down and keeps on driving. A few hours later, he wakes up in the intensive care unit…to find a William Morris agent, a network president, and the head of Pinnacle Studios standing at the foot of his bed. They have a proposal for him: if he forgets who shot him, they’ll make him the star of his own series, My Gun Has Bullets. Charlie takes the deal, trading his real badge for a fake one…and so begins an uproarious but deadly romp through the wonderful world of TV make-believe…with real bullets.

“It will make you cackle like a sitcom laugh track,” Entertainment Weekly

“A very funny novel…a pinch of Carl Hiaasen, a dash of Donald Westlake, and a heaping portion of avarice and inanity Hollywood Style. It’s boffo,” Booklist

“My Gun Has Bullets takes aim and hits the bull’s eye of all good satire — the truth,” Howard Gordon, Executive Producer, Homeland

“A rousing send-up of everything and everyone in the world of show-biz.” The Washington Times

“A funny, crude, outrageous satire about Tinseltown guaranteed to amuse, offend, and fulfill your worst fears about Hollywood,” Los Angeles Daily News