The Harry Starke Novels Series

Sometimes, a city needs a ruthless man willing to cross the line.   Recommended for fans of Davenport, Hammer, and Bosch. _________________________________ Former Chattanooga PD detective, Harry Starke was once a celebrated officer— until he upset some powerful people.   Now a high-profile private investigator, he's carved out a career seeking justice for the victims of Chattanooga's darker side.   Tabitha Willard was once a vibrant young woman— until the night she leaped to her death into the murky waters of the Tennessee river.   The cops marked it a suicide, case closed.   Harry didn't agree. He was there, and he'll never forget the terror he saw in her eyes.   Why did she jump?   Harry Starke wants to know, and his search for answers leads him deep into the shadows of the city's dangerous underworld. As he slowly peels back layer upon layer of an intricate secret society, and reveals their dirty secrets, the body count begins to rise. And he knows that somewhere in the mystery lies the key to Tabitha's suicide. It's a tangled web of conspiracies, crime, and lies he must unravel to find the ultimate truth. Can Starke sort through the deceit and cover ups to find the real reason behind Tabitha's death. _________________________________ Welcome to the world of PI Harry Starke. Some say he's reckless, that he crosses the line, and maybe he does, but he gets results. And to Harry, that's all that matters. If you love a good mystery, edge of the seat city crime thriller, then you'll love this gritty series opener.   "A modern-day Mike Hammer!" – USA Today Best-selling Author Margaret A. Daly "Howard has written a fine detective-action novel, with a likeable and admirable mature private detective hero, Harry Starke . . . I've become a Starke fan." – D. Cooper

A Late-Night Phone Call. A Voice from the past. An Apparent Suicide.   The phone call came on a Tuesday evening in the middle of August. Harry Starke hadn't heard from his old school friend in almost five years, and he hadn't thought about him in almost as long. Tom Sattler wanted to meet, and it wouldn't wait until morning. But when Harry arrived at Sattler's home less than an hour later, he found him lying in a pool of blood with a single gunshot wound to his head and .22 revolver lying close to his hand.   Was it suicide, or was Tom Sattler murdered? If so, by whom and why?   The search for answers plunges Harry into a far-reaching investigation that involves murder, corruption, organized crime, and duplicity. As always, there's a twist in the tail.   If you enjoy a good mystery and crime stories with riveting plots and unexpected twists, Two for the Money is for you!

For More Than Ten Years She Lay Beneath the Floorboards of Hill House   For more than ten years, she waited. Who was she? Who put her there? Why?   Harry Starke vows to find the answers to those questions, but how? The trail has gone cold and Hill House is a desolate ruin with many secrets. To find the answers Harry must embark upon an investigation that will put him and those close to him in deadly danger, take him to the lost and long-forgotten streets under the city, deep into the Dark Web where he comes face to face with murder, organized crime, prostitution, and human trafficking.   One by one, he peels back the layers, and with each one, he sinks a little deeper into the morass, the seamy underbelly of a world few know of, and even fewer want to be a part of. Hill House has many doors. None of them lead anywhere but into darkness and despair.    

Emily Johnston is GONE.   She's been GONE for more than a week.   She's also the daughter of Harry Starke's one-time boss and nemesis, Chattanooga Police Chief Wesley Johnston. Harry and Chief Johnston haven't seen eye-to-eye in a long time, but when Johnston needs help, he knows there's only one man he can turn to.   But Johnston's jurisdiction ends at the city limits and when Emily's body is discovered in a remote part of the county, Harry has to deal with the imperious sheriff, Israel Hands and two incompetent county detectives.   So begins an investigation that will take Harry on a wild ride across Signal Mountain, a case that will include a second murder, two cold cases, sex, alternative lifestyles, and deadly danger for Harry and his friends, until... well, as always, there's a twist in the tale.   Ready? Let's Investigate!

Angela Hartwell was dead, strangled, with not a mark on her.   When a well-known local socialite's body is found during a round of golf with his father, Harry Starke suddenly finds himself embroiled in what quickly becomes a very thorny murder investigation.   Who Killed Angela Hartwell and why?   The answers lie somewhere along a twisty-windy path through the patrons and morals of an exclusive golf club where the members are seldom what they seem, and their goals are infinitely more complicated than a simple round of golf.   Harry Starke's investigation takes him into a world he's very familiar with. A world of affluence, privilege, and corruption.   To solve the mystery of Angela's murder, he must deal with two more murders, a wily used car dealer, her twin sisters, and a crooked banker, not to mention "Burke" and "Hare, two crazy repo guys who will stop at nothing to protect their employer's interests.   If you love an action-packed murder mystery full of twists and turns, red herrings and suspense. A real page turner. You'll love Checkmate.

  Harry Starke loves a cold case, but this one is really cold, more than a hundred years cold.   Family Matters is a tale that takes place on the lonely coast of Maine, where Amanda, a true believer in the paranormal, has inherited - you guessed it - a haunted house. At least that's what the rumors say.   It all begins when Amanda inherits the house, substantial assets, and a large sum of money from her grandmother. The windfall comes with a request to look into the disappearance of Elizabeth, Amanda's great-great-grandmother, more than a hundred years ago.   Harry, a skeptic, a down-to-earth investigator who believes only in the facts, has a tough time dealing with Amanda's fantasies? We all know that the imagination can play tricks on a susceptible mind, especially when that mind is under stress. But is it just their imaginations? Could it be something more?   You'll have to be the judge.   From the Author Family Matters began some twenty years ago as a short story. It was the first mystery I - yes, I did say I - ever solved. You'll understand what I mean when you've finished reading it. Now I'll turn it over to the inimitable Harry Starke who, I'm sure, will do a far better job of things than I did.

Shadows from the past. A brutal murder. This time it's personal.   It takes only one phone call to turn Harry Starke into a monster. It begins when Harry's kid brother is brutally murdered, his body thrown into the murky waters of the Tennessee River. That alone would be enough to set Harry on the warpath, but less than twenty-four hours after the body is found, Harry finds out there's a bounty on his head, too. $25,000.   His answer?   Strike first and strike hard. And so it begins.   Harry and his army of three must go up against old enemies, but they face almost insurmountable odds when they go looking for… retribution.  

Murder in Hilden Heights? Was Hattie Baker the victim of a serial killer? On a balmy, late summer morning in Hilden Heights Hattie Baker is found dead in her pool, and she wasn't the first. A socialite and successful business owner, Hattie was an excellent swimmer. Even so, her death was ruled an accident. Her boyfriend, Mason Willis, however, doesn't believe it was an accident. He thinks she was murdered and goes to Harry Starke for help. Thus begins an investigation that almost costs Harry his life.   Can Harry find the killer before they strike again?

Kelsey Hart is missing. She's been missing for three years . . . . . . Is she dead or alive? When Kelsey Hart disappeared three years ago, her older sister, Brit, never gave up hope. But as time passed, and she heard nothing from her sister, she knew she needed help. Enter PI Harry Starke, the man with a reputation for solving the impossible cases. As Harry digs into Kelsey's disappearance, he quickly realizes that nothing is as it seems. Slowly, he uncovers dark secrets and a web of lies that will shake the Hart family to its core. And with every clue he uncovers, the mystery deepens, and people begin to die. Is Kelsey dead or alive? How many have to die before Harry finds the answer? To find out join Harry on his search for the truth in Blair Howard's latest novel, Presumed Dead, Book 19 in the Harry Starke Novels and be prepared for a thrilling ride!

One dark Friday evening in October, Dennis Harper and Brian McDaniel went out to drink a few beers and smoke a little marijuana. Their bodies were found hours later on the railroad tracks north of town. They'd both been struck by the midnight train. The autopsies revealed copious amounts of alcohol in their system so their deaths we deemed accidental. However, the brothers of the two men believe the investigation was botched and, knowing them as they did, don't believe they were drunk, high or stupid enough to just lay down on the railroad tracks and go to sleep. So, six weeks later, they go to see Harry Starke and that's when it all comes unglued. It doesn't take long for Harry to determine the investigation was botched from the beginning, and he embarks on his own investigation, a wild goose chase, and he's going to have to call in some favors to solve it.

Harry, Kate, and Samson together again.   What happened to Gavin Glassdon?   A missing person, two murders, an enigmatic Irishman and a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme bring Harry Starke, Captain Kate Gazzara and her trusty K9 companion, Samson, together again in a bewildering detective thriller that takes them deep into the seedy side of New York City.   As usual, there's a twist in the tale you won't see coming.