Murder and mystery with a Texas Twist!

Welcome to the second annual mystery anthology by The Final Twist, a Houston, Texas based writers group.
Sample an assortment of unique stories set in cities and towns throughout the Lone Star State. Some characters reappear from the first anthology, Dead and Breakfast, also set in Texas. Other short stories are adapted from the authors’ novels, such as Men in Jeans, where Pauline Baird Jones brings in elements from her award-winning novel The Key. Enjoy your taste of Texas terror!

Stories and Authors:

Pushing up Bluebonnets by Linda Houle

A Corvette cruise through the beautiful Texas Hill Country turns gruesome when a severed foot turns up in a field of bluebonnets. The car club discovers there’s a serial killer on the loose.

The Best Man by Cash Anthony

When mystery writer-and-amateur sleuth Jessie Carr attends a reunion of old, not-so-bold bikers in the Texas Hill Country, she uses the occasion to screen an applicant who wants to become her partner. Handsome retired cop Beau Marsberg distracts the young woman, however, even though Jessie has asked her to discern who among the motorcyclists is really a killer – or soon will be, if he gets Jessie alone on a dark road.

Searching for Rachel by Laura Elvebak

The disappearance of Rachel changed her younger sister Tracy's life forever. Now after two years, Tracy's mother is dead and her father has walked out on her. Alone and scared, she searches for her sister, certain that if she finds her, her father would come home.

Death on the Bayou by Mark and Charlotte Phillips

Detective Eva Baum must once again come to the aid of her homeless friend Shade. A mysterious death, a kangaroo court, a policeman bent on mayhem: perhaps rough justice is all Eva can win this night. But win it she will, even if it has to come from the barrel of her gun.

Men in Jeans by Pauline Baird Jones

Richard Daniels thinks life can't any stranger working at Area 51until he gets assigned to find out where a Houston area SF writer gets the ideas for her books. Should be an easy assignment--if it weren't for the dead guy in her back yard and the non-business related ideas she's giving him.

Guilty by Lisa Rene’ Smith

The Elite caused most human deaths. Not this one. This body showed no fang marks. Delighted to have a real case to solve, Sheriff John Mironescu, also one of The Elite, interrogates the victim’s guilty friends. Everybody wanted Mitch dead at one time or another, and they all confess their guilt. Will Sheriff John find the real guilty party, or will he show his true nature and take justice into his own…mouth?

Rumors on Rat Shack Row by Alexis Glynn Latner

Murder jolts a small airport, and a woman airplane mechanic takes it personally.

Feels Like Home by Shirley H Wetzel

Normally, Judy West looked forward to leaving the big city of Houston to return to her roots in Comanche, Texas and visit with her many kinfolks. This trip was different, however. The family was gathering in the lovingly restored home of her paternal grandparents to discuss a family tragedy. Cousin Sam, one of the best and brightest, had returned from Vietnam a troubled, unhappy man, got involved in the drug trade, and was murdered by his cohorts in crime. They burned down the meth lab, and along with it the ancient log homestead of their Harman ancestors. The family grieved for Sam, for his family, and for their lost history. By the end of the weekend, there was more to grieve about, as unpleasant and shocking family skeletons came out of the closet.

Dead End Job by Cornelia Amiri

This Comedy/Mystery is a Texas-take-this-job and shove it tale. Everyone’s had co-workers that made them crazy, but Celia’s are killing each other.

Secrets of Canyon Lake by Autumn Storm

Roxi Gordon is missing. Certain that her body would never be found, David her fiancé has moved on. As the anniversary of her death approaches, he starts to see ghosts. Question is….are they real or are they visions of his past coming back to haunt him?

Anna Rose by Betty Gordon

Julia Stephens sees dead people. She doesn't want to see them, she doesn't like seeing them, but that's just how it is. One night she sees a young woman's body she can't forget. The woman is lying on the wooden floor of an old farmhouse cushioned by a braided rug. She's wrapped in a rose colored quilt and, yes, she's very dead.
Julia is obsessed with identifying the young woman and discovering who killed her. Her search takes her on a journey of love and childhood remembrances. It's a story of love, betrayal, guilt and a forgotten tombstone that twist into a surprising ending.