Books with author Lawson

Simmering resentment in a small coastal town. A missing manuscript. A dark family secret.Scott Drayco isn’t a typical detective: a former concert pianist with synesthesia, he turned to law enforcement when a violent attack put an end to his music career.After Drayco inherits a rundown Opera House in a Virginia seaside town following a particularly brutal case, he just wants to arrange a quick sale for the unwanted “gift” while nursing his battered soul in a peaceful setting near the shore.Those hopes are shattered when a dead body turns up on the Opera House stage, a mysterious "G" carved into the man's chest. With himself a suspect in the murder, Drayco digs into very old and very dangerous secrets to solve the crime and clear his name.But first...Drayco must dodge a wary Sheriff, hostility over coastal development, and the seductive wife of a town councilman—before the tensions explode into more violence and he becomes the next victim.“An engaging lead and atmospheric setting make for an ideal travel read.” - Library JournalOver 500 five-star reviews on Goodreads! A Shamus Award finalist and Named Best Mystery in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Get ready to discover thrilling pictures from the long-ago days when dinosaurs ruled the earth! These illustrations of giant hunters and gentler creatures ― some of them no bigger than chickens ― are based on up-to-date scientific discoveries. Each ready-to-color drawing is accompanied by a caption that's loaded with fun facts about where the dinosaurs lived, what they ate, and how they adapted to their environment. Along with familiar prehistoric animals like T. rex and Stegosaurus, you'll meet plenty of less-famous but equally fascinating dinosaurs, marine reptiles, and fish.

For fans of Thirteen Reasons Why, This Is How It Ends, and All the Bright Places, comes a new novel about life after. How do you put yourself back together when it seems like you've lost it all?May is a survivor. But she doesn't feel like one. She feels angry. And lost. And alone. Eleven months after the school shooting that killed her twin brother, May still doesn't know why she was the only one to walk out of the band room that day. No one gets what she went through--no one saw and heard what she did. No one can possibly understand how it feels to be her. Zach lost his old life when his mother decided to defend the shooter. His girlfriend dumped him, his friends bailed, and now he spends his time hanging out with his little sister...and the one faithful friend who stuck around. His best friend is needy and demanding, but he won't let Zach disappear into himself. Which is how Zach ends up at band practice that night. The same night May goes with her best friend to audition for a new band. Which is how May meets Zach. And how Zach meets May. And how both might figure out that surviving could be an option after all."A must-read for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and This Is How It Ends."--Paste Magazine "A gripping, emotional, suspenseful, and ultimately hopeful story about loss, survivor's guilt, and learning to find love and trust again. Put The Lucky Ones on your 2020 TBR list--you do NOT want to miss it!" --Karen M. McManus, New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying"A harrowing and beautifully told story about how far the tentacles of tragedy can reach. May's story of grief, survival, and reckoning is tenderly and honestly explored. A simply stunning debut." --Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces

For fans of Thirteen Reasons Why, This Is How It Ends, and All the Bright Places, comes a new novel about life after. How do you put yourself back together when it seems like you've lost it all?May is a survivor. But she doesn't feel like one. She feels angry. And lost. And alone. Eleven months after the school shooting that killed her twin brother, May still doesn't know why she was the only one to walk out of the band room that day. No one gets what she went through--no one saw and heard what she did. No one can possibly understand how it feels to be her. Zach lost his old life when his mother decided to defend the shooter. His girlfriend dumped him, his friends bailed, and now he spends his time hanging out with his little sister...and the one faithful friend who stuck around. His best friend is needy and demanding, but he won't let Zach disappear into himself. Which is how Zach ends up at band practice that night. The same night May goes with her best friend to audition for a new band. Which is how May meets Zach. And how Zach meets May. And how both might figure out that surviving could be an option after all."A must-read for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and This Is How It Ends."--Paste Magazine "A gripping, emotional, suspenseful, and ultimately hopeful story about loss, survivor's guilt, and learning to find love and trust again. Put The Lucky Ones on your 2020 TBR list--you do NOT want to miss it!" --Karen M. McManus, New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying"A harrowing and beautifully told story about how far the tentacles of tragedy can reach. May's story of grief, survival, and reckoning is tenderly and honestly explored. A simply stunning debut." --Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces

Can a piece of music be cursed? When a young marine biologist is found dead of suicide, his father can't believe he took his own life and hires Scott Drayco to prove it was murder. But what of the strange song found with the young man's body—the same song linked to a piano sonata that led to a wave of suicides in 1930s Hungary?As Drayco digs deeper, he finds even more unusual aspects of the case not easily explained: the victim’s missing cellphone; his “Gang of Five” friends and their interest in the Akashic Records spiritual philosophy; and the gun used by the victim that was mysteriously stolen from a friend’s car. Drayco fears a tragic incident from his own past may be clouding his objectivity. After all, the facts point to suicide, case closed. But when Drayco starts suffering from depression himself after playing the sonata, can he really be sure of what’s real and what’s imagined?The Suicide Sonata is the fifth installment in the acclaimed Scott Drayco mystery series, a finalist for the Shamus, Silver Falchion, Daphne, and Kindle Book Awards.PRAISE FOR THE SCOTT DRAYCO SERIES:"Worth putting on your reading list." - The Library Journal"Lawson's protagonist is greatly compelling." - Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize"Lawson’s book was so good, I read it twice from beginning to end." - Readers Favorite Reviews

Soon to be a major motion picture from the director of The Hangover starring Jonah Hill, the page-turning, behind-closed-doors account of how three kids from Florida became big-time weapons traders for the government and how the Pentagon later turned on them.In January of 2007, three young stoners from Miami Beach were put in charge of a $300 million Department of Defense contract to supply ammunition to the Afghanistan military. Instead of fulfilling the order with high-quality arms, Efraim Diveroli, David Packouz, and Alex Podrizki (the dudes) bought cheap Communist-style surplus ammunition from Balkan gunrunners. The trio then secretly repackaged millions of rounds of shoddy Chinese ammunition and shipped it to Kabul—until they were caught by Pentagon investigators and the scandal turned up on the front page of The New York Times. That’s the “official” story. The truth is far more explosive. For the first time, journalist Guy Lawson tells the thrilling true tale. It’s a trip that goes from a dive apartment in Miami Beach to mountain caves in Albania, the corridors of power in Washington, and the frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan. Lawson’s account includes a shady Swiss gunrunner, Russian arms dealers, Albanian thugs, and a Pentagon investigation that caused ammunition shortages for the Afghanistan military. Lawson exposes the mysterious and murky world of global arms dealing, showing how the American military came to use private contractors like Diveroli, Packouz, and Podrizki as middlemen to secure weapons from illegal arms dealers—the same men who sell guns to dictators, warlords, and drug traffickers. This is a story you were never meant to read.

A mysterious attack on a young, disabled girl leads to a sea of lies, secrets, and murder.Crime consultant Scott Drayco is in the middle of a thorny case in Washington, D.C., involving murder victims who were all wheelchair users. Then out of the blue, he gets a worried call from a friend on Virginia’s Eastern Shore about an attack on an innocent disabled girl.Working once again with Sheriff Sailor and Deputy Nelia Tyler, Drayco discovers almost everyone believes the girl’s attack was an accident. But he begins to suspect otherwise when he crosses paths with a badly disfigured man and the man’s enigmatic Goth son, as well as one of the smoothest and most dangerous figures Drayco has encountered in his career.Meanwhile, his conflicted feelings toward the soon-to-be-divorced town councilman’s wife, Darcie Squier, continue to simmer under the surface and threaten to undermine his focus and cloud his judgment. But he’s well aware he needs to stay razor-sharp if he’s to solve the riddle of whether the cases in D.C. and the Eastern Shore are linked—or is he dealing with not one monster, but two?“Offers a refreshing take on the traditional private-eye detective narrative.” - Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize

The third installment in the Shamus-nominated Scott Drayco series and a Silver Falchion Award finalistA mysterious music puzzle. A murdered co-ed. Sinister secrets.Three years ago, Scott Drayco left the FBI after an incident involving his partner, Mark "Sarg" Sargosian. Now a freelance crime consultant, Drayco often helps law enforcement on cases, but he never imagined his estranged former partner would turn up on his doorstep, pleading for Drayco's help. A co-ed at an elite Washington, D.C., private college has been murdered, and the victim's friend - Sarg's own daughter Tara - might be the next target.The killer left behind a puzzling music code at the crime scene, and Drayco soon learns he has two things in common with the murdered girl - a music background and synesthesia. The case takes an even stranger turn after a second murder and a second music code, with signs pointing toward a possible ritualistic killing. Then, Drayco himself starts receiving coded messages and finds himself locked in a deadly game with a madman where only one of them may come out alive.Want to read a Scott Drayco novella for FREE? Sign up for BV’s Mysteries in Crimetime newsletter at bvlawson.com and receive a FREE copy of "The Maltese Moon Rock"!Scott Drayco Thrillers in order:PLAYED TO DEATH (A Shamus Award Finalist and Best Mystery, Next Generation Book Awards)REQUIEM FOR INNOCENCEDIES IRAEELEGY IN SCARLETTHE SUCIDE SONATAPraise for BV's Mysteries in Crimetime:"Lawson's protagonist is greatly compelling." - Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize"This labyrinthine novel is great for those who love to be as intellectually frenzied as the detectives in the stories they read. They’ll be eagerly flipping back to look for Lawson’s strategically placed clues." - Library Journal"Lawson uses the gothic features of the abandoned Opera House to great effect, creating an atmospheric background for the crimes and the solving of them, all of it accompanied with music that's almost like another character. The pace never sagged and it kept me enthralled." - Long and Short Reviews"Lawson's book was so good, I read it twice from beginning to end...The citizens of Cape Unity are as diverse and multi-layered as any person living in the large cities, and Lawson portrayed them splendidly." - Reader's Favorite Reviews"The storyline here is nicely structured, and creatively ties together two murder mysteries, which occurred decades apart. The small town setting is ideal, the lead character engaging, and thesupporting cast interesting and diverse." - Omnimystery News"A nice tight mystery in a realistic setting. Totally enjoyable." - Terrie Farley Moran, national bestselling author of the Read 'Em and Eat Mystery Series"Now this story was close to brilliance...The plot was fast, dark and thrilling." - IHeartReading.netAll in all, an excellent read for lovers of quality mystery fiction." - Jacqueline Seewald, author of The Inferno Collection

A Shamus Award Finalist and Named Best Mystery in the Next Generation Indie Book AwardsStill suffering nightmares from a case that ended tragically, brilliant freelance crime consultant Scott Drayco considers retiring from crime solving altogether. When a former client bequeaths Drayco a rundown Opera House in a Virginia seaside town, he figures he'll arrange for a quick sale of the place while nursing his battered soul in a peaceful setting near the shore.What he doesn't count on is finding a dead body on the Opera House stage with a mysterious "G" carved into the man's chest. With hopes for a quick sale dashed and himself a suspect in the murder, Drayco digs into very old and very dangerous secrets to solve the crime and clear his name. Along the way, Drayco must dodge a wary sheriff, hostility over coastal development, and the seductive wife of a town councilman—before the tensions explode into more violence and he becomes the next victim.Want to read a Scott Drayco novella for FREE? Sign up for BV’s Mysteries in Crimetime newsletter at bvlawson.com and receive a FREE copy of "The Maltese Moon Rock"!Scott Drayco Thrillers in order:PLAYED TO DEATHREQUIEM FOR INNOCENCEDIES IRAEELEGY IN SCARLETHE SUICIDE SONATAPRAISE FOR BV's MYSTERIES IN CRIMETIME:"Worth putting on your reading list." - The Library Journal"Lawson's protagonist is greatly compelling." - Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize"Lawson uses the gothic features of the abandoned Opera House to great effect, creating an atmospheric background for the crimes and the solving of them, all of it accompanied with music that's almost like another character. The pace never sagged and it kept me enthralled." - Long and Short Reviews"Lawson's book was so good, I read it twice from beginning to end...The citizens of Cape Unity are as diverse and multi-layered as any person living in the large cities, and Lawson portrayed them splendidly." - Reader's Favorite Reviews"The storyline here is nicely structured, and creatively ties together two murder mysteries, which occurred decades apart. The small town setting is ideal, the lead character engaging, and the supporting cast interesting and diverse." - Omnimystery News"A nice tight mystery in a realistic setting. Totally enjoyable." - Terrie Farley Moran, national bestselling author of the Read 'Em and Eat Mystery Series"Now this story was close to brilliance...The plot was fast, dark and thrilling." - IHeartReading.netAll in all, an excellent read for lovers of quality mystery fiction." - Jacqueline Seewald, author of The Inferno Collection

Can a piece of music be cursed? When a young marine biologist is found dead of suicide, his father can't believe he took his own life and hires Scott Drayco to prove it was murder. But what of the strange song found with the young man's body—the same song linked to a piano sonata that led to a wave of suicides in 1930s Hungary?As Drayco digs deeper, he finds even more unusual aspects of the case not easily explained: the victim’s missing cellphone; his “Gang of Five” friends and their interest in the Akashic Records spiritual philosophy; and the gun used by the victim that was mysteriously stolen from a friend’s car. Drayco fears a tragic incident from his own past may be clouding his objectivity. After all, the facts point to suicide, case closed. But when Drayco starts suffering from depression himself after playing the sonata, can he really be sure of what’s real and what’s imagined?The Suicide Sonata is the fifth installment in the acclaimed Scott Drayco mystery series, a finalist for the Shamus, Silver Falchion, Daphne, and Kindle Book Awards.PRAISE FOR THE SCOTT DRAYCO SERIES:"Worth putting on your reading list." - The Library Journal"Lawson's protagonist is greatly compelling." - Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize"Lawson’s book was so good, I read it twice from beginning to end." - Readers Favorite Reviews

What if a large part of your past turned out to be a lie?Detective Scott Drayco is already in the middle of a possible career-ending legal battle when word comes that his mother, who disappeared 30 years ago, is very much alive—and charged with murder. With Drayco’s father washing his hands of the matter and police convinced the woman is guilty, everyone tells Drayco he should just walk away.But Drayco can’t leave it alone and becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth: is his mother really a killer? Why did she suddenly leave her husband and children to vanish without a trace? And where has she been all these years?Drayco learns there are plenty of people who wanted the victim dead, including a shadowy stalker who seems to have a mysterious connection to Drayco’s mother. As he wades hip-deep into secrets, lies, and cons, Drayco begins to wonder if the case is all part of an elaborate scam...where the only one being fooled is Drayco himself.“This labyrinthine novel is great for those who love to be as intellectually frenzied as the detectives in the stories they read. They’ll be eagerly flipping back to look for Lawson’s strategically placed clues.” - Library Journal“A fast-paced whodunit, Lawson’s recent installment in the Scott Drayco mystery series...contains enough pleasantly unexpected surprises and meticulous details to deliver a fresh mystery. Lawson’s protagonist is greatly compelling.” - Publishers Weekly Booklife PrizeFINALIST FOR THE DAPHNE AWARD—MYSTERY/SUSPENSE AND LIBRARY JOURNAL INDIE EBOOK AWARD FOR BEST MYSTERY

The page-turning, inside account of how three kids from Florida became big-time weapons traders—and how the US government turned on them.In January of 2007, three young stoners from Miami Beach won a $300 million Department of Defense contract to supply ammunition to the Afghanistan military. Incredibly, instead of fulfilling the order with high-quality arms, Efraim Diveroli, David Packouz, and Alex Podrizki—the dudes—bought cheap Communist-style surplus ammunition from Balkan gunrunners. The dudes then secretly repackaged millions of rounds of shoddy Chinese ammunition and shipped it to Kabul—until they were caught by Pentagon investigators and the scandal turned up on the front page of The New York Times. That’s the “official” story. The truth is far more explosive. For the first time, journalist Guy Lawson tells the thrilling true tale. It’s a trip that goes from a dive apartment in Miami Beach to mountain caves in Albania, the corridors of power in Washington, and the frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan. Lawson’s account includes a shady Swiss gunrunner, Russian arms dealers, corrupt Albanian gangsters, and a Pentagon investigation that impeded America’s war efforts in Afghanistan. Lawson exposes the mysterious and murky world of global arms dealing, showing how the American military came to use private contractors like Diveroli, Packouz, and Podrizki as middlemen to secure weapons from illegal arms dealers—the same men who sell guns to dictators, warlords, and drug traffickers. This is a story you were never meant to read.