Welcome to Texas Reads Mysteries, where I get to share my love of books. 

Cops and crime top my TBR list for this month from two authors with impressive backgrounds. Both books deliver intriguing plots with cops on both sides of the law. Buckle up for these crime thrillers' unexpected twists, turns, and high-stakes danger. 

Murder So Foul 

By Larry Enmon 

Nothing could prepare them for what awaited in the depths of the Great Trinity Forest. 

The rich smell of hot, wet earth mixed with the fetid undertone of decaying flesh hit Detective Rob Soliz as soon as he left his vehicle. He thought that was the worst of it—then he encountered a scene of such depravity he instinctively thought of leaving the force. It was too much for even a seasoned veteran to take in. 

But it was the bloody, crumpled newspaper clipping at the scene that made his partner's blood run cold. Detective Frank Pierce stared at the blurry picture through the evidence bag—right into the eyes of his lover.  

With the oppressive heat of August and looming bureaucratic turf wars, the two detectives must race against time to find the monster responsible for this Murder So Foul. 

If you enjoyed James Patterson's Murder Games, you'll love this thrilling and suspenseful story.  

About the Author 

Larry Enmon was born in Shelby County, Texas. He received his degree in law enforcement and police science in 1975, and then joined the Houston Police Department, where he worked in both the patrol and vice divisions. In 1981 he accepted a job with the U.S. Secret Service and traveled the country and world on protective missions. His last assignment was as the Secret Service liaison agent to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Dallas. He received training from both the FBI and CIA in investigating cases involving suspected weapons of mass destruction. He retired in 2012.  

In addition to his political thrillers, he is also the author of the Rob and Frank mystery series. Larry lives in North Texas, where he and his spouse enjoy getting away from it all at their rural East Texas ranch and North Carolina mountain cabin.  

Kiss and Kill in Texas 

An Al Quinn Novel, Book 8 

By Russ Hall 

Trouble on the Third Coast 

 Al Quinn turns down a musician friend’s request to stay at Al’s home, which is now filled with his recent bride, Fergie, his brother’s wife and child, and a dog. Al’s refusal has consequences that lead to the musician being murdered. 

The trail to make things right takes Al and his family down to the Texas coast, where they face their most dangerous mission. The small Gulf Coast town of Port Dexter is as prickly as the cactus-filled countryside. Every law enforcement officer appears to be corrupt, and an elite killer team is loose in the area. Even worse, they are all out to erase Al and his entire family. 

About the Author 

A writer of mysteries, thrillers, westerns, poetry, and nonfiction books, Russ Hall has had more than thirty-five books published. He lives and writes on the north shore of Lake Travis near Austin, Texas, where he hikes, fishes, and lives with far more books than the anti-hoarder groups would approve. 

In 1996 he won the Nancy Pickard Mystery Fiction Award for short fiction (awarded by the Red Herring Mystery Magazine of Kansas State University). 

In 2011 he was awarded the Sage Award by the Barbara Burnett Smith Mentoring Authors Foundation. This award is given to the mentoring author who demonstrates an outstanding spirit of service in mentoring, sharing and leading others in the mystery writing community.  

In 2014 he won first place in the Austin International Poetry Festival.  

In 2015 the Writers' League of Texas awarded To Hell and Gone in Texas its Fiction Discovery Prize. 

My kind of books!