New radio interview

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dialogue/2011/12/08/dialogue-between-the-lines

Watch for news about the books I talk about during the interview. Great fun  and wonderful hosts.

New mystery novel and short story releases

In a small Oregon Coast town when one of Trudy Wilson's employees, Sharon, dies suddenly Trudy suspects she's been murdered.

Trudy teams with Sharon's brother to hunt for the killer. They soon discover the town's dark secrets. A deadly cat and mouse game of murder and terror leads to a dramatic conclusion.

Can a hairdresser and a biker solve a murder?  


A new original mystery novel available now at Amazon and other e-retail sites.

A man's tortured past returns to haunt him.

A veteran of the Rwanda massacre, Hal Tomkins seeks solace on a remote island as a lighthouse keeper. Now he faces a deadly foe bent on murder. Is it revenge or to silence him? 


A new original mystery short story available now at Amazon and other e-retail sites.

New releases

It's been a while so i thought I'd post the covers of my newest releases. They are available at Smashwords, Amazon or your favourite e-book retailer.

New Razor and Edge Mysteries

Look for these new titles on Smashwords and Amazon.

Razor and Edge Mysteries: New short novel- Mirror Image: A new Razor and Edg...

Razor and Edge Mysteries: New short novel- Mirror Image: A new Razor and Edg...: "In this first short novel we meet the private detectives, Razor and Edge. A murder of a new neighbour propels them into a web of lies and d..."

New short novel- Mirror Image: A new Razor and Edge original

In this first short novel we meet the private detectives, Razor and Edge. A murder of a new neighbour propels them into a web of lies and deception that will challenge the budding new crime solving team to the limit.

Meet Razor and Edge, the Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin of the 21st Century , they solve crime so you don't have to.

Look for more Razor and Edge mysteries on your favourite e-retailer sites. 

New Story - Five Minutes

PI Bump McShott time travels to scratch out his living. He's a time traveller for hire. This time the man paying the bill allows him five minutes to make a decision that may end his career, forever.

The author of Countdown and Attack of the Lushites takes you to 1942 to stop the destruction of the future.

New Original Mystery

A Day Without Sunshine available at Smashwords, Amazon, and soon at other fine e-retail sites.

A wealthy young woman is found with her throat slit holding private investigator Jazz Stiletto's business card and the police suspect Stiletto killed her.  When Stiletto sets out to clear his name he soon discovers he's being set up to take the fall. 

This new original noir mystery from the author of the Razor and Edge mysteries is a complex mix of murder, greed, and power with PI Jazz Stiletto at the centre of an impossible case where he must break all the rules to survive. In the end he must make a choice too terrible to imagine. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/70818?ref=rghart

Razor and Edge Mysteries now available in print for the first time!

This print on demand collection of these two Razor and Edge mysteries, The Kidnapping of Billy Buttons and String of Pearls is available now at Createspace and Amazon.com

Free Story - The Parrot of Doom

The Parrot of Doom

by

R.G. Crossley

I had never seen a real parrot in the flesh (or should I say in the feather), before today.

From where I sat on the worn leatherette sofa in my partner, Morton Edge's, parents recreation room I stared at the brightly colored green, and yellow (but mostly green) parrot, with a mustard yellow stripe across his beak.  The bird sat on a perch in a cage that appeared to be designed to hold the Count of Monte Cristo it was so big.

The parrot (Edge explained his name is Hercules) had been dropped off by a client, and we were to interrogate it.

"So what is the parrot supposed to tell us?" I asked.

Edge looked up from the romance novel he'd been reading, his hazel eyes free from emotion. He rarely displays human emotion because he thinks it's a sign of weakness. I think it shows we're all human. I sometimes wonder if Edge is human because he sees the world in such a  different way.  Then again this is the reason he's so gifted at deductive reasoning, and so bad at human relations.

Human relations is my job at Razor and Edge Investigations. I'm the one who wears out his shoe leather.

"Razor, please refer to the parrot as Hercules.  He understands our every word, and I'm told he's offended when referred to as an object."

Objectifying a bird? Now I really have heard everything.

"Huh, yeah, sorry, Hercules," I said, directing my words to the parrot staring back at me with one coal-black eye.

I almost jumped out of my skin when the parrot spoke. "No worries," he said.  "Please call me Hercules."

"Uuuuhhh, yeah, OK."  My cheeks grew warm.  I couldn't believe it but I was embarrassed.  I shifted my bony behind on the sagging sofa cushion.  The darned thing is so old and ratty sometimes the springs press the flesh with the occupant.  This old sofa is where the butt meets the road.

I gathered my rattled senses and decided I better speak to the parrot.  "So, Hercules, what is it you're supposed to tell us?"

The reply was immediate.  He shuffled along the perch farther away from me then said,  "About Mr. Cunningham's affair." 

Hercules was certainly clear, but I was confused. I'd missed something so I directed my next question to my partner. "Edge, I'm obviously out of the loop, could you perhaps explain what's going on, and why Hercules is here?"

Edge closed his novel, after slipping in a bookmark, then set the book on the end table next to his Barcolounger.  "Do you wish to explain, Hercules?"

"After you, Mr. Edge."

Oh, brother. To this day I think Hercules was mocking me.

Edge nodded sagely. "Mrs. Cunningham contacted me asking us to follow her husband because she believed he was being unfaithful. She said she'd pay us any amount we asked for.  I explained we do not take those kind of cases."

Though I knew he was right, I was disappointed we'd lost a paying client to a little thing like ethics.  I frowned and glanced at the parrot sitting serenely on his perch then back at Edge.  "If you refused the case then why is the pa—I mean, Hercules, still here?"

"Because he knows something about Mrs. Cunningham's murder."

To say I was shocked by this revelation would be an understatement of the first magnitude.  "What?  Mrs. Cunningham is dead?  So who brought us the bird?"

"Mr. Cunningham," said the parrot.

I paused to consider the information I had so far. Mrs. Cunningham calls us to hire us to follow her husband who she thinks is having an affair.  She is then murdered, and her grieving husband brings us the bird. What? This is nuts.

"But why would Mr. Cunningham bring us the bird?"

Edge shook his head. "He didn't," my partner said matter of factly.

"I called Mr. Edge," said Hercules.

I gawked at the parrot.  He called Edge?

Edge chuckled. "Sorry, Razor, I've been having too much fun. Please forgive me." He paused and his lips formed a crooked smile. "Hercules knew Mrs. Cunningham had called us and pressed the re-dial on the phone. He told me that he'd witnessed Mr. Cunningham killing his wife.  He was indeed having an affair, and planned to run off with his lover. 

"After Hercules called me I contacted Detective Aimes telling him I had spoken to a witness to a murder, and that the murderer was about to kill the witness."

"Too true," interrupted Hercules.

Edge smiled then continued. "I gave Aimes the address and the police arrived in time to catch Mr. Cunningham attempting to flee, and they saved Hercules from certain death."

"I'm the parrot of doom," said Hercules.

Parrot of doom? Oh, brother. who knew a parrot could be so dramatic. Then again it would make a good blog title.

"So back to my original question," I said. "Why is he here?"

"The Cunningham's adult daughter is flying in from Los Angeles tomorrow.  She'll take Hercules back with her. We're looking after him until then."

"Oh." I eased back against the sofa cushion.

I snatched the TV remote off the scarred pine coffee table in fornt of the sofa.  "Wanta watch some TV, Edge?"

"I like the Home and Garden Network," said Hercules.

I looked at Edge. "Edge?"

He shrugged. "Parrot's choice."

I turned the television on and changed the channel to the Home and Garden Network.

Parrots choice indeed. Stupid parrot's gonna be doomed alright.

- end-

© R. G. Crossley 2011


To find more Razor and Edge mysteries go to Smashwords, Amazon and other e-retailers.

New Publisher - 53rd Street Publishing

We are excited to announce we have started our new independent publishing company, 53rd Street Publishing.

We will only be publishing our books under our various names (sorry, but no submissions) in e-book and Print-on- Demand.

Look for our titles and future releases on Smashwords Amazon, and other e-retailers.   

New cover for Story - String of Pearls

When a elderly neighbour is robbed Razor and Edge spring into action. In the course of their investigation they discover dark family secrets that may prove deadly. Available at Smashwords and Amazon.com

new short story

The Kidnapping of Billy Buttons now available on smashwords. Razor and Edge help a twelve year old recover his teddy bear. What they discover is ties to royalty, and that the bear may not belong to him.

Welcome to the adventures of Razor and Edge Investigations

Watch this blog for updates as I relate our amazing adventures on Staten Island, in New York City. We have helped the police solve murders, shut down a human smuggling ring, assisted the FBI in trapping mobsters to tell you but a few of our cases.

We fight crime so you don't have to!

Razor