Books – Laura Manning Author

The Chesapeake Crime Club drinks martinis and exposes the twisted masterminds behind rare blood kidnappings & murders.

At an Annapolis restaurant, Private Investigator Minxy Banks is enjoying a flirtatious lunch to settle a bet with Sheriff Jack Frye. The crab cakes were barely eaten before Jack gets a text about a dead body coming ashore locally. The pale victim has no violent wounds and no blood. The Chesapeake Crime Club members—Minxy a former CIA case officer, Celia a CIA analyst, and Astrid the techy wife of the Danish Ambassador—are curious. However, when Tyler, a West Beach teenager, is kidnapped, the Chesapeake Crime Club is on the case. Working ever so closely with Sheriff Jack, whose feelings for Minxy are now obvious, the girls discover that the murder victim and Tyler share extremely rare blood and are pawns in a horrific blood enterprise. Tyler will never be safe until the masterminds behind his kidnapping are brought to justice.

Readers love this!

Here’s what readers are saying

Look no further than Blood in the Bay for a story that will keep you up all night. This is a real-life vampire mystery—not from Transylvania, but from a high-tech, black-market trafficking in rare blood. Minxy, your favorite dark empath, is back with her found family of friends and miscreants, fighting to keep the Chesapeake Bay from turning bright red with corpses.

Michael Kelleyauthor of The Lost Theory, The Devil’s Calling, Juno’s Song, and Dead or Alive

CeCe Lamont returns the reader to the sleepy beach community of West Beach and Minxy Banks, a former CIA officer, for another cozy thriller. This time, Minxy and her two drinking companions must help to solve a murder while trying to find a missing and beloved teenager. And as Minxy works to solve the crime, will she be able to find a way to let love into her life? This book, as well as Lamont’s first novel in the series, will remind readers of the great crime-fiction author Louise Penny, since Lamont’s novels are about much more than just solving the case. Congratulations on another great read!

Bonnie SuchmanAward winning author of Broken Promises, Stumbling Stones, and What Remains is Hope

Blood in the Bay

Chesapeake Crime Club

Between martinis and white wine, the Chesapeake Crime Club are on the hunt for a murderer to save an honest man

Minxy Banks’s dawn run by the Chesapeake Bay is upended when she finds her meddlesome neighbor stabbed to death and draped across a mermaid statue, wearing a designer suit and pantihose. Minxy’s first clue: no one dresses like that in casual West Beach, MD. The murder activates the Chesapeake Crime Club which includes Minxy, a former CIA case officer; Celia, a senior CIA analyst; and Astrid, the techy wife of the Danish Ambassador to the US. They have been solving penny ante crimes like stolen garden gnomes. Now they must dig deeper, and drink more martinis, to find a killer. Minxy’s unique talent—she’s a Dark Empath capable of talking anyone into anything and daring enough to undertake the craziest of missions—propels the team along the twisted path of the killer and into his deadly endgame.

Readers love this!

Here’s what readers are saying

Minxy is the next-door neighbor I wish I had. Her methods may be unconventional, but her results aren't. I wish I could join the Chesapeake Crime Club for real.

Jeff AyersBestselling author or The National Park Thriller Series and Picking up the Pieces

This novel is a clever mix of thriller and humor, with Minxy working with her equally savvy and sharp-tongued drinking companions to love the case. Battling past traumas, this book is also about second chances. Bravo Minxy.

Bonnie SuchmanAward winning author of Broken Promises, Stumbling Stones, and What Remains is Hope

Minxy Banks, an ex-government operative with a Dark Empath's edge, is as sharp as she is seductive. The psychological twist on the classic whodunit will leave you craving martinis on the Chesapeake Bay, hoping for an invite to join Minxy.

Michael Kelleyauthor of The Lost Theory, The Devil's Calling, Juno's Song, Dead or Alive, and Original Sin

Wow! What a fun mix of Small Town Charm and DC Chic. Minxy is a fun and lovable character, despite (or because of…) her Dark Empath tendencies...My only complaint is this book gave me an incessant craving for a Vesper Martini with every page I turned!

MegAvid Reader

Chesapeake Crime Club is a thrilling, fun, fast paced mystery with a unique sleuth and interesting characters. I enjoyed the well-crafted mystery and the interactions between the members of the crime club. The ending surprised me in the best way possible! I can't wait to read more adventures with Minxy and the gang!

Cozy Crime Website for Cozy Mysteries

After reading CeCe Lamont’s delightful Chesapeake Crime Club, I’m itching to hop a plane to the Chesapeake and schedule happy hour with Minxy Banks and her crime solving crew.

V PoolerReader and Thriller Author

I loved this novel - I didn't expect it to be so easy to cheer for a "dark empath" like Minxy, but found myself enchanted with her attempts to solve the crime, and manage her own behavior at the same time.

TheresaAvid Reader

The Hyperion Network

The threat is a planned day of carnage in five cities across three countries...the police don't believe it.

What if the mass killings in the news had been prevented? In this thriller, hate-crime survivor Sophia Borghese leads The Hyperion Network, a private intelligence agency created to do just that. Hyperion employs cutting-edge technology envied by the NSA and field agents trained by the world’s best spy agencies. Hyperion has uncovered a white nationalist threat called The First Cull—a day of carnage in three countries to jump start race wars. The police and security bureaucracies consider the threat “aspirational.” Sophia and her teams race against the clock to stop the charismatic engineering genius behind the plot and save thousands of innocent lives..

Here's what readers are saying

Electric with suspense, The Hyperion Network sends hotshot tradecraft expert Sophia Borghese on a desperate journey into some of the darkest places of the data and artificial intelligence communities...Smart, intriguing, and unforgettable.

Gayle LyndsNew York Times Bestselling Author

Manning takes a terrific cast of characters and unveils the world behind the scenes of intelligence gathering while not sacrificing any of the intense action and twists. I look forward to more adventures with this network.

Jeff AyersBestselling author of The Natoinal Park Thriller Series and Picking Up the Pieces

A great read! Absolutely riveting. The author’s experience and knowledge shine throughout. I began this book on a flight cross country and was actually disappointed when we were landing. Couldn’t wait to find time to finish it!

JReeAvid Reader

Sunday morning I entered the world of the Hyperion Network. I stayed all day. I couldn’t leave. Laura Manning’s debut novel shines a spotlight on an insidious threat the FBI and DHS having been warning us about. With extraordinary characters, cutting-edge tech, and real-world geopolitics, the Hyperion Network is up against a threat that cannot wait.

A FanAmazon

Laura Manning is a talented, well spoken, deep thinking author. She is very knowledgeable about her subject. The characters are believable and relatable. I truly hope this is just the beginning of a long relationship with Sophia and her friends

EJAmazon Reviewer

After reading CeCe Lamont’s delightful Chesapeake Crime Club, I’m itching to hop a plane to the Chesapeake and schedule happy hour with Minxy Banks and her crime solving crew.

V PoolerReader and Thriller Author