Lee Strauss

Elle Lee Strauss

ETERNAL LIFE IS TO DIE FOR Seventeen-year-old Zoe Vanderveen is a GAP—a genetically altered person. She lives in the security of a walled city on prime water-front property along side other equally beautiful people with extended life spans. Zoe’s carefree life takes a traumatic turn when her brother Liam is murdered. The only one who can help her find out what happened is Noah Brody, the last guy on earth she should trust. Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they’ve created between those who have and those who don’t. He doesn’t like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like her specifically. He's not sure why he's agreed to help her, but what he finds out when he does, will change his life forever. PERCEPTION is a near-future mystery that can be read alone (no cliffhanger!) Keywords: dystopian, science fiction, apocalyptic, genetic engineering, robots, artificial intelligence, family issues, social divides, rich and poor, beautiful people, wealth, power, corruption, teen romance, forbidden love, fight club, fighting, self-defense, cyborgs, communes, St. Louis, Utah, California, fugitives, strong female lead, genetics, speculative fiction, class wars, class division, action-packed, betrayal, love, scientific breakthroughs

The Death of Liam Vanderveen

PERCEPTION

Seventeen year old ZoeVanderveen is a GAP--a genetically altered person. She lives in the security ofa walled city on prime water-front property along side other equally beautifulpeople with extended life spans. Her brother Liam is missing. Noah Brody is a naturalwho lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests thewidening chasm they've created between those who have and those who don't. Hedoesn't like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like herspecifically. Zoe's carefree lifetakes a traumatic turn. She's in trouble and it turns out that Noah, the lastguy on earth she should trust, is the only one who can help her.

Perception

It's 1923 and young war widow fashionista Ginger Gold makes a cross-Atlantic journey with her companion Haley Higgins to London England to settle her father's estate. When the ship's captain is found dead, Ginger is only too happy to lend her assistance to the handsome Chief Inspector Basil Reed. The SS Rosa delivers a convincing array of suspects--the wife, the mistress, a jealous crew mate. To Ginger's dismay, her name has been added to the list! With a little help from Ginger's dog Boss, Ginger and Haley use their wartime operative skills to navigate the clues. They must solve the case and clear Ginger's name before they dock--and oh, whatever shall she wear!.

A Ginger Gold Mystery

Murder on the SS Rosa

East of Eden

Jars of Clay

A short story prequel to Perception

AMBITION

Zoe Vanderveen is on the run with her captor turned rescuer, Noah Brody. They're in love. Or at least that's what he tells her. Her memories have returned but her feelings are dreamlike ~ thin and fleeting. Can she really trust Noah? Should Noah trust her? Noah Brody thought he did the right thing by running away with the beautiful and endangered Zoe Vanderveen, but now he's not so sure. Zoe's changed, and not necessarily for the better. Taken in by an off-the-grid religious sect, their sense of safety is short lived. These people are crazy, but are they dangerous? Senator Vanderveen's new team of cyborg agents are in hot pursuit and a reward for Zoe and Noah's capture is broadcast nationwide. Once again they need to escape his grasp or at least die trying. Keywords: dystopian, science fiction, apocalyptic, genetic engineering, robots, artificial intelligence, family issues, social divides, rich and poor, beautiful people, wealth, power, corruption, teen romance, forbidden love, fight club, fighting, self-defense, cyborgs, communes, St. Louis, Utah, California, fugitives, strong female lead, genetics, speculative fiction, class wars, class division, action-packed, betrayal, love, scientific breakthroughs

What Happened to Zoe Vanderveen

VOLITION

Zoe and Noah and the others have survived a crash landing in the Arizona desert, but that doesn't mean they're safe. Having escaped President Vanderveen's henchmen, Zoe and Noah find themselves stranded in the Arizona desert with no one to lean on but each other. The stakes are high and emotions run wild. A rogue soldier comes upon the sanctuary of their hideout. Will he help the survivors, or expose them? More danger lies ahead, and even off the grid, Zoe can't quite escape her grandfather's evil clutches. Noah Brody will do anything to keep Zoe safe ~ battle cyborgs, robots and the annoying playboy member of their small group ~ but he's helpless when Zoe's own body fights against her. He's promised never to leave her. It's a promise he might just have to break. Keywords: dystopian, science fiction, apocalyptic, genetic engineering, robots, artificial intelligence, family issues, social divides, rich and poor, beautiful people, wealth, power, corruption, teen romance, forbidden love, fight club, fighting, self-defense, cyborgs, communes, Arizona, California, fugitives, strong female lead, genetics, speculative fiction, class wars, class division, action-packed, betrayal, love, scientific breakthroughs, fugitives, caves, soldiers, war, police state

Noah's Choice

CONTRITION

If you love early rock & roll, poodle skirts, clever who-dun-its, a charming cat and an even more charming detective, you're going to love this new series!

A 1950s Cozy Historical Mystery

Murder at High Tide

From bestselling author Lee Strauss! ***Inspired by true events*****Available in German as Gefährliche Zettel** "One of the best YA books I've read in a long time, Playing with Matches grabs you from page one and whisks you back to 1938 Germany. It's rare that I get so engrossed in a story that I feel as if I'm actually there. I have always wondered what it must have been like for those citizens of Germany who knew something wasn't quite right. Using actual real-life stories from those who lived through it, Lee Strauss paints a bleak picture of fear and survival. Her characters seem real and jump right off the page." - Steven Davenport "This book is an extremely heartbreaking and realistic look at World War II from a different perspective, from someone in Hitler's Army that doesn't want to be there. We so often hear about the atrocities that fell on the Jewish, but there isn't as much literature about everyday life for the non-Jewish Germans, especially those that didn't agree with Hitler.Told from the perspective of a child growing into a young adult at the worst time possible, this is a great read for teens as well as adults." - Valerie A. Baute Heinz Schultz's word could send a man to prison. Though only a youth of fifteen, he was strong, tall, and blond. The boys in his Deutsches Jungvolk unit esteemed him and feared him. And they wanted to be just like him. Emil Radle wanted to be just like him. A dedicated member of Hitler Youth, Emil was loyal to the Fuehrer before family, a champion for the cause and a fan of the famous Luftwaffe Air force. Emil's friends Moritz and Johann discover a shortwave radio and everything changes. Now they listen to the forbidden BBC broadcast of news reports that tell both sides. Now they know the truth. The boys along with Johann's sister Katharina, band together to write out the reports and covertly distribute flyers through their city. It's an act of high treason that could have them arrested—or worse. As the war progresses, so does Emil's affection for Katharina. He'd do anything to have a normal life and to stay in Passau by her side. But when Germany's losses become immense, even their greatest resistance can't prevent the boys from being sent to the Eastern Front. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.8px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'} NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: This second edition has several minor revisions, Including name changes to three minor characters, in order to add clarity and authenticity to the timeline. Keywords: World War 2 fiction, Hitler Youth, resistance groups, The White Rose, life in Nazi Germany, Nazis, Eastern Front, what fear, violence, child soldiers, hunger, black outs, bombings, raids, air force, airforce, love and romance, teen romance, family issues, siblings, sacrifice, friendships, propaganda, hope, prayer, faith

Coming of Age in Hitler Youth (Third Edition)

Playing with Matches

The Ginger Gold Mystery series is set in 1920s England. If you're a fan of historical 20th-century authors such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, or contemporary authors like Rhys Bowen and Frances Brody, you're sure to like Ginger Gold!

A Cozy Historical Mystery

Murder Aboard the Flying Scotsman

There's a skeleton in the attic! Quite literally. After a weeklong passage from the Atlantic from Boston to Liverpool, Ginger Gold arrives at her childhood home-Hartigan House--to find decade-old remains from some poor woman in the attic. Ginger's Boston Terrier, Boss, noses out a missing phalange from under the cot. It's a mystery that once again puts the Chief Inspector Basil Reed. Who is the victim? And how did it end up in Ginger's home? Clues lead Ginger and her good friend Haley Higgins to a fundraising gala hosted in 1913 by Ginger's late father, George Hartigan. A shadow of suspicion is a man's legacy, and Ginger is not so sure. Ginger decides to host another gala, inviting the guestlist from ten years previous. Before the night is over, another person is dead. Keywords: female sleuth, 1920, British mystery, amateur spy, Atlantic, Boston, Liverpool, ship, Britain, Spy, Inspector, Boston terrier, victim, murder, historical, legacy, Agatha Christie, flapper, prohibition, speakeasies, gramophone, mansion, widow, war, secret intelligence, France, war widow, Countess, romance

Murder at Hartigan House

Murder at Brighton Beach: a 1920s Cozy Historical Mystery

"Nothing ruins a night at the opera faster than a duchess falling to her death. Mrs. Ginger Reed, also known by some as Lady Gold, is at the Royal Albert Hall with her husband, Basil Reed, a chief inspector at Scotland Yard, and the two of them are immediately at the scene. Was the Duchess of Worthington's fall accidental? Where was the duke? And what does Ginger's grandmother-in-law, Ambrosia, the Dowager Lady Gold have to do with the sordid affair? Something went terribly wrong with the dowager's "sisterhood" of friends back in the 1860's, and it's all coming home to roost." --Back cover.

Murder at the Royal Albert Hall

Espionage, intrigue . . . murder . . . It's 1924 and war widow fashionista Ginger Gold's new Regent Street dress shop, Feathers & Flair, is the talk of the London fashion district attracting aristocrats from Paris to Berlin to Moscow. Ginger is offered her first job as a private detective when her sister-in-law’s stage actor friend of goes missing, and though the dress shop takes most of her time, Ginger takes the case. But when a Russian grand duchess dies at the shop's official grand opening event, Ginger ignores the missing person to chase a killer. It's a decision she will live to regret.

Murder at Feathers & Flair: A Cozy Historical Mystery

She's heartbroken. He's heartless. Gabriele Baumann-Smith is deliriously in love with her young husband Lennon. Except, it turns out that Lennon Smith isn't his real name. In fact, he's full of secrets: a cottage on the southern British coast, an old girlfriend and... an identical twin brother. Callum Jones-not his real name-can't believe his brother's widow came to England. He'd warned Mick-Lennon-that an inheritance could put the girl's life in danger, and he was right. "Mrs. Smith" is the last thing Callum needs to worry about right now. She's beautiful, sure, takes his breath away at times. But when she looks at him, who does she see? Gabriele's heart is battered and bruised. Can one brother fix what the other left behind? And will they live long enough to find out? Sun & Moon (#1) Katja and Micah Flesh & Bone (#2) Eva and Sebastian Heart & Soul (#3) Gabriele and Callum

A Contemporary Romance

Heart and Soul

Murder's got the blues! It's the summer of 1956 and Private Investigator Rosa Reed (former Woman Police Constable from the London Metropolitan Police) attends her first rock and roll concert featuring the young and upcoming music sensation Elvis Presley. The high note goes sour when a press photographer is found dead onstage and Rosa is called in to investigate. When the apparent suicide is deemed to be a murder, she is once again called upon to work side by side with her former flame, Detective Miguel Belmonte. Will Rosa keep her heart in line and find the killer before she has to sing the blues? If you love early rock & roll, poodle skirts, clever who-dun-its, a charming cat and an even more charming detective, you're going to love this new series! ★★★★★Clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.

Murder and Rock 'n Roll

ROMANCE. MYSTERY. MUSIC. EXOTIC EUROPEAN CITY. HOT EURO/AMERICAN GUY. She has a past. He has a secret. Katja Stoltz is a risk-taking singer-songwriter, hoping to make it in the indie music scene in Dresden, Germany. Micah Sturm's a brooding uptown banker on a quest. Driven to the streets, Katja is picked up by Micah — but he doesn't want what she thinks he does. There's an undeniable attraction between them, a gravitational pull they both struggle to resist. Katja knows she mustn't fall in love with this handsome enigma. There's something dark lurking beneath the surface. He could be dangerous. And even if her life isn't on the line, her heart most definitely is. ** Includes MP3 links to four original songs produced by Norm Strauss and performed by award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Kim June Johnson (McMechan). The Minstrel Series is a collection of contemporary romance novels set in the singer/songwriter world. The books are companion novels, with shared settings and characters, but each is a complete stand-alone story with a H.E.A. (happily ever after) and no cliffhangers! The Minstrel Series books can be read in any order, but are best enjoyed in sequence: Sun & Moon: Katja and Micah Flesh & Bone: Eva and Sebastian Heart & Soul: Gabriele and Callum.

The Minstrel Series

Sun & Moon

"Another deftly crafted mystery by the master of the genre..." Midwest Book Review "Clever and entertaining, you'll love this charming Golden Age mystery series. And the fashion is to die for " - Molly C. Quinn, actress, Castle A poltergeist guilty of murder? Ginger Gold receives a letter from her sister-in-law, Felicia, requesting Ginger come straightaway to her late husband's family home, Bray Manor. Dowager Lady Gold, Ginger's nervous grandmother through marriage, believes the old manor is haunted. Ginger doesn't believe in ghosts, but is haunted nevertheless by memories of her husband and the lure of his gravesite she just can't bring herself to visit. In order to keep Bray Manor afloat financially, Felicia and Ambrosia have opened the estate to the public for club meetings and special events. Knitters, stamp collectors and gardeners converge weekly--targets for the poltergeist that seems to find amusement in hiding small things from their owners. Bray Manor hosts a dance to raise money for maimed soldiers who struggle with peacetime after the Great War. Felicia invites her flapper friends and her new beau, Captain Smithwick, a man Ginger has met before and definitely doesn't like. When the dance ends with the discovery of a body, Ambrosia is certain the poltergeist is to blame, but Ginger is quite sure the murderer is made of flesh and blood.

Lee Strauss

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