In a city of fast cars and movie stars, these folks are crazy about cacti. Until a killer joins the club . . . Joe Portugal likes people. But he likes plants better. That's why the former theater actor turned small-time L.A. commercial star is a prominent member of the Culver City Cactus Club. Unfortunately, so is a killer. The club's president is dead--a poison succulent lodged into her mouth. With a father who knows a thing or two about murder, and police breathing down his neck, Joe can recognize a jam when he sees one. But when he begins searching through a colorful cast of plant lovers, plant dealers, and even international plant smugglers, he doesn't find the answers he needs. Meanwhile, the killer has struck again, working his way through the Cactus Club with a garden variety motive--and a very green thumb--for murder. . . . Includes The Joe Portugal Guide to Botanical Nomenclature

The Cactus Club Killings

Literature & Fiction

Walpow, Nathan

Contemporary

Dell

Nature. Nurture. Murder.L.A. actor Joe Portugal just wants to keep the mealybugs off his cacti, give a little boost to his love life, and maybe make a few commercials along the way. And with a small acting role nailed down, Joe has every reason to mind his own business. But he doesn't. That's because a man who loved orchids has been found dead. And so has a woman who asked for Joe's help.Never one to walk away from a challenge, Joe is plunging into a world unlike any he's seen before--the frenetic, highly competitive world of the orchid enthusiast. And suddenly Joe Portugal--actor, cactus lover, reluctant sleuth--is discovering that solving murder cases among the flora, fauna, and fanatics who thrive in L.A. isn't just a hobby, it's his true calling...especially since a killer has already come calling on him....Includes The Joe Portugal Guide to Orchids.

Death of an Orchid Lover (Joe Portugal Mystery)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

The Cactus Club Killings (The Joe Portugal Mysteries)

Genre Fiction

Random House Publishing Group

Nature. Nurture. Murder.L.A. actor Joe Portugal just wants to keep the mealybugs off his cacti, give a little boost to his love life, and maybe make a few commercials along the way. And with a small acting role nailed down, Joe has every reason to mind his own business. But he doesn't. That's because a man who loved orchids has been found dead. And so has a woman who asked for Joe's help.Never one to walk away from a challenge, Joe is plunging into a world unlike any he's seen before--the frenetic, highly competitive world of the orchid enthusiast. And suddenly Joe Portugal--actor, cactus lover, reluctant sleuth--is discovering that solving murder cases among the flora, fauna, and fanatics who thrive in L.A. isn't just a hobby, it's his true calling...especially since a killer has already come calling on him....Includes The Joe Portugal Guide to Orchids.From the Paperback edition.

Death of an Orchid Lover (The Joe Portugal Mysteries)

Delta

"The Best Writer You Never Heard Of."That's what international bestselling author Lee Child calls Nathan Walpow in his foreword to this collection of seven stories and a novella. Child also says:"His plotting is crisp, fluent and agile; his characters are human and believable; and his narrative voice has depth and perspective ... wise and very satisfying on an emotional level ... there's truth and humanity baked into his writing. I rate him among my absolute favorites."Now you too can discover the writer that's been one of Lee Child's favorites for 15 years.Here's what's included:"Push Comes to Shove," in which professional wrestling turns all too real. Selected for the Best American Mystery Stories series."Bad for His Image," where a gangster and a philatelist forge an improbable bond over a stamp, a dog, and a dame. "A Match Made in Hell," the Devil's explanation of how you really get into heaven."Daughters," in which a vigilante and and his Mossad-trained offspring team up to find a murderer."Sanitation Sends a Man," the story of a garbageman who comes out of retirement to save the universe."Where You Eat," where a disk jockey gets advice for the lovelorn from a birdbrain."A Good Day's Work," a tale of murder and intrigue intruding upon the quiet life at Leisure World.You also get the novella "Push," an expansion of "Push Comes to Shove," with more wrestlers, more criminal activity, and more rock'em sock'em action. Featuring a cover by esteemed cover artist Jeroen ten Berge.

Push Comes to Shove: Seven Stories and a Novella - With a Foreword by Lee Child

Large Hadron Press

Back in '68 they made killer music … now their music is killing them. Third book in the Joe Portugal mystery series. 
It's been thirty years since Joe Portugal put his electric guitar away. Maybe that's one reason he's suffering a serious case of the mid-life doldrums. Then Joe stumbles upon a chance to put the band he was in as a teenager back together. And maybe his life too. All he has to do is find the lead guitarist, who hasn't been seen since the 70s. But when he starts to look, it's quickly clear that someone doesn't want to see a reunion tour ... someone who's very handy with a gun.

One Last Hit: A Joe Portugal Mystery (Joe Portugal Mysteries)

Uglytown Productions

The death of an entertainment icon prompts an investigation by amateur sleuth Joe Portugal, who finds himself drafting a suspect list that contains some of the people closest to him. By the author of One Last Hit.

The Manipulated: A Joe Portugal Mystery (Portugal Mystery Series)

United States

Sometimes those who do terrible things to good people slip through the cracks. That’s where Logan comes in. He tracks down the guilty and holds them accountable. He specializes in those who mistreat women and children. He works with a team of three young crime-fighters who’ve benefited from his efforts. And none of the four is above letting a little thing like the law get in his or her way. The Logan Triad includes three novellas: In “Logan’s Young Guns,” a young woman shows up in the emergency room, and Logan sets out to find the man responsible and make sure he doesn't do it again. In “Logan Shoots First,” the team must balance a forced-prostitution ring with a lead on the case that’s haunted Logan for seven years. In “Logan Gets Caught,” a young woman from Logan’s past reappears, insisting he investigate the murder of her mother. Plus the bonus stories “Daughters” and “Johnny and the Warehouse Women.”

The Logan Triad

Thrillers & Suspense

Down & Out Books

Back in ’68 they made killer music…now their music is killing them. It’s been thirty years since Joe Portugal put his electric guitar away. Maybe that’s one reason he’s suffering a serious case of the mid-life doldrums. Then Joe stumbles upon a chance to put the band he was in as a teenager back together. And maybe his life too. All he has to do is find the lead guitarist, who hasn’t been seen since the 70s. But when he starts to look, it’s quickly clear that someone doesn’t want to see a reunion tour...someone who’s very handy with a gun. Praise for the Joe Portugal mysteries: “I love reading Nathan Walpow books…a solid, intelligent mystery…add Walpow’s marvelous sense of humor and you’ll see why he’s winning new fans ever day.” —Jan Burke, Edgar Award-winning author “Snappy Chandleresque dialogue.” —Los Angeles Times “Joe’s wry sense of humor will convert readers into loyal fans.” —Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine “This guy is a hell of a writer.” —Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series

One Last Hit (Joe Portugal)

Literary

Joe Portugal’s experienced killing before. He’s seen gunmen mow down a friend on little more than a whim. He’s known greed and ambition to drive his friends to murder. But now he’s face to face with a whole new degree of wickedness. A show business prodigy has been shot dead. Though no one—except perhaps the man’s father—will mourn him, his demise puts Joe in debt to a shadowy presence whose sway extends deep into Southern California industry, government, and law enforcement. And suddenly Joe begins to suspect that everyone he knows—his protégé, stunning television star Ronnie McKenzie; his new wife, Gina; and most disturbing of all, his prison vet father—is part of that clandestine coterie known as “the manipulated.” Nathan Walpow’s “snappy Chandleresque dialogue” (Los Angeles Times) adds punch to this intricate, darkly witty whodunit set in the trashier byways of Tinseltown. Praise for the Joe Portugal Mysteries: “I thought the last Joe Portugal mystery, One Last Hit, was unbeatable. Wrong. The Manipulated is even better. Suddenly this is a must-read series.” —Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novels “I love reading Nathan Walpow books…a solid, intelligent mystery…add Walpow’s marvelous sense of humor and you’ll see why he’s winning new fans every day.” —Jan Burke, Edgar Award-winning author “Snappy Chandleresque dialogue.” —Los Angeles Times “Joe’s wry sense of humor will convert readers into loyal fans.” —Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine

The Manipulated (Joe Portugal)

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