To Die For Series by Richard Houston

The story is not your typical murder mystery. The sleuth is not a detective, private eye, or lawyer. He's an ordinary guy with an extraordinary dog.Jacob Martin is trying to make the best of a divorce and mid-life crisis when he gets a call at two o’clock Sunday morning from his mother. His sister has been arrested for the murder of her fourth husband, and his father is near death... moreThe story is not your typical murder mystery. The sleuth is not a detective, private eye, or lawyer. He's an ordinary guy with an extraordinary dog.Jacob Martin is trying to make the best of a divorce and mid-life crisis when he gets a call at two o’clock Sunday morning from his mother. His sister has been arrested for the murder of her fourth husband, and his father is near death. Thus begins an adventure that takes Jake and his golden retriever from their Colorado retreat to a backwater town in the Missouri Ozarks where they search for cold-blooded killers, a cache of gold coins buried by Jesse James, and the love of a beautiful nurse. less

A Book to Die For is the second book in Houston's To Die For series. Jake Martin is not your ordinary sleuth. He's an outsourced software engineer, handyman and writer. This time the story takes place in the foothills of Denver. Jake is accused of manslaughter and he has to prove the accident was really murder. Along the way he encounters a poaching ring and falls in love with a beautiful game warden. The characters are memorable and the plot is multilayered... moreA Book to Die For is the second book in Houston's To Die For series. Jake Martin is not your ordinary sleuth. He's an outsourced software engineer, handyman and writer. This time the story takes place in the foothills of Denver. Jake is accused of manslaughter and he has to prove the accident was really murder. Along the way he encounters a poaching ring and falls in love with a beautiful game warden. The characters are memorable and the plot is multilayered. It keeps the reader guessing who dun-it until the very end. less

Burned-out software engineer Jake Martin and his Golden Retriever, Fred, live in a mountain cabin far enough from Denver to escape the rat-race but not far enough to escape its crime. While remodeling an old house he uncovers a stack of love letters that will turn his world inside out. When word of the letters gets out, people start dying, including the owner of the house Jake was remodeling... moreBurned-out software engineer Jake Martin and his Golden Retriever, Fred, live in a mountain cabin far enough from Denver to escape the rat-race but not far enough to escape its crime. While remodeling an old house he uncovers a stack of love letters that will turn his world inside out. When word of the letters gets out, people start dying, including the owner of the house Jake was remodeling. With his main source of income gone, he lets his friend and neighbor, Bonnie Jones, talk him into searching for the killer after they are offered a large retainer. The problem is the person who hires them is the major suspect. With the help of Fred and Bonnie, Jake continues to find more evidence that his new employer is trying to create a smokescreen to divert attention from himself. Will the trio of amateur detectives be able to stop the murders, or will they become the next victims? less