The best Mark Acheson’s mystery movies

In a gritty and alternate 1985 the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger.

Passed over at work and numbed after she witnesses a colleague's murder, security guard Trixie Zurbo takes a relatively easy job at a lakefront casino, working undercover keeping an eye out for pickpockets. Trixie meets an assortment of colorful regulars: Kirk Stans, the casino's lounge act who drinks too much and is a dead-on mimic; Ruby Pearli , a glamorous, young and knowledgeable barfly; and Dex Lang, a raffish ladies' man who pays attention to Trixie in a way that's hard for her to ignore.

Jennifer Shannon can always find a diamond in the rough, when it comes to garage sales, that is. Whether it's a new antique to sell at her consignment shop, an Atari game for her son or a piece of furniture for her handy husband Jason to refurbish, she has made a career out of her treasure hunting prowess. When a string of burglaries hits her town, Jennifer's keen eye for detail and her natural problem solving instincts even help her see the connection between these burglaries and local garage sales! Jennifer works with Detective Adam Iverson to investigate her theory that the perpetrators of the burglaries are fellow garage sale regulars. The case escalates to dangerous levels when Jennifer discovers the dead body of her friend. Even though the deceased's husband, Ben Douglas, finds nothing missing in their house, and the police label the death as accidental, Jennifer suspects that the death may be related to the burglaries.

Gay detective Donald Strachey is commissioned to protect gay activist John Rutka, who is known for "outing" prominent citizens. Strachey abandons bodyguard duty when he feels that Rutka is staging the threats against himself. When Rutka turns up dead, Strachey is faced with an extensive list of enemies all with enough motive to kill.