Three years later, Riot returns to San Francisco to put his ghosts to rest, but the abduction of an heiress snags his attention. Two ransom demands are delivered, and the husband of the abducted Isobel Kingston is hiding the truth.The clock is ticking. Can Riot find Mrs Kingston in time, or will she become one more regret among many?A thrilling historical mystery for fans of Laurie R. King, Louise Penny, and Jacqueline Windspear.

    Inexplicably, Holmes agrees to help, even though the Prime Minister of England and his cabinet need Holmes to solve a murder case that could threaten a high-stakes meeting with John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan. The clock is ticking. Holmes will need all his physical and deductive powers to preserve innocent lives and prevent political and economic chaos on both sides of the Atlantic. Yet even Holmes cannot foresee how much the ultimate outcome will depend on a mother's sacrifice, a daughter's hopes, and on the true identity of the last Moriarty.

    Maisie Dobbs Bundle #3: The Mapping of Love and Death and A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

    Eustace is the bastard son of an earl, Giselle the sheltered daughter of a dotting gentry father, and Robert the son of an impoverished village carpenter. In ordinary times, their lives would not intersect. But when Robert breaks his uncle out of Earl Roger FitzWalter’s gaol, he sets in motion a series of events that sends their lives colliding in a maelstrom of murder and revenge that drives them all outside the laws and customs of England. Step into the tumultuous years of the Twelfth Century, and stand alongside Eustace as he schemes to inherit his father’s title, lands, and power, using every means within his grasp; Giselle as she fights to free herself from a forced marriage and to save her inheritance; and Robert as he struggles to rise above the limitations of his birth in the face of Eustace’s quest for vengeance. A saga to rival Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, The Outlaws sweeps from serene English villages and quiet forest glens, to French battlefields, remote Welsh fortresses, and even the court of King Henry II, where nobles and clergy vie for power and wealth, and disputes are often decided with steel and blood. The Outlaws is sure to please fans of the Stephen Attebrook mysteries, for it reveals the truth about the founding of the powerful Attebrook family — a secret that family would sooner forget.

    A request that can’t be refused.In 1482 the Englishman Thomas Berrington is living in the last remnants of Moorish Spain. A physician, he is an unwilling friend to the most powerful man in the kingdom. When bodies start to turn up, each showing the marks of a savage attack, Thomas is asked to investigate.When one of the Sultan’s wives is brutally murdered, what begins as a reluctant task turns into a fight for survival. Together with the eunuch Jorge, Thomas attempts to hunt down the killer before they become his next victims. Except nothing is as it seems—friends turn into enemies and enemies into friends.Thomas’s investigation lays bare the secrets of the Red Hill and the people who inhabit it. His discoveries culminate in a battle not only for his own life, but for the lives of those he loves.

    England is awash with traitors, plotting to assassinate the Queen and bring about a foreign invasion. The young physician Christoval Alvarez, a refugee from the horrors of the Portuguese Inquisition, is coerced into becoming a code-breaker and spy in Sir Francis Walsingham’s espionage service. In the race to thwart the plot, who will triumph – the ruthless conspirators or the equally ruthless State?

    Benjamin Bones is at war with himself. While most young men are being sent away to fight the Germans, Ben is chosen to serve on English soil. Ordered to move to wild, beautiful Cornwall, he must trade his posh London office and stylish city life for the tiny village of Birdswing, population 1,221 souls. But leaving his home and shelving his career ambitions aren't the only sacrifices facing Ben. His unfaithful wife, Penny, is accompanying him to Cornwall in a last-ditch effort to save their marriage. But moments after their arrival, Penny is run down in the street, and Ben is almost fatally injured. And while the villagers assume Penny's death to be an accident, Ben quickly deduces it was murder.As he convalesces in Fenton House, which the locals call haunted, Ben meets Birdswing's eccentric inhabitants. Mr. Gaston, the volunteer air warden, obsessed with defending his remote village against Nazi spies; Mrs. Cobblepot, a thoroughly practical housekeeper who believes in fairies; and Lady Juliet Linton, a prickly, headstrong aristocrat who won't take no for an answer. While adapting to life during Britain's "War at Home," a time of ration books, victory gardens, bomb shelters, and the Blackout, Ben sets about solving the mystery of Penny's murder--with a little help from Lady Juliet and the Fenton House ghost.MARRIAGE CAN BE MURDER (Dr. Benjamin Bones Mysteries #1) is the new cozy mystery series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Emma Jameson.

    Saddled with a clerk who names Faucon his ‘penance', the shire’s first Crowner must thread the tangled relationships between the sheriff, the village of Priors Holston and the priory that once ruled it. As a simple task takes a turn to the political, what seems obvious isn’t and what appears safe turns out to be more dangerous than he could imagine.

    Allingham's daughter Arabella has run away with a debauched fortune-hunter and Allingham wants her back before a scandal ruins her reputation. Lazarus is not inclined to help, but has no choice when he realizes that Arabella's life could be in danger. When a series of poisonings distract him from Arabella's abduction, Allingham uses his attractive niece Constance to bring Lazarus back to the matter in hand. The inspector would like to dispense with Constance's help as she is a member of the despised Allingham family, but he needs her aid in interviewing the tight-knit gentry, who use their influence with the upper echelons of the police force to protect their own. As more young women fall victim to the killer, Lazarus begins to rely more and more on Constance and slowly overcomes his initial prejudice.

    Granddaughter of a local hero, Mercy Bennington moves out of the shadow of her elder brother to become a leader of the protestors, finding the strength to confront the enemies who endanger the survival of her village and her own life. Yet the violence wreaked upon the fragile fenlands unleashes a force no one can control – flood.

    A lady has been struck down with a finial from the terrace balustrade. Her family is present, as are the cream of the haut ton—the shocked hosts turn to Barnaby and Penelope for help.Barnaby calls in Inspector Basil Stokes and they begin their investigation. Penelope assists by learning all she can about the victim’s family, and uncovers a feud between them and the Latimers over the fabulous shoes known as Lady Latimer’s shoes, currently exclusive to the Latimers.The deeper Penelope delves, the more convinced she becomes that the murder is somehow connected to the shoes. She conscripts Griselda, Stokes’s wife, and Violet Montague, now Penelope’s secretary, and the trio set out to learn all they can about the people involved, and most importantly the shoes, a direction vindicated when unexpected witnesses report seeing a lady fleeing the scene—wearing Lady Latimer’s shoes.But nothing is as it seems, and the more Penelope and her friends learn about the shoes, conundrums abound, compounded by a Romeo-and-Juliet romance and escalating social pressure…until at last the pieces fall into place, and finally understanding what has occurred, the six intrepid investigators race to prevent an even worse tragedy.

    Clemens, an admirer of Sherlock Holmes, approaches the famous detective for assistance. Holmes and Watson set out to track down the thief among a myriad of guests staying at the famous hotel. But all of the hotel guests have alibis. Is one of the hotel guests hiding something? Or did the burglar come from further afield? Suspects abound, yet another pressing question arises for Dr. Watson. Will one of them, a woman from his past, steal his heart?

    But why should he feel so uneasy, so reluctant to accept this case? Can he trust the wealthy, powerful politician who's summoned him? In this short story, Lavender and his loyal assistant, Constable Woods, plunge into the seedy backstreets of Regency London and steer a tricky path through the opulent drawing rooms of aristocratic suspects in pursuit of the missing diamonds.Welcome to the world of Stephen Lavender, a Principal Officer with the Bow Street Runners, whose further adventures can be followed in 'The Heiress of Linn Hagh.'

     A mysterious stranger carrying a swordstick walks the gaslit alleys and night houses seeking vengeance. A man determined to fight for justice against all the wrongs of Victorian society. Who is the secretive William Quest? Following Quest's trail from the teeming streets of London to the lonely coast of Norfolk, Inspector Anders of Scotland Yard is determined to uncover the truth. This exciting Victorian thriller takes the reader into the sinister hinterlands of Victorian London as the hunter becomes the hunted. Then to the wild and lonely countryside of Norfolk for an exciting denouement.

    She’s drawn into a stranger’s murder in this SHORT STORY featuring characters from the Maggie Sullivan mystery novels. A job offer from a blonde at a dime store lunch counter lures the detective to a still-warm corpse in an alley. His gold watch and cufflinks are still on him, but not his shoes and socks. A night of grilling by homicide cops does nothing to improve Maggie’s mood, which deteriorates further when they laugh off a lead she gives them and imply she solves cases by batting her eyes instead of using her brains. Aided by a ragtag newsboy, Maggie baits a trap for the killer. He shows up with a knife. But Maggie wields a .38 as expertly as she does an emery board — and she doesn’t back down for thugs or authorities when she’s after answers. A woman sleuth like none you’ve met and historical atmosphere meet in the streets of a small Ohio city, capturing a 20th century America before cell phones or carry-out coffee cups in this short story reminiscent of the golden age of private eyes.

    James Douglas is a Scottish youth sent to France by his noble father to escape being taken hostage by the English. When word comes that his father has died in the Tower of London, he is hurled into the war between Scotland and England. Catapulted into an intrigue of rival factions and clashing armies that threatens Scotland, his own lands, and his life, he joins the newly crowned Robert the Bruce in a desperate, seemingly hopeless struggle. Thus begins a story of bravery and determination that has echoed through the ages. This bundle includes the entire Black Douglas Trilogy: A KINGDOM'S COST COUNTENANCE OF WAR NOT FOR GLORY

    She was tall where they were short, she had light hair and dark eyes, while they had dark hair and blue eyes. At eighteen she was sent to live with her Aunt and freed from the life her mother tried to force on her. What she found in the next few years explained many things. Now she blossomed into the beautiful self confident young woman she was always destined to be.

    But before Lady Julia and her handsome sleuthing husband, Nicolas Brisbane, can take to the stage, a ruckus in the stable yard demands their attention. An abandoned infant is found nestled in the steel helm of St. George. What's more, their only lead is the local legend of a haunted cottage and its ghastly inhabitant—who seems to have returned.Once again, Lady Julia and Nicholas take up the challenge to investigate, and when the source of the mystery is revealed, they'll be faced with an impossible choice—one that will alter the course of their lives…forever.

    Wong, during her investigations into a mysterious death in Maids of Misfortune, the first book in Locke's Victorian San Francisco Mystery series. In Mr. Wong Rights a Wrong, Annie Fuller once again turns to Mr. Wong for help in solving a puzzle that could have life or death consequences. Like her other short stories, Dandy Detects and The Misses Moffet Mend a Marriage, this story offers another glimpse into Annie Fuller's world of 1880 San Francisco.

    JEFFRIES A DETECTIVE IN THE HOUSE Everyone’s awed by Inspector Witherspoon’s Scotland Yard successes, but they don’t know about his secret weapon. Her name is Mrs. Jeffries, and she keeps house for the Inspector—and keeps him on his toes. No matter how messy the murder or how dirty the deed, her polished detection skills are up to the task. Because as she knows all too well, a crimesolver’s work is never done…Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Cake The evidence was all there: a dead body, two dessert plates, and a gun. As if Mr. Ashbury had been sharing cake with his own killer. Now Mrs. Jeffries will have to do some snooping around to dish up clues...Mrs. Jeffries Rocks the Boat Mirabelle had traveled by boat all the way from Australia to visit her sister—only to wind up murdered. Now Mrs. Jeffries must solve the case—and it’s sink or swim…Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot Three attempts have been made on Annabeth Gentry’s life. Is it due to her recent inheritance, or was it because her bloodhound dug up the body of a murdered thief? Mrs. Jeffries will have to sniff out some clues before the plot thickens…

    When C. H. Underwood arrives in the village of Bracken Tor in the spring of 1820, he intends only to visit his brother, the vicar, and take a long rest from his work as a Classics tutor at Cambridge University. However, almost as soon as he arrives he finds himself intrigued by an unsolved murder, committed the year before. The headless corpse of a young woman was found in woods belonging to the local landowner and Magistrate, Sir Henry Wynter. Underwood finds the notion that the body lies in a grave marked “Unknown” to be abhorrent. He decides to use his free time to discover the identity of the victim – and if possible bring her killer to justice. His brother begs him to proceed with caution, as the murder had roused feelings of a controversial nature amongst the villagers. Before long he has uncovered not only the girl’s final movements before her death, but also the possibility of two other murders having taken place in Bracken Tor. His task is not made any less complicated by his developing relationship with Charlotte, one of Sir Henry’s daughters, and by the myriad characters he comes across in his investigation. The theory that the girl had been killed as some sort of barbaric ritual is only one of his difficulties, and when a young man arrives in the midst of a cricket match, claiming to be the victim’s husband, the whole village becomes privy to the fact that Underwood is attempting to solve the mystery. When the newcomer is shot through the heart whilst in Underwood’s company, he finds himself not only universally reviled for his interference, but also accused of murder himself. It takes all his ingenuity to extricate himself from the chaos he has caused, but he always has Verity Chapell, governess to the Wynter girls, to help him in his quest to find the murderer.

    Everyone who had contact with him had reason to dislike him, but who had reason to kill him? The Sheriff of Worcestershire's thief taker, wily Serjeant Catchpoll, and his new and unwanted superior, Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote, have to find the answer. And as the claustrophobic walls of the Abbey close in on the suspects, the killer strikes again.Previously published as The Lord Bishop's Clerk.

    Through necessity, he has lived life in the shadows. But when tragedy points to regicide, Andrew delves deeper into a maze of dangerous duplicity.She's a fighter who barely survived a treacherous relationship…When young Tyballis discovers her husband arrested for murder, she is delighted. As a young orphan, coerced to marry her abusive neighbour, she was horribly used. Now is her chance to be rid of him for good and find the confidence she never had.Can they try their hand at uncovering one of England's biggest conspiracies?When Tyballis joins forces with the motley network of Andrew’s informers and thieves, they are lured into the dark and dangerous world of medieval London’s political intrigue and back alley slums.It’s not long before Tyballis is accused of murder herself…A thought-provoking mystery that fuses fact and fiction to stunning effect and explores what it means to be human.This edition of Blessop’s Wife includes editorial revisions.What readers are saying:•“This is a terrific book! As a lover of English history, I was totally engrossed with this story. Spies, treachery, poison, plots against England's throne and romance all combine into a thoroughly absorbing tale. I couldn't stop reading it!”•“Wow! Well developed, multifaceted, relatable characters set in a historical era fraught with medieval political intrigue come together to create a thoroughly enjoyable book.” •“I was expecting a common bodice ripping historical romance and was happily surprised to find myself immersed in 15th-century intrigue instead.”•"A great read that transported the reader instantly into 15th century England. I felt I walked in the footsteps of the characters and lived their lives."•"Medieval London, the setting for this tale, is as much a character as are the people who populate the city and the story. We see it as it was back in the 1400s."

    But for Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge, recently returned from the battlefields of France, there is no peace. Suffering from shell shock, Rutledge plunges into his work to save his sanity. But his first assignment is a case certain to spell both personal and professional disaster.A Long Shadow—A story that immerses readers in the sights and sounds of post-war Great Britain, as the damaged policeman pursues answers to a constable’s slaying and the three-year-old mystery of a young girl’s disappearance in a tiny Northamptonshire village.A False Mirror—A love triangle turned deadly sends Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge to a small town simmering with secrets.A Pale Horse—A body found in the ruins of an ancient abbey sends Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge off to find a killer, in another superb atmospheric mystery by Charles Todd.

    Those with none will starve in squalor and disease. And those who try to escape will suffer a gruesome fate at the hands of the gaol's rutheless governor and his cronies.The trouble is, Tom Hawkins has never been good at following rules - even simple ones. And the recent grisly murder of a debtor, Captain Roberts, has brought further terror to the gaol. While the Captain's beautiful widow cries for justice, the finger of suspicion points only one way: to the sly, enigmatic figure of Samuel Fleet.Some call Fleet a devil, a man to avoid at all costs. But Tom Hawkins is sharing his cell. Soon, Tom's choice is clear: get to the truth of the murder - or be the next to die.A twisting mystery, a dazzling evocation of early 18th Century London, The Devil in the Marshalsea is a thrilling debut novel full of intrigue and suspense.

    If she can’t convince this client that she can make money for him with her financial advice, she doesn’t know how she will be able to hold onto her boarding house and her precious independence.

    The year is 1869, and the Civil War haunts the city of Philadelphia like a stubborn ghost. Mothers in black continue to mourn their lost sons. Photographs of the dead adorn dim sitting rooms. Maimed and broken men roam the streets. One of those men is Edward Clark, who is still tormented by what he saw during the war. Also constantly in his thoughts is another, more distant tragedy--the murder of his mother at the hands of his father, the famed magician Magellan Holmes...a crime that Edward witnessed when he was only ten. Now a crime reporter for one of the city's largest newspapers, Edward is asked to use his knowledge of illusions and visual trickery to expose the influx of mediums that descended on Philadelphia in the wake of the war. His first target is Mrs. Lucy Collins, a young widow who uses old-fashioned sleight of hand to prey on grieving families. Soon, Edward and Lucy become entwined in the murder of Lenora Grimes Pastor, the city's most highly regarded--and by all accounts, legitimate--medium, who dies mid-seance. With their reputations and livelihoods at risk, Edward and Lucy set out to find the real killer, and in the process unearth a terrifying hive of secrets that reaches well beyond Mrs. Pastor. Blending historical detail with flights of fancy, Things Half in Shadow is a riveting thriller where Medium and The Sixth Sense meet The Alienist--and where nothing is quite as it seems...

    Yet his presence has only fractured the family more, and the abyss of lies is beginning to open up underneath them all… Lord George is the last person Anna wants to deal with presently. Given what secrets she knows about him now, she only wishes to stay as far away as possible. But their unfinished business drives them together again, and as Anna looks more deeply into the circumstances surrounding Clifton Manor’s grim future, she learns even more about its unspeakable past. But Anna isn’t the only one haunted by echoes of the past. Tommy, the young boy sent to Clifton Manor in the wake of his father’s death, finds himself living in the shadow of a secret, one the staff seem only too eager to keep. With a ghoulish stranger nipping at his heels, how can Tommy trust the people meant to protect him? Meanwhile, Gladys stumbles upon one of Isaac’s greatest, and most terrible schemes. Little does she know that such a misstep has garnered her some unwanted attention from the Lady upstairs, and as she contemplates how best to save a life, her own falls into grave danger. Secrets, lies, and ghosts seek to tear Clifton Manor apart. How can the estate and the family who own it stay standing when the very land beneath their feet is so mired in blood?

    Recently widowed Joanna of Acre, loving daughter of Edward I, is pleased at her father's unexpected visit. But Edward has heard a rumour of an inappropriate friendship between Joanna, still officially in widow's weeds, and penniless commoner Ralph Monthermer. Edward, believing he has proof of a clandestine affair, immures Joanna in a nunnery and imprisons Ralph within Bristol Castle. Henry Trokelowe, Edward's clerk, stops him killing Ralph, who is allowed to live while the cold, almost passionless Henry investigates. Ralph and Joanna's only chance of survival now lies in Henry's hands, but how can a confirmed bachelor even begin to understand the all-consuming passion binding them? Immersed in the colours and drama of Medieval life, this richly evocative novel combines fact and fiction to tell one of history's greatest but most secret love affairs.

    In these letters, Moira and her cousin, Margaret Walker, a doctor living in Spokane, Washington, reflect on their lives, the world's condition, changing times for women, and a case of espionage in which she, Moira, finds herself at the center.

    In danger of losing the Aquitaine territory, England sends Geoffrey Chaucer, protégé of the king's son, to France. As a poet on a diplomatic mission, Chaucer must persuade one of the most important noblemen of the region to remain loyal to England's king. But Henri, Comte de Guyac, whose wife Chaucer had previously fallen in love with when he was held prisoner by Henri, is not exactly neutral in his feelings for Chaucer. Wondering how he will feel when he sees Rosamund, the Comte's wife, Chaucer reaches de Guyac's castle and is greeted by turmoil. His mission is further complicated when Henri is killed during a boar hunt. Chaucer soon realizes the Comte's death is no hunting accident and that he must solve the murder before returning home. Enemies and suspects abound, from a troupe of travelling players to factions within the castle itself. Chaucer finds himself in the midst of a brightly colorful puzzle that turns him into a fugitive in a foreign country, unsure who his friends and enemies really are.

    Anna in particular is affected by this news, but with her and James's relationship only just blossoming, can she set aside her feelings and exchange a forbidden tryst for a love that fits her station? Meanwhile, George uses his anonymity in New York to his advantage in pursuing the elusive development company whose name he’s seen all over his family’s records. What are their plans for the Clifton estate, and if they are sinister, does George maintain enough power in the New World to thwart them? Among all those who are not what they appear to be, a little boy arrives on Clifton Manor’s stoop with a message which will undoubtedly change the lives of the staff—and perhaps the family itself—forever.

    With the business of the Moonstone diamond finally laid to rest, Mr Franklin Blake and his wife Rachel are now happily married, living in London, and blessed with a healthy baby daughter named Julia. Mr Blake has taken his late father’s seat in Parliament, and his party’s fortunes are on the rise—in fact they are about to overthrow the coalition government of the day.But then the inexplicable occurs. Miss Rachel and her elderly aunt are attacked in the street by a gang of feral children, whose only purpose, it seems, is to plant a photographic portrait of a young, rich Indian lad in the old lady’s handbag.Enter the Blakes’ lawyer’s office boy, Octavius Guy—better known as Gooseberry—who once helped the family bring the mystery of the Moonstone to a close. Join Gooseberry, the fourteen-year-old boy detective, as he and his ragtag bunch of friends descend into London’s Victorian demi-monde and underworld to ferret out the truth, while spending as much as they can of his employer’s money along the way!A Seventh Rainbow paperback; also available as an ebook.

    The author weaves intrigue, subterfuge and cunning into a very enjoyable story...' J. Cepeda'...In the tradition of Holmes and Watson, transferred to Japan... Historical setting and cultural background are excellently researched...' D. Werdin'...Wonderful... Like a Japanese room arrangement with clean lines keeping clutter to a minimum...' AcerAcer'...The Sensei is a brilliant detective. Ben Stevens, as always rocks. He's one heck of a storyteller...' Lisa'...Atmosphere, poetry and menace... Conan Doyle-ish...' ThisandThat'...The story develops wonderfully...' Dave. N'...Good book... the story takes you back in time...' Santex'...Atmospheric, intriguing and entertaining... feels as if it is both contemporary and traditional. A rare achievement...' Kenny51'...Interesting... I enjoyed the puzzles set...' PixieTHE RIVER-DANCERA Shinto river-dancer lies dead, stabbed through the heart. Her lover - a wealthy merchant - is quickly charged with her murder, a bloodstained knife having been found concealed on his property...Yet Ennin is determined to prove this man's innocence - in the face of almost overwhelming evidence to the contrary.But just who, then, is the killer...?THE TOUCH OF DEATHA mysterious martial arts dojo - the 'Hall in the Sea of Waving Pines' - has become notorious for the sudden, inexplicable deaths of those young students it has previously expelled.Ennin travels to the Hall in the Sea of Waving Pines to investigate - and there discovers a Chinese martial arts technique that is as ancient as it is deadly...WABI-SABIEnnin retells a classic Zen story from medieval Japan.THE MAD DOG SICKNESSA powerful daimyo is sick with a mysterious illness, which leaves him deeply afraid of water.Ennin is asked to try and discover just what this strange sickness is - and whether there is any connection with the daimyo's recent, secretive trip to China...THE RAIN PLAYEROne of Japan's most famous swordsmen has been found dead - but no one can say how he died...A genius musician has built an instrument that can be played by the rain...There is no relation between these two facts, surely...

    Watson and Conan Doyle published what they believed was the last Sherlock Holmes story, “The Final Problem”. The world was stunned, and The Strand Magazine rushed to fill the vacuum. Readers were soon introduced to a new detective, Martin Hewitt, as presented by Arthur Morrison. Although initially different than Holmes, Hewitt also showed a number of interesting similarities as well . . . .For many years, Martin Hewitt has been mostly forgotten, except in some Sherlockian circles, where it has long been theorized that he was a young Mycroft Holmes. However, recent evidence has come to light that Hewitt’s adventures were – in fact – cases undertaken by a young Sherlock Holmes when he lived in Montague Street, several years before he would take up his legendary rooms in Baker Street with Watson.These volumes are the Complete Martin Hewitt Stories, taking Arthur Morrison’s original publications and presenting them as Sherlock Holmes adventures. If you are a fan of Holmes, enjoy! And by all means, seek out the original Hewitt stories and enjoy them as well. The Game is afoot!

    An old man seeks justice. They take a journey together that exposes an eerie story of lies and betrayal. Will the truth be too hard for either to bear?It’s 1991. Reba Cahill loves ranching with Grandma Pearl in north central Idaho. But there’s a lot of work and only two of them. Can she find a husband to come alongside? There are few prospects that remain in the small town of Road’s End. But Reba is also missing something else: her mother. Deserted by her at three-years-old and never knowing her dad, she feels a sense of longing and loss. And bitterness.When elderly, quirky Road’s End citizen Maidie Fortress dies, her uncle presents Reba with an expensive necklace that turns Reba’s world upside down. Dark family secrets and two cold case murders provide evidence to lead her down unexpected paths and toward unsuspected admirers. Will the facts also ruin any hope for romance?

    Waiting and watching: the most powerful figures of the era, including Senator Joe McCarthy, FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover, Vice President Richard Nixon, and the sinister pair of German-American brothers sponsoring the attack.As the minutes tick down, the highly-trained professional killer and the discredited WWII veteran face off in a deadly game. At stake: the life and legacy of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the world's most powerful man.

    Three gruesome deaths in three mysterious tales in a past that never was.In Murder out of the Blue, aboard the Sky Liner RMS Macedonia, Maliha Anderson, Anglo-Indian daughter of a Scottish engineer and a Brahmin scholar, hopes to make peace with her past - but then the nurse of the wheelchair-bound General is murdered.Only Maliha believes he is innocent, and with landfall in India only hours away, she must find the real murderer, even though doing so puts her own life at risk.In Blood Sky at Night, Maliha is forced to investigate a murder of an old acquaintance but finds herself enmeshed in a clash of empires. But where do her loyalties truly lie?And, in Halo Round the Moon, Maliha comes face-to-face with the suppressed passions of post-Victorian society and goes far beyond the bounds of what's proper and decent. Will she lose herself in the journey or find her true place?

    But has their grief allowed Isaac time to perfect his machinations, and if so, what lows will he stoop to in order to obtain what he wants? But Isaac isn’t the only one in Clifton Manor practicing deceit, and as Lady Elizabeth is about to find out, not even the upper classes are immune to sin. Will Clifton Manor rise above the lies which echo through every chamber, or will it be taken down from within by the hand of the person they expect least of all?

    Detective Sidney Snipes is called to the Harrington Manor when retired Colonel Peter Wescott Harrington is found slumped over his desk by his family. Snipes entrusts the sensational new crime fighting technology—Fingerprint Analysis to find a fierce fiend.Just when he though he had the murderer cornered, a neighbor discovers a grave in the orange groves; an unsolved missing person's cold case files. That case has haunted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for three years. The evidence in the missing person's case rumples Snipes proficient sleuthing skills as the leads take him in circles. Then to add to the muddying discord, another Harrington turns up dead, apparently murdered in his sleep. But when a sinister child’s Jack-in-the-box, seemingly from the grim reaper himself, materializes on the Colonel’s desk, the detective is bedeviled more than he cares to admit. Nevertheless, Snipes had enough moxie to send fingerprints to every city where his suspects had ever lived. The leads take Snipes in a direction he never saw coming. Within days, he's shocked to his eyebrows by the results; the identity of the murderer befuddles his mind. Alas, the oldest Harrington son, Shep, supposed wife, had a mock wedding to him in Manhattan, New York, and her plan was to kill the whole Harrington clan for their wealth. Author's Website: www.ronaldjamesbooks.com

    Its last act while under the rule of the Winstons will be to host Lady Jane’s wedding, but while the guests are expecting to see white, one of them will see nothing but red… As love blossoms between Nicholas and Gladys, so too does the need for them to find out all they can about the sinister James Lampson. For Anna’s sake, the couple venture to two estates to follow up on his shady reference, but only one has ever heard of the man aggressively courting Gladys’ best friend. The secret the staff reveals is the ammunition Gladys needs to save Anna from certain doom. But will her lovesick friend listen? Meanwhile, Lord George finds that not all that glitters is gold. Although he needs to find a buyer with a substantial amount of money in order to save Clifton Manor, what he’s really after is a way to stick it to Carlton Developments. Thanks to a revelation from George’s cousin, he may have the power to do just that, but can he truly find a way to save the manor and get revenge at the same time? Unconcerned with these matters is Lady Jane, the eldest daughter of the Winston family and bride-to-be. Though most blushing brides are nervous about their wedding nights for reasons of purity, Jane is anxious for far darker reasons that that. But as the black widow spins her web of deceit, it appears she has caught more than one fly, and before the wedding is over, death will hold dominion at Clifton manor. A foul darkness has descended upon the troubled estate. In the overwhelming despair that follows, the staff and family can for once agree on one thing: Clifton manor may never see the sun again.

    James Esdaile, finds a way to
use the power of mesmerism to aid him in performing surgeries, using a
remarkable artifact that enhances his abilities. The revocation of the
promise to bring the artifact to Rev. William Davey, the head of the
secret Committee of English mesmerists leads him to commit suicide in the
center of the Crystal Palace . . . but that is only the beginning of the
story.

Davey's pursuit of the object leads him across two continents, unfolding
the story that has its origins two decades before - and reveals the secret
world of the -chthonoi-, the elemental spirits that were banished from
human lands in antiquity, and now want to find a way to open the Glass
Door and reassert themselves in the world of men.

    Just as the couple begins to adapt, a solicitor arrives with a strange bequest. Nicholas, it seems, has inherited a country house—but only if he and his family are in residence from All Hallows' Eve through Bonfire Night.Neither Lady Julia nor Nicholas is likely to be put off by local legends of ghosts and witches, and the eerie noises and strange lights that flit from room to room simply intrigue them. Until a new lady's maid disappears, igniting a caper that will have explosive results…The fourth in a series of Lady Julia Grey stories set during traditional English holidays, Bonfire Night follows Silent Night, Midsummer Night and Twelfth Night. Look for Deanna's newest 1920s novel, Night of a Thousand Stars, in October!

    Of royal descent, Isabelle is stunned when the king orders her hasty marriage to one of his favorites, a man she detests. To save herself from a fate too awful to contemplate, she disobeys the king’s edict and commits treason of her own to find the truth. Childhood friend, Guy Poirier, an aristocrat in New France, has always loved Isabelle. When he discovers her hiding in his cabin aboard ship, he agrees to hide her from her fiancé and help her clear her husband’s name. It doesn’t take them long to realize there’s more at stake here than her husband’s murder. With the fate of the colony in their hands, can Isabelle and Guy prevent a war and find love in the new world?

    Favourite historical detectives such as Gordianus the Finder, Decius Metellus, and Sister Fidelma rub shoulders with eminent temporary sleuths such as Socrates and that honourable man Brutus, whilst other great names - Augustus, Archimedes, and even the spoilt and beautiful goddess of love, Aphrodite herself - also become enmeshed in terrible and ingenious crimes.Contributors include:Keith HellerEdward D. HochPhyllis Ann KarrTheodore MathiesonAmy MyersWallace NicholsAnthony PriceSteven SaylorDarrell SchweitzerBrian StablefordKeith Taylorand many more

    But the arrival of a prodigal son may yet prove that destiny can be altered… Now that Lord Clifton has been backed into a corner, he finds there is no way out of it: he must sell his family’s home in order to preserve their future. The deal seems too good to be true, and keeping it secret from his loved ones weighs heavily on his mind, but what choice does he have with his daughter’s nuptials fast approaching? Lady Jane, for her part, has embarked upon a secret mission of her own, using what little money Clifton Manor has at its disposal to lure Sam into a dangerous ruse, one that may result in another man’s death—if all goes according to plan, that is. Upon receiving news of George’s return to Clifton Manor, Anna knows she ought to be ecstatic. But when a servant girl confides in her regarding George’s past, she must rethink everything she’s come to know—and perhaps even love—about the lord she thought was different from the rest of the nobility. But George’s return stirs up more than just a little unease. With him comes a tempest that will alter the course of Clifton Manor’s destiny, but for riches or for ruin?

    A Mary MacDougall Duet features the two cases that establish her as a force to be reckoned with. This is the paperback-only edition of the first two e-book novellas. In the first novella, A Pretty Little Plot, Mary’s painting instructor is charged with kidnapping two of his students. She not only uncovers the hidden facts of the case, she discovers secrets deep in her own heart. Mary MacDougall is not as immune to the laws of attraction as she had thought. Her imprisoned teacher has awakened a longing within her. Will she help to exonerate him? Or condemn him to prison?The second novella, The Stolen Star, follows Mary as she unpeels layers of deceit and duplicity in her hometown of Duluth. It’s the holiday season and Mary is volunteering for the 1901 Gala Christmas Musicale, starring the opera diva Josie Borrell. But when the Star of the North sapphire that Josie wears onstage goes missing, all eyes turn to the singer and her retinue. Over the course of an arduous winter week, Mary has to juggle affairs of the head and of the heart. In the end, the matter of the stolen Star comes down to the simplest of clues. While the matter of the man she loves couldn’t possibly be more complex.

    It's a dangerous life among the charlatans, rogues and swindlers who lurk in the city's dark corners, but to Isabel, the risk is worth the reward.Until magistrate Sir Edmund Godfrey seeks Mistress Ruby's counsel and reveals his unwitting involvement in a plot to kill the king. When Isabel's diary containing dangerous details of his confession is stolen, she knows she must find it before anyone connects her to Mistress Ruby. Especially after Sir Edmund's corpse is discovered a few days later...Isabel is sure that whoever stole her diary is Sir Edmund's killer--and could be part of a conspiracy that leads all the way to the throne. But as she delves deeper into the mystery, not even the king himself may be able to save her.81,000 wordsPraise for Mistress of Fortune:“In her captivating debut, Mistress of Fortune, Holly West offers a skillfully re-imagined mystery set in late Stuart England. With a provocative and memorable heroine, West weaves a compelling tale of murder, intrigue and seduction.” --Susanna Calkins, Macavity Award-nominated author of A Murder at Rosamund’s Gate and From the Charred Remains. “This seemed like the last book I thought I’d ever pick up… but I had a hell of time trying to put it down. Lady Wilde is a fascinating character dancing the razor’s edge as a commoner within the King’s circle, and her story kept me up nights. A thrilling new series by a strong new voice, Mistress of Fortune brings 17th Century London to life with a tale so rich that even as an Irish-American who scoffs at anything royal, I felt that King Charles was as real and sympathetic as if I were one of his loyal subjects.” --Thomas Pluck, author of Blade of Dishonor“A perfect, transportive summer read.” --Mary Vensel White, author of The Qualities of Wood

    This book has everything: 1,500 SAT words and glossary, adventure, mystery, 1940s history, budding romance, historical images, and espionage. This is word power in a unique packaging.

    When Barnaby is summoned to assist Inspector Stokes of Scotland Yard in investigating the violent murder of a gentleman at a house party, Penelope, frustrated that she cannot participate, insists on a detailed report – and promptly arranges a private dinner party so that she and Griselda, Stokes’s wife, can be duly informed of their husbands’ discoveries.But what Barnaby and Stokes uncover only leads to more questions. The murdered gentleman had been thrown out of the house party days before, so why was he returning? And how and why did he come to have the fabulous Finsbury diamond necklace in his pocket, much to Lord Finsbury’s consternation. Most peculiarly, why had the murderer left the necklace, worth a stupendous fortune, on the body?The conundrums compound as our intrepid investigators attempt to make sense of this most baffling case. Meanwhile, the threat of scandal grows ever more tangible for all those attending the house party – and the stakes are highest for Lord Finsbury’s daughter and the gentleman who has spent the last decade in darkest Africa striving to resurrect his family fortune so he can aspire to her hand. Working parallel to Barnaby and Stokes, can our would-be lovers find a path through the maze of contradictory facts to expose the murderer, disperse the pall of scandal, and claim the love and the shared life they now crave?A pre-Victorian mystery with strong elements of romance. A short novel of 39,000 words.An entry in The Casebook of Barnaby Adair series, the events in this short novel occur between the events described in the full-length novels, WHERE THE HEART LEADS and the upcoming THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE.

    She leads a sheltered life of elegant gowns and lavish balls until a bullet shatters her dream world. While awaiting arrival of the Union Navy atop a Mississippi River levee on April 25, 1862, Francesca's lover is shot dead. Rain soaked and blood-stained, Francesca vows revenge. Conundrums confront Francesca: solve her identity crisis, succeed as a spy, and find and defeat a three-time murderer.