Best of
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The In Death Collection: Books 21-25
J.D. Robb
D. Robb's #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series, the incomparable Eve Dallas—a hard-shelled homicide detective whose logical mind, fierce heart, and brilliant police work in a futuristic New York City have attracted millions of fans—takes on five unforgetable cases...
ORIGIN IN DEATH
MEMORY IN DEATH
BORN IN DEATH
INNOCENT IN DEATH
CREATION IN DEATH
James Patterson Womens Murder Club Series Collection 15 Books Set (1 to 15)
James Patterson
James Patterson Womens Murder Club Collection 15 Book Set (1 to 15) Titles in the Set 1st To Die, 2nd Chance, 3rd Degree, 4th of July, 5th Horseman, The 6th Target, 7th Heaven, 8th Confession, 9th Judgement, 10th Anniversary, 11th Hour, 12th of Never, Unlucky 13, 14th Deadly Sin, 15th Affair
The Ghost of Marlow House
Bobbi Holmes
Since she's never visited the property, Danielle's not sure what awaits her in Oregon. She certainly doesn't expect to find one of the house's previous owners still in residence. After all, the man has been dead for almost ninety years--shouldn't he have moved on by now? Charming Walt Marlow convinces Danielle the only way he can move on is if she solves the mystery of his death. Danielle soon discovers her real problems may come from the living--those who have their sights on Marlow House's other secrets.
Take Your Breath Away
Linwood BarclayLinwood Barclay
Most people assumed Andy had got away with murder, but the police couldn’t build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom – he drank too much, was abandoned by his friends, nearly lost his business and became a pariah in the place he had once called home.Now, six years later, Andy has put his life back together. He’s sold the house he shared with Brie and moved away for a fresh start. When he hears his old house has been bulldozed and a new house built in its place, he’s not bothered. He’s settled with a new partner, Jayne, and life is good.But Andy’s peaceful world is about to shatter. One day, a woman shows up at his old address, screaming, ‘Where’s my house? What’s happened to my house?' And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman – who bears a striking resemblance to Brie – is gone. The police are notified and old questions – and dark suspicions – resurface.Could Brie really be alive after all these years? If so, where has she been? It soon becomes clear that Andy’s future, and the lives of those closest to him, depends on discovering what the hell is going on. The trick will be whether he can stay alive long enough to unearth the answers…
A Blooms, Bones and Stones Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Books 1 to 6
Olivia Swift
In ‘The Secret of Chestnut Hall’ meet garden restorer Jasmine Summer as she and her friends unravel the secret behind a mysterious find in the gardens of Chestnut Hall. The following books feature her interesting and very different friends. This collection of cozy mysteries includes books one to six in the Blooms, Bones, and Stones series. If you like cozy mysteries with interesting characters, unexpected turns, magical moments and sweet romances, then this is the Cozy Mystery series for you! FREE on Kindle Unlimited Included Books Each book in the series is a stand-alone story, but your enjoyment of each story will be increased if you read them all. The Secret of Chestnut Hall - Jasmine (Jazz) Summer takes on a contract to restore an intriguing old garden for her client Evan Sutherland. Evan, a famous mountaineer, is trying to leave behind a shattered life and an ex-wife that almost ruined him. Chestnut Hall, Evan’s house and garden, has a mysterious past that intrigues the pair, but leads them into situations that they would never have dreamed about …and into unforeseen dangers. The Secret of the Jewel Shop - What do lavender, stones, and spirits have in common? You’ll need to read this love story within a love story to find out! Carly James dream of opening a jewelry shop is fast becoming a reality. The building’s history intrigues Carly, especially when she senses a spirit presence. Dex arrives on the scene for his brother Evan’s wedding. He’s recently been through a rough patch, however he’s starting fresh. Dex agrees to temporarily help Carly out in the store. He’s logical and serious by nature and skeptical about her crystal readings. Can two opposites really attract or will a schoolboy stalker cause a tragedy? Almost Picture Perfect - Miller Hollenbeck hates her job. In her spare time, she loves to upcycle furniture. Miller Hollenbeck dropped the screw she was about to tighten with her electric drill and it slipped to the floor. The door dropped away from her hand and fell over onto her shoulder. She swore loudly and expressively and pushed the door to one side as she retrieved the escapee screw. Meet Jules Callander, a successful photographer who is impressed with Miller’s work. What can happen when two redheads collide? The Secret of the Quilt - When Kim Summers begins to restore an ancient quilt; strange things start to happen. Kim’s dream is to turn her little garden shop into a large garden center, complete with a crafting and quilter’s area. With help from her long-time friend, Rob Manners, it’s quickly becoming a reality. Rob has carried a torch for Kim since he was ten years old. Is Kim brave enough to risk losing her best friend for love? Rob is not about to give up when Kim needs him the most. As they unravel the secrets of the quilt, with the help of their friends, perhaps there will be a message for Kim and Rob. The Secret of the Pendant - When Corby Santana receives an unexpected inheritance from her great uncle, she learns that he has left her a house along with a very unique turquoise and silver pendant. For Corby, it seems like a piece of good news, but she's not sure, especially when the will states she needs to wear the pendant when she visits the house. What secrets do the house and the pendant hold in store for Corby and her friends? The Secret of the Stones - Katarina Jones’ sensible exterior and strong practical streak often masks her real feelings.
The Agatha Christie Mystery Collection
Agatha Christie
Navy/gold gilt hardcovers. An Autobiography, A Holiday For Murder, A Murder is Announced, A Pocketful of Rye, Akhnaton, At Bertram's Hotel, The Body in the Library, Cards on the Table, Clocks, Come Tell Me How You Live, Crooked House, Curtain, Double Sin and Other Stories, Dumb Witness, Easy to Kill, Elephants Can Remember, Endless Night, Evil Under the Sun, Halloween Party, Lord Edgeware Dies, Mirror Crack'd, The Moving Finger, Mrs. McGinty's Dead, Mrs. Parker Pyne Detective, Murder in Mesopotamia, Murder in Retrospect, Murder in the Mews, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express, Murder with Mirrors, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Mystery of the Blue Train, N O R M, Nemesis, Ordeal by Innocence, Passenger to Frankfurt, Peril at End House, Poems, The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories, The Seven Dials Mystery, The Sitaford Mystery, Sleeping Murder, Taken at the Flood, They Came to Baghdad, Third Girl, Three Act Tragedy, Three Blind Mice and Other Stories, Towards Zero, The Under Dog and Other Stories, What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw.
Murder on the Orient Express / Cards on the Table / The A.B.C. Murders / Death Comes As the End
Agatha Christie
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Stay Awake
Megan Goldin
When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers―a stranger who now lives in her apartment and forces her out in the cold. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing, and in its place is a bloodstained knife. That’s when she sees that her hands are covered in black pen, scribbled messages like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.Two years ago, Liv was living with her best friend, dating a new man, and thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers. Catching a glimpse of the local news, she’s horrified to see reports of a crime scene where the victim’s blood has been used to scrawl a message across a window, the same message that’s inked on her hands. What did she do last night? And why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember committing as she tries to piece together the fragments of her life. But there’s someone who does know exactly what she did, and they’ll do anything to make her forget―permanently.In the vein of SJ Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep and Christopher Nolan’s cult classic Memento, Megan Goldin’s Stay Awake is an electrifying novel that plays with memory and murder.
The Black Echo / The Poet
Michael Connelly
This one is personal.The dead man, Billy Meadows, was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who fought side by side with him in a nightmare underground war that brought them to the depths of hell. Now, Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city to the tortuous link that must be uncovered, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit.Joining with an enigmatic and seductive female FBI agent, pitted against enemies inside his own department, Bosch must make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, as he tracks down a killer whose true face will shock him.The Poet (read by Buck Schirner)Our hero is Jack McEvoy, a Rocky Mountain News crime-beat reporter. As the novel opens, Jack's twin brother, a Denver homicide detective, has just killed himself. Or so it seems. But when Jack begins to investigate the phenomenon of police suicides, a disturbing pattern emerges, and soon suspects that a serial murderer is at work - a devious cop killer who's left a coast-to-coast trail of "suicide notes" drawn from the poems of Edgar Allan Poe. It's the story of a lifetime - except that "the Poet" already seems to know that Jack is trailing him. . .
Fixin' to Die
Tonya Kappes
When the town's most beloved doctor is found murdered on the very same day as a jewelry store robbery, and a mysterious symbol ties the crime scenes together, Kenni must satisfy her hankerin' for justice by nabbing the culprits. With the help of her poppa, a lone deputy, and an annoyingly cute, too-big-for-his-britches state reserve officer, Kenni must solve both cases and prove to the whole town, and herself, that she's worth her salt before time runs out.
Rising From the Ashes
Katy Pierce
Allie Grecco will make them pay.Allie Grecco is living a double life. Thoughtful friend, office drone, and girly college student by day, she becomes a deadly hunter by night, lurking New York City’s seediest alleys to eliminate scumbag predators the cops can’t—or won’t—catch.Since her discharge from the military, it’s the only thing that keeps the nightmares at bay. But everything changes when Allie realizes she’s not the only hunter out there.When one of her sting operations is interrupted by another ex-military operator, Allie learns a secret about her day job at Soldiers for Hire, and is soon put to the ultimate test... a case that could alter the course of her life forever.A civil rights lawyer is missing, and the cops have declared her dead. It smells like a cover-up. Allie Grecco won’t have it. Not on her watch.Rising From the Ashes is book one of Katy Pierce’s Allie Grecco series, perfect for fans of L.T. Ryan. A thrilling roller-coaster ride of one soldier’s journey to face her demons—vigilante-style.
Skeleton Creek
Patrick Carman
. . and Ryan and Sarah are trying to get to the heart of it. But after an eerie accident leaves Ryan housebound and forbidden to see Sarah, their investigation takes two tracks: Ryan records everything in his journal, while Sarah uses her videocam to search things out. . .and then email the clips for Ryan to see. In a new, groundbreaking format, the story is broken into two parts -- Ryan's text in the book, and Sarah's videos on a special website, with links and passwords given throughout the book.Skeleton Creek, one of Mr. Carman’s most popular series, has won or been nominated for many awards including:Nevada Young Readers’ AwardPennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice AwardsNew Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award shortlistChildren’s Book Council book of the year nomineeDelaware Diamonds ShortlistOregon Battle of the Books Shortlist
Game of Life
Belle Brooks
She inflicted pain on another, and now, more than a decade later, she's going to pay. The only problem is she can't remember what it is she's done to find herself caught in this cat and mouse game that's been played twelve times before . . . a game nobody has ever come out of alive. Can Morgan be the first to survive this game of life?Can she outrun nature, the darkness, a fire and a vengeful hunter?Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?You should be!Lose your mind. Live the fear. Fight with these characters as they battle until the very end. Hold your breath as you start, and finish, the story of a lifetime. Characters so real—you'll feel like you're playing the game with them. Plot twists so unexpected—you won't be able to stop reading. And an ending so powerful ... you'll never forget it. ~ A standalone novel by international bestselling author Belle Brooks.Also available in a FIVE-part novella series.
Or Else
Joe Hart
For Rachel, struggling to maintain the facade of a picture-perfect life, it’s an escape from an emotionally abusive marriage. Then Andy receives an anonymous note warning him to end the affair. Or else.Whoever’s been watching is going to make Andy pay. Weeks later, Rachel’s husband, David, is shot to death. Rachel and her two young sons vanish without a trace. One misstep, one careless reveal, and Andy could look as guilty as sin. Clue by clue, as his investigation into the mystery unfolds, Andy discovers that he and Rachel weren’t the only ones keeping secrets.Nothing in this quiet neighborhood is as it seems. No one peeking from behind the curtains of their homes can be trusted. And the worst is yet to come. Because David isn’t the only one who will die.
Leave it to Birbal
Reena Ittyerah Puri
An honour not without hazards as half the nobles in the court had their knives out for him. According to legend, he was constantly being tested and made to prove himself - a challenge he took up readily.Amar Chitra Katha presents enthralling stories of the greatest wit in the Mughal Court./A
Skip Langdon Mysteries Vol. 1-5
Julie Smith
Amant has been crowned Rex, King of Carnival. But his day of glory comes to an abrupt and bloody end when a parade-goer dressed as Dolly Parton guns him down. Is the killer his aimless, promiscuous daughter Marcelle? Homosexual, mistreated son Henry? Helpless, alcoholic wife Bitty? Or some unknown player? Turns out the king had enemies...AXEMAN'S JAZZWhat's the perfect killing field for a murderer? A place where he (or maybe she) can learn your secrets from your own mouth and then make friends over coffee. A supposedly "safe" place where anonymity is the norm. The horror who calls himself The Axeman has figured it out and claimed his territory—he's cherry-picking his victims in the 12-Step programs of New Orleans.JAZZ FUNERALSkip Langdon just happens to be on hand when Ham Brocato, director of New Orleans Jazzfest, is discovered dead on the kitchen floor in the middle of his own party the evening before the Fest. To complicate the already murky case, the victim's sixteen-year-old blues musician sister has disappeared, and Skip suspects that if the young woman isn't the murderer, she's in mortal danger from the person who is. Melody's dangerous yet exhilarating journey tugs at the heart and raises the pulse rate.DEATH BEFORE FACEBOOKIt’s a chilly November in 1994, and thirty-one-year-old Geoff Kavanagh surreptitiously splits his time between science fiction novels and cyberspace in his parents’ dilapidated, overgrown, uptown New Orleans mansion. Until his mother finds him dead from a suspicious fall off a ladder. Maybe he should never have posted about seeing his father murdered …HOUSE OF BLUESSugar Hebert arrives home from a ten-minute errand to find her husband shot to death and the rest of her family missing—including her daughter Reed, heir apparent to the Hebert restaurant dynasty, and Reed's eleven-month-old daughter.
Cult Classic
Sloane CrosleySloane Crosley
On her way back, she runs into a former boyfriend. And then another. And . . . another. Nothing is quite what it seems as the city becomes awash with ghosts of heartbreaks past. What would normally pass for coincidence becomes something far stranger as the recently engaged Lola must contend not only with the viability of her current relationship but the fact that both her best friend and her former boss, a magazine editor turned mystical guru, might have an unhealthy investment in the outcome. Memories of the past swirl and converge in ways both comic and eerie, as Lola is forced to decide if she will surrender herself to the conspiring of one very contemporary cult.Hilariously insightful and delightfully suspenseful, Cult Classic is an original: a masterfully crafted tale of love, memory, morality, and mind control, as well as a fresh foray into the philosophy of romance. Is it possible to have a happy ending in an age when the past is ever at your fingertips and sanity is for sale? With her gimlet eye, Sloane Crosley spins a wry literary fantasy that is equal parts page-turner and poignant portrayal of alienation.
Survivor: A shocking, page-turning crime thriller from Ross Greenwood
Ross Greenwood
If it wasn’t for his family and his brother Frank, Vinnie wouldn’t have survived.But as the boys grow up, and after the devastating loss of their parents, Vinnie finds himself increasingly involved in violent situations whenever he’s with Frank. Is this the type of man he’s become, or can the love of a remarkable woman teach him to embrace life?When Vinnie is accused of a terrible crime, and looks set for a long stretch behind bars, fragments of his memory start to return and he begins to unravel his past.Who was his mother? What kind of a man is his brother, Frank? And why does death surround them?Things are not as they seem, but Vinnie can survive anything…
Leave the Grave Green / In a Dark House
Deborah Crombie
The African Trilogy
Peter Rimmer
Once you have been there, you will never be the same. Read 3 of the most important historical novels that will take you back to some of AFRICA’S most notable and captivating periods. The super addictive trilogy starts here. Ready for the ride? Book 1: Cry of the Fish Eagle Rupert’s family is happy and at peace. But a vulnerable future is ahead. Chaos is coming. The Rhodesian War is looming… Rupert escapes to Rhodesia from the bloody conflict that is terrorising Europe. His mission is not just duty-driven but a promise to look for an orphaned, young girl. It’s a futile search and with time running out he has no choice but to re-join the theatre of war. When peace returns Rupert travels back to Rhodesia to begin anew, to find the orphaned girl and to start a new life. But nothing can prepare him for what is next as we helplessly watch Rupert wade against a chaotic tide of nationalism. Book 2: Vultures in the Wind Luke was close to death. He had been beaten mercilessly and was unrecognisable. They wanted the names of his ANC accomplices. Matthew Gray and Luke Mbeki were born on the same day, spending a brief childhood on an African beach, blissfully ignorant of the outside world. But their youth is severed. Released into the real world, the two now face their future in a country deep in the throes of violent change. Can the rules and discipline of discrimination pull the men apart? Is there any mercy? And what happens when these two eventually cross paths? Book 3: Just the Memory of Love Will he ever find his love again or will she always just be a memory? The war is finally over and for the young and naïve Will Langton, his future is full of exciting adventure and happy dreams. Captivated by a brief, but innocent love affair on the rocks of Dancing Ledge, the romance is shattered in one single moment and she is lost to him. For Will, it's an unbearable pain that he cannot hope to escape from and the only means to assuage his sorrow is to run away… to Africa. “It was as if I was reading my own life, knowing all the areas. I loved it.” “Deeply moving and entertaining read.” “Peter Rimmer writes a very interesting story with good detail on what happened in Southern Africa prior to independence.” “A gripping story that will stay with you long after the end of the book....”
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Target Practice Mysteries 1 & 2
Nikki Haverstock
The series includes competitive archery, a Great Dane named Moo and lots of murder. Target Practice Mysteries 1 - 2 Death on the Range When a competitive archer is murdered at the training facility where Di has just started working, she's thrust into the middle of an unofficial investigation before she can even settle into her new life. With her roommate Mary and a Great Dane named Moo, she begins to unravel the mystery around the death of the victim, but can they solve the case before they find themselves in the killer's sights? Death at the Summit When a new Westwood employee with old grudges is murdered during the brand summit, Di starts investigating with roommate Mary and Great Dane Moo at her side. After a snowstorm strands all the suspects at the Westmound Center and the only cop present asks Di and Mary not to get in the way, they have to keep a low profile. It’s no surprise that Mac was murdered. He was a sexist bigot who used his business to take advantage of others prior to being bought out by Westmound. With so many suspects, will they be able to find the real killer? A humorous cozy mystery for every sleuth in the family
Fatal Belief - A Murder Mystery Novel
Kumar Kinshuk
Multiple suspects. A serial killer is on the loose. Can Vishal apprehend the killer in book #2 of The Kanke Killings Trilogy?Kanke has had multiple murders and mayhem. The police are in a tizzy. There is a genius serial killer on the loose, threatening the hell out of the lives of every person at Ranchi. The police have a handful and they are at a dead end.Kanke has a psychiatric hospital. The hospital has a brilliant psychoanalyst who helps the police with the case. His Nurse, Eva Black, is a British citizen who travels from London to India and begins her work routine in Kanke.Would Eva find a mentor in Kanke? Can she find love and belonging in a new country? Can Eva help the police and the psychoanalyst with their investigations into the serial killing case? Can Amrita save Alka from her depression?Peek into the lives of the ordinary citizens of Ranchi and find out the unraveling mysteries of The Kanke Killings Trilogy – Book 2. Find it out for yourself because here is a surprising, secretive murder mystery, waiting for you to decipher by allowing your creative detective juices to flow with impunity, now.Served hot, easy, peasy! Hell, no!
Nothing More to Tell
Karen M. McManus
. . and your secrets closer. Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she’s determined to find out what really happened. The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin’s murder. They've never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day. Just like he hasn’t forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie. Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and as Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she begins to uncover secrets that might change everything—about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot. Four years ago someone got away with murder. The most terrifying part is that they never left.
Breathless
Amy McCullochAmy McCulloch
But the elements are nothing compared to one chilling truth: There's a killer on the mountain. Journalist Cecily Wong is in over her head. She's come to Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world, to interview internationally famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh on the last leg of a record-breaking series of summits. She's given up everything for this story--her boyfriend, her life savings, the peace she's made with her climbing failures in the past--but it's a career-making opportunity. It could finally put her life back on track.But when one climber dies in what everyone else assumes is a freak accident, she fears their expedition is in danger. And by the time a second climber dies, it's too late to turn back. Stranded on a mountain in one of the most remote regions of the world, she'll have to battle more than the elements in a harrowing fight for survival against a killer who is picking them off one by one.
A Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries Boxed Set, #1-6 with Gift Journal
Robin Stevens
When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own deadly secret detective agency, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't, really.)But then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She thinks it must all have been a terrible accident - but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls know a murder must have taken place . . . and there's more than one person at Deepdean with a motive.Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove a murder happened in the first place. Determined to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again (and before the police can get there first, naturally), Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects and use all the cunning, scheming and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?
Arsenic for Tea
Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy's home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy's glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy's birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn't really about Daisy at all. Naturally, Daisy is furious.Then one of their party falls seriously, mysteriously ill—and everything points to poison.With wild storms preventing anyone from leaving, or the police from arriving, Fallingford suddenly feels like a very dangerous place to be. Not a single person present is what they seem—and everyone has a secret or two. And when someone very close to Daisy looks suspicious, the Detective Society must do everything they can to reveal the truth... no matter the consequences.
First Class Murder
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are taking a holiday through Europe on the world-famous Orient Express. From the moment the girls step aboard, it's clear that each of their fellow first-class passengers has something to hide. Even more intriguing: rumour has it that there is a spy in their midst.Then, during dinner, there is a bloodcurdling scream from inside one of the cabins. When the door is broken down, a passenger is found murdered, her stunning ruby necklace gone. But the killer is nowhere to be seen - almost as if they had vanished into thin air.Daisy and Hazel are faced with their first ever locked-room mystery - and with competition from several other sleuths, who are just as determined to crack the case as they are.
Jolly Foul Play
The fantastic new mystery from the author of Murder Most Unladylike.Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong have returned to Deepdean for a new school term, but nothing is the same. There's a new Head Girl, Elizabeth Hurst, and a team of Prefects - and these bullying Big Girls are certainly not good eggs.Then, after the fireworks display on Bonfire Night, Elizabeth is found - murdered.Many girls at Deepdean had reason to hate Elizabeth, but who might have committed such foul play? Could the murder be linked to the secrets and scandals, scribbled on scraps of paper, that are suddenly appearing around the school? And with their own friendship falling to pieces, how will Daisy and Hazel solve this mystery?
Mistletoe and Murder
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are spending the Christmas hols in snowy Cambridge. Hazel has high hopes of its beautiful spires, cosy libraries and inviting tea-rooms - but there is danger lurking in the dark stairwells of ancient Maudlin College.Two days before Christmas, there is a terrible accident. At least, it appears to be an accident - until the Detective Society look a little closer, and realise a murder has taken place. Faced with several irritating grown-ups and fierce competition from a rival agency, they must use all their cunning and courage to find the killer (in time for Christmas Day, of course).The fabulously festive fifth mystery from the bestselling, award-winning author of Murder Most Unladylike.
Cream Buns and Crime
Note: Cream Buns and Crime is a short story collection containing; #0.5, The Case of Lavinia's Missing Tie, #3.5 The Case of the Blue Violet and #4.5 The Case of the Deepdean Vampire.A collection of short stories for budding Detective Society members. Daisy and Hazel invite you to discover their untold stories . . .Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are famous for the murder cases they have solved - but there are many other mysteries in the pages of Hazel's casebook.From the macabre Case of the Deepdean Vampire, to the baffling Case of the Blue Violet, and their very first case of all: the Case of Lavinia's Missing Tie.Just like Daisy and Hazel's cases, there's more to this book than meets the eye, including: Brilliant mini-mysteries, including two brand-new and never seen before storiesDaisy and Hazel's own tips, tricks and factsThis is the perfect book for Agatha Christies In Waiting and fans of the award-winning, bestselling Murder Most Unladylike series.
Katherine Woodfine The Sinclair’s Mysteries 4 Books Collection Pack Set (The Midnight Peacock, The Painted Dragon, The Clockwork Sparrow, The Jewelled Moth)
Katherine Woodfine
Perfect for fans of Chris Riddell's Goth Girl series, Enid Blyton and Robin Stevens's Murder Most Unladylike series. You are cordially invited to Sinclair's Midnight Peacock Ball! The festive season has come to Sinclair's and Sophie and Lil are spending the holidays at snowy Winter Hall. But it turns out that this is no ordinary house party . . . As sinister secrets come to light The Painted Dragon A fast-paced historical mystery adventure for readers aged 9+ years, with gorgeous Edwardian period detail. Perfect for fans of Chris Riddell's Goth Girl series, Enid Blyton and Robin Stevens's Murder Most Unladylike series. When a priceless painting is stolen, our dauntless heroines Sophie and Lil find themselves faced with forgery, trickery and deceit on all sides! Be amazed as the brave duo pit their wits against this perilous puzzle! Marvel at their cunning plan to unmask the villain The Clockwork Sparrow You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair's department store! Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and Mysteries around every corner. Wonder at the daring theft of the priceless Clockwork Sparrow! Tremble as the most Dastardly criminals in London enact their wicked plans! Gasp as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, Crack Codes, Devour Iced Buns and vow to bring the villains to justice...The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow is the first book in The Jewelled Moth A follow up to the novel, The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, this title of the Jewelled M....
Iconoclast: A Sean McPherson Novel, #2
Laurie Buchanan
At Pines & Quill, a writer’s retreat in the Pacific Northwest, he and his fiancée, Emma Benton, are planning their lives together. He wants to go back into law enforcement. She plans to walk again. Georgio “The Bull” Gambino, head of a Seattle-based crime family, has a long reach. Like cockroaches, his minions infiltrate the most inaccessible places to do his bidding. With Seattle to the south, the Canadian border a stone’s throw to the north, and Bellingham Bay—a gateway to the Pacific Ocean—immediately to the west, Bellingham is the ideal location for the Gambino crime family to traffic drugs, weapons, and humans. But McPherson’s in Gambino’s way and must be eliminated.The month’s writers in residence include an Afghanistan War veteran, a professional photographer, a civil rights attorney, and a gourmet chef. But McPherson suspects there’s more going on than the joy of creating plot twists. Is one of the writers conspiring to murder outside the pages of their manuscript?
The Secrets We Share
Edwin HillEdwin Hill
Even off-duty, Natalie dresses like a Boston cop, preferring practical clothes and unfussy, pinned-up hair. Her younger sister, Glenn, seems tailor-made for the spotlight, from her signature red mane to her camera-ready smile. Glenn has spent years cultivating her brand through her baking blog, and with the publication of her new book, that hard work seems about to pay off. But her fans have no idea about the nightmare in Glenn and Natalie’s past. Twenty years ago, their father’s body was discovered in the woods behind their house. A trauma like that doesn’t fit with Glenn’s public image. Yet, maybe someone reading her blog does know something. There have been anonymous online messages, vague yet ominous, hinting that she’s being watched. And with unsettling coincidences hitting ever closer to home, both Glenn and Natalie soon have more pressing matters to worry about, especially when a dead body is found in an abandoned building . . . Natalie is starting to wonder how much Glenn really knows about the people closest to her. But are there also secrets Natalie has yet to uncover about those she herself trusts? For two decades, she’s believed their father was murdered by their neighbor, with whom he was having an affair. But if those events are connected to what’s happening now, maybe there’s much more that Natalie doesn’t know. About their father. About their neighbors. About her friends. Maybe even about herself. But there are no secrets between sisters . . . are there?“This suspenseful story will have readers careening from one erroneous conclusion to the next.” —Library Journal STARRED REVIEW
Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator 1-3
P.D. Workman
This set includes:1. What the Cat KnewThe fortune teller gig started as a scam, but Reg suddenly finds herself tangled up in the case of Warren Blake, a man who she thought was dead. It turns out he may still be alive, but in mortal peril. 2. A Psychic with CatitudeReg Rawlins is back in business, asked by Detective Jessup to consult on a missing persons case. Little does she know that it’s not your average teen runaway or kidnapping. There is something strange going on, and time is running short for the missing teen.3. A Catastrophic TheftReg's relationship with Sarah, who has been her loyal friend and protector since she arrived becomes strained when Sarah’s precious emerald necklace disappears. There is no shortage of suspects, with Reg herself at the front of the line.
Solomon’s Porch
Janet Morris GrimesJanet Morris Grimes
Solomon is running out of it. A broken and forgotten man fighting the demons of dementia, he longs for the past when both he and his beloved military town of Ginger Ridge once thrived. When his stooped body collides with the hardened realities of the present, Solomon lies in a coma as an unidentifiable victim of a hit-and-run accident in a faraway city. With nothing to keep him going but flashbacks of relationships from his past, Solomon has no idea what a difference he will make on the future …
Burned to a Crisp
K.A. Miltimore
Her bakery may be bizarre but it is the non-human guests who stay at her home, along with her resident ghost, and her menagerie of talking animals that truly is strange. Hedy hosts a waystation for supernatural travelers and while hosting two such travelers, the town is rocked by an arsonist who is kidnapping women, and pitting the residents of Enumclaw against each other. Hedy and her friends must solve the mystery when one of their own vanishes, leaving them racing to find out who is behind it all before it is too late. Cover Design by Melody Simmons
The Regency Spies of London, 1-2
Melanie Dickerson
Nicholas Langdon is no stranger to reserved civility or bloody barbarity. After suffering a battlefield injury, the wealthy, well-connected British officer returns home to heal—and to fulfill a dying soldier’s last wish by delivering his coded diary.At the home of the Wilherns, one of England’s most powerful families, Langdon attends a lavish ball where he meets their beautiful and intelligent ward, Julia Grey. Determined to maintain propriety, he keeps his distance—until the diary is stolen and all clues lead to Julia’s guardian. As Langdon traces an evil plot that could be the nation’s undoing, he grows ever more intrigued by the lovely young woman. And when Julia realizes that England—and the man she is falling in love with—need her help, she finds herself caught in the fray. Will the two succumb to their attraction while fighting to save their country?
Cabs, Cakes, and Corpses
Jennifer Joy
Not a murder. Jessica James is a twenty-three-year-old, work-at-home computer whiz content in her comfort zone … until her family conspires to send her to the jungles of Ecuador for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. When her taxi driver takes off with her bag in the trunk, her grand adventure begins. When that same taxi driver is found murdered minutes later, Jessica is forced into one catastrophe after another as she seeks to find the truth … and get her stuff back. With the help of the two most mischievous sisters old enough to know better, Jessica will either catch a murderer or end up in jail. But friendship and discovery come at a cost. Can Jessica’s newfound bravery help her survive her South American experience as she gets closer to the murderer? Or will this grand adventure be her last? *Recipes included
One of Us is Dead
Jeneva Rose
But she's been unceremoniously dumped by Bryce, her politician husband. When Bryce replaces her with a much younger woman, Shannon sets out to take revenge ...Crystal has stepped into Shannon's old shoes. A young, innocent Texan girl, she simply has no idea what she's up against ...Olivia has waited years to take Shannon's crown as the unofficial queen of Buckhead. Finally, her moment has come. But to take her rightful place, she will need to use every backstabbing, manipulative, underhand trick in the book ...Jenny owns Glow, the most exclusive salon in town. Jenny knows all her clients' secrets and darkest desires. But will she ever tell?Who amongst these women will be clever enough to survive Buckhead--and who will wind up dead? They say that friendships can be complex, but no one said it could ever be this deadly.
Don't Know Tough
Eli Cranor
Billy comes from an extremely troubled home: a trailer park where he is terrorized by his unstable mother’s abusive boyfriend. Billy takes out his anger on the field, but when his savagery crosses a line, he faces suspension.Without Billy Lowe, the Denton Pirates can kiss their playoff bid goodbye. But the head coach, Trent Powers, who just moved from California with his wife and two children for this job, has more than just his paycheck riding on Billy’s bad behavior. As a born-again Christian, Trent feels a divine calling to save Billy—save him from his circumstances, and save his soul.Then Billy’s abuser is found murdered in the Lowe family trailer, and all evidence points toward Billy. Now nothing can stop an explosive chain of violence that could tear the whole town apart on the eve of the playoffs.WINNER OF THE PETER LOVESEY FIRST CRIME NOVEL CONTEST
What Happened to the Bennetts
Lisa Scottoline
He is driving his family home after his daughter’s lacrosse game when a pickup truck begins tailgating them, on a dark stretch of road. Suddenly two men jump from the pickup and pull guns on Jason, demanding the car. A horrific flash of violence changes his life forever. Later that awful night, Jason and his family receive a visit from the FBI. The agents tell them that the carjackers were members of a dangerous drug-trafficking organization - and now Jason and his family are in their crosshairs. The agents advise the Bennetts to enter the witness protection program right away, and they have no choice but to agree. But WITSEC was designed to protect criminal informants, not law-abiding families. Taken from all they know, trapped in an unfamiliar life, the Bennetts begin to fall apart at the seams. Then Jason learns a shocking truth and realizes that he has to take matters into his own hands.
Blood Sugar
Sascha Rothchild
But Ruby has actually acted on it. Three times, to be exact. Though she may be a murderer, Ruby is not a sociopath. She is an animal-loving therapist with a thriving practice. She’s felt empathy and sympathy. She’s had long-lasting friendships and relationships, and has a husband, Jason, whom she adores. But the homicide detectives at Miami Beach PD are not convinced of her happy marriage. When we meet Ruby, she is in a police interrogation room, being accused of Jason’s murder. Which, ironically, is one murder that she did not commit, though her vicious mother-in-law and a scandal-obsessed public believe differently. As she undergoes questioning, Ruby’s mind races back to all the details of her life that led her to this exact moment, and to the three dead bodies in her wake. Because though she may not have killed her husband, Ruby certainly isn’t innocent. Alternating between Ruby’s memories of her past crimes and her present-day fight to clear her name, Blood Sugar is a twisty, clever debut with an unforgettable protagonist who you can’t help but root for—an addicting mixture of sour and sweet.
Elk Lake Cabins
P.J. Shanahan
Their destination, the Elk Lake Cabins Resort, nestled amongst the magnificent Texan wilderness.That was, until his sister’s new boyfriend, Garret Watts, tags along for the trip. But Garret has a dark past and even darker cause. A cause he will kill for. In the space of an evening, the Hawkins’ family holiday is transformed from tranquil to nightmare, where they must confront peril at every turn and find themselves in a desperate fight for survival.Elk Lake Cabins is the fast paced, unputdownable page turner sure to keep you up at night and get your insides churning…
A Rip Through Time
Kelley ArmstrongKelley Armstrong
While out on a jog one evening, Mallory hears a woman in distress. She’s drawn to an alley, where she is attacked and loses consciousness.May 20, 1869: Housemaid Catriona Mitchell had been enjoying a half-day off, only to be discovered that night in a lane, where she’d been strangled and left for dead . . . exactly one-hundred-and-fifty years before Mallory was strangled in the same spot.When Mallory wakes up in Catriona's body in 1869, she must put aside her shock and adjust quickly to the reality: life as a housemaid to an undertaker in Victorian Scotland. She soon discovers that her boss, Dr. Gray, also moonlights as a medical examiner and has just taken on an intriguing case, the strangulation of a young man, similar to the attack on herself. Her only hope is that catching the murderer can lead her back to her modern life . . . before it's too late.Outlander meets The Alienist in Kelley Armstrong's A Rip Through Time, the first book in this utterly compelling series, mixing romance, mystery, and fantasy with thrilling results.
Alexander McCall Smith 8 books Collection Set
Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith 8 Books Set Collection Titles in This Set The Importance of Being Seven, The World According To Bertie, Love Over Scotland, The Double Comfort Safari Club, The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party, The Comfort of Saturday, A conspiracy of Friends, The Good Husband of Zebra Drive.
Love Letters From Dresden
Mark A. Biggs
A page turning love story unfolds when, Jacinta, now an adult, discovers a bundle of old letters hidden by her mother. An emotional and immensely enjoyable read from a master story teller. A modern-day fairy tale. Top 100 in Amazon eBooks, 2021. "Touched by war, love letters drift from our lives and take their secrets with them".
When Murder Comes Home
Shana Frost
Who is responsible?
Aileen Mackinnon ditched spreadsheets and a steady salary for the adventurous shores of Loch Fuar in the Scottish Highlands.
Now she's an amateur innkeeper to ten guests. But when one is murdered in his bed and an heirloom goes missing, can Aileen save the inn?
DI Callan Cameron won't have her nosing about, but with another body he has little choice in the matter.
Tension sizzles as Aileen and Callan step into a world of murders, fibs and heists. They might not always see eye to eye, but can they agree whodunnit?JD Robb meets Agatha Christie in this pageturning murder mystery with a dash of romance.Grab your copy now!Best enjoyed in order: 1. When Murder Comes Home2. When Eyes Don’t Lie3. When Birds Fall Silent
The It Girl
Ruth WareRuth Ware
April Coutts-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford. Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead. Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.
Many Lives Many Masters / Only Love is Real / Same Soul Many Bodies
Brian L. Weiss
Brian Weiss 3 Books Collection Set: Many Lives, Many Masters: Psychiatrist Dr Brian Weiss had been working with Catherine, a young patient, for eighteen months. Catherine was suffering from recurring nightmares and chronic anxiety attacks. When his traditional methods of therapy failed, Dr Weiss turned to hypnosis and was astonished and sceptical when Catherine began recalling past-life traumas which seemed to hold the key to her problems. Only Love is Real: When psychiatrist and past-life therapist Dr. Brian Weiss began treating two new patients, Elizabeth and Pedro, he found that although they were strangers, they described the same past lives with a stunning similarity of detail and emotion. Their joint past unfolded quite separately in his office; they seemed to have loved each other across time. Same Soul, Many Bodies: In his brilliant long-awaited new book, Dr Brian Weiss reveals how our future lives can transform us in the present. We have all lived past lives. All of us will live future ones. What we do in this life will influence our lives to come as we evolve towards immortality. In this new book, the bestselling author of Many Lives, Many Masters, has not only regressed his patients into the past, but also progressed them into the future.
I Remember You: A Ruby's Place Novel (The Ruby's Place Christmas Collection Book 2)
Holly Schindler
Today, Rob and Geena have become little more than hazily remembered small-town gossip, a sweet story of first love between the high school bad boy and the smartest girl in the class. At least, until Professor Geena Barister returns home after her father’s heart attack. Now, with so much time and distance having passed between them, it will take nothing short of a miracle to get the two to even speak again.As luck would have it, though, Ruby’s Place is about to reopen. Ruby’s, where the “spirits” are more than the dusty liquors in bottles behind the bar, and reunions of the heart are encouraged—no charge. For Rob and Geena (and anyone in Sullivan who enters the bar on its wintry opening night), love promises to be the specialty served on the house, while the endearing refrain of “I Remember You” plays on…
All Aces: A Nero Wolfe Omnibus
Rex Stout
Includes the novels "Some Buried Caesar," "Too Many Women," and "Trouble in Triplicate" (short story collection: "Before I Die," "Help Wanted, Male," and "Instead of Evidence").
Agatha Raisin Series Collection 10 Books Set
M.C. Beaton
Beaton 10 Books Set (1 to 10)This Set Quiche of Death, Vicious Vet, Potted Gardner, Walkers of Dembley, Terrible Tourist, Wellspring of Death, Wizard of Evesham, Witch of Wyckhadden, Fairies of Fryfam, Busy Body
Mandie Mysteries Collection
Lois Gladys Leppard
She gets into some tight spots in turn-of-the-century North Carolina. Live the adventures with Mandie in the 40 volume collection. Approximately 140 pages each.
The Shop on Royal Street
Karen WhiteKaren White
Although she can't communicate with ghosts like her stepmother, luckily Nola knows someone in New Orleans who can--even if he's the last person on earth she wants anything to do with, ever again. Because Beau Ryan comes with his own dark past, a past that involves the disappearance of his sister and parents during Hurricane Katrina, and the unsolved murder of a woman who once lived in the old Creole Cottage Nola is determined to make her own whether or not the resident restless spirits agree...
The Younger Wife
Sally HepworthSally Hepworth
But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself.THE DAUGHTERSTully and Rachel Aston look upon their father’s fiancée, Heather, as nothing but an interloper. Heather is younger than both of them. Clearly, she’s after their father’s money.THE FORMER WIFEWith their mother in a precarious position, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is.THE YOUNGER WIFEHeather has secrets of her own. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses in all of them?
Dirt Creek
Hayley ScrivenorHayley Scrivenor
As Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels arrives in town during the hottest spring in decades and begins her investigation, Esther’s tenacious best friend, Ronnie, is determined to find Esther and bring her home.When schoolfriend Lewis tells Ronnie that he saw Esther with a strange man at the creek the afternoon she went missing, Ronnie feels she is one step closer to finding her. But why is Lewis refusing to speak to the police? And who else is lying about how much they know about what has happened to Esther?Punctuated by a Greek chorus, which gives voice to the remaining children of the small, dying town, this novel explores the ties that bind, what we try and leave behind us, and what we can never outrun, while never losing sight of the question of what happened to Esther, and what her loss does to a whole town.
Take The Key And Lock Her Up / See How They Run / All Fall Down
Ally Carter
Description:- Embassy Row: 01: All Fall Down I don't mean to get into trouble. Trouble just sort of finds me.Grace has been shipped off to stay with her diplomat Grandpa in the glittering Embassy Row, a place where trespassing into the wrong garden can cause an international incident. Grace knows the rules - she's ignored them before - but however much she wants to change, she can't. Not while she's certain of three things: Embassy Row: 02: See How They Run The second thrilling book in the EMBASSY ROW series.Grace thought finding her mother's killer would bring her peace. But the truth has only made her a target. On Embassy Row, trust is a luxury. Death is a very real threat. And a girl like Grace should be very careful about which secrets she brings to light... Take The Key And Lock Her Up: Book 3 (Embassy Row) The third and final instalment in the thrilling Embassy Row series.Grace has discovered that she's the lost princess of Adria ... but some people would prefer she stay lost. With her brother's life hanging in the balance and secret assassins everywhere, life on Embassy Row has never been more dangerous.
The Complication: A Camille Delaney Mystery
Amanda DuBois
Dallas was like a father to Camille, and she feels she owes it to him and his family to get answers. Knowing she could lose her partnership at her high-profile law firm for undertaking such an investigation, Camille takes a huge risk and starts her own firm, determined to bring Dallas’s killer to justice. She turns for help to her friend Trish Seaholm, a quick-witted chameleonlike private investigator with an uncanny knack for blending into any situation. As the two dive headfirst into a dangerous investigation, they discover disturbing evidence that Dallas’s case is not an isolated incident. A shocking number of patients are dying during run-of-the-mill surgeries at small-town hospitals—at the hands of the same two surgeons. Can Camille uncover the reason for these unexplained deaths before more patients fall victim? Or will her search for answers land her in the crosshairs of a killer?
Sherlock Holmes, The Strangest Cases : Official Edition
Arthur Conan Doyle
This is a selection of some of his strangest cases including masterpieces like: Silver Blaze, The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, The Yellow Face, The Stockbroker’s Clerk, The “Gloria Scott”, and The Musgrave Ritual.
The Investigator
John Sandford
Now a recent Stanford grad with a master’s in economics, she’s restless and bored in a desk job for U.S. Senator Colles. Letty’s ready to quit, but her skills have impressed Colles, and he offers her a carrot: feet-on-the-ground investigative work, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security. Several oil companies in Texas have reported thefts of crude, Colles tells her. He isn’t so much concerned with the oil as he is with the money: who is selling the oil, and what are they doing with the profits? Rumor has it that a fairly ugly militia group—led by a woman known only as Lorelai—might be involved. Colles wants to know if the money is going to them, and if so, what they’re planning. Letty is partnered with a DHS investigator, John Kaiser, and they head to Texas. When the case quicky turns deadly, they know they’re on the track of something bigger. Lorelai and her group have set in motion an explosive plan . . . and the clock is ticking down.
A Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries Boxed Set, #2-5 with Gift Journal
Robin Stevens
Daisy's glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy's birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn't really about Daisy at all. Naturally, Daisy is furious.Then one of their party falls seriously, mysteriously ill—and everything points to poison.With wild storms preventing anyone from leaving, or the police from arriving, Fallingford suddenly feels like a very dangerous place to be. Not a single person present is what they seem—and everyone has a secret or two. And when someone very close to Daisy looks suspicious, the Detective Society must do everything they can to reveal the truth... no matter the consequences.
First Class Murder
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are taking a holiday through Europe on the world-famous Orient Express. From the moment the girls step aboard, it's clear that each of their fellow first-class passengers has something to hide. Even more intriguing: rumour has it that there is a spy in their midst.Then, during dinner, there is a bloodcurdling scream from inside one of the cabins. When the door is broken down, a passenger is found murdered, her stunning ruby necklace gone. But the killer is nowhere to be seen - almost as if they had vanished into thin air.Daisy and Hazel are faced with their first ever locked-room mystery - and with competition from several other sleuths, who are just as determined to crack the case as they are.
Jolly Foul Play
The fantastic new mystery from the author of Murder Most Unladylike.Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong have returned to Deepdean for a new school term, but nothing is the same. There's a new Head Girl, Elizabeth Hurst, and a team of Prefects - and these bullying Big Girls are certainly not good eggs.Then, after the fireworks display on Bonfire Night, Elizabeth is found - murdered.Many girls at Deepdean had reason to hate Elizabeth, but who might have committed such foul play? Could the murder be linked to the secrets and scandals, scribbled on scraps of paper, that are suddenly appearing around the school? And with their own friendship falling to pieces, how will Daisy and Hazel solve this mystery?
Mistletoe and Murder.
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are spending the Christmas hols in snowy Cambridge. Hazel has high hopes of its beautiful spires, cosy libraries and inviting tea-rooms - but there is danger lurking in the dark stairwells of ancient Maudlin College.Two days before Christmas, there is a terrible accident. At least, it appears to be an accident - until the Detective Society look a little closer, and realise a murder has taken place. Faced with several irritating grown-ups and fierce competition from a rival agency, they must use all their cunning and courage to find the killer (in time for Christmas Day, of course).The fabulously festive fifth mystery from the bestselling, award-winning author of Murder Most Unladylike.
Daisy Darker
Alice Feeney
Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker’s unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling.
Frieda Klein #1 - #3
Nicci French
His face is splashed across newspaper front pages. His parents and the police are desperate. Can anyone help find their little boy before it is too late? Psychotherapist Frieda Klein just might know something., Tuesday's Gone (Frieda Klein): Psychotherapist Frieda Klein thought she was done with the police. But once more DCI Karlsson is knocking at her door. A man's decomposed body has been found in the flat of Michelle Doyce, a woman trapped in a world of strange mental disorder., Waiting for Wednesday (Frieda Klein, Book 3): Waiting For Wednesday by Nicci French is the thrilling third novel in the highly acclaimed Frieda Klein series. Ruth Lennox, beloved mother of three, is found by her daughter in a pool of her own blood. Who would want to murder an ordinary housewife? And why? Psychotherapist Frieda Klein finds she has an unusually personal connection with DCI Karlsson's latest case.
The Agathas
Kathleen Glasgow
Then she disappeared for five days. Where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove, because she’s not talking. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . . Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory. In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into.
Vision of Justice
Charlee James
The connection between Sasha and Gus is unexpected—and intense. When a string of murders is linked to a tragedy from Sasha’s past, it becomes obvious more than their hearts are at stake.
Like A Thief In The Night
Lawrence Block
Not only does it lack the word burglar in the title, but Bernie’s not the story’s viewpoint character. It’s told entirely through the spirited and enterprising young woman whose fate it is to walk in on our lad in mid-job, all in a near-empty office building in the middle of the night. That could be pretty frightening, but hey, it’s Bernie. She’s got nothing to be afraid of, and neither do we.The story originated in the late 70s, commissioned by a women’s magazine called Savvy, with a suite of offices in the huge old Port Authority building on Ninth Avenue in Chelsea. A couple of editors decided it was an intimidating location late at night, and thought it would be a good setting for a short story, even though they hadn’t yet run any fiction. One of them knew my work, and they got in touch.I wrote the story, and they loved it and paid a decent price for it, but they never seemed to find room for it in an issue of the magazine. They kept scheduling it and changing their minds, and it seems to me they changed editors in the bargain, and after a couple of years of this they went out of business. Which was a pity, because it was an interesting publication, except for the fiction—of which, alas, there wasn’t any. My agent got the story back, and I believe he sent it over to Cosmopolitan, and no end of online sources now assure me that it ran in that magazine’s May 1983 issue.And maybe it did. Except I don’t have a copy of the magazine, and don’t think I ever saw one. I’ve seen Cosmo’s May 1983 cover, it’s not hard to find online, and they blurbed eight or nine major pieces on it, and my story is not among them. Well, really, what difference does it make? It either ran there or it didn’t, and it’s been in short story collections of mine since, including my omnibus, Enough Rope. I had to read it closely in order to format the scanned story for ePublication, and I was pleased to find that I like it a lot. I can only hope, Dear Reader, that it works as well for you.
Agatha Christie Crime Collection: Murder Is Easy / Dead Man's Folly / The Man In The Brown Suit
Agatha Christie
Queen of the Tiles
Hanna Alkaf
Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It might be even though Najwa’s trying to change, she’s not ready to give up Trina just yet. But the same can’t be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All’s fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina’s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina’s death wasn’t as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it. As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it’s up to Najwa to find out who’s behind these mysterious posts—not just to save Trina’s memory, but to save herself.
Sherlock Holmes, The Difficult Cases: Official Edition
Arthur Conan Doyle
This is a selection of some of his most difficult cases including: The Engineer’s Thumb, The Noble Bachelor, The Crooked Man, The Resident Patient, The Greek Interpreter, The Naval Treaty, and The Final Problem. We get to know Sherlock Holmes at a deep level and witness his logical prowess at its best.
Mercy Road
Nicholas Gagnier
And that’s saying nothing of the trafficking victim she rescued from her next door neighbor’s cellar.As her father becomes embroiled in a criminal case that threatens to destroy their lives, the despondent teenager is left to confide in her detached and aloof therapist Charlotte. If the woman who she began seeing to cope with Nancy’s suicide can’t help her through these harrowing events, Harper’s shattered family stands to be permanently damaged.Will the mysterious woman that Harper saved from slavery be the key to healing the devastated Whitaker family? Or will their involvement destroy everything they have left?Magical realism meets coming-of age drama in this epic origin story. Grab it now!
Pretty Dead Queens
Alexa Donne
. . and she's not the first. From the critically acclaimed author of The Ivies comes a nonstop thriller about a deacades-old mystery, a copycat killing, and the teen who won't stop until she discovers the truth.After the death of her mom (screw cancer), seventeen-year-old Cecelia Ellis goes to live with her estranged grandmother, a celebrated author whose Victorian mansion is as creepy as the murder mysteries she writes. On the surface, life is utterly ordinary in the California coastal town . . . until the homecoming queen is murdered. And she’s not Seaview’s first pretty dead queen. With a copycat killer on the loose, Cecelia throws herself into the investigation, determined to crack the case like the heroines in her grandmother’s books. But the more Cecelia digs into the town’s secrets, the more she worries that her own mystery might not have a storybook ending.
The Ghost at His Back (Rankin Flats Supernatural Thrillers #1)
Cameron Lowe
Accompanied by his spectral friend Murphy, he has made a comfortable lifestyle for himself by taking down his city's worst elements, but life is about to take some very strange turns for the beleaguered vigilante.A serial killer with eerie parallels to Garrett stalks the city's streets, always on the lookout for his next victim, while a secretive gang of ritualistic psychopaths hunts for the thief who took out one of their own. Caught in the cross-hairs, it's all Garrett and Murphy can do to stay one step ahead of their newest enemies.To complicate things further, an enticing acquaintance has come back to Rankin Flats. Happiness might seem within reach for Garrett, but to stand a chance with her, he'll have to consider doing the one thing most likely to drive her away - telling her the truth.
Lord Peter And Harriet: Part II: Gaudy Night / Busman's Honeymoon
Dorothy L. Sayers
In Gaudy Night, Harriet Vane attends her Oxford reunion, known as the “Gaudy”—but the prim academic setting is haunted by a rash of bizarre pranks: scrawled obscenities, burnt effigies and poison-pen letters—including one that says, “Ask your boyfriend with the title if he likes arsenic in his soup.” Some of the notes threaten murder; all are perfectly ghastly; yet in spite of their scurrilous nature, all are perfectly worded. And Harriet finds herself ensnared in a nightmare in the place she once felt most safe, with only the tiniest shreds of clues to aid her powers of detection—and of course, those of Lord Peter Wimsey.Murder is hardly the best way for Lord Peter and his bride, the famous mystery writer Harriet Vane, to start their honeymoon! Busman’s Honeymoon begins when the former owner of their newly acquired estate is found quite nastily dead in the cellar. And what Lord Peter had hoped would be a very private and romantic stay in the country soon turns into a most baffling case, what with the misspelled “notise” to the milkman and the intriguing condition of the dead man—not a spot of blood on his smashed skull…and not a pence less than six hundred pounds in his pocket.With each story, Peter and Harriet become more complex and compelling, and as fascinating as the cases they’re investigating!
Summer's Edge
Dana Mele
Emily Joiner was once part of an inseparable group—she was a sister, a best friend, a lover, and a rival. Summers without Emily were unthinkable. Until the fire burned the lake house to ashes with her inside.A year later, it’s in Emily’s honor that Chelsea and her four friends decide to return. The house awaits them, meticulously rebuilt. Only, Chelsea is haunted by ghostly visions. Loner Ryan stirs up old hurts and forces golden boy Chase to play peacemaker. Which has perfect hostess Kennedy on edge as eerie events culminate in a stunning accusation: Emily’s death wasn’t an accident. And all the clues needed to find the person responsible are right here.As old betrayals rise to the surface, Chelsea and her friends have one night to unravel a mystery spanning three summers before a killer among them exacts their revenge.
Tale Half Told
Killarney Traynor
Neither the house nor the powerful Reynolds family have ever recovered.Twenty-five years later, a car accident forces four friends to take shelter from an approaching storm in the abandoned Reynolds house. Married couple Michael and Susan Wright, nurse Linda Vincent, and her brother, Vietnam vet and PTSD sufferer Johnny Vincent, are too smart to believe in the supernatural, but they might have a change of mind. The car crash wasn't an accident: Johnny, Linda, Michael, and Susan have been chosen as pawns in a dangerous battle of wills. As the darkness falls, each will be tested - fighting not only for their lives, but for their sanity.
A Jar of Thursday
Liz Hedgecock
Fingers turns out to be a time-travelling burglar, with a host of ingenious devices supplied by the mysterious Mr Smith. And the things they're stealing are, frankly, odd. But Jack is in no position to pick and choose — for Jack has a secret too… Sherlock Holmes is convinced that Fingers Molloy works for his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. Yet Inspector Lestrade won’t take him seriously. How can the great detective prove he is right?
The further in Jack gets, the more serious — and mysterious — things seem. But breaking free and coming clean could land Jack in not just trouble, but danger… A Jar of Thursday is the first novella in the Sherlock & Jack series, set in 1890s London.
Nameless
Helen J. Barnes
Little does Addy know, life is about to put her to the test when she becomes the object of an addiction, an infatuation and an obsession on a level she cannot begin to comprehend. As the weather turns frosty and the icy season draws in Addison finds that, someone she assumed to be a relatively innocent secret admirer, is taking things to the next level and their thoughts are colder, darker and more sinister than the freezing winter nights. But how do you stop a faceless, nameless stalker when even authorities can't find the culprit?
Retriever of Souls
Lorraine Mace
The first title in a dark and gritty crime series. Brought up believing that sex is the devil's work, a killer only finds release once he has saved his victim's souls. Abiding by his vision, he marks them as his. A gift to guide his chosen ones on the rightful path to redemption. Detective Inspector Paolo Sterling is out to stop him, but Paolo has problems of his own. Hunting down the killer as the death toll rises, the lines soon blur between Paolo's personal and professional lives.
A to Z Mysteries Complete 29-Book Set: Books A to Z and Super Editions 1-3 (The Absent Author, The B
Ron Roy
Titles include: The Absent Author, The Bald Bandit, The Canary Caper, The Deadly Dungeon, The Empty Envelope, The Falcon's Feathers, The Goose's Gold, The Haunted Hotel, The Invisible Island, The Jaguar's Jewel, The Kidnapped King, The Lucky Lottery, The Missing Mummy, The Ninth Nugget, The Orange Outlaw, The Panda Puzzle, The Quicksand Question, The Runaway Racehorse, The School Skeleton, The Talking T. Rex, The Unwilling Umpire, The Vampire's Vacation, The White Wolf, The X'ed-Out X-Ray, The Yellow Yacht, The Zombie Zone, Detective Camp, Mayflower Treasure Hunt, and White House White-Out.
The Ministry of Unladylike Activity
Robin Stevens
And who better to become a spy than a child? A child can go places, see things and listen in on conversations in a way that no adult ever can. Enter May Wong and her friends. Trained up at the Ministry, they soon embark upon their first mission: masquerading as evacuees, they are sent to a wealthy manor house to spy on the owner, who is suspected of working for the enemy. And then the murder happens....
Trouble at Turtle Pond
Diana RennDiana Renn
At his last school, his ADHD-related challenges earned him a reputation as a troublemaker and cost him his friends, especially after he lost a beloved class pet. With just one chance to make a first impression, “Mayhem Miles” is determined to do something great in this town. Like solving a mystery. After witnessing people burying something in his neighbor’s backyard one night, he’s sure there’s trouble—and this time, it’s not his fault. When his other neighbor, Pia, invites him to join the Backyard Rangers to help protect endangered turtles at the pond behind his house, Miles knows this is his chance to investigate. He stumbles on clues that point to wildlife poaching. Sabotaged turtle traps, stolen eggs, and kidnapped hatchlings put the fragile turtle population at risk. Miles and Pia recruit two more Backyard Rangers to help track a string of suspects, including an obsessive gardener, an eccentric pet shop owner, and the town bully and his drifter uncle. Then the rangers start receiving threatening messages, and an unexpected twist turns suspicion back on Miles. Has his reputation for trouble followed him all the way to Marsh Hollow? It’s up to Miles to convince his new friends that he’s not who they think he is, and to stop the turtle crimes before more turtles—and people—get hurt. A friendship-centered eco-mystery, Trouble at Turtle Pond celebrates citizen science, activist kids, and the power of paying attention.
Kiss & Tell (The Blackwood Family Saga, #4)
Julia Blake
Then fate cruelly ripped them apart. Now, eleven years later, Nick is back, but can Isabella trust him or his vows of love?Her boss says no. All intel about him says no. Even Isabella’s head says no. But her heart desperately wants to believe that the boy she loved is still somewhere inside the mysterious and dangerous man Nick has become.From the streets of London to the harsh landscape of Afghanistan, Isabella must fight for her life all the time unsure of who – or even what – Nick Eastman is.Exciting and fast-paced, Kiss & Tell is a battle between the head and the heart – with death the consequence of a wrong decision.
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies
Misha Popp
But Daisy finds herself on the receiving end in Misha Popp’s cozy series debut, a sweet-as-buttercream treat for fans of Ellery Adams and Mary Maxwell.The first time Daisy Ellery killed a man with a pie, it was an accident. Now, it’s her calling. Daisy bakes sweet vengeance into her pastries, which she and her dog Zoe deliver to the men who’ve done dirty deeds to the town’s women. But if she can’t solve the one crime that’s not of her own baking, she’ll be out of the pie pan and into the oven. Parking her Pies Before Guys mobile bakery van outside the local diner, Daisy is informed by Frank, the crusty diner owner, that someone’s been prowling around the van—and not just to inhale the delectable aroma. Already on thin icing with Frank, she finds a letter on her door, threatening to reveal her unsavory secret sideline of pie a la murder. Blackmail? But who whipped up this half-baked plot to cut a slice out of Daisy’s business? Purple-haired campus do-gooder Melly? Noel, the tender—if flaky—farm boy? Or one of the abusive men who prefer their pie without a deadly scoop of payback? The upcoming statewide pie contest could be Daisy’s big chance to help wronged women everywhere…if she doesn’t meet a sticky end first. Because Daisy knows the blackmailer won’t stop until her business is in crumbles.
The Devotion of Suspect X, Salvation of a Saint, A Midsummer's Equation (Detective Galileo, #1-3)
NOT A BOOK
When he shows up one day to extort money from her, threatening both her and her teenaged daughter Misato, the situation quickly escalates into violence and Togashi ends up dead on her apartment floor. Overhearing the commotion, Yasuko's next door neighbor, middle-aged high school mathematics teacher Ishigami, offers his help, disposing not only of the body but plotting the cover-up step-by-step. When the body turns up and is identified, Detective Kusanagi draws the case and Yasuko comes under suspicion. Kusanagi is unable to find any obvious holes in Yasuko's manufactured alibi and yet is still sure that there’s something wrong. Kusanagi brings in Dr. Manabu Yukawa, a physicist and college friend who frequently consults with the police. Yukawa, known to the police by the nickname Professor Galileo, went to college with Ishigami. After meeting up with him again, Yukawa is convinced that Ishigami had something to do with the murder. What ensues is a high level battle of wits, as Ishigami tries to protect Yasuko by outmaneuvering and outthinking Yukawa, who faces his most clever and determined opponent yet.
Salvation of a Saint:
Yoshitaka, who was about to leave his marriage and his wife, is poisoned by arsenic-laced coffee and dies. His wife, Ayane, is the logical suspect—except that she was hundreds of miles away when he was murdered. The lead detective, Tokyo Police Detective Kusanagi, is immediately smitten with her and refuses to believe that she could have had anything to do with the crime. His assistant, Kaoru Utsumi, however, is convinced Ayane is guilty. While Utsumi’s instincts tell her one thing, the facts of the case are another matter. So she does what her boss has done for years when stymied—she calls upon Professor Manabu Yukawa.But even the brilliant mind of Dr. Yukawa has trouble with this one, and he must somehow find a way to solve an impossible murder and capture a very real, very deadly murderer.
A Midsummer's Equation:
Manabu Yukawa, the physicist known as "Detective Galileo," has traveled to Hari Cove, a once-popular summer resort town that has fallen on hard times. He is there to speak at a conference on a planned underwater mining operation, which has sharply divided the town. One faction is against the proposed operation, concerned about the environmental impact on the area, known for its pristine waters. The other faction, seeing no future in the town as it is, believes its only hope lies in the development project.The night after the tense panel discussion, one of the resort's guests is found dead on the seashore at the base of the local cliffs. The local police at first believe it was a simple accident-that he wandered over the edge while walking on unfamiliar territory in the middle of the night. But when they discover that the victim was a former policeman and that the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, they begin to suspect he was murdered, and his body tossed off the cliff to misdirect the police.As the police try to uncover where Tsukahara was killed and why, Yukawa finds himself enmeshed in yet another confounding case of murder. In a series of twists as complex and surprising as any in Higashino's brilliant, critically acclaimed work, Galileo uncovers the hidden relationship behind the tragic events that led to this murder.
The Blue Hallelujah
Andy Straka
When Rebecca died of cancer in prison—branded as a disturbed vigilante after killing one of his murder suspects—Jerry knew he needed to put the truth in writing to set the record straight.Now, as an old man nearing his own demise, Jerry is unsure whether to share his narrative about Rebecca with the world. But when his eight-year-old granddaughter Marnee disappears, Jerry learns she’s been taken by someone close to the killer depicted in the pages hidden in his dresser drawer.It’s time for Jerry to finish the story—by confronting an evil that threatens Marnee’s life and the lives of everyone around her. And by placing his faith in a higher power to redeem the love for Rebecca in his heart.
Jeff Lindsay Novel Dexter Series Collection 8 Books Set Dexter Is Dead, Final Cut, Double Dexter, Dexter is Delicious, Dexter by Design, Dexter in the dark, Dearly devoted Dexter, Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Jeff Lindsay
A Major Award Winning TV Series Jeff Lindsay Novel Collection 8 Books Set Brand New Titles in This Set Dexter is Dead, Dexter's Final Cut, Double Dexter, Dexter is Delicious, Dexter by Design, Dexter in the dark, Dearly devoted Dexter, Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Up Up and a Slay
Mona Marple
Her Uncle Cornelius apparently looks like a walrus and has the personality to match – but Emily needs to leave her comfort zone.Little does she know that she’s walking in to a family feud, a lost hot air balloon, and a murder.Can Emily find the courage to save the day?
I'll Be You
Janelle Brown
They fell asleep to the sound of each other's breath at night, holding hands in the dark. And once Hollywood discovered them, they became B-list child TV stars, often inhabiting the same role.But as adults their lives have splintered. After leaving acting, Elli reinvented herself as the perfect suburban wife: Married to a real-estate lawyer, in a house two blocks from the beach. Meanwhile, Sam has never recovered from her failed Hollywood career, or from her addiction to the pills and booze that have propped her up for the last fifteen years.After her destructive behavior finally drove a wedge between them, Sam hasn't spoken to her sister in a year when their father calls out of the blue. Unbeknownst to Sam, Elli's life lately has been in turmoil: Her husband moved out, and Elli just adopted a two-year-old girl. Now she's checked in to a mysterious spa in Ojai, and has stopped answering her phone. As Sam works to connect the dots left by Elli's baffling disappearance, she realizes that the bond between her and her sister is more complicated than she ever knew.This magnetic thriller from bestselling author Janelle Brown shows her writing at the top of her game: A story packed with twists and astounding revelations, about the secrets kept by the ones we think we know the best.
Sapphires and Songs (The Tienimi Club Series, Book 2)
Aurelia Fray
How can he not be when he falls in love at first sight with a total stranger and then loses her without even getting her name?
Yes, he’s a fool,
but he’s a fool with a plan.
The last days of summer mark the end of another season at Tienimi, when the billionaire owners of the Hawaiian resort come together to celebrate another year. Josh knows that the Diamond’s Ball is his only chance to find Penelope, the girl who stole his heart.
The last thing he expects is Blue.
Lost and broken, but not defeated, Blue has her reasons for staying under the radar at Tienimi. So, the last thing she wants is to fall for a boy who doesn’t recognize love when it stares him right in the face.
The Tienimi Club is the transatlantic, romance series set on a Hawaiian island, filled with twists and turns, mistaken identity, rags to riches, unexpected heroes, and obligatory bling.
A Most Efficient Murder
Anthony Slayton
Quayle, must unravel a web of red-herrings and buried secrets before the murderer can strike again…“I do not wish to disturb you, your grace, but there is a body in the garden…”England, 1925. When a strange young woman is found murdered on the grounds of Unsworth Castle, the Duke and his family are astounded at first, but quickly become enraged when the police begin asking all sorts of impertinent questions.And when suspicions dare to fall on one of their own, it is up to Mr. Quayle, Lord Unsworth’s exceedingly efficient secretary, to find the true culprit and save the House of Unsworth from scandal and ruin.
Theodore Boone Collection 5 Books Box Set
John Grisham
Theodore Boone Series John Grisham Collection 5 Books Box Set Titles in the Set Theodore Boone, The Abduction, The Accused, The Activist, The Fugitive.
Miracle
Kimberly Shursen
Mira has never told that her identical twin sister died soon after birth.Over the next few weeks Mira’s personality begins to change. She is no longer a happy, carefree child. And when Mira accuses Charlie of being abusive, the Abbott family is slowly torn apart. Something is happening to Mira that no physician or psychiatrist can explain.After Charlie asks Winston Fry, III for help, when the psychic discovers who holds the power, he questions if saving Mira is beyond even his expertise..
Arson and Americanos (Coffee Truck Cozy Mystery #0.5)
Justine Maxwell
But when their cafe burns to the ground, her mom’s beloved boyfriend appears to be at fault. Joe will lose everything if he’s blamed for this, and since he’s the closest thing Hazel has to a father, she knows she needs to step in.Hazel’s brother and the rest of their town’s police force think this is a simple case of negligence on Joe’s part. So when she’s not making plans with Mom and Grandma about the future of The Busy Bean, she’s doing whatever it takes to prove this was arson, not an accident.With the help of her donut-shop owning bestie, her reluctant brother, and her dog named Latte, can Hazel clear Joe’s name and find out who was responsible for burning down the shop?Arson and Americanos is the origin story of the Coffee Truck Cozy Mystery series. Inside you’ll find the perfect blend of family bonds that will warm your heart and whodunit adventures as strong as the coffee.
The Commandant Camille Verhoeven Trilogy
Pierre Lemaitre
he is respected by his colleagues and he and his lovely wife, Irene, are expecting their first child.
But when a new murder case hits his desk--a double torture-homicide that's so extreme that even the most seasoned officers are horrified-Verhoeven is overcome with a sense of foreboding.
As links emerge between the bloody set-piece and at least one past unsolved murder, it becomes clear that a calculating serial killer is at work. The press has a field day, taking particular pleasure in putting Verhoeven under the media spotlight (and revealing uncomfortable details of his personal life).
Then Verhoeven makes a breakthrough discovery: the murders are modeled after the exploits of serial killers from classic works of crime fiction. The double murder was an exquisitely detailed replication of a scene from Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho, and one of the linked cold cases was a faithful homage to James Ellroy's The Black Dahlia.
The media circus reaches a fever pitch when the modus operandi of the killer, dubbed "The Novelist," is revealed. Worse, the Novelist has taken to writing taunting letters to the police, emphasizing that he will stop leaving any clues behind unless Verhoeven remains on the case.
For reasons known only to the killer, the case has become personal. With more literature--inspired murders surfacing, Verhoeven enlists the help of an eccentric bookseller and a professor specializing in crime fiction to try to anticipate his adversary's next move. Then Irene is kidnapped.
With time running out, Verhoeven realizes that all along he's been the unwitting dupe in The Novelist's plans to create an original work of his own. Now, the only person in the world the commandant truly cares for is in danger, and a happy ending seems less and less likely as it becomes clear that the winner of this deadly game may be the man with the least to lose.