A Precarious Homecoming: An Arabella Stewart Historical Mystery


D.S. Lang - 2021
    An immediate impediment arises when she becomes involved in a murder investigation. Helping solve the crime is crucial, but Bella must work with Constable Jackson Hastings. Once part of her life, Jax turned his back on Bella after her brother, his best friend, died in the trenches. His cold attitude hasn’t softened, but she can’t let that stop her. Both her hometown and family resort, once popular tourist destinations, may not survive if the crime isn’t solved quickly.Jax, a war veteran, faces his own challenges. Wounded in body and spirit, his dreams shattered, he finds himself doing what he said he’d never do—follow in his father’s footsteps as constable. When a wave of crimes hit the town, culminating in murder, his competence is questioned. In a struggle to find the killer and save his job, Jax needs all the help he can get—but he doesn’t want assistance from Bella. Not when he feels responsible for her brother’s death. But more is at stake than his job. He can’t stand by and let Moreley become a ghost town. Nor can he watch while Bella loses Ballantyne.Working together is the only way to solve the crime and offer hope—to their community and for themselves. Will their efforts succeed, or will it be a precarious homecoming?

The Avenger


E. Phillips Oppenheim - 1907
    He questions her and finds she thought she was in the apartment of his neighbor, Morris Barnes, who lives above him. While he is on the telephone, she quietly slips out of his flat and heads to Barnes’ abode. A few hours later, she is once again at his door – this time looking scared and faint. She asks Wrayson to escort her downstairs as the hallway is unlit. As they emerge, a hansom sits at the doorway with Morris Barnes in it. But, they discover that Barnes has been strangled. Wrayson soon learns that the young lady is the estranged older daughter of a club acquaintance, retired Colonel Fitzmaurice. He also discovers that he has fallen in love with her. The big question however, has he fallen for a murderess? How can he discover the truth? In typical Oppenheim style, this “whodunit” weaves a tangled web and one must wait until the end to discover the surprising truth. (Summary by Tom Weiss)

Water Dogs


Lewis Robinson - 2008
    A twenty-seven-year-old college dropout with stalled ambitions, he works at an animal shelter and lives with his bullheaded older brother, Littlefield, in their old family home on Meadow Island, Maine, a house that has fallen into disrepair since their father’s untimely death several years earlier.When a massive blizzard hits the state one Saturday afternoon, Bennie, Littlefield, and a crew of roughneck war-game enthusiasts decide to play paintball at the local granite quarry. Bennie accidentally falls into a gully, landing in the hospital, and wonders if his life can get any worse. But when one of the players disappears during the storm and Littlefield becomes the main suspect in the disappearance, Bennie realizes that the game might have had much higher stakes. Then Littlefield takes off without a word of explanation, forcing Bennie to seriously question his loyalty to his enigmatic brother. With the guidance of his intrepid girlfriend, Helen, and his twin sister, Gwen, Bennie goes looking for answers, embarking on a journey that brings him closer to a truth he may not want to discover. What he finds will change his family and his life forever.Written in prose as arresting and spare as the novel’s rural Maine setting, Lewis Robinson’s Water Dogs is a marvel of modern fiction, a book rich in empathy that follows one man’s path through the uncertainties of youth and loss toward self-discovery.

Dandy Delivers


M. Louisa Locke - 2018
    Ian Hennessey, a poor boy from South of Market, who is trying to shoulder a man’s responsibilities, gets in trouble, and his best friend, Jamie Hewitt, does what he can to help. But it is Jamie’s young Boston Terrier, Dandy, who saves the day. This short novella comes right after the events in Pilfered Promises and Kathleen Catches a Killer but can act as an introduction to the late 19th century gas-lit world of Locke’s historical mystery series.

Anne Perry's Merry Mysteries: Two Victorian Holiday Novels


Anne Perry - 2015
      A Christmas Hope   “Very much recommended . . . a wonderful story.”—Historical Novel Review   Claudine Burroughs dreads the holiday season. She feels she has nothing in common with her circle of wealthy, status-minded friends, and the only time she’s remotely happy is when she is volunteering at a women’s clinic, a job her husband strongly disapproves of. When Claudine meets a charming poet at a Yuletide gala, her spirits are finally lifted—until he is accused of killing a fellow guest. Believing in his innocence, Claudine vows to do her utmost to help. But it seems that hypocritical London society would rather send an innocent man to the gallows than expose the shocking truth about one of their own.   A New York Christmas   “A perfect present for [Anne Perry’s] readers.”—RT Book Reviews   Jemima Pitt, the daughter of Thomas Pitt, head of Britain’s Special Branch, is crossing the Atlantic for the first time. Her companion, Delphinia Cardew, is to marry in a grand Manhattan affair that will join together two fabulously wealthy families. But a shadow darkens the occasion: Missing from the festivities is Delphinia’s disgraced mother—and the groom’s charismatic brother has asked Jemima to help him find her and forestall the scandal that will surely follow if the prodigal parent turns up at the wedding. From Hell’s Kitchen to Fifth Avenue, from the Lower East Side to Central Park, Jemima trudges through snowy streets, asking questions but getting few answers—and never suspecting that she is walking into mortal danger.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Murder Your Darlings


J.J. Murphy - 2011
    A little early for a passed out drunk, isn't it? But he's not dead drunk, just dead. When a charming writer from Mississippi named Billy Faulkner becomes a suspect in the murder, Dorothy decides to dabble in a little detective work, enlisting her literary cohorts. It's up to the Algonquins to outwit the true culprit-preferably before cocktail hour-and before the clever killer turns the tables on them.

Christmas at The Grange


T.E. Kinsey - 2017
    They are invited to the festivities up at The Grange, as guests of Sir Hector and Lady Farley-Stroud.But barely have corks been popped and parlour games played when a mysterious crime comes to light. Someone has broken in while the revellers were distracted and made off with a priceless pearl necklace. Lady Hardcastle and Flo are determined to catch the thief—but with so many Christmas guests encamped at The Grange, is it possible that the felon is hiding in plain sight?With the clues stacking up, Lady Hardcastle bears down on her culprit. But just as the pieces come together, it begins to look as if there is something more devious afoot at The Grange…

Clifton Manor - Episode One


Victoria Spencer - 2014
    But as Anna Holden is about to discover, it is a house not only steeped in history, but in secrets as well… Upon her arrival as the new assistant cook, Anna discovers that a thousand mysteries await her. What lies beyond the heavily padlocked door the other servants do their best to avoid? Who has Lady Clifton been speaking to in such hushed, surreptitious tones? What is the cause of the misfortune running rampant amongst the staff? And why does George Winston, the eligible bachelor of the family, seem more taken with Anna than he does the proper ladies his mother parades before him? Despite her station in life, Anna can’t seem to put these questions out of her mind. As the pieces fall into place around her, she wonders: how long will it be until her own secrets are revealed? Author's note: As you will have noticed, this book is referred to as “Episode One” which may sound like a slightly unusual subtitle for a book. The idea is that there will be six episodes per “season” of this story and I will keep writing it for as long as I have stories to tell in the Clifton Manor universe. I love reading books in the same way I watch TV shows—regular bursts of short, digestible content. This style is not for everyone, but I hope some of you like it and keep reading. I will be releasing episodes of Clifton Manor on a regular basis so you should never have to wait too long for you next fix.

Murder on the SS Rosa


Lee Strauss - 2017
    When the ship’s captain is found dead, Ginger is only too happy to lend her assistance to the handsome Chief Inspector Basil Reed.The SS Rosa delivers a convincing array of suspects - the wife, the mistress, a jealous crew mate. To Ginger’s dismay, her name has been added to the list! With a little help from Ginger’s dog Boss, Ginger and Haley navigate the clues (those wartime operative skills come in handy.) They must solve the case and clear Ginger’s name before they dock–and oh, whatever shall she wear!

Greyhound at the Gravesite: A Humorous Cozy Mystery for Animal Lovers


Kyla Colby - 2018
     Samantha Hodges is ready to get as far away from crime reporting as possible — especially after what happened in Chicago. Writing for the paper in her pets-obsessed hometown will be easy. Except that she’s not really into animals. And her first interviewee turns up dead. Sam must solve the murder to clear her name — all while attending Dog Zumba class with a new four-legged sidekick like it’s no big deal. If Sam’s going to uncover the dark side of her hometown, she’ll have to embrace the lighter side of life to do it. “Greyhound at the Gravesite” is a new cozy mystery. This novel is lighthearted, fast-paced, and full of quirky characters you can’t wait to meet again. ☆ Free novella — “Catnip & Culprits” — included in purchase! ☆ Scroll up and click Buy Now!

City of Shadows


Ariana Franklin - 2006
    . . . An eastern émigré with scars and secrets of her own. . . . A young woman claiming to be a Russian grand duchess. . . . A brazen killer, as vicious as he is clever. . . . A detective driven by decency and the desire for justice.. . . A nightmare political movement steadily gaining power. . . .This is 1922 Berlin.One of the troubled city's growing number of refugees, Esther Solomonova survives by working as secretary to the charming, unscrupulous cabaret owner "Prince" Nick, and she's being drawn against her will into his scheme to pass a young asylum patient off as Anastasia, the last surviving heir to the murdered czar of all Russia. But their found "princess," Anna Anderson, fears that she's being hunted—and this may turn out to be more than paranoia when innocent people all around her begin to die.

It's a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod Murder


Rosemary Martin - 2005
    Getting in on the British invasion, her boss at Rip City Records has signed up Philip Royal and the Beefeaters. But when Bebe and her stewardess roommate Darlene go to meet two members of the band for a fab night out, they find Philip dead, electrocuted with his own guitar. Even worse, the fuzz suspect Darlene. So, it's up to Bebe to abandon her Jackie Kennedy-inspired suits and venture into the smoky nightclubs of Greenwich Village, delving into the dark side of the swinging city to expose a killer.

The Lord Peter Wimsey Collection 3: Murder Must Advertise / The Nine Tailors / Busman's Honeymoon


Dorothy L. Sayers - 2004
      A gentleman needs hobbies. For Lord Peter Wimsey—a Great War veteran with a touch of shell shock—collecting rare books, sampling fine wines, and catching criminals are all most pleasant diversions. In these Golden Age whodunits, “Lord Peter can hardly be spared from the ranks of the great detectives of the printed page” (The New York Times).  Murder Must Advertise: The iron staircase at Pym’s Publicity is a deathtrap, so no one in the advertising agency is surprised when Victor Dean tumbles down it, cracking his skull. His replacement arrives just a few days later—a green copywriter named Death Bredon. Though he displays a surprising talent for selling margarine, alarm clocks, and nerve tonics, Bredon is not really there to write copy. He is, in fact, Lord Peter Wimsey, come in search of the man who pushed Dean.  The Nine Tailors: During their stay in the countryside, Lord Peter and his manservant Bunter encounter hospitality, dinner, and an invitation from the local rector to go bell ringing to welcome the New Year. They also encounter murder, a mutilated corpse, and a decades-old jewel theft for which locals continue to die. In this land where bells toll for the dead, the ancient chimes never seem to stop.  Gaudy Night: When mystery novelist and acquitted murder suspect Harriet Vane returns to Oxford for her college reunion, she finds that her troubles are far greater than a damaged reputation. The first poison-pen letter calls her a “dirty murderess,” and those that follow are no kinder. As the threats become more frightening, she calls on Wimsey for help. Among the dons of Oxford lurks a killer, but it will take more than a superior education to outwit the gentleman sleuth and his ladylove.  Busman’s Holiday: A murderer kills the mood for newlyweds Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane on their honeymoon, when they discover the house’s caretaker bludgeoned to death in the manor’s basement. In a house full of suspects, the only thing harder than finding the killer will be finding time to be alone.

Design for Dying


Renee Patrick - 2016
    Lillian Frost has traded dreams of stardom for security as a department store salesgirl . . . until she discovers she’s a suspect in the murder of her former roommate, Ruby Carroll. Party girl Ruby died wearing a gown she stole from the wardrobe department at Paramount Pictures, domain of Edith Head.Edith has yet to win the first of her eight Academy Awards; right now she’s barely hanging on to her job, and a scandal is the last thing she needs. To clear Lillian’s name and save Edith’s career, the two women join forces.Unraveling the mystery pits them against a Hungarian princess on the lam, a hotshot director on the make, and a private investigator who’s not on the level. All they have going for them are dogged determination, assists from the likes of Bob Hope and Barbara Stanwyck, and a killer sense of style. In show business, that just might be enough.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes


Arthur Conan Doyle - 1894
    Volume 2. Introduction / by Loren D. Estleman --The hound of the Baskervilles --The valley of fear --His last bow : The adventure of Wisteria Lodge : The singular experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles ; The tiger of San Pedro ; The adventure of the cardboard box ; The adventure of the red circle ; The adventure of the Bruce-Partington plans ; The adventure of the dying detective ; The disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax ; The adventure of the devil's foot ; His last bow --The case-book of Sherlock Holmes : The adventure of the illustrious client ; The adventure of the blanched soldier ; The adventure of the Mazarin stone ; The adventure of the three gables ; The adventure of the Sussex vampire ; The adventure of the three Garridebs ; The problem of Thor Bridge ; The adventure of the creeping man ; The adventure of the lion's mane ; The adventure of the veiled lodger ; The adventure of Shoscombe old place ; The adventure of the retired colourman.