Book picks similar to
Brother Cadfael: Pilgrim of Hate / Dead Man's Ransom / One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
historical-fiction
read-elsewhere
crime-thriller
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Box Full of Treasure, Palmyrton Estate Sale Mysteries Books 1-3
S.W. Hubbard - 2019
Audrey Nealon, owner of Another Man's Treasure Estate Sales, gets paid to do just that. And amidst the antiques, jewelry, and collectibles, she invariably finds clues to unsolved mysteries of the past. And baffling murders in the present. Join Audrey and her delightful crew--tough Ty, ditzy Jill, and loyal Ethel the rescue dog--as they solve three twisty mysteries: Another Man's Treasure On a snowy Christmas Eve, a beautiful young mother goes out to buy a few last minute gifts...and never returns. Thirty years later, her daughter Audrey picks up her trail when she find's her mother's ring in a client's attic. Relentlessly, Audrey pursues clues to her family’s troubled history. Because the truth will set her free…unless it gets her killed. Treasure of Darkness What lies buried in a hoarder's house--precious treasure or ghastly secrets? Audrey digs through a hoarder's obsessions, and unleashes a vengeful response from all sides--the hoarder's angry neighbors, his alienated family, and the police. The house has destroyed lives in the past. Will Audrey and those she loves--her friends, her father, and even her dog--be its next victims? This Bitter Treasure Deception and heartbreak stalk Audrey when she accepts a lucrative job clearing a dying invalid's home. As Audrey uncovers more about the family's tortured past, she begins to doubt her own perceptions of the elusive people who surround her in the house. And when a murderer strikes, Audrey's sense of justice compels her to defend the defenseless, no matter the risk to herself. Get a glimpse into the word of estate sales and learn fun facts about art, antiques, and collectibles. Plot twists, witty dialogue, and believable characters will keep you reading all night.
The Complete Detective Jeff Temple - five box set
James Raven - 2020
. . then gets murdered, and you’re the number one suspect. For family man Danny Cain, this isn’t just a nightmare scenario. It’s a reality. And now the true killer has Danny’s wife and daughter in his sights. Can Detective Jeff Temple uncover his identity before it’s too late?BOOK 2: URBAN MYTHAmerican Jack Keaton brings his wife and kids to the New Forest for what he hopes will be the trip of a lifetime. But their destination is the holiday home from hell. They soon realise that something terrible is afoot in the house. Can Detective Jeff Temple, hunting down a brutal killer, discover its chilling secrets?BOOK 3: RANDOM TARGETSA sniper launches a series of deadly attacks on Britain’s motorways, striking in the dark during rush hour and causing total carnage. No one knows who he is, or why he’s doing it, but, as the death toll rises, fear grips the nation. Can DCI Jeff Temple bring his killing spree to an end?BOOK 4: DYING WISHAuthor Grant Mason makes a shocking death-bed wish. He wants his beautiful house burned down. Elsewhere DCI Temple faces his most disturbing case yet, hunting for a missing young couple. What will Temple and his team find buried in the forest? And will they wish they’d left it to lie hidden forever?BOOK 5: THE BLOGGERBeth Fletcher comes home to find a body lying on her doorstep: her fiancé Daniel Prince. Daniel was a powerful online activist with a controversial blog. He wasn’t short of enemies and no one believes his death was suicide. They killed her man. Will they come for Beth next? DCI Temple must solve the case before she plays the ultimate price.
Lynchpin: The Best Laid Schemes of Mice and Men
Siddharth Maheshwari - 2021
A sinister plan, of a shrewd calculating mastermind, has set the wheels of doom in motion. He is now pulling the lynchpins across the country and making it fall into disarray. He is using everyone in his path to achieve his goals. Within thirty days he intends to control the nation’s soul. As chaos grips the country, it’s a race against time for DSP Ranbir Roy of the Intelligence Bureau and Inspector Vikram Aditya Singh to stop him before anarchy dooms the country. The pieces are set, the board is laid out but what happens when your own pawns move against you? What will be the end game?
A Single To Filey: A DCI Tony Forward Novel
Michael Murray - 2015
His latest production for the Sandleton-on-Sea Players is "The Cherry Orchard". It's nearly midnight and he still hasn't completed the dress rehearsal. Then duty calls: a man with fatal head injuries has been discovered in a remote bay on the East Yorkshire coast. The man's name is Mark Coulson and he's the Headteacher of a local primary school. But no-one seems able to explain why this respectable, professional man was at such an isolated spot so late at night. His wife is the most mystified of all. Why were Mr Coulson's pockets empty? Sergeant Wilmott believes robbery was the motive. But if the killer had stolen Coulson's car keys why is his car still parked nearby? Was Mr Coulson murdered by a jealous boyfriend or husband? That's what DC Diane Griffiths thinks. But Mr Coulson's Chair of Governors says he was a boring man whose only interest was his work. With such a baffling case to solve how can DCI Forward find time for "The Cherry Orchard"?
The Abbey Close
Steven Veerapen - 2018
Sampson, S.J. Parris and Rory Clements."A superb, page-turning debut. The author balances gimlet-eyed research with narrative drive and clever reveals... Danforth is a strong yet torn central character... I look forward to reading the second book in the series." Richard Foreman.Steven Veerapen was born in Glasgow and raised in Paisley. Pursuing an interest in the sixteenth century, he was awarded a first-class Honours degree in English, focussing his dissertation on representations of Henry VIII’s six wives. He then received a Masters in Renaissance studies, and a Ph.D. investigating Elizabethan slander. The Abbey Close represents his first foray into fictional writing. Steven is fascinated by the glamour and ghastliness of life in the 1500s, and has a penchant for myths, mysteries and murders in an age in which the law was as slippery as those who defied it.
Nowhere Man: Another John Pickett Novella
Sheri Cobb South - 2020
As weeks go by with no responses to his newspaper advertisement, he has taken to spending his days wandering idly about London rather than admit his failure to his beloved wife Julia, the former Lady Fieldhurst.One day, while loitering amidst the crowds thronging the Covent Garden market, he wonders morosely if it might have been better had he not been born at all. Then he sees one of his former colleagues and, in an attempt to make a discreet exit, contrives instead to knock himself unconscious.He awakens to discover that his Bow Street colleague doesn’t seem to remember him, and after staggering back home to Curzon Street, he finds someone else living in the house where he lived with Julia. But still greater surprises are in store for Pickett as he attempts to navigate his way through a world in which he never existed…With a wink and a nod to Frank Capra’s classic film IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, NOWHERE MAN offers an alternate version of many of the earlier entries in the John Pickett mystery series.
Dirty
Robert White - 2013
He is the enemy.Stewart hatches a plan to destroy the evidence against him, but what he finds inside those files, is evidence of a vile paedophile ring operating under McCauley’s nose.Now three people are dead and Dave Stewart is the prime suspect.
Death of a Flapper
Nancy Warren - 2020
When the dowdy reporter is sent to interview a famous fashion designer she wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake. But Abby finds herself in the middle of a hard news story when her despised stepmother is murdered in the couture house. Even worse, Inspector Henri Deschamps believes she’s the prime suspect.With only high school French to defend herself, Abby’s in despair until a chance meeting with young reporter Ernest Hemingway convinces her to use her skills and clear her name by finding the real murderer.With help from new friends like Hemingway and Coco Chanel, Abby is transformed into a Parisian sensation. Can she enjoy her new bobbed hairstyle before losing her head? Because the French still punish murderers with the guillotine…
Fall From Lace
Emily Claire - 2021
Everyone knows it, from her dearest friends within the Spinsters’ Sewing Circle to her most distant acquaintances within the parish.So when the beloved new curate turns up dead the night before Valentine’s Day, stabbed through the heart with Lydia’s own knitting needle, not even Lydia’s closest friends expect her to do more than cry and perhaps arrange a luncheon after the funeral service. After all, the tragedy was only a robbery gone wrong, and how could any vicar’s daughter hope to bring the long-gone thief to justice?
But Lydia can’t shake the feeling that this crime was somehow personal. The clues suggest the curate was murdered for some terrible purpose, and everyone at the house party seems to have a motive. Was it the high-born lady whose charitable endeavors are at risk? The beautiful young lady of the house who's hiding an agonizing secret? Her mother, who had every reason to want the curate gone? Or even the butler, whose private life is more scandalous than it seems?
And that’s to say nothing of handsome Mr. Pemberton, a notorious gambler and infuriating flirt from London who seems equally likely to have killed the curate and to drive Lydia to commit a murder herself.
This cozy, romantic Regency murder mystery—full of strong female friendships, gripping twists and turns, and witty repartee sharper than a knitting needle—is sure to delight fans of Jane Austen, Lynn Messina, and Patricia C. Wrede.
The Nell Sweeney Historical Mysteries
P.B. Ryan - 2011
Ryan’s bestselling historical mysteries, originally published by Berkley Prime Crime. Set in post-Civil War Boston, the series features Irish-born governess Nell Sweeney and opium-smoking former battle surgeon Will Hewitt. Book #1, Still Life with Murder, a #1 national bestseller - Long thought to have died during the Civil War, Will is arrested for murder, and it's up to Nell to prove his innocence. “P.B. Ryan makes a stunning debut with Still Life with Murder...I can’t wait for the next installment.” Bestselling author Victoria Thompson Book #2, Murder in a Mill Town, a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award – “When Viola Hewitt needs help locating two missing people, she turns to Nell. Working with Viola’s son Will, an opium addict who knows his way around the back alleys and gambling dens, Nell finds the two murdered, and all evidence points to Will’s brother Harry as the killer... Ryan creates characters you care about and a plot that holds your interest as you try to unmask the killer. Lively and intriguing, this is a fast-paced, wonderful read.” RT BookReviews Book #3, Death on Beacon Hill – “Sick at the slander that says his niece murdered Virginia Kimball, Brady, a driver for the wealthy Hewitts, asks Nell Sweeney to investigate her death... with the help of the Hewitt’s black sheep son, Will... Death on Beacon Hill continues Ms. Ryan’s excellent Nell Sweeney series. The rich characterization and her strong evocation of place, coupled with a well-plotted tale, make for a rich story. Add a clever conclusion and Ms. Ryan delivers a fascinating read.” Fresh Fiction Book # 4, Murder on Black Friday – “When the bodies of two [wealthy] men... are found, it’s assumed that they committed suicide over their financial losses. But when Harvard professor and forensic scientist Will Hewitt autopsies the victims, he discovers that [one] was murdered.... He turns to governess Nell Sweeney, who understands the world of the rich and how their power can be used to hide their secrets.... Not only does Ryan provide readers with a tightly wound, suspenseful novel peopled with multidimensional characters, she writes about an era whose problems mirror our own. This is a historical period she knows and brings to life so clearly that readers are totally immersed. Nell is an ideal heroine: smart, intrepid and human. Be on the lookout for her return.” RT BookReviews Book #5, Murder in the North End – Nell and Will infiltrate the worst neighborhood in Boston to keep Det. Colin Cook from being framed for murder. “Plucky Nell and her helpmate Will are well-developed characters who are likeable and smart. The cast of supporting characters in this book is colorful and well drawn, making the book an easy read. All of the books in this series are enjoyable; Murder in the North End is no exception.... I eagerly await the next Gilded Age mystery.” Cozy Library Book #6, A Bucket of Ashes – Nell and a wounded Will reunite on Cape Cod to investigate the death of her long-lost brother. “As always, the author excels at setting the scene, evoking the time and place by use of the day-to-day details as well as historical events... This has been a gorgeously written series, populated with unique and unforgettable characters. I’m truly sorry to see it end, and will, no doubt, be re-reading these keepers.” CA Reviews About the Author: Patricia Ryan, a.k.a. P.B. Ryan, is the USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including the #1 national bestseller Still Life with Murder. Pat's books have garnered rave reviews and been published in over twenty countries.
The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay
Julie Brooks - 2021
England, 1919: Rose and Ivy board a ship bound for Australia.One is travelling there to marry a man she has never met.One is destined never to arrive.Australia, 2016: Amongst her late-grandmother's possessions, Molly uncovers a photograph of two girls dressed in First World War nurses' uniforms, labelled 'Rose and Ivy 1917', and a letter from her grandmother, asking her to find out what happened to her own mother, Rose, who disappeared in the 1960s.Compelled to carry out her grandmother's last wish, Molly embarks on a journey to England to unravel the mystery of the two girls whose photograph promised they'd be 'together forever'...
The President's Shadow - Free Preview
Brad Meltzer - 2015
. .
THE PRESIDENT'S SHADOW
There are stories no one knows. Hidden stories. I find those stories for a living.
To most, it looks like Beecher White has an ordinary job. A young staffer with the National Archives in Washington, D.C., he's responsible for safekeeping the government's most important documents . . . and, sometimes, its most closely held secrets.
But there are a powerful few who know his other role. Beecher is a member of the Culper Ring, a 200-year-old secret society founded by George Washington and charged with protecting the Presidency.Now the current occupant of the White House needs the Culper Ring's help. The alarming discovery of the buried arm has the President's team in a rightful panic. Who buried the arm? How did they get past White House security? And most important: What's the message hidden in the arm's closed fist? Indeed, the puzzle inside has a clear intended recipient, and it isn't the President. It's Beecher, himself.
Beecher's investigation will take him back to one of our country's greatest secrets and point him toward the long, carefully hidden truth about the most shocking history of all: family history.
A Grave Gala (Sugar Martin Vintage Cozy Mysteries Book 2)
Shéa MacLeod - 2019
With some reluctance, she joins the rest of the glamorous attendees on the veranda for cocktails and dancing until the gala turns grave indeed when one of the guests is murdered. With the sure knowledge there’s a killer among them, Sugar sets out to unearth the secrets that led to the death of a peer of the realm. With the help of a grumpy corgi and a handsome Englishman, she’s on the hunt for a cold-blooded killer and she won’t stop until she gets her man! The second book in the Sugar Martin Vintage Cozy Mysteries set in post-WW2 England.
The Hawaiians: by Steve Stelle
Steve Stelle - 2014
When a group of young Americans jump ship and start the first surf camp in a downtrodden and practically deserted Waikiki, Head Missionary Hiram Bingham becomes apoplectic with rage. A cast of memorable characters fill this novel with many plot twists and ideas that are as relevant today as they were almost two hundred years ago. In 1824 sixteen year old, orphaned William Goode was put aboard ship in New Orleans as an apprentice seaman against his will. A young man with unique abilites, he began an adventure that took him to Hawaii, forging friendships and making enemies along the way. Spanning more than a decade, this fast paced narrative is written in a blend of James Michener and James Patterson, full of accurate history and a rousing ensemble of characters presented in a page turning style. The Calvinist missionaries want to make sure no one is having any fun while William and his friends just want to work their little farm of taro patches and fish ponds and go surfing free from religious oppression. From the beaches of early Waikiki to the chilly winters of Boston, this novel moves back and forth, around the Horn and across the vast Pacific, with enterprising surfers, a beautiful Hawaiian princess, runaway slaves, and a renegade priest. You will fall in love with Hawaii, fall in love with the characters, and see Hawaiian history in a whole new way.
The Forensic Genealogist Series: The America Ground / The Spyglass File / The Missing Man
Nathan Dylan Goodwin - 2017
But he is then presented with a case that challenges his research skills in his quest to find the killer of a woman murdered more than one hundred and eighty years ago. Thoughts of his own family history are quickly and violently pushed to one side as Morton rushes to complete his investigation before other sinister elements succeed in derailing the case. The Spyglass File: Morton Farrier was no longer at the top of his game. His forensic genealogy career was faltering and he was refusing to accept any new cases, preferring instead to concentrate on locating his own elusive biological father. Yet, when a particular case presents itself, that of finding the family of a woman abandoned in the midst of the Battle of Britain, Morton is compelled to help her to unravel her past. Using all of his genealogical skills, he soon discovers that the case is connected to The Spyglass File—a secretive document which throws up links which threaten to disturb the wrongdoings of others, who would rather its contents, as well as their actions, remain hidden forever. The Missing Man: It was to be the most important case of Morton Farrier’s career in forensic genealogy so far. A case that had eluded him for many years: finding his own father. Harley ‘Jack’ Jacklin disappeared just six days after a fatal fire at his Cape Cod home on Christmas Eve in 1976, leaving no trace behind. Now his son, Morton must travel to the East Coast of America to unravel the family’s dark secrets in order to discover what happened to him.