and newly promoted Detective Inspector Stella Cole catches her first murder. An intruder has murdered the husband of a glamorous older lady who turns out to have an interesting past.As Stella investigates, pieces of the puzzle come together but then fly apart and she’s left wondering how she’s going to solve the case.Her boss is putting her under pressure to clear it ‘for the statistics’ and steering her towards the burglar-disturbed-in-the-act story.But then, as she grabs some time with her husband, a shocking revelation shows her what might have really happened.

    Will Madeleine Hart discover the horrors hidden below, before it's too late?Bestselling writer Madeleine Hart has run away from her life in London and abusive ex Connor. Crumbling Lakeview Hall in the Armboth Valley, abandoned decades earlier, is the perfect Lakeland hideaway for Maddy to make a fresh start, finish her book and disappear from the world.But strange things start to happen. The house is too big and the fear that Connor has tracked her down soon becomes a terrifying reality. Enlisting the help of Seth, who runs the village pub to help solve the mystery of what's happening in the unloved mansion, she doesn't realise that the past and the present are about to collide in a fight to survive.

    

    A modern-day family researcher. Can she solve the century old puzzle of a racehorse trainer’s death and his wife’s disappearance?Ireland, 1891. Rosalind Thornton only wants to be a perfect mother and spouse. Happy at first to have given her husband the son he longed for, she begins to worry about his increasingly erratic spending and volatile moods. And when his body turns up in the local woods, her guilt remains in question for 130 years…2019. Fiona Foley needs to put her husband’s betrayal behind her. Offered a chance to get away and recover, the disillusioned history teacher travels to an old rambling house on the sweeping Wexford coast to assist an eccentric descendant of the Thornton family. Fending off a prying journalist intent on digging up dirt, Fiona finds herself in a race to uncover the truth.As the two women separately untangle a devastating plot, only an old journal full of riddles might be the key to solving the crime.Can Fiona figure out what really happened on the fateful night Rosalind disappeared forever?The Family Shadow is a gripping historical mystery novel. If you like long-buried secrets, dual timeline suspense, and surprising twists and turns, then you’ll love Suzanne Winterly’s evocative page-turner.

    

    THE PERFECT READ THIS CHRISTMAS TIME! In this collection of short stories we make a return trip to the Loire, catching up with old friends and finding out what life has had in store for Anna and Daniel, Grace and Max, and Ruby and Rosie.After visiting all of your favourite characters it's time to meet a brand new family in A Christmas Tale, an extra story written especially for the holiday season.Barbara and Ned are spending the festivities away from their children and rather unruly grandchildren, relaxing in their wintry countryside home whilst avoiding the hustle and bustle of Christmas in England.Despite escaping to France, both know they have a special task to perform, keeping a solemn promise and saying goodbye to loved ones, once and for all.This is a magical tale, recaptures the innocence of childhood Christmases, embracing the spirit of the season and accepting the precious gift of abiding love. *** This book was previously published under the title Return Journeys

    Parker’s biting humor. Set in Los Angeles, the critically acclaimed and award winning Burnside Series delivers clever plots, crackling dialogue and fascinating characters! The 3 Novels In the next Burnside Mystery Series, Books 7-9 (Box Set # 3) Include: DOUBLE PASS TAMPA TWO FLEA FLICKER DOUBLE PASS (Book 7): Funds have been stolen from an elite Pasadena private school, and after bringing in P.I. Burnside to investigate, he uncovers far more. In addition to finding a tangled web of long-held secrets, a seemingly straightforward case of embezzlement suddenly evolves into a brutal series of killings. From seething rivalries to old resentments to sordid affairs, many suspects have a shady past to hide -- and a desperate reason to commit a capital crime. And through it all, a sordid betrayal from Burnside's own past continues to haunt him, waiting for an opportune moment to materialize. Double Pass leads readers down a trail of theft, murder and deceit, with sharply honed banter and strikingly original characters. It is a tightly written story that is loaded with both suspense and humor, as well as some jaw-dropping surprises! TAMPA TWO (Book 8): The teenage runaway who P.I. Burnside arrested a decade earlier for prostitution has returned to L.A. – and trouble is following her. Burnside made an enormous mistake in helping her, and he wound up losing his job as an LAPD officer as a result, along with his honor and reputation. But Judy has returned, and is desperate for Burnside’s help. Her life is in jeopardy, and she tries to persuade him to accompany her into a dangerous situation. While Burnside isn’t fooled this time, she still manages to involve him, and he quickly becomes a person of interest in a grizzly Santa Monica homicide. Tampa Two continues to showcase Burnside at his wise-cracking best, exchanging quips with an assortment of terrific characters. This well-crafted novel is the embodiment of the classic Southern California noir mystery. It is set against a Los Angeles backdrop, a city that many think they know, but few really do. With sharply honed dialogue and a compelling plot, this is a riveting story that is both captivating, and laugh-out-loud funny! FLEA FLICKER (Book 9): When a young football coach doesn’t come home one night, his beautiful young wife turns to Private Investigator Burnside to locate him. But things are not the way they seem in this marvelous page-turner, and a simple missing persons case evolves into a shocking murder. There are no shortage of suspects in this intricately woven story, and P.I. Burnside must overcome the many obstacles in his path to get to the truth that no one seems eager to learn. The 9th Burnside novel is a treat to read, as the story brings back some fascinating characters from Burnside’s past – as well as adding a host of new ones. And it wouldn’t be a Burnside novel without the smart mouthed gumshoe engaging in the sharp and cutting banter that has come to define this award-winning series. Read the entire Burnside Mystery Series: Book 1: POST PATTERN Book 2: FADE ROUTE Book 3: BUBBLE SCREEN Book 4: SAFETY VALVE Book 5: CORNER BLITZ Book 6: NICKEL PACKAGE Book 7

    But now there’s another kind of trouble brewing in the Lucky Ace Casino. Her winning streak at blackjack hasn’t gone unnoticed and Owen Rockford, head of casino security, has been dogging her every move. She wants to cut and run, but not when it means sacrificing the only friend she’s had in a long time.Owen Rockford has his own demons from his past military life and the woman that betrayed him. He’s not about to let that happen again, so when the gorgeous redhead who caught his eye in the casino turns out to be a suspect in a card-cheating ring, he’s more than happy to prosecute her like any other criminal.But it soon becomes clear that nothing is as it seems. When the stakes become deadly, Alison is forced to make the biggest gamble of all- one that could cost her her heart ... not to mention her life.

    Lizzie Browne moves from London to a small town on the coast, looking forward to a quiet life, but when she finds a murdered patient on her first day it seems that perhaps Stibbington is not so quiet after all. DCI Adam Maguire, and colleague Steve Grayson, haven’t been challenged by a case for a long time, and welcome this break from their normal routine, except that there seems to be no apparent motive for anyone to kill a harmless young drop-out. When a second body, similar to the first, is found in Lizzie’s garden she is drawn into Adam’s investigation against her will, and against her better judgment her quiet life is riven with tension and conflict.

    Who is the demon stalking the streets of London? Lady Agatha takes matters in hand, ably supported by golf fanatic friend, Betty Stevens, former school hockey captain, ‘Sausage’ Gossage and Talleyrand, her unlucky-in-love Basset hound.

    

    What could possibly go wrong? Eve Lloyd has closed the Seabreeze Inn for the holidays. She is all set to entertain her friends and hold her first Christmas party at the now empty inn. She has even written a note to herself: Make this the best Christmas ever! Embracing the spirit of Christmas, she is singing Christmas carols and decking the halls… But then, her aunt Mira receives bad news. Determined to cheer her up, Eve goes in search of the tiny marshmallows her aunt loves. This is nothing but a slight detour… Or so she thinks. Her first Christmas at her inn, in her idyllic little island town is about to be derailed when a body is found floating face down, practically on her doorstep.

     Yet a dark shadow casts its presence over each trip – 28 years ago Annabel’s Aunt Hilary was brutally murdered on a similar holiday when Annabel was just a toddler. With no one found guilty, the subject has been hushed away and is now taboo on their trips. When an over-zealous journalist starts digging around the murder, the suspicion and guilt in Annabel’s family comes back to the surface. Annabel starts researching into the truth, and the discovery of her much-maligned French mother Monique’s diary reveals some alarming details. With the added pressure of her marriage struggling and a series of anonymous phone calls, Annabel is drawn into the middle of a dark family secret. ‘Past Shadows’ is another absorbing murder mystery from crime thriller author Anthea Fraser. Praise for Anthea Fraser: “A superbly crafted, riveting, page-turner of a read" - Booklist “Ms Fraser is her dependable elegant, guileful self withholding the killer's identity till a dying fall" - Sunday Times “A well-mannered, well-plotted and well-told story” - Birmingham Post “Sympathetic, well-executed book, in which full attention is paid to human feelings and failings” - Yorkshire Post “Anthea Fraser is a worthy follower of the traditional whodunit system...The plot is sustained throughout, and her artistic detective who literally "draws conclusions" is an original character.” - Sunderland Echo Anthea Fraser has written all her life but did not begin to take it seriously until after marriage, when she found herself at home with two small daughters and embarked on a correspondence course with the London School of Journalism. She wrote short stories before turning to novels of the supernatural, and then to crime. Her novels include ‘The Seven Stars’, ‘The Ten Commandments’, ‘Death Speaks Softly’ and ‘Pretty Maids All in a Row’.

    Now, a detective in the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Jackie has dedicated her life to helping those who can’t help themselves.The Becker family is just one in a long-line of cases Jackie is working. She fears that history will repeat itself, and sees herself in their young daughter who is witness to her parents constant fighting. But more important to Jackie is her own sister, Melissa. Jackie fears that Melissa’s “perfect” husband is hiding a dark side. Melissa denies she’s being abused, and resents Jackie for causing friction in her family, but Jackie sees the signs and will not stop until she finds the truth.But Jackie doesn’t see what’s coming next, and she fears her own dark impulses. Everyone has a breaking point …. has she reached hers?* * *Mirror Mirror was originally published in a charity anthology. This revised version also includes an expanded ending and author letter.