But his deductive abilities will be put to the test when he’s called on to detect philatelic forgeries at Thwaites, one of the city’s great auction houses. The recently knighted cat also finds time to coach a croquet team, oversee rehearsals of a sequel to Cats, and help deliver a baby. Not to be outdone by cheesy actors or blundering attorneys, he makes his film debut and testifies in a criminal trial at the Old Bailey. But he has a special place in his heart for St. James’s Palace, the address he longs to call home. This delightful sequel to James the Connoisseur will prove irresistible catnip for feline lovers.

    She very quickly discovers that the birth certificate she has had for thirty years is for a baby who died at the age of four months old and is not in fact her own. Her apparently happy middle class upbringing is a myth and her parents had a dark secret. With Pete Laundon’s help Lisa sets about discovering the truth. Assuming she is adopted she follows up all possible routes, until with no options left she goes to the newspaper for help. After 30 years, who if anyone knows the truth?

    1948: an unknown woman at the wedding of a miner’s daughter to a decorated war hero. 1943: a pale US airman, behind him Mary Mine, a drab-painted warplane destined to crash in flames. 1936: a handsome teenager, arm thrust in fascist salute as his black-uniformed idol struts through the East End of London. What is the link between these people? And what are their legacies? Introducing Jane Madden, an ex-police detective trying to build a new life after illness and divorce. She is commissioned not to solve an ancestral mystery, but to find one. Together with a reclusive but brilliant friend, she discovers murder, treachery and corruption as she unearths family ties that have been deliberately broken and buried. Torn between truth and justice, and haunted by an image from her own childhood, she tries to make good the lies of yesterday. A story of abandonment, obsession, one-sided love and the nature of inheritance.

     Twenty-eight year old Lucas Landry, a Sacramento, California native, is a counseling psychologist specializing in drug abuse treatment, yet couldn’t save his own opioid-addicted father. His feelings about his father and his death get complicated when he discovers his father hid many secrets about their ancestry from Lucas and his brother. Lucas embarks on a journey to find answers: What secrets had his father hidden, who are the Landrys, and where did they come from? Are Lucas and his estranged brother destined to repeat their ancestors’ mistakes? A hidden attic in Lucas’s father’s old Victorian house is a goldmine of memorabilia and clues from the past, clues which seem to lead to Nazi Germany and the former Sudetenland, breadcrumbs to other lives. Ten year old Christa Nagel is an ethnic German living in the Sudetenland near the Polish border in 1943 with her parents and five younger siblings. When her father is conscripted into the Wehrmacht, leaving Christa and family alone to fend for themselves, she is horrified and worried for him. After a while, though, she’s not sure which is worse, fighting in the war or trying to keep their family together and safe. When the war ends, she and her family, as well as millions of other ethnic Germans face expulsion from their home, marched away into the unknown. Fifteen year old Ilse Seidel, a German girl living in a small Bavarian city, knows more about danger than anyone her age should know. She’s survived bombings, lost loved ones, and witnessed Jewish friends being carted away from their homes. She wants nothing to do with the war or with soldiers. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she finds a wounded soldier in need of help. Lucas is determined to assemble these breadcrumbs, find out how their stories intertwine, and reveal his ancestry. Will what he learns make him feel better about himself and his family, or worse? Breadcrumbs and Bombs is about war, secrets, lies, prejudice, betrayal, guilt, love, genealogy, and what it means to be a family. Praise for Breadcrumbs and Bombs: Another great book from Susan Finlay. It was particularly interesting to hear some of the untold perspectives from such an important and controversial time in history. Really interesting to hear how normal civilians in different parts of Europe were affected. The book also touches on some really hot topics like race, tolerance, identity, and the effect of stress on the human psyche. 5 Star Review Breadcrumbs and Bombs is a compelling story about a subject lesser known to many Americans. It is well done by Susan as she takes a family from California to the Sudetenland and finally to Germany. Tracing family roots opens ones eyes to the possibilities of their own family. This is one of thousands of stories following WWII that could have happened as written. Especially pertinent for history buffs and for those curious about the unsettling situation in Europe at war's end. Complex and interesting throughout with side stories highlighting racial, ethnic, and religious problems that still exist today, Highly recommended. 5 Star Review I love family history and this is excellently written. The story fascinating as I had little knowledge of this part of the war. I felt I knew the characters and suffered their pain with them. What a lovely end to the story.

    

    In this first book in a new series, Mrs Montgomery is retained by an archaic well heeled family when its patriarch fails to arrive home at the expected hour. As with all of her writing, Thurbin demonstrates that a book need not contain gratuitous violence, graphic sex or coarse language in order to keep the reader entertained. Set in London and the Home Counties, Thurbin's attention to detail and meticulous research, coupled with an interesting conundrum and a sprinking of quirky characters, are bound to please even the most discerning of readers.

    

    Then he mowed the lawn (again) and knew his life was over. His wife was happy doing her crosswords, but Stanley felt like an old age pensioner with nothing to look forward to apart from sitting in his chair, watching daytime TV, and walking his dog, Roobarb. On a whim, after yet another wet walk with his overweight pooch, he put an advert in the corner shop window: Old Age Pensioner Investigations. No job too big, or small. From murder to missing cats, Detective Stanley can solve it all. He went home, got told off for letting Roobarb get mud on the lino, stared at Custard the cat who stole the only biscuit he was allowed a day (he was putting on weight), and fell asleep in his chair. Then the doorbell rang. He had a case. The old age private eye was in business. Now all he had to do was actually solve a murder. Oh, and get a pad, and a pen, and maybe detectives had cars too, and secretaries, and offices... He wasn't bored any more, that was the main thing. Plus the murder mystery, of course.

    

     Amazon UK reviews for Steven's first book, No Place Like Home, Thank God: "A superb book I devoured in two days." "This book made me laugh out loud." "Great read. Laugh out loud funny." "I really enjoyed this book!" "Steven's style of writing made me laugh out loud." "I couldn't put it down." "One of the best books I've read in a long time." "Found his one liners very funny." "A highly entertaining read." "So well written with brilliant humour." Seventy year-old British ex-pat miserymonger George Pearly lives on the Costa del Sol, all alone except for his ancient, three-legged dog, Ambrose. George hates his life and everybody in it. These feelings are mutual. Everyone hates George too. From this unhappy equilibrium the situation quickly deteriorates. First, George discovers he is dying of a mystery illness. Then his 35 year-old ape-child nephew, Kevin, moves into George's tiny and once tranquil home with a passion for Vimto, Coco Pops and slobbing around in his greying underpants. Worst of all, George's neighbours start to disappear and all accusing fingers point towards George. Pull up a sun lounger, grab yourself a piña colada and enjoy a murder-mystery romp on Spain's sunny southern coast.

    He has just one thing with which to begin his investigation: the three women’s DNA, one of whom is his half-aunt. With just six days of research time available to him, his investigation uncovers some shocking revelations and troubling links to his own grandfather; and Morton finds that, for the first time in his career, he is advising his clients not to read his concluding report.

     However, unbeknown to Sandra, the inclusion of her husband’s mother and his maiden aunt in the three week holiday meant that not all family members would be happy to just idle away time. For a recent unsolved murder in Pentrillick would intrigue the two not-so-young ladies, and after examining the facts, they would feel duty-bound to see if they could help bring about a satisfactory conclusion to the mystery. The Chocolate Box Holiday is the first in a new light-hearted series of books set in Pentrillick on the south coast of Cornwall.

    But where will it lead?BOOK 2: THE MISSING WIFELady Yvette, the beautiful wife of a local MP is found choked to death in a reservoir, robbed of her clothes and antique pearls. Inspector Angel is called in to investigate. But the evidence is scant and he has only his guile to rely on. Can he stop the choker before he strikes again?BOOK 3: THE MAN IN THE PINK SUITCelebrity art critic Frank P. Jones, aka “the Man in the Pink Suit”, shoots a wealthy industrialist. Jones strongly denies the charge, but he has the motive, the opportunity, a Walter PPK/S automatic, and no alibi. DI Angel must unravel the truth from the lies. Was Jones hypnotized, drugged, or is he simply a liar?BOOK 4: THE MORALS OF A MURDERERDuncan McFee is savagely murdered in a distillery where he was chairman. He’s found in one of the vats used to make gin. Yet none of the suspects is burly enough to have delivered the fatal blow. Detective Inspector Michael Angel is called in to unravel the mystery.BOOK 5: THE AUCTION MURDERSAt the auction of Lord Ogmore’s estate, a man is stabbed to death with a silver dagger. Before long, DI Angel finds himself on the trail of a serial killer who leaves behind no clues, no fingerprints and no DNA. Angel has only one eye-witness — and he’s blind. Will Angel solve his toughest case yet?BOOK 6: THE MISSING KILLERA masked man bursts into a quiet country club to confront a young couple. He says, “Your time is up. That girl is mine.” Then he kills one of them. Witnesses cannot identify him and DI Angel’s investigation seems doomed. Faced with vengeful gangsters, crooked police and mentally unstable young men, can Angel work it all out in time and walk away unscathed?BOOK 7: THE UMBRELLA MURDERSAn arsonist threatens to set fire to the luxury home of the local MP. DI Angel has two suspects. One has completely disappeared, the other is locked in a police cell. Will the umbrella man be able to execute his threat while still in police custody? DI Michael Angel must race against the clock to unravel this baffling mystery.

      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.

    It was a choice that even earned him the respect and admiration of one of the most wealthy Virginians, and it's part of the huge secret he's hiding from his friends. Kari Albury is a very smart, ambitious, and attractive young woman who has set her sights on Marlin, and at the same time she's managing the biggest real estate project on Virginia's Eastern Shore. What's not to love about a woman who can handle a boat as well as Marlin, and truly appreciates custom fishing rods as a birthday gift? Kari helps Marlin discover that there's actually a lot more to his secret than he was willing to believe. Now, with the help of their friends, "Murph," Lindsay, Casey, Dawn and Rikki, the two of them might just manage to keep from getting killed over it, and have a shot at a "happily ever after." Hopefully without getting shot in the process.