Although these stories are not all mysteries, they all are suspenseful and very enjoyable. They already show the creative mind that devised later so many complex plots as well as Stout’s gift for creating characters with a few quick strokes. The stories, which are presented here in order of publication, are: “Excess Baggage,” “The Infernal Feminine,” “A Professional Recall,” “Pamfret and Peace,” “A Companion of Fortune,” “A White Precipitate,” “The Mother of Invention,” “Méthode Américaine,” “A Tyrant Abdicates,” “The Pay-Yeoman,” “Secrets,” “Rose Orchid,” “An Agacella Or,” “The Inevitable Third,” “The Lie,” “Target Practice,” “If He Be Married,” “Baba,” “Jonathan Stannard's Secret Vice,” “Sanétomo,” “The Strong Man,” “It's Science That Counts,” “The Rope Dance,” “An Officer and a Lady,” “Heels of Fate,” and “Annuncio's Violin.”

     A detective has the chance to solve cases that have baffled her colleagues for decades. But only if she can work out who he is, before he gets to her. Because - in a story where not everything is what it seems - not even murder is black and white. Killing Kind is a tense novella with a twist that will stay with you. From UK and US bestselling author Gregg Dunnett.

    

    Sort of. When Brad Williams is offered a lot of money to take on a case for sly banker Jonas Baxter, he is in no position to refuse. Jonas has been charged with the attempted murder of local prostitute Tina Jade, but it quickly becomes evident that it is not the reason why the prosecution wants Jonas behind bars. So why are they still pressing ahead with the charges? What is Jonas guilty of? This thrilling legal short story will take you for a ride through the courtroom and leave you with twists and turns that you didn’t see coming.

    

    Carnations and Deadly Fixations2. One Daisy and Two Crazy Funerals3. White Lily and a Fatal Chili4. Mistletoe and Deadly Kisses5. Freesia and Lethal Amnesia6. Daffodils and Poisonous PillsCarnations and Deadly FixationsA murdered unpopular business owner. A small town with busybodies and open secrets. Can a new girl in town start a new life before a murder investigation ends it?Tracy Adams had three things going for her in her just-above-average boring life namely:1. A good job2. A good job... that she liked3. A good job that she liked... and that paid VERY wellWhen she lost her job and had to move back to the small town where she grew up, it seemed like her life had lost all purpose. Helping out at her aunt's floundering floral shop seemed like the perfect distraction before she decided what to do next.When her aunt's competition, a nasty and egotistical know-it-all is found dead, the rumor mill in Fern Grove goes into overdrive. With an important piece of evidence linking Tracy to the scene of the crime, she becomes a person of interest in the murder investigation. This leaves her feeling vulnerable and confused.Moving back to Fern Grove was meant to be the start of a new life but this murder mystery is fast ending what has hardly begun. Will she retain her wits and piece together the clues that will lead her to the killer?"Good start to a new series. Enjoyable fun read."One Daisy and Two Crazy FuneralsTwo families mourning. Two mysterious murders. One innocent florist whose floral arrangements are the common denominator at the scene of the crimes.When Tracy's floral store is commissioned to supply the arrangements for two funerals, she's humbled to be entrusted with the responsibility. She reluctantly puts up with the rude behavior of an old lady who manages the affairs of one of the deceased, a well-known philanthropist in Fern Grove.When this old lady dies at the funeral, no one suspects foul play. After all, she was old and frail. However, the subsequent murder of another close member of the family, sets alarm bells ringing.Could both deaths be linked?Tracy is left bewildered and enraged when handsome detective Copeland suggests that her daisy arrangement was the one piece of evidence found at both murder locations. The stakes are further raised when the fortune of the deceased is revealed. It seems almost everyone associated with the dead aristocrat is a person of interest.Is there a killer at large disposing of anyone associated with the deceased? Can peace be restored to one of the oldest families in Fern Grove? Will Tracy ask the right questions to expose the murderer or become the killer's next victim?"I really enjoyed this book! It was a great mystery and love the characters. Lots of twists and never would have guessed the ending!!! Another good book in a very enjoyable series."PLUS 4 MORE!If you want to enjoy a light-hearted read, with an amateur female sleuth and 6 gripping murder mysteries with a touch of romance, then you'll love Tracy Adams and all the friendly and not-so-friendly characters in Fern Grove.No cliffhanger, swearing or graphic scenes!

    All he wants is to get his work done and enjoy a quiet existence. But when he’s caught up in a terrorist attack on the London Underground, his life is turned upside down.As he lies recovering in his hospital bed, a shadowy figure visits him and tells Sam not only is he a key witness to the attack, but he has unique access to information which could blow open a huge conspiracy and bring down the British government.Will Sam risk everything he knows and loves to save his country?

     A body entombed in a London tube station. DCI Grant Foster is called in to investigate, but within days a second corpse is discovered in the bowels of a disused underground ‘ghost’ station. With the possibility of the murders being linked, Foster enlists the help of his friend, genealogist Nigel Barnes. Between them, they try to untangle the twisted secrets of the past, buried deep beneath London’s streets – where no one can hear you scream, and the murderer is closing in on his next victim . Includes an extract from The Blood Detective, the first book in the Blood Detective series.

    Watson's private papers, including notes, diaries, telegrams, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other clues to assist the reader in solving the mystery of "A Study in Scarlet".

    MillerNever Go Home - L.T. RyanThe Critical Element - John L. BetcherThe Dark Path - Luke RomynThirteen to None - Claude BouchardThe Devil's Cauldron - Michael WallaceCrazy Days in Big Lake by Nick RussellThe Delilah Complex by MJ RoseThe Blurbs:JET by Russell BlakeJET - the code name of a former Mossad operative who faked her own death to escape the clandestine life. But the past doesn't let go of its secrets easily, and when old enemies hunt her down she is forced to kill or be killed in a deadly conflict that spans the globe. A breakneck thriller in the tradition of Bourne and Bond, JET is a non-stop adrenaline rush that redefines the genre.Irretrievably Broken by Melissa F. MillerIrretrievably Broken features the return of fierce and fearless attorney Sasha McCandless. Someone's killing the female partners at her old firm, and she's asked to represent their accused husbands. The cases put a strain on her own relationship, but that's the least of her troubles, because the real killer is waging a vendetta for a past case gone wrong: and there's one more lawyer on his list.Never Go Home by L.T. RyanWhen a woman is found brutally murdered in a small Florida town, Jack Noble breaks his vow to never return home in order to assist the local sheriff with her investigation. As the hunt for the killer intensifies, Jack realizes his past as a government assassin has come back to haunt those closest to him.The Critical Element by John L. BetcherThe theft of a mysterious meteor leads Beck, Beth, Gunner and Bull to uncover a terror plot that threatens the country's largest shopping mall. Meanwhile, the FBI, CDC & CIA attempt to defuse a large-scale biological attack and avert a crippling pandemic.The Dark Path by Luke RomynVain, a man versed in torture and death, is chosen to protect a boy whose sacrifice will release Satan's lieutenant from the pits of Hell. Armageddon sits upon the horizon & all that stands in its way is a man whose path has always been dark.Thirteen to None by Claude BouchardHome invasions were the new pastime for Butch Kincaid and his criminal crew during their nomadic summer vacations... Drunken orgies of terror, destruction, rape and murder... Until they chose the wrong home...The Devil's Cauldron by Michael WallaceParalyzed & locked in, Meggie can't tell anyone what really happened the night of her accident seven years earlier. Now, for the first time, there's hope for a cure -- and there are those who will kill to keep it away from her...Crazy Days in Big Lake by Nick RussellEverybody seems to have gone crazy in Big Lake; neighbors are threatening violence, eco-protestors are on the march, flower children are camping in the forest, the grocery store manager has locked himself in his office & won't come out, bears are chasing dogs into houses, and a retired couple have shot an intruder during a home invasion. By the time it's over more blood will be shed & the good people of Big Lake will be left wondering just how well they really know their neighbors.The Delilah Complex by MJ RoseThe Scarlet Society is a secret club of twelve powerful & sexually adventurous women. But when a photograph of the body of one of the men they've recruited to dominate is sent to the New York Times, they're shocked and frightened. Unable to cope with the tragedy, the women turn to NYC sex therapist Dr. Morgan Snow. But their grief counseling quickly becomes a murder investigation.

    The final chapter has us answering a question by looking at three cases of very young juveniles conspiring to commit murder. The 17 chapters include: Aaron Campbell, Daniel Petric, Devin Moore, Roderick Farrell, Nicholas Browning, Kenneth Bartley, David Brom, Catherine & Curtis Jones, Will Cornick, Jesse Pomeroy, Clementine Barnabet, Sandy Charles, Shirley Wolf and Cindy Collier, Sheldry Topp, Robert Tulloch & James Parker, Kim Edwards & Lucas Markham, and Morgan Geyser & Anissa Weier. The bonus chapter is on John Miller. The book ends with a new feature that we are rolling out. It is called Ripped from the Headlines. With each new book in the series, we will be looking at a few cases that we ordinarily might pass on because a murder was not committed. These are short chapters where the cases (at least in this book) are still ongoing.

    Inspector Harry ‘H’ Hawkins, only just back at work after a mental and physical breakdown, investigates the crime in the only way he knows how; he embarks on a full-blooded search for the truth. But the truth can be brutal As the murder investigation gathers pace H discovers his own son has been sucked into the dark world of organised crime. A traumatized young man; and a traumatized father H's hard-boiled instinct is to fight, to protect the things he loves. But when his son becomes his enemy his world view is shattered. How can son be turned against father? H’s gripping mission is no longer a search for a killer; but a quest to save his boy, and exact a terrible vengeance against the man who has corrupted him. And his search is a search for a deeper truth, a truth that will stretch family loyalty - and the love of a father for his son - to its very limits. Blood Is Thicker than Water…Or Is It?

     The First Crime: Many people had reason to kill the victim, and they tried 'til they got it right. You'd think that would leave plenty of clues, but they don't add up right. Can a 16-yr-old. The Second Crime: A teacher was found dead and a lot of other students have had accidents, some serious. Gracie Greene's not so sure they were accidents, but can she find the pattern and motive before someone else dies? The Third Crime: At 18 years old Gracie Greene has already solved 2 murders. Now she finds herself a suspect in a 3rd murder and must solve it to clear herself.

    The NP had done remarkably well in elections in four states. It was the party’s heroic return. It was an even larger triumph for the Dalal family, who had survived several calls for their ouster from party leadership. The fireworks started at 11:59 and four bottles of champagne were uncorked, as the ‘Nationalists’ and few staff members watched the night sky from the garden below.BOOM. Huge explosions razed most of 10, Lokpath, the entire Dalal lineage reduced to body parts and blood splatter on the grass. Though the explosion was restricted to the property, the tremors would soon be felt throughout the country.Naresh Mistri was woken up at 1:08 a.m. His national security team had reached his residence. The PM saw the news on TV. Even BP’s staunchest supporters would suspect the party. First the dreadful electoral performance and now this! It could be the biggest threat to his political career. As the world’s gaze would firmly be on Mistri, would he lose his greatest asset of all, public opinion?The IB and RAW had more often than not failed to provide intelligence on such attacks. And there was no ‘national’ police force that could investigate and solve this crime and bring the culprits to justice quickly. No, the PM had to turn to someone else. He said, “I want ISSCO to investigate this.”Realising that India needed an agency like the USA’s FBI, Russia’s FSB, and UK’s MI5, which could work with surprise, speed, and intensity, Mistri had three months ago approved ISSCO, a covert, privately run but government-funded intelligence and security organisation. He had told ISSCO they were to do everything that IB, RAW, DIA, NIA, and NSG said couldn’t be done, and do it better, faster, and quieter.

    The king's new coroner, Sir Law Kintour, investigates the death of a mysterious stranger in fifteenth-century Perth, Scotland. The investigation is complicated by the civil war brewing as the king raises his army against a rebellious duke. Sir Law is pitched further into intrigue and betrayal when he discovers a hired assassin is lurking in Perth. No one knows who will be the next victim. Now Law must call on every resource he has to stop the killer.