Book picks similar to
Carnival of Crime: The Best Mystery Stories of Fredric Brown by Fredric Brown


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The Card


Graham Rawle - 2012
    Now, thirty years later, the one card missing from his collection is the legendary card 19 from the 1967 Mission Impossible television series, of which only one exists.One day a mysterious grey-haired man drops a playing card in a deserted alley. Riley picks it up. Is it a secret sign? Before long, he is finding all kinds of bubble gum and cigarette cards on the street, each one apparently containing a further hidden clue to a coded message. Will Riley rise to the challenge and discover the secret of the cards? And will he ever find illusive card 19?Exquisitely written, extremely funny, and visually stunning, The Card is the utterly unforgettable story of a man who views the world - and everything in it - just a little bit differently from the rest of us.

Zumbar


Prakash Narayan Sant - 2003
    The book is a last in its series started from Vanvas.

Twisted Cedars Mysteries Boxset


C.J. Carmichael - 2016
    Over thirty years ago a series of murders targeting Oregon librarians was never solved. Now someone with inside knowledge is feeding clues to true crime writer Dougal Lachlan, promising him the best story of his career. Pursuing the story means returning to Twisted Cedars, where his sister Jamie, is about to marry a man he deeply dislikes. Local Twisted Cedars librarian Charlotte Hammond prefers her mysteries—and her romances—between the covers of a good book, especially since the disappearance of her older sister, Daisy, eight years ago. But then the dark and tortured soul who is Dougal Lachlan walks into the Twisted Cedars Library asking for her help. Before long Charlotte realizes there is no safe zone. Not even in libraries. And especially not in Twisted Cedars. Forgotten (Book 2) After a shocking secret is uncovered in Twisted Cedars, Oregon, fresh trouble surfaces. Sheriff Wade MacKay is fishing on the Rogue River when he comes across a cargo truck crashed off the side of a winding mountain road. The driver is dead. The sole passenger, a woman in her early thirties, is unconscious with a severe head injury. When she comes to the next day at the hospital, she is suffering from amnesia. Since she carried no ID, there is no clue to her identity. Judging by the woman’s bruises, which pre-date the accident, Wade suspects she was running from danger when she hitched a ride with the truck driver. But how can he protect her, when he doesn’t even know who she is? Wade’s office is already working overtime, investigating the death of one of his former school friends. While true crime writer, Dougal Lachlan, is avoiding writing a book that would force him to confront his inner demons. Exposed (Book 3) No more hiding. When a young boy goes missing shortly after his father’s arrest for the murder of the boy’s mother, the residents of Twisted Cedars are in a panic. They would be even more fearful if they knew a serial murderer has secretly moved back to town. Local Sheriff Wade MacKay, and true crime writer Dougal Lachlan, finally realize that unless they pool their resources and work together, no one in town is going to be safe.

3:06 a.m. (The Lassie Files Book 1)


Nick Pirog - 2015
    When Lassie and Murdock's game of "What Won't Murdock eat?" goes wrong, a trip to the emergency vet is in order. And when a crazed snake owner takes the vet hostage, it is up to Henry, Lassie, and Murdock to save the day. But they only have one hour. And the clock is ticking... *Disclaimer: THIS IS ONLY 40 PAGES LONG *Disclaimer about the disclaimer: 40 HILARIOUS PAGES :)

Absent Ballad


J.S. Donovan - 2017
     Anna Dedrick lives a life of strife and determination. Where others give in, Anna presses on. It’s what makes her a helluva investigator. Now she has met her match, a serial abductor with unclear motive and an unlimited amount of resources. This job will require more than finesse and skill. Anna will need an iron will and an unyielding resolve. Luckily, she embodies those traits… but will it be enough?

The Jester


Michael J. Sullivan - 2016
    A thief, a candlemaker, an ex-mercenary, and a pig farmer walk into a trap…and what happens to them is no joke. When Riyria is hired to retrieve a jester’s treasure, Royce and Hadrian must match wits with a dwarf who proves to be anything but a fool. Difficult choices will need to be made, and in the end those who laugh last do so because they are the only ones to survive.This is a graphic novel, based on Sullivan's short story The Jester, and featuring the two charming rogues who are the main characters of both of his Riyria series, No prior knowledge of The Riyria Revelations or The Riyria Chronicles is required to enjoy it to its fullest, making this a perfect introduction for new readers or a chance for Riyria veterans to spend a little more time with old friends. The Jester is a story of adventure, bonds of friendship, and a recognition that the choices we make dictates the future we find.

How Shall I Know You?: A Short Story


Hilary Mantel - 2014
    She had a face of feral sweetness, its color yellow; her eyes were long and dark, her mouth a taut bow, her nostrils upturned as if she were scenting the wind."In "How Shall I Know You?," a melancholic and ailing writer reluctantly travels east of London to give a lecture before a literary society. Mr. Simister, the organization's secretary, lures the world-weary novelist turned biographer with promises of a modest stipend and lodging at a charming bed-and-breakfast for her trouble. Nevertheless, on that rainy day she meets Mr. Simister at the train station, she wonders why she ever agreed to come in the first place. Driving past steel-shuttered windows and Day-Glo banners, Mr. Simister takes the writer to her hotel for the evening, which turns out to be crumbling and isolated rather than picturesque. As she crosses the threshold into the dank stench of Eccles House she is faced with the feral porter, Louise, and suffers through an evening that may be more than she bargained for.From Hilary Mantel's brilliant and darkly comic collection of contemporary stories, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, comes a tale told with her distinctive blend of subversive wit and gimlet-eyed characterization. "How Shall I Know You?" showcases the extraordinary genius of Hilary Mantel, called one of our "greatest living novelists" (NPR).

Nancy Pickard Presents Malice Domestic (Malice Domestic, #3)


Martin H. GreenbergTaylor McCafferty - 1994
    Featured writers include Wendy Hornsby, Dorothy Cannell, Joan Hess, and Nancy Pickard herself.Contents: * The Dying Light by Taylor McCafferty * Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Deborah Adams * Fannie’s Back Fence Caper by Susan & Bill Albert * His Tears by Marilyn Wallace * Sign of the Times by Nancy Pickard * The Family Jewels by Dorothy Cannell * The Trouble with the Shoot by Camilla T. Crespi * Double Delight by L.B. Greenwood * High Heels in the Headliner by Wendy Hornsby * Make Yourselves at Home by Joan Hess * Cara’s Turn by Marlys Millhiser * Highwater by D.R. Meredith * Gentle Reader by Sharyn McCrumb Edited by Jane Chelius and Martin H. Greenberg.

Astounding Days


Arthur C. Clarke - 1990
    It centers on three editors, Harry Bates, F. Orlin Tremaine, and John W. Campbell, who created the magazine now known as Analog (until 1960 it was called Astounding Science Fiction). Clarke gives his reaction to the writers and illustrators who first aroused his interest in science fiction. The scientific ferment of the 1930s and the 1940s is related to the ideas of the period and to the author's work in rocketry and radar. A sweeping view of popular science and popular fiction.- Katherine Thorp, St. Louis Univ. Lib.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Death of a Laird (Hamish Macbeth)


M.C. Beaton - 2022
    

In the Dismal Swamp


Patrick Balester - 2008
    He is quickly disappointed when a dead body turns up floating in the Great Dismal Swamp. And this is not just any dead body. Ashley Myrtle was the wife of a prominent local politician. Greg soon discovers that Ashley, an apparent drowning victim, may have been murdered. Unfortunately, no one wants to believe him. The mayor, the woman's husband, an old boyfriend and even her coworkers seem eager to rule her death an accidental drowning. With help from a reluctant FBI agent, Greg follows a trail of small town secrets and lies to discover what really happened on that cold spring day. Refusing to give up, he discovers a vital clue deep in the swamp that leads to the killer. But justice won't be served until he can prove it was a case of murder.

Still Bleeding


Stephen Leather - 2012
    A young girl is bleeding from her hands and feet and claims to be talking to the Virgin Mary. But Nightingale soon realises that all is not as it seems - and the girl is in mortal danger. Still Bleeding is about 14,000 words, about forty pages, perfect if you have half an hour to spare. Stephen Leather is one of the UK's most successful thriller writers, an ebook and Sunday Times bestseller and author of the critically acclaimed Dan “Spider’ Shepherd series and the Jack Nightingale supernatural detective novels. Before becoming a novelist he was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mirror, the Glasgow Herald, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. He is one of the country’s most successful ebook authors and his ebooks have topped the Amazon Kindle charts in the UK and the US. In 2011 alone he sold more than 500,000 eBooks and was voted by The Bookseller magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the UK publishing world. Born in Manchester, he began writing full time in 1992. His bestsellers have been translated into fifteen languages. He has also written for television shows such as London's Burning, The Knock and the BBC's Murder in Mind series and two of his books, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, were filmed for TV. You can find out more from his website www.stephenleather.com and you can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenleather

Death In December - A Short Mystery: A Jayne Belmont Mystery Series (Jayne Belmont Mysteries Book 1)


Shonah Stevens - 2016
    It pulls the reader in and holds on! I cannot wait for more from this writer! Wish I could give her ten stars myself!" When headmaster James Leibinger finds one of his teachers dead, the police write it off as suicide. After all Dorian Jones had plenty of problems. However James is convinced Dorian was murdered, but how can he prove it? The he remembers a chance encounter with a female private detective – Jayne Belmont. Would she be able to solve this mystery? Jayne is faced with an entire staff of teachers and an ex-wife who would all like to see the back of Dorian. What's more they all seem to have had opportunity. Jayne slowly narrows down her suspects, but when another body falls to their death and all the suspects were in the same room, the case becomes impossible to solve. Or does it? Join Jayne on her ups and downs in this murder mystery set in the city of Palmerston in Australia's torrid Northern Territory where the heat and humidity combine with circumstances to test Jayne's wits almost to breaking point. Scroll up, buy now and see if you can find out who did it!

Cruel Secrets


Kerry Barnes - 2017
     Controlled all her life by her religious mother, fifteen-year-old Kelly Raven commits the ultimate sin. She soon discovers that running away to the cold, frightening streets of London is less harsh than her previous life. A drug dealer, two fraudsters, and a prostitute are her new family now and she becomes the woman she was destined to be. Little does she know that Eddie Raven is coming for her, but she is no sweet four-year-old child and he is certainly no doting father. The Raven's blood may run through her veins, but in her case, blood is not thicker than water.

Open Your Eyes


James Carol - 2016
    He's young and unpredictable, but he has a gift - he can understand the mind of a murderer like no one else.Winter is in Las Vegas with Yoko Tanaka, a tough agent with the unenviable task of showing him the ropes. The bodies of three young women have been found and each of them is missing a limb.If the case is to be solved, Winter must be free to act - yet Tanaka's superiors are watching closely, and it soon becomes clear that this killer doesn't make mistakes.The next full-length Jefferson Winter novel, The Quiet Man, will be published in May 2017.