The Calla Lily Mysteries


Anna Celeste Burke - 2020
    

The Rake's Challenge


Beth Elliott - 2011
    Anna Lawrence, nineteen and inspired by Lord Byron’s poems, is determined to seek a life of travel and adventure. Both decide to flee society. They meet when Giles rescues Anna from her first escapade. Anna is resolute in demonstrating her independence but, somehow, she always ends up in trouble. His own pleasures forgotten, Giles rescues her from one potential disaster after another. He knows he cannot live without her, but he meets an unexpected obstacle, for Anna has a secret that means she can never be more than a friend to the man she has come to love with all her heart... Is there any way for their love to prevail? Beth Elliott was born in Lancashire, but fell in love with books during many childhood visits to her Welsh grandparents, whose bookshelves were always well stocked. Her greatest discovery was the novels of Jane Austen, which have fascinated her ever since. Having first taught languages in various countries across the globe, Beth eventually decided to write her own novels. Her previous books The Wild Card, In All Honour and April and May were also published by Robert Hale and you can learn more about her on her website: www.bethelliott.webs.com.

Fencing With Death


Elizabeth Pewsey - 2014
     Londoner Larry Dunne divides his time between writing bad avant-garde poetry, working in a Bloomsbury bookshop, arguing with his upper-class girlfriend Pamela and putting the world to rights in a dive off the Strand named Joe’s Club in honour of Stalin. Until one day he applies for a job in Hungary, where he imagines he will at last breathe the purer air of an ideal Socialist State and enjoy universal fellowship and equality. Off he goes to Budapest, to find that the State runs on envy, paranoia and two-stroke. And soon, despite the attractions of an elegant Hungarian ballerina, Larry wants nothing more than to get back to cosy Bohemian London. Not so easy, when a neighbour is stabbed to death with a fencing sabre. On the run from ultra-clever investigator Major Nagy, Larry realises he might be in Budapest for a very, very long time. Unless the murderer is caught. A man in a long grey coat stood there. At the sight of Larry he clicked his heels together, extended a hand, announced that he was Major Nagy and strode past Larry into his apartment. Larry was rooted to the spot. ‘What is it? Has something happened?’ ‘Indeed you may say it has, Mr Dunne. A body has been found in an apartment in this block, and it is necessary to ask you some questions.’ ‘A body? What kind of body?’ ‘A dead body, Mr Dunne. This is the only kind I am interested in.’ ‘No, I mean, whose body? And how, has someone had a heart attack?’ ‘Not at all, Mr Dunne. Please sit down. This is a case of murder.’ Originally published as LOSING LARRY by Elizabeth Pewsey

Everything is Worth Killing: Isaac's Tale (An Apocalyptic LitRPG)


Alex Oakchest - 2019
    Dozens of warmongering ogres. Hundreds of dynamite-wielding gnomes. And one normal guy in the middle of it all. Bad mornings. We've all had 'em. But what if you woke up in a post-apocalyptic land filled with wizards, dragons, and ogres? Not only that, but you woke up as a prisoner of a clan of mages who don’t even speak your language? What if these guys expected you to know magic, but left you to figure out for yourself how to cast it? These are the problems Isaac must solve. And what's he going to do when death knocks on his door? He's going to blast a fireball through the letterbox and send death running. But first...he just needs to learn how to even cast a fireball. Follow his journey through a land filled with creatures that want to kill him, and watch as he refuses to let them. Accompany him into a land of mystery and danger, where life is tough and learning spells and skills takes work. A land where Isaac is determined to stop being the prey and become the predator. This is his journey to make allies and friends in this new world. A journey through battles against slaver ogres and wingless dragons and gnome dictators. Through experimentation and adaptation, where he learns that killing one enemy helps him against the next. It’s also his journey to find a warm, comfy bed. This is the tale of a someone who used to be a normal guy. It's Isaac’s tale of adapting to a world where everything is worth killing. Over 500 pages of fast-moving fantasy, set in a brutal apocalyptic world. This is a mesmerizing story about one guy's quest for power and survival, with light litrpg/game-like elements and a focus on him learning how to use magic. 'Amazing - I love it because of how original it is. This is a hidden gem. The story is good and I'm enjoying the style.' - Early Reviewer 'A breath of fresh air. Isaac is not some over-powered or genius guy. He is just a dude trying to survive in the cruel world he was thrown in, and he is trying to make head and tail of what is going on.' - Early reviewer 'Enjoyable - I especially like the rationality of the main character and how he approaches problems. Unique, definitely worth reading.' - Early reviewer.

Missed Connections: A Riveting Mystery- Book 1


Alexandria Clarke - 2018
    She can’t make a break in her case without exposing the truth about her complicated friendship with the killer or give her boss enough information to keep him satisfied with her progress. Meanwhile, Veronica finds herself leading a double life as a woman named Virginia Burton. She ventures out in full view of the entire city, relying on her alter ego to protect her from notice. The two women are bound to run into each other again, but what will happen when they do?

Summerton


Becca St. John - 2015
     It seems like the perfect match: a marriage to restore the Duke of Summerton’s crumbling family estate and give the heiress Caroline Howlett the status of duchess. But the bride doesn’t give a fig for status. Forced into the marriage, Caroline is determined to leave the duke, until a dead body—and the very real threat that she and the duke are the next targets—gets in her way. Can the Duke’s astute aunt, Lady Eleanor, solve the mystery of the deaths before the killers strike again? And can Caroline let down her guard long enough for the Duke’s attractions to penetrate her heart? Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie in this new Regency mystery series with a touch of Gothic romance.

No Place to Hide


Dan Latus - 2018
    He wants revenge on those who put him there.He also wants the missing £20 million from his last heist.Fogarty is ticking names off his hit list.He knows where Jake lives.It’s time for Jake and Magda to run.But Magda is no stranger to the criminal underworld — or to the violent men hunting them. CAN JAKE REALLY TRUST HER?AN EXHILARATING THRILLER THAT WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESSMEET JAKE ORD, an ex-spook who does not dwell on the past. Why would he? It holds few attractions for him. He just wants some peace and quiet in his retirement. But characters from the old days keep cropping up. And they always bring trouble. Luckily, Jake is a man who can handle himself. And he’s not afraid of getting his hands dirty.

A Galactic Coming of Age


Krystyn Dean - 2017
    Races operating within their own planetary systems are to be left alone until they begin to develop the ability to travel at FTL (faster than light speeds). When the ability to travel at FTL becomes apparent, one of the members of the Federation is nominated to help ease the newcomer through the Galactic citizenship process. Unfortunately, not all the galaxies systems belong to the Federation, and some of those systems are much less than friendly. The last several decades have seen the development of war like societies that systematically loot developing planets. They take the water, and other precious resources, including slaves, leaving the remaining native inhabitants a barren planet. Without resources the population simply dies a slow death. The Egolari are here because we, meaning the people of Earth, happen to possess a skill set and an aptitude that is critical to the needs of the Federation. The major problem within the Federation is that virtually all the members have, for centuries been living in peace. They have developed a society that is not well suited to counter the growing violence presented by the nonaligned races. In short, they have no way to protect themselves, let alone protect the fledgling races just arriving on the galactic scene. Enter Earth. Of all the emerging races to become future galactic members, one has a superior potential to face the violence threatened by the nonaligned races. You guessed it, Humanity. The Federation realized that to continue to function as an organized galactic society, they would have to develop a military arm that could provide the Federation and emerging systems the protection of a fleet of space vessels and marines. Humanity was the race most capable of leading the development of that military organization because we had not progressed so far that our war like tendencies had begun to erode. Although we were not yet ready for galactic membership, we were a necessity that could fill the need, thus we were getting a crash course in how to travel the galaxy, protecting ourselves and the Federation with the full expectation that we would go where no human has gone before, and kick some alien ass.

Splinter the Bone (DI Haskell & Quinn #3)


Bilinda P. Sheehan - 2020
    He knows you’re alone… and he wants to be with you.A new elite team is formed in the North Yorkshire police force to tackle the most heinous crimes.When a young girl is found washed up at the base of the cliffs in Whitby, the police suspect human trafficking.Coming off the high of catching a vicious murderer, Drew and Harriet are called on to investigate a series of seemingly unconnected, and random, crimes.One of which Harriet fears bears all the hallmarks of a fledgling serial killer.With Drew fighting the lasting effects of the Star Killer, and Harriet trying to help him reintegrate, this may turn out to be their most challenging case yet.

LETTING GO: How to accept change, free up your thought patterns and start living life to the fullest


Romuald Andrade - 2016
     Mara is cynical, weary, and frustrated and does not know what to do about it until she meets a psychologist who is able to show her a better way out. But is it too late for Mara? Will she lose the relationships she cherishes in her life? Will she be able to apply the advice to better her current situation? As with all of Andrade’s books, this one is filled with actionable advice you can put into effect immediately. In addition to the fable, the book includes a detailed framework examining the root causes of mental frustration and how they can be fixed.

The Colony (The Survivors Book Seventeen)


Nathan Hystad - 2021
    

Execution of Faith


Stephen Taylor - 2020
    Can Danny Pearson stop them or will this be his downfall...Since leaving the SAS, Danny Pearson passes time doing freelance security jobs. Still mourning the loss of his wife and son, Danny’s just trying to live the quiet life getting by day by day.When his best friend Scott is asked for help from an old work colleague, Danny and Scott investigate. What they find leads them into a dangerous world of terrorists, mercenary killers and a plot to change the balance of world power. Will Danny live long enough to stop a global disaster…Execution of faith is the first in the Danny Pearson Thriller Series. If you like sharp humour and fast-paced action and adventure, then you’ll love Stephen Taylor’s first rollercoaster action thriller.Readers are saying“Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, Jason Bourne and now Danny Pearson.”

Every Family Has One (All Things D #2)


Joanna Warrington - 2015
    The attacker, unimaginably, is her trusted parish priest. Terrified, Kathleen never tells her pious Catholic mother, and when she discovers she is pregnant, she pays a terrible price for her silence. Her mother believes Kathleen to be a fallen child and sends her to have her ill-begotten baby in Ireland. Kathleen toils in a notorious Magdalene Laundry, where heartless nuns dole out merciless penance on shamed girls. Kathleen never recovers from her trauma, and years later she’s become the overprotective, paranoid mother of a second child. Meanwhile, Faye, a widowed mother of three worries about her teenage son, Tim. He’s increasingly withdrawn, but when several parcels are mysteriously delivered the shocking truth about what is going on in his life is slowly revealed. She turns to an old flame believing he is at the root of Tim’s problems and as the couple rekindles their love, Tim’s troubles deepen. Faye pours out her sorrows in letters to a friend, and slowly, shocking family secrets and interwoven relationships reveal themselves. As it turns out, Kathleen isn’t the only fallen one in this story of love, forgiveness, and powerful family ties. Every Family Has One is the anticipated sequel to The Catholic Woman’s Dying Wish. It can be read as a stand-alone sequel.

Over The Rainbow


Alison Sherlock - 2014
    She has spent her twenties trying and failing to find her real mother. Trusting no-one with her secret, it has been a lonely search on her own. Her hunt has finally led Elizabeth to Grove village. Getting involved with the local amateur dramatic society was not part of Elizabeth’s plan. But famous theatre director Jack Andrews appears to hold the key to her mystery and if she keeps close to the villagers she might be able to finally meet her real mother. Unfortunately the production of The Wizard of Oz is a mess. Dorothy’s hormones are menopausal, the TinMan is Elizabeth’s badly behaved ex-boyfriend and the Wicked Witch of the West has a huge secret. It’s up to Elizabeth to take control of the musical to ensure it’s a hit for all the right reasons. Maybe some of her new friends will help, if she can learn to trust them. And just maybe, amongst the cast of undertakers, farmers and florists, a true star lies in the wings. But perhaps what Elizabeth seeks isn’t what she really needs? Perhaps it will take a group of strangers to show her the path to true happiness once more. All Elizabeth knows is that she has to find a way to let go of the past in order to look forward to the future. Perhaps all of her answers lie Over The Rainbow.

Murder On The Oregon Coast


G.A. Cockerham - 2017
    In these first three short stories of the series, Police Detectives O’Toole and Starker use their intellect, experience and drive to bring more than one killer to justice. O’Toole’s relatives and Starker’s haunted past present life problems and tragedies that make the characters real, leaving the reader with a desire to follow their lives beyond the book’s cover. Whether it’s the discovery of a dead medical doctor on the bank of the Chetco River, or an unexpected witness that turns a previously closed case of suicide into a current murder investigation, the reader will find it hard to put this book down.