Mystery

Ayotte delivers heartstopping action, romance, and intrigue in this brilliant sequel to the award-winning thriller Flower of Heaven. Francoise DuPont, now Queen Farah of an oil-rich Middle Eastern country, continues the search for her sons, given up for adoption at birth. Thirty-five years later, their lives now are at risk from ruthless enemies of her husband, the King. A page-turning journey from Paris to Stockholm, to the vineyards of Orvieto, Italy, and to the remote hospital in war-torn Ethiopia, Dangerous Bloodlines will keep you guessing.

In a steel-mill town on the verge of an economic comeback, two prominent men are found dead within days of each other. In each case, the known character of the man seems grossly more contradicted by the circumstances of his death. But, as assistant county prosecutor Stella Marz discovers, the victims and their deaths may be connected in ways that no one would ever suspect.

dead cat bounce n. Stock market jargon for a small, temporary rise in a stock's trading price after a sharp drop.

Since she bought her rambling old fixer-upper of a house, Jacobia Tiptree has gotten used to finding things broken. But her latest problem isn't so easily repaired. Along with the rotting floor joists and sagging support beams, there's the little matter of the dead man in Jake's storeroom, an ice pick firmly planted in his cranium.

Not much happens in her tiny Maine town, but that's about to change. Jake's unknown guest turns out to be a world-famous corporate raider, local boy turned billionaire Threnody McIlwaine. When Jake's best friend, quiet and dependable Ellie White, readily confesses to the murder, cops and journalists swarm into snowbound Eastport.

Jake smells a cover-up, and begins poking into past history between McIlwaine and Ellie's family. But someone doesn't like nosy neighbors...and Jake's rustic refuge may become her final resting place.

Claire Malloy discovers that house-hunting can be murder--literally--in the latest entry in Joan Hess's "wildly entertaining series." ("Mystery Scene") Back from her somewhat unusual honeymoon, Claire Malloy must face the harsh reality of life with her new husband, police chief Peter Rosen, and her teenage daughter Caron--three people simply can't fit into her cosy two bedroom apartment. After a week of fruitless looking, she finally finds the perfect
place--a well preserved large house on a large plot of land in an area called Hollow Valley. There are only a few problems. Such as the real estate agent disappeared mid-showing and hasn't been seen since. And the last owner died in circumstances labeled 'accidental' but were actually both 'mysterious' and 'dubious'. The family that owned the estate is now suing the lover of the dead owner over the rights to the property. Oh, and it isn't really for sale. When the previous owner's lover dies practically at her feet, Claire decides to take matters into her own hands. After all, to get the house of her dreams, first she has to find a killer. And all's fair in love, war, and real estate.

The first installment in the beloved, sumptuous mystery series set in Provence, featuring chief magistrate Antoine Verlaque and his old flame Marine Bonnet, who must team up to solve a pair of murders

The newest book in the Provençal Mystery series, The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche, is available now from Penguin Books

When local nobleman Étienne de Bremont falls to his death from the family château, it sets the historic town of Aix-en-Provence abuzz with rumors. Antoine Verlaque, the charming chief magistrate of Aix, suspects foul play, and when he discovers that Bremont had been a close friend of Marine Bonnet, his on-again off-again girlfriend, Verlaque must turn to her for help.

The once idyllic town suddenly seems filled with people who scould have benefited from Bremont's death--including his playboy brother François, who's heavily in debt and mixed up with some unsavory characters. But just as Verlaque and Bonnet are narrowing down their list of suspects, another death occurs. And this time, there can be no doubt--it's murder.

A lively mystery steeped in the enticing atmosphere of the south of France and seasoned with romance as rich as the French cuisine that inspires it, this first installment in the acclaimed Verlaque & Bonnet Provençal Mystery series is as addictive and captivating as Provence itself.

"Longworth's voice is like a rich vintage of sparkling Dorothy Sayers and grounded Donna Leon. . . . Bon appétit!" --Booklist

When Tobi Tobias decided to open her own ad agency, having to moonlight in a pet shop wasn't part of her vision . . . of course, neither was murder.

Sometimes when opportunity knocks, the door you open leads to a closet. That's certainly the case for Tobi, whose weekends spent cleaning cages in her best friend's pet shop may soon be over. She's just landed her first big break-Zander Closet Company needs a catchy campaign slogan ASAP, and Tobi thinks she's got the right hook to knock 'em dead: "When we're done, even your skeletons will have a place."

But when a real dead body topples out of a showcase closet, she's about to discover there is such a thing as bad publicity. To save her fledgling business and not get killed by the competition, Tobi takes on a new pet project: solving the murder. But with a stressed-out parrot as the only witness to the crime, Tobi will really have to wing it to put the cagey killer behind bars.

Bar Harbor, Maine, is quieter in the off-season, but the population has just increased a bit with the arrival of Ted and Trudy Lancaster. Ted's taking over for a retiring minister, and Trudy runs a food truck called Wicked 'Wiches. When she stops in at the Island Times office to place an ad, Hayley happily devours the sample sub Trudy offers--and the two become fast friends.

When Trudy tragically dies in her truck while catering a Halloween party, suspicion falls on a cranky, competitive caterer who'd made veiled threats to Trudy. But the case becomes more complicated when Hayley's husband admits he'd seen someone dressed as a witch hurrying away from the food truck--not very helpful when countless women at the party wore the same costume. Now Hayley finds herself sandwiched between witches and witnesses as she considers a smorgasbord of suspects. If she finds the killer, she'll be a local hero . . .

Includes delectable recipes from Hayley's kitchen!

Introducing a murder mystery that really delivers!

After caring for her dying aunt and being dumped by her fiancé, Cassie Miller decides to return to her small hometown in the Berkshires to lick her wounds and live in the house where she was raised. Leaving behind her managerial position in the Boston main postal office, Cassie trades in her tailored suits and high heels for the comfortable blue shirt and red, white, and blue striped scarf of the Postmaster for North Ashcot, Massachusetts.

Everything is business as usual until Cassie arrives at work one day to find that someone has broken into the post office building. The only items stolen: stacks of telephone books. Who steals phone books? Two days later, the body of an unidentified man is found in the woods. And when the handsome antiques dealer she just had lunch with is taken into custody, Cassie is suddenly drawn into the case. With a crime enveloped in mystery, she needs to track the killer--before another victim's fate is sealed in the dead letter office...

"Sure to revolutionize the traditional British cozy and win the hearts of fans everywhere."--Publishers Weekly, starred review, for Posted to Death (the first Simon Kirby-Jones Mystery). What happens when you take a classic British cozy and mix in a sophisticated man who also happens to be a vampire? You get Dean James's critically acclaimed and delightful series featuring everybody's favorite sleuth, Simon Kirby-Jones. In this third book in the series, the quiet and quaint town of Bedfordshire Village of Snupperton Mumsley is playing host to television decorating sensation, Hezekia "Zeke" Harwood. The flamboyant, outspoken Harwood has become famous in England for his weekly decorating program, "Tres Zeke," and he's on the verge of signing a lucrative deal with one of the American television networks for an American version. Autocratic, obnoxious, and rude, Harwood brings with him an entourage of family and staff, all of whom fear and resent him. Harwood has come to town at the invitation of Lady Prunella Bliterington to redecorate the drawing room at Blitherington Hall. But after a melodramatic fight between Lady Prunella and Harwood over decorating ideas--which was filmed by Harwood's TV crew unbeknownst to Lady Prunella--Harwood is soon found dead, and it's up to Simon to prove that Lady Prunella didn't do it....

It's springtime in Savannah, Georgia, in the newest Consignment Shop Mystery from the national bestselling author of Pearls and Poison. The azaleas and magnolias are in bloom--and Walker Boone is on the run. . .

When Reagan Summerside turned the first floor of her old Victorian home into a consignment shop, she never imagined she'd be harboring a fugitive in her attic. But after a dead man is found in a bathtub and local lawyer Walker Boone is accused of doing the dirty deed, she suddenly has a new houseguest.

Having the lawyer who took her to the cleaners in her divorce settlement--and who has been getting under her skin ever since--in close proximity is enough to drive Reagan to distraction. For the sake of her sanity--and Walker's freedom--they need to put their heads together to find out who is trying to get the lawyer out of the picture . . .

Desperate Journeys by Betty Webb\Terence Faherty\Jonathan Harrington\Nancy Baker Jacobs released on Apr 23, 2004 is available now for purchase.

Crime reporter and mystery novelist Paige Turner is looking into the murder of a young secretary whose naked body was found in Central Park?with the understanding between herself and the police that Paige keeps her exclusive investigation off the record and out of the pages of "Daring Detective."

"A lighthearted, pleasantly entertaining read for fans of the British cozy." --Emily Melton, Booklist

Bone-crushing impact, set in a milieu that clogs your lungs and stings your eyes, "Down Here" is the penetrating and remarkable new thriller from the master of American noir.
For many years, Burke has carried a torch for Wolfe, the beautiful, driven former sex crimes prosecutor who was fired for refusing to "go along to get along." They share a marrow-deep hatred of predators but walk different sides of the street when it comes to justice. So when Burke hears that Wolfe has been arrested for attempted murder, he knows something is double-wrong-and deals himself in.
Putting together a distrustful alliance between his "family of choice," Wolfe's outlaw network, and an informant inside the police department, Burke starts with the alleged victim, a brutal serial rapist Wolfe had personally prosecuted. He's back on the street because his conviction was reversed, and any of his long list of victims has plenty of motive to kill him. The deeper Burke gets into the investigation, the more holes he finds in the case against Wolfe. Yet the DA's office continues to press forward, and Burke has to find out what their game is. No stranger to devil's bargains, Burke reopens the rape investigations-his way-and discovers an artist whose violent work in progress is a whole city's nightmare.

When her dating service turns deadly, Laurel must race to find the killer before she becomes the next victim... Not sure if she is looking for Mr. Right, or Mr. Every Other Saturday Night, recently divorced Laurel McKay reluctantly joins THE LOVE CLUB, a matchmaking agency advertised as the safe alternative to on-line dating. After Bachelor one decides he wants her for dessert, Laurel dispatches him with her cell phone. The next day she discovers her drop dead gorgeous date has literally dropped dead. When Bachelor two disappears during dinner, Laurel's only alibi is a friendly bottle of Dom Perignon. The investigating detective has to decide if the sassy soccer mom is a killer, or the next target. Her boss at Hangtown Bank threatens to fire her when he learns the latest victim was an important client. Fortunately he needs her expertise to investigate some questionable loans. Laurel and her mother, who insists her daughter is innocent because she is too disorganized to plan a murder, set out to save her reputation, her job, and her life.

FREE COUNTED CROSS STITCH PATTERN INCLUDED!
Full-time needlework shop owner and part-time sleuth Betsy Devonshire has already sewn up her share of crafty conundrums. Now, she takes on her most difficult, dangerous, and deeply personal case yet.
After her good friend Godwin has an unexpectedly nasty quarrel with his significant other, John, Betsy finds herself with a roommate. Then they discover John dead, and Godwin is arrested for the murder. Now, Betsy has to untangle a complex knot of lies if she's going to save Godwin-before the murderer decides to cut off his loose ends for good.

The New York Timesabestselling authors return with a heart-stopping new novel.
O n the first day of Royal Ascot, the worldas most famous horse race, the crowd rejoices in a string of winning favorites. Ned Talbot has worked all his life as a bookmakera taking over the family business from his grandfathera so he knows not to expect any sympathy from the punters as they count their winnings, and he his losses. Heas seen the ups and downs beforeabut, as the big gambling conglomerates muscle in on small concerns like his, Ned wonders if itas worth it any more.
When a gray-haired man steps forward from the crowd claiming to be his father, Nedas life is thrown into far deeper turmoil. Head been told since he was a baby that his parents had died in a car crash.
Barely an hour later, his newly found father is stabbed by an unknown assailant in the Ascot parking lot. Blood oozing from his abdomen, his father warns Ned to abe very careful.a But of whom? Of what? Ned finds himself in a race to solve his fatheras riddleaa race where coming in second could cost him more than even moneyait could cost him his life. . . .

The new Interior Design mystery for ?fans of HGTV and cozy mysteries.?( LESLIE CAINE, AUTHOR OF "POISONED BY GUILT")
Everyone is looking forward to interior designer Jean Hastings's restoration of a Victorian mansion, but the open house becomes a crime scene when a body is discovered.

Someone is killing real estate agents in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, but then, selling houses has always been a dangerous business. When female real estate agents begin to receive threatening, sexually explicit phone calls, Eve Elliot tries to suppress her anxieties. But after agent Rose Macklin is found bludgeoned to death on the grounds of a secluded Chesapeake Bay estate, Eve can no longer afford to take her own safety for granted. Wanting to calm his panicked employees, broker Mitch Gaylin hires an ex-policewoman to teach the agents how to protect themselves, and Eve quickly realizes that the very skills she can now use to defend a life might also be used to take one.

An autumn chill has settled over Busman's Harbor, Maine, but Julia Snowden is warming up the town by offering lobster stew at the local diner. When her landlord discovers a dead body in the walk-in refrigerator, Julia must figure out who ordered up a side of murder.

Nothing's colder than a corpse--especially one stashed inside a sub-zero fridge. The victim spent his last night on earth dining at the restaurant bar, so naturally Julia finds herself at the center of the ensuing investigation. Lost in the November fog, however, is who'd want to kill the unidentified stranger--and why. It might have something to do with a suspicious group of retirees and a decades-old tragedy to which they're all connected. One thing's for sure: Julia's going to make solving this mystery her early bird special...

Includes Traditional Maine Clambake Recipes!

Praise for Clammed Up

Readers can enjoy both figuring out the mystery and taking an armchair visit to coastal Maine. --Library Journal

Sherry Oliveri has attained celebrity status after winning the America's Good Taste Recipe Contest with her delectable New England Crab Cake Sliders. But now that she's back home in Connecticut, she's got to deal with something else fishy . . .

Sherry's making a guest appearance on a local radio show when the news comes in: Poppy Robinson has been found dead in the town's community garden. Sherry was supposed to be taking questions about her win in the national cooking competition, but instead the callers start dishing dirt.

Poppy and Sherry were both involved in the vegetable garden, and while Poppy may have been a bit priggish, it wasn't anything that called for a shovel to the back of the head. There was already trouble brewing, with the owner of the land threatening to renege on their agreement, and this murder has taken tensions to a new level. Now while Sherry's organizing a Fourth of July cook-off event, she's also got a murder investigation on her plate . . .

Includes Recipes from Sherry's Kitchen!