Mystery

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.

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.

'Espresso Tales' is the second volume in Alexander McCall Smith's serial novel about the occupants of 44 Scotland Street.

Wallpaper, love, and other deadly ideas...
Once they were competitors. Then they became partners. Now interior designers Erin Gilbert and Steve Sullivan wish they'd never gotten involved in a feng shui--inspired makeover--of a home owned by a celebrity chef and his wife, a famous artist with an infamous artistic temperament. Gilbert and Sullivan are all for feng shui, the Chinese art of harmonious design. But this time Gilbert and Sullivan know they are facing more than bad vibes. An attic erupts in flames. The death of a carpenter strikes Erin too close to home, while a dangerous beauty wants to get much too close to Sullivan. Erin finds herself left on her own with her best-made plans, her worst fears, and someone whose design is to kill her.

Dean Abernathy, a young defense attorney, is assigned to defend a homeless man accused of the felony murder (a death occurring during the commission of a crime -- in this case, a mugging) of a popular New York City police commissioner. It seems the only defense is a plea bargain, for the evidence is overwhelming. But little by little strange anomalies in the prosecution's case show up, and following these, Dean is plunged into danger. He joins forces with a young woman, the prosecution witness in the case, to uncover a giant official conspiracy.

Sparks flew from the moment they met. Beryl Madison answered her summons to teacher Terry Goodson's second-grade classroom to defend her nephew's "odd behavior" like an avenging angel. It seems poor little Duncan "is having some type of fantasy ideation"--he's been telling some of his classmates that his aunt is a superhero. When Beryl shows up in a yellow catsuit with orange flames, a mardi gras mask, and red stiletto boots, Terry thinks he's the one having the fantasy ideation now. Come to find out, Beryl is merely in her work clothes. One of her jobs is playing "The Flame" for a local television station's morning children's show. The pair end up working together to bring a seedy attorney to justice, and they begin to see that the spontaneous combustion each sets off in the other is more than a physical attraction. It could be the once-in-a-lifetime explosion they'd always been afraid they'd find--Terry because he's unwilling to give up his happy-go-lucky lifestyle; Beryl because she's terrified of being hurt.

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!

Detective Inspector Frank Shapiro and his two chief investigators look into the death of a young prostitute, who is found dead on a boat in Castlemere Canal. Adding to the puzzle, a hired killer targets the organizer of an international business convention. But he misses his mark, and hits Shapiro instead. Now it's up to Liz Graham and Cal Donovan to sort out the crime. Martin's Press.

It's Christmastime in sleepy Snowcap, Colorado, and the town is up in arms. The venerable Goodwin Estate has been sold to enterprising out of towners and is getting a major makeover just in time for the holidays. Interior designers Erin Gilbert and Steve Sullivan walked smack into a storm of chaos: the estate's new owners, including one whose idea of holiday decor involves inflatable elves and a gingerbread facade, are battling among themselves. Erin's big-talking ex-boyfriend shows up just in time to make Sullivan crazy jealous, and when a local building inspector is found strangled with a strand of Christmas lights, Gilbert and Sullivan begin to suspect it might be time to leave this psychodrama of a project behind.
But after an incompetent sheriff accuses Erin of murder and there's another gruesome killing, the only way out is to turn detective. Her new job: solve a mystery with too many clues...and far too many guilty parties....
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