Service Alert
Website maintenance April 24 10pm ET
On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
Showing 6241 - 6260 of 13439 items
By Amanda Flower. 2018
Someone’s sweet on revenge . . . Christmas is Bailey King’s favorite time of year. For her first Yuletide in…
Harvest, Ohio, the former big-city chocolatier is recreating a cherished holiday treat: peppermint combined with molten white chocolate. But her sugar high plummets when her former boyfriend walks into the candy shop she now runs with her Amish grandmother. New York celebrity chef Eric Sharp and his TV crew have arrived to film an authentic Amish Christmas. Bailey’s not about to let her beloved town—and Swissmen Sweets—be turned into a sound bite. Unfortunately, she gets more publicity than she bargained for when Eric’s executive producer is found strangled to death—and Eric’s the prime suspect. With Bailey’s sheriff deputy boyfriend out to prove Eric’s guilt, her bad-boy ex tries to sweet-talk her into helping him clear his name . . . and rekindle their romance to boost ratings for his show. Now, between a surplus of suspects and a victim who wasn’t who she seemed, Bailey’s edging dangerously close to a killer who isn’t looking to bring joy to the world—or to Bailey—this deadly Noel . . . Recipe Included!By Elizabeth Spann Craig. 2018
Wer will schon Häppchen und Dips, wenn er Dickens und Twain haben kann? Für die Bewohner der verschlafenen Kleinstadt Bradley,…
North Carolina, ist Jill Caulfield eine wahre Heilige. Sie, engagiert sich für die Kirche, putzt nebenbei hält ihren Garten in tadellosem Zustand – und trägt ständig ein Lächeln in ihrem Gesicht, trotz ihres nutzlosen, arbeitslosen und untreuen Ehemanns. Als die unerschrockene 80-jährige Amateurdetektivin Myrtle Clover ihre neue Haushaltshilfe Jill dabei erwischt, wie sie in ihrem Medikamentenschränkchen wühlt, sollte sie erbost sein. Aber herauszufinden, dass die ach-so-tolle Jill doch nicht so makellos ist, ist in Myrtles Augen eine viel größere Genugtuung. Nur zu gerne hätte Myrtle herausgefunden, was Jill Caulfield wohl sonst noch alles verheimlichte… hätte Myrtle sie nicht während des neu gegründeten Dinnerclubs tot in der Küche aufgefunden.By Jess Montgomery. 2019
“The Widows kept me on the edge of my seat. Montgomery is a masterful storyteller.” —Lee Martin, author of Pulitzer…
Prize-Finalist The Bright ForeverKinship, Ohio, 1924: When Lily Ross learns that her husband, Daniel Ross, the town’s widely respected sheriff, is killed while transporting a prisoner, she is devastated and vows to avenge his death. Hours after his funeral, a stranger appears at her door. Marvena Whitcomb, a coal miner’s widow, is unaware that Daniel has died, and begs to speak with him about her missing daughter. From miles away but worlds apart, Lily and Marvena’s lives collide as they realize that Daniel was not the man that either of them believed him to be—and that his murder is far more complex than either of them could have imagined. Inspired by the true story of Ohio’s first female sheriff, this is a powerful debut about two women’s search for justice as they take on the corruption at the heart of their community. "The Widows is a gripping, beautifully written novel about two women avenging the murder of the man they both loved."—Hallie Ephron, New York Times bestselling author of You'll Never Know, Dear"Jess Montgomery's gorgeous writing can be just as dark and terrifying as a subterranean cave when the candle is snuffed out, but her prose can just as easily lead you to the surface for a gasp of air and a glimpse of blinding, beautiful sunlight. This is a powerful novel: a tale of loss, greed, and violence, and the story of two powerful women who refuse to stand down."—Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Ballad, A Land More Kind than Home, and This Dark Road to Mercy"[A] flinty, heartfelt mystery that sings of hawks and history, of coal mines and the urgent fight for social justice."—Julia Keller, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bone on BoneBy R. J. Lee. 2019
After four bridge players are poisoned, newspaper reporter Wendy Winchester sets out to catch a killer who's not playing with…
a full deck . . . When the four wealthy widows who make up the venerable Rosalie Bridge Club never get up from their card table, this quiet Mississippi town has its first quadruple homicide. Who put cyanide in their sugar bowl? An aspiring member and kibitzer with the exclusive club, Wendy takes a personal interest in finding justice for the ladies. She also has a professional motivation. A frustrated society columnist for the Rosalie Citizen, she's ready to deal herself a better hand as an investigative reporter. This could be her big break. Plus, she has a card or two up her sleeve: her sometimes boyfriend is a detective and her dad is the local chief of police. Partnering up with the men in her life, Wendy starts shuffling through suspects and turning over secrets long held close to the chest by the ladies. But when a wild card tries to take her out of the game, Wendy decides it's time to up the ante before she's the next one to go down . . .The 18th installment of the bestselling Joanne Kilbourn series from the "queen of Canadian crime fiction" (Winnipeg Free Press).When, at…
the age of sixty, Joanne learns that Douglas Ellard, the reserved general practitioner whom she had grown up believing to be her father was, in fact, the best friend of her biological father, the brilliant visual artist Desmond Love, she begins to question not just who she is but what factors play a role in shaping all of us and in making us who we really are. Joanne is offered the chance to revisit her family history, when writer Roy Brodnitz, author of The Happiest Girl, a Broadway mega-hit inspired by a Desmond Love painting, approaches her with the idea of making a mini-series about the close relationship between the Ellard and Love families. Brodnitz is in town working on the film adaptation of his Broadway hit, and he and his film company soon become a significant presence in the life of Joanne's family, with results that are both life-changing and menacing. When Joanne and Zack's eighteen-year-old daughter, Taylor Shreve, develops a close friendship with the seventeen-year-old actress starring in the movie, the Shreve family is exposed to the dark side of the film industry and they uncover disturbing truths about the handsome and talented people they have invited into their lives. A Darkness of the Heart explores the ways in which clear vision, generosity of spirit, and a willingness to love can combat the forces in our world that seek to encroach upon innocence. Once again, Gail Bowen's powerful storytelling, engaging characters, and page-turning plot reaffirm her place as one of the finest mystery writers around.By Laurien Berenson. 2018
As owner of prize-winning Poodles, Melanie Travis knows how to handle fierce competition. But when a conformation show turns deadly,…
it’ll take every trick in the book to outsmart a murderer who refuses to lose . . . With the excitement of the spring dog show season sweeping Connecticut, Melanie is determined to help her son finally lead his Standard Poodle toward a championship title. Aunt Peg even skips the judging panel to exhibit a pup of her own, and she’s set on standing out from the pack with a handmade leash from Jasmine Crane, a talented canine portrait artist who also crafts stunning accessories for discriminating show-goers. Jasmine’s handiwork is to die for—but Aunt Peg didn’t expect to discover the woman murdered behind the concession booth, strangled by one of her dazzling custom creations . . . Another shockwave ripples through the close-knit show community when Amanda, Aunt Peg’s longtime dog sitter and a renter on Jasmine’s property, ominously vanishes that same day. While nosing around for clues, Melanie suspects a dangerous connection between Amanda’s disappearance and the homicide case—a hunch that grows as her investigation reveals sketchy secrets about the late artist. Juggling a demanding teaching job, the pressures of the show ring, and a daunting suspect list, Melanie finds herself entangled in a mindboggling murder mystery . . . and hot on the trail of a desperate killer . . .By Lydia Albadoro, Suzanne Slingerland-Pays. 2018
L’étudiante Néerlandaise, Evelyne Meyer (Eve) s’est installée à Londres avec un groupe de jeunes excentriques dans la maison de Joy…
McAllen (qui a perdu ses parents dans un tragique accident d’avion) où elle loue une chambre. Depuis son installation, Eve est hantée par des cauchemars et des hallucinations. Seuls ses amis étudiants et Lily-Rose Summers, la fille d’un célèbre acteur, la rassurent. Lorsque Eve se retrouve avec des problèmes financiers et ne peut plus payer son loyer, Lily-Rose, son amie, la présente à un ami de la famille, un régisseur, Martin Dumont. Il lui propose un job d’hôtesse sur son yacht. Mais, un matin, la police vient l’interroger, car elle aurait été témoin d’un meurtre sordide. Elle est couverte de sang, bien que, bizarrement, elle ne se souvienne de rien. Ce n’est que le début d’étranges événements…By Kaitlyn Dunnett. 2018
After splurging to buy her childhood home in the Catskills, recently widowed Mikki Lincoln emerges from retirement as a freelance…
editor. With her ability to spot details that others fail to see, it’s not long before Mikki earns clients—and realizes that the village of Lenape Hollow isn’t the thriving tourist destination it was decades ago. Not with a murderer on the loose . . . When perky novice writer Tiffany Scott knocks at her door holding a towering manuscript, Mikki expects another debut novel plagued by typos and sloppy prose. Instead, she finds a murder mystery ripped from the headlines of Lenape Hollow’s not-too-distant past. The opening scene is a graphic page-turner, but it sends a real chill down Mikki’s spine after the young author turns up dead just like the victim in her story . . . Mikki refuses to believe that Tiffany’s death was accidental, and suspicions of foul play solidify as she uncovers a strange inconsistency in the manuscript and a possible motive in the notes. Then there’s Tiffany’s grandmother and husband, who aren’t exactly on friendly terms over the local area’s planned rejuvenation efforts . . . Unable to convince police that they are focused on the wrong suspect, Mikki must rely on her keen eyes to catch the truth hidden in Lenape Hollow. As she gets closer to cracking the case, only one person takes Mikki’s investigation seriously—the cunning killer who will do anything to make this chapter of her life come to a very abrupt ending . . .By Diane Mott Davidson. 2000
A deliciously deadly novel by theNew York Timesbestselling author ofPrime Cut. Diane Mott Davidson's unique blend of first-class suspense and…
five-star fare has won her scores of fans and propelled her onto major bestseller lists across the country. Now she returns with her hottest entree yet, serving up another tantalizing menu for murder. . . . When caterer Goldy Schulz is offered a temporary stint hosting a cooking show for PBS, she jumps at the chance. After all, she could use the money -- not to mention the great exposure. Plus taping the shows at Colorado's posh Killdeer Ski Resort will be fun. A little cooking, a little chitchat. What could go wrong? The answer: everything! When Goldy has to do one of her shows live for a PBS telethon, the broadcast is riddled with culinary catastrophes -- from the Chesapeake Crab Cakes right down to the Ice-Capped Gingersnaps. But the deadliest dish of all comes after the cameras go off -- and a baffling accident claims a life. Then a series of suspicious mishaps places Goldy's own life in jeopardy, and she knows she'd better whip up her own crime-solving recipe, and fast -- before a deadly dash of danger ends her cooking career once and for all. . . .By Jennifer Kincheloe. 2017
In early-1900s Los Angeles-- an era of courting, ragtime, suffragettes, and widespread corruption-- a socialite turned police matron tracks down…
the murderer of a white woman in Chinatown, while trying to prevent the outbreak of a bloody tong war.Los Angeles, 1908. In Chinatown, the most dangerous beat in Los Angeles, police matron Anna Blanc and her former sweetheart, Detective Joe Singer, discover the body of a white missionary woman, stuffed in a trunk in the apartment of her Chinese lover. If news about the murder gets out, there will be a violent backlash against the Chinese. Joe and Anna work to solve the crime quietly and keep the death a secret, reluctantly helped by the good-looking Mr. Jones, a prominent local leader. Meanwhile, the kidnapping of two slave girls fuels existing tensions, leaving Chinatown poised on the verge of a bloody tong war. Joe orders Anna to stay away, but Anna is determined to solve the crime before news of the murder is leaked and Chinatown explodes.By Larry D. Sweazy. 2018
Marjorie Trumaine, a freelance indexer from rural North Dakota in the 1960s, risks her life to help local law enforcement…
track down a missing, disabled girl.Dickinson, North Dakota, 1965. It's a harsh winter, and freelance indexer Marjorie Trumaine struggles to complete a lengthy index while mourning the recent loss of her husband, Hank. The bleakness of the weather seems to compound her grief, and then she gets more bad news: a neighbor's fourteen-year-old disabled daughter, Tina Rinkerman, has disappeared. Marjorie joins Sheriff Guy Reinhardt in the search for the missing girl, and their investigation quickly leads to the shocking discovery of a murdered man near the Rinkermans' house. What had he been doing there? Who would have wanted him dead? And, above all, is his murder connected to Tina's disappearance?Their pursuit of answers will take Marjorie all the way to the Grafton State School, some six hours away, where Tina lived until recently. And the information she uncovers there raises still more questions. Will the murderer come after Marjorie now that she knows a long-hidden secret?By Linda Castillo. 2017
**AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER**In this electrifying new thriller in the New York Times bestselling series,…
a convicted murderer is on the run and Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must catch him before he strikes again."Murder in Amish country has a certain added frisson, and Castillo’s the master of the genre.” —People magazine“Castillo weaves the particularities of the Amish mindset into a complex mystery that will leave you crying with pity or seething with rage.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred) Two years ago, Joseph King was convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to life in prison. He was a “fallen” Amish man and a known drug user with a violent temper. Now King has escaped, and he’s headed for Painters Mill. News of a murderer on the loose travels like wildfire, putting Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her team of officers on edge. But this is personal for Kate. She grew up with Joseph King. As a thirteen year old Amish girl, she’d worshipped the ground he walked on. She never could have imagined the nightmare scenario that becomes reality when King shows up with a gun and takes his five children hostage at their Amish uncle’s farm. Armed and desperate, he has nothing left to lose. Fearing for the safety of the children, Kate makes contact with King only to find herself trapped with a killer. Or is he? All King asks of her is to help him prove his innocence—and he releases her unharmed. Kate is skeptical, but when the facts and the evidence don’t align, she begins to wonder who she should trust. Spurned by some of her fellow cops, she embarks on her own investigation only to unearth an unspeakable secret—and someone who is willing to commit murder to keep it buried.By Gillian Flynn. 2012
"Gillian Flynn is the real deal, a sharp, acerbic, and compelling storyteller with a knack for the macabre." --Stephen KingThis…
exclusive ebook collection brings together the three novels from bestselling author Gillian Flynn. A #1 New York Times bestseller, Gone Girl is an unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that Flynn's work "draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction." Gone Girl's toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. Flynn's second novel, Dark Places, is an intricately orchestrated thriller that ravages a family's past to unearth the truth behind a horrifying crime. A New York Times bestseller and Weekend Today Top Summer Read, Dark Places solidified Flynn's status as one of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time. In Sharp Objects, Flynn's debut novel, a young journalist returns home to cover a dark assignment--and to face her own damaged family history. With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable.By Anna Smith. 2013
Rosie Gilmour has just returned to Glasgow from Kosovo. Refugees are flooding into Glasgow, but the city with the big…
heart is becoming less hospitable.Steeped in its own problems, Glasgow's mushrooming underclass is simmering with resentment; and one by one, refugees are disappearing. The authorities assume the refugees have vanished into the black economy, until the mutilated body of an Albanian man is fished out of the River Clyde.Asylum seekers and refugees with no roots and no families are easy pickings. But why is there no urgency from the authorities to find out what's happening? Rosie Gilmour's instincts tell her there's more to this story, but after six weeks on the frontlines in Kosovo, is her sympathy for the refugees clouding her judgement?'A fast paced and thoroughly engaging journey through Glasgow's underworld' Undiscovered ScotlandAn Amish Bed and Breakfast Mystery with Recipes - PennDutch Mysteries #"Bubbling over with mirth and mystery." -Dorothy Cannell"A delicious…
treat." -Carolyn G. HartTucked away in a picturesque corner of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Magdalena Yoder's PennDutch Inn is the perfect locale for a cooking contest. Unfortunately, as Magdalena discovers when a corpse is found in the barn, some food is, literally, to die for...The killer is old Matilda, a cow accused of fatally kicking the CEO of the gourmet food company sponsoring the contest. Melvin Stolzfus, the local police chief, known to be two eggs short of an omelet, calls it accidental death. But Magdalena knows that a killer cow is a lot of bull. And when new evidence pins suspicion on Freni, the inn's own cook--who hopes her bread pudding will win the grand prize--Magdalena starts sniffing about on her own. But she'd better watch her back. The real killer has decided to cook another goose. And Magdalena may just be the next course on a murderer's menu.By Lois Greiman. 2018
Chrissy McMullen #10"Dangerously funny stuff." –Janet EvanovichIf L.A. psychologist, Christina McMullen, knew Lieutenant Jack Rivera planned to propose marriage, perhaps…
she wouldn’t have attacked him with a lobster pick.Had she realized the true reason for the attack on her receptionist, maybe she wouldn’t have awakened with a mysterious hottie lying next to her in bed. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll figure out who’s trying to kill that hottie in time to save him, her endangered client, and her own tempestuous relationship with the irresistible Lieutenant Rivera.Or maybe not…"Lois Greiman is a modern day Dorothy Sayers. Witty as hell, yet talented enough to write like an angel with a broken wing." – Kinky Friedman, author of Ten Little New Yorkers “Sexy…sassy…An entertaining series.” —Mystery Scene“For the Janet Evanovich fans who are craving a protagonist similar to Stephanie Plum.” —Mystery SceneA delightful romp, a laugh on every page." –MaryJanice Davidson "Just what the doctor ordered."--Publishers WeeklyBy Keith M. Donaldson. 2004
Winner of a Finalist Award in the Mystery Category of the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, this riveting, suspenseful…
novel is an introduction to Donaldson's Laura Wolfe series. Wolfe, a tenacious beat reporter for The Washington Star, tracks a D.C serial killer who butchers pregnant women and steals their fetuses, dumping the naked bodies with no identification in an obscure part of the city. When Laura is shown the body of victim number two, she recognizes her as someone named Janet who she had met at a reception for the Vice President of the United States. The victim is quickly identified as Janet Rausch, and Laura begins digging into her background. When the public Janet does not match with the private one, Laura begins to question whether there may have been more to Janet's death than being a serial killing victim. The mounting evidence Laura accumulates stimulates her inquisitive mind into believing Janet's murder was planned. Yet she is the only one to believe that theory. Her startling revelation confounds both her lawyer husband and her bestfriend, Max Walsh, Captain of Homicide for the Washington MPD. Laura persists anyway and goes from the dirty back streets of D.C. to the nation's capital, to the Virginia suburbs, and into the polished halls of political Washington, as the public is terrorized by a third murder, very much like the previous two.By Dean James. 2000
From New York Times bestselling author of A Cat in the Stacks mystery series, a novel about murder, family secrets…
and the deep, deep South...A Deep South Mystery (#1)Graduate student Maggie McLendon is at home in Houston, studying for exams, when a letter from her great aunt arrives, bearing bad news. Maggie's grandfather, Henry McLendon is seriously ill in Jackson, Mississippi. Maggie's never met her relations: her father, English professor Gerard McLendon, has been estranged from his family since Maggie was an infant; perhaps now there is one last chance for the McLendons to be reunited.The family welcomes Maggie and her father with open arms to Jackson, but almost immediately, a murderer strikes--and Gerard McLendon is the chief suspect. But when the killer strikes a second time, it looks like Maggie's father could be the next victim...Racing against time, Maggie delves deep into the mystery surrounding her grandmother's suspicious death 25 years ago and discovers long-held family secrets that could lead her straight to the killer. If only she can get there in time to save her father..."In Cruel as the Grave, Dean James brings to life a family burdened by dark secrets. Determined sleuth Maggie McLendon peels away layers of hidden sadness to find the truth of her heritage in a haunting mystery steeped in the richness of Southern culture." -Carolyn Hart, author of the Death on Demand and Henrie O mysteries"Cruel as the Grave is an engaging, literate novel of family secrets and skullduggery. With a clever plot and appealing characterization, Mr. James has created the perfect English drawing room mystery set smack in the middle of steamy Mississippi. It is a witty and solid debut that will leave mystery readers clamoring for more." -Earlene Fowler, author of Seven Sisters"Cruel As The Grave exposes the underbelly of a Southern family, where secrets and skeletons lurk, cloaked in every imaginable guise. Well-written, deftly-plotted, and highly-recommended for fans of Faulkner and others who zeroed in on the dysfunctional social structure that, to this day, continues to be concealed by superficiality and faded magnolia blossoms." -Joan Hess, author of the Maggody and Clair Malloy mysteriesBy Leslie Caine. 2004
A Domestic Bliss Mystery #1"Sparkles with charm, design lore, and a sleuth with a great mantra. Cozy fans will embrace…
the Domestic Bliss series." --Carolyn Hart, Edgar Award-winning author of Letters from Home"TREND: For killer decorating tips, pick up Death by Inferior Design...advice is woven into this whodunit featuring rival designers as sleuths." -House and Garden Magazine"This story is delightful in every way...entertaining, humorous, serious, and totally engrossing from the first page to the last. And sprinkled throughout are tasty decorating tips." -Midwest Book Review"Her latest decorating job will make you feel like you've stumbled across the deadly side of HGTV." --Jerrilyn Farmer, #1 Los Angeles Times bestselling author of the Madeline Bean mysteriesInterior decorator, Erin Gilbert heads to picturesque Crestview, Colorado for a friendly (if sharks are friendly) competition: She'll design a room in one home; and the impossibly handsome Steve Sullivan--her main rival--will do a room in another. The prize? A big feature in Denver Magazine, showcasing their interior design business. Who could have dreamed the uproar to ensue in a neighborhood full of eccentric homeowners, jealously hidden secrets and a few marriages in need of total makeovers. Trapped together in the midst of chaos, could the charming Steve turn out to be a...friend?But between her custom, cushy pillows and dramatic drapery, Erin uncovers a very undecorative dead body, too many suspects, and a killer who seems to have designs...on her!By Leslie O'Kane. 1998
Meet Allie Babcock – The Audacious Dog Therapist with a Flair for SleuthingAt her brand new shop in Boulder, Allie’s…
very first client is a dejected collie whose previous owner allegedly took her own life. But with a natural nose for crime, Allie soon suspects murder – leaving her dejected canine client as possibly the sole witness to the crime.With the scent fresh, Allie is quickly on the case – but a second murder curtails her investigation. Before taking another step, Allie needs to count her enemies: several suspicious dog owners, a boyfriend with a temper (and a demand for vengeance!), and a mysterious door-to-door salesman with a curious tale to tell…Bizarre salesman, vicious boyfriend and suspect dog owners – one thing is for sure – Allie’s life may never be safe until one of these characters lands in the pen…