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Showing 1 - 20 of 13919 items
By Janet Dawson. 2017
Oakland is a city shaped by water. The waterfront, home to the ship and rail yards, is also ripe for…
development. There’s lots of money to be made, so greed and crime inevitably follow. PI Jeri Howard looks into the murder of a former coworker who was a security guard at a construction site on the Embarcadero. It was a surprise when Cal Bradys body washed up on the Estuary shoreline. But Jeri is certain Cal’s death was no accident, and she’s determined to find out who killed him, and why.By Jude Deveraux. 2024
Sara Medlar may be retired as a bestselling author, but her career as an amateur detective is facing one final…
mystery—and it&’s a killer. Retired romance novelist Sara Medlar has been comfortably sharing her large home with her niece Kate and her &“honorary grandson&” Jack. It&’s a convenient arrangement given the Medlar Three, as they&’ve become known, are often working closely together to solve mysteries in their small town of Lachlan, Florida. But when real estate agent Kate announces she&’s been given the listing for the town&’s storied Lachlan House, it sets off alarm bells for Sara and Jack. The infamous house has a dark history, one that&’s certain to haunt them all. With little memory of her childhood, Kate doesn&’t understand what the fuss is about—until the trio visits the house and makes a grim discovery. Flooded by memories of the past, Kate realizes she spent time there as a child. But stumbling upon a skeleton dressed in a rotting tuxedo—a murder victim with connections to her father—causes Kate to wonder if the childhood she can&’t remember might be one she&’d rather forget. As Sara, Kate and Jack delve deeper into the dead man&’s history, they learn he was last seen at a party held at Lachlan House in the late nineties—a swanky soiree attended by his many enemies. With more than one motive in play, every partygoer is a suspect, and Sara is determined to find the culprit, even if it means digging up past secrets she&’s worked hard to keep buried. A Medlar MysteryBook 1: A Willing MurderBook 2: A Justified MurderBook 3: A Forgotten MurderBook 4: A Relative MurderBy Laurie R King. 2024
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, hoping for a respite in the French countryside, are instead caught up in a case…
that turns both bewildering and intensely personal. After their recent adventures in Transylvania, Russell and Holmes look forward to spending time with Holmes' son, the famous artist Damian Adler, and his family. But when they arrive at Damian's house in Délieux, they discover that the Adlers have fled from a mysterious threat. Holmes rushes after Damian while Russell, slowed down by a recent injury, stays behind to search the empty house. In Damian's studio, she discovers four crates packed with memorabilia related to Holmes' granduncle, the artist Horace Vernet. It's an odd mix of clutter and treasures, including a tarnished silver lamp with a rotating shade: an antique yet sophisticated form of zoetrope, fitted with strips of paper whose images dance with the lantern's spin. In the crate is an old journal by a woman called Lakshmi, written in a nearly impenetrable code. Intrigued, Russell sets about deciphering the intricate cryptograph, slowly realizing that each entry is built around an image—the first of which is a child, bundled into a carriage by an abductor, watching her mother recede from view. Russell is entranced, then troubled, and each entry she decodes brings more questions. Who is the young Indian woman who created this elaborate puzzle? What does she have to do with Damian, or with Horace Vernet—or the threat hovering over the house? The secrets of the past appear to be reaching into the present. And it seems increasingly urgent that Russell figure out how the journal and lantern are related to Damian—and possibly to Sherlock Holmes himself. Could there be things about his own history that even the master detective does not perceive?By Lindsay Maracotta. 1999
A “Dead is the New Fabulous” Mystery (#3) “Lindsay Maracotta has created in Lucy an exhilarating smart and sassy character.…
Her insider’s take crackles with fresh insight and laugh-out-loud one-liners.” —Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author “Killingly amusing. Lindsay Maracotta wields the sharpest tongue since Nora Ephron banged out Heartburn. The book’s social observations are right on the money.” —The Chicago Tribune Lucy Frampton lives amid the glitzy trappings of Los Angeles. Her friends enjoy intimate relationships with aroma therapists and body sculptors, and her neighbors' estates boast screening rooms and humidity-controlled wine cellars. The exclusive Windermere Academy, which her daughter, Chloe, attends, has a shrink on the payroll to lead "encounter sessions" when tiny tempests threaten the students' sunny days. And even bit players in the Windermere school pageants have publicists and agents. But Lucy, a sensible, transplanted Midwesterner, keeps her sights down-to-earth. She's an outstanding mom, a sexy wife, and an animator whose career is rocketing. But then, in a flash, her perfect world of storyboard mornings and car-pool afternoons goes from romantic comedy to film noir. Lucy's new nanny, Brandon, college friend—and onetime lover (but that's another story)—is shot dead while driving her husband's car. It's unclear who the intended victim was, but then Lucy stumbles upon something even more chilling: a video hidden among Brandon's things that shows a child committing a murder. Though the authorities yawn, Lucy suspects the killer is cruising through classrooms and lunchrooms, as dewy-eyed innocent as any other kid. With a razor wit and a hilarious irreverence for the trappings of fame as her only weapons, Lucy launches a one-woman investigation, leading smack into the looking-glass world of child actors, where nine-year-olds can fire their own parents, where a child's smile commands top dollar—and a little killer is about to have the last laugh!By Charlie Donlea. 2022
&“Excellent…Donlea tells a propulsive tale.&” – The New York TimesThe New York Times Best Thrillers This Season | E! NewsRecommended…
Books | Overdrive Biggest Books of the MonthFans of Verity by Colleen Hoover won&’t want to miss this thrilling new suspense novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Girl Who Was Taken! Hiding her own dark past in plain sight, a TV reporter is determined to uncover the truth behind a gruesome murder decades after the investigation was abandoned. But TWENTY YEARS LATER, to understand the present, you need to listen to the past… Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience&’s attention. Her latest story—a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal—is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner&’s office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence. Emma Kind has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won&’t be complete until she can clear Victoria&’s name. Alone she&’s had no luck, but she&’s convinced that Avery&’s connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria&’s DNA. But the twisted puzzle of Victoria&’s private life is just the beginning. And what Avery doesn't realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery&’s own secret past—one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried . . . Accused of a brutal murder, Victoria Ford made a final chilling call from the North Tower on the morning of 9/11. Twenty years ago, no one listened. Today, you will.&“Breathtaking pacing and clever plot twists.&” —Publishers Weekly &“An entertaining thriller…surprises lurking around every corner.&” —Kirkus Reviews &“A superb storyteller.&” —Robert Dugoni, New York Timesbestselling authorBy Alyssa Cole. 2024
From the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of When No One Is Watching comes a riveting thriller…
about the new caretaker of a historic estate who finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer—and the ghosts of her past. Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can't refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she's determined not to ruin their opportunity. Then a surprise visit from the home's conservation trust just as a Nor'easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers—including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect. Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island—and their own past—or they risk losing not only their future, but their lifeBy Sara Paretsky. 2024
Legendary detective V.I. Warshawski uncovers a mystery with roots dating back to the Civil War in this edge-of-your-seat thriller from…
New York Times bestseller Sara Paretsky. V .I. Warshawski is famous for her cool under fire, her intelligence, her humor, her unflinching courage, and her love of good coffee. But even the strongest people sometimes need a break to recharge, so her friends send her to Kansas for a weekend of college basketball where Angela, one of her protégées, is playing. And that's where trouble finds V.I. Sabrina, one of Angela's roommates, disappears and V.I. agrees to try to find her. Finding a missing person in a city where she knows few people and doesn't have her trusted contacts is hard, but not as hard as the brutally negative reaction to the detective from some of the locals. When V.I. finds Sabrina close to death in a remote house, she lands herself in the FBI's crosshairs and faces a violent online backlash. The men running the county's opioid distribution are also not happy. Discovering a dead body in the same house a few days later, V.I. is pitched headlong into a local land-use battle with roots going back to the Civil War. She finds that today's combatants are just as willing as opponents in the 1860s to kill to settle their differences. V.I.'s survival depends on keeping one step ahead of players in a game she never intended to play, before the clock runs downBy S. L. Menear. 2024
Mystery and Murder Collide in an Unforgettable Soiree of Suspense in Dead Ends, a Murder Mystery from S.L. Menear— Palm…
Beach County, Present Day —When a renowned British MP is found murdered, Jettine Jorgensen finds herself at the heart of another chilling mystery. Just two months following the harrowing body-drop murders, Jett hosts a ten-day Mystery Fest at her illustrious Valhalla Castle, bringing together the crème de la crème of mystery aficionados, each with secrets lurking beneath their practiced exteriors. But the mysterious and sinister death of the MP is just the beginning.Amid the ensuing chaos, a seance led by best-selling author Lady Amelia Ainsworth unveils disturbing accusations, drawing Jett's international guests into a web of suspicion. But, when the body count begins to rise, loyalties are tested, forcing Jett to unravel a complex tapestry of deceit, utilizing her unique intuition and the spirit world.But with her closest friend entangled in a love affair with a suspected murderer and her own heart torn between duty and desire, Jett faces her most personal challenge yet as she searches for a killer before the curtain falls on her own story.Publisher’s Note: Dead Ends is the third in a series of suspenseful mysteries with a baffling series of crimes that lead three female sleuths to surprising discoveries and shocking resolutions. Readers who enjoy clean and wholesome entertainment with a touch of humor, romance, and paranormal will not want to miss this exciting series.The Jettine Jorgensen Mystery SeriesDead SilentDropped DeadDead EndsDead ReckoningAbout the Author:A trailblazer in aviation, Sharon shattered the glass ceiling as US Airways' first female pilot in 1980, a time when women pilots constituted less than 0.5% of the global total. Her peers dubbed her "Bombshell," a testament to her standout presence in a male-dominated field. Sharon skillfully piloted an array of aircraft, including Boeing 727s and 737s, DC-9s, and BAC 1-11s, ascending to the rank of captain in just seven years.Her journey into aviation was preceded by a glamorous stint as a water-sports and boating model, followed by globetrotting adventures as a flight attendant for Pan American World Airways. Sharon's passion for flying extends to piloting antique and experimental aircraft, as well as engaging with fighter airplanes in diverse international settings.Now residing on a picturesque South Florida island, Sharon continues to inspire readers through her rich legacy in aviation.By Heather Redmond. 2023
The tangled relationships between Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary&’s stepsister Jane Clairmont form the backdrop…
for an intriguing historical mystery, set in London in 1814, that explores the complex dynamic between sisters and the birth of teenaged Mary&’s creative genius. London, 1814: Mary Godwin and her stepsister Jane Clairmont, both sixteen, possess quick minds bolstered by an unconventional upbringing, and have little regard for the rules that other young ladies follow. Mary, whose mother famously advocated for women&’s rights, rejects the two paths that seem open to her—that of an assistant in her father&’s bookshop, or an ordinary wife. Though quieter and more reserved than the boisterous Jane, Mary&’s imagination is keen, and she longs for real-world adventures. One evening, an opportunity arrives in the form of a dinner guest, Percy Bysshe Shelley. At twenty-one, Shelley is already a renowned poet and radical. Mary finds their visitor handsome and compelling, but it is later that evening, after the party has broken up, that events take a truly intriguing turn. When Mary comes downstairs in search of a book, she finds instead a man face down on the floor—with a knife in his back. The dead man, it seems, was a former classmate of Shelley&’s, and had lately become a personal and professional rival. What was he doing in the Godwins&’ home? Mary, Jane, and Shelley are all drawn to learn the truth behind the tragedy, especially as each discovery seems to hint at a tangled web that includes many in Shelley&’s closest circle. But as the attraction between Mary and the married poet intensifies, it sparks a rivalry between the sisters, even as it kindles the creative fire within . . .By J. T. Siemens. 2024
Now a fully-fledged private investigator, Sloane Donovan is bored by her latest task of keeping a debauched starlet alive and…
out of the headlines as she films a movie in Vancouver. When she and her partner Wayne Capson are contacted by a grieving mother looking to resurrect the cold case of her missing daughter, Sloane finds herself inexorably drawn into a clandestine world of disappearing girls, illegal narcotics and loose ends dating back forty years.Careening from the hardest edges of the city to creepy rural backroads where cries go unheard, Sloane’s relentless quest places the people closest to her at risk, while her own personal demons threaten to devour her. Lightning-paced and unputdownable, Call of the Void cements Sloane Donovan’s position amid the new generation of hard-boiled sleuths.By Elaine Viets. 2007
A secret shopper turns amateur sleuth when her best friend’s husband is accused of murder in this mystery by the…
Anthony and Agatha Award–winning author.Josie Marcus has an eye for the finer things in life. Unfortunately, her wallet can’t keep up—as a single mom and mystery shopper, she won’t be moving out of St. Louis’s suburbs anytime soon. Good thing her best friend, Alyce Bohannon, doesn’t mind sharing a taste of the high life in her posh gated community, Wood Winds. But the refined neighborhood turns ugly with gossip when Alyce’s neighbor, the well-heeled scarf designer Halley Hardwicke, is murdered.Talk is cheap . . . until the detectives begin questioning Alyce’s husband, Jake, about the crime. So Josie decides to do a little sleuthing of her own, going undercover to unravel the secrets of the cliquey Wood Winds wives. Hopefully she can clear Jake’s name and uncover the truth before the killer snags another victim.By Elaine Viets. 2013
Mystery shopper Josie Marcus unlocks a DIY murder case when her new house’s “good bones” takes on multiple meanings…Josie’s been…
busy with a personal shopping project—scouring suburban St. Louis for a starter home for her and her newlywed husband, Dr. Ted Scottsmeyer. So she’s thrilled when Ted’s veterinary partner, Dr. Christine Cormac, hooks them up with a beautiful house, which her flaky sister, Rain, inexplicably abandoned months earlier. But before they’ve even picked out the paint, Josie and Ted discover Rain’s body beneath their backyard gazebo and Christine is immediately boxed up for murder.Now, Josie’s new home is a crime scene and Christine is headed for the big house…unless Josie steps in. Good thing she’s handy around a murder investigation, because she’ll need all her sleuthing skills to unpack the clues, flip the case, and nail the real killer.By Ian Hamilton. 2022
By Elaine Viets. 2003
BIMBOS, BUSTIERS, AND BOTOX! MURDER MOST FASHIONABLE…Author Elaine Viets kicks off this funny and fresh cozy series—about a woman on…
the run from her ex—with a rollicking tale of crime and vanity in the shadow world of wannabe molls. When unlikely sleuth Helen Hawthorne flees St. Louis, she fetches up in Fort Lauderdale, suddenly surrounded by the beautiful and the Botoxed.They all shop at the same place—Juliana’s, the overpriced boutique where Helen works. And they’re all looking for a wealthy wise guy to take to the cleaners.It’s a dead-end job with no perks—but one that pays in cash. A little shady, but it beats leaving a paper trail. Turns out shady’s only the beginning.Juliana’s holds more secrets than a confessional, beginning with theft and drug sales, progressing to ever more ambitious scams, and inevitably, given the escalating level of crime, the murder of a felonious fashionista. The good news is there’s a reward—and Helen needs money. The bad is that she could die before she collects it.Readers will find Helen the perfect cozy protagonist—an ordinary woman squeezed by circumstance, feeling her way as she takes control of her life whatever way she has to do it, innocent yet growing savvier by the second. You root hard for her as she settles into the role of amateur detective because you just can’t help identifying with her and hoping you’d rise to the occasion as well. And you’ll laugh out loud at the sly way author Viets skewers the South Florida culture of vanity and money.Fans of everywoman heroines like those created by Joanna Campbell Slan, Donna Andrews, Joanne Fluke, CeeCee James, Jana DeLeon, and Janet Evanovich will fall in love with this plucky investigator. And they can settle in for a long and beautiful relationship. The best news is the series is fifteen books strong, and counting!By Elaine Viets. 2008
‘Tis the season for sleuthing when secret shopper Josie Marcus’s ex falls victim to a festive fiend…Josie’s latest mystery shopper…
report won’t help business at Naughty or Nice, Maplewood’s raunchy year-round Christmas store. But she can’t worry about work when her ex-dealer, ex-convict, ex-boyfriend, Nate Weekler, just came home for the holidays, prepared to fight Josie for custody of their daughter. Josie wishes he’d catch the next sleigh out of town, but instead, Nate is poisoned…and suddenly Josie is a person of interest.With Nate’s criminal past, he’d never make Santa’s “Nice” column, but his own list of enemies also includes plenty of “Naughties” who might want him dead. Josie will need her team of little helpers to wrap up this case, before the killer commits another holiday homicide.By Elaine Viets. 2008
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living... while…
other people are making a killing.The Superior Club is where Fort Lauderdale’s wealthiest—and snobbiest—come to play. But for Helen Hawthorne, it’s all work and no play. As a customer care clerk, it’s her job to cater to the clients’ every little whim and take care of their every little problem.But Helen has a very big problem of her own. After an acrimonious reunion with her ex-husband Rob, she ends up belting the bum in the mouth—which invites suspicion when Rob goes ominously missing. And when a club employee and a philandering member are found beaten to death with a golf club, the police assume Helen was the deadly duffer.With her freedom—and yet another job—on the line, Helen has no choice but to prove that someone else at the high-class club is a low-down killer…By Elaine Viets. 2012
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living... while…
other people are making a killing.As one half of Coronado Investigations in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Helen Hawthorne is working full time alongside her handsome hubby Phil. And after the surprising number of murders Helen helped solve while earning low pay on off the books jobs, anything else should be smooth sailing, right?Unfortunately, Helen’s unique work history also makes her a natural for undercover work—and in this case that means she’s going right back to scrubbing and cleaning while acting as a “yacht stewardess” to catch some smugglers. And even more annoying is the fact that Phil must stay on shore to figure out if a wealthy man has fallen victim to his gold-digging trophy wife.But after a member of the yacht crew disappears, Helen’s case quickly goes from simple smuggling to maritime murder. And if she doesn’t find out who pitched the man overboard, she might end up lost at sea herself…By Elaine Viets. 2005
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living... while…
other people are making a killing.After all she’s endured with her own marriage, divorce, and subsequent flight from alimony, Helen Hawthorne getting a job at Millicent’s Bridal Salon is ironic in the extreme. But the pay is in cash and that’s what matters for Helen to stay incognito.But there’s no amount of cash worth having to deal with the abominable Kiki—a wealthy witch who’s lording it over her daughter’s wedding plans with the aim of making the day all about Kiki, not the bride. She also thinks her money makes her invulnerable…but she’s proven wrong when she’s found smothered to death with her daughter’s wedding dress. And worse, the cops seem to think Helen is responsible.Now, Helen has to keep her identity secret and prove her innocence before the bride and groom read their wedding vows—and the police read Helen her rights…By Elaine Viets. 2009
Mystery shopper Josie Marcus is on the hunt for a killer when a pet store employee mysteriously dies after blowing…
the whistle on possible puppy mill connections…Josie’s latest assignment is one for the dogs—literally! Pets 4 Luv, a national pet store chain, has hired Josie to mystery shop its St. Louis suburban locations and she discovers possible puppy mill suppliers. When an employee tipster is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run, Josie’s job suddenly gets a lot hairier.Posh pets are a million dollar business for puppy mills; even so, Josie is staggered to think that her sniffing around led to an innocent woman’s murder and may have put her own life at risk. But she’s not ready to tuck her tail and run just yet. Using every bit of her secret shopper savvy, Josie must follow the designer dog trail to expose the illegal breeders, shutter the puppy mills, and finally collar the vicious killer on the loose.By Elaine Viets. 2006
Secret shopper Josie Marcus checks out an exclusive shop where the shoes are to die for in this cozy mystery…
by the Anthony and Agatha award–winning author.Josie’s boss just assigned her a coveted gig—mystery shopping at Soft Shoe, one of the hottest boutiques in St. Louis. But trying on their exclusive designer footwear isn’t the treat Josie expected thanks to Mel Poulaine, Soft Shoe’s top seller. His hands-on fascination with feet goes far beyond professional interest. Josie’s scathing report kills Mel’s career . . . and later that night, someone kills Mel.Josie is determined to stay out of it. But when her neighbor’s daughter, Cheryl Malmy, becomes a suspect, Josie decides to investigate. It turns out “Perfect Cheryl” has more than a few dirty secrets in her closet, drawing Josie deeper into the seedy suburban underbelly. But can she trip up a killer who always seems to be one step ahead?