Mystery

Knave of diamonds : a novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

King, Laurie R. author

When Mary Russell was a child, she adored her black sheep Uncle Jake. But she hasn’t heard from him in many years, and she assumed that his ne’er-do-well ways had brought him to a bad end somewhere—until he presents himself at her Sussex door. Yes, Jake is back, and with a load of problems for his clever niece. Not the least of which is the reason the family rejected him in the first place: He was involved—somehow—in the infamous disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels from an impregnable safe in Dublin Castle. It was a theft that shook a government, enraged a king, threatened the English establishment—and baffled not only the Dublin police and Scotland Yard, but Sherlock Holmes himself. And, now, Jake expects Russell to step into the middle of it all? To slip away with him, not telling Holmes what she’s up to? Knowing that the theft—unsolved, hushed-up, scandalous—must have involved Mycroft Holmes as well? Naturally, she can do nothing of the sort. Siding with her uncle, even briefly, could only place her in opposition to both her husband-partner and his secretive and powerful brother. She has to tell Jake no. On the other hand, this is Jake—her father’s kid brother, her childhood hero, the beloved and long-lost survivor of a much-diminished family. Conflicting loyalties and international secrets, blatant lies and blithe deceptions: sounds like another case for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.....

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Nightshade : a novel

Connelly, Michael, 1956- author.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Stilwell has been "exiled" to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk on the mainland. But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Detective Stilwell gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor--a Jane Doe identifiable at first only by a streak of purple dye in her hair. At the same time, a report of poaching on a protected reserve turns into a case fraught with violence and danger as Stilwell digs into the shady past of an island bigwig. Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, Stilwell doggedly works both cases. Though hampered by an old beef with an ex-colleague determined to thwart him at every turn, he is convinced he is the only one who can bring justice to the woman known as "Nightshade." Soon, his investigation uncovers closely guarded secrets and a dark heart to the serene island that was meant to be his escape from the evils of the big city.....

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Return to sender

Johnson, Craig, 1961- author.

When Blair McGowan, the mail person with the longest postal route in the country of over three hundred mile a day, goes missing the question becomes—where do you look for her? The Postal Inspector for the State of Wyoming elicits Sheriff Longmire to mount an investigation into her disappearance and Walt does everything but mail it in; posing as a letter-carrier himself, the good sheriff follows her trail and finds himself enveloped in the intrigue of an otherworldly cult. Packed to the brim with twists and turns, the 21st novel in the New York Times bestselling Longmire series pushes Walt to his absolute limits, forcing him to wrestle with the impossible question: What good are your morals, if you’re marked for the dead letter office?....

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Death at the White Hart

Chibnall, Chris, author.

Nothing keeps a village together like secrets. The villagers of Fleetcombe like to think of it as one of the most picturesque spots on England's coast. But now, it's a disturbingly macabre crime scene. A man is found dead, tied to a chair in the middle of the road, a stag's antlers on his head. The gruesome scene stuns the town, especially when the victim is identified: Jim Tiernan, who ran the White Hart pub. Tierney's pub is at the center of village life and he knew everyone's secrets. Detective Nicola Bridge grew up in Fleetcombe and has now returned, for the good of her family, from a life away in Liverpool. DC Harry Ward is ten years younger and, despite his newcomer status, determined to earn Nicola's trust. Because they don't have long to crack the storybook façade and find out just what the people of Fleetcombe have to hide. And now, in the place she thought she knew so well, Detective Nicola Bridge is asking questions. Is she ready for what she's about to find?....

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Finders keepers

Woods, Stuart, creator.

After attending an Arrington properties meeting on Martha's Vineyard at the group's newest location, The Vineyard Arrington, Stone Barrington returns to New York City to catch up with his old friend Jack Coulter over lunch, who requests Stone's help in settling his niece Sara into city life post-divorce. Always one to please, Stone takes Sara under his wing. But when various men from Sara's past start getting hurt, and Jack's loved ones find themselves a target in a deadly scheme, it's up to Stone to put the pieces together . . . before the shrouded conspirer manages to tear them all apart, permanently.....

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Murder in a cup

Elliott, Lauren, author.

Self-taught "seer" Shay has much to learn as autumn hits the quaint coastal town of Bray Harbor. Since attempting the art of blending herbs at her popular shop, Crystals & CuriosiTeas, she's set on growing ingredients in the mysterious greenhouse on the second floor-if only she can separate the medicinal plants from the deadly ones. Her new skills are put to the test when she meets pub owner and ex-detective Liam Madigan's Gran. A psychic from Ireland known for interpreting tea leaves and people, Gran encourages Shay to build upon her natural talents and hold her own group reading... Despite Shay's reservations about putting herself in the spotlight, the evening goes off without a hitch. At least, until she does a reading and a customer goes from chatty to dead in a flash, poisoned after sipping a toxic substance recently grown in the greenhouse. Worse, Shay's assistant is suspected of intentionally serving the lethal brew and committing cold-blooded murder. Now, aided only by Liam and her dog Spirit, Shay must exonerate her employee and save the future of Crystals & CuriosiTeas. But when clues start lining up like leaves in a teacup, she'll need to understand the signs right in front of her to catch the manipulative murderer before it's too late.......

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Welcome to murder week : a novel

Dukess, Karen, author.

When thirty-four-year-old Cath loses her mostly absentee mother, she is ambivalent. With days of quiet, unassuming routine in Buffalo, New York, Cath consciously avoids the impulsive, thrill-seeking lifestyle that her mother once led. But when she's forced to go through her mother's things one afternoon, Cath is perplexed to find tickets for an upcoming "murder week" in England's Peak District: a whole town has come together to stage a fake murder mystery to attract tourism to their quaint hamlet. Baffled but helplessly intrigued by her mother's secret purchase, Cath decides to go on the trip herself--and begins a journey she never could have anticipated. Teaming up with her two cottage-mates, both ardent mystery lovers--Wyatt Green, forty, who works unhappily in his husband's birding store, and Amity Clark, fifty, a divorced romance writer struggling with her novels--Cath sets about solving the "crime" and begins to unravel shocking truths about her mother along the way. Amidst a fling--or something more--with the handsome local maker of artisanal gin, Cath and her irresistibly charming fellow sleuths will find this week of fake murder may help them face up to a very real crossroads in their own lives. Witty, wise, and deliciously escapist, Welcome to Murder Week is a fresh, inventive twist on the murder mystery and a touching portrayal of one daughter's reckoning with her grief, her past--and her own budding sense of adventure.....

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Dead post society

Kelly, Diane, author.

This year's honor roll is killer...Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are no strangers to murder. After all, they’ve encountered corpses on their properties before. But this is the first time they’d decided to take a chance on a property where two suspicious deaths have already occurred. Most buildings on the former boarding school property will be repurposed for an upscale retirement community, but the developer has no use for the headmaster’s house given its violent history. The headmaster and his wife were killed there decades earlier, their deaths remaining unsolved to this day. Still, it seems a shame to see the beautiful Victorian give way to decay or the wrecking ball, even if many claim the unsettled souls of the victims still wander its halls, seeking retribution and justice. Can Whitney and Buck exorcise the structure’s demons, solve the cold case, and give the building new life? Or will ghosts from the past seek to silence them forever?....

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Detective aunty : a novel

Jalaluddin, Uzma, author.

When her grown daughter is suspected of murder, a charming and tenacious widow digs into the case to unmask the real killer in this twisty, page-turning whodunnit-the first book in a cozy new detective series from the acclaimed author of Ayesha at Last. After her husband's unexpected death eighteen months ago, Kausar Khan never thought she'd receive another phone call as heartbreaking-until her thirty-something daughter, Sana, phones to say that she's been arrested for killing the unpopular landlord of her clothing boutique. Determined to help her child, Kausar heads to Toronto for the first time in nearly twenty years. Returning to the Golden Crescent suburb where she raised her children and where her daughter still lives, Kausar finds that the thriving neighborhood she remembered has changed. The murder of Sana's landlord is only the latest in a wave of local crimes which have gone unsolved. And the facts of the case are troubling: Sana found the man dead in her shop at a suspiciously early hour, with a dagger from her windowfront display plunged in his chest. And Kausar-a woman with a keen sense of observation and deep wisdom honed by her years-senses there's more to the story than her daughter is telling. With the help of some old friends and her plucky teenage granddaughter, Kausar digs into the investigation to uncover the truth. Because who better to pry answers from unwilling suspects than a meddlesome aunty? But even Kausar can't predict the secrets, lies, and betrayals she finds along the way?....

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Scone cold dead

Day, Maddie, author.

After a body is found in a local farmer’s field, country store and café owner Robbie Jordan suspects that a newcomer in South Lick, Indiana, may not be a stranger to everyone in town . . .Robbie is just weeks away from giving birth. While her husband Abe scrambles to get the house ready for their baby's arrival, Robbiemakes last minute arrangements to keep her shop and restaurant, Pans 'N Pancakes, up and running when she's on maternity leave. And it seems Robbie and Abe aren't the only ones grappling with anxiety--a stranger is causing a stir in town and Robbie's Aunt Adele appears unusually preoccupied at the baby shower... But when someone finds a body in the ram field on Adele's sheep farm, it's Robbie's turn to be worried. Especially after Chief Buck Bird uncovers a troubling link between Adele and the possible murder victim. Robbie has no choice but to knit the clues together and solve this mystery before anything else gets flocked up.......

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The fifth victim

Black, D. D., author.

Across the Pacific Northwest, a twisted killer stalks victims representing ancient archetypes: The Ruler. The Warrior. The Scholar. The Priest. Four are dead, leaving FBI investigators puzzled by the macabre, color-coded shrines the killer left behind. And clues now point to a fifth victim. With only two weeks until retirement, seasoned FBI Agent Claire Anderson is desperately trying to balance her work and complex home life when she's called in for one last job: lead a special task force to hunt down the enigmatic "Color Killer." That task force is the FBI's Special-Washington-Oregon-Regional-Detachment -- nicknamed S.W.O.R.D. Now, Claire must marshal the talents of an eclectic crew of agents, including a brilliant criminal psychologist, a street-savvy undercover prodigy, a rugged covert-ops specialist, and a quirky tech savant. Pursuing the killer through the rain-soaked streets and deep forests of the Pacific Northwest, the men and women of S.W.O.R.D. must delve into an ancient lost religion, it's shocking view of life and death, and the dark mind of a cunning psychopath. But when clues start intertwining with Claire's own life, she realizes she's up against a predator who's always one step ahead. The fifth victim is closer than she ever imagined.....

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The busybody book club

Sampson, Freya, author.

A dysfunctional book club must learn to pull together and solve a murder in this bighearted new mystery... Having recently moved from London to a small Cornish seaside village, Nova Davies started a book club at the local community center, but so far it's a disaster. The five members disagree on everything, and to make matters worse, a significant sum of money is stolen during one of the meetings, putting the much-loved community center at risk. Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when he disappears and a dead body turns up at his house. But the book club has their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove Michael's been framed, while romance reader Arthur believes there's a mystery woman involved, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play. While trying to locate Michael, solve the murder and recover the stolen money, each of them has their own secrets to protect. But despite the danger closing in, they won't rest until they've cracked the case and gotten everyone safe at home with a book, where they belong.....

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South of nowhere

Deaver, Jeffery, author.

When a levee collapses in Hinowah, a small town in Northern California, Colter Shaw is brought on by his sister, Dorion, a disaster response specialist, to help locate a family swept away by the raging water, with mere hours to survive. But after a surprise attack along the river obstructs Colter's urgent search, the siblings are forced to consider a new reality: Is the levee at risk of failing from natural causes, or is someone sabotaging it? Colter and Dorion must race against a ticking clock to uncover the truth and save the citizens before the village washes out completely, destroying everything and everyone in its path.....

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The road to murder

Trinchieri, Camilla, author.

Though it took some time to settle into his new life in Gravigna, Italy, following the death of his wife, Nico Doyle has figured a thing or two out. The locals have not only welcomed him, but are giving him rave reviews on his contributions to the menu at Sotto il Fico, and his budding relationship with Nelli is healing old wounds. When Nico receives a phone call late at night, he tries to ignore it. A phone call at that time could only mean trouble. But the ringing is persistent, and at Nelli's urging, he answers. It's Perillo of the local carabinieri. A woman was found dead in her home, and the only person at the scene of the crime only speaks English, which presents a complication for Perillo. Though Nico would rather leave his days as a homicide detective for the NYPD behind him, he reluctantly agrees, once again, to help out Perillo with the case. Signora Nora was found, slumped dead over her piano, by her English friend, who was visiting the lavish villa for the week. Nora, the friend says, was not a pleasant woman, but she was intriguing. Judging by the crime scene, Perillo and Nico determine foul play was likely, and they don't have to look long or hard for suspects. Following the death of her husband, Nora had taken on a number of lovers, her two daughters aren't on the best terms with her, and there's a lot to be gained from the sale of her residence--not to mention the rich paintings and expensive jewelry that filled it. Nico and Perillo have their hands full as they try to solve the murder and restore peace to the cyprus-lined roads of Gravigna.....

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