Mystery

Steeped in secrets

Elliott, Lauren, author.

Flat broke and divorced, intuitive gemologist Shay Myers has changed since leaving her artsy hometown of coastal Bray Harbor sixteen years ago. But when she moves back under strange circumstances, old instincts may be the only key to spilling the tea on a deadly mystery. Even with her life in ruins in New Mexico, Shay feels uneasy about settling into the small seaside town where she grew up on California's Monterey Peninsula and taking over an estate bequeathed to her by Bridget Early, a woman she had barely known. Her heightened senses--an empathic gift she's had since childhood--go into overdrive upon touring Crystals & CuriosiTEAS, Bridget's eclectic tea and psychic shop brimming with Irish lore and Celtic symbols. They reach a boiling point when Shay looks up to discover a stranger's body sprawled across the shop's greenhouse roof ... With her new business a crime scene and questions brewing over Bridget's so-called accidental death, Shay fears she's also inherited the attention of a killer. The terrifying realization sets her on an impractical investigation for answers aided by her sister, an elusive pure-white German Shepherd, a strikingly handsome pub owner who speaks in a gentle brogue, and a misunderstood young woman with perceptive talents of her own. As Shay struggles to figure out her true purpose in Bray Harbor and the powerful connection she has with the tea shop, she must trust her judgment above all else to identify a ruthless murderer and save herself from becoming victim number three.....

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Unnatural death

Cornwell, Patricia Daniels, author.

Two mauled bodies in the woods. Top secret autopsies. The most chilling cases of Scarpetta’s career. In this thrilling new installment of Patricia Cornwell’s #1 bestselling Scarpetta series, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement. The victims have been savaged beyond recognition, and other evidence is terrifying and baffling, including a larger-than-life footprint. After one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta must discover who would commit murders this savage, and why.....

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The tumbling girl

Walsh, Bridget, 1964- author.

1876, Victorian London. Minnie Ward, a feisty scriptwriter for the Variety Palace Music Hall, is devastated when her best friend is found brutally murdered. She enlists the help of private detective Albert Easterbrook to help her find justice. Together they navigate London, from its high-class clubs to its murky underbelly. But as the bodies pile up, they must rely on one another if they're going to track down the killer - and make it out alive . . . The first in a sharp, witty series of Victorian mystery novels, The Tumbling Girl is sure to delight fans of Sarah Waters, Elizabeth Macneal, and Miss Scarlet and the Duke.....

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One last kill

Dugoni, Robert, author.

Tracy Crosswhite is reopening the investigation into Seattle’s Route 99 serial killer. After thirteen victims, he stopped hunting and the trail went cold, stirring public outrage. Now, nearly three decades after his first kill, Tracy is expected to finally bring closure to the victims’ families and redeem the Seattle PD’s reputation. Even if it means working with her nemesis, Captain Johnny Nolasco. Lead detective of the original task force, Nolasco dares Tracy to do what he failed to: close the case. Forming an uneasy alliance, Tracy and Nolasco revisit old leads and pursue new evidence only to unearth high-level corruption and cover-ups as dangerous as the elusive killer himself. At the risk of being exposed, such deadly and powerful forces will go to extremes to stay in the shadows. That’s just where Tracy and Nolasco are headed—to find the twisted truth behind a killer’s motives, his disappearance, and his chilling comeback.....

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Murder checks out

Gilbert, Victoria, author.

Returning to her role as an amateur detective is the last thing library director Amy Muir wants. She’s already buried under an avalanche of responsibilities, including sharing the directorship of the local public library, parenting her holiday-obsessed five-year-old twins, and helping her choreographer husband, Richard, present The Nutcracker as part of the town’s festivities. With her frosty mother-in-law, Fiona, visiting for the holidays, Amy definitely has enough on her Christmas cookie plate. But when the chair of the festival committee is found as dead as Dickens's proverbial doornail at the town’s ice rink, Amy is determined to uncover the real perpetrator to protect her brother-in-law, Ethan Payne, who was placed at the scene. The clock is ticking down as Sheriff Brad Tucker is equally sure that Ethan is guilty. It's beginning to look a lot like the murderer hasn’t wrapped up his killing spree, and now, it might just be “lights out” on the holiday festivities—and on Amy’s life.....

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Alex Cross must die

Patterson, James, 1947- author.

An airport killer targeting pilots expands his scope. Alex Cross Must Die. "Drop whatever you're doing, Detective Cross, and head to Reagan Airport," DC Metro Police dispatch says. "A jet just crashed and exploded on the runway. The chief and the FBI want you and John Sampson there pronto." Cross and Sampson race to the crash site. The plane didn't fail--it was shot down by a stolen Vietnam War-era machine gun. The list of experts who can operate the weapon is short. And time before another lethal strike runs even shorter. Especially for Detective Cross. Alex Cross Must Die.....

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Misfortune cookie

Chien, Vivien, author.

"Lana, now officially manager of her family's restaurant, the Ho-Lee Noodle House, is headed to sunny Irvine, California to attend a restaurant convention with her sister, Anna May, along for the ride. The girls' very Americanized Aunt Grace has asked them to stay in her posh rental, and as the trip begins, it seems to be just what they both needed. Even the restaurant convention proves to be worthwhile and entertaining, especially when Lana witnesses a dramatic cat fight between a fortune cookie vendor and a journalist. Lana and Anna May can't imagine things getting any better until they learn their aunt has yet another surprise in store for them--a swanky cocktail party hosted for the freelancers of Southern California. But on the night of the party, things go south when a close journalist friend of Grace's mysteriously plunges from the roof top of the hotel. Even more suspicious is the fact that Aunt Grace's friend is the same journalist Lana saw getting into a screaming match with the fortune cookie vendor at the convention. The police rule the death a gruesome accident, but Aunt Grace refuses to accept that explanation and begs Lana for her help uncovering the truth. Lana, Anna May, Aunt Grace attempt to keep up appearances as they search for answers, but unwanted attention from suspicious colleagues and convention attendees starts to surface, causing Lana to wonder if they'll find the killer in time ... or if they'll be the next ones pushed over the edge."--Provided by publisher.....

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The watchmaker's hand

Deaver, Jeffery, author.

When a New York City construction crane mysteriously collapses, causing mass destruction and injury, Rhyme and Sachs are on the case. A political group claims responsibility for the sabotage and threatens another attack in twenty-four hours, unless its demands are met. The clock is ticking. Then a clue reveals to Rhyme that his nemesis, known as the Watchmaker, has come to town to fulfill his promise of murdering the criminalist. Now Rhyme and Sachs have to dodge his brilliant scheme to destroy them both, while racing against time to stop the construction site terrorists. With New York in a panic, Rhyme and his team must unravel a handful of plots as tightly wound as a timepiece--before more cranes fall, raining down death and destruction from above.....

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A cold highland wind

Alexander, Tasha, 1969- author.

Lady Emily, husband Colin Hargreaves, and their three sons eagerly embark on a family vacation at Cairnfarn Castle, the Scottish estate of their dear friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge. But a high-spirited celebration at the beginning of their stay comes to a grisly end when the duke's gamekeeper is found murdered on the banks of the loch. Handsome Angus Sinclair had a host of enemies: the fiancée he abandoned in Edinburgh, the young woman who had fallen hopelessly in love with him, and the rough farmer who saw him as a rival for her affections. But what is the meaning of the curious runic stone left on Sinclair's forehead? Clues may be found in the story of Lady MacAllister, wife of the Laird of Cairnfarn Castle, who in 1676 suddenly found herself widowed and thrown out of her home. Her sole companion was a Moorish slave girl who helped her secretly spirit her most prized possessions--a collection of strange books--out of the castle. When her neighbors, wary of a woman living on her own, found a poppet--a doll used to cast spells--and a daisy wheel in her isolated cottage, Lady MacAllister was accused of witchcraft, a crime punishable by death. Hundreds of years later, Lady Emily searches for the link between Lady MacAllister's harrowing witchcraft trial and the brutal death of Sinclair. She must follow a trail of hidden motives, an illicit affair, and a mysterious stranger to reveal the dark side of a seemingly idyllic Highland village.....

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Blood sisters

Lillie, Vanessa, author.

There are secrets in the land. As an archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Syd Walker spends her days in Rhode Island trying to protect the land's indigenous past, even as she’s escaping her own. While Syd is dedicated to her job, she’s haunted by a night of violence she barely escaped in her Oklahoma hometown fifteen years ago. Though she swore she’d never go back, the past comes calling. When a skull is found near the crime scene of her youth, just as her sister, Emma Lou, vanishes, Syd knows she must return home. She refuses to let her sister's disappearance, or the remains, go ignored—as so often happens in cases of missing Native women. But not everyone is glad to have Syd home, and she can feel the crosshairs on her. Still, the deeper Syd digs, the more she uncovers about a string of missing indigenous women cases going back decades. To save her sister, she must expose a darkness in the town that no one wants to face—not even Syd.....

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Take the honey and run

Marts, Jennie, author.

As a successful mystery author, Bailey Briggs writes about murder, but nothing prepares her for actually discovering the dead body of the founder of her hometown of Humble Hills, Colorado. Bailey grew up at Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch and was raised by her beekeeping grandmother, Blossom Briggs, aka Granny Bee, and her two eccentric sisters, Aster and Marigold--which is why she drops everything to come home and help Granny Bee after a bad fall. A broken foot doesn't stop her grandmother from ruling The Hive, her granny's book club, or continuing to prepare and package her bee-inspired products. But when Bailey's grandmother's infamous "Honey I'm Home" hot spiced honey turns out to "bee" the murder weapon and her granny is now the prime suspect, Bailey has no choice but to use her fictional detective skills to help solve the murder and "smoke out" the real culprit. With the help of Bailey's witty bestie, a pair of meddling aunts, the feisty members of The Hive, and her computer-savvy daughter, this amateur sleuth is determined to solve the case. A malicious attack and an ominous threat reveal that someone wants Bailey to butt out of the investigation, but there's no way she's backing down. She must use her skills to uncover the truth and catch the clever culprit before her grandmother ends up bee-hind bars.....

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Robert B. Parker's Broken trust

Parker, Robert B., 1932-2010, creator.

Spenser investigates the past secrets of an elusive tech billionaire in this latest installment of Robert B. Parker's beloved series, and the first written by celebrated writer Mike Lupica. Andrew Crain has it all: a brilliant scientist and astute businessman, his groundbreaking work with lithium has made him one of the world's richest men. He is universally adored and admired; that is, until Crain's beautiful wife, Laura, comes to Spenser hoping that he can find out what skeletons lurk in her husband's closet. Though Crain is a generous philanthropist and loving family man, she is concerned--he has recently become secretive, bordering on paranoid, and prone to violent outbursts. This is the opposite of the man she knew, and not only does his behavior put their marriage at risk, but also a lucrative company merger that would be life-changing for the Crains, their business partner, and everyone associated. Laura wants Spenser to find out what has gotten into her husband, before it's too late. As Spenser digs into the billionaire's past, he realizes that the man may have done terrible things on his rise to the top--but he also may have had good reason to. There are no clear answers here, and quickly enough, what Spenser discovers will cause him to question his own views on morality--and place him in grave danger.....

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Dead on target

Beaton, M. C., author.

A visit to the local village fete for a spot of fun and relaxation turns into a nightmare for Agatha Raisin when she discovers the body of the local landowner in the woods--with an arrow in his chest and trousers round his ankles. Agatha's old adversary, Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes, declares the death a tragic accident, believing the victim has been hit by a stray arrow from an archery demonstration. Agatha is convinced of foul play, however, and is shocked when Wilkes eventually agrees...with her as his prime murder suspect. Determined to clear her name and find the real killer, Agatha launches her own investigation, quickly becoming involved with a family at war, an unscrupulous gangster--and a killer who is determined to make her the next victim.......

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