Mystery

The dying light

Cleeves, Ann, author.

A scorching heatwave marks the start of the summer in Devon. Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death, when the body of a young woman, Lottie, is found in the swimming pool of a luxurious holiday home. The girl's best friend, Hannah, whose family owns the house, is missing. The girls had arrived a few days earlier to celebrate the end of their school exams, quickly stirring unrest in the small community with incendiary social media videos mocking the place as parochial. When further tragedy strikes, Venn and his team begin questioning a community filled with secrets. The fact that Hannah's father, Paul Armstrong, is a rising political star with powerful enemies draws intense media scrutiny to the case. With the summer heat come holidaymakers, and it emerges that some of them may have stronger connections with the Armstrong family than first thought. Venn knows all too well that the real answers lie not in what people say, but in the silences that they keep.....

View in Catalog

Countdown to Christmas murder

Meier, Leslie, author.

Christmas may be 63 days away, but as the Tinker’s Cove Chamber of Commerce gears up for an elaborate Dickens-themed Christmas event, reporter Lucy Stone is already feeling a bit Grinchy — until a possible murder requires her sleuthing skills... With all four kids out of the house, Lucy Stone's suddenly empty nest has put a damper on her usual zest for Christmas. She's got plenty of article ideas to keep her busy though, including reports of vicious social media posts targeting several town residents. Plus, there's the self-proclaimed "reputation changer" who promises he can clean up any negative press. It all seems a bit too convenient to Lucy, who decides an investigation is in order. On top of all that, after agreeing to play Mrs. Cratchit in "A Dickens of a Christmas," Lucy also decides to plan a pre-Thanksgiving family weekend. Despite her juggling, it's not a success -- the kids and their partners come but the mood is tense, and Lucy is relieved to see them off. Then comes shocking news: bank manager Bert Cosgrove, one of the victims of the slanderous media posts, has been found dead. The police are calling it a suicide. No one, including Lucy, believes sweet, mild Bert would take his own life. While holiday preparations reach a feverish pitch, she's determined to find his killer. And as she burrows into a surprising history of motives, longstanding secrets and family connections begin to stink like rotten plum pudding. Now, as Lucy gets closer to the truth, she finds herself in a life-threatening situation that would definitely spoil Christmas -- permanently.....

View in Catalog

The big cats dance party

McCall Smith, Alexander, 1948- author.

Botswana sometimes feels like a small town, so when a client wanders into the detective agency, it comes as little surprise that Mma Ramotswe has met him once before. But Mr. B has not made the trip to Gaborone for pleasure. The animal rescue center he runs, Elephant Havens, is in peril. Someone in the surrounding villages is tarnishing its reputation, and Mr. B cannot fathom why. Determined as ever to aid a noble cause, Mma Ramotswe, her trusted associate Mma Makutsi, and Mr. J.L.B Matekoni travel to Maun to restore the community's trust in the sanctuary. While Mma Ramotswe is looking forward to their brief sojourn north, Mma Makutsi is apprehensive at the idea of leaving Charlie in charge of the business, especially with a new high-profile case in hand. Mr. Moepi, the owner of the carwash down the road and a great many others around the country, is facing a rather unusual problem -- his carwashes are making money, too much money, and Mr. Moepi suspects something is not quite right. Determined to prove his mettle, Charlie delves headfirst into the case. Meanwhile, he imperils the agency by agreeing to sponsor a concert by a couple of smooth-talking musicians who go by the names Lion and Leopard. In navigating these precarious situations, Mma Ramotswe and her associates must once again rely on their compassion, gentle humor, and good sense to win the day. Heartfelt and moving, The Big Cats Dance Party is a joyous celebration of life and the ones around us who make it worth living.....

View in Catalog

The tailor

Sullivan, Tim, 1958- author

Measure twice. Cut once. The morning train from Bristol to London never reaches its destination. A man is dead in the first-class toilet, with his throat cut and a plastic bag over his head. No wallet, no phone, no ID. The other officers are shocked. DS George Cross is fascinated-not by the blood, but by the man's exquisite suit. Cross and his new partner, DC Alice Mackenzie, learn that the victim was a tailor by the name of Billy Titcomb. Billy was a master of his trade, trusted by clients on both sides of the world for his meticulousness and discretion. Who wanted him dead? And why were the garment bags he boarded with taken from the train? As Cross and Mackenzie pull at the threads of Billy's life and business, they find a widow grieving in peculiar ways, a dead scientist whose suicide doesn't add up, and murky connections stretching from Bristol to Beijing and Seoul. Cross has the highest conviction rate in the force. But now he's drawn into a world of spies and secret agents, and for the first time, the people trying to stop him getting to the truth may be on his own side. Can Cross stitch it all together before this case unravels him?.....

View in Catalog

We chase shadows

Osman, Richard, 1970- author

At sunrise, high in the Italian hills, a body is found on the steps of a beautiful private villa. On the body is a threatening note, signed by a mystery man. Back at We Solve Murders HQ, Amy, Rosie, and Steve leap at the chance to take on their first proper case. So what if their new client seems to have his own reasons for avoiding the police? All they need to do is uncover whoever left the note, and then find them. Simple. But once they start digging, the suspects keep piling up: there's Sweden's most-wanted criminal, a canny ex-wife, and a fierce business rival -- yet the murderer keeps evading them. And as the trio chase a villain through the shadows, danger travels closer to home.... Between Italy and Palm Springs, via Barcelona and Steve's village pub, can the team catch an elusive killer who knows EXACTLY where to hide?....

View in Catalog

The blue flame : a novel

Pelecanos, George P., author.

The neon 'Strange Investigations' sign may be flickering in disrepair outside his office, and the stride in his step may be a bit slower than it used to be, but private investigator Derek Strange is still accepting new cases. When a flashy drug lawyer hires him to prove an alibi for an accused murderer, Strange swallows his distaste for the client and focuses on the young man in jail whose story isn't adding up. In his hunt for answers, he stands his ground against some of Washington, DC's most dangerous criminals, and a police department that doesn't entirely welcome his involvement. As violence escalates and claims another victim, the raised stakes force Strange to question his own moves. Are the instincts he's relied on all his life still good enough to keep him alive? The Blue Flame is signature Pelecanos: tough, smart, rich with details of a time and place--and at its core, exposing the good and bad that exist side by side in so-called heroes and villains alike.....

View in Catalog

The Oxford guide to scandal and lies : a novel

Westbury, Kate, author.

Oxford, England, 1951 - The Honorable Ginevra Bishop likes red lipstick, clever retorts, and earning top marks in her tutorials. She's following her mother's footsteps by studying at Oxford, eager to prove she's more than a debutante. Sidney Braithwaite likes brooding, Latin, and ignoring his nightmares. He's determined to forge a new life for himself at Oxford, far from his childhood mining village and free from memories of the war. Though Gin and Sidney have little in common, the British Security Service is keen to unite her charm with his espionage experience: there's a Soviet spy at the university, and the agent tracking them down was poisoned. MI5 wants Gin and Sidney to pick up the trail and identify the informant before more sensitive information is compromised. As a team, the pair of undergraduates clash in personality, upbringing, and taste -- but have a connection neither can deny. Gin and Sidney must unite their respective talents to follow the clues before they're caught in the traitor's crosshairs... if the sparks flying between them don't blow up the operation first.....

View in Catalog

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel

Foley, Lucy (Novelist), author.

High in the Swiss Alps, accessible only by a single, winding railway, stands the luxurious Grand Alpine Hotel. With glorious mountain views and exclusive access to powdery slopes, it draws guests from far and wide. The notorious actress. The high-flying politician. The society wife. The reckless friend. The shrewd doctor. But not everyone is here for a winter holiday. Beneath the champagne and furs, dark histories simmer; old grudges emerge like cracks in the ice. And someone is watching from the shadows. A polite, unassuming woman with an extraordinary mind: Miss Marple. When a body is found and a blizzard cuts off all escape, only Miss Marple can connect the clues before the killer strikes again. Because it isn’t a question of who has a motive, but who’s next…....

View in Catalog

An ordinary sort of evil

Armstrong, Kelley, author.

Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Mitchell has grown accustomed to life in Victorian Scotland after travelling 150 years into the past into the body of a housemaid. She’s built a new life for herself. Even though she works as an assistant to forensic-science pioneer Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie, she considers them true friends. And with Gray in particular, perhaps, someday, something more. Late one night, Gray and Mallory are summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray’s undertaking business, and they assume there's been a death in the household. But instead, they arrive in the midst of a seance with a ghost demanding Gray's presence. The ghost is Lady Adler's former maid, who had gone missing but now requests that Gray investigate her murder. Although Gray and Mallory are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter, whether she's dead or alive. But unsure if there's been a murder or not, unable to call out the medium as a fraud, and concerned for the fate of the young maid, Gray and Mallory are once again drawn into a mystery much more puzzling--and more dangerous--than it first seems.....

View in Catalog

Our noble selves : a novel

Atkinson, Kate, author.

When crime correspondent turned war reporter Harry Flynn returns to Britain from Singapore in 1945, he takes a quiet job with the Festival of Britain, a government-funded endeavor aimed at celebrating the nation’s creativity, grit, and ingenuity. There, he joins a team of misfits and eccentrics as they help to ready the Festival for launch. When a Frenchwoman goes missing, Flynn becomes the central suspect in her disappearance — and possible murder. He was the last person to see her alive, yet he has no memory of the evening they spent together. As evidence against him mounts, Flynn begins to wonder if he might actually be to blame. To make matters worse, he is surrounded by people who have their own secret agenda. There may be a carnival atmosphere in London as the country attempts to throw off the drab privations of war, yet beneath the frivolity there is also a worthy attempt to hold up a mirror to both its history and its future. With her unique voice and her skill at conjuring the past, Kate Atkinson turns her light on a nation reconstructing its image and the lengths to which some might go to manipulate the outcome. Witty, brilliantly plotted, and with an unforgettable cast of characters, Our Noble Selves paints a vivid portrait of a former empire struggling with its identity in the aftermath of war.....

View in Catalog

Fury in death

Robb, J. D., 1950- author.

NYPSD lieutenant Eve Dallas never knows what to expect when she gets word of a body. It could be an elderly man who made the mistake of climbing a ladder in slippery footwear. And the next call could be a wealthy biotech executive beaten to death in his home office-but what was Larry Chu's mistake? The victim's corpse is so mangled and damaged it's hard to believe a lone, unarmed assailant could have managed it. The killer was clearly unnaturally strong-and smart enough to find a way into Chu's highly secure building. Most of all, whoever did this was very, very angry. The excessive violence leads Dallas to conclude that this was a deeply personal act, born of a rage that she can't excuse but can understand thanks to her own traumatic past. And though the motive seems rooted in heated emotion rather than cold hard cash, she can't ignore the suspicious bank account in the Cayman Islands, or the shadowy, profit-hungry company Chu worked for. The mystery only grows when it turns out Chu isn't the only victim-and Dallas will need to tear through one layer of secrecy after another to reveal what lies behind this explosion of fury.....

View in Catalog

I'm not the only murderer in my retirement home

Craig, Fergus author

After a decades-long stint in prison, former serial killer Carol is looking to kick back and relax in her new retirement home...until a fellow resident drops dead and Carol has to prove she actually didn't do it this time... Carol is delighted to be leaving her tiny prison cell behind to take her place in a luxury retirement home. She's hoping her past as a serial killer won't come to light so she can make a few friends and find some murder-free hobbies. But it's not long before a fellow resident-who happens to be a former police commissioner-drops dead, and Carol's true identity is leaked-making catching up over daily activities of bingo and baking rather awkward. Just her luck, Carol soon realizes that the victim wasn't the only former law enforcement officer at Sheldon Oaks-it's filled to the brim with former cops, barristers, and government representatives, her newfound friends included. And everyone thinks Carol's guilt is a no-brainer, but she is ready to prove them dead wrong...without killing anyone, for once.....

View in Catalog

The castle in the glen : a novel

Bowen, Rhys, author.

Australian writer Emma Callander has been recruited to complete the final historical mystery in a series by celebrated author Iris Blackburn. It’s 1965, and Iris’s memory is fading. She’s certain that only Emma can do justice to her novel about a murder on the Isle of Skye. When Emma ventures to Scotland for research, she discovers the story is not fiction at all but rather a true crime, unsolved for more than fifty years. It was 1904 when a couple’s suspicious drowning led to the disappearance of a mysterious young woman the locals called the Wild Girl. To this day the mystery is unforgettable, especially among the descendants of an aristocratic family who’ll do anything to keep their secrets buried. From the misty Highlands to a medieval castle, Emma and Tony Gordon, Iris’s handsome lawyer, work ever more closely to uncover them. But while Iris may be known for her fiendishly clever twists, there’s one not even Emma could have seen coming.....

View in Catalog

The end of the Sahara

Khaṭībī, Saʻīd, author.

The story is set in 1988 Algeria. It takes place in just forty days, ending as mass protests erupt in the country. In a small town on the edge of the desert, plagued by a locust infestation and a food shortage, teetering on the brink of uprising, the body of Zakia Zaghouani — the singer at the Sahara Hotel — is discovered. Suspicion immediately falls on her lover, who is thrown into prison. The incompetent and greedy Inspector Hamid begins an investigation. So does the defense lawyer of the main suspect. Family, friends, and close ones give their testimonies, finding themselves confronted with their past. Secrets, betrayals, grudges, but also dreams and hopes shed light on their connection to the victim: each person harbors, for one reason or another, the desire to take revenge on her. ....

View in Catalog

Deceptions

Deaver, Jeffery, author

Bestselling author and master of suspense Jeffery Deaver returns with a devious collection, featuring two never-before published stories in which fan favorites Colter Shaw -- adapted for TV (CBS's Tracker) -- and Lincoln Rhyme are united by the layers of deception taking over New York City... *A murder at a crime writers' conference. The method is entirely literary, the motive seems obvious -- but can the detective who was first on the scene puzzle out what needs reading between the lines? *A brilliant sleuth, obsessed with Sherlock Holmes's mysteries, turns his attention to a serial killer stalking the streets of New York City. But as his deductions bring him closer to his prey, he starts to wonder who is really doing the hunting. *A mysterious woman has gone into hiding and Colter Shaw is tasked with bringing her to a safe house. But with a hitman on his trails, the race toward safety takes on a whole new meaning. *A serial killer with a motive never before seen in the history of crime challenges Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to rethink everything they know about the nature of evil -- and the evidence its perpetrators leave at the scenes. No stranger to the cat-and-mouse chase or our favorite twists and turns, Jeffery Deaver brings his chops to Deceptions, where every story unearths trickery and the truths that lie buried deep under.....

View in Catalog