Crime & Thrillers Books

Book SynopsisDS Aector McAvoy must face the dark, disturbing secrets of his past if he''s to keep his family safe.No, he tells himself. No, it''s not familiar. No, it''s not like before . . .The clairvoyant is found with her tongue crudely carved out, a shard of blue crystal buried deep within her mangled ribcage.The crime scene plunges DS Aector McAvoy back twelve years, to a case from when he was starting out. An investigation that proved a turning point in his life - but one he''s tried desperately to forget. To catch the killer, he must face his past. Face the terrible thing he did. But doing so also means facing the truth about his beloved wife Roisin, and the dark secrets she''s keeping have the power to destroy them both completely.David Mark brings Hull to dark, brutal life in this gripping novel in the critically acclaimed DS McAvoy series - a perfect pick for fans of Denise Mina, Val McDermid and Peter Robinson.

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Book SynopsisMurder Squad, a group of award-winning crime and mystery writers, celebrate their twenty-first birthday with a bang in this criminally good collection of short stories.A dawn swim turns deadly in a brand-new short story starring DCI Vera Stanhope . . . Two bored cell-mates play a game with chilling results . . . A hen night in an isolated cottage brings new meaning to ''I will survive'' . . . A train traveller teaches a valuable lesson in reading labels . . . A day at the seaside turns stormy for a woman who doesn''t care for foreigners . . . A wealthy retiree makes a new friend who connects her to the Other Side . . . and much much more.Short, sharp and packed with twists, these 21 unputdownable tales showcase Murder Squad''s range and talent throughout the years. So why not treat yourself to a slice of murderously moreish fiction, and join us in wishing the squad ''Many Deadly Returns''.With stories by Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Margaret Murphy, Chris Simms and Cath Staincliffe, as well as John Baker, Chaz Brenchley and Stuart Pawson.

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Book SynopsisPour yourself a strong shot of rivalry, romance, and murder.Travel writer Jill Curtis is in Louisville, Kentucky, on the next stop of her bourbon tour assignment, and is keen to explore the local distilleries with her videographer, Michael Erickson - especially since her new beau, Lieutenant Nick Harris, lives in the city.But the night before Jill''s first tour at Parker''s Distillery, she is shocked to learn that the master distiller, William Scott, has died suddenly of a heart attack - and even more shocked when she discovers William''s daughter, Alexis, suspects foul play. Is there more to William''s death than meets the eye? Jill is soon drawn into a deadly blend of rivalry, jealously and cold-blooded murder . . .

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Book SynopsisThe success of Magdalena Yoder''s new Amish-Asian restaurant is threatened by murder in the deliciously quirky new Pennsylvania-Dutch mystery.Although the culinary fare at Magdalena Yoder''s new restaurant, Asian Sensations - a unique combination of Asian and Amish cuisine - is not to everyone''s taste, the good citizens of Hernia are unanimously agreed that the desserts concocted by the restaurant chef, Barbara Hostetler, are to die for.Not literally however. When a guest at the PennDutch Inn drops dead shortly after consuming a slice of Barbara''s delicious Blitz torte, Magdalena finds herself arrested for murder. Did someone deliberately set her up? In order to clear her name and protect her nearest and dearest, Magdalena must identify a ruthless killer - before they strike again.

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Book SynopsisPatrick has a new role, much to Ingrid Langley's relief. It seems like a safe desk job, but when the head of the Metropolitan Police's Commander Rolt is found barely alive, Patrick is pulled into frontline action. And when further, discoveries are made, Patrick and Ingrid are in danger yet again, hunting one of the Met's most-wanted criminals.

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Book SynopsisMaggie Miller's attempt to run from her troubles leads her to Table Rock, Arizona, her own beignet café . . . and disaster.Welcome to Table Rock, Arizona, the place where folks who aren't too keen on the mainstream' move to. Maggie Miller has come here to forget about her dead husband. OK, so he isn't really dead. That's just what she tells everybody. Recently divorced, Maggie flees Phoenix and the sight of her husband and his new wife and moves to Table Rock to be closer to her own family. She's also planning on opening her own beignet and coffee business, Maggie's Beignet Café.But that dead guy in her storeroom might just put a kink in her plans. Unless she can figure out who killed him, and why, she might never open for business . . .

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Book SynopsisIn this fascinating psychological neo-noir mystery, a notorious late 19th-century photograph provides the key to a contemporary murder.In 1882, the young Lou Andreas-Salome, writer, psychoanalyst and femme fatale, appears with Friedrich Nietzche and another man in a bizarre photograph taken in Luzern, Switzerland. Over thirty years later, an intense art student in Freud's Vienna presents Lou Salome with his own drawing based on the infamous photograph.In the present day, Tess Berenson, a brilliant performance artist, moves into an art deco loft in downtown Oakland, California. Her new apartment, she learns, was vacated in a hurry by a professional dominatrix who used the name Chantal Desforges. Tess's curiosity about Chantal intensifies when her body is discovered in the trunk of a stolen car at Oakland airport.Embarking on an obsessive investigation into the murder, Tess discovers a link to the original Luzern photograph and the 1913 drawing but

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Book SynopsisIntrepid 19th-century private investigators American Matthew Grand and Englishman James Batchelor return in their second mystery.July, 1868. On receiving a commission from Matthew's cousin Luther to look into the suspicious death of Lafayette Baker, Head of the US National Detective Police, private investigators Matthew Grand and his business partner James Batchelor leave London for Washington DC. They find a country still scarred by the bitter legacy of the Civil War and even in death Lafayette Baker remains one of the most hated men north or south of the Potomac.The newly-created Ku Klux Klan wanted him dead. So did the Washington brothel-keepers, bar-owners and gamblers whom Baker had closed down. What does beautiful former spy Miss Belle Boyd know that she's not telling them? And could the President himself be involved?Matthew Grand finds he has come home to a mixed reception, while Batchelor struggles as an Englishman abroad. Will either of

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Book SynopsisCalled out to attend a body found on a lonely stretch of river bank, its throat torn out, apprentice healer Lassair is sceptical of the sheriff''s verdict that this was the result of a wild animal attack. But when a second body is discovered, similarly mutilated, rumours engulf the town that the legendary demon known as the Night Wanderer has returned to wreak havoc.Determined to stop the fear spreading and prove that the killer is human, Lassair and lawman Jack Chevestrier investigate. If they could only find out what links the victims, they would be one step closer to discovering the Night Wanderer''s identity - and what it is he really wants. But when the killer turns his sights on Lassair herself, can she survive long enough to find out?

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Book SynopsisFormer Royal Marine, ex-cop and sportfishing skipper Steve Flynn finds that his is the last name on a dead man''s hitlistA man with too much time on his hands and vengeance on his mind can be extremely dangerous - as Steve Flynn is about to find out.Spending an idyllic summer running pleasure cruises for holidaymakers on the island of Ibiza, Flynn stumbles across a botched armed robbery in progress. He is hardwired to intervene - but in so doing he uncovers something that tells him he might just be a target himself.At first Flynn is unconcerned, but as some of his former police colleagues and friends begin to die in horrifically brutal ways, he realizes that a hitlist exists, that his is the last name on it . . . and that a dead man is out for revenge.

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Book SynopsisHarrod-Eagles graces her narrative with a quiet wit that makes the book a pleasure to read Publishers Weekly Starred ReviewAnother sterling entry in a truly outstanding series Booklist Starred ReviewDCI Bill Slider tackles the coldest of cold cases in this absorbing mystery. A young couple discover human remains buried in the garden of their new house: could this be the resting place of 14-year-old Amanda Knight, who disappeared from the same garden two decades before, and was never seen again?The problem comes almost as a relief to DCI Slider, still suffering from the fallout of his previous case. He is not popular with the Powers That Be, and his immediate boss, Detective Superintendent Porson, reckons that at least this little puzzle will keep Slider out of trouble. After all, with a murder twenty years in the past, this is the coldest of cold cases. Most of the suspects and principal players are now dead t

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Book SynopsisWhen his father's former law partner is murdered while being celebrated as Man of the Year, Raymond Donne fights his old police instincts and vows to stay out of the investigation. That is until his childhood home is broken into and one of his students is threatened. Has a decades old case of his father's come back to haunt Donne's family?

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Book SynopsisBeware the Brotherhood of the RavenWhen two boys vanish from her hometown, Daphne Gauge notices uncanny parallels to her brother?s disappearance 30 years earlier. Symbols of an ancient Norse god. Rumors of a promise to reward the town?s faithful with wealth and power, for a price. She warns her husband that another sacrifice is imminent, but just like last time, no one believes her.This leaves her with a desperate choice: investigate with limited resources, or give in to the FBI?s request for an interview. For years, they?ve wanted a member of the Gauge family to go on record about the tragedy back in 1988. If she agrees to a deposition now, Daphne must confess her family?s dark secrets. But she also might have one last chance to unmask the killer from back then . . . and now.For readers who enjoy Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, Joshilyn Jackson, Riley Sager, Jennifer McMahon, and Simone St. James.

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Book SynopsisSabotage, murder, cover-ups. Just another day on the Moon. After 35 years of living on the Moon, cranky old oxygen farmer Millennium Harrison has stumbled onto a hidden facility in the shadows of the Slayton Ridge Exclusion Zone with a radiation leak and a deadly secret. Mil's discovery leads to the death of a young astronaut, sabotage, murder, and cover-ups that may go all the way to the Chief Administrator of the space agency. Unfortunately, she happens to be Mil's estranged daughter, busy trying to secure her own legacythe first international mission to Mars. With time ticking down to a limited launch window, enemies, friends, and even family may do anything to ensure the truth doesn't come out. Or will history finally catch up with a deadly scheme that has the potential to destroy the moon and eradicate all life on Earth? It seems the planet's only hope is a cantankerous guy who never really liked those people in the first place. For readers who enjoy 2001: A Space Odyssey by

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Book SynopsisPickax''s sedate calm is occasionally disturbed by random acts of vandalism, but nothing more serious than paint daubed on civic property. Until, that is, the cold-blooded murder of young banker Harley Fitch and his new bride Bella, which is altogether more shattering. Qwilleran''s moustache twitches in anticipation of mystery and Koko develops a fascination for all things glutinous. Just what is the attraction of the musty old books under the guardianship of the softly-spoken Edd Smith; of Harley Fitch and his intricately detailed marine models; of Wally the taxidermist? Koko is sure to sniff something out ...

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Book SynopsisSergeant Pete Decker is driving through a housing estate one night when he discovers an abandoned toddler in blood-stained pyjamas. As Decker and his partner, Marge Dunn, hunt for the child''s parents, the bee-stings they notice all over the child''s arm guide them to a honey farm set in the barren scrubland surrounding Los Angeles. It''s a tough landscape, populated by hard-working people with little time for city folks, so the two detectives aren''t surprised when there is no welcoming party. Nothing, though, has prepared them for the incredible stonewalling from the locals, nor for the grisly sight that greets them in the farmhouse. But Decker and Dunn are professionals to the core and, delving deeper, find a gruesome mystery far more lethal than the ordinary hornet''s nest...Trade ReviewThere are currently no reviews for this title/product

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Book SynopsisIt was only a horse race, but it could make Kelly Connor''s reputation. Unfortunately there was more riding on Pendero''s back at Ascot than a young jockey''s career. There was the biggest gamble in the unsavoury life of trainer Harry Short. There was the decadent livelihood of Ibn Fayoud, the rich playboy son of an Arab sheikh. And for Jack Butler, the successful bookmaker, there was the sweetest, most dangerous deal imaginable... It was only a horse race, but it led Kelly Connor into a deadly international conspiracy of blackmail, seduction and murder.

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Book SynopsisLate one night, Jim Qwilleran is disturbed by the shrill ringing of the telephone. His erstwhile landlady, Iris Cobb, now resident manager of the Goodwinter Farm Museum, is distraught. Knowing her frail state of health Qwill is concerned and becomes even more so when a piercing scream severs their connection.Arriving at the museum he finds Iris slumped on the kitchen floor. But what at first looks like a natural demise from heart disease proves to be much more sinister. Once more the detective talents of Koko and Yum Yum, Qwill''s sleuthing Siamese companions, are in demand in Pickax City.

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Book SynopsisBest Horror Novel of 1988 - Science Fiction Chronicle.''If you''ve missed Laymon, you''ve missed a treat'' Stephen King. No one had ever seen anything like it before: a slimy, mobile tube of putrefying flesh and an obscene probing mouth. But the real horror is not what it looks like, or even what it does to you when it invades your flesh, but what it makes you do to others...

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Book SynopsisEdward I of England and Philip IV of France are at war. Philip, by devious means, has managed to seize control of the English duchy of Aquitaine in France, and is now determined to crush Edward. King Edward suspects that his enemy is being aided by a spy in the English court and commissions his chancery clerk, Hugh Corbett, to trace and, if possible, destroy the traitor. Corbett''s mission brings him into danger on both land and at sea, and takes him to Paris, and its dangerous underworld, and then to hostile Wales. Unwillingly he is drawn into the murky undercurrents of international politics in the last decade of the thirteenth century.

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Book SynopsisFor amateur sleuth Jim Qwilleran and his two Siamese detective companions, Koko and Yum Yum, a trip to the city ''down below'' brings not only rosy memories of good times, but also a whole heap of trouble . . . A plea for help from SOCK, a tenants'' organisation determined to save the decaying art deco glory of the Casablanca apartment building from the philistine attentions of the developers, is no strain on the trio''s talents. But macabre bloodstains beneath Qwill''s penthouse rug prove to be a telling message from SOCK''s former leading light. It appears that Dianne Bessinger was stabbed to death in a lovers'' tiff, but the combined twitching of Qwill''s and Koko''s curious whiskers proves that all is not what it seems. Only when Qwill begins to investigate the suicide of Dianne''s killer do the strands of the mystery unravel . . . but will Koko sniff out the truth in time to return the Casablanca to it''s original glory?

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Book SynopsisThe Boxing Day Hunt leads to a hunt for a killer... A Season for Murder is the second cosy and colourful English village mystery in Ann Granger''s Mitchell & Markby series. This thrilling whodunit will enthral fans of Colin Dexter, Agatha Christie and ITV''s Midsomer Murders.''A good feel for understated humour, a nice ear for dialogue'' The Times It is with some trepidation that Meredith Mitchell returns to the Cotswolds: the Bamford district holds memories that, to put it generously, are bittersweet, and Christmas is a difficult time to find oneself a stranger in a new area. Yet she receives a kindly welcome, in particular from her old acquaintance Chief Inspector Markby and from her new neighbour Harriet Needham, a striking redhead with whom Meredith immediately feels a certain kinship. But Meredith has barely got to know her neighbour when Harriet is involved in a shocking - and fatal - accident at the Boxing Day

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Book SynopsisEven the quaintest of villages has its perils... and deadly secrets that cannot be buried...Mitchell and Markby have to dig deep to find a murderer in Cold in the Earth, the third English village crime novel in Ann Granger''s Mitchell & Markby series. The perfect read for fans of Ruth Rendell, Agatha Christie and ITV''s Midsomer Murders.''Set in the familiar mode of traditional country crime stories, there is nothing old-fashioned about the characters, who are drawn with a telling eye for their human foibles and frailties'' - Oxford TimesTo Meredith Mitchell, marooned in a dusty London flat, the Cotswolds seem like a haven of peace and tranquillity. But Chief Inspector Markby has a rather different view of his native area, as he witnesses the bulldozing of one of his favourite boyhood haunts to make way for yet another housing estate. And when a man''s body is found buried in the foundations of one of the plots his outlook t

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Book SynopsisAfter five years of legal formalities in gossip-ridden Pickax, Jim Qwilleran has officially inherited the Klingenschoen fortune. In search of a summer''s peace, Qwill and his two Siamese cats head for the Potato Mountains. But Qwill finds controversy - one side of the valley is a haven for the descendants of Prohibition Moonshiners, the other home to developers eager to turn the Potatoes into a giant tourist trap. One of the Taters, as the locals are nicknamed, has been imprisoned for the murder of a millionaire developer, but Qwill is convinced the wrong man is in jail. Koko, Yum Yum and Qwill sniff out treachery amidst the pines...Trade ReviewPraise for the Cat Who... series:'The fastidious plotting is designed to appeal to more than just the cat-lover' The Times;'This droll and engaging mystery...firmly grips the reader...a lively witty tale bolstered by sharply etched characters' Publishers Weekly;'An engaging tongue-in-cheek yarn with a sting in the tail that won't just appeal to the cat-lover' Belfast Telegraph; 'It's a Wonderful Life meets The Aristocats in this daft but endearing whodunnit' Liverpool Daily Post;'Mrs Braun has a breezy style; the cats are really smart' New York Times Book Review;'Great fun!' Lawrence Block'Entertaining and absorbing mysteries which, in the tradition of all good whodunnits, keep you guessing right to the end' Dumfries and Galloway Standard'Lilian Jackson Braun purveys delight from beginning to end' Los Angeles Times'Like news from Lake Woebegon, Braun's Cat Who... series...has charmed readers' Publishers Weekly'Light-hearted originals... The mix of crime and cats [is] catnip to readers who like both' Chicago Sun-Times'An offbeat series with a good deal of charm' The Baltimore Sun'Braun writes with charm and sureness' Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Book SynopsisPersuaded by his beloved companion to join her in a group tour of Scotland, Jim Qwilleran expects to revel in his Scottish heritage while keeping Polly Duncan safe from the Pickax Prowler. Instead, his trip is cut short when a thief swipes a suitcase, the bus driver disappears, and a fellow tourist is found dead - all in the same day. The distraught tour members return to Pickax, only to find the town in a tizz. And when village scuttlebut focuses on the bizarre behaviour of one of the tour''s surviving members, Qwill''s sensitive moustache tells him that more trouble is on the way.Trade ReviewPraise for the Cat Who... series:'The fastidious plotting is designed to appeal to more than just the cat-lover' The Times;'This droll and engaging mystery...firmly grips the reader...a lively witty tale bolstered by sharply etched characters' Publishers Weekly;'An engaging tongue-in-cheek yarn with a sting in the tail that won't just appeal to the cat-lover' Belfast Telegraph; 'It's a Wonderful Life meets The Aristocats in this daft but endearing whodunnit' Liverpool Daily Post;'Mrs Braun has a breezy style; the cats are really smart' New York Times Book Review;'Great fun!' Lawrence Block'Entertaining and absorbing mysteries which, in the tradition of all good whodunnits, keep you guessing right to the end' Dumfries and Galloway Standard'Lilian Jackson Braun purveys delight from beginning to end' Los Angeles Times'Like news from Lake Woebegon, Braun's Cat Who... series...has charmed readers' Publishers Weekly'Light-hearted originals... The mix of crime and cats [is] catnip to readers who like both' Chicago Sun-Times'An offbeat series with a good deal of charm' The Baltimore Sun'Braun writes with charm and sureness' Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1302 the famous Robin of Locksley, popularly known as Robin Hood, has gone back to his outlaw ways in Sherwood Forest where he battles against royal authority, culminating in the barborous massacre of royal tax collectors and the mysterious murder of Sir Eustace Vechey, one of the sheriffs of Nottingham.Corbett and his two faithful servants Ranulf and Maltote are sent to Nottingham where they find fresh mysteries: why are three arrows shot into the air above Nottingham Castle on the 13th of every month? Who is the traitor in Nottingham Castle? And why have the French despatched an agent to assassinate Corbett?

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Book SynopsisJim Qwilleran and his sleuthing Siamese companions, Koko and Yum Yum, up sticks from their converted apple-barn home for the snowy winter months and move into the old Gage mansion. The house belongs to Junior Goodwinter''s grandma, Euphonia, and is full of commonplace treasures hidden in dusty closets - a curious cat''s heaven. Everything goes well until the phone rings announcing that Euphonia has been found dead at her new Florida home. The strange thing is that the apparently happy and healthy 88-year-old seems to have committed suicide.Trade ReviewPraise for the Cat Who... series:'The fastidious plotting is designed to appeal to more than just the cat-lover' The Times;'This droll and engaging mystery...firmly grips the reader...a lively witty tale bolstered by sharply etched characters' Publishers Weekly;'An engaging tongue-in-cheek yarn with a sting in the tail that won't just appeal to the cat-lover' Belfast Telegraph; 'It's a Wonderful Life meets The Aristocats in this daft but endearing whodunnit' Liverpool Daily Post;'Mrs Braun has a breezy style; the cats are really smart' New York Times Book Review;'Great fun!' Lawrence Block'Entertaining and absorbing mysteries which, in the tradition of all good whodunnits, keep you guessing right to the end' Dumfries and Galloway Standard'Lilian Jackson Braun purveys delight from beginning to end' Los Angeles Times'Like news from Lake Woebegon, Braun's Cat Who... series...has charmed readers' Publishers Weekly'Light-hearted originals... The mix of crime and cats [is] catnip to readers who like both' Chicago Sun-Times'An offbeat series with a good deal of charm' The Baltimore Sun'Braun writes with charm and sureness' Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Book SynopsisA tangle of conflicting clues, suspects and possible witnesses... Meredith Mitchell is involved in yet another murder case with Cotswold Chief Inspector Markby in Where Old Bones Lie, the fifth whodunit in Ann Granger''s Mitchell & Markby series. The perfect read for fans of M.C. Beaton, Agatha Christie and ITV''s Midsomer Murders.''A tidy, inventive and intricate plot graced with lovely scenic descriptions'' - Publishers WeeklyWhat do you do when you think your ex-lover has murdered his wife? That''s the question Ursula Gretton, an archeologist working on the Saxon burial ground on Bamford Hill, puts to Meredith Mitchell in the hope that Meredith''s friendship with Cotswold Chief Inspector Markby might cast some light on her dilemma. But Markby is dismissive of Ursula''s suspicions concerning the disappearance of Dan Woollard''s wife - until a body is found in the rubbish dump near the site Woollard and Ursula have been exc

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Book SynopsisAs the travellers gather in the Tabard Inn at the start of a pilgrimage to pray before the blessed bones of St Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, they agree eagerly to mine host Harry''s suggestion of amusing themselves on each day of their journey with one tale and each evening with another - but the latter to be of mystery, terror and murder.The Knight begins that evening: his tale opens with the destruction of a sinister cult at its stronghold in the wilds of Oxfordshire by Sir Hugo Mortimer during the reign of William the Conqueror, and then moves to Oxford some two hundred years later where strange crimes and terrible murders are being committed. The authorities seem powerless but Lady Constance, Abbess of the Convent of St Anne''s, believes the murders are connected with the legends of the cult and she petitions the King for help.As the murders continue unabated, special commissioner Sir Godfrey Evesden and royal clerk Alexander McBain uncover clues that lead to a Trade ReviewPraise for Paul Doherty's other novels: 'I really like these medieval whodunnits * Bookseller *A romping good read * Time Out *Historically informative, excellently plotted and, as ever, superbly entertaining * CADS 20 *This rich tale ... seeps authenticity and is written with wonderfully efficient style. A gem of an historical thriller * Huddersfield Daily Examiner *

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Book SynopsisWhen Jim Qwilleran''s friend Polly decides to spend two weeks on vacation with an old girlfriend in Oregon, he finds himself at a loose end. But not for long - a visit from Nick Bamba brings news of a hotbed of mystery. Nick and his wife, Lori, fear that their new venture, the Domino Inn on recently developed Breakfast Island, won''t see out one summer season let alone a lifetime. A series of fatal accidents is beginning to deter further visitors...Trade ReviewPraise for the Cat Who... series:'The fastidious plotting is designed to appeal to more than just the cat-lover' The Times;'This droll and engaging mystery...firmly grips the reader...a lively witty tale bolstered by sharply etched characters' Publishers Weekly;'An engaging tongue-in-cheek yarn with a sting in the tail that won't just appeal to the cat-lover' Belfast Telegraph; 'It's a Wonderful Life meets The Aristocats in this daft but endearing whodunnit' Liverpool Daily Post;'Mrs Braun has a breezy style; the cats are really smart' New York Times Book Review;'Great fun!' Lawrence Block'Entertaining and absorbing mysteries which, in the tradition of all good whodunnits, keep you guessing right to the end' Dumfries and Galloway Standard'Lilian Jackson Braun purveys delight from beginning to end' Los Angeles Times'Like news from Lake Woebegon, Braun's Cat Who... series...has charmed readers' Publishers Weekly'Light-hearted originals... The mix of crime and cats [is] catnip to readers who like both' Chicago Sun-Times'An offbeat series with a good deal of charm' The Baltimore Sun'Braun writes with charm and sureness' Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Book SynopsisChaucer''s pilgrims, quarrelling amongst themselves, are now in open countryside enjoying the fresh spring weather as they progress slowly towards Canterbury. A motley collection of travellers, they each have their dark secrets, hidden passions and complex lives. As they shelter in a tavern from a sudden April shower they choose the Man of Law to narrate the next tale of fear and sinister dealings.In August 1358, the Dowager Queen Isabella, mother of King Edward III, the ''She Wolf of France'', who betrayed and destroyed her husband because of her adulterous infatuation for Roger Mortimer, lies dying of the pestilence in the sombre fortress of Castle Rising, where her ''loving'' son has kept her incarcerated. According the Man of Law, Isabella dies and her body is taken along the Mile End Road and laid to rest in Greyfriars next to the mangled remains of her lover, who has paid dearly for his presumption in loving a queen. Nevertheless, as in life so in death Isabella causesTrade ReviewPraise for Paul Doherty's other novels: 'I really like these medieval whodunnits * Bookseller *A romping good read * Time Out *Historically informative, excellently plotted and, as ever, superbly entertaining * CADS 20 *This rich tale ... seeps authenticity and is written with wonderfully efficient style. A gem of an historical thriller * Huddersfield Daily Examiner *

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Book Synopsis''If you''ve missed Laymon, you''ve missed a treat'' Stephen King.Twenty minutes before the quake hit, Stanley was ogling Sheila through his living-room window. Now he may be able to do more than just ogle ... Sheila''s trapped in her ruined house and her husband and daughter are stranded on the other side of the city. The power''s down, the emergency services can''t cope and the lawless are combing the ruins. Sheila''s fate depends on who can get to her first...

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Book SynopsisWhen the residents of Moose County, including the reclusive millionaire, Jim Qwilleran, board the old steam locomotive - the celebrated Engine No. 9 - on its inaugural journey, little do they know that this first trip will also be the last. By next morning, Qwill discovers that the affluent owner of Engine No. 9, Floyd Trevelyn, has disappeared, along with his glamorous secretary and millions of dollars belonging to Moose County investors.While the search is on for the fugitive, Qwill stays in Pickax and probes another mystery - why has Koko developed a sudden interest in certain works of literature and started to steal black pens?Trade ReviewPraise for the Cat Who... series:'The fastidious plotting is designed to appeal to more than just the cat-lover' The Times;'This droll and engaging mystery...firmly grips the reader...a lively witty tale bolstered by sharply etched characters' Publishers Weekly;'An engaging tongue-in-cheek yarn with a sting in the tail that won't just appeal to the cat-lover' Belfast Telegraph; 'It's a Wonderful Life meets The Aristocats in this daft but endearing whodunnit' Liverpool Daily Post;'Mrs Braun has a breezy style; the cats are really smart' New York Times Book Review;'Great fun!' Lawrence Block'Entertaining and absorbing mysteries which, in the tradition of all good whodunnits, keep you guessing right to the end' Dumfries and Galloway Standard'Lilian Jackson Braun purveys delight from beginning to end' Los Angeles Times'Like news from Lake Woebegon, Braun's Cat Who... series...has charmed readers' Publishers Weekly'Light-hearted originals... The mix of crime and cats [is] catnip to readers who like both' Chicago Sun-Times'An offbeat series with a good deal of charm' The Baltimore Sun'Braun writes with charm and sureness' Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Book Synopsis1303 and the Old Man of the Mountain remembers back to when he nearly killed Edward I thirty years before. He now decides to release an imprisoned leper knight to avenge old grievances and take the King''s life. A few months later two nuns are returning to their monastery in York, where they are confronted by the horrific sight of a man being consumed by fire, the sickly smell of burning flesh lingering in the air. News of the grisly death greets Edward as he arrives in York for secret negotiations with the leaders of the military Templar Order. His unease deepens when an attempt is made on his life. When the assassin, wearing Templar livery, is found dead - having been engulfed by a mysterious fire - Edward immediately turns to his Keeper of the Secret Seal, Hugh Corbett, to investigate.

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Book SynopsisSecrets won''t stay buried... Only now, twelve years after the mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl, will Mitchell & Markby begin to unravel the mystery in Candle for a Corpse, Ann Granger''s eighth cosy Cotwolds crime novel in the Mitchell & Markby series. The perfect read for fans of Hamish McBeth, Agatha Christie and ITV''s Midsomer Murders.''Enjoyable crime featuring credible characters in a recognisably real world'' - Belfast Telegraph On an unseasonably chilly summer''s day a macabre discovery is made in Bamford''s ancient churchyard. A body, dead some twelve years, is unearthed in the Gresham family plot, too shallowly buried to be a legitimate interment, too recent to be the last Gresham officially laid to rest. Superintendent Alan Markby cannot resist the challenge to solve this twelve-year-old crime and suddenly his long-planned canal-barge holiday with Meredith Mitchell is in serious jeopardy. When t

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Book SynopsisWhen twelve-year-old David Tredington vanished, his father, one of England’s top breeders, vowed never to give up the search for his son. Now, fifteen years later, David has been found alive and well in County Mayo. When the charismatic young man returns to the family’s Devonshire estate, he receives a mixed welcome. His elder sister, Lucy, distrusts him from the start. Jason, David’s brother-in-law and David’s cousin, George, are even less pleased to see another heir to the Tredington fortune. But David’s natural skills as a jockey soon attract favourable attention in the steeple-chasing world. Then a terrifying accident leads to an innocent stable lad’s death, and David suspects that his own life is in danger. Someone knows the truth about his past and wants him to disappear all over again. David must find out who and why before it’s too late…

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Book SynopsisThe Great Food Explo is scheduled to open in Pickax with a bang, introducing new restaurants, country inns and food speciality shops. Unfortunately the ''bang'' takes the form of a bomb which wrecks a hotel, killing the housekeeper and causing extensive damage. Enter Qwill and his Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum, whose instincts tell them that the murderous bomb was meant as something stronger than a warning to someone.While Qwill searches for clues, a possible witness to the bombing surfaces - who is shot to death before he can be questioned. But Qwill, Koko and Yum Yum are on the case...Trade ReviewPraise for the Cat Who... series:'The fastidious plotting is designed to appeal to more than just the cat-lover' The Times;'This droll and engaging mystery...firmly grips the reader...a lively witty tale bolstered by sharply etched characters' Publishers Weekly;'An engaging tongue-in-cheek yarn with a sting in the tail that won't just appeal to the cat-lover' Belfast Telegraph; 'It's a Wonderful Life meets The Aristocats in this daft but endearing whodunnit' Liverpool Daily Post;'Mrs Braun has a breezy style; the cats are really smart' New York Times Book Review;'Great fun!' Lawrence Block'Entertaining and absorbing mysteries which, in the tradition of all good whodunnits, keep you guessing right to the end' Dumfries and Galloway Standard'Lilian Jackson Braun purveys delight from beginning to end' Los Angeles Times'Like news from Lake Woebegon, Braun's Cat Who... series...has charmed readers' Publishers Weekly'Light-hearted originals... The mix of crime and cats [is] catnip to readers who like both' Chicago Sun-Times'An offbeat series with a good deal of charm' The Baltimore Sun'Braun writes with charm and sureness' Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Book SynopsisIs it just a case of summertime blues or a full-blown career crisis? Newspaper reporter Jim Qwilleran isn''t sure, but he''s hoping a few days in the country will help him sort out his life. With cats Koko and Yum Yum for company, Qwill heads for a cabin owned by a family friend. But from the moment he arrives, things turn strange. Eerie footsteps cross the roof at midnight. Local townsfolk become oddly secretive. And then, while fishing, Qwill hooks on to a murder mystery while Koko develops a sudden and uncanny fondness for classical music...Trade ReviewPraise for the Cat Who... series:'The fastidious plotting is designed to appeal to more than just the cat-lover' The Times;'This droll and engaging mystery...firmly grips the reader...a lively witty tale bolstered by sharply etched characters' Publishers Weekly;'An engaging tongue-in-cheek yarn with a sting in the tail that won't just appeal to the cat-lover' Belfast Telegraph; 'It's a Wonderful Life meets The Aristocats in this daft but endearing whodunnit' Liverpool Daily Post;'Mrs Braun has a breezy style; the cats are really smart' New York Times Book Review;'Great fun!' Lawrence Block'Entertaining and absorbing mysteries which, in the tradition of all good whodunnits, keep you guessing right to the end' Dumfries and Galloway Standard'Lilian Jackson Braun purveys delight from beginning to end' Los Angeles Times'Like news from Lake Woebegon, Braun's Cat Who... series...has charmed readers' Publishers Weekly'Light-hearted originals... The mix of crime and cats [is] catnip to readers who like both' Chicago Sun-Times'An offbeat series with a good deal of charm' The Baltimore Sun'Braun writes with charm and sureness' Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Book Synopsis''If you''ve missed Laymon, you''ve missed a treat'' Stephen King Alice enjoys house-sitting for her friend; she has the place to herself, a huge TV, a swimming pool. But one night, just after midnight, a man walks out of the woods and throws himself into the pool. Alice knows about men, so she fetches the Civil War relic that hangs on the wall: an old cavalry sabre ...

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Book SynopsisA holiday becomes work for Mitchell and Markby as a crime unravels... Mitchell and Markby find themselves drawn into a murder enquiry whilst holiday in a country cottage in A Word After Dying, the tenth cosy English village crime novel in Ann Granger''s captivating Mitchell & Markby series. The perfect read for fans of Rebecca Tope, Agatha Christie and ITV''s Midsomer Murders.''Probably the best current example of a crime writer who has taken the classic English village detective story and brought it up to date'' - Birmingham Post Superintendent Alan Markby and Meredith Mitchell are in desperate need of a holiday - and the Cotswold village of Parsloe St John seems the perfect choice. Their neighbour, retired journalist Wynne Carter, is as convivial as the village itself and, over a glass of blackberry wine, indulges in her latest obsession, Olivia Smeaton, a racy old lady whose life - and death - she is convinced are not al

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Book SynopsisDr Azor Sparks is a genius. A famous surgeon set to transform the chances for heart transplant patients. He''s also a pillar of the local church and a devoted family man. So who would want to murder him? The answer, Lt. Peter Decker concludes, is many people. Sparks was obsessed by religion and his medical crusades.Yet he had odd hobbies, like riding with a pack of bikers. His family, too, is not harmonious. The influence of Bram, the son who defied his Protestant father to become a Catholic priest, appears to be all that''s preventing them from destroying each other. And, as beneficiaries of an astonishingly large trust fund, they all stand to gain from his death. But then the evidence from a second murder points, unmistakably, to Bram, whom Decker thought was highly unlikely to be involved...

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Book SynopsisIt''s 1859 and throughout Europe tremendous upheavals have taken place. Hester Latterly is nurse to the sick son of a German Baron and his family, who have moved to London from one of the many small principalities between Prussia and Bavaria - and the Baroness tells Hester about her kingdom''s famous royal family...Handsome Prince Friedrich was one of just two heirs to the crown, considered the perfect match by every woman of the land. But during an affair with Countess Zorah Rostova, he meets the alluring and sophisticated Gisela - with whom he falls deeply in love. He can have Gisela or the crown, but not both. He chooses Gisela, marries her in Venice and, after many years, tragically dies in England. Now, Countess Zorah, having accused the widowed Princess of murdering Friedrich, is being sued in the biggest slander trial of the century - and the only way that she can defend herself is to prove that Gisela is indeed guilty. But in doing so she must sully the greatest love

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Book SynopsisA spate of petty thefts threatens the holiday spirit in Pickax. First it''s just a pair of sunglasses and gloves that disappear - but then the entire charity collection of the Indian Village Bridge Club is found missing. And unfortunately the worst is yet to come...Ironically, the small items begin to disappear when banker Willard Carmichael moves to Pickax. Willard has come accompanied by his flashy young wife, Danielle, and plans to restore a few Victorian homes. But when he''s found murdered in an apparent mugging, his wife''s cousin appears a bit too eager to pick up where Willard tragically had to leave off.Trade ReviewPraise for the Cat Who... series:'The fastidious plotting is designed to appeal to more than just the cat-lover' The Times;'This droll and engaging mystery...firmly grips the reader...a lively witty tale bolstered by sharply etched characters' Publishers Weekly;'An engaging tongue-in-cheek yarn with a sting in the tail that won't just appeal to the cat-lover' Belfast Telegraph; 'It's a Wonderful Life meets The Aristocats in this daft but endearing whodunnit' Liverpool Daily Post;'Mrs Braun has a breezy style; the cats are really smart' New York Times Book Review;'Great fun!' Lawrence Block'Entertaining and absorbing mysteries which, in the tradition of all good whodunnits, keep you guessing right to the end' Dumfries and Galloway Standard'Lilian Jackson Braun purveys delight from beginning to end' Los Angeles Times'Like news from Lake Woebegon, Braun's Cat Who... series...has charmed readers' Publishers Weekly'Light-hearted originals... The mix of crime and cats [is] catnip to readers who like both' Chicago Sun-Times'An offbeat series with a good deal of charm' The Baltimore Sun'Braun writes with charm and sureness' Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Book SynopsisWhen private enquiry agent Oz Blackstone takes on the job of finding an insurance company''s missing half million, he''s hoping for a healthy finder''s fee, not a life-changing experience. But when he finds the corpse of the would-be embezzler with a knife in his back and no sign of the missing money, what had seemed like a routine job begins to look distinctly dodgy. Until the captivating Primavera ''Prim'' Phillips arrives on the scene, wondering why she''s been greeted not by her sister Dawn, but Dawn''s dead boyfriend and a rather nervous-looking private eye. For Oz, things are looking up. This is the kind of girl who''s definitely worth pursuing. Especially if she knows where to get her hands on half a million pounds ...Trade ReviewPraise for Quintin Jardine:'Heart-stopping thriller' Peterborough Evening Telegraph'Gritty cop drama that makes Taggart look tame' Northern Echo Darlington 'More twists and turns than TV's Taggart at its best' Stirling ObserverSkinner's Rules:'Remarkably assured novel...a tour de force' New York Times'Excellent thriller' Manchester Evening News'Deplorably readable' Guardian'A first-class read' Jeffrey Archer'Compelling stuff...one to watch' Oxford Times'As hardboiled as any Taggart story' Peterborough Evening Telegraph'Rich in local characterisation...an enjoyable adventure' Edinburgh Evening NewsSkinner's Festival:'Comes through strongly and believably...has the right city atmosphere' Edinburgh Evening News'Robustly entertaining' Irish TimesSkinner's Trail:'Skinner is a TV series waiting to happen' Peterborough Evening Telegraph'Engrossing, believable characters...captures Edinburgh beautifully...It all adds up to a very good read' Edinburgh Evening NewsSkinner's Round:'The Skinner series grows in authority and should be a natural for television' Time Out'A complex and suspenseful saga that never flags from start to finish' Bolton Evening NewsSkinner's Ordeal:'Quintin Jardine has created the toughest Scottish cop since Taggart' Peterborough Evening Telegraph'Fast-paced, fast-cut stuff...some sharply written dialogue' Worcester & Hereford Evening NewsSkinner's Mission:'Once again Jardine serves up a thriller full of action, gritty realism and sharp patter' Darlington Northern Echo

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