Crime & Thriller

'An espionage master' Charles CummingA terrifying plot to unleash destruction in London. A very unlikely spy. The countdown has begun...Constantine Lindow is waiting for his brother Eamonn outside a central London tube station when a bus turns into the street and explodes. The next day Con is arrested as the prime suspect for the bombing.Con is determined to prove his innocence, but the only way he can do that is to find the real bomber. As he digs deeper, he finds himself confronted by his own brother's secret life - and the cold-blooded killers from his past.The trail leads Con halfway across the world and back to London, where he tracks down a killer with a genius for encryption codes. Only Con can crack the code. Only Con can stop that telephone ringing...'British espionage fiction is the best in the world, and Porter is part of the reason why' Lee Child

Read more less

'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' - GuardianWith Bonaparte held to a stalemate in Europe, the race to empire is now resumed. Britain's ambitions turn to the Spice Islands, the Dutch East Indies, where Admiral Pellew has been sent to confront the enemy's vastly rich holdings in these tropical islands. Captain Sir Thomas Kydd joins reinforcements to snatch these for the British Crown.The two colonial masters of India and the East Indies face each other in mortal striving for the region - there can be only one victor to hold all the spoils. The colonial genius, Stamford Raffles, believes Britain should strike at the very centre of Dutch spice production, the Moluccas, rather than the fortresses one by one but is fiercely opposed. Kydd, allying himself to this cause, conspires to lead a tiny force to a triumphant conclusion - however the Dutch, stung by this loss, claim vengeance from the French. A battle for Java and an empire in the East stretches Kydd and Tyger's company to their very limits.*************Praise for Julian Stockwin's Kydd series'Paints a vivid picture of life aboard the mighty ship-of-the-line' Daily Express'This heady adventure blends fact and fiction in rich, authoritative detail' Nautical Magazine'Fans of fast-paced adventure will get their fill with this book' Historical Naval Society

Read more less

Ex-CIA master assassin Court Gentry has always prided himself on his ability to disappear at will, to fly below the radar and exist in the shadows - to survive as the near-mythical Gray Man. But when he takes revenge upon a former employer who betrayed him, he exposes himself to something he's never had to face before.A killer who is just like him.Code-named Dead Eye, Russell Whitlock is a graduate of the same ultra-secret Autonomous Asset Program that trained and once controlled Gentry. But now, Whitlock is a free agent who has been directed to terminate his fellow student of death. He knows how his target thinks, how he moves, and how he kills. And he knows the best way to do the job is to make Gentry run for his life - right up until the moment Dead Eye finally ends it...

Read more less

Thirteenth century China, and the Song Empire is crumbling due to endemic corruption and the incursion of barbarians from abroad. Ambitious men do what they must to get ahead, trampling the commoners who come in their path. Into the decaying ranks of the civil service, a young scholar called Song Ci is admitted. He soon gets the chance to prove his worth by developing an unmatched skill for interpreting crime scenes. In a series of complex murder cases that baffled his predecessors, Song is finally able to dispense justice to the relatives of those whose lives have been lost in the chaos.As the world he knows wanes, Song will be pitted against increasing dangers that will tax him to the edge of his abilities. But will his efforts be enough to save the empire?

Read more less

Shortly after Inspector Anita Sundstrom's mother's death, Anita is called to an apartment where an 80-year-old man with dementia has tried to kill his wife. The case sparks off a renewed interest in the death of her father, who was lost in the 1994 MS Estonia ferry disaster. It's not long before she discovers that she's stumbled into a tangled web of conspiracy theories surrounding the tragedy, and the unstable and violent dawn of a newly independent Estonia. At the same time, Anita's also involved in an investigation into the murder of a prominent member of Malmo's Pakistani community. When she's sidelined by her nemesis, Alice Zetterberg, she becomes more determined to discover the reasons behind her father's fate. She soon finds herself entering very dangerous waters that sweep her to Tallin, Stockholm and Oxford in search of answers that will finally give her closure in the seventh of the best-selling series of Anita Sundstrom crime mysteries.

Read more less

AD 643. Anglo-Saxon Britain. A gripping, action-packed historical thriller and the sixth instalment in the Bernicia Chronicles. Heading south to lands he once considered his home, Beobrand is plunged into a dark world of piracy and slavery when an old friend enlists his help to recover a kidnapped girl. Embarking onto the wind-tossed seas, Beobrand pursues his quarry with single-minded tenacity. But the Whale Road is never calm and his journey is beset with storms, betrayal and violence. As the winds of his wyrd blow him ever further from what he knows, will Beobrand find victory on his quest or has his luck finally abandoned him? Praise for Matthew Harffy: 'Nothing less than superb... The tale is fast paced and violence lurks on every page' Historical Novel Society 'Beobrand is the warrior to follow' David Gilman 'A tale that rings like sword song in the reader's mind' Giles Kristian 'Historical fiction doesn't get much better than this' Angus Donald 'A brilliant characterization of a difficult hero in a dangerous time. Excellent!' Christian Cameron 'A terrific novel. It illuminates the Dark Ages like a bolt of lightning' Toby Clements 'Battles, treachery, revenge and a healthy dose of Dark Age adventure' Simon Turney 'Matthew Harffy tells a great story' Joanna Hickson 'Harffy's writing just gets better and better... He is really proving himself the rightful heir to Gemmell's crown' Jemahl Evans 'Harffy has a real winner on his hands... A genuinely superb novel' Steven McKay 'A breathtaking novel that sweeps the reader into a dark and dangerous world' Paul Fraser Collard

Read more less

On the day Juno Browne's van goes up in flames and nearly cooks a dog, Juno meets James Westershall, owner of Moorworthy Chase, a large family estate. She is invited, along with her friends from Old Nick's, to bring along their goods for sale at an upcoming garden fete. Included in the invitation is the newest and most irritating member of the Old Nick's team, Gavin. During the fete Gavin wanders off and is later discovered dead in nearby woods, apparently the victim of a bizarre accident. A police investigation ensues, but results are inconclusive and Juno has a theory of her own. As she begins to investigate, she discovers that Gavin's is not the only strange death to have occurred at Moorworthy Chase, including that of an expert researching colonies of rare bats in caves on the estate. It soon becomes clear to Juno that there is something very wrong at Moorworthy and the caves contain a dark and dangerous secret.

Read more less

Bradecote and Catchpoll discover that sometimes the difference between the law and justice is a great one. June, 1144. The naked corpse of an unknown man is discovered near Worcester, while the Prince of Powys's messenger has gone missing. Making the connection, Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote, Serjeant Catchpoll and young apprentice Walkelin head to Wales to discover his identity. But did the dead man deserve a noose rather than a dagger? Retracing the dead man's steps leads the trio to a manor with a difficult lord, a neglected wife, a bitter mother and a fevered brother, none of whom want the truth exposed.

Read more less

In the course of a routine police raid Detective Inspector Frank Frølich of the Oslo Police saves Elizabeth Faremo from getting inadvertently caught in crossfire. By the time he learns that she is the sister of Jonny Faremo, wanted member of a larceny gang, it is already too late, he is obsessed. Suspected, suspended, and blindly in love, Frølich must find out if he is being used before his life unravels beyond repair.

Read more less

'Deeply layered, fiendishly clever and absorbing' Matt Hilton, author of the Joe Hunter seriesThe first gritty thriller in the Avison Fluke series by M. W. Craven, the acclaimed author of The Puppet Show.Detective Inspector Avison Fluke is a man on the edge. He has committed a crime to get back to work, concealed a debilitating illness and is about to be made homeless. Just as he thinks things can't get any worse, the body of a young woman is found buried on a Cumbrian building site.Shot once in the back of the head, it is a cold, calculated execution. When the post-mortem reveals she has gone to significant expense in disguising her appearance, Fluke knows this is no ordinary murder. With the help of a psychotic ex-Para, a gangland leader and a woman more interested in maggots than people, Fluke must find out who she was and why she was murdered before he can even think about finding her killer...Praise for M. W. Craven:'Dark, sharp and compelling' PETER JAMES'Fantastic' MARTINA COLE'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' MATT HILTON'Thrilling' MICK HERRON'Brilliantly inventive' WILLIAM SHAW'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent' DAVID MARK

Read more less

On the first day of the Somme enlisted railwayman Jim Stringer lies trapped in a shell hole, smoking cigarette after cigarette under the bullets and the blazing sun. He calculates his chances of survival - even before they departed for France, a member of Jim's unit had been found dead. During the stand-off that follows, Jim and his comrades must operate by night the vitally important trains carrying munitions to the Front, through a ghostly landscape of shattered trees where high explosive and shrapnel shells rain down. Close co-operation and trust are vital. Yet proof piles up of an enemy within, and as a ferocious military policeman pursues his investigation into the original killing, the finger of accusation begins to point towards Jim himself . . .

Read more less

Bestselling author of The Wife and The Better Sister*The Girl She Was, available to pre-order now*'Highly addictive' KARIN SLAUGHTER 'A major talent' HARLAN COBENDID HE, OR DIDN'T HE?Olivia Randall is one of New York City's best criminal defence lawyers. When she gets a phone call informing her that her former fiancée has been arrested for a triple homicide there is no doubt in her mind as to his innocence. The only question is who would go to such great lengths to frame him - and why?But, as the evidence against him mounts, Olivia is soon forced to confront her doubts.

Read more less

THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Gripping' NEW YORK TIMES'At last, the Ripper's victims get a voice... An eloquent, stirring challenge to reject the prevailing Ripper myth' MAIL ON SUNDAY____________Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met.They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers.What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888.Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become far more famous than any of these five women.Now, in this devastating narrative of five lives, historian Hallie Rubenhold finally sets the record straight, and gives these women back their stories.____________Awards for The Five include:- Winner of the BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE for Non-fiction- HAY FESTIVAL Book of the Year 2019- Winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for HistoryPRAISE FOR THE FIVE'Devastatingly good. The Five will leave you in tears, of pity and of rage.' LUCY WORSLEY'Fascinating, compelling, moving.' BRIDGET COLLINS, author of The Binding'An angry and important work of historical detection, calling time on the misogyny that has fed the Ripper myth. Powerful and shaming.' GUARDIAN'Haunting' SUNDAY TIMES'What a brilliant and necessary book' JO BAKER, author of Longbourn'Beautifully written and with the grip of a thriller, it will open your eyes and break your heart.' ERIN KELLY'An outstanding work of history-from-below ... magnificent' SPECTATOR'Deeply researched' THE NEW YORKER

Read more less

The gripping, chilling thriller that will keep you up late into the night . . . Perfect for readers of Stephen King and Michael Crichton.____________________________Nolan Moore and his team of explorers arrive in the remote town of Birchlake, California to investigate the uncanny stone walls that snake the town, built by an unknown hand.Their arrival is met with suspicion by the townspeople. And when Nolan learns that a teenage girl has recently disappeared without a trace, it becomes clear there is a link between the missing girl and the secret of the stone walls.But as Nolan and his team are drawn into the search, a thick fog descends on the town. Soon events take a dark turn, and the line between reality and imagination begins to blur, leaving Nolan and his team questioning their own sanity . . .The Possession is a brilliantly unsettling, chilling thriller about a small town with a terrifying secret - with all of the horror of Stephen King and the vision of Michael Crichton.Praise for Michael Rutger's books:'Gripping, exciting, page-turning fun' John Connolly'Crackles with claustrophobic tension' Sarah Pinborough, author of BEHIND HER EYES'Brilliant. Thrilling, tense, dark' C. J. Tudor, author of THE CHALK MAN

Read more less

Ann Rule presents a collection of fascinating and disturbing true-crime stories—drawn from her real-life personal files—in this seventeenth volume in the #1 New York Times bestselling Crime Files series.In this gripping collection of investigative accounts from her private archives, “America’s best true-crime writer” (Kirkus Reviews) exposes the most frightening aspect of the murderous mind: the waiting game. Trusted family members or strangers, these cold-blooded killers select their unsuspecting prey, wait for the perfect moment to strike, then turn normality into homicidal mayhem in a matter of moments. Ann Rule will have you seeing the people and places around you with heightened caution as you read these shattering cases, including: • New mothers murdered, their infants kidnapped, in an atrocious baby-selling scheme • The man who kept his criminal past hidden from his wife—and his wife from his mistress—until he coldly disposed of one of them • The beautiful daughter of a State Department official ran away from the privileged world she knew and hitched a ride with a man she didn’t . . . with fatal consequences • For months, a vicious, rage-filled serial rapist eluded police and terrorized Seattle’s women—when would he strike next, and how far would his violence escalate? • A criminal known for his Houdini-like escapes is serving time for murder in a botched robbery—now the convict is being served dinner in a civilian’s home, where he has one more trick up his sleeve • A long-lost relative who came home to visit, leaving a bloody trail through Washington and Oregon; no one realized how dangerous he and his ladylove were—until it was far too late. . . . With her ability to translate the most complex cases into storytelling “as dramatic and chilling as a bedroom window shattering at night” (The New York Times), Rule expertly analyzes the thoughts and deeds of the sociopath, in this seventeenth essential Crime Files volume.

Read more less

Anthony is a British journalist whose American wife, Lucy, has died suddenly. Haunted by her death, he becomes obsessed with her past and the years he missed before he met her. To find out more, he travels to a remote part of the Nevada desert to meet Lucy's first husband. Their encounter is the beginning of a journey that takes him across the world, to the edge of madness, and into the corners of the human heart. In this a drawn-out journey of bereavement, he discovers he is never far from the woman he still loves.If you enjoyed Thanksgiving you may also like Dirty Tricks, also by Michael Dibdin.

Read more less

On a freezing winter's night, a small craft skims the Thames towards London's most exclusive riverside hotel. On board is a lone assassin, his target - Britain's most powerful new politican.In a nation threatened by extremists, billionaire businessman Vernon Rolt's plans for a zero-tolerance crackdown have touched a popular nerve.MI5 operative Tom Buckingham is undercover inside Rolt's organisation, from where he must neutralise the rogue assassins out to kill his boss.All too soon, Tom gets caught up in a far more devastating plot which will change the political landscape of Europe, for ever . . .

Read more less

An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller. Three sisters’ secrets collide in a shocking novel of suspense by the bestselling author of the Mercy Kilpatrick series. Twenty years ago Emily Mills’s father was murdered, and she found his body hanging in the backyard. Her younger sister, Madison, claims she was asleep in her room. Her older sister, Tara, claims she was out with friends. The tragedy drove their mother to suicide and Tara to leave town forever. The killer was caught. The case closed. Ever since, Emily and Madison have tried to forget what happened that night—until an eerily similar murder brings it all back. It also brings FBI special agent Zander Wells to the Oregon logging town. As eager as he is to solve the brutal double slaying, he is just as intrigued with the mystery of Emily’s and her sisters’ past. When more blood is shed, Zander suspects there’s a secret buried in this town no one wants unearthed. Is it something Emily and Madison don’t know? Or aren’t telling? And Tara? Maybe Emily can’t bear to find her. Because when Tara disappeared, she took a secret of her own with her.

Read more less

A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Cussler is hard to beat' Daily MailThe gripping Dirk Pitt classic from multi-million-copy king of the adventure novel, Clive Cussler.For the President of the United States, the crisis point is approaching fast. With his new Soviet initiative entering its most crucial phase, the President suddenly finds himself faced with a pollution disaster of potentially cataclysmic proportions. And then - incredibly - he vanishes into thin air, leaving his country poised on the brink of chaos.It's left to troubleshooter extraordinaire Dirk Pitt to hotwire the connections between these two shattering events. From the icy Alaskan waters to a Korean shipbreaker's yard; from a Caribbean shipwreck to a blazing inferno in the Mississippi Delta, he tracks down a conspiracy so fiendish and sophisticated that even the superpowers are helpless in its grip . . .'Clive Cussler is the guy I read' Tom Clancy'The Adventure King' Daily Express

Read more less

Introducing Blackie, an unusual feline hero, and his companion Care in the first of this dark new mystery series.Three figures, shadowy against the light. That's all I remember from my past life, as I am dragged, dripping and half-drowned, from the flood. My saviour, a strange, pink-haired girl, is little help. She can barely care for herself, let alone the boy she loves. And although she has sworn to avenge the murder of her mentor, she must first escape the clutches of drug dealers, murderers and thieves. I would repay her kindness if I could. But we are alone in this blighted city and I am a cat.The past is an enigma to Blackie, the voice of Clea Simon's dark new mystery. Combining elements of feline fantasy and cozy whodunit, The Ninth Life introduces this unusual hero and his companion, Care: two small creatures in a nightmarish urban landscape, fighting for their lives, and for the lives and memories of those they love.

Read more less

Crime blogger and radio host Kit Doyle goes undercover and into danger - in the second of this intriguing crime series.17-year-old Jessica is missing. There are no clues as to why she disappeared apart from the note she left behind: I love you. Goodbye forever. It turns out that Jessica is not the first teenager to have gone missing, nor the first to have left exactly the same note.With a personal family connection to the missing girl, crime blogger and radio host Kit Doyle is determined to find out what happened to her. To do so, she must go undercover as a teenage runaway herself. Out on the streets, Kit is about to enter a violent, unpredictable world where life is held cheap and into the clutches of a dangerous psychopath

Read more less

Second in the exciting new World War II mystery series featuring intrepid research chemist-sleuth Libby Clark. 30th May 1944. In the middle of the night, Libby Clark is roused from sleep by a colleague in distress. Marvin's cousin Frannie has been charged with treason, and he hopes that Libby, with her clear-headed scientific mind, can find a way to help prove her innocence. Libby, a chemist at a secret World War II facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, agrees to help her friend and pursue the truth. Libby's investigations soon uncover the immoral Dr Hansrote, who has tricked Frannie into her treachery. But, the evil at Oak Ridge seems to run deeper and in Libby's determination to uncover the truth, she not only finds herself up against the authorities, but also caught in the crosshairs of a deadly cabal of indoctrinated spies, greedy opportunists and unscrupulous collaborators. Can Libby survive the confluence of challenges? Or will one of them

Read more less

Gossip. Rumour. Revenge. Wun Wah Tower. Kwun Tong district, Hong Kong. When Siu-Man jumped from her window on the twenty-second floor, everyone assumed it was suicide. But Sui-Man's sister, Nga-Yee, a quiet and unassuming librarian, is determined to prove it was murder. The police aren't interested in re-opening a solved case so she contacts a man known only as N. – a hacker, and an expert in cybersecurity and manipulating human behaviour. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game through the vibrant city of Hong Kong. The pair's investigation takes them from creepy commuter-train gropers to Siu-Man's gossipy friends to the dark corners of the city's digital underground – where online bullies, sexual predators and shady tech businesses stalk their prey... Reviews for Second Sister: 'An elaborate plot' New York Times 'Moves at a breathtaking pace and, with its bounty of high-tech hazard, excites like a vintage Tom Clancy novel' Wall Street Journal 'An important, multidimensional and even educational read into the dangers of cyber bullying' The Straits Times 'Sharp-witted and intense... Dangerous feuds, cybertheft, and a predator stalking Hong Kong' Booklist

Read more less

After cracking their first case together as a private investigation team, Oz Blackstone and Primavera Phillips find themselves simultaneously in love and in the money. And where better to lie back and contemplate life than the picturesque village of St Marti, on the rugged Costa Brava. But beneath the surface of their idyllic new home bubbles a brew of intrigue, deception - and murder. Before long Prim and Oz find themselves helping to evict a skeletal squatter whom the locals fear might harm the tourist trade, as well as trying to authenticate a previously undiscovered Dali masterpiece bought by a gullible client at a highly unconventional auction...

Read more less

Jim Qwilleran is not exactly overwhelmed by his new assignment for the Daily Fluxion. Interior design has never been one of his specialities and now he's supposed to turn out an entire magazine on the same subject. But the first issue of Gracious Abodes is barely off the presses when Qwilleran finds himself back on more familiar territory - the exclusive residence featured on the cover has been burglarised and the lady of the house found dead...Now Qwilleran, with the help of Koko and Yum Yum, the brilliant Siamese cats, have their respective moustache and whiskers twitching, and when Koko starts pawing clues in the dictionary and sniffing designer furniture, Qwilleran finds himself doing a feature on a very clever murderer.

Read more less

1854. As the Cardiff-bound train puffs out of Paddington Station, young Hugh Kellow wraps a protective arm around his large valise. He has been entrusted with a priceless silver coffee pot, designed in the shape of a locomotive, by his elderly silversmith employer. But two of Hugh's fellow passengers are taking an enormous interest in the young man and his precious cargo. When a dead body is discovered in a room at the Cardiff Railway Hotel, beside an empty valise, the great Railway Detective Robert Colbeck and his trusty sergeant Victor Leeming are called in to investigate; and face a whole host of unexpected problems.

Read more less

When 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...

Read more less

Spring, 1858. The route of the Caledonian Railway through the southern uplands of the Scottish countryside is disrupted by a fatal crash. Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming are called from the crime of London to investigate, and must contend with old enemy Superintendent Rory McTurk to uncover the criminals behind the disaster.

Read more less

Sister Fidelma follows a trail that is as suspenseful as it is tortuous in the riveting third novel in Peter Tremayne's unputdownable series. PRAISE FOR THE SISTER FIDELMA SERIES: 'Tremayne's super-sleuth is a vibrant creation' Morgan Llywelyn, 'A brilliant and beguiling heroine. Immensely appealing' Publishers Weekly In the mid-7th Century AD, the Venerable Dacán, a much respected and beloved scholar of the Celtic Church, has been found murdered while on a visit to a remote abbey in the Irish Kingdom of Muman. When Dacán's foul death is used by a neighbouring kingdom to demand reparation from Muman, bloody war seems imminent. Summoned by Muman's dying king to investigate, Sister Fidelma is asked to solve the mystery of the brutal killing and by doing so to prevent the inevitable war breaking out between the two opposing kingdoms. She sets out for the remote abbey with a warrior named Cass - and very little time. But there are more sinister forces at work behind Dacán's death than just political intrigue... What readers are saying about SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN:'Great storyline and great insight into the role of women''An excellent mystery in this brilliant series''Sister Fidelma is pushed hard to expose the guilty, halt a conspiracy and stop a war. Prepare for a real twist!'

Read more less

Nicholas Bracewell befriends a young beggar who is trying to eke out a living as a counterfeit crank, pretending to have spectacular epileptic fits in order to get money from gullible bystanders. When the beggar is murdered inside Bridewell, Nicholas has to pose as a beggar himself in order to get inside the notorious institution so that he can solve the crime. Counterfeiting of all kinds is exposed.

Read more less

London, Autumn 1916. When he slips out of a house in the early hours of the morning, Simon Wilder is too preoccupied to realise that he is being stalked. As he walks along the street, lights begin to dim as a warning that there's another Zeppelin attack. Guns begin to pound away as British aeroplanes attack the Zeppelin. Suddenly, it bursts into flame and lights up the whole sky. The crowds cheer as the great fireball drops slowly down and crashes in a field but the one person unable to watch is Simon Wilder. While he is staring up at the sky, he is stabbed to death and left in an alleyway. It will prove to be a very puzzling case for Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy...

Read more less

For 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?

Read more less

Steering a path between police duties and family loyalty is not easy . . .Say it with Poison is the first classic English village crime novel in the Mitchell & Markby series by Ann Granger, combining a satisfyingly complex mystery with engaging characters and wit. The perfect read for fans of M.C. Beaton, Agatha Christie and ITV's Midsomer Murders.'A gripping tale. . . . you'll soon be addicted' - Woman and HomeWhen Meredith Mitchell agreed to stay with her actress cousin Eve in the run-up to Eve's daughter's wedding she anticipated a degree of drama. But she hardly expected it to include murder, blackmail and unrequited love. Or to involve a certain Chief Inspector Markby, a middle-aged divorcee with an emotional history as unfortunate as her own. A material witness to the only case of murder the Cotswold village of Westerfield has ever seen, Meredith also finds herself acting as mother-confessor to the bride-to-be, who is clearly not telling the whole truth about her involvement with the dead man. Steering a path between her duty to the police and loyalty to her cousin's family is not easy; even for someone with Meredith's considerable diplomatic skills. And especially as her personal enquiries into events in Westerfield start to disinter past affections Meredith would far rather leave buried - and to provoke new ones she's not at all sure she can cope with . . .What readers are saying about Say it with Poison:'Thoroughly recommend to anyone looking for a good English whodunit or just a really good story to keep the reader intrigued and interested to the last page''Hooked from the first page''Brilliant in its conception, kept me thoroughly enthralled'

Read more less

Back home in sleepy Pickax, Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese companions, Koko and Yum Yum, are looking forward to country peace and quiet. But their newly converted apple barn home turns out to be not quite the refuge they were hoping for when a corpse turns up in the orchard outside . . . No one in Pickax is sorry to learn that the local headmaster is dead. Though reputedly brilliant, Hilary Van Brook was also arrogant and manipulative, an outsider who managed to offend teachers, pupils and parents alike - just about everybody in town has a motive for murder. Only when a good friend becomes a chief suspect does Qwilleran's instinct for mystery overtake his desire for privacy - and Koko's obsession with a set of antique printing blocks is the first clue to a mystery which takes Qwill and his Siamese sleuths on a day out to the races . . .

Read more less

Paul Madriani, a brilliant criminal defense lawyer, had a once-promising career with a prestigious law-firm, until an ill-judged affair with the senior partner Ben Potter's wife led to his resignation. Now he scrambles for work amid the ghosts of his doomed affair and the remains of a failing marriage.Then Potter is found dead, an apparent suicide. But as details come to light, the case turns from suicide to murder and the needle of suspicion points towards the victim's seductive wife, Talia Potter. Indicted and arrested, Talia turns to Paul, her former lover, to defend her against the mounting evidence in a case that for her could result in the gas chamber

Read more less

When novelist Kate Ivory first meets Dr Olivia Blacket, an academic at Leicester College, Oxford, the atmosphere is far from amicable. Olivia refuses to show Kate the fascinating material she is researching, even though it concerns the same literary figure that Kate is writing about. Determined to nose out the scandals that could provide her with a bestseller, Kate discovers a darker side to Dr Blacket. What are the strange obsessions that haunt her? What is her relationship with Kate's boyfriend Liam? And most of all, who would want to murder her? When Dr Blacket is murdered, Liam's name heads the list of suspects, but Kate thinks a bizarre 'family' of civilised squatters - four men guarding a blank-faced girl - might have something to hide. Can Kate unravel the truth and prove Liam's innocence?

Read more less

When Jim Qwilleran is sent to 'Maus Haus' on a gastronomical quest, he takes Koko and Yum Yum along for company and steps into a house of curiosities. There's restaurateur Robert Maus, elbow-deep in saucepans; cuddly Hixie with her daily calorie count; and Joy Graham, the red-headed flame from Qwilleran's past and a talented potter to boot. Then strange things occur as a startling scream pierces the night air and Joy disappears without trace. Koko, Yum Yum and their all-providing mentor, Qwilleran, are determined to solve the mystery...

Read more less

Now a major Channel 5 series'The Queen of Crime.' New York TimesCombe Island off the Cornish coast is a restful retreat for the rich and the powerful. But the peace of the island is violated when one of its distinguished visitors is murdered.Adam Dalgliesh is called in to solve the mystery quickly and discreetly, but at a difficult time for him and his depleted team. Hardly have the team begun to unravel the complicated motives of the suspects that there is a second brutal killing and the whole investigation is jeopardised when Dalgliesh is faced with a danger more insidious and as potentially fatal as murder.'P. D. James on top form . . . you will love it.' Spectator'Has enough twists, turns and false leads to keep one gripped throughout.' Mail On Sunday

Read more less

From the bestselling author of The Axeman's Jazz, Ray Celestin's The Mobster's Lament is a gripping tale of crime and jazz music, and the third entry in his City Blues Quartet. A gangster is on his last chance to escape the clutches of New York's mafia families but, as a blizzard descends on NYC, a ruthless serial killer is tracking his every move.New York, 1947.Mob fixer Gabriel Leveson’s plans to flee the city are put on hold when he is tasked with tracking down stolen mob money by ‘the boss of all bosses’, Frank Costello. But while he's busy looking, he doesn't notice who is watching him . . .Meanwhile, Private Investigator Ida Young and her old partner, Michael Talbot, must prove the innocence of Talbot’s son Tom, who has been accused of the brutal murders of four people in a Harlem flophouse. With all the evidence pointing towards him, their only chance of exoneration is to find the killer themselves.Whilst across town, Ida’s childhood friend, Louis Armstrong, is on the brink of bankruptcy, when a promoter approaches him with a strange offer to reignite his career . . .Both a gripping neo-noir crime novel and a vivid, panoramic portrait of New York, The Mobster's Lament takes you to the heart of a city where the Mob has risen to the height of its powers.Though they can be read individually, the City Blues Quartet begins with The Axeman's Jazz and Dead Man's Blues. Complete the series with Sunset Swing.

Read more less

"A book that should provide hours of entertainment and discovery for fans of mysteries and especially those with British roots and overtones." — Criminal Element Vintage Crime is a CWA anthology with a difference, celebrating members’ work over the years. The book will gather stories from the mid-1950s until the twenty-first century by great names of the past, great names of the present together with a few hidden treasures by less familiar writers. The first CWA anthology, Butcher’s Dozen, appeared in 1956, and was co-edited by Julian Symons, Michael Gilbert, and Josephine Bell. The anthology has been edited by Martin Edwards since 1996, and has yielded many award-winning and nominated stories in the UK and overseas. This new edition includes an array of incredible and award-winning authors: Robert Barnard, Simon Brett, Liza Cody, Mat Coward, John Dickson Carr, Marjorie Eccles, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Anthea Fraser, Celia Fremlin, Frances Fyfield, Michael Gilbert, Paula Gosling, Lesley Grant-Adamson, HRF Keating, Bill Knox, Peter Lovesey, Mick Herron, Michael Z. Lewin, Susan Moody, Julian Symons and Andrew Taylor.

Read more less

In Simple Genius, David Baldacci returns to the main characters from bestsellers Split Second and Hour Game. Former secret service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell must overcome their personal demons to solve two new mysteries.Scarred by the past.Realizing that Maxwell is teetering on the brink of self-destruction, King arranges therapy for his reluctant partner. But is the hospital hiding its own disturbing secrets?A mysterious death.When a physicist dies near a secret compound of scientists and cartographers, funded by an anonymous but powerful group, a down-on-his-luck King takes the case.A larger conspiracy?The body was found opposite the compound, directly across the York River, near Camp Peary – a sinister CIA training ground. And they’re watching King’s investigation.Is Maxwell right in her suspicions of foul play in the hospital? And with both the FBI and CIA breathing down King’s neck, can he discover the truth in time?Simple Genius is followed by First Family, The Sixth Man and King and Maxwell.

Read more less

Nairobi Noir brings together some of Kenya's most exciting and acclaimed writers, in this celebration of noir writing, played out on the streets of Nairobi. "Although the range of issues explored in Nairobi Noir is as diverse as its contributors, it all gestures toward a common theme. In this concrete jungle, the hunters and herders live on. As do the hunted..."- Peter Kimani, introduction Featuring brand new stories from: Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Stanley Gazemba, Ngumi Kibera, Peter Kimani, Winfred Kiunga, Kinyanjui Kombani, Caroline Mose, Kevin Mwachiro, Wanjiku wa Ngugi, Faith Oneya, Makena Onjerika, Troy Onyango, J.E. Sibi-Okumu, and Rasna Warah.

Read more less