Death of an Ice Cream Salesman
Mike Atwell is in trouble, he just doesn't know how deep yet.His life as a private investigator is yet to generate any income, and another unpaid case just landed on his desk - Frosty Fred, the county's favourite ice cream salesman has just been found dead at the wheel of the chilly chariot.But was Fred as universally loved as everyone thinks? There is an ice cream turf war in play, but is it just ice cream they are selling or are there other 'products' to be had if one knows how to ask?Investigating as a favour to an old friend, Mike had to balance the case with one that might actually pay - the hunt for a missing adult film star.But are the two cases intertwined? Is there a puppet master in the background? And why, oh why, did he hire his ex-wife as an assistant?Yeah, Mike's in trouble all right, but as the new head of the Patricia Fisher Investigation Bureau (should that be P-FBI?), he's determined to get to the truth.Let's hope it doesn't kill him.
Death on the Nineteenth
He's got a serial killer plotting his demise, CI Quinn on his case, and two crazed Pomeranians nipping at his heels ... time for a nice round of golf then.Naturally, there's a body in the clubhouse just waiting to be discovered and with the list of suspects growing, Mike soon wishes he chosen a safer sport, like chainsaw juggling, perhaps.General Trout had a fatal appointment with the business end of a nine iron and those around him all appear to have both motive and opportunity. Did they all really want him dead? No one seems in the least bit upset, except for the general himself, whose ghostly figure now haunts the greens every night as the sun sets over the eighteenth hole.Will General Trout's spirit haunt the club until someone brings his killer to justice? Or are reports of these ghastly sightings a ruse to throw Mike Atwell off the scent?Mike and his team are on the case. Can they solve it with the help of some local experts in things paranormal? Or do these strange happenings have a more earthly cause?Get ready for mayhem.
Death Stage Left
When the curtain falls, so does the body...In the picturesque village of Ashbury, Kent, the local amateur dramatics group is ready to bring *Hamlet* to the stage. But the performance takes a deadly turn when one of their own is found stabbed behind the arras, just like Polonius. Veteran actor and former Hollywood heartthrob, Gerald Temple, now fights for his life in a very different type of theatre - the operating theatre!But who would want him dead? It's not long before rumours of sabotage, secrets, and spite take centre stage.Mike Atwell steps into the world of stage lights and scripted lines, to defend the stage manager, Lulu, who has been caught literally red-handed. Lulu also happens to be Mike's ex-wife Sharon's cousin - what could go wrong?Everyone is playing a part, but someone is hiding a killer role. As Mike navigates feuding actors and hidden rivalries, he must unravel the truth before the final act leads to another deadly encore.In this thrilling cosy mystery, where Shakespearean drama meets small-town secrets, nothing is as it seems. Can Mike catch the real murderer or is it curtain's up for Lulu?
Bad Old Boy
In the hills of Pennsylvania there is no redemption. There is only hard luck and debts and divorce and crime. For Crate Lang the future existed only in symbols, in a land of of discontent. This was not your mother's Wetonawanda.
The Swarm
The SwarmThey faced an unprovoked foe that almost defeated them.What they learned and what they gained made their three Cosmos ships almost invinsible !Almost, but additional battles tested their fighting capabilities beyond what they ever imagined !!Their opponet was use to overwhelming their by shear numbers.They had never faced the Human opponent !
The Butler
Jenny Barnes believes she knows the man she married.When she retreats with her husband to a remote cabin by a frozen lake, she expects quiet, safety, and time to breathe. Instead, she sees a child standing outside her window - barefoot, silent, and impossibly dressed for the cold.The child vanishes without a trace.As Jenny's unease grows, fragments of her husband's past begin to surface. What starts as a sense of disquiet becomes a slow, terrifying unraveling - of trust, of love, and of the man she thought she knew. Behind closed doors, control masquerades as care, and silence hides something far more dangerous.The Butler is a dark psychological thriller about manipulation, buried crimes, and the fragile line between protection and possession - where a child's presence may be the only warning left.Sometimes the truth stands right outside your window.
The Lost House
*A USA Today bestseller* In Melissa Larsen's The Lost House comes the mesmerizing story of a young woman with a haunting past who returns to her ancestral home in Iceland to investigate a gruesome murder in her family. Forty years ago, a young woman and her infant daughter were found buried in the cold Icelandic snow, lying together as peacefully as though sleeping. Except the mother's throat had been slashed and the infant drowned. The case was never solved. There were no arrests, no conviction. Just a suspicion turned into a certainty: the husband did it. When he took his son and fled halfway across the world to California, it was proof enough of his guilt. Now, nearly half a century later and a year after his death, his granddaughter, Agnes, is ready to clear her grandfather's name once and for all. Still recovering from his death and a devastating injury, Agnes wants nothing more than an excuse to escape the shambles of her once-stable life--which is why she so readily accepts true crime expert Nora Carver's invitation to be interviewed for her popular podcast. Agnes packs a bag and hops on a last-minute flight to the remote town of Bifr繹st, Iceland, where Nora is staying, where Agnes's father grew up, and where, supposedly, her grandfather slaughtered his wife and infant daughter. Is it merely coincidence that a local girl goes missing the very same weekend Agnes arrives? Suddenly, Agnes and Nora's investigation is turned upside down, and everyone in the small Icelandic town is once again a suspect. Seeking to unearth old and new truths alike, Agnes finds herself drawn into a web of secrets that threaten the redemption she is hell-bent on delivering, and even her life--discovering how far a person will go to protect their family, their safety, and their secrets. Set against an unforgiving Icelandic winter landscape, The Lost House is a chilling and razor-sharp mystery packed with jaw-dropping twists that will leave you breathless.
The Silence of Hawthorne Close
The trial at Blackthorn has ended, but the lesson remains: institutions do not collapse when exposed. They adapt. In Bath, Eliza Fairrowe is drawn into the case of Hawthorne Close, an establishment that claims to protect vulnerable women while quietly separating them from their names, their accounts, and their credibility. What begins as an inquiry into one suspicious death widens into a pattern of controlled medication, curated testimony, and legal procedures that grant physicians and proprietors extraordinary power over women with little social protection. As Eliza investigates, she finds allies who carry their own risks: a confined woman who speaks in fragments, a chemist whose precision challenges official narratives, and old companions whose loyalties have already been tested by scandal. Every step forward increases the cost. Evidence can be dismissed. Witnesses can be discredited. Concern can be weaponized. The Silence of Hawthorne Close is a Regency mystery about institutional authority, reputational force, and the mechanics of disbelief. It asks what happens when the language of care is used to enforce silence, and what it costs to keep speaking once that silence has learned your name.
The Miles That Move You Forward
Kate's new case forces her to wonder: Who in her hometown will stop at nothing to get what they want? The peace of an early summer morning in Eagle River is shattered by shocking news: A house on a quiet side street was burglarized the night before, and a beloved resident was injured during the home invasion. In an unusual move, the police chief recruits the mail carriers to look for leads in the case. Kate was already on it, of course, even though the circumstances could put her now-steady relationship on the rocks. After a route through the neighborhood nets more questions than answers, she suspects nothing is what it seems. When the case veers wildly off course, Kate must dig deep to discover who is behind the betrayal ... and deliver justice for an elderly victim before it's too late. Don't miss the next installment in this cozy mystery series filled with seasonal settings, supportive friendships, and lots of small-town suspense!
Murder at Big Ben
���� You won't be able to put down this latest instalment in the Fairbanks and Flynn Mysteries, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Benedict Brown and T. E. Kinsey �� ��Three women hide in Big Ben, only two come out alive...2 April 1911 is census night, when suffragettes hide overnight in parliament to force census takers to record it as their address - the only way women can have a place in government.Coral Fairbanks, suffragette, actress, and artist's muse, is among the women who break into parliament. What she doesn't know is that Guy Flynn, artist and Scotland Yard detective, has been ordered to guard it that night.When a suffragette hiding in Big Ben is poisoned, suspicion falls on the residents of two grand houses in Mayfair. The Kesbys are avant-garde artists, the Ashcourts are aristocrats fallen on hard times.Once again, Fairbanks and Flynn put aside their differences to investigate an astonishing case of deception and murder.A new historical mystery set in Edwardian London featuring the iconic detective duo Fairbanks and Flynn.While this novel has the same detective duo as the other books in the Fairbanks and Flynn Mystery series, it can be read as a STANDALONEPraise for Michelle Salter: 'A fabulous, well-written, mystery that holds all the promise of much more to come... The Iris Woodmore mysteries are fast becoming some of my favourites.' M J Porter'A joy to read! Such a well-researched mystery. I absolutely loved the unconventional heroine, 1920s setting, engaging characterisation and poignant ending, all of which provide a captivating start to the Iris Woodmore cosy mystery series.' Anita Davison'The mystery itself is intriguing, with plenty of twists and unexpected developments. If you enjoy 1920s mysteries and learning about the Suffragettes and all they stood for, then I highly recommend Death at Crookham Hall.' Verity Bright'Death at Crookham Hall is a lovely, murder mystery by a gifted writer.' Helena Dixon
The Girlfriend
The all NEW heart-stopping, nail-biting thriller which will keep you guessing from Gemma Rogers
The Hollywood Illusion
Paul Max lived the dream. A mansion in the Hills. A face on every magazine. Money. Power. The kind of girlfriend other men envied.But the dream was a mask.And someone was tearing it off. The notes began small. Then more, appearing everywhere... even at home!Each one reminding him of a secret he thought he buried long ago.Then came the murder.Brutal. Shocking. The first of many.Now Paul's perfect world is unraveling. Fame offers no protection. Money buys no escape. Because in Hollywood illusions don't last. The spotlight burns away the lies, and even death might be just another performance.
Trouble's Turn to Lose
Private Investigator Hadley Cooper has a knack for finding trouble-and this time, it's wearing pearls.Life on Sullivan's Island is about as close to bliss as it gets-bike rides at sunrise, cases that don't make headlines, and a romance with SLED agent Cash Reynolds that's finally on solid ground. They have one ironclad rule: never work the same case.When a wealthy Charleston socialite turns up dead, Cash charges her housekeeper, Bridget Donovan, with murder. But the young single mother has a formidable ally in Carolyn Talbot, a local matriarch who implores Hadley to help. Hadley's heart overrides her head, and her agreement with Cash is gone like confetti in a hurricane.Soon she's wading through a tangle of suspects-blue bloods with deadly secrets, her client's scheming ex-monster-in-law, and the greatest unknown country singer in Nashville. But Hadley's also grappling with a mystery closer to home-one that will shake everything she thought she knew about her family.To find justice for Bridget, Hadley will have to risk her heart, her life-and maybe her grip on reality.
Night and Day
What could be more sinister than a deserted street late at night? Add a young woman, alone, coming back from the theatre, rain, and streetlamps that fail to light the shadows... November 1933. Dottie Manderson, a young socialite from a wealthy family has been out for the evening with a friend and is on her way to her married sister's house in the middle of London. Preoccupied, Dottie gives the cabbie the wrong house number and has to walk the remaining distance to her sister's home. She stumbles upon the body of a man lying on the ground. She thinks he is drunk, but then sees the blood pouring from him onto the paving stones and into the gutter. As she waits for help to arrive, she holds the man's hand and tries to get him to tell her what happened. Nothing can be done for the poor fellow, and Dottie is left shocked by the violence of the attack, especially when she realises she knows the man's widow. Dottie needs to know who could do such a terrible thing. Even though a particular, very annoying, but admittedly good-looking young policeman is looking into the case officially, she feels compelled to carry out her own amateur investigation into this tragic and mysterious death. Who would want to kill a man in such a way? Could there be a clue in the words of the song he sang just before he died? And why is everyone so upset about her new cape? Packed full of twists, a couple of unexpected upturns, Night and Day is a page-turner of a whodunit! Readers just love Dottie Manderson! Reviewers said: 'Dottie Manderson is a gorgeous character...A great read and I'm looking forward to catching up with more of Dottie.' Katie in Scotland ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Five stars! Delightfully entertaining, rich characters, suspenseful, charming all in one; anxiously awaiting the next one!' Amazon reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'I received this on a Friday and could not put it down - goodbye housework - not for too long though as I was so enthralled I finished it Saturday evening.' Amazon reviewer 'I absolutely loved it. I read the whole thing in a just two sittings...I felt like I was there with them.' If you love a murder mystery with heart, this is for YOU!
Luck be Fatal Tonight
"All I wanted was to gather PI hours, maybe make out with my boyfriend, and not spend the week elbow-deep in lies, secret babies, and murder suspects. But nooo, Sarina had to go and get arrested. For murder. On a Tuesday." Roxy Horne Roxy Horne is getting closer to becoming a full-blown Private Investigator-just as soon as she clears one tiny, inconvenient hurdle: her best friend's been tossed in a Las Vegas Metro holding cell for murder. Talk about a buzzkill. The victim? Sarina's on-again, off-again, full-time pain-in-the-neck boyfriend. According to Las Vegas Metro, she's the only suspect. Sure, he was a two-timing dirtbag with the moral compass of a raccoon in a dumpster fire-but murder? Sarina's more likely to host a UFO-watching party than commit a felony. Now, with the help of her ridiculously attractive and annoyingly observant boyfriend, Rafe Amato, Roxy dives headfirst into a case full of lies, cheating, and secret babies. Can she catch the real killer before Sarina gets a one-way ticket to an orange jumpsuit -or worse, becomes the killer's next target?
August in Pompeii
Caught in a deadly trapIn AD 79 the emperor Vespasian was dying and some prophetess was announcing the end of the world. Meanwhile Desiderata had to deal with a fresh criminal plot from her old enemy Numa. You'd think that things couldn't get any worse, but that was counting without Mount Vesuvius literally blowing its top above Pompeii.What on earth were our blind 'seeker of justice', her deaf husband Simplex, and uncle Balbus doing there that summer, a true case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? It's a complicated story, but as it happened, they had not one, but three equally compelling reasons to visit Campania and pursue their investigations in this small, provincial, but nevertheless fashionable town. Little did they know what surprises awaited them.Not only did they have to face their arch-enemy in a blood-curdling showdown, but they had to confront the horrors of a natural disaster of unprecedented proportions. Both events would take them to the brink of their instincts for survival, and ultimately turn some of their assumptions upside down.
The Twisted Road
Jonathan Perris Can't Save His Clients1907 Rising from the devastation of a massive earthquake and fire, San Francisco is once again on the move. But a strike by streetcar drivers threatens to halt the Golden City in its tracks. Protests turn to violence and violence leads to death. Soon a young guard is convicted of willfully killing a protester and the public is out for blood. Jonathan Perris, an immigrant attorney from England, has opened a law firm with an eye toward righting wrongs, and the guard's conviction may fall into that category. But the talented barrister soon finds his newfound career shaken by a tragic event: the gruesome murder of the beautiful and mysterious Lena Mendelssohn-a woman he's been squiring around town. It's difficult to run a law firm when you've been arrested for murder.
Yacht Girl...Luxury Has A Body Count
Pilar Vega's life has always been a series of choices made under duress, decisions rooted in survival, not hope. Struggling to pay rent and keep her head above water in Houston, she learned early that beauty opens doors only if you're willing to pay for it with silence and compliance. But Pilar wasn't made for quiet obedience. She was made for war.When an enigmatic yacht broker named Davion Portis offers her an obscene sum to be his companion on a winter charter tour, Pilar doesn't hesitate, not because she trusts the luxury he promises, but because she's desperate enough to gamble on anything that might erase the ghosts of her past. What begins as a paid gig among the super-rich and unseen elite becomes something far more corrosive: a seductive descent into a world where money buys access, power buys silence, and enemies move like shadows on the water.Pilar soon learns that being wanted by the wealthiest men in the world carries a price steeper than she ever imagined. In a life where champagne flutes mask whispered danger and penthouses are dusted with desperation, she finds herself out of the frying pan and into a labyrinth she never asked to enter. Davion is polished, powerful, and impossibly guarded, the kind of man who commands silence with a glance and moves through danger like he invented it. But as Pilar draws closer to him, she realizes that his motives are a puzzle she might never truly solve. And the deeper she falls, the more she wonders whether he's her salvation... or her captor.Yacht Girl is a gritty, glamorous, romantic thriller where every sunset hides a lie and every invitation carries a threat. It's the story of a woman whose past refuses to stay buried, and whose future depends on playing a fatal game she never intended to join.
Dead Drop in Lily Rock
Avery Denning just wanted a bed, a bath, and a break from the Pacific Crest Trail.Instead, she finds a murdered woman at the foot of a Little Free Library.Arriving in the mountain town of Lily Rock for the Fourth of July weekend, Avery plans to rent a room from Stella Rawlins-a friendly local known for her love of books and quiet acts of defiance. When Stella is killed by a sabotaged firecracker hidden inside her library, Avery becomes the discovery witness... and an immediate suspect.With parades planned and tensions rising over which books belong on public shelves, Lily Rock's only police officer, Janis Jets, has her hands full. Olivia Greer, a constabulary consultant with a gift for listening, offers Avery a place to stay-and a chance to explain how she ended up at the scene of the crime.As Avery begins asking questions, she uncovers a secret network of Little Free Libraries, anonymous religious threats tucked inside children's books, and a second shocking death that turns the case deeply personal. Along the way, she reconnects with Brad May-older, steadier, and quietly trying to make a better life-awakening feelings Avery thought she'd left behind.Soon it's clear this isn't just about books.It's about control, belonging, and who gets to decide which stories are worth protecting.Armed with sharp instincts, a knack for noticing what others miss, and the growing realization that her outsider status may be her greatest strength, Avery steps into a role she never expected: amateur sleuth.But in Lily Rock, asking the wrong questions can be deadly...and staying might mean risking her heart as well as her life.Dead Drop in Lily Rock launches a new mystery series set in the beloved Lily Rock universe-perfect for readers who love small-town whodunits, strong women sleuths, and cozy mysteries with heart.
Ruler of Naught
He wants only to rescue his father. But everyone wants a piece of him. The chase is on.Smith and Trowbridge describe the flavor of their five-book retro-futura space opera Exordium as a cross between early Star Wars and Dangerous Liaisons by way of the Three Stooges. With its fast-moving blend of humor and horror, of high-tech skiffy and the deep places of the human heart, Exordium launches the reader into a complex, multi-layered universe as Brandon nyr-Arkad, youngest son of the ruler of the Thousand Suns, abandons the life of Service planned for him and flees into the lawless Rift.In this revised sequel to The Phoenix in Flight, Brandon vlith-Arkad, is now heir to the Panarchy. He wants only to rescue his father, the Panarch. But everyone wants a piece of him. The Dol'jharians, who smashed the Panarchy and took his father prisoner. A Rifter pirate and her crew, who helped him escape a doomed planet-twice-and now wonder what to do about a royal prisoner with the price of ten planets on his head. And the remnants of the government of the Thousand Suns, for whom he'd at best be an inconvenience. And that's before things go seriously pear-shaped. The chase is on, and unexpected detours await.Book 2 in the Exordium seriesBook 2 in the Exordium series
Ruler of Naught
He wants only to rescue his father. But everyone wants a piece of him. The chase is on.Smith and Trowbridge describe the flavor of their five-book retro-futura space opera Exordium as a cross between early Star Wars and Dangerous Liaisons by way of the Three Stooges. With its fast-moving blend of humor and horror, of high-tech skiffy and the deep places of the human heart, Exordium launches the reader into a complex, multi-layered universe as Brandon nyr-Arkad, youngest son of the ruler of the Thousand Suns, abandons the life of Service planned for him and flees into the lawless Rift.In this revised sequel to The Phoenix in Flight, Brandon vlith-Arkad, is now heir to the Panarchy. He wants only to rescue his father, the Panarch. But everyone wants a piece of him. The Dol'jharians, who smashed the Panarchy and took his father prisoner. A Rifter pirate and her crew, who helped him escape a doomed planet-twice-and now wonder what to do about a royal prisoner with the price of ten planets on his head. And the remnants of the government of the Thousand Suns, for whom he'd at best be an inconvenience. And that's before things go seriously pear-shaped. The chase is on, and unexpected detours await.Book 2 in the Exordium seriesBook 2 in the Exordium series
Loud Water
Eight years into a 15-year sentence, Crit Poppwell finally discovered something he was good at, besides destroying his family and abusing drugs. He found art. The solitary act of drawing, painting and creating brings a calmness and separation from the prison chaos. A dreadlocked Dominican nun who teaches art classes behind-bars encourages Crit to paint the "truth in things." She even helps him parole out, back to "bloody" Breathitt County where his brother is the reigning crystal meth kingpin and his ex-wife wants him dead for an unforgivable past crime that haunts his every heartbeat forward.Crit returns to his Appalachian hometown with ringing tinnitus in his ear from a prison brawl, and a desire to change his DNA. But he soon meets a hot-mess substance abuser and her son, and his reluctant, then fully committed desire to help her puts him in the crosshairs of his brother's wrath.Can Crit flush the past from his blood and bones and use his newfound creativity to change his life and save others? Or die trying?Critical acclaim for LOUD WATER: "Robby Henson's prose crackles with the raw-boned, rough-edged hardness of the Eastern Kentucky landscape, intensely capturing the desperate victims seeking to escape its unforgiving hold...whether through an act of redemption or an act of revenge. A visceral Southern Gothic Noir." -Charles Edward Pogue, screenwriter of The Fly, Dragonheart, and Psycho III"Sins of the past litter the backroads of rural Kentucky in this powerful Southern Gothic noir. Redemption is a hard thing to come by. Henson writes like William Faulkner's Kentucky cousin and reminds us what great writing really looks like." -John Morrissey, producer of American History X, Havoc, and There Are No Saints"A brilliant noir debut with a bittersweet ending." -Jim Winter, author of the Holland Bay series"Loud Water by Robby Henson grabs you by the collar and yanks you into rural Kentucky on a head-over-heels tumbled journey of crime, redemption, and hard-scrabble characters. Henson has produced some of the most stylized writing I've ever read, a perfect match for the rocky countryside he describes." -Jack Getze, author of Making Hearts and other novels
Cold as Hell
New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong returns to Haven's Rock in Cold as Hell as Casey Duncan hunts down a dangerous killer during a deadly blizzard.Haven's Rock is a sanctuary town hidden deep in the Yukon for those who need to disappear from the regular world. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are starting a family now that they've settled into their life here. As Casey nears the end of her pregnancy, she lets nothing, including her worried husband, stop her from investigating what happens in the forbidden forest outside the town of Haven's Rock. When one of the town's residents is drugged and wanders too close to the edge of town, she's dragged into the woods kicking and screaming. She's saved in the nick of time, but the women of the town are alarmed. Casey and Eric investigate the assault just as a snowstorm hits Haven's Rock, covering the forest. It's there they find a frozen body, naked in the snow. With mixed accounts of the woman's last movements, the two begin to question who they can trust--and who they can't--in their seemingly safe haven.
Olympus Dawn
A ruthless CEO wants Mars. A battle-scarred crew stands in his way.When a merciless corporate titan sabotages humanity's first long-term Mars mission to seize its breakthrough terraforming technology, two commanders must lead their battle-scarred crew through danger, betrayal, and the fight for the future of two worlds.Earth is spiralling into political chaos as Lincoln Ellison, the ruthless CEO of Spaceward Bound, sets his sights on claiming Mars as his personal empire. His plan: cripple the Olympus mission, steal its secrets, and seize control of a technology that could reshape planets... and fortunes.But on the Red Planet, Commanders Troy Bruin and Xanthe Waters have problems of their own. Sabotage undermines their systems. Old rivalries crackle through the team. And every step across the Martian surface exacts a deadly price. As Xanthe struggles with the cost of leadership and Troy races to uncover the truth, the Olympus crew must decide who to trust - before Ellison's ambitions become humanity's downfall.Character-driven, tense, and deeply human, Olympus Dawn is a gripping sci-fi eco-thriller about survival, power, and high-stakes frontier exploration. The stunning conclusion to the Gaia series.Perfect for fans of Andy Weir, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Naomi Alderman.
