You are cordially invited. . . . Don't miss amateur detective Carnegie Kincaid, expert in all things matrimony and murder, in the Hallmark original movie Wedding Planner Mystery on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries!A KILLER BACHELOR PARTY Carnegie Kincaid plans weddings, not stag parties. When a client asks Carnegie to manage a pre-wedding blow-out--complete with a stripper--she tactfully refuses the job. So why is Carnegie peering through binoculars across the Seattle Ship Canal, watching a shapely Santa Claus turn naked inside a hip dockside bistro? Because her own significant other--with whom she is having some significant differences--is at the party too. And, so it turns out, is a killer. When the body of the groom's best man is pulled from the canal the next day, critical questions arise. What did Carnegie really see through her binoculars? More important: What will she tell the police she saw? As a wedding planner,... Views: 24
That down-at-the-heels gumshoe Toby Peters again proves to be “an unblemished delight,” as the Washington Post Book World put it, while his creator, Stuart M. Kaminsky, continues to “make the totally wacky possible” in a zany new Hollywood adventure. Having survived the hire of such movie luminaries as Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Charlie Chaplin, and Cary Grant, tinsel-town detective Toby finds himself in the employ of an edgy Joan Crawford. Actually, Toby needs Miss Crawford as much as she needs him. His longtime friend and office mate, the mad dentist Sheldon Minck, has been jailed for murder—the victim, his estranged wife, Mildred; the motive, a $200,000 inheritance; the weapon, a crossbow. Only Miss Crawford, the single witness to the crime, can attest to hapless Minck’s innocence. But the former MGM movie queen has just been offered her first film in two years, as the title character in Mildred Pierce, so she is anxious to avoid unpleasant publicity that could cost her the role. So it’s up to Toby to solve the crime, save Minck, and thus keep Miss Crawford’s famous name out of the daily papers.From Publishers WeeklyOld pro Kaminsky serves up his usual amiable blend of nostalgia, humor, eccentricity and a mystery built around a celebrity (typically a film star) in his 23rd book to feature PI Toby Peters (after 2002's To Catch a Spy). While his long career hasn't been lucrative, it has allowed Toby to assemble a wealth of unusual friends, including dentist Sheldon Minck. Sheldon gets in over his head when he takes up with a strange survivalist group and, apparently, slays his wife with either a well-aimed or an errant crossbow bolt. Sheldon has the weapon and the motive, and the police have Sheldon and a witness who is none other than Joan Crawford. Getting Sheldon out of jail and keeping the actress out of the news become Toby's twin priorities. Toby still lives at Irene Plaut's boarding house and struggles with his relations with his brother, Phil. Kaminsky fashions the character of his guest star from bits and pieces of her public and private personas so that Crawford appears both familiar and new. While the mystery as such may be routine, details of the time (1944), from Toby's car (a Crosley) to the radio shows (The Aldrich Family) to the projected price of a postwar car ($900 for most, as much as $1,400 for a "luxury" model), will bring smiles of recognition to older readers. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistStarred Review A woman named Mildred is pierced by a bolt from a crossbow in a public park; Joan Crawford, out on an errand before she begins filming Mildred Pierce, witnesses the killing. So, Kaminski's punny title for the twenty-third Toby Peters mystery perfectly captures the ridiculous (in the best sense of the term) cross-cutting between detection and movie lore that has long been the hallmark of this series. Peters' career as an ex-cop-current private eye spans a fascinating chunk of Hollywood movie history, from the Depression--Murder on the Yellow Brick Road (1977), in which Peters took on the case of an allegedly murderous Munchkin--into World War II. Now, it's June 1944. Toby is still figuring out the ration points for his boardinghouse landlady and renting office space from the dentist Sheldon Minck. It's Minck who's in trouble, big time, because he admits shooting the crossbow that killed his wife but insists it was another of his many klutzy accidents. Peters is working for both Minck, who hires him to help prove his innocence, and Joan Crawford, who hires him to keep her name out of the papers. As Peters investigates, he is pulled into a bizarre world of survivalists who want Minck dead and, once again, into the bizarre world of Hollywood infighting. Kaminsky stands out as a subtle historian, unobtrusively but entertainingly weaving into the story itself what people were wearing, eating, driving, and listening to on the radio. A page-turning romp. Connie FletcherCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 24
Arriving home, warrior Andrew Ross discovered his castle ravaged by fire, his father and all who lived within its walls dead. Yet alive amidst the carnage was a woman with the face of an angel who claimed to have special powers. Had Andrew's enemy sent her to destroy him - or could she do as she claimed and wield her magic to uncover his enemy?Gwenellen Drummond had always struggled to control the mystical powers that ran in her family - until a spell gone awry brought her to the aid of a fierce Highland laird out for vengeance, and her true gift was revealed. But would she win Andrew's love and trust in time to save his clan...and his shattered soul? Views: 24
Mischief, Magic, Love and War.It is the Year of Our Lord 1601. The Tuscan War rages across the world, and every lord from Navarre to Illyria is embroiled in the fray. Cannon roar, pikemen clash, and witches stalk the night; even the fairy courts stand on the verge of chaos.Five stories come together at the end of the war: that of bold Miranda and sly Puck; of wise Pomona and her prisoner Vertumnus; of gentle Lucia and the shade of Prospero; of noble Don Pedro and powerful Helena; and of Anne, a glovemaker's wife. On these lovers and heroes the world itself may depend.These are the stories Shakespeare never told. Five of the most exciting names in genre fiction today—Jonathan Barnes, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Emma Newman, Foz Meadows and Kate Heartfield—delve into the world the poet created to weave together a story of courage, transformation and magic.Including an afterword by Dr. John Lavagnino, The London Shakespeare Centre, King's College London. Views: 24
When a stroke fells radical New York lawyer Joel Litvinoff, a secret is revealed that forces Audrey, his wife, to reexamine everything she believed about their forty-year marriage. In the meantime Joel's children are struggling with their own dilemmas and doubts. Disillusioned revolutionary Rosa has been drawn into the world of Orthodox Judaism. Karla, a devoted--and married--social worker hoping to adopt a child, is falling in love with the owner of a newspaper stand. Lenny, the ne'er-do-well, faces yet another relapse into heroin addiction. In the course of battling their own demons--and one another--the Litvinoffs must reexamine long-held articles of faith and decide what--if anything--they still believe in. Views: 24
The beautiful, alluring but very sheltered Antonia suddenly finds herself married off to Rupert Reyes, a handsome stranger with a penchant for dominating women. Antonia's domineering father, Benito, expects the marriage will make his willful daughter a submissive just like her mother, Honoria, who is dutifully at his beck and call. But Benito knows nothing about Rupert's villainous heart. Though he first woos his bride with charm, virility and good looks, he insists on binding her when making love. After the honeymoon he puts Antonia through ruthlessly invasive anal training giving her to other men with increasing penis endowment in order to make her backdoor ready for his own enormous organ. While his wife suffers, he enjoys nights with his kinky mistress. Although Antonia first tries to do her duty, she finally rebels and seeks out the comfort of Rafael Francisco, a contractor working for her husband. He knows all about Rupert's foul treatment of women and insists that she... Views: 24
Biggles is back! Caught up in the German invasion of Norway in the early days of the Second World War, Biggles has to use all his cunning to stay one step ahead of the enemy. With his old opponent Von Stalheim hot on his trail, it's going to take a daring act to avoid the horror of the Nazi firing squad. Deep in the jungle heartland of Japanese occupied Malaya, Biggles and his team operate a secret commando base. It's deadly, dangerous work, risking enemy capture and Biggles is fighting to bring all his men out alive. With a dangerous mission ahead and the threat of being shot down in the waterless wasteland of the African plains, Biggles is in the desert, defending the vital air-route from the West coast of Africa to the Middle East. When a number of planes fail to arrive at their destinations, Biggles is there to find out why - and stop it happening again. Biggles is missing in action. Last seen lying shot and wounded,... Views: 24
On a balmy June night, Kirsten, a young university student, is strolling home through a silent moonlit park when she is viciously attacked.When she awakes in the hospital, she has no recollection of that brutal night. But then slowly, painfully, details reveal themselves -- dreams of two figures, one white and one black, hovering over her; snatches of a strange and haunting song; the unfamiliar texture of a rough and deadly hand ...In another part of the country, Martha Browne arrives in a Yorkshire seaside town, posing as an author doing research for a book. But her research is of a particularly macabre variety. Who is she hunting with such deadly determination? And why?The First Cut is a vivid and compelling psychological thriller, from the author of the critically acclaimed Inspector Banks series. Views: 24
Part Two in the brilliant new series from the bestselling author of the Star and Sixpence series. Perfect for all fans of Cathy Bramley.Gina has returned to her family in the picturesque Cornish town of Polwhipple, to help run the Italian family's ice-cream business while her grandfather recovers from an accident. Dismayed to find her old haunt from childhood visits to Polwhipple, the little picture house by the sea, in a state of disrepair, Gina is determined to help. Long past its heyday now, the little art deco cinema needs all the help it can get. With the help of her old friend Ben, Gina goes to the town's committee to ask for funding to renovate the hearthstone of Polwhipple's community. And what better way to prove the little picture house's worth, than by throwing another fantastic themed screening... But Ben's activities are closely watched by the venomous Rose, who wants him all to herself. And how is it exactly that she knows... Views: 24
Rochford Manor, outside London, 1810: When her dying father entrusts her to the care of Dominic Santrell, one of London's most infamous rakes, Arlie Whitman is thrust into a world of elegance and privilege she had never imagined. But her initiation into society is nowhere near as frightening as the powerful desire she feels for Dominic. The dark and dashing earl claims that she needs a husband, but Arlie knows she needs only Dominic. Dominic had vowed never to marry-in his experience, love was, at best, an evening's pleasure. Yet the parade of young men courting his ward is unbearable. Arlie's innocent beauty haunts his dreams. The passion they share cannot be denied, but desire can be dangerous… Views: 24
