Amanda Cross is master of the American literary whodunit. In her delicately menacing short fiction, assembled here in one volume, dangerous impulses seize the most unlikely individuals, and everyday existence is fast eclipsed by the bizarre. Among the compelling intrigues: The cold-blooded murder of Mrs. Byron Lloyd, shot dead during a writers' panel discussion . . . the enigma of the nameless toddler who walks out of the bushes one New England summer afternoon . . . the reappearance of a missing Constable drawing just where it can cause the most trouble . . . and other wonderful mysteries, many of which star the incomparable amateur sleuth Kate Fansler.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 14
The five-week New York Times bestseller, now in paperback.Running from a proposal of marriage from Sheriff Paul Davidson, Anna Pigeon takes a post as a temporary supervisory ranger on remote Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park, a small grouping of tiny islands in a natural harbor seventy miles off Key West. This island paradise has secrets it would keep; not just in the present, but in shadows from its gritty past, when it served as a prison for the Lincoln conspirators during and after the Civil War.Here, on this last lick of the United States, in a giant crumbling fortress, Anna has little company except for the occasional sunburned tourist or unruly shrimper. When her sister, Molly, sends her a packet of letters from a great-great-aunt who lived at the fort with her husband, a career soldier, Anna's fantasy life is filled with visions of this long-ago time.When a mysterious boat explosion-and the discovery of unidentifiable body parts-keeps her anchored to the... Views: 14
The Pact of Mankind is a dinosaur lumbering toward oblivion: hedged about by alien enemies, it is rotten with decadence and corruption. The Pact is run by competing oligarchies of criminal corporations, but it is ruled by a single man--the High Secretary of the Pact. But if he should die, it would be feeding time in the piranha tank. Views: 14
This is no children's tale...This is what nightmares are made of.All suns must set. All seasons must end.For three fifth-grade friends, this summer's last sleepover takes a dark turn when a game goes wrong and a creature as old as time itself rises from the dark woods to claim them. Trapped high in a treehouse by a twisted monster below, their friendship is tested as they discover the true meaning of terror. Tonight, they must fight for their lives to keep out the nightmare, and the madness it brings. There is no escape.
There is no salvation. There is only the treehouse, the hungering horror below, and the dawn that may never come...28,000 words // 106 pages // Horror - ThrillerReview"A bit creepy, a bit scary, and a very interesting read. Like Forsaken, I couldn't put this book down and ended up reading it all in one go."-Eustacia @ Inside the Mind of a Bibliophile Views: 14
Can Lawrence Kingston unearth the key to a deadly secret hidden by a mysterious ancient garden inscription in the newest English Garden Mystery?Codebreakers have tried for centuries to decipher the enigmatic inscription on a strange monument in the garden at Sturminster Hall, but no one has ever succeeded. When a murder occurs on the garden grounds, the intellectual puzzle becomes all too real, and Dr. Lawrence Kingston—retired professor of botany and reluctant sleuth—is called in to investigate.Other than a scrap of paper bearing a random sequence of letters found on the victim, the police have no meaningful clues. Convinced that the crime must be linked to the seemingly unbreakable centuries-old code, Kingston begins hunting for clues that will help him unmask the murderer’s identity as well as the arcane mystery of the monument. But he quickly finds himself swept along in the dangerous undertow of a centuries’ old family conflict and a second murder, by poisoning. What could be so valuable, so important to justify such extreme measures and complex codes to keep sacrosanct for over two centuries?To unlock the garden’s dark secret, Kingston must delve into the brilliant minds of three famous men to fathom what part each may have played in masterminding the riddle: an Admiral hailed as father of Britain’s navy, the author of England’s most celebrated poem, and Great Britain’s first Prime Minister. But as Kingston’s investigation into an England’s past leads him closer to a killer in the very dangerous present, his own prospects for survival start to look less and less assured.ReviewPraise for Garden of Secrets Past:“Engaging… an intricate plot, colorful characters, and vivid descriptions of locales from London to small villages add up to an entertaining read.” –Publishers Weekly"Lawrence Kingston [is] a bit of a garden-digging Hercule Poirot.... In Garden of Secrets Past, Eglin steps up the mystery several notches with the inclusion of even more shady characters, a secret code and a bit of a love interest for, no longer young, Kingston.... the mystery is top-notch." --welchwrite.com "The master of botanical mysteries." --NewMysteryReader.com"The fifth English Garden Mystery (see The Water Lily Cross and The Trial of the Wild Rose) is an entertaining whodunit as the past and the present converge during Kingston’s amateur sleuthing. The cast is solid in support of the protagonist who is at his best working the enigmatic murder case. The story line is fast-paced with a fascinating brief afterward explaining the code in further depth. Gardens of Secret Past is wonderful mystery as events two centuries old still remain relevant." --followtheclue.wordpress.com"A charming English mystery that is well-written and entertaining. RECOMMENDED." --www.iloveamysterynewsletter.com"The combination of gardening with mystery thrown in is a nice change of scenery and will appeal even to those who don’t have a green thumb." --British Weekly Praise for The Lost Gardens:“His is a talent in full bloom.” --*Richmond Times-Dispatch “Lawrence Kingston once again mixes horticulture with crime solving in Eglin’s agreeable second cozy to feature the retired botany professor...it’s the plethora of gardening detail that makes this a memorable read.” --Publishers Weekly*“The primary appeal of the Kingston series is its detailed treatment of a subject dear to the hearts of many cozy fans: English gardens.” --Booklist Praise for The Blue Rose:“The Blue Rose is one of those amiable mysteries that seek to mildly educate as well as to entertain: Here readers learn something about the history of roses while watching the hero and heroine dodge bullets and pruning shears.” --The Washington Post “In his excellent debut, Eglin combines just the right amount of horticultural detail with well-drawn characters and absorbing plot.” --Publishers Weekly (starred review)About the AuthorEnglish-born ANTHONY EGLIN spent many years in advertising before defecting to indulge in his passion for gardening. In 1995 he started The Larkspur Company, co-producing a series of bestselling garden videotapes. The same year, he won Garden Design magazine’s Gold Trowel Award for Best Rose Garden. Author of the internationally popular English Garden Mysteries, including The Blue Rose, which won France’s prestigious Prix Arsène Lupin for mystery novel of the year, Eglin is a member of the American Rose Society. Anthony lives with his wife Suzie and tabby cat, Pyewacket, in Sonoma, California. Views: 14
Ella Broden is living a double life.By day, Ella works as a buttoned-up attorney on some of the city’s most grueling cases. By night, she pursues her passion for singing in the darkest clubs of Manhattan.No one knows her secret, not even Charlotte, the younger sister she practically raised. But it seems she’s not the only one in the family with something to hide. When Charlotte announces she’s sold her first novel, Ella couldn’t be more thrilled…until she gets a call that her sister’s gone missing.Ella starts investigating with the help of Detective Gabriel Velasquez, an old flame in the NYPD, and what she finds is shocking. If art imitates life, then her sister’s novel may contain details of her real-life affairs. And any one of her lovers could be involved in her disappearance.Desperate to bring Charlotte home, Ella works through her list of suspects, matching fictitious characters with flesh-and-blood men. But will it be too late to save the sister she only thought she knew?** Views: 14
From New York Times bestselling mystery author Sheila Connolly comes a brand-new book that blends her skillful mystery talents with a touch of romantic suspense. There's no doubt this book will appeal both to her current mystery audience as well as those readers who love authors like Lisa Gardner or Karen Rose.Claire Hastings, professor at a prestigious women's college, has retreated to an isolated cabin in Maine in midwinter to work on the book that will guarantee her tenure, but she's having trouble finishing it. Then disgraced journalist Jonathan Daulton stumbles into her cabin late one night, soaking wet and bleeding from what seems to be a gunshot wound. She recognizes him from a romantic encounter at a conference years earlier, one she's been trying desperately to forget. Much to her relief, and embarrassment, he doesn't appear to remember her.When Claire learns that Jonathan is suspected of killing an FBI agent, she urges him to turn himself in immediately... Views: 14
Lucy Baker walks away from her high-flying legal career when she successfully defends yet another heinous criminal. Almost a year after her life-changing decision, Lucy has never been happier. Leaving New York City for the suburbs, tending her garden and her dog, Lucy is making future plans with her fiancé, Jonathan St. Clair -- and getting acquainted with her neighbors, including the handsome, exasperating one next door, Wylie Wilson. But when FBI special agents confront Lucy with shocking revelations about her fiancé's secret double life, everything about her husband-to-be is cast in suspicion. Recovering from a freak accident that has left her with a heightened sense of intuition, and getting closer than she ever dreamed to Wylie, Lucy must determine who to trust -- and fast, before someone breaks down her defenses and targets her....From BooklistLawyer Lucy Baker just got a "not guilty" verdict for her current client, but she knows he is guilty. In fact, he is one of too many rich, guilty clients going free. So she decides to take a hiatus from law and move to suburban New Jersey with her dog, Sadie. But two FBI agents show up to tell her that her fiance is not who he says he is. Lucy is dismissive but starts to think about how rarely she and her fiance see each other. Then the FBI agents return with details about all the nefarious dealings her fiance is involved in and show her papers that she has signed as the owner of a multimillion-dollar compound. Meanwhile, she meets her neighbor, whose dog is a friend of Sadie's. Wylie Wilson is also a lawyer, and as her problems mount, she turns to him for help. Soon Lucy and Wylie become more than friends, and the prolific Michaels delivers a humorous, rollicking tale of adventure and intrigue. Maria HattonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedReview"Fern Michaels's characters are real and endearing, her prose so natural that it seems you are witnessing the story rather than reading about it."-- Los Angeles Times Views: 14
