BETTER WATCH OUT

Making a list. Merry's life is Christmas chaos. Her divorce is still in question. She's behind on crafting orders. Ebenezer is an escape artist. And with one day left, she hasn't completed the line-up for the annual Christmas parade, thanks to one grinch. Once Merry knows the Christmas secret, she realizes Santa isn't what's coming to town. Checking it twice. Santa's naughty list, courtesy of Jenna Wilcox, will roll down Main Street with names of residents who deserve a lump of coal in their stocking. Saving the parade won't be easy, but Merry is up to task. Or so she thinks until she discovers Jenna's body stashed in Santa's sack. Going to find out. As facts are unwrapped, Merry finds the line blurred between who's naughty and nice. As threats are aimed at her and those she loves, Merry dashes for the truth before the murderer puts her on the naughty list and crosses her off for good. - - - - - - - - - - - - - BETTER WATCH OUT by...
Views: 574

A Dog's Ransom

The great revival of interest in Patricia Highsmith continues with the publication of this novel that will give dog owners nightmares for years to come. With an eerie simplicity of style, Highsmith turns our next-door neighbors into sadistic psychopaths, lying in wait among white picket fences and manicured lawns. In A Dog's Ransom, Highsmith blends a savage humor with brilliant social satire in this dark tale of a highminded criminal who hits a wealthy Manhattan couple where it hurts the most when he kidnaps their beloved poodle. This work attesets to Highsmith's reputation as "the poet of apprehension" (Graham Greene).
Views: 573

The Heiress of Santorini

An unexpected threat... When insurance manager Alexandra Stewart is assigned to the Imperial Resorts Corporation account and has to travel to the island of Santorini, she's worried about keeping the promise she made to her late father. Alexandra swore to keep her real identity a secret and to stay away from her maternal grandfather, a Greek billionaire who lives on the island. However, what Alexandra thought was fate is actually a plot to bring her home. An undeniable attraction... The new assignment embeds Alexandra in a deadly game of vengeance and greed that threatens to destroy her grandfather's empire. The only one she can turn to for help is Mark Taylor, the seductively handsome Managing Director of the corporation. Mark is torn between his intense attraction to Alexandra and his promise to her grandfather to guard the secret that could destroy the entire Vassiliou family. His puzzling behavior infuriates Alexandra, but it can't quell her desire. A startling revelation... Will Alexandra be able to trust Mark when he has already lied to her once? Will Mark be able to convince Alexandra he's not the enemy? And when the time comes, will he be able to confess the truth to her?
Views: 573

A Trick of the Light

Pet portraitist Susie Mahl has to use all her artistic know-how to get to the bottom of a fiendish Scottish mysteryPraise for the Highland Mysteries: 'A delicious new voice in crime writing... Excellent on the English aristocracy and written in a fine wry style.' Daily Mail 'This is a well paced and exciting read. More please!' Alexander McCall Smith 'Absorbing, charming and funny.' Antonia Fraser Struggling with long-buried family secrets and her own recent heartbreak, artist and pet portraitist Susie Mahl hopes her brief sojourn as an art tutor at a Scottish country house will prove a distraction. But Susie soon realises she has bigger problems than teaching her eclectic mix of students to draw a Highland cow. Beneath the beautiful landscapes of the Scottish Highlands and the grandeur of the Auchen Laggan Tosh estate lie hidden secrets. Can Susie work out what exactly is going on before it's...
Views: 573

Ashes of Hope

When a monster saves you from other monsters, are you any better off?Ash chokes the sky and my life as I knew it is long gone. Nuclear war left our planet a scarred dead husk, and those of us left fight tooth and nail to survive. There is hardly anything left to eat, except each other.The lucky ones die quickly.I've had a different kind of luck, but the bargain I made to stay alive is slowly killing me. The only question is, will I survive long enough for my bargain to save me? Or will all my hope turn to ash?
Views: 573

Perish Twice

Spenser creator Robert B. Parker returns with his newest heroine, Boston P.I. Sunny Randall, coming to the aid of three very different women in three very dangerous situations. One is for business. One is for a friend. One is for family. And all could be fatal...
Views: 573

EAST VILLAGE NOIR

"Finding a runaway teenager in New York City is easy. The hard part is finding the one your looking for."Private eye Payton Sherwood is hired by the parents of a runaway girl, and while searching for her through the shadowy sidestreets of the East Village, he comes across a connection to a murdered autograph expert.Short story originally published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July 1997.This story takes place prior to the events in L.A. Metro.Kim Donovan and Jess McKenna have never met. They are both successful doctors, but each longs to find that one person to share her life with. In a jaded world filled with cynicism, do dreams really still come true? Maybe all it takes is a wish upon a star...
Views: 573

Puzzling Ink

1 DOWN: DEATH BY HOMICIDE Quinn Carr wishes her life could be more like a crossword puzzle: neat, orderly, and perfectly arranged. At least her passion for puzzles, flair for words—and mild case of OCD—have landed her a gig creating crosswords for the local paper. But if she ever hopes to move out of her parents' house, she can't give up her day job as a waitress. She needs the tips. But when a customer ends up dead at her table—face down in bisquits and gravy—Quinn needs to get a clue to find whodunit . . . 6 LETTERS, STARTS WITH "M" It turns out that solving a murder is a lot harder than a creating a crossword. Quinn has plenty of suspects—up, down, and across. One of them is her boss, the owner of the diner who shares a culinary past with the victim. Two of them are ex-wives, her boss's and the victim's. A...
Views: 572