In 1895, at the height of the Gilded Age, Newport, Rhode Island, is the summer home of the social elite. Within the walls of their fabulous “cottages," fortunes and reputations are made and lost. Competition for superiority is ruthless and so are the players. During her first...  more

In 1895, at the height of the Gilded Age, Newport, Rhode Island, is the summer home of the social elite. Within the walls of their fabulous “cottages," fortunes and reputations are made and lost. Competition for superiority is ruthless and so are the players. During her first season, Deanna Randolph has the pleasure of attending a ball given in honor of Lord David Manchester, a Barbadian sugar magnate, and his sister, Madeline. The Manchesters are an immediate success -- along with their exotic manservant known for his magical, fortune-telling talents. But on the nearby cliffs, a young maid lies dead, her neck broken -- and a member of one of the town's most prestigious families is found kneeling over the body. Joseph Ballard humiliated Deanna when he broke off their courtship at the end of last season. But while Joe may be a cad, Deanna doesn't believe he's a killer. Now reluctant allies, the two must navigate a world of glittering parties, fashionable tennis matches, and intriguing séances to find the murderer. But when their investigation leads them to Newport's most powerful inner circles, they're exposed to something far more dangerous than malicious gossip…

One would hardly call them birds of a feather, but thrill-seeking American adventuress Beryl Helliwell and quietly reserved Brit Edwina Davenport do one thing very well together -- solve murders . . .  Sharing lodging in the sleepy English village of Walmsley Parva has eased some of the...  more

One would hardly call them birds of a feather, but thrill-seeking American adventuress Beryl Helliwell and quietly reserved Brit Edwina Davenport do one thing very well together -- solve murders . . .  Sharing lodging in the sleepy English village of Walmsley Parva has eased some of the financial strain on the two old school chums, but money is still tight in these lean years following the Great War. All of Beryl's ex-husbands have proven reluctant to part with her alimony, which is most inconvenient. So when the local vicar -- and pigeon-racing club president -- approaches them with a private inquiry opportunity, the ladies eagerly accept. There's been a spot of bother: the treasurer has absconded with the club's funds and several prized birds. Beryl and Edwina hope to flush out the missing man by checking his boardinghouse and place of employment at the coal mine. But when they visit the man's loft, they find their elusive quarry lying in white feathers and a pool of crimson blood, stabbed to death -- the only witnesses cooing mournfully. After a stiff gin fizz, the ladies resume their search for the missing funds and prized birds -- and now a murderer. Beryl and Edwina aren't shy about ruffling a few feathers as they home in on their suspects. But they had better find the killer fast, before their sleuthing career is cut short . . .

Okay, maybe there are people in Antarctica with penguins in their basements, but in Virginia?Only Meg's dad could manage that one. A body down there -- well, that's somewhat more likely.It turns out that explaining the penguins' presence is easy -- Meg's dad volunteered to take...  more

Okay, maybe there are people in Antarctica with penguins in their basements, but in Virginia?Only Meg's dad could manage that one. A body down there -- well, that's somewhat more likely.It turns out that explaining the penguins' presence is easy -- Meg's dad volunteered to take care of the birds until the future of the bankrupt local zoo could be determined. But identifying the body in the basement proves a harder task -- could it be, as Meg fears, that of the vanished zoo owner? In the small southern town of Caerphilly, rumors fly quickly, and all the other well-meaning citizens who have agreed to take in zoo animals are now worried that they might be stuck with their guests indefinitely. So when Meg's dad generously offers to help out anyone who can no longer care for their four-legged charges, a parade of wild creatures begins to make Meg and Michael's newly renovated house look more like Noah's ark.Meg and Michael have been planning to elope in order to avoid the elaborate wedding their mothers have begun to organize -- a plan that's threatened by both the murder investigation and the carnival of animals. The only way to set things right, Meg decides, is to identify both their uninvited visitor and the killer who put him in their basement.

At the turn of the twentieth century, London’s political climate is in turmoil, as women fight for the right to vote. Dody McCleland has her own battles to fight. As England’s first female autopsy surgeon, not only must she prove herself, she must prove that murder treats everyone...  more

At the turn of the twentieth century, London’s political climate is in turmoil, as women fight for the right to vote. Dody McCleland has her own battles to fight. As England’s first female autopsy surgeon, not only must she prove herself, she must prove that murder treats everyone equally… After a heated women’s rights rally turns violent, an innocent suffragette is found murdered. When she examines the body, Dody McCleland is shocked to realize that the victim was a friend of her sister -- fueling her determination to uncover the cause of the protestor’s suspicious death.   For Dody, gathering clues from a body is often easier than handling the living -- especially Chief Detective Inspector Pike. Pike is looking to get to the bottom of this case but has a hard time trusting anyone -- including Dody. Determined to earn Pike’s trust and to find the killer, Dody will have to sort through real and imagined secrets. But if she’s not careful, she may end up on her own examination table… 

It's not that Verity Kent doesn't sympathize with those eager to make contact with lost loved ones. After all, she once believed herself a war widow. But now that she's discovered Sidney is very much alive, Verity is having enough trouble connecting with her estranged husband, never...  more

It's not that Verity Kent doesn't sympathize with those eager to make contact with lost loved ones. After all, she once believed herself a war widow. But now that she's discovered Sidney is very much alive, Verity is having enough trouble connecting with her estranged husband, never mind the dead. Still, at a friend's behest, Verity attends a seance, where she encounters the man who still looms between her and Sidney---and a medium who channels a woman Verity once worked with in the Secret Service. Refusing to believe her former fellow spy is dead, Verity is determined to uncover the source of the spiritualist's top secret revelation. Then the medium is murdered---and Verity's investigation is suddenly thwarted. Even Secret Service agents she once trusted turn their backs on her. Undaunted, Verity heads to war-torn Belgium, with Sidney by her side. But as they draw ever closer to the danger, Verity wonders if she's about to learn the true meaning of till death do us part . . .

What do you get when you mix Tater Tots, ground beef, and cream of mushroom soup? Tater Tot Hot Dish, of course! Retired Minneapolis Star Tribune Taste section editor—the delightful auntie every discerning foodie wants to call their own—Ann Burckhardt brings back the comfy casseroles...  more

What do you get when you mix Tater Tots, ground beef, and cream of mushroom soup? Tater Tot Hot Dish, of course! Retired Minneapolis Star Tribune Taste section editor—the delightful auntie every discerning foodie wants to call their own—Ann Burckhardt brings back the comfy casseroles of the fifties and sixties with modern updates for busy families, swingin’ singles, and twenty-first-century potluckers in Hot Dish Heaven.   A veritable geography of the best-of-the-best hot dishes, this handy cookbook features seventy kitchen-tested recipes collected from casserole connoisseurs across the Midwest. Emphasizing the use of fresh, nutritious ingredients without losing sight of the importance of a good can of soup in the right bake-and-share meal, Burckhardt balances delicious down-home selections like Texas Hash, Football Stew, and Reuben Bake with such wholesome one-dish wonders as Whole Grain Pilaf and Tian of Rice and Zucchini.   You too can dine like the stars with such dazzling feasts as Phoebe’s Peach Noodle Kugle from the childhood kitchen of comedian Al Franken and the Cedric Adams Hot Dish, named after the late Broadcasting Hall of Famer once known as the “voice of the Upper Midwest.” Burckhardt gives us the history of each dish, the classic variations, and ideas for cooking and sharing in today’s busy world.

When Inspector Witherspoon's conniving nemesis finds himself facing a murder rap, Mrs. Jeffries and her upstairs/downstairs band of merry sleuths go hunting for the truth. Former Inspector Nigel Nivens is desperate to get away from his current assignment in the East End of London but even...  more

When Inspector Witherspoon's conniving nemesis finds himself facing a murder rap, Mrs. Jeffries and her upstairs/downstairs band of merry sleuths go hunting for the truth. Former Inspector Nigel Nivens is desperate to get away from his current assignment in the East End of London but even his powerful family can't help him after he maliciously tried to hobble Witherspoon's last homicide investigation. But Nivens has a plan. After a particularly audacious robbery in Mayfair, Nivens arrests three members of a gang of robbers. He's made sure the charges against the three will stick as he's paid an informer to testify against the brothers when the case comes to court. The snitch, a nasty little fellow, lies his head off in court and the brothers are convicted. Unfortunately for Nivens, the snitch is murdered with a gun from the Niven's family home and there are witnesses who overheard Nivens threatening him (apparently, he wanted more than the few pounds Nivens paid him to lie). But the most damning evidence is that a pillow used to silence the shot is found in Niven's home. This time, Nivens knows he's in real trouble. The investigating officer as well as the rank and file constables working the case hate him and he's fairly sure they're not overly concerned with proving his innocence. Desperate and terrified, he does the only thing he can to save himself---he begs Inspector Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries for help. Despite finding Nigel Nivens truly odious, in the interest of justice Mrs. Jeffries and the Witherspoon household will have to catch the real killer to save the disgraced officer from the hangman's noose.

There is a name carved into the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., of an American army lieutenant whose death is shrouded in mystery. The authorities have reason to believe that he was not killed by the enemy, or by friendly fire; they suspect he was murdered. At first, Paul Brenner,...  more

There is a name carved into the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., of an American army lieutenant whose death is shrouded in mystery. The authorities have reason to believe that he was not killed by the enemy, or by friendly fire; they suspect he was murdered. At first, Paul Brenner, himself a Vietnam vet, isn't interested in investigating the case. After his forced retirement from the army's Criminal Investigation Division, he has adapted to the life of a civilian with a comfortable pension. Then his old boss, Karl Hellmann, summons him to the Vietnam Memorial to call in a career's worth of favors. Hellmann tells Brenner of the circumstances surrounding the officer's death, and gives him this much to go on: The incident happened over three decades ago in Vietnam; the only evidence is a recently discovered letter written by an enemy soldier describing an act of shocking violence. The name of the North Vietnamese soldier is known, but not his present whereabouts, or even if he is alive or dead. Brenner's assignment: Return to Vietnam and find the witness. The addendum: The mission is very important to the U.S. Army. Brenner's the ideal man for the job. And it's in his best interest that he doesn't know what this case is really about. Reluctantly, Brenner begins a strange journey that unearths his own painful memories of Vietnam and leads him down a trail as dangerous as the ones he walked a lifetime ago as a young infantryman. From sultry, sinful Saigon, where he meets beautiful American expatriate Susan Weber, to the remote, forbidding wilderness of up-country Vietnam, he will follow a trail of lies, betrayal, and murder -- and uncover an explosive, long-buried secret. Filled with intrigue and espionage, romance and seduction, action and adventure -- as well as the author's patented, subversive wit -- UP COUNTRY is, above all, about what happens when men fight in wars and how it changes them forever. Read by Ken Howard.  Abridged: 8 sound discs (ca. 9 hr.) 

I was so excited when Darcy announced out of the blue that we were flying to Kenya for our extended honeymoon. Now that we are here, I suspect he has actually been sent to fulfill another secret mission. I am trying very hard not to pick a fight about it, because after all, we are in...  more

I was so excited when Darcy announced out of the blue that we were flying to Kenya for our extended honeymoon. Now that we are here, I suspect he has actually been sent to fulfill another secret mission. I am trying very hard not to pick a fight about it, because after all, we are in paradise! Darcy finally confides that there have been robberies in London and Paris. It seems the thief was a member of the aristocracy and may have fled to Kenya. Since we are staying in the Happy Valley -- the center of upper-class English life--we are well positioned to hunt for clues and ferret out possible suspects. Now that I am a sophisticated married woman, I am doing my best to sound like one. But crikey! These aristocrats are a thoroughly loathsome sort enjoying a completely decadent lifestyle filled with wild parties and rampant infidelity. And one of the leading lights in the community, Lord Cheriton, has the nerve to make a play for me. While I am on my honeymoon! Of course, I put an end to that right off. When he is found bloodied and lifeless along a lonely stretch of road, it appears he fell victim to a lion. But it seems that the Happy Valley community wants to close the case a bit too quickly. Darcy and I soon discover that there is much more than a simple robbery and an animal attack to contend with here in Kenya. Nearly everyone has a motive to want Lord Cheriton dead and some will go to great lengths to silence anyone who asks too many questions. The hunt is on! I just hope I can survive my honeymoon long enough to catch a killer. . . .

London, 1923. Olive Belgrave needs a job. Despite her aristocratic upbringing, she's penniless. Determined to support herself, she jumps at an unconventional job, looking into the background of her cousin's fiance, Alfred. Alfred burst into the upper crust world of London's high...  more

London, 1923. Olive Belgrave needs a job. Despite her aristocratic upbringing, she's penniless. Determined to support herself, she jumps at an unconventional job, looking into the background of her cousin's fiance, Alfred. Alfred burst into the upper crust world of London's high society, but his answers to questions about his past are decidedly vague. Before Olive can gather more than the basics, a murder occurs at a posh party. Suddenly, every Bright Young Person in attendance is a suspect, and Olive must race to find the culprit because a sly murderer is determined to make sure Olive's first case is her last.  A high society murder. A spirited lady detective. Can she out-class the killer before an innocent person takes the fall?  

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Maisie Dobbs got her start as a maid in an aristocratic London household when she was thirteen. Her employer, suffragette Lady Rowan Compton, soon became her patron, taking the remarkably bright youngster under her wing. Lady Rowan's friend, Maurice Blanche, often retained as an investigator...  more

Maisie Dobbs got her start as a maid in an aristocratic London household when she was thirteen. Her employer, suffragette Lady Rowan Compton, soon became her patron, taking the remarkably bright youngster under her wing. Lady Rowan's friend, Maurice Blanche, often retained as an investigator by the European elite, recognized Maisie’s intuitive gifts and helped her earn admission to the prestigious Girton College in Cambridge, where Maisie planned to complete her education.   The outbreak of war changed everything. Maisie trained as a nurse, then left for France to serve at the Front, where she found—and lost—an important part of herself. Ten years after the Armistice, in the spring of 1929, Maisie sets out on her own as a private investigator, one who has learned that coincidences are meaningful, and truth elusive. Her very first case involves suspected infidelity but reveals something very different.   In the aftermath of the Great War, a former officer has founded a working farm known as The Retreat, that acts as a convalescent refuge for ex-soldiers too shattered to resume normal life. When Fate brings Maisie a second case involving The Retreat, she must finally confront the ghost that has haunted her for over a decade.

As 1899 draws to a close, Frank and Sarah Malloy are ready to celebrate the New Year-and century-at Trinity Church when they notice Mr. Pritchard, a neighbor's relative, behaving oddly and annoying the other revelers.  When Frank tries to intervene and convince Pritchard to return home...  more

As 1899 draws to a close, Frank and Sarah Malloy are ready to celebrate the New Year-and century-at Trinity Church when they notice Mr. Pritchard, a neighbor's relative, behaving oddly and annoying the other revelers.  When Frank tries to intervene and convince Pritchard to return home with them, he refuses and Frank loses him in the crowd. The next morning, Saran and Frank are horrified to learn Pritchard was murdered sometime in the night and his body left on Trinity Place.  The police don't seem very invested in solving the crime and the family is concerned that the irregular circumstances of the death will reflect badly on Pritchard's reputation.  They ask Frank to investigate. To prevent scandal, and catch the killer, Frank and Sarah must search Pritchard's past for a link between the new crimes...and old sins.

First in a new series that has the perfect mix of Regency murder and mystery. When the marchioness is found murdered at Polbrook mansion, the Dowager Lady Polbrook's new companion, Ottilia Draycott, finds herself in a house of strangers and every one of them a suspect. Only she can...  more

First in a new series that has the perfect mix of Regency murder and mystery. When the marchioness is found murdered at Polbrook mansion, the Dowager Lady Polbrook's new companion, Ottilia Draycott, finds herself in a house of strangers and every one of them a suspect. Only she can unmask and outwit a desperate killer and keep a Polbrook family secret buried.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game comes Ruth Ware?s fourth novel, ?her best yet? (Library Journal, starred review). On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious...  more

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game comes Ruth Ware?s fourth novel, ?her best yet? (Library Journal, starred review). On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person?but also that the cold-reading skills she?s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money. Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased?where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it. Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware?s signature suspenseful style, this is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

Imagine nine women meeting. Tea and cake are on the coffee table. They’ve come together to share their love of books. They are friends. They trust each other. It’s a happy gathering. What could be more harmless? Then scratch the surface and look closer. One is lonely. One is...  more

Imagine nine women meeting. Tea and cake are on the coffee table. They’ve come together to share their love of books. They are friends. They trust each other. It’s a happy gathering. What could be more harmless? Then scratch the surface and look closer. One is lonely. One is desperate and one of them is a killer. When the body of a woman is discovered on a Cambridge common, DCI Barrett and DI Palmer are called in to investigate. But the motive behind the crime isn’t clear… And it all leads back to a book club. As the lies, volatile friendships and tension among the group rise to the surface, DCI Barrett and DI Palmer must work out the motive and track down a cold-blooded killer. But just when they think they are on the right track, a twist in the case throws them off course…

Stella Kendrick is an all-American heiress who can't be tamed. But when the lively aspiring equine trainer tangles with British aristocracy, she meets her match--and a murderer . . . Spring, 1905: Free-spirited like the Thoroughbreds she rides across the Kentucky countryside, Stella takes...  more

Stella Kendrick is an all-American heiress who can't be tamed. But when the lively aspiring equine trainer tangles with British aristocracy, she meets her match--and a murderer . . . Spring, 1905: Free-spirited like the Thoroughbreds she rides across the Kentucky countryside, Stella takes adventure by the reins when she's asked to attend a mysterious wedding in rural England. But once she arrives at the lush Morrington Hall estate, her cold and ambitious father confesses that he won't only give away his best racehorses as gifts--he has also arranged to give away his daughter as bride to the Earl of Atherly's financially strapped son . . . Stella refuses to be sold off like a prized pony. Yet despite a rough start, there's something intriguing about her groom-to-be, the roguish Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst. The unlikely pair could actually be on the right track with each other . . . until they find the vicar who was to marry them dead in the library. With culture clashes mounting between families, a scandalous murder case hangs over Morrington Hall. Now, Stella and Lyndy must go from future spouses to amateur sleuths as they team up to search for the truth--and prevent an unbridled criminal from destroying their new life together right out of the gate . . .

At the heart of this novel is an enigma. How can a murder take place in a locked room, which shows no sign of being entered? Besides the crime committed in Paris against the daughter of Professor Stangerson, the novel is also about the rivalry to solve the case between a detective and a young...  more

At the heart of this novel is an enigma. How can a murder take place in a locked room, which shows no sign of being entered? Besides the crime committed in Paris against the daughter of Professor Stangerson, the novel is also about the rivalry to solve the case between a detective and a young junior reporter on a leading newspaper, Joseph Rouletabille, who reveals in the most dramatic fashion the identity of the real murderer. The Mystery of the Yellow Room combines the weird, creepy atmosphere of the nineteenth-century thriller, the meticulous logic of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and the techniques of early twentieth-century sensationalist journalism. In the hands of Leroux, the detective novel becomes the fictional equivalent of investigative journalism.

With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.    When the...  more

With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.    When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old -- a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her. But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.

Kat Stanford is just days away from starting her dream antique business with her newly widowed mother Iris when she gets a huge shock. Iris has recklessly purchased a dilapidated carriage house at Honeychurch Hall, an isolated country estate complete with eccentric lords and ladies and butlers...  more

Kat Stanford is just days away from starting her dream antique business with her newly widowed mother Iris when she gets a huge shock. Iris has recklessly purchased a dilapidated carriage house at Honeychurch Hall, an isolated country estate complete with eccentric lords and ladies and butlers and cooks. When a secret from the past comes back to haunt Iris, Kat realizes she hardly knows her mother at all. And when the bodies start piling up, it is up to Kat to unravel the tangled truth behind the murders at Honeychurch Hall.

[Read by Hugh Fraser] . Crooked House -- The Leonides are one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion -- that is, until the head of the household, Aristide, is murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years...  more

[Read by Hugh Fraser] . Crooked House -- The Leonides are one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion -- that is, until the head of the household, Aristide, is murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiance of the late millionaire's granddaughter.

A victim is found, brutally murdered and the police are certain they've caught the killer. Their only suspect: Gino Donatelli. Frank and Sarah know Gino is innocent but the police have a one-track mind. Once Frank struck it rich and left their ranks taking Gino with him, there has been a...  more

A victim is found, brutally murdered and the police are certain they've caught the killer. Their only suspect: Gino Donatelli. Frank and Sarah know Gino is innocent but the police have a one-track mind. Once Frank struck it rich and left their ranks taking Gino with him, there has been a simmering resentment in the department. And now, someone has pulled out all the stops to make it look like Gino is the only one who could have committed the crime. With the clock ticking and evidence mounting against their friend, Sarah and Frank will try to unravel a treacherous plot before Gino is sent up the river for good.

In the spirit of Agatha Christie, Lee Strauss presents a brand new series reminiscent of the Golden Age of Mysteries. It's 1923 and young war widow fashionista Ginger Gold makes a cross-Atlantic journey with her companion Haley Higgins to London England to settle her father's estate....  more

In the spirit of Agatha Christie, Lee Strauss presents a brand new series reminiscent of the Golden Age of Mysteries. It's 1923 and young war widow fashionista Ginger Gold makes a cross-Atlantic journey with her companion Haley Higgins to London England to settle her father's estate. When the ship's captain is found dead, Ginger is only too happy to lend her assistance to the handsome Chief Inspector Basil Reed. The SS Rosa delivers a convincing array of suspects -- the wife, the mistress, a jealous crew mate. To Ginger's dismay, her name has been added to the list! With a little help from Ginger's dog Boss, Ginger and Haley navigate the clues (those wartime operative skills come in handy.) They must solve the case and clear Ginger's name before they dock -- and oh, whatever shall she wear!

In the sobering yet hopeful years following the First World War, Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, find their summer plans marred by an instance of murder . . .   Phoebe and her sister Julia are eager for a summer getaway at High Head Lodge, the newly purchased...  more

In the sobering yet hopeful years following the First World War, Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, find their summer plans marred by an instance of murder . . .   Phoebe and her sister Julia are eager for a summer getaway at High Head Lodge, the newly purchased estate of their cousin Regina. But they are not the only houseguests. Regina's odd friend, Olive, is far from friendly, and Regina's mother and brother -- bitter over the unequal distribution of her father's inheritance -- have descended on the house to confront Regina.   In addition to the family tension, Eva is increasingly suspicious of Lady Julia's new maid. She questions Miss Stanley's loyalty and integrity, wondering why she left her former employer so suddenly. And why does Regina seem ill at ease around the maid, as if they were previously acquainted? Everyone, it appears, is on edge.   But things go from tense to tragic when their hostess meets an untimely end -- mysteriously murdered in her bed with no signs of struggle. Now, with suspects in every room, Lady Phoebe and Eva must uncover secrets hidden behind closed doors -- before a killer ensures they never leave High Head Lodge . . . alive

For Newport, Rhode Island’s high society, the summer of 1896 brings lawn parties, sailboat races…and murder. Having turned down the proposal of Derrick Andrews, Emma Cross has no imminent plans for matrimony—let alone motherhood. But when she discovers an infant left on...  more

For Newport, Rhode Island’s high society, the summer of 1896 brings lawn parties, sailboat races…and murder. Having turned down the proposal of Derrick Andrews, Emma Cross has no imminent plans for matrimony—let alone motherhood. But when she discovers an infant left on her doorstep, she naturally takes the child into her care. Using her influence as a cousin to the Vanderbilts and a society page reporter for the Newport Observer, Emma launches a discreet search for the baby’s mother. One of her first stops is a lawn party at Mrs. Caroline Astor’s Beechwood estate. But an idyllic summer’s day is soon clouded by tragedy. During a sailboat race, textile magnate Virgil Monroe falls overboard. There are prompt accusations of foul play—and even Derrick Andrews falls under suspicion. Deepening the intrigue, a telltale slip of lace may link the abandoned child to the drowned man. But as Emma navigates dark undercurrents of scandalous indiscretions and violent passions, she’ll need to watch her step to ensure that no one lowers the boom on her…

Phryne leaves the tedium of English high society for Melbourne, Australia, and never looks back. The London season is in full fling at the end of the 1920s, but the Honourable Phryne Fisher - she of the green-grey eyes, diamant garters and outfits that should not be sprung suddenly on those...  more

Phryne leaves the tedium of English high society for Melbourne, Australia, and never looks back. The London season is in full fling at the end of the 1920s, but the Honourable Phryne Fisher - she of the green-grey eyes, diamant garters and outfits that should not be sprung suddenly on those of nervous dispositions - is rapidly tiring of the tedium of arranging flowers, making polite conversations with retired colonels, and dancing with weak-chinned men. Instead, Phryne decides it might be rather amusing to try her hand at being a lady detective in Melbourne, Australia. Almost immediately from the time she books into the Windsor Hotel, Phryne is embroiled in mystery: poisoned wives, cocaine smuggling rings, corrupt cops and communism - not to mention erotic encounters with the beautiful Russian dancer, Sasha de Lisse - until her adventure reaches its steamy end in the Turkish baths of Little Lonsdale Street. Reader: Stephanie Daniel. Audio MP3 (approximately 5 hr., 50 min.)

With their fortunes dwindling, Reggie and his wife, Midge, have turned the family mansion into an English country inn. When Midge gets a call from an old classmate who arranges “mystery tours” for visiting Americans, she happily agrees to host one of these staged-murder...  more

With their fortunes dwindling, Reggie and his wife, Midge, have turned the family mansion into an English country inn. When Midge gets a call from an old classmate who arranges “mystery tours” for visiting Americans, she happily agrees to host one of these staged-murder events. But the tour seems to be a disaster from the get-go, with lots of arguing and complaining among those involved. Then, after a massive snowstorm, a real murder takes place—and it’s up to the amateur sleuths to solve the case before the killer checks them out permanently. Read by Steven Crossley. 6 audio discs (approximately 6 hr., 30 min.)

Edinburgh, Scotland. March 1832. Kiera and Gage have been eagerly awaiting their bundle of joy but trouble has been brewing in the form of the roguish criminal Bonnie Brock Kincaid. A new book and subsequent play features some of Kincaid's daringly heinous exploits, although he swears he had...  more

Edinburgh, Scotland. March 1832. Kiera and Gage have been eagerly awaiting their bundle of joy but trouble has been brewing in the form of the roguish criminal Bonnie Brock Kincaid. A new book and subsequent play features some of Kincaid's daringly heinous exploits, although he swears he had nothing to do with it or the characters which are obvious representations of Kiera and Gage. While the scoundrel's fury seems genuine, as well as his determined quest to uncover the real identity of the author, the Gages still hold doubts about his innocence. A rash of crimes break out across the city, seemingly inspired by the play and book. When the publisher is found brutally murdered - in an imitation of a gruesome scene - the finger not only points to Bonnie Brock as the possible culprit, but also the Gages, who have been outspoken in their condemnation of the tale. Now, the Gages are on a hunt to unmask the killer. Between the infamy garnered by the play, the cholera outbreak still wreaking havoc throughout the city, and the impending birth of their child, they will need all the resources they can garner. But family quarrels and the revelation of a secret Kiera has been keeping from Sebastian threaten to undermine everything they have overcome. When they find themselves in the crosshairs of the killer, trapped in the squalid underground vaults of the city, they will soon discover that the truth does not always set you free, and death can lurk around any corner.

The author of A Gilded Grave returns to Newport, Rhode Island, at the close of the nineteenth century, where headstrong heiress Deanna Randolph must solve another murder among the social elite. With her mother in Europe, Deanna is staying with the Ballard family, who agree to chaperone her...  more

The author of A Gilded Grave returns to Newport, Rhode Island, at the close of the nineteenth century, where headstrong heiress Deanna Randolph must solve another murder among the social elite. With her mother in Europe, Deanna is staying with the Ballard family, who agree to chaperone her through the summer season and guide her toward an advantageous marriage proposal, or so her mother hopes. Relishing her new freedom, Deanna is more interested in buying one of the fashionable new bathing costumes, joining a ladies bicycling club, and befriending an actress named Amabelle Deeks, all of which would scandalize her mother.   Far more scandalous is the discovery of a young man bludgeoned to death on the conservatory floor at Bonheur, the Ballards sumptuous cottage. Deanna recognizes him as an actor who performed at the birthday fete for a prominent judge the night before. But why was he at Bonheur? And where is Amabelle?  Concerned her new friend may be in danger -- or worse -- Deanna enlists the help of her intrepid maid, Elspeth, and her former beau, Joe Ballard, to find Amabelle before the villain of this drama demands an encore.

?Witty, racy, and full of gorgeous period detail, Ask Me No Questions is the perfect book for all of us who miss Downtown Abbey.? ?Tasha Alexander, New York Times bestselling authorFrom New York Times bestselling author Shelley Noble, Ask Me No Questions is the first in the Lady Dunbridge...  more

?Witty, racy, and full of gorgeous period detail, Ask Me No Questions is the perfect book for all of us who miss Downtown Abbey.? ?Tasha Alexander, New York Times bestselling authorFrom New York Times bestselling author Shelley Noble, Ask Me No Questions is the first in the Lady Dunbridge Mystery series featuring a widow turned sleuth in turn-of-the-twentieth century New York City.A modern woman in 1907, Lady Dunbridge is not about to let a little thing like the death of her husband ruin her social life. She?s ready to take the dazzling world of Gilded Age Manhattan by storm. From the decadence of high society balls to the underbelly of Belmont horse racing, romance, murder, and scandals abound. Someone simply must do something. And Lady Dunbridge is happy to oblige.

There's a skeleton in the attic! Quite literally. After a weeklong passage over the Atlantic from Boston to Liverpool, Ginger Gold arrives at her childhood London home -- Hartigan House -- to find decade-old remains from some poor woman hanging from a noose. Ginger's Boston terrier,...  more

There's a skeleton in the attic! Quite literally. After a weeklong passage over the Atlantic from Boston to Liverpool, Ginger Gold arrives at her childhood London home -- Hartigan House -- to find decade-old remains from some poor woman hanging from a noose. Ginger's Boston terrier, Boss, noses out a missing phalange from under the cot. It's a mystery that once again puts Ginger alongside the handsome Chief Inspector Basil Reed. Who is the victim? And how did she end up in Ginger's home? Clues lead Ginger and her good friend Haley Higgins to a soirée hosted in 1913 by Ginger's late father, George Hartigan. A shadow of suspicion is cast on her father's legacy, and Ginger isn't so sure she wants to know the truth about the man she dearly loved. Ginger decides to host another soirée, inviting the guest list from ten years previous. Before the night is over, another person is dead. 

Madame Yvette's arrival is causing a lot of excitement in Llanfair. Some are enraged at the fact that her new French restaurant sits on the site of an abandoned chapel. Others are thrilled about her sophisticated culinary skills. And Llanfair's men seem intrigued by her exotic beauty--...  more

Madame Yvette's arrival is causing a lot of excitement in Llanfair. Some are enraged at the fact that her new French restaurant sits on the site of an abandoned chapel. Others are thrilled about her sophisticated culinary skills. And Llanfair's men seem intrigued by her exotic beauty-- which isn't making Llanfair's women very happy... But the controversy really heats up after a mysterious fire, when a dead body is found in the smoking ruins of Chez Yvette. This case has Llanfair in a real stew. And Constable Evans is about to bring things to a boil...

Constable Evan Evans, sole police officer in the charming Welsh village of Llanfair, is assigned to assist an expedition to raise a World War II German bomber plane from a lake. The whole venture is being filmed for a documentary on World War II and Evans tries to assist the film crew by finding...  more

Constable Evan Evans, sole police officer in the charming Welsh village of Llanfair, is assigned to assist an expedition to raise a World War II German bomber plane from a lake. The whole venture is being filmed for a documentary on World War II and Evans tries to assist the film crew by finding them local people with stories to tell. Little does he realize that resurrecting the past can sometimes mean opening old wounds. After some unhappy confrontations, it is not just the villagers who are upset by the filmmakers. Evans' own life is thrown into turmoil as he discovers his girlfriend Bronwen's past relationship with someone from the film crew. Tensions build until one of the filmmakers disappears and is eventually found dead in a nearby slate mine. The case grows more complex as Evans slowly uncovers evidence that the victim had many enemies. In the process Evans also exposes an elaborate World War II scheme to hide paintings from the National Gallery. Do these paintings have something to do with the filmmaker's disappearance? How could he be connected to events that took place over half a century ago? With this fifth addition to her critically acclaimed series, Rhys Bowen creates a colorful, page-turning mystery set in two eras against the backdrop of a uniquely appealing small town filled with unforgettable characters.  

Georgie is just back from her honeymoon with Darcy when a friend in need pulls her into a murder in this all-new installment in the Royal Spyness series from Rhys Bowen! Georgie's best friend, Belinda, inherits a spooky old house in Cornwall and asks Georgie to go with her to inspect the...  more

Georgie is just back from her honeymoon with Darcy when a friend in need pulls her into a murder in this all-new installment in the Royal Spyness series from Rhys Bowen! Georgie's best friend, Belinda, inherits a spooky old house in Cornwall and asks Georgie to go with her to inspect the property. When they arrive, they meet Rose, a woman Belinda knew as a child when she spent her summers with her grandmother in Cornwall. Belinda never liked Rose, who has always been bossy and a bit of a bully, but when Belinda's house proves to be uninhabitable, Rose invites them to stay with her. Rose is now married to Tony Summers, Belinda's childhood crush, and lives in the lovely house on the cliffs he has inherited. Rose confides she thinks Tony killed his first wife and now she is afraid. She asks Georgie and Belinda to observe Tony's behavior and their surroundings. Is Rose imagining things? Is Tony dangerous? In their quest for answers, they encounter a creepy housekeeper, Mrs. Manners, and learn that some kind of forgotten tragedy occurred on the property years ago involving them all.  There is a lot of strange to go around and things only get weirder --- and deadlier --- when one night a member of the household is found dead. All clues point to Belinda as the prime suspect. Now Georgie must uncover some long buried secrets that may prove the victim was really a villain before Belinda takes the fall for the murder.

Victorian class lines are crossed when cook Kat Holloway is drawn into a murder that reaches all the way to the throne. Highly sought-after young cook Kat Holloway takes a position in a Mayfair mansion and soon finds herself immersed in the odd household of Lord Rankin. Kat is unbothered by...  more

Victorian class lines are crossed when cook Kat Holloway is drawn into a murder that reaches all the way to the throne. Highly sought-after young cook Kat Holloway takes a position in a Mayfair mansion and soon finds herself immersed in the odd household of Lord Rankin. Kat is unbothered by the family’s eccentricities as long as they stay away from her kitchen, but trouble finds its way below stairs when her young Irish assistant is murdered. Intent on discovering who killed the helpless kitchen maid, Kat turns to the ever-capable Daniel McAdam, who is certainly much more than the charming delivery man he pretends to be. Along with the assistance of Lord Rankin’s unconventional sister-in-law and a mathematical genius, Kat and Daniel discover that the household murder was the barest tip of a plot rife with danger and treason -- one that’s a threat to Queen Victoria herself. 

The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner  – The bridesmaid – The body On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The...  more

The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner  – The bridesmaid – The body On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed. But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast. And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

Strait-laced Carole and her laid back neighbour Jude return in the second of Simon Brett's Fethering Series. It wasn't the rain that upset during Carole Seddon during her walk on the West Sussex Downs. It wasn't the dilapidated barn in which she took shelter. No, what upset her was...  more

Strait-laced Carole and her laid back neighbour Jude return in the second of Simon Brett's Fethering Series. It wasn't the rain that upset during Carole Seddon during her walk on the West Sussex Downs. It wasn't the dilapidated barn in which she took shelter. No, what upset her was the human skeleton she discovered there... So begins the second investigation for Carole and her neighbour Jude. This time their enquires take them away from Fethering to the small hamlet of Weldisham. There gossips quickly identify the corpse as Tamsin Lutteridge, a young woman who disappeared from the village months before. Detective Sergeant Baylis will confirm nothing. So why is Tamsin's mother, a friend of Jude's, so certain her daughter is still alive? And why is the unstable Brian Helling so keen to announce that there is a serial killer on the loose...?  Read by Geoffrey Howard, 7 CDs, 8 hours.

Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is attending the Heritage Society's Pirates and Plunder show when a histroy intern is murdered amidst the gold earrings and doubloons. Even with that on her plate, Theodosia still has to attend Charleston's Food and Wine Festival, where she's...  more

Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is attending the Heritage Society's Pirates and Plunder show when a histroy intern is murdered amidst the gold earrings and doubloons. Even with that on her plate, Theodosia still has to attend Charleston's Food and Wine Festival, where she's hosting a tea and cheese tasting. But as her thoughts keep drifting to the victim, Theodosia knows she'll have to whet her investigative skills to find the killer among a schooner of suspects.

It's out of the cupcake tin, into the fire for Holly White’s best friend, Caroline. Can Holly clear Caroline's name in time to go caroling? When a body turns up in a larger-than-life candy bowl filled with peppermints on the town square, Holly White is horrified to learn her...  more

It's out of the cupcake tin, into the fire for Holly White’s best friend, Caroline. Can Holly clear Caroline's name in time to go caroling? When a body turns up in a larger-than-life candy bowl filled with peppermints on the town square, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect. Everyone in town, including Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, saw Caroline fighting with the victim on the night of his death. Worse, a custom kitchen knife, engraved with Caroline's initials was found with him. Now, just ten days before Christmas, Holly’s up to her jingle bells in holiday shenanigans and in desperate need of a miracle. Juggling extra shifts at her family’s Christmas tree farm and making enough gingerbread jewelry to satisfy the crowd is already more than she can handle?and now she has to find time to clear her best friend of murder. Add in her budding relationship with the sheriff, and a personal stalker dressed as Santa Claus, and Holly’s ready to fly south until springtime. But her Sherpa-lined mittens come off when Caroline is taken into custody. Can Holly wrap up the case in time for Christmas... even after she gains the true killer’s attention?