Crime Chronicle
OCTOBER 2018 • Selected Titles • Printable Version
Crime Chronicle - Modern Crime
abbeys.com.au
In a House of Lies (#22 Rebus)
Ian Rankin
$32.99
Paperback • 384 pages
The iconic Ian Rankin returns with a new Detective John Rebus novel - this year's essential must-read bestseller.
Everyone has something to hide A missing private investigator is found, locked in a car hidden deep in the woods. Worse still - both for his family and the police - is that his body was in an area that had already been searched.
Everyone has secrets Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is part of a new inquiry, combing through the mistakes of the original case. There were always suspicions over how the investigation was handled and now - after a decade without answers - it's time for the truth.
Nobody is innocent Every officer involved must be questioned, and it seems everyone on the case has something to hide, and everything to lose. But there is one man who knows where the trail may lead - and that it could be the end of him: John Rebus.
The Comforts of Home (#9 Simon Serrailler)
Susan Hill
$32.99
Paperback • 336 pages
DC Simon Serrailler's last, devastating case was nearly the death of him and left him confronting a new reality.
Recovering on a remote Scottish island, his peace doesn't last long. He is pulled in to a murder inquiry by the overstretched local police. A newcomer, popular with the islanders, has died in perplexing circumstances. The community's reactions are complicated and fragile.
It's good to be back on the job. And when Simon returns to Lafferton, an arsonist is on the rampage and a woman whose daughter disappeared some years before is haunting the police station seeking closure. She will not let it rest, and Simon is called in to do a cold-case review.
At home, Simon is starting to get used to having a new brother-in-law - in the form of his Chief Constable Kieron Bright. His sister Cat has embarked on a new way of practising medicine, and his nephew Sam is trying to work out what to do with his life. And then their tricky father, Richard, turns up again like a bad penny.
In this gripping new Serrailler thriller, Simon's personal and professional lives intertwine in more complex and demanding ways than ever before.
Recovering on a remote Scottish island, his peace doesn't last long. He is pulled in to a murder inquiry by the overstretched local police. A newcomer, popular with the islanders, has died in perplexing circumstances. The community's reactions are complicated and fragile.
It's good to be back on the job. And when Simon returns to Lafferton, an arsonist is on the rampage and a woman whose daughter disappeared some years before is haunting the police station seeking closure. She will not let it rest, and Simon is called in to do a cold-case review.
At home, Simon is starting to get used to having a new brother-in-law - in the form of his Chief Constable Kieron Bright. His sister Cat has embarked on a new way of practising medicine, and his nephew Sam is trying to work out what to do with his life. And then their tricky father, Richard, turns up again like a bad penny.
In this gripping new Serrailler thriller, Simon's personal and professional lives intertwine in more complex and demanding ways than ever before.
Absolute Proof
Peter James
$29.99
Paperback • 576 pages
Investigative reporter Ross Hunter nearly didn't answer the phone call that would change his life - and possibly the world - for ever.
'I'd just like to assure you I'm not a nutcase, Mr Hunter. My name is Dr Harry F. Cook. I know this is going to sound strange, but I've recently been given absolute proof of God's existence - and I've been advised there is a writer, a respected journalist called Ross Hunter, who could help me to get taken seriously.' What would it take to prove the existence of God? And what would be the consequences?
This question and its answer lie at the heart of Absolute Proof, an international thriller from bestselling author Peter James.
The false faith of a billionaire evangelist, the life's work of a famous atheist, and the credibility of each of the world's major religions are all under threat. If Ross Hunter can survive long enough to present the evidence . . .
'I'd just like to assure you I'm not a nutcase, Mr Hunter. My name is Dr Harry F. Cook. I know this is going to sound strange, but I've recently been given absolute proof of God's existence - and I've been advised there is a writer, a respected journalist called Ross Hunter, who could help me to get taken seriously.' What would it take to prove the existence of God? And what would be the consequences?
This question and its answer lie at the heart of Absolute Proof, an international thriller from bestselling author Peter James.
The false faith of a billionaire evangelist, the life's work of a famous atheist, and the credibility of each of the world's major religions are all under threat. If Ross Hunter can survive long enough to present the evidence . . .
Greeks Bearing Gifts (#13 Bernie Gunther)
Philip Kerr
$19.99
Paperback • 496 pages
1957, Munich. Bernie Gunther's latest move in a string of varied careers sees him working for an insurance company. It makes a kind of sense: both cops and insurance companies have a vested interest in figuring out when people are lying to them, and Bernie has a lifetime of experience to call on.
Sent to Athens to investigate a claim from a fellow German for a sunken ship, Bernie takes an instant dislike to the claimant. When he discovers the ship in question once belonged to a Greek Jew deported to Auschwitz, he is convinced the sinking was no accident but an act of vengeance.
And so Bernie is once again drawn inexorably back to the dark history of the Second World War, and the deportation of the Jews of Salonika - now Thessaloniki. As Europe prepares to move on to a more united future with Germany as a partner rather than an enemy, at least one person in Greece is ready neither to forgive nor forget. And, deep down, Bernie thinks they may have a point.
Sent to Athens to investigate a claim from a fellow German for a sunken ship, Bernie takes an instant dislike to the claimant. When he discovers the ship in question once belonged to a Greek Jew deported to Auschwitz, he is convinced the sinking was no accident but an act of vengeance.
And so Bernie is once again drawn inexorably back to the dark history of the Second World War, and the deportation of the Jews of Salonika - now Thessaloniki. As Europe prepares to move on to a more united future with Germany as a partner rather than an enemy, at least one person in Greece is ready neither to forgive nor forget. And, deep down, Bernie thinks they may have a point.
The Temptation of Forgiveness (#27 Brunetti)
Donna Leon
$19.99
Paperback • 320 pages
Important information is leaking from inside the Venetian Questura, and Commissario Guido Brunetti is tasked with uncovering the culprit. But before Brunetti can begin his investigation, a friend of his wife?s comes asking for his help, fearful that her son is using drugs. A few weeks later, the woman?s husband is found unconscious at the foot of a bridge.
Following various contradictory leads, Brunetti navigates his way through Venice's underworld in an attempt to understand who is responsible for the vicious attack. But as he gets closer to discovering what happened, Brunetti is faced with a difficult truth- sometimes, it?s the best intentions that lead to the darkest of consequences . . .
Following various contradictory leads, Brunetti navigates his way through Venice's underworld in an attempt to understand who is responsible for the vicious attack. But as he gets closer to discovering what happened, Brunetti is faced with a difficult truth- sometimes, it?s the best intentions that lead to the darkest of consequences . . .
Macbeth
Jo Nesbo
$19.99
Paperback • 624 pages
He's the best cop they've got.
When a drug bust turns into a bloodbath it's up to Inspector Macbeth and his team to clean up the mess.
He's also an ex-drug addict with a troubled past.
He's rewarded for his success. Power. Money. Respect. They're all within reach.
But a man like him won't get to the top.
Plagued by hallucinations and paranoia, Macbeth starts to unravel. He's convinced he won't get what is rightfully his.
Unless he kills for it.
'The king of all crime writers' Sunday Express
When a drug bust turns into a bloodbath it's up to Inspector Macbeth and his team to clean up the mess.
He's also an ex-drug addict with a troubled past.
He's rewarded for his success. Power. Money. Respect. They're all within reach.
But a man like him won't get to the top.
Plagued by hallucinations and paranoia, Macbeth starts to unravel. He's convinced he won't get what is rightfully his.
Unless he kills for it.
'The king of all crime writers' Sunday Express
The Budapest Job
Alice Spigelman
$29.95
Paperback • 340 pages
The Budapest Job is a fast-paced thriller that builds to a dramatic revelation. A young Australian architect arrives in Budapest in 1989 on a project, the year Communism is collapsing. He becomes embroiled in a secret police operation amidst the political turmoil of the times as he tries to track down the person who murdered his father in 1953 during the Stalinist years. When he makes the shocking discovery of the perpetrator's identity he must decide whether to take revenge or let let justice be delivered.
A thrilling and chilling book about how the past is never passed. Innocent eyes open at discovering betrayal and collaboration when a communist state collapses - a fine novel that is all too true to life. - Geoffrey Robertson QC
Mysterious, thrilling and dramatic. The Budapest Job is an extraordinary book, a skilful and fast moving, sometimes frightening evocation of the agonies of Hungary under Stalinism and still today. - William Shawcross
A thrilling and chilling book about how the past is never passed. Innocent eyes open at discovering betrayal and collaboration when a communist state collapses - a fine novel that is all too true to life. - Geoffrey Robertson QC
Mysterious, thrilling and dramatic. The Budapest Job is an extraordinary book, a skilful and fast moving, sometimes frightening evocation of the agonies of Hungary under Stalinism and still today. - William Shawcross
The New Girl
Ingrid Alexandra
$24.99
Paperback • 352 pages
'Ingrid Alexandra creates incredible tension from page one. A thoroughly unsettling read - in the best way possible!' Sarah Bailey
You've only just met. But she already knows you so well.
When Rachel moves into the spare room in Mary's flat in Sydney, everyone is quick to jump to the conclusion that there's something strange about her. Everyone apart from Mary.
And when Rachel starts sleepwalking, the flatmates' fears grow. But there's something about the new girl that Mary can't help but trust, and having recently escaped a toxic relationship, she needs the support.
Rachel becomes a friend and an ally, and Mary soon discovers that they have more in common than she ever could have imagined.
In fact, Rachel seems to know more about Mary than she knows about herself...
A twisty and unnerving psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Erin Kelly's He Said, She Said and Laura Marshall's Friend Request.
You've only just met. But she already knows you so well.
When Rachel moves into the spare room in Mary's flat in Sydney, everyone is quick to jump to the conclusion that there's something strange about her. Everyone apart from Mary.
And when Rachel starts sleepwalking, the flatmates' fears grow. But there's something about the new girl that Mary can't help but trust, and having recently escaped a toxic relationship, she needs the support.
Rachel becomes a friend and an ally, and Mary soon discovers that they have more in common than she ever could have imagined.
In fact, Rachel seems to know more about Mary than she knows about herself...
A twisty and unnerving psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Erin Kelly's He Said, She Said and Laura Marshall's Friend Request.
Mr Campion's War
Mike Ripley
$44.95
Hardback • 256 pages
"Pop has never talked about what he did in the war Whatever he did, it was pretty secret stuff": the intriguing new Albert Campion mystery.
Campions young and old, extended family members and loyal friends are gathered at the Dorchester Hotel to celebrate Albert Campion's seventieth birthday - along with some intriguing, unrecognizable guests. Who exactly are the mysterious, aristocratic, scar-faced German, Freiherr Robert von Ringer, and the elegantly chic Madame Thibus - and what is their connection to Mr Campion?
Campion has decided the time has come to enthral his guests with his account of his wartime experiences in Vichy France more than twenty-five years before, but in doing so he unveils a series of extraordinary events. Why here, and why now? Not least as Campion's shocking revelations have repercussions which reverberate to the present day, putting one of his guests in deadly danger...
Campions young and old, extended family members and loyal friends are gathered at the Dorchester Hotel to celebrate Albert Campion's seventieth birthday - along with some intriguing, unrecognizable guests. Who exactly are the mysterious, aristocratic, scar-faced German, Freiherr Robert von Ringer, and the elegantly chic Madame Thibus - and what is their connection to Mr Campion?
Campion has decided the time has come to enthral his guests with his account of his wartime experiences in Vichy France more than twenty-five years before, but in doing so he unveils a series of extraordinary events. Why here, and why now? Not least as Campion's shocking revelations have repercussions which reverberate to the present day, putting one of his guests in deadly danger...
November Road
Lou Berney
$32.99
Paperback • 400 pages
Set against the assassination of JFK, a poignant and evocative crime novel that centres on a desperate cat-and-mouse chase across 1960s America - a story of unexpected connections, daring possibilities, and the hope of second chances from the Edgar Award-winning author of The Long and Faraway Gone. Frank Guidry's luck has finally run out...
A loyal street lieutenant to New Orleans' mob boss Carlos Marcello, Guidry knows too much about the crime of the century: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Within hours of JFK's murder, everyone with ties to Marcello is turning up dead. Suspecting he's next, Guidry hits the road to Las Vegas. When he spots a beautiful housewife and her two young daughters stranded on the side of the road, he sees the perfect disguise to cover his tracks from the hit men on his trail.
The two strangers share the open road west - and find each other on the way. But Guidry's relentless hunters are closing in on him, and now he doesn't want to just survive, he wants to really live, maybe for the first time.
Everyone's expendable, or they should be, but Guidry just can't throw away the woman he's come to love. And it might get them both killed.
A loyal street lieutenant to New Orleans' mob boss Carlos Marcello, Guidry knows too much about the crime of the century: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Within hours of JFK's murder, everyone with ties to Marcello is turning up dead. Suspecting he's next, Guidry hits the road to Las Vegas. When he spots a beautiful housewife and her two young daughters stranded on the side of the road, he sees the perfect disguise to cover his tracks from the hit men on his trail.
The two strangers share the open road west - and find each other on the way. But Guidry's relentless hunters are closing in on him, and now he doesn't want to just survive, he wants to really live, maybe for the first time.
Everyone's expendable, or they should be, but Guidry just can't throw away the woman he's come to love. And it might get them both killed.
Murder Take Three (#5 Langham & Dupre)
Eric Brown
$29.95
Paperback • 208 pages
1950s Private Investigator Donald Langham discovers that truth is stranger than fiction when he investigates a murder on an American movie set.
1956. Having just started work as a professional private investigator, Donald Langham's first client is American movie star Suzie Reynard, currently shooting a murder mystery film at Marling Hall, an Elizabethan manor house in the depths of the Norfolk countryside. The film's director - Suzie's lover - has been receiving threats and Suzie is convinced his life is in danger.
On arriving at Marling Hall with his fianc e Maria, Langham finds the film set awash with clashing egos, petty jealousies, ill-advised love affairs and seething resentments. Matters come to a head when a body is discovered in the director's trailer.
It would appear to be an open-and-shut case when someone confesses to the murder. Donald and Maria are not convinced - but why would someone confess to a crime they haven't committed? If Langham is to uncover the truth, he must delve into the past and another murder that took place more than twenty years before...
1956. Having just started work as a professional private investigator, Donald Langham's first client is American movie star Suzie Reynard, currently shooting a murder mystery film at Marling Hall, an Elizabethan manor house in the depths of the Norfolk countryside. The film's director - Suzie's lover - has been receiving threats and Suzie is convinced his life is in danger.
On arriving at Marling Hall with his fianc e Maria, Langham finds the film set awash with clashing egos, petty jealousies, ill-advised love affairs and seething resentments. Matters come to a head when a body is discovered in the director's trailer.
It would appear to be an open-and-shut case when someone confesses to the murder. Donald and Maria are not convinced - but why would someone confess to a crime they haven't committed? If Langham is to uncover the truth, he must delve into the past and another murder that took place more than twenty years before...
Need To Know
Karen Cleveland
$19.99
Paperback • 384 pages
Married for ten years. Four children. She thought she knew her husband better than anyone. She was wrong.
You get to work. Make a coffee. Turn on your computer.
Your task- break into a Russian criminal's laptop and find proof that he's concealing five deep-cover agents - seemingly normal people living in plain sight.
You're in. Five faces stare back at you.
One of them is your husband.
You get to work. Make a coffee. Turn on your computer.
Your task- break into a Russian criminal's laptop and find proof that he's concealing five deep-cover agents - seemingly normal people living in plain sight.
You're in. Five faces stare back at you.
One of them is your husband.
Charlatans
Robin Cook
$17.99
Paperback • 448 pages
An explosive thriller from New York Times bestselling author and master of the medical thriller Robin Cook.
Newly minted chief resident at Boston Memorial Hospital Noah Rothauser is swamped in his new position, from managing the surgical schedules to dealing with the fallouts from patient deaths. Known for its medical advances, the famed teaching hospital has fitted several ORs as "hybrid operating rooms of the future" - an improvement that seems positive until an anesthesia error during a routine procedure results in the death of an otherwise healthy man. Noah suspects Dr. William Mason, an egotistical, world-class surgeon, of an error during the operation and of tampering with the patient's record afterward. But Mason is quick to blame anesthesiologist, Dr. Ava London.
When more anesthesia-related deaths start to occur, Noah is forced to question all of the residents on his staff, including Ava, and he quickly realizes there's more to her than what he sees. A social-media junkie, Ava has created multiple alternate personas for herself on the Internet. With his own job and credibility now in jeopardy, Noah must decide which doctor is at fault and who he can believe-before any more lives are lost.
Newly minted chief resident at Boston Memorial Hospital Noah Rothauser is swamped in his new position, from managing the surgical schedules to dealing with the fallouts from patient deaths. Known for its medical advances, the famed teaching hospital has fitted several ORs as "hybrid operating rooms of the future" - an improvement that seems positive until an anesthesia error during a routine procedure results in the death of an otherwise healthy man. Noah suspects Dr. William Mason, an egotistical, world-class surgeon, of an error during the operation and of tampering with the patient's record afterward. But Mason is quick to blame anesthesiologist, Dr. Ava London.
When more anesthesia-related deaths start to occur, Noah is forced to question all of the residents on his staff, including Ava, and he quickly realizes there's more to her than what he sees. A social-media junkie, Ava has created multiple alternate personas for herself on the Internet. With his own job and credibility now in jeopardy, Noah must decide which doctor is at fault and who he can believe-before any more lives are lost.
False Witness
Michelle Davies
$17.99
Paperback • 432 pages
False Witness by Michelle Davies is the gripping third novel in the critically acclaimed Maggie Neville series, following Gone Astray and Wrong Place.
7.15am: Two children are seen on top of a wall in a school.
Shortly later one of them lies fatally injured at the bottom.
Did the boy fall or was he pushed?
As a family liaison offer, DC Maggie Neville has seen parents crumble under the weight of their child's death. Imogen Tyler is no different. Her son's fall was witnessed by the school caretaker, a pupil is under suspicion, and Imogen is paralysed by grief and questions.
For Maggie, finding the truth is paramount if she is to help the mother. But as she investigates, further doubts emerge and the truth suddenly seems far from certain. Could the witness be mistaken about what happened, and if he is, then who is responsible? And how far will they go to cover up the boy's death?
7.15am: Two children are seen on top of a wall in a school.
Shortly later one of them lies fatally injured at the bottom.
Did the boy fall or was he pushed?
As a family liaison offer, DC Maggie Neville has seen parents crumble under the weight of their child's death. Imogen Tyler is no different. Her son's fall was witnessed by the school caretaker, a pupil is under suspicion, and Imogen is paralysed by grief and questions.
For Maggie, finding the truth is paramount if she is to help the mother. But as she investigates, further doubts emerge and the truth suddenly seems far from certain. Could the witness be mistaken about what happened, and if he is, then who is responsible? And how far will they go to cover up the boy's death?
Hardcore 24 (#24 Stephanie Plum)
Janet Evanovich
$19.99
Paperback • 320 pages
Headless bodies have started appearing across town in Trenton, New Jersey...
Mutilated corpses litter the streets of New Jersey in Hardcore Twenty-Four, the thrilling twenty-fourth adventure in the laugh-out-loud Stephanie Plum series by No. 1 bestselling author Janet Evanovich. The perfect read for fans of Harlan Coben and Sue Grafton.
At first, it's just corpses from a funeral home and the morgue that have had the heads removed. Then a homeless man is murdered and dumped behind a church. Stephanie Plum knows that she's the only one with a prayer of catching this killer.
If that's not enough, Diesel's back in town. The six-foot-tall, blond-haired hunk accepts no limits - that includes locked doors, closed windows and underwear. Trenton's hottest cop, Joe Morelli, isn't pleased at his arrival, nor is Ranger, the high-powered security consultant with his own plans for Stephanie.
Jersey's favourite bounty hunter is stuck in the middle with more questions than answers. Who is behind the startling epidemic of mutilated corpses? And is the enigmatic Diesel's sudden appearance a coincidence or the cause of recent deadly events?
Mutilated corpses litter the streets of New Jersey in Hardcore Twenty-Four, the thrilling twenty-fourth adventure in the laugh-out-loud Stephanie Plum series by No. 1 bestselling author Janet Evanovich. The perfect read for fans of Harlan Coben and Sue Grafton.
At first, it's just corpses from a funeral home and the morgue that have had the heads removed. Then a homeless man is murdered and dumped behind a church. Stephanie Plum knows that she's the only one with a prayer of catching this killer.
If that's not enough, Diesel's back in town. The six-foot-tall, blond-haired hunk accepts no limits - that includes locked doors, closed windows and underwear. Trenton's hottest cop, Joe Morelli, isn't pleased at his arrival, nor is Ranger, the high-powered security consultant with his own plans for Stephanie.
Jersey's favourite bounty hunter is stuck in the middle with more questions than answers. Who is behind the startling epidemic of mutilated corpses? And is the enigmatic Diesel's sudden appearance a coincidence or the cause of recent deadly events?
Red War (#17 Mitch Rapp)
Vince Flynn , Kyle Mills
$32.99
Paperback • 400 pages
When Russian president Maxim Krupin discovers that he has inoperable brain cancer, he's determined to cling to power. His first task is to kill or imprison any of his countrymen who can threaten him. Soon, though, his illness becomes serious enough to require a more dramatic diversion - war with the West.
Upon learning of Krupin's condition, CIA director Irene Kennedy understands that the US is facing an opponent who has nothing to lose. The only way to avoid a confrontation that could leave millions dead is to send Mitch Rapp to Russia under impossibly dangerous orders. With the Kremlin's entire security apparatus hunting him, he must find and kill a man many have deemed the most powerful in the world.
Success means averting a war that could consume all of Europe. But if his mission is discovered, Rapp will plunge Russia and America into a conflict that neither will survive.
Upon learning of Krupin's condition, CIA director Irene Kennedy understands that the US is facing an opponent who has nothing to lose. The only way to avoid a confrontation that could leave millions dead is to send Mitch Rapp to Russia under impossibly dangerous orders. With the Kremlin's entire security apparatus hunting him, he must find and kill a man many have deemed the most powerful in the world.
Success means averting a war that could consume all of Europe. But if his mission is discovered, Rapp will plunge Russia and America into a conflict that neither will survive.
Crisis: A Dick Francis Novel
Felix Francis
$29.99
Paperback • 432 pages
Harrison Foster is a lawyer by training but works as a crisis manager for a London firm that specializes in such matters. Summoned to Newmarket after a fire in the Chadwick Stables slaughters six very valuable horses, including the short-priced favourite for the Derby, Harry (as he is known) finds there is far more to the ‘simple’ fire than initially meets the eye. For a start, human remains are found amongst the equestrian ones in the burnt-out shell. All the stable staff are accounted for, so who is the mystery victim?
Harry knows very little about horses, indeed he positively dislikes them, but he is thrust unwillingly into the world of Thoroughbred racing where the standard of care of the equine stars is far higher than that of the humans who attend to them.
The Chadwick family are a dysfunctional racing dynasty, with the emphasis being on the nasty. Resentment between the generations is rife and sibling rivalry bubbles away like volcanic magma beneath a thin crust of respectability.
Harry represents the Middle-Eastern owner of the Derby favourite and, as he delves deeper into the unanswered questions surrounding the horse’s demise, he ignites a fuse that blows the volcano sky-high, putting him in grave jeopardy. Can Harry solve the riddle before he is overcome by the toxic emissions from the eruption and is bumped off by the fallout?
Harry knows very little about horses, indeed he positively dislikes them, but he is thrust unwillingly into the world of Thoroughbred racing where the standard of care of the equine stars is far higher than that of the humans who attend to them.
The Chadwick family are a dysfunctional racing dynasty, with the emphasis being on the nasty. Resentment between the generations is rife and sibling rivalry bubbles away like volcanic magma beneath a thin crust of respectability.
Harry represents the Middle-Eastern owner of the Derby favourite and, as he delves deeper into the unanswered questions surrounding the horse’s demise, he ignites a fuse that blows the volcano sky-high, putting him in grave jeopardy. Can Harry solve the riddle before he is overcome by the toxic emissions from the eruption and is bumped off by the fallout?
The Winters
Lisa Gabriele
$32.99
Paperback • 288 pages
An addictively suspenseful new novel set in the glamorous world of the New York Hamptons, about secrets that refuse to remain buried and consequences that cannot be escaped.
How do you replace the perfect wife?
After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded mansion of her new fiancé Max Winter - a wealthy senator and recent widower - and to a life of luxury she’s never known.
But all is not as it appears at the Asherley estate. The house is steeped in the memory of Max’s beautiful first wife Rebekah, who haunts the young woman’s imagination and feeds her uncertainties, while his very alive teenage daughter Dani makes her life a living hell.
As the soon-to-be second Mrs. Winter grows more in love with Max, and more afraid of Dani, she is drawn deeper into the family’s dark secrets - the kind of secrets that could kill her, too.
How do you replace the perfect wife?
After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded mansion of her new fiancé Max Winter - a wealthy senator and recent widower - and to a life of luxury she’s never known.
But all is not as it appears at the Asherley estate. The house is steeped in the memory of Max’s beautiful first wife Rebekah, who haunts the young woman’s imagination and feeds her uncertainties, while his very alive teenage daughter Dani makes her life a living hell.
As the soon-to-be second Mrs. Winter grows more in love with Max, and more afraid of Dani, she is drawn deeper into the family’s dark secrets - the kind of secrets that could kill her, too.
The Last Brother
Andrew Gross
$29.99
Paperback • 384 pages
From International Number One Bestseller Andrew Gross, The Last Brother is the thrilling historical novel about three brothers and the Mafia in 1930s New York.
United by blood 1930s New York City. Three brothers grow up poor on the Lower East Side, until the death of their father forces them to find work to support their family. Each brother takes a different path.
Divided by ambition Twelve-year-old Morris Rabishevsky apprentices himself to a garment manufacturer with the aim of running the business. Sol, six years older, heads to accounting school but is forced to drop out. Scarred by a family tragedy, Harry falls under the spell of the charismatic Louis Buchalter, who in a few short years becomes the most ruthless mobster in town.
Torn apart by conflict Morris convinces Sol to go into business with him, but Harry can't be lured away from the glamour, power and money of the mob. As their business grows, Buchalter sets his sights on the unions that control the garment maker's factories, setting up a fatal showdown that could bring them together or shatter their family forever.
United by blood 1930s New York City. Three brothers grow up poor on the Lower East Side, until the death of their father forces them to find work to support their family. Each brother takes a different path.
Divided by ambition Twelve-year-old Morris Rabishevsky apprentices himself to a garment manufacturer with the aim of running the business. Sol, six years older, heads to accounting school but is forced to drop out. Scarred by a family tragedy, Harry falls under the spell of the charismatic Louis Buchalter, who in a few short years becomes the most ruthless mobster in town.
Torn apart by conflict Morris convinces Sol to go into business with him, but Harry can't be lured away from the glamour, power and money of the mob. As their business grows, Buchalter sets his sights on the unions that control the garment maker's factories, setting up a fatal showdown that could bring them together or shatter their family forever.
Come and Find Me (#5 Marnie Rowe)
Sarah Hilary
$22.99
Paperback • 384 pages
Gripping, tense, twisty and full of emotional insight, COME AND FIND ME is Sarah Hilary's Marnie Rome 5 book, for fans of Mick Herron or Clare Mackintosh.
On the surface, Lara Chorley and Ruth Hull have nothing in common, other than their infatuation with Michael Vokey. Each is writing to a sadistic inmate, sharing her secrets, whispering her worst fears, craving his attention.
DI Marnie Rome understands obsession. She's finding it hard to give up her own addiction to a dangerous man: her foster brother, Stephen Keele. She wasn't able to save her parents from Stephen. She lives with that guilt every day.
As the hunt for Vokey gathers pace, Marnie fears one of the women may have found him - and is about to pay the ultimate price.
'Hilary belts out a corker of a story, all wrapped up in her vivid, effortless prose. If you're not reading this series of London-set police procedurals then you need to start right away' Observer
On the surface, Lara Chorley and Ruth Hull have nothing in common, other than their infatuation with Michael Vokey. Each is writing to a sadistic inmate, sharing her secrets, whispering her worst fears, craving his attention.
DI Marnie Rome understands obsession. She's finding it hard to give up her own addiction to a dangerous man: her foster brother, Stephen Keele. She wasn't able to save her parents from Stephen. She lives with that guilt every day.
As the hunt for Vokey gathers pace, Marnie fears one of the women may have found him - and is about to pay the ultimate price.
'Hilary belts out a corker of a story, all wrapped up in her vivid, effortless prose. If you're not reading this series of London-set police procedurals then you need to start right away' Observer
Wrecked (#3 IQ)
Joe Ide
$29.99
Paperback • 368 pages
A missing mother leads IQ on a hunt to track down a bunch of dangerous paramilitary killers. The latest in the award-winning series that just gets better and better.
Isaiah Quintabe - IQ for short - has never been more successful, or felt more alone. A series of high-profile wins in his hometown of East Long Beach have made him so notorious that he can hardly go to the corner store without being recognized. Dodson, once his sidekick, is now his full-fledged partner, hell-bent on giving IQ's PI business some real legitimacy: a Facebook page, and IQ's promise to stop accepting Christmas sweaters and carpet cleanings in exchange for PI services.
So when a young painter approaches IQ for help tracking down her missing mother, it's not just the case Isaiah's looking for, but the human connection. And when his new confidant turns out to be connected to a dangerous paramilitary operation, IQ falls victim to a threat even a genius can't see coming.
Waiting for Isaiah around every corner is Seb, the Oxford-educated African gangster who was responsible for the death of his brother, Marcus. Only, this time, Isaiah's not alone. Joined by a new love interest and his familiar band of accomplices, IQ is back - and the adventures are better than ever.
Isaiah Quintabe - IQ for short - has never been more successful, or felt more alone. A series of high-profile wins in his hometown of East Long Beach have made him so notorious that he can hardly go to the corner store without being recognized. Dodson, once his sidekick, is now his full-fledged partner, hell-bent on giving IQ's PI business some real legitimacy: a Facebook page, and IQ's promise to stop accepting Christmas sweaters and carpet cleanings in exchange for PI services.
So when a young painter approaches IQ for help tracking down her missing mother, it's not just the case Isaiah's looking for, but the human connection. And when his new confidant turns out to be connected to a dangerous paramilitary operation, IQ falls victim to a threat even a genius can't see coming.
Waiting for Isaiah around every corner is Seb, the Oxford-educated African gangster who was responsible for the death of his brother, Marcus. Only, this time, Isaiah's not alone. Joined by a new love interest and his familiar band of accomplices, IQ is back - and the adventures are better than ever.
The Forbidden Place
Susanne Jansson , Rachel Willson-Broyles
$29.99
Hardback • 320 pages
A young woman returns to the place she grew up, the village on the edge of the mire. Something seems to be driving her there - perhaps a last chance to confront the terrible tragedy of her childhood. But her arrival coincides with an attack on a young man she has feelings for, a grave is dug in the mire which vanishes a day later, and then the bodies start surfacing. Is the mire calling out for sacrifices, or is it an all-too human evil?
The Surrogate
Louise Jensen
$19.99
Paperback • 354 pages
She can give you everything you want... But can you trust her?
Kat and her husband Nick have tried everything to become parents. All they want is a child to love but they are beginning to lose hope. Then a chance encounter with Kat's childhood friend Lisa gives them one last chance.
Kat and Lisa were once as close as sisters. The secrets they share mean their trust is for life... Or is it?
Just when the couple's dream seems within reach, Kat begins to suspect she's being watched and Nick is telling her lies.
Are the cracks appearing in Kat's perfect picture of the future all in her head, or should she be scared for the lives of herself and her family?
How far would you go, to protect everything you love?
Kat and her husband Nick have tried everything to become parents. All they want is a child to love but they are beginning to lose hope. Then a chance encounter with Kat's childhood friend Lisa gives them one last chance.
Kat and Lisa were once as close as sisters. The secrets they share mean their trust is for life... Or is it?
Just when the couple's dream seems within reach, Kat begins to suspect she's being watched and Nick is telling her lies.
Are the cracks appearing in Kat's perfect picture of the future all in her head, or should she be scared for the lives of herself and her family?
How far would you go, to protect everything you love?
Lost Creed (#4 Ryder Creed)
Alex Kava
$19.99
Paperback • 336 pages
Fifteen years ago Ryder Creed's sister, Brodie disappeared from an interstate rest stop. She was only eleven and Creed was fourteen. Since then her disappearance has haunted him, so much so that Creed has dedicated his life to his K9 business. He rescues abandoned dogs and trains them for scent detection. Together they search for the lost and missing.
A thousand miles away during a police raid, FBI special agent Maggie O'Dell stumbles upon a clue that may explain what happened to Brodie Creed all those years ago. The search and scavenger hunt that follows will be as gut-wrenching for Creed, as are the answers he discovers.
A thousand miles away during a police raid, FBI special agent Maggie O'Dell stumbles upon a clue that may explain what happened to Brodie Creed all those years ago. The search and scavenger hunt that follows will be as gut-wrenching for Creed, as are the answers he discovers.
Girl in Snow
Danya Kukafka
$17.99
Paperback • 320 pages
As morning dawns in a sleepy Colorado suburb, a dusting of snow covers high-school freshman Lucinda Hayes's dead body on a playground carousel. Accusations spread quickly and Lucinda's tragic death draws three outsiders from the shadows.
Oddball Cameron Whitley loved - still loves - Lucinda. Though they've hardly ever spoken, and any sensible onlooker would call him Lucinda's stalker, Cameron is convinced that he knows her better than anyone. Completely untethered by the news of her death, Cameron's erratic behaviour provides the town ample reason to suspect that he's the killer.
Jade Dixon-Burns hates Lucinda. Lucinda took everything from her. The worst part was Lucinda's blissful ignorance to the damage she'd wrought.
Officer Russ Fletcher doesn't know Lucinda, but he knows the kid everyone is talking about, the boy who may have killed her. Cameron Whitley is his ex-partner's son. Now Russ must take a painful journey through the past to solve Lucinda's murder and keep a promise he made long ago.
Oddball Cameron Whitley loved - still loves - Lucinda. Though they've hardly ever spoken, and any sensible onlooker would call him Lucinda's stalker, Cameron is convinced that he knows her better than anyone. Completely untethered by the news of her death, Cameron's erratic behaviour provides the town ample reason to suspect that he's the killer.
Jade Dixon-Burns hates Lucinda. Lucinda took everything from her. The worst part was Lucinda's blissful ignorance to the damage she'd wrought.
Officer Russ Fletcher doesn't know Lucinda, but he knows the kid everyone is talking about, the boy who may have killed her. Cameron Whitley is his ex-partner's son. Now Russ must take a painful journey through the past to solve Lucinda's murder and keep a promise he made long ago.
After the Fire
Henning Mankell , Marlaine Delargy
$19.99
Paperback • 416 pages
LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER 2018
The final novel from the bestselling author of the Inspector Wallander mysteries.
Fredrik Welin is a seventy-year-old retired doctor. Years ago he retreated to the Swedish archipelago, where he lives alone on an island. He swims in the sea every day, cutting a hole in the ice if necessary. He lives a quiet life. Until he wakes up one night to find his house on fire.
Fredrik escapes just in time, wearing two left-footed wellies, as neighbouring islanders arrive to help douse the flames. All that remains in the morning is a stinking ruin and evidence of arson. The house that has been in his family for generations and all his worldly belongings are gone. He cannot think who would do such a thing, or why. Without a suspect, the police begin to think he started the fire himself.
The final novel from the bestselling author of the Inspector Wallander mysteries.
Fredrik Welin is a seventy-year-old retired doctor. Years ago he retreated to the Swedish archipelago, where he lives alone on an island. He swims in the sea every day, cutting a hole in the ice if necessary. He lives a quiet life. Until he wakes up one night to find his house on fire.
Fredrik escapes just in time, wearing two left-footed wellies, as neighbouring islanders arrive to help douse the flames. All that remains in the morning is a stinking ruin and evidence of arson. The house that has been in his family for generations and all his worldly belongings are gone. He cannot think who would do such a thing, or why. Without a suspect, the police begin to think he started the fire himself.
The Spear of Atlantis (#14 Wilde & Chase)
Andy McDermott
$29.99
Paperback • 576 pages
After KING SOLOMON'S CURSE comes Andy McDermott's newest Wilde and Chase novel, in which the intrepid pair find themselves in a race against time - to stop an ancient Atlantean weapon (more powerful than an H-bomb) from falling into the wrong hands... before modern civilization is brought to its knees...
Incorruptible (#20 Inspector Ikmen)
Barbara Nadel
$19.99
Paperback • 336 pages
In the backstreets of Istanbul, a young woman's body is found. Dumped in a dustbin and covered in cut flowers, she is the victim of a frenzied and vicious stabbing.
Inspector Ikmen discovers that the woman was well known in Istanbul. Newspapers had been calling her the blessed woman; cured of cancer in a Christian miracle and a proclaimed messenger of the Virgin Mary. These controversial claims had made her fierce enemies in the predominantly Islamic community and she had unwittingly stirred up divisions amongst the Christians of the city. But as Ikmen digs further into the case he uncovers powerful hatred and dark secrets lurking within her family. And to find the truth he must delve into a toxic world of fear, concealment and lies. The question is: was this a killing in the name of faith or does the answer lie somewhere else?
Inspector Ikmen discovers that the woman was well known in Istanbul. Newspapers had been calling her the blessed woman; cured of cancer in a Christian miracle and a proclaimed messenger of the Virgin Mary. These controversial claims had made her fierce enemies in the predominantly Islamic community and she had unwittingly stirred up divisions amongst the Christians of the city. But as Ikmen digs further into the case he uncovers powerful hatred and dark secrets lurking within her family. And to find the truth he must delve into a toxic world of fear, concealment and lies. The question is: was this a killing in the name of faith or does the answer lie somewhere else?
The Girl without Skin
Mads Peder Nordbo
$29.99
Paperback • 352 pages
When a mummified Viking corpse is discovered in a crevasse out on the edge of an ice sheet, journalist Matthew Cave is sent to cover the story. The next day the mummy is gone, and the body of the policeman who was keeping watch is found naked and flayed - exactly like the victims in a gruesome series of murders that terrified the remote town of Nuuk in the 1970s.
As Matt investigates, he is shocked by the deprivation and brutal violence the locals take for granted. Unable to trust the police, he begins to suspect a cover-up. It?s only when he meets a young Inuit woman, Tupaarnaq, convicted of killing her parents and two small sisters, that Matt starts to realise how deep this story goes - and how much danger he is in.
As Matt investigates, he is shocked by the deprivation and brutal violence the locals take for granted. Unable to trust the police, he begins to suspect a cover-up. It?s only when he meets a young Inuit woman, Tupaarnaq, convicted of killing her parents and two small sisters, that Matt starts to realise how deep this story goes - and how much danger he is in.
Tell Me You're Mine
Elisabeth Noreback
$27.99
Paperback
Where is the line between hope and madness? Stella and her boyfriend were teenagers when their one-year-old daughter, Alice, vanished during a holiday. Though her body was never found, Alice was assumed to have drowned. Twenty-one years later, Stella is happily married and a successful therapist. But everything falls apart when a new patient walks into her office. The young woman introduces herself as Isabelle - but Stella is sure she's Alice. But when no one believes her, Stella begins to doubt her own mind. Even when her life is threatened, she can't convince anyone the danger is real. But for the chance to get her daughter back, Stella will risk anything: her licence, her marriage, her life. And in doing so, she'll confront a series of chilling questions. What happened on the beach all those years ago? If Alice is alive, why has she come back now? And how far will Stella go to save her?
Bring Me Back
B. A. Paris
$19.99
Paperback • 368 pages
Finn and Layla: young and in love, their whole lives ahead of them. Driving back from a holiday in France one night, Finn pulls in to a service station, leaving Layla alone in the car. When he returns, minutes later, Layla has vanished, never to be seen again. That's the story Finn tells the police. It's the truth - but not the whole truth.
Twelve years later, Finn has built a new life with Ellen, Layla's sister, when he receives a phone call. Someone has seen Layla. But is it her - or someone pretending to be her? If it is her, what does she want? And what does she know about the night she disappeared?
Bring Me Back is the utterly compelling, white-knuckle thriller from Sunday Times bestseller B A Paris.
Twelve years later, Finn has built a new life with Ellen, Layla's sister, when he receives a phone call. Someone has seen Layla. But is it her - or someone pretending to be her? If it is her, what does she want? And what does she know about the night she disappeared?
Bring Me Back is the utterly compelling, white-knuckle thriller from Sunday Times bestseller B A Paris.
I Invited Her In
Adele Parks
$29.99
Paperback • 384 pages
When Mel hears from a long-lost friend in need of help, she doesn't hesitate to invite her to stay. Mel and Abi were best friends back in the day, sharing the highs and lows of student life, until Mel's unplanned pregnancy made her drop out of her studies.
Now, seventeen years later, Mel and Abi's lives couldn't be more different. Mel is happily married, having raised her son on her own before meeting her husband, Ben. Now they share gorgeous girls and have a chaotic but happy family home, with three children.
Abi, meanwhile, followed her lover to LA for a glamorous life of parties, celebrity and indulgence. Everything was perfect, until she discovered her partner had been cheating on her. Seventeen years wasted, and nothing to show for it. So what Abi needs now is a true friend to lean on, to share her grief over a glass of wine, and to have some time to heal. And what better place than Mel's house, with her lovely kids, and supportive husband...
This dark, unsettling tale of the reunion of long-lost friends is thoroughly gripping exploration of wanting what you can't have, jealousy and revenge from Sunday Times bestseller Adele Parks.
Now, seventeen years later, Mel and Abi's lives couldn't be more different. Mel is happily married, having raised her son on her own before meeting her husband, Ben. Now they share gorgeous girls and have a chaotic but happy family home, with three children.
Abi, meanwhile, followed her lover to LA for a glamorous life of parties, celebrity and indulgence. Everything was perfect, until she discovered her partner had been cheating on her. Seventeen years wasted, and nothing to show for it. So what Abi needs now is a true friend to lean on, to share her grief over a glass of wine, and to have some time to heal. And what better place than Mel's house, with her lovely kids, and supportive husband...
This dark, unsettling tale of the reunion of long-lost friends is thoroughly gripping exploration of wanting what you can't have, jealousy and revenge from Sunday Times bestseller Adele Parks.
Juror No. 3
James Patterson
$32.99
Paperback • 400 pages
From the author of the Sunday Times no. 1 bestseller, The President is MissingA RACIALLY CHARGED MURDER SPLITS A TOWN IN TWORuby Bozarth, a newcomer to Rosedale, Mississippi, is also fresh to the Mississippi Bar - and she faces an impossible task defending a college football star accused of murder.
The victim is a young woman from one of the town's oldest families, and Rosedale's upper crust are howling for blood.
Then news breaks of a second murder, and lurid, intertwining investigations unfold. Ruby discovers that no one in Rosedale can be trusted, especially the twelve men and women on the jury.
They may be hiding the biggest secret of all.
The victim is a young woman from one of the town's oldest families, and Rosedale's upper crust are howling for blood.
Then news breaks of a second murder, and lurid, intertwining investigations unfold. Ruby discovers that no one in Rosedale can be trusted, especially the twelve men and women on the jury.
They may be hiding the biggest secret of all.
17th Suspect (#17 Women's Murder Club)
James Patterson
$19.99
Paperback • 384 pages
Detective Lindsay Boxer is on the case of a series of shootings of the homeless in San Francisco, where the killer is methodical yet unpredictable. An encounter with a confidential informer leads her to disturbing conclusions - something has gone very wrong inside the police department itself.
The hunt for the killer lures Lindsay out of her jurisdiction, and Lindsay's friends in the Women's Murder Club are concerned that she's taking the crimes too much to heart.
But with lives on the line, Lindsay can't stop herself from following the case into ever more terrifying terrain - even though the killer could cost her everything.
The hunt for the killer lures Lindsay out of her jurisdiction, and Lindsay's friends in the Women's Murder Club are concerned that she's taking the crimes too much to heart.
But with lives on the line, Lindsay can't stop herself from following the case into ever more terrifying terrain - even though the killer could cost her everything.
Ambush (#11 Michael Bennett)
James Patterson
$32.99
Paperback • 400 pages
From the author of New York Times no. 1 bestseller, The President is Missing.
Detective Michael Bennett's enemies know where to find him.
An anonymous tip about crime in Upper Manhattan proves to be a setup. An officer is taken down - but despite the attackers' efforts, it's not Michael Bennett. New York's top cop is not the only one at risk.
One of Bennett's children is attacked. And a series of murders follows, each with a distinct signature, alerting Bennett to the presence of a professional killer.
Bennett can't tell what's driving the assassin.
But he can tell it's personal.
Includes bonus story, Manhunt.
Detective Michael Bennett's enemies know where to find him.
An anonymous tip about crime in Upper Manhattan proves to be a setup. An officer is taken down - but despite the attackers' efforts, it's not Michael Bennett. New York's top cop is not the only one at risk.
One of Bennett's children is attacked. And a series of murders follows, each with a distinct signature, alerting Bennett to the presence of a professional killer.
Bennett can't tell what's driving the assassin.
But he can tell it's personal.
Includes bonus story, Manhunt.
Fierce
Gin Phillips
$19.99
Paperback • 336 pages
Lincoln is a good boy. At the age of four, he is curious, clever and well behaved. He does as his mum says and knows what the rules are.
'The rules are different today. The rules are that we hide and do not let the man with the gun find us.'
When an ordinary day at the zoo turns into a nightmare, Joan finds herself trapped with her beloved son. She must summon all her strength, find unexpected courage and protect Lincoln at all costs - even if it means crossing the line between right and wrong; between humanity and animal instinct.
It's a line none of us would ever normally dream of crossing.
But sometimes the rules are different.
'The rules are different today. The rules are that we hide and do not let the man with the gun find us.'
When an ordinary day at the zoo turns into a nightmare, Joan finds herself trapped with her beloved son. She must summon all her strength, find unexpected courage and protect Lincoln at all costs - even if it means crossing the line between right and wrong; between humanity and animal instinct.
It's a line none of us would ever normally dream of crossing.
But sometimes the rules are different.
The Wanderer (#6 Fire and Ice)
Michael Ridpath
$29.99
Paperback • 336 pages
From the million-copy bestselling author, perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson, Anne Holt, and The Killing.
Iceland, 2017: When a young Italian tourist is found brutally murdered at a sacred church in northern Iceland, Magnus Jonson, newly returned to the Reykjavik police force, is called in to investigate. At the scene, he finds a stunned TV crew, there to film a documentary on the life of the legendary Viking, Gudrid the Wanderer. The documentary experts have unearthed controversial evidence that Christopher Columbus knew more about the existence of America than has ever been previously realised.
Magnus begins to suspect that there may be more links to the murdered woman than anyone in the film crew will acknowledge. As jealousies come to the surface, new tensions replace old friendships, and history begins to rewrite itself, a shocking second murder leads Magnus to question everything he thought he knew...
Iceland, 2017: When a young Italian tourist is found brutally murdered at a sacred church in northern Iceland, Magnus Jonson, newly returned to the Reykjavik police force, is called in to investigate. At the scene, he finds a stunned TV crew, there to film a documentary on the life of the legendary Viking, Gudrid the Wanderer. The documentary experts have unearthed controversial evidence that Christopher Columbus knew more about the existence of America than has ever been previously realised.
Magnus begins to suspect that there may be more links to the murdered woman than anyone in the film crew will acknowledge. As jealousies come to the surface, new tensions replace old friendships, and history begins to rewrite itself, a shocking second murder leads Magnus to question everything he thought he knew...
Shores of Death (#3 Grace Macallan)
Peter Ritchie
$22.99
Paperback • 432 pages
Detective Grace Macallan is at crisis point. She's unsure of her future, of whether she has the strength to continue with her role in serious crime. Events are threatening to run out of control, and this new investigation will test her to the limit.
An undercover officer is missing and a woman is washed up, traumatised and barely alive, on the shores of Berwickshire. She has witnessed horror on the dark waters of the North Sea, and her subsequent ordeal to survive turns her life into a nightmare.
As she untangles the woman's story of trafficking and abuse, Grace is drawn into the world of organised crime in Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. At their head is Handyside, a brutal gangland boss who's fought hard and dirty to control his territory. But there's a traitor in his midst, and soon the most cold-blooded criminals in the North East of England and Central Scotland turn on one another in a desperate race to destroy the evidence that will lead Grace to them.
Grace must pit her wits against Handyside, knowing he'll stop at nothing to protect his criminal empire. She knows, too, that one wrong move could end in tragedy.
An undercover officer is missing and a woman is washed up, traumatised and barely alive, on the shores of Berwickshire. She has witnessed horror on the dark waters of the North Sea, and her subsequent ordeal to survive turns her life into a nightmare.
As she untangles the woman's story of trafficking and abuse, Grace is drawn into the world of organised crime in Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. At their head is Handyside, a brutal gangland boss who's fought hard and dirty to control his territory. But there's a traitor in his midst, and soon the most cold-blooded criminals in the North East of England and Central Scotland turn on one another in a desperate race to destroy the evidence that will lead Grace to them.
Grace must pit her wits against Handyside, knowing he'll stop at nothing to protect his criminal empire. She knows, too, that one wrong move could end in tragedy.
The Bone Readers
Jacob Ross
$19.99
Paperback • 272 pages
Secrets can be buried, but bones can speak...
After standing witness to a murder on the streets of the Caribbean island of Camaho, young Michael 'Digger' Digson is recruited into a unique plain clothes homicide squad, an eclectic group of semi-official police officers, led by the enigmatic DS Chilman.
Digger becomes enmeshed in Chilman's obsession with a cold case, the disappearance of a young man. But Digger has a murder to pursue too: that of his mother, killed by a renegade police squad when he was a boy.
He has two weapons at his disposal - his skill in forensics, and Chilman's latest recruit, the mysterious, observant Miss Stanislaus. Together, the two find themselves dragged into a world of dangerous secrets that demands every ounce of their courage to survive.
This award-winning crime debut by highly acclaimed author Jacob Ross marks the thrilling start to a new series following forensics genius Michael Digson.
After standing witness to a murder on the streets of the Caribbean island of Camaho, young Michael 'Digger' Digson is recruited into a unique plain clothes homicide squad, an eclectic group of semi-official police officers, led by the enigmatic DS Chilman.
Digger becomes enmeshed in Chilman's obsession with a cold case, the disappearance of a young man. But Digger has a murder to pursue too: that of his mother, killed by a renegade police squad when he was a boy.
He has two weapons at his disposal - his skill in forensics, and Chilman's latest recruit, the mysterious, observant Miss Stanislaus. Together, the two find themselves dragged into a world of dangerous secrets that demands every ounce of their courage to survive.
This award-winning crime debut by highly acclaimed author Jacob Ross marks the thrilling start to a new series following forensics genius Michael Digson.
Golden Prey (#27 Lucas Davenport)
John Sandford
$19.99
Paperback • 400 pages
His job is to hunt down criminals. But he's about to become the hunted... Find out why Stephen King calls John Sandford 'one of the great novelists of all time'!
Lucas Davenport has a job with the U.S. Marshals Service - an unusual one. He gets to pick his own cases, whatever they are, and follow wherever they lead him.
And where they've led him this time is into real trouble.
A house at the center of a drug-smuggling ring is attacked and briefcases full of cash are stolen. But whoever took the money left something behind: five bodies, including that of a six-year-old girl. Davenport vows to track down the cash and find the killers. But he's not the only one on the hunt... the drug smugglers want their money back, and they've sent two assassins, including an infamous torturer known for her creative use of home-improvement tools, after Davenport.
It'll take every ounce of Davenport's predatory instinct to track down the killers and money before he becomes the prey.
Lucas Davenport has a job with the U.S. Marshals Service - an unusual one. He gets to pick his own cases, whatever they are, and follow wherever they lead him.
And where they've led him this time is into real trouble.
A house at the center of a drug-smuggling ring is attacked and briefcases full of cash are stolen. But whoever took the money left something behind: five bodies, including that of a six-year-old girl. Davenport vows to track down the cash and find the killers. But he's not the only one on the hunt... the drug smugglers want their money back, and they've sent two assassins, including an infamous torturer known for her creative use of home-improvement tools, after Davenport.
It'll take every ounce of Davenport's predatory instinct to track down the killers and money before he becomes the prey.
Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery
Andrew Shaffer
$22.99
Paperback • 320 pages
For everyone nostalgic for the Obama/Biden administration, HOPE NEVER DIES re-casts the president and vice-president as amateur sleuths in a quirky mystery-adventure.
He's an honest man in a city of thieves. He has no patience for guff, foolishness, or malarkey. He is United States Vice President Joe Biden. And when his favorite railroad conductor dies in a suspicious accident - leaving behind an ailing wife and a trail of clues - "Amtrak Joe" unwittingly finds himself in the role of a private investigator. To crack the case (and uncover a drug-smuggling ring hiding in plain sight), he'll team up with the only man he's ever fully trusted - the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama. Together they'll travel from the halls of the Capitol Building to the darkest stops on the Northeast Corridor, where enemies lurk around every corner. And if they're not careful, the blood on the tracks may be their own.
This quirky, comic mystery begins six months after the 2016 presidential election, as Obama and Biden are struggling to define their post-White House identities - and question what truly remains of their legendary bromance. Published as a trade paperback original and designed to echo tough-guy thrillers (think JACK REACHER, LETHAL WEAPON, TRUE DETECTIVE), HOPE NEVER DIES is essentially the first published work of Obama/Biden fanfiction - and a terrific beach read for anyone distressed by the current state of affairs in Washington, DC.
He's an honest man in a city of thieves. He has no patience for guff, foolishness, or malarkey. He is United States Vice President Joe Biden. And when his favorite railroad conductor dies in a suspicious accident - leaving behind an ailing wife and a trail of clues - "Amtrak Joe" unwittingly finds himself in the role of a private investigator. To crack the case (and uncover a drug-smuggling ring hiding in plain sight), he'll team up with the only man he's ever fully trusted - the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama. Together they'll travel from the halls of the Capitol Building to the darkest stops on the Northeast Corridor, where enemies lurk around every corner. And if they're not careful, the blood on the tracks may be their own.
This quirky, comic mystery begins six months after the 2016 presidential election, as Obama and Biden are struggling to define their post-White House identities - and question what truly remains of their legendary bromance. Published as a trade paperback original and designed to echo tough-guy thrillers (think JACK REACHER, LETHAL WEAPON, TRUE DETECTIVE), HOPE NEVER DIES is essentially the first published work of Obama/Biden fanfiction - and a terrific beach read for anyone distressed by the current state of affairs in Washington, DC.
Maigret and the Tramp (#60 Inspector Maigret)
Georges Simenon , Howard Curtis
$16.99
Paperback • 160 pages
When a tramp is recovered from the Seine, after being badly beaten, Maigret must delve into the man's personal circumstances to figure out just who wanted to kill him.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in previous translations as Maigret and the Dosser and Maigret and the Bum.
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century... Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian
'A supreme writer... unforgettable vividness' Independent
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in previous translations as Maigret and the Dosser and Maigret and the Bum.
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century... Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian
'A supreme writer... unforgettable vividness' Independent
Moscow, Midnight
John Simpson
$32.99
Paperback • 336 pages
Government minister Patrick Macready has been found dead in his flat. The coroner rules it an accident, a sex game gone wrong.
Jon Swift is from the old stock of journos - cynical, cantankerous and overweight - and something about his friend's death doesn't seem right. Then days after Macready's flat is apparently burgled, Swift discovers that his friend had been researching a string of Russian government figures who had met similarly 'accidental' fates.
When the police refuse to investigate further, Swift gets in touch with his contacts in Moscow, determined to find out if his hunch is correct. Following the lead, he is soon drawn into a violent underworld, where whispers of conspiracies, assassinations and double agents start blurring the line between friend and foe.
But the truth will come at a price, and it may cost him everything.
Jon Swift is from the old stock of journos - cynical, cantankerous and overweight - and something about his friend's death doesn't seem right. Then days after Macready's flat is apparently burgled, Swift discovers that his friend had been researching a string of Russian government figures who had met similarly 'accidental' fates.
When the police refuse to investigate further, Swift gets in touch with his contacts in Moscow, determined to find out if his hunch is correct. Following the lead, he is soon drawn into a violent underworld, where whispers of conspiracies, assassinations and double agents start blurring the line between friend and foe.
But the truth will come at a price, and it may cost him everything.
A Promise to Kill (#2 Clyde Barr)
Erik Storey
$19.99
Paperback • 304 pages
Clyde Barr, the drifter with lethal skills, is alone again, wandering the highways of the American West in search of something to believe in. As summer turns to autumn, he heads for the mountains, planning to clear his head and regain his edge with some hunting. But when he runs across an elderly sick man - a Ute Indian from a nearby reservation - Clyde's dream of solitude is quickly dashed.
On the reservation, Clyde finds the old man's daughter, Lawana, and grandson, Taylor, as well as a group of menacing bikers called Reapers running wild in the struggling, half-abandoned village. Gripped by the desire to do good in a hard world, Clyde offers to stay on Lawana's ranch to help out until her father is better. As tensions rise between the locals and the Reapers, Clyde's efforts to protect the reservation become a fight for his, Lawana's and Taylor's lives...
A Promise to Kill is an edge-of-the-seat thriller, pushing its no-hold-barred hero to new levels of improvisation and bare-knuckled blunt force.
On the reservation, Clyde finds the old man's daughter, Lawana, and grandson, Taylor, as well as a group of menacing bikers called Reapers running wild in the struggling, half-abandoned village. Gripped by the desire to do good in a hard world, Clyde offers to stay on Lawana's ranch to help out until her father is better. As tensions rise between the locals and the Reapers, Clyde's efforts to protect the reservation become a fight for his, Lawana's and Taylor's lives...
A Promise to Kill is an edge-of-the-seat thriller, pushing its no-hold-barred hero to new levels of improvisation and bare-knuckled blunt force.
Human Face
Aline Templeton
$19.99
Paperback • 480 pages
Beatrice Lacey is passionate about Human Face, the charity for Third World children she helped to found, and its co-founder Adam Carnegie. She has learned to turn a blind eye to some strange goings on, however; parties for donors who don't seem the philanthropic type and a merry-go-round of 'housekeepers'. It's best not to think about that. But when the latest housekeeper, Eva, suddenly disappears, the police and DI Kelso Strang are called in. Keen to move on from recent personal horrors, Strang revels in the responsibility the investigation affords, as a former sniper, he has no problems with making solitary decisions. But when he and the team make some fatal errors, Strang has his work cut out to avoid the case ending in disaster and death.
Under My Skin
Lisa Unger
$29.99
Paperback
From New York Times bestselling author and master of suspense Lisa Unger comes an addictive psychological thriller about a woman on the hunt for her husband's killer.
What if the nightmares are actually memories?
It's been a year since Poppy's husband, Jack, was brutally murdered during his morning run through Manhattan's Riverside Park. In the immediate aftermath, Poppy spiralled into an oblivion of grief, disappearing for several days only to turn up ragged and confused and wearing a tight red dress she didn't recognise. What happened to Poppy during those lost days? And more importantly, what happened to Jack?
The case was never solved, and Poppy has finally begun to move on. But those lost days have never stopped haunting her. Poppy starts having nightmares and blackouts - there are periods of time she can't remember, and she's unable to tell the difference between what is real and what she's imagining. When she begins to sense that someone is following her, Poppy is plunged into a game of cat and mouse, determined to unravel the mystery around her husband's death. But can she handle the truth about what really happened?
What if the nightmares are actually memories?
It's been a year since Poppy's husband, Jack, was brutally murdered during his morning run through Manhattan's Riverside Park. In the immediate aftermath, Poppy spiralled into an oblivion of grief, disappearing for several days only to turn up ragged and confused and wearing a tight red dress she didn't recognise. What happened to Poppy during those lost days? And more importantly, what happened to Jack?
The case was never solved, and Poppy has finally begun to move on. But those lost days have never stopped haunting her. Poppy starts having nightmares and blackouts - there are periods of time she can't remember, and she's unable to tell the difference between what is real and what she's imagining. When she begins to sense that someone is following her, Poppy is plunged into a game of cat and mouse, determined to unravel the mystery around her husband's death. But can she handle the truth about what really happened?
Perfect Ten
Jacqueline Ward
$29.99
Paperback • 320 pages
Caroline Atkinson is powerless and angry. She has lost more than most - her marriage, her reputation, even her children. Then one day, she receives an unusual delivery: lost luggage belonging to the very man who is responsible, her estranged husband Jack.
In a leather holdall, Caroline unearths a dark secret, one that finally confirms her worst suspicions. Jack has kept a detailed diary of all his affairs; every name, every meeting, every lie is recorded. He even marks the women out of ten.
Caroline decides it's time to even the score. She will make this man pay, even if it means risking everything...
In a leather holdall, Caroline unearths a dark secret, one that finally confirms her worst suspicions. Jack has kept a detailed diary of all his affairs; every name, every meeting, every lie is recorded. He even marks the women out of ten.
Caroline decides it's time to even the score. She will make this man pay, even if it means risking everything...
The Shrouded Path (#4 Sadler & Childs)
Sarah Ward
$29.99
Hardback • 400 pages
The past won't stay buried forever.
November, 1957: Six teenage girls walk in the churning Derbyshire mists, the first chills of winter in the air. Their voices carrying across the fields, they follow the old train tracks into the dark tunnel of the Cutting. Only five appear on the other side.
October, 2014: a dying mother, feverishly fixated on a friend from her childhood, makes a plea: 'Find Valerie.' Mina's elderly mother had never discussed her childhood with her daughter before. So who was Valerie? Where does her obsession spring from?
DC Connie Childs, off balance after her last big case, is partnered up with new arrival to Bampton, Peter Dahl. Following up on what seems like a simple natural death, DC Childs' old instincts kick in, pointing her right back to one cold evening in 1957. As Connie starts to broaden her enquiries, the investigation begins to spiral increasingly close to home.
November, 1957: Six teenage girls walk in the churning Derbyshire mists, the first chills of winter in the air. Their voices carrying across the fields, they follow the old train tracks into the dark tunnel of the Cutting. Only five appear on the other side.
October, 2014: a dying mother, feverishly fixated on a friend from her childhood, makes a plea: 'Find Valerie.' Mina's elderly mother had never discussed her childhood with her daughter before. So who was Valerie? Where does her obsession spring from?
DC Connie Childs, off balance after her last big case, is partnered up with new arrival to Bampton, Peter Dahl. Following up on what seems like a simple natural death, DC Childs' old instincts kick in, pointing her right back to one cold evening in 1957. As Connie starts to broaden her enquiries, the investigation begins to spiral increasingly close to home.
Crime Chronicle - Cosy Crime
abbeys.com.au
Bright Young Dead (#2 Mitford Murders)
Jessica Fellowes
$29.99
Paperback • 400 pages
As the glamour of the Bright Young Things crashes into the world of the Mitford sisters, their maid Louisa Cannon finds herself at the scene of a gripping murder mystery.
Meet the Bright Young Things, the rabble-rousing hedonists of the 1920s whose treasure hunts were a media obsession. One such game takes place at the 18th birthday party of Pamela Mitford, but ends in tragedy as cruel, charismatic Adrian Curtis is pushed to his death from the church neighbouring the Mitford home.
The police quickly identify the killer as a maid, Dulcie. But Louisa Cannon, chaperone to the Mitford girls and a former criminal herself, believes Dulcie to be innocent, and sets out to clear the girl's name... all while the real killer may only be steps away.
Meet the Bright Young Things, the rabble-rousing hedonists of the 1920s whose treasure hunts were a media obsession. One such game takes place at the 18th birthday party of Pamela Mitford, but ends in tragedy as cruel, charismatic Adrian Curtis is pushed to his death from the church neighbouring the Mitford home.
The police quickly identify the killer as a maid, Dulcie. But Louisa Cannon, chaperone to the Mitford girls and a former criminal herself, believes Dulcie to be innocent, and sets out to clear the girl's name... all while the real killer may only be steps away.
The Spotted Dog (#7 Corinna Chapman)
Kerry Greenwood
$29.99
Paperback
When a distraught Scottish veteran from Afghanistan is knocked unconscious, waking up to find his beloved ex-service dog missing, Corinna and her lover, Daniel, find themselves inextricably drawn into the machinations of a notorious underworld gang of drug runners.
Corinna and Daniel need to pull together all the strings to find the connections between their wandering Scottish veteran, his kidnapped dog, a student dramatic society that's moved into Corinna's building, burglaries, and the threatening notes that begin to mysteriously appear in her apartment.
Between her forays into danger, there is still time in Corinna's life for tender encounters while the delicious aromas of newly baked breads, muffins and treats waft out of her bakery, Earthly Delights.
Corinna and Daniel need to pull together all the strings to find the connections between their wandering Scottish veteran, his kidnapped dog, a student dramatic society that's moved into Corinna's building, burglaries, and the threatening notes that begin to mysteriously appear in her apartment.
Between her forays into danger, there is still time in Corinna's life for tender encounters while the delicious aromas of newly baked breads, muffins and treats waft out of her bakery, Earthly Delights.
Antiques Ho-Ho-Homicides (#14 Trash 'n' Treasures)
Barbara Allan
$14.95
Paperback • 224 pages
To Brandy Borne and her ditzy diva mother, homicide in small-town Serenity is the gift that keeps on taking. But murder turns merry as Brandy and Vivian gather collectible clues in a wintry workshop, seek the grinch who dimmed a pageant star's twinkle, and bag the humbug helper who snuffed a sidewalk Santa. Aided by Sushi, their elfin shih tzu, our seasonal sleuths crumble a bountiful batch of Christmas crookies. And though suspects may show bad will, and good cheer seems in short supply, this collection of Trash n' Treasures holiday homicides sparkles as the Borne girls wrap up three frolicsome felonies.
The Walking Bread (#3 Bread Shop)
Winnie Archer
$14.95
Paperback • 352 pages
Apprentice baker Ivy Culpepper sees art cars everywhere she turns. Besides helping prepare the bread and pastry for Santa Sofia's annual spring event, she's the official photographer, documenting the elaborate cars, outspoken artists, and riotous celebrations. Even her family's in on the act - her brother Billy has been runner-up in the competition more times than she can count - but this is going to be the year he celebrates his win in victory lane.
But after Billy's rival, Max Litman, revs up his bombastic showmanship, Billy is once again set to cruise into second place. Until Max is found dead - positioned as a prop in his own art car. The whole town knows there's no love lost between the two men, and Billy is the prime suspect. Now Ivy will have to sift through collusion, deception, gossip, and lies to find out what really happened. But with the help of her octogenarian Watson, her restaurateur beau, and her adopted aunts at Yeast of Eden, she knows she can take the heat...
But after Billy's rival, Max Litman, revs up his bombastic showmanship, Billy is once again set to cruise into second place. Until Max is found dead - positioned as a prop in his own art car. The whole town knows there's no love lost between the two men, and Billy is the prime suspect. Now Ivy will have to sift through collusion, deception, gossip, and lies to find out what really happened. But with the help of her octogenarian Watson, her restaurateur beau, and her adopted aunts at Yeast of Eden, she knows she can take the heat...
Agatha Raisin and the Dead Ringer (#29 Agatha Raisin)
M. C. Beaton
$45.00
Hardback • 288 pages
The latest Agatha Raisin mystery from bestselling author M. C. Beaton The team of bells at St. Ethelred church is the pride and glory of the idyllic Cotswolds village of Thirk Magna, together with the most dedicated bell ringers in the whole of England: the twins Mavis and Millicent Dupin.
As the village gets ready for the Bishop's visit, the twins get overly-excited at the prospect of ringing the special peal of bells created for the occasion and start bullying the other bell ringers, forcing them to rehearse and rehearse... so much so that Joseph Kennell, a retired lawyer, yells at the sisters that he 'felt like killing them'!
When the twins' home is broken into one night and Millicent is found dead, struck from a hammer blow, suspicion falls onto the lawyer.
Will Agatha unmask the real killer and clear Joseph's name?
As the village gets ready for the Bishop's visit, the twins get overly-excited at the prospect of ringing the special peal of bells created for the occasion and start bullying the other bell ringers, forcing them to rehearse and rehearse... so much so that Joseph Kennell, a retired lawyer, yells at the sisters that he 'felt like killing them'!
When the twins' home is broken into one night and Millicent is found dead, struck from a hammer blow, suspicion falls onto the lawyer.
Will Agatha unmask the real killer and clear Joseph's name?
Wagging through the Snow (#21 Melanie Travis)
Laurien Berenson
$14.95
Paperback • 224 pages
With a demanding teaching job and five poodles scampering around the house, Melanie Travis barely has energy for the upcoming Christmas rush. But she unwraps an unexpected challenge when her brother and ex-husband make a spontaneous bid on a dilapidated pine tree farm. Although the ten-acre lot had been a popular seasonal destination while the original owner was still alive, it'll take a small miracle or two before the neglected place is in shape for December.
But the business venture goes cold when the group discovers a purebred Maltese whimpering in the snow-covered grove-right beside a dead body. Pete, a squatter who camped out on the land, apparently met his end after a fallen fir tree branch fell on his head. But as Melanie and Aunt Peg investigate Pete's complicated history, it's clear his death was no accident. Now, Melanie must run through a flurry of likely suspects and muzzle a dogged murderer in time -or she'll be next on someone's deadly list.
But the business venture goes cold when the group discovers a purebred Maltese whimpering in the snow-covered grove-right beside a dead body. Pete, a squatter who camped out on the land, apparently met his end after a fallen fir tree branch fell on his head. But as Melanie and Aunt Peg investigate Pete's complicated history, it's clear his death was no accident. Now, Melanie must run through a flurry of likely suspects and muzzle a dogged murderer in time -or she'll be next on someone's deadly list.
The Liar in The Library (#18 Fethering)
Simon Brett
$29.95
Paperback • 192 pages
When an author event at the local library ends in murder, Jude finds herself a suspect in the waspishly witty new Fethering mystery.
Having been booked to give a talk at Fethering Library, successful author Burton St Clair invites his old friend Jude to come along. Although they haven't met for twenty years, Jude is not surprised to find that St Clair hasn't changed, with his towering ego and somewhat shaky relationship with the truth. What Jude hadn't been suspecting however was that the evening would end in sudden, violent death.
More worrying, from Jude's point of view, is the fact that the investigating police officers seem to be convinced that she herself was responsible for the crime. With the evidence stacking up against her, Jude enlists the help of her neighbour Carole not just to solve the murder but to prevent herself from being arrested for committing it.
Having been booked to give a talk at Fethering Library, successful author Burton St Clair invites his old friend Jude to come along. Although they haven't met for twenty years, Jude is not surprised to find that St Clair hasn't changed, with his towering ego and somewhat shaky relationship with the truth. What Jude hadn't been suspecting however was that the evening would end in sudden, violent death.
More worrying, from Jude's point of view, is the fact that the investigating police officers seem to be convinced that she herself was responsible for the crime. With the evidence stacking up against her, Jude enlists the help of her neighbour Carole not just to solve the murder but to prevent herself from being arrested for committing it.
Assault and Beadery (#4 Cora Crafts)
Mollie Cox Bryan
$14.95
Paperback • 320 pages
All of Cora Chevalier’s dreams are coming true. Since moving to Indigo Gap, North Carolina, the busy crafting maven has been blessed with a great boyfriend, a lovely home, and a booming craft retreat business. But on the eve of her first Crafty Mom’s Escape Weekend, tragedy strikes again in Indigo Gap. This time, it’s curtains for Stan Herald, the disagreeable director of the local theater group, who’s murdered on the opening night of their new production. Worse, Cora’s friend Zee is accused of the crime.
Cora is determined to prove her friend’s innocence, but Zee’s mysterious past is making that difficult. And with a list of suspects longer than a double spool of satin cording, getting a bead on the real culprit won’t be easy. With her friends Jane and Ruby at her side, Cora must string together the clues and solve Stan’s murder before the killer gives an encore performance.
Cora is determined to prove her friend’s innocence, but Zee’s mysterious past is making that difficult. And with a list of suspects longer than a double spool of satin cording, getting a bead on the real culprit won’t be easy. With her friends Jane and Ruby at her side, Cora must string together the clues and solve Stan’s murder before the killer gives an encore performance.
Forever Fudge (#6 Candy Coated)
Nancy Coco
$14.95
Paperback • 352 pages
It's Labor Day weekend, the official end of tourist season, and the beginning of a whole batch of trouble. First, the island is invaded by a TV crew filming a murder mystery pilot, and handsome Hollywood heartthrob Dirk Benjamin needs Allie's help to prep for his role as local cop Rex Manning. Then, Allie's bichonpoo Mal sniffs out a real murder in the alley behind the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop, a man shot in the head-with a note challenging amateur sleuth Allie to catch the culprit. Like it or not, the fudge maker has to square off against a crazy killer - but this time she may have bitten off more than she can chew...
The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller (#6 Haunted Bookshop)
Cleo Coyle
$14.95
Paperback
Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure didn't believe in ghosts, until she was haunted by the hard-boiled spirit of 1940s private investigator Jack Shepard. Now Jack is back on the job, and Pen is eternally grateful...
After an elegant new customer has a breakdown in her shop, Penelope suspects there is something bogus behind the biggest bestseller of the year. This popular potboiler is so hot that folks in her tiny Rhode Island town are dying to read it-literally. First one customer turns up dead, followed by another mysterious fatality connected to the book, which Pen discovers is more than just fiction.
Now, with the help of her gumshoe ghost, Pen must solve the real-life cold case behind the bogus bestseller before the killer closes the book on her.
After an elegant new customer has a breakdown in her shop, Penelope suspects there is something bogus behind the biggest bestseller of the year. This popular potboiler is so hot that folks in her tiny Rhode Island town are dying to read it-literally. First one customer turns up dead, followed by another mysterious fatality connected to the book, which Pen discovers is more than just fiction.
Now, with the help of her gumshoe ghost, Pen must solve the real-life cold case behind the bogus bestseller before the killer closes the book on her.
Final Roasting Place (#2 Cook Off)
D. Delaney
$14.95
Paperback • 304 pages
Sherry Frazzelle is back to being Sherry Oliveri, her divorce all but final and her new life in full swing. Her part-time job is helping her father with his hooked-rug business, and her full-time passion is competitive cooking. But murder is about to rock their little Connecticut town...
Erno Oliveri made sure to be on set for his daughter’s cook-off appearance on Sunny Side Up with Brett and Carmell. Or as it’s now known, Sunny Side Up with Carmell and Brett - since the ambitious young Carmell seems to have the producer and station owner eating out of her hand. But the important news is that Sherry has bested the competition with her Spicy Toasted Chickpea and Almond appetizer and clinched the spatula-shaped trophy. It’s her shining moment - until everything goes dark.
A quick-moving storm has knocked out power to the studio - and when the lights come back up, Carmell is at her desk with a sharp object lodged in her neck. The weapon is an unusual tool, used by craftsmen who make hooked rugs. Has someone taken corporate backstabbing to a new level, and framed Erno in the process? If Sherry’s going to protect her dad and their family name, she has to find out where he was when the lights went out...
Includes Recipes from Sherry’s Kitchen!
Erno Oliveri made sure to be on set for his daughter’s cook-off appearance on Sunny Side Up with Brett and Carmell. Or as it’s now known, Sunny Side Up with Carmell and Brett - since the ambitious young Carmell seems to have the producer and station owner eating out of her hand. But the important news is that Sherry has bested the competition with her Spicy Toasted Chickpea and Almond appetizer and clinched the spatula-shaped trophy. It’s her shining moment - until everything goes dark.
A quick-moving storm has knocked out power to the studio - and when the lights come back up, Carmell is at her desk with a sharp object lodged in her neck. The weapon is an unusual tool, used by craftsmen who make hooked rugs. Has someone taken corporate backstabbing to a new level, and framed Erno in the process? If Sherry’s going to protect her dad and their family name, she has to find out where he was when the lights went out...
Includes Recipes from Sherry’s Kitchen!
X Marks the Scot (#11 Liss MacCrimmon )
Kaitlyn Dunnett
$14.95
Paperback • 304 pages
The old Chadwick mansion on the edge of Moosetookalook, Maine, has been shrouded in mystery for generations. But when Scottish Emporium owner Liss MacCrimmon uncovers a treasure map at the mansion's estate sale, she never expected her curiosity would lead to a dead body. It's clear Liss isn't alone on this treasure hunt. With her life in real peril and the map at risk of being stolen, she launches into full-scale investigation mode. But as she deciphers clues and inches toward the dangerous culprit, Liss quickly realizes she's only a step away from ending up like the Chadwick clan - permanently wiped out.
Premeditated Peppermint (#3 Amish Candy)
Amanda Flower
$14.95
Paperback
Christmas is Bailey King's favorite time of year. For her first Yuletide in Harvest, Ohio, the former big-city chocolatier is recreating a cherished holiday treat - peppermint combined with molten white chocolate. But her sugar high plummets when her former boyfriend walks into the candy shop she now runs with her Amish grandmother. New York celebrity chef Eric Sharp and his TV crew have arrived to film an authentic Amish Christmas. Bailey's not about to let her beloved town-and Swissmen Sweets-be turned into a sound bite. Unfortunately, she gets more publicity than she bargained for when Eric's executive producer is found strangled to death - and Eric's the prime suspect.
With Bailey's sheriff deputy boyfriend out to prove Eric's guilt, her bad-boy ex tries to sweet-talk her into helping him clear his name... and rekindle their romance to boost ratings for his show. Now, between a surplus of suspects and a victim who wasn't who she seemed, Bailey's edging dangerously close to a killer who isn't looking to bring joy to the world - or to Bailey - this deadly Noel...
With Bailey's sheriff deputy boyfriend out to prove Eric's guilt, her bad-boy ex tries to sweet-talk her into helping him clear his name... and rekindle their romance to boost ratings for his show. Now, between a surplus of suspects and a victim who wasn't who she seemed, Bailey's edging dangerously close to a killer who isn't looking to bring joy to the world - or to Bailey - this deadly Noel...
Downright Dead (#2 B&B Spirits Mystery)
Pamela McConathy Kopfler
$14.99
Paperback • 320 pages
Holly Davis never imagined having a haunted bed and breakfast would be the secret to her success - or that a secret might leave her B&B DOA...
After the syndicated TV show Inquiring Minds airs footage of their resident ghost at Holly Grove, a converted antebellum plantation house, it seems as if half the state of Louisiana wants to book a room. There’s only one small problem: the ghost of her not-so-dearly-departed husband Burl has... departed. For the sake of business, Holly’s willing to keep up the pretense of still being haunted. But after an outspoken debunker challenges the show’s credibility, the TV crew returns to Holly Grove to prove the ghost is real.
Following a disastrous séance, Holly is sure she’ll be exposed as a charlatan. Surprisingly, the debunker suddenly becomes a believer - after he’s pushed off the widow’s walk to his death and rises as a ghost. Now his inquiring mind wants to know: who murdered him? When he asks for Holly’s help, she can’t say no. But this time it’s her turn to watch her step, because if the killer gets spooked, the next ghost haunting the B&B may well be its owner...
After the syndicated TV show Inquiring Minds airs footage of their resident ghost at Holly Grove, a converted antebellum plantation house, it seems as if half the state of Louisiana wants to book a room. There’s only one small problem: the ghost of her not-so-dearly-departed husband Burl has... departed. For the sake of business, Holly’s willing to keep up the pretense of still being haunted. But after an outspoken debunker challenges the show’s credibility, the TV crew returns to Holly Grove to prove the ghost is real.
Following a disastrous séance, Holly is sure she’ll be exposed as a charlatan. Surprisingly, the debunker suddenly becomes a believer - after he’s pushed off the widow’s walk to his death and rises as a ghost. Now his inquiring mind wants to know: who murdered him? When he asks for Holly’s help, she can’t say no. But this time it’s her turn to watch her step, because if the killer gets spooked, the next ghost haunting the B&B may well be its owner...
Peppermint Mocha Murder (#5 Chocolate Whisperer)
Colette London
$14.95
Paperback • 352 pages
It’s beginning to look like a merry Christmas for Hayden Mundy Moore. On vacation from providing her sought-after expertise in all things chocolate, Hayden heads to snowy New England with her friend and financial advisor, Travis, for the opening of his pal’s highly-touted holiday musical. But when the show’s producer is murdered, Hayden trades sampling Chocolate Santas for finding the killer - especially since this time, Travis is the one asking for her help...
Soon Hayden discovers there’s more to Travis’s chic hometown than mulled wine and cocoa cookies. But that’s just the beginning. Almost no one, including Travis, is quite what they seem. Did the show’s lead have more savage motives than stardom? Could the dead producer’s husband have felt a murderous envy for his successful wife? Getting behind the mistletoe and jingle bells will take all of Hayden’s savvy - along with some super caffeinated Peppermint Mochas - if she hopes to catch a killer with a heart more bitter than the darkest truffle...
Soon Hayden discovers there’s more to Travis’s chic hometown than mulled wine and cocoa cookies. But that’s just the beginning. Almost no one, including Travis, is quite what they seem. Did the show’s lead have more savage motives than stardom? Could the dead producer’s husband have felt a murderous envy for his successful wife? Getting behind the mistletoe and jingle bells will take all of Hayden’s savvy - along with some super caffeinated Peppermint Mochas - if she hopes to catch a killer with a heart more bitter than the darkest truffle...
Crime Chronicle - Historical Crime
abbeys.com.au
Mrs Jeffries Pinches the Post (#35 Mrs Jeffries)
Emily Brightwell
$19.99
Paperback • 240 pages
Harrison Nye may have been involved in some dubious business dealings, but no one ever expected him to be murdered. Now Inspector Witherspoon must root out the perpetrator of the underhanded deed. Nye's business associate visited him just hours before the murder and seems to know more than he's letting on. And when his maid disappears, this dirty business gets even deadlier. Now, Mrs. Jeffries and her staff must root through the sins of Nye's past to discover which one caught up with him.
Dark Tide Rising (#24 William Monk)
Anne Perry
$19.99
Paperback • 352 pages
DARK TIDE RISING is the 24th compelling mystery in the William Monk series, from the master of Victorian crime, New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.
When Kate Exeter is kidnapped on the shore of the Thames, Commander William Monk is enlisted by her desperate husband to save her. Kate's captors are demanding a ransom for her safe return and Monk and his most trusted men must arrange a secret handover in the dark slums of Jacob's Island. But on the night someone betrays them and a brutal skirmish breaks out, leaving death and destruction in its wake...
Who is to blame for what went wrong? Monk senses tensions mount and no one knows who to trust. Then a whistle blower claims that the ransom money was embezzled funds that incriminate Kate's husband, and the case takes on a whole new meaning...
When Kate Exeter is kidnapped on the shore of the Thames, Commander William Monk is enlisted by her desperate husband to save her. Kate's captors are demanding a ransom for her safe return and Monk and his most trusted men must arrange a secret handover in the dark slums of Jacob's Island. But on the night someone betrays them and a brutal skirmish breaks out, leaving death and destruction in its wake...
Who is to blame for what went wrong? Monk senses tensions mount and no one knows who to trust. Then a whistle blower claims that the ransom money was embezzled funds that incriminate Kate's husband, and the case takes on a whole new meaning...
Pandora's Boy (#6 Flavia Alba)
Lindsey Davis
$19.99
Paperback • 400 pages
Private investigator Flavia Albia is always drawn to an intriguing puzzle - even if it is put to her by her new husband's hostile ex-wife.
On the Quirinal Hill, a young girl named Clodia has died, apparently poisoned with a love potion. Only one person could have supplied such a thing: a local witch who goes by the name of Pandora, whose trade in herbal beauty products is hiding something far more sinister.
The supposedly sweet air of the Quirinal is masking the stench of loose morality, casual betrayal and even gangland conflict and, when a friend of her own is murdered, Albia determines to expose as much of this local sickness as she can - beginning with the truth about Clodia's death.
On the Quirinal Hill, a young girl named Clodia has died, apparently poisoned with a love potion. Only one person could have supplied such a thing: a local witch who goes by the name of Pandora, whose trade in herbal beauty products is hiding something far more sinister.
The supposedly sweet air of the Quirinal is masking the stench of loose morality, casual betrayal and even gangland conflict and, when a friend of her own is murdered, Albia determines to expose as much of this local sickness as she can - beginning with the truth about Clodia's death.
Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit (#4 Kopp)
Amy Stewart
$32.99
Paperback • 320 pages
After a year on the job, New Jersey's first female deputy sheriff has collared criminals, demanded justice for wronged women, and gained notoriety nationwide for her exploits. But on one stormy night, everything falls apart.
While transporting a woman to an insane asylum, Deputy Kopp discovers something deeply troubling about her story. Before she can investigate, another inmate bound for the asylum breaks free and tries to escape.
In both cases, Constance runs instinctively toward justice. But the fall of 1916 is a high-stakes election year, and any move she makes could jeopardise Sheriff Heath's future - and her own. Although Constance is not on the ballot, her controversial career makes her the target of political attacks.
With wit and verve, book-club favourite Amy Stewart brilliantly conjures the life and times of the real Constance Kopp to give us this 'unforgettable, not-to-be messed-with heroine' (Marie Claire) under fire.
While transporting a woman to an insane asylum, Deputy Kopp discovers something deeply troubling about her story. Before she can investigate, another inmate bound for the asylum breaks free and tries to escape.
In both cases, Constance runs instinctively toward justice. But the fall of 1916 is a high-stakes election year, and any move she makes could jeopardise Sheriff Heath's future - and her own. Although Constance is not on the ballot, her controversial career makes her the target of political attacks.
With wit and verve, book-club favourite Amy Stewart brilliantly conjures the life and times of the real Constance Kopp to give us this 'unforgettable, not-to-be messed-with heroine' (Marie Claire) under fire.
The Way of All Flesh (#1 Will Raven)
Ambrose Parry
$29.99
Paperback • 416 pages
Edinburgh, 1847. City of Medicine, Money, Murder.
In Edinburgh's Old Town young women are being found dead, all having suffered similarly gruesome ends. Across the city in the New Town, medical student Will Raven is about to start his apprenticeship with the brilliant and renowned Dr Simpson.
Simpson's patients range from the richest to the poorest of this divided city. His house is like no other, full of visiting luminaries and daring experiments in the new medical frontier of anaesthesia. It is here that Raven meets housemaid Sarah Fisher, who recognises trouble when she sees it and takes an immediate dislike to him. She has all of Raven's intelligence but none of his privileges, in particular his medical education.
With each having their own motive to look deeper into these deaths, Raven and Sarah find themselves propelled headlong into the darkest shadows of Edinburgh's underworld, where they will have to overcome their differences if they are to make it out alive.
In Edinburgh's Old Town young women are being found dead, all having suffered similarly gruesome ends. Across the city in the New Town, medical student Will Raven is about to start his apprenticeship with the brilliant and renowned Dr Simpson.
Simpson's patients range from the richest to the poorest of this divided city. His house is like no other, full of visiting luminaries and daring experiments in the new medical frontier of anaesthesia. It is here that Raven meets housemaid Sarah Fisher, who recognises trouble when she sees it and takes an immediate dislike to him. She has all of Raven's intelligence but none of his privileges, in particular his medical education.
With each having their own motive to look deeper into these deaths, Raven and Sarah find themselves propelled headlong into the darkest shadows of Edinburgh's underworld, where they will have to overcome their differences if they are to make it out alive.
The American Boy
Andrew Taylor
$19.99
Paperback • 512 pages
England 1819. Thomas Shield, a master at a school just outside London, is tutor to a young American boy and the child's sensitive best friend, Charles Frant. Helplessly drawn to Frant's beautiful, unhappy mother, Shield becomes entwined in their family's affairs.
When a brutal murder takes place in London's seedy backstreets, all clues lead to the Frant family, and Shield is tangled in a web of lies, money, sex and death that threatens to tear his new life apart.
Soon, it emerges that at the heart of these macabre events lies the strange American boy. What secrets is the young Edgar Allan Poe hiding?
When a brutal murder takes place in London's seedy backstreets, all clues lead to the Frant family, and Shield is tangled in a web of lies, money, sex and death that threatens to tear his new life apart.
Soon, it emerges that at the heart of these macabre events lies the strange American boy. What secrets is the young Edgar Allan Poe hiding?
The Angel's Mark
S. W. Perry
$29.99
Paperback • 352 pages
London, 1590. Queen Elizabeth I's control over her kingdom is wavering. Amidst a tumultuous backdrop of Spanish plotters, Catholic heretics and foreign wars threatening the country's fragile stability, the body of a small boy is found in the City of London, with strange marks that no one can explain.
When idealistic physician Nicholas Shelby finds another body displaying the same marks only days later, he becomes convinced that a killer is at work, preying on the weak and destitute of London.
Determined to find out who is behind these terrible murders, Nicholas is joined in his investigations by Bianca, a mysterious tavern keeper. As more bodies are discovered, the pair find themselves caught in the middle of a sinister plot. With the killer still at large, and Bianca in terrible danger, Nicholas's choice seems impossible - to save Bianca, or save himself...
When idealistic physician Nicholas Shelby finds another body displaying the same marks only days later, he becomes convinced that a killer is at work, preying on the weak and destitute of London.
Determined to find out who is behind these terrible murders, Nicholas is joined in his investigations by Bianca, a mysterious tavern keeper. As more bodies are discovered, the pair find themselves caught in the middle of a sinister plot. With the killer still at large, and Bianca in terrible danger, Nicholas's choice seems impossible - to save Bianca, or save himself...
Mrs Jeffries Rocks the Boat (#14 Mrs Jeffries)
Emily Brightwell
$19.99
Paperback • 240 pages
Mirabelle Daws travelled all the way from Australia to Sheridan Square to visit her sister - only to die in the middle of a locked garden. All the residents of Sheridan Square have a key to the garden - but no-one seemed to know that Mirabelle was planning to arrive. So the question facing Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon is: who wanted to make sure that Mirabelle's visit was very, very short-lived?
Triple Jeopardy (#2 Daniel Pitt)
Anne Perry
$45.00
Hardback • 352 pages
The second thrilling mystery in an exciting new generation of Pitt novels, from the New York Times bestselling author and queen of Victorian crime, Anne Perry.
Daniel Pitt is delighted that his sister is visiting London with her American husband Patrick, a policeman, and their young daughters. But Patrick's trip has another purpose, for which he enlists Daniel's help.
Philip Sidney, a young British diplomat, is accused of robbery and assault in Washington, but he has taken diplomatic immunity and fled to England. The perfect opportunity to obtain justice presents itself when Sidney is accused of a small embezzlement at the British Embassy in the USA, but as Daniel digs deeper into the case it becomes clear that vengeance is involved.
When a witness is murdered in America suspicion of guilt falls on Sidney. But is somebody trying to frame him? And, if so, who and why? Daniel follows a trail that uncovers another murder, and leads from Washington to the idyllic Channel Islands, then to a dramatic scene in court that almost defies belief...
Daniel Pitt is delighted that his sister is visiting London with her American husband Patrick, a policeman, and their young daughters. But Patrick's trip has another purpose, for which he enlists Daniel's help.
Philip Sidney, a young British diplomat, is accused of robbery and assault in Washington, but he has taken diplomatic immunity and fled to England. The perfect opportunity to obtain justice presents itself when Sidney is accused of a small embezzlement at the British Embassy in the USA, but as Daniel digs deeper into the case it becomes clear that vengeance is involved.
When a witness is murdered in America suspicion of guilt falls on Sidney. But is somebody trying to frame him? And, if so, who and why? Daniel follows a trail that uncovers another murder, and leads from Washington to the idyllic Channel Islands, then to a dramatic scene in court that almost defies belief...
The Improbable Prisoner: The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Stuart Douglas
$16.99
Paperback • 272 pages
A new novel from the author of acclaimed Sherlock Holmes patisches The Albino's Treasure and The Counterfeit Detective.
Following a summons to a fictional patient, Dr Watson finds himself arrested for the horrific murder of an elderly woman. Imprisoned and with the evidence against him, Watson's only hope is that Sherlock Holmes can discover the identity of the real killer.
But when a mysterious letter appears to link Watson to blackmail and a notorious street gang, Holmes must use all his powers of reasoning to save his friend from the hangman's noose.
Following a summons to a fictional patient, Dr Watson finds himself arrested for the horrific murder of an elderly woman. Imprisoned and with the evidence against him, Watson's only hope is that Sherlock Holmes can discover the identity of the real killer.
But when a mysterious letter appears to link Watson to blackmail and a notorious street gang, Holmes must use all his powers of reasoning to save his friend from the hangman's noose.
The Cat of the Baskervilles (#3 Sherlock Holmes Bookshop)
Vicki Delany
$29.95
Paperback • 320 pages
Fans of Miranda James and Kate Carlisle, and Sherlockians everywhere will delight at The Cat of the Baskervilles, the clever third Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery. When Jayne Wilson's mother is accused of murder, Jayne and Gemma have to eliminate the impossible to reveal the true killer.
Legendary stage and movie star Sir Nigel Bellingham arrives on Cape Cod to star in a stage production of The Hound of the Baskervilles put on by the West London Theater Festival. When Sir Nigel, some of the cast, and the director visit the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop at 222 Baker Street, Gemma Doyle realizes that Sir Nigel is not at all suited to the role. He is long past his prime and an old drunk to boot.
The cast, in particular the much younger actor who previously had the role, are not happy, but the show must go on.
Before the play opens, Leslie Wilson, mother of Gemma's best friend Jayne, arranges a fundraising afternoon tea to be catered by Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room. The tea is a huge success, but when it's time to leave, Sir Nigel has gone missing - only to be found at the bottom of the rocky cliff, dead. Along with the dead body, Gemma finds evidence incriminating Leslie Wilson. When the police, in the presence of handsome detective Ryan Ashburton and suspicious detective Louise Estrada, focus their attention on Leslie despite the numerous other suspects, the game is once again afoot and it's again up to the highly perceptive Gemma and the ever-confused but loyal Jayne to clear Jayne's mother's name.
Legendary stage and movie star Sir Nigel Bellingham arrives on Cape Cod to star in a stage production of The Hound of the Baskervilles put on by the West London Theater Festival. When Sir Nigel, some of the cast, and the director visit the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop at 222 Baker Street, Gemma Doyle realizes that Sir Nigel is not at all suited to the role. He is long past his prime and an old drunk to boot.
The cast, in particular the much younger actor who previously had the role, are not happy, but the show must go on.
Before the play opens, Leslie Wilson, mother of Gemma's best friend Jayne, arranges a fundraising afternoon tea to be catered by Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room. The tea is a huge success, but when it's time to leave, Sir Nigel has gone missing - only to be found at the bottom of the rocky cliff, dead. Along with the dead body, Gemma finds evidence incriminating Leslie Wilson. When the police, in the presence of handsome detective Ryan Ashburton and suspicious detective Louise Estrada, focus their attention on Leslie despite the numerous other suspects, the game is once again afoot and it's again up to the highly perceptive Gemma and the ever-confused but loyal Jayne to clear Jayne's mother's name.
Crime Chronicle - True Crime
abbeys.com.au
Wedderburn: A True Tale of Blood and Dust
Maryrose Cuskelly
$29.99
Paperback
The story of a grisly triple murder in Central Victoria in October 2014 - contemporary Australian true crime at its best.
One fine Wednesday evening in October 2014, 65-year-old Ian Jamieson secured a hunting knife in a sheath to his belt and climbed through the wire fence separating his property from that of his much younger neighbour Greg Holmes. Less than 30 minutes later, Holmes was dead, stabbed more than 25 times. Jamieson returned home and took two shotguns from his gun safe. He walked across the road and shot Holmes' mother, Mary Lockhart, and her husband, Peter, multiple times before calling the police.
In this compelling book, Maryrose Cuskelly gets to the core of this small Australian town and the people within it. Much like the successful podcast S-Town, things aren't always as they seem: Wedderburn begins with an outwardly simple murder but expands to probe the dark secrets that fester within small towns, asking: is murder something that lives next door to us all?
One fine Wednesday evening in October 2014, 65-year-old Ian Jamieson secured a hunting knife in a sheath to his belt and climbed through the wire fence separating his property from that of his much younger neighbour Greg Holmes. Less than 30 minutes later, Holmes was dead, stabbed more than 25 times. Jamieson returned home and took two shotguns from his gun safe. He walked across the road and shot Holmes' mother, Mary Lockhart, and her husband, Peter, multiple times before calling the police.
In this compelling book, Maryrose Cuskelly gets to the core of this small Australian town and the people within it. Much like the successful podcast S-Town, things aren't always as they seem: Wedderburn begins with an outwardly simple murder but expands to probe the dark secrets that fester within small towns, asking: is murder something that lives next door to us all?
Black Dahlia, Red Rose
Piu Eatwell
$19.99
Paperback • 384 pages
On 15th January 1947, the naked, dismembered body of a black-haired beauty, Elizabeth Short, was discovered lying next to a pavement in a Hollywood suburb. She was quickly nicknamed The Black Dahlia.
The homicide inquiry that followed consumed Los Angeles for years and the authorities blew millions of dollars of resources on an investigation that threw up dozens of suspects. But it never was solved.
Until now.
In this ground-breaking book, Piu Eatwell reveals compelling forensic and eye witness evidence for the first time, which finally points to the identity of the murderer. The case was immortalised in James Ellroy's famous novel based on the case, in Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon and Brian de Palma's movie The Black Dahlia.
This is a dark tale of sex, manipulation, obsession, psychopathy and one of the biggest police cover ups in history.
The homicide inquiry that followed consumed Los Angeles for years and the authorities blew millions of dollars of resources on an investigation that threw up dozens of suspects. But it never was solved.
Until now.
In this ground-breaking book, Piu Eatwell reveals compelling forensic and eye witness evidence for the first time, which finally points to the identity of the murderer. The case was immortalised in James Ellroy's famous novel based on the case, in Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon and Brian de Palma's movie The Black Dahlia.
This is a dark tale of sex, manipulation, obsession, psychopathy and one of the biggest police cover ups in history.
The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World
Sarah Weinman
$29.99
Paperback • 320 pages
Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner.
Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner's full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.
Sally Horner's story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel's creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.
Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner's full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.
Sally Horner's story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel's creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.
Love as Always, Mum xxx: The true and terrible story of surviving a childhood with Fred and Rose West
Mae West
$32.99
Paperback
The true story of an abused childhood, of shocking brutality and life as the daughter of notorious serial killer, and master manipulator, Rose West.
You're 21-years-old. Police arrive on the doorstep of your house, 25 Cromwell Street, with a warrant to search the garden for the remains of your older sister you didn't know was dead. Bones are found and they are from more than one body. And so the nightmare begins. You are the daughter of Fred and Rose West.
'Mae, I mean this ... I'm not a good person and I let all you children down ...' Rose West, HM PRISON DURHAM
It has taken over 20 years for Mae West to find the perspective and strength to tell her remarkable story: one of an abusive, violent childhood, of her serial killer parents and how she has rebuilt her life in the shadow of their terrible crimes.
Through her own memories, research and the letters her mother wrote to her from prison, Mae shares her emotionally powerful account of her life as a West. From a toddler locked in the deathly basement to a teen fighting off the sexual advances of her father, Mae's story is one of survival. It also answers the questions: how do you come to terms with knowing your childhood bedroom was a graveyard? How do you accept the fact your parents sexually tortured, murdered and dismembered young women? How do you become a mother yourself when you're haunted by the knowledge that your own mother was a monster? Why were you spared and how do you escape the nightmare?
You're 21-years-old. Police arrive on the doorstep of your house, 25 Cromwell Street, with a warrant to search the garden for the remains of your older sister you didn't know was dead. Bones are found and they are from more than one body. And so the nightmare begins. You are the daughter of Fred and Rose West.
'Mae, I mean this ... I'm not a good person and I let all you children down ...' Rose West, HM PRISON DURHAM
It has taken over 20 years for Mae West to find the perspective and strength to tell her remarkable story: one of an abusive, violent childhood, of her serial killer parents and how she has rebuilt her life in the shadow of their terrible crimes.
Through her own memories, research and the letters her mother wrote to her from prison, Mae shares her emotionally powerful account of her life as a West. From a toddler locked in the deathly basement to a teen fighting off the sexual advances of her father, Mae's story is one of survival. It also answers the questions: how do you come to terms with knowing your childhood bedroom was a graveyard? How do you accept the fact your parents sexually tortured, murdered and dismembered young women? How do you become a mother yourself when you're haunted by the knowledge that your own mother was a monster? Why were you spared and how do you escape the nightmare?
