Amateur Detective

It's National Library Week, and the Athena Public Library is planning an exhibit to honor the centenary of famous novelist Electra Barnes Cartwright - creator of the beloved Veronica Thane series. Charlie has a soft spot for Cartwright's girl detective stories (not to mention an extensive collection of her books!). When the author agrees to make a rare public appearance, the news of her whereabouts goes viral overnight, and series devotees and book collectors converge on Athena.

In The Poisoned Pastry, baker Fiona Turner’s new gourmet doughnut was meant to save her family bakery—until a food critic dies after tasting it. With Sweet Blessings Bakery shut down and her dream in jeopardy, Fiona trades her apron for detective work. Someone’s mixed murder into her recipe, and she’s determined to uncover the truth. Armed with baking instincts, loyal staff, and town gossip, Fiona must catch a killer before her future is left in crumbs.

Just when Michaela is ready to admit that Slade is the one, he drops a verbal bombshell that sends Dottie and Michaela to an exclusive spa in the mountains of Virginia where our intrepid female sleuth plans to relax and do some much-needed soul-searching regarding her relationship and profession. The duo, and of course K-9 Angel, encounter an old nemesis and discover a sinister plot that pits them against the entire county and threatens their very lives. Will they survive long enough to dole out their usual brand of justice?

Ex-cop Gina Santoro lands in more trouble than ever when her family comes to Hawaii for a once in a lifetime visit. Gina gladly plays tour guide, but when murders plague Honolulu's beautiful Waikiki, trouble gets too close for comfort. When family blood starts to flow, Gina is forced into making a life-changing decision. Catch this 'till death do us part' suspenseful murder mystery that crosses lines drawn in Waikiki beach sand.

Brooklyn and her hunky new husband, Derek, are excited to be guests at Dharma’s first annual book festival. The entire town is involved, and Brooklyn’s mom, Rebecca, is taking charge. Brooklyn couldn’t be more proud of her mom’s do-it-all attitude, so when a greedy local businessman who seems intent on destroying Dharma starts harassing Rebecca, Brooklyn is ready to take him down. Rebecca is able to hold her own with the nasty jerk until one of her fellow festival committee members is brutally murdered and the money for the festival seems to have vanished into thin air.

An ancient ring stolen from a Holocaust victim. A stuffed raven that once belonged to Charles Dickens. An extra body in the New York City Morgue. Only one man could follow these clues to a solution: the legendary Jorge Luis Borges. "... highly recommended for classic detective story enthusiasts who look for complexity and intellectual challenges in their characters and stories." - Midwest Book Review Two years after their collaboration chronicled in The Philosophical Detective, Nick Martin again falls under the spell of the blind poet and fabulist who calls himself Jorge Luis Borges. ...

In The Poisoned Prawn Platter, food vlogger Hannah Sinclair expects beach views and Thai cuisine—not a chef’s death on camera. When world-renowned Chef Pichai collapses mid-demo, her dream assignment turns deadly. As police stall and resort staff stay silent, Hannah uncovers a web of rivalries, fraud, and culinary secrets bubbling beneath the surface. With suspects everywhere and time running out, she must solve the mystery before the next dish on the menu is murder.

Max Moran looks like Superman but has the personality of Clark Kent. People expect him to take charge, but he'd much rather be a follower. Women expect an alpha male, but he's more the best friend of the romantic lead. This disconnect between his looks and his personality has caused him problems with his family, his girlfriends, and his attempts to develop an acting career in New York. Now he is managing his Uncle Edward's inn in the resort town of Lighthouse Point along the New Jersey Shore, and life is quiet, just the way Max likes it. Then a dead body turns up in one of the rooms, and it...

When Kendra Donovan is approached by Mrs. Gavenston with an unusual request - to find her business manager, Jeremy Pascoe, who recently vanished - the FBI agent is eager to accept the challenge. To Kendra's way of thinking, spending her time locating a missing person suits her more than perfecting her embroidery, painting watercolors, practicing on the pianoforte, or any of the other activities that are socially acceptable for young ladies in the early 19th century. Unfortunately, the missing person's case turns into a murder investigation after Kendra finds the man stabbed to death.

Years ago, Beth Lathrop and her sister Kate suffered what they thought would be the worst tragedy of their lives the night both the famous painting Moonlight and their mother were taken. The detective assigned to the case, Conor Reid, swore to protect the sisters from then on. Beth moved on, throwing herself fully into the art world, running the family gallery, and raising a beautiful daughter with her husband Pete. Kate, instead, retreated into herself and took to the skies as a pilot, always on the run.

The most original crime novel in years - British ‘Golden Age’ sleuth meets American hard-boiled crime! It’s the summer of 1920: Kit Aston travels to San Francisco for his cousin’s marriage to the mysterious Dain Collins. When a private investigator tailing Dain Collins is killed, Kit Aston, his fiancée Mary and Aunt Agatha team up with Pinkerton detective, Dashiell Hammett, in a case involving murder, kidnap and the theft of a certain legendary bird from Malta. The latest Kit Aston mystery is a delightful reimagining of some of Dashiell Hammett’s greatest novels: the Maltese ...

Unlocking Secrets and Ancient Mysteries: When Eliza Bennett, a textile scientist fresh off a whirlwind European conference tour, lands on the sun-soaked shores of Santorini, she’s expecting a well-earned break. But when her charming, talking feline companion, Merlin, leads her to an old friend, Caleb, their holiday takes a thrilling turn. Caleb, driven by his grandfather’s lifelong quest, reveals a discovery that could change history: the keys to Atlantis II, hidden beneath the Aegean waves. Together, they embark on a quest to unlock its secrets before the malevolent Ambrosios and his ...

It's that time of year again! It's always Christmas in Holiday Haven, but this December is a special one. Carolyn Highcrest is preparing for her parents to visit for the inn's annual celebration . . . and to finally meet her boyfriend, Spencer. But when a mysterious package thief strikes the local postal service, Carol finds herself compelled to help Spencer find the culprit. Someone seems intent on ruining the holiday fun, with presents disappearing left and right and a spate of bad luck, which reminds Carol of the havoc the previous year wreaked by an out-of-control wishing box.

Filomena Obrist is in fear for her life. Her new husband is a passionate collector of morbid works of art from Roman antiquity. His magnificent estate on the Moselle River is crammed with grotesque statues, magical paraphernalia, curse tablets, and other eerie artifacts. Philomena suffers strange accidents, is haunted by ghostly apparitions, and her new family hasn’t exactly welcomed her with open arms either. Penny Küfer is hired to protect the frightened woman. But when she reaches the family's mansion, Filomena has just fallen out of a window. Suicide, according to the police … … ...

Residents are sneezing and coughing all over town, and it seems like a brutal allergy season is upon us—until someone dies. When Dr.Verity reveals a supernatural cause, I'm on the case, but how do I track a culprit whose only evidence seems to be the infection it leaves behind? In the meantime, neighbors, new and old, bring trouble to Munster Close, and I need to intervene before the wicked witches escalate matters. With the annual cheese festival on the horizon and a stealthy demon on the loose, I know I'll need to set aside my misgivings and use my magic to prevent a catastrophe.

The ladies of the Mayfair Orchid and Exotic Plant Society are known for a bit of friendly rivalry, but the backstabbing has never been literal - until now. When Hiram Filmore, an orchid hunter and supplier, is found dead in Mrs. Helena Rayburn's conservatory, Inspector Witherspoon is called in to weed out a murderer. When it comes out that Mrs. Rayburn and her flowery friends knew each other from long ago, Mrs. Jeffries begins to suspect that there's more to unearth about this case than meets the eye.

Veteran reporter Jack McEvoy has taken down killers before, but when a woman he had a one-night stand with is murdered in a particularly brutal way, McEvoy realizes he might be facing a criminal mind unlike any he's ever encountered. Jack investigates—against the warnings of the police and his own editor—and makes a shocking discovery that connects the crime to other mysterious deaths across the country. Undetected by law enforcement, a vicious killer has been hunting women, using genetic data to select and stalk his targets.

Magic, murder, and mischievous pixies - just another day in Elderberry Grove As a third-generation magical pest control witch, Juniper Green thought she'd seen it all. Pixie infestations? No problem. Garden gnome uprisings? Just another Tuesday. But when a routine call from Elderberry Grove's most difficult client ends with Juniper finding a dead body in the herb garden, she realizes some problems can't be solved with a simple banishing spell. With her trusty familiar Iris by her side, Juniper reluctantly teams up with the town's non-magical sheriff to investigate the murder. But as they ...

London, 1853: Young Charles Lenox is called upon by the duke of Dorset, one of England’s most revered noblemen, for help. A painting of the duke’s great-grandfather has been stolen from his private study. But the duke’s concern is not for his ancestor’s portrait; hiding in plain sight nearby is another painting of infinitely greater value, one that holds the key to one of the country’s most famous and best-kept secrets. Dorset believes the thieves took the wrong painting and may return when they realize their error.

This latest novel in the Bangalore Detectives Club mystery series takes the listener deep into the historical era surrounding the visit by Edward, Prince of Wales, to Bangalore in 1921. When the prince begins a tour of a number of Indian cities, he encounters passionate crowds demanding independence from Britain, with rioting on the streets of Bombay in November 1921.