Detective Short Stories Mysteries

Praise for Alice Crowley's writing: "I LOVED THE IMAGINATION OF THIS AUTHOR!" ~Satisfied Kindle Reader "FIVE STARS!" ~ Multiple Fans "Alice Crowley is one of our best living authors!" ~ G. Taylor In this sizzling steamy suspense thriller, a confident private detective has her imagination stretched to its limits when she realizes the man she has been hired to follow has supernatural abilities. After conducting surveillance, our heroine begins to unravel a mystery from Chicago's darkest shadows, and shines a light on ancient and arcane ritualistic cults. Soon she and the stranger she has been...

The second of the Leger Hotel Mysteries Series sees an unexpected visitor with a massive grudge against Leger arrive - his son, August. Confused when August first arrives at the hotel, Leger asks how the young tomcat made the journey from Glasgow. He learns that August travelled with Verity, the sister of the man who attacked Hugh almost two years ago. Unaware who Verity is, Annabella and Hugh give her a job at the hotel but alarm bells ring when the young girl falls victim to one crime after another. Leger suspects she is conning her trusting employers and friends out of money. August is ...

More Things Impossible contains 15 of Dr. Sam's extraordinary cases solved between 1927 and 1931, including an impossible murder in a house that whispers; poisoning by a gargoyle on the courthouse roof; the case of the devil in the windmill; the houseboat that resembles the Mary Celeste; the affair of the vanishing Gypsies; stabbing in the locked cockpit of a plane in midair; a ghostly pirate in a lighthouse; and eight other ingenious riddles.

Two novellas and two short stories featuring Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Bill Pronzini's iconic Nameless Detective. Zigzag is an original novella in which a safe and simple accident investigation becomes the unraveling of a twisted murder scheme.

Just as boredom is setting in on his long trip by motor coach across the desert to Baghdad, Mr. Parker Pyne reads about the case of the missing Mr. Long, the famous defaulting financier who, as the papers would have it, is in South America. Another member of his party, Captain Smethurst, tells Pyne that he is worried about something. But before he can tell Pyne what it is, he is found dead, with no visible wound. Pyne must piece together what happened from various clues, including scraps of conversation overheard back in Damascus.

As the early years of detective fiction gave way to two separate golden ages - of hard-boiled tales in America and intricately-plotted, so-called “cozy” murders in Britain - the legacy of Sherlock Holmes, with his fierce devotion to science and logic, gave way to street smarts on the one hand and social insight on the other, but even though these new sub-genres went their own ways, their detectives still required intelligence and clear-sightedness as characterized the earliest works of detective fiction: the trademarks of Sherlock Holmes, and of all the detectives featured here.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson return in six further adventures which display the great detective's brilliance once more. In these adventures set across the span of the duo's lives at 221b Baker Street, Holmes and Watson travel from the highest realms of society to the lowest dens of criminality across London in pursuit of the solution to a host of baffling mysteries.

Behind the stage lights and word-perfect soliloquies, sinister secrets are lurking in the wings. The mysteries in this collection reveal the dark side to theatre and performing arts: a world of backstage dealings, where unscrupulous actors risk everything to land a starring role, costumed figures lead to mistaken identities, and on-stage deaths begin to look a little too convincing. This expertly curated thespian anthology features 14 stories from giants of the classic crime genre.

The seasons have changed in Scotland and rather than prowl in the cold, Leger has chosen to spend his evenings dining at his good friend Winter's home or sleeping in front of the fire. But peaceful nights watching snow fall from the windowsill will have to wait as there is a new case to solve. His friend Winter has gone missing! Leger has his paws full and is distracted from the job in hand. He has a new hibernation spot to find for an insomniac hedgehog friend, hears news of an unexpected pregnancy and as ever, Leger struggles to communicate with his human companion, Annabella. If he did ...

An alarming telephone call, in which the phrases “it’s life and death” and “the table with the yellow irises” are whispered, causes Hercule Poirot to rush to the luxuriant restaurant Jardin des Cygnes, desperate to stop an impending murder and find the person behind the voice on the phone. After bumping into an old acquaintance, he is invited to join a dinner party in full swing. But, just as the dancing and champagne are overflowing, a morbid announcement is made and the lights go out.

Book 4 - Peculiar Plots and Perilous Pursuits Get ready for the next collection of exciting and humorous exploits with "The Remarkable Tales of the Home Town Heroes - Book #4". This book of five short stories is perfect for children aged 9 to 12, but readers of all ages will be captivated by the stories of four best friends (Tom, Jack, Alex and Ben) who navigate more exciting challenges together. The Case of the Vanishing Villagers: When several townspeople mysteriously disappear, Tom, Jack, Alex, and Ben form a detective team to solve the case. They follow a trail of clues and riddles ...

When Mr. Satterthwaite visits a new exhibit at the Harchester Galleries, there is one painting that bears an unusual likeness to a mysterious acquaintance of his, Mr. Quin. In one bold move he purchases the canvas on the spot, and in another invites the artist of "The Dead Harlequin" to dine with him that night, with an empty place at the table set for Mr. Quin. Dinner conversation soon turns to the setting of "The Dead Harlequin", the doomed and ghostly house Charnley, where many have perished under tragic circumstances.

These are 20 new crime mysteries together in one large collection, taken from a string of short stories set in the late 19th century. No fictional characters are more renowned for their powers of thought and observation than Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion, Dr. John Watson.

"Project Orthia is the very promising project, with so much potential..." project report from Dr. Russo, 20 years ago. “Finn Peterson, the retired police officer, comes home to visit his parents. He found that they are not living in their old house, which belongs to someone else now. In attempt to get more data about his parents, Finn discovered that there are no records at all about such people, as they never existed. He tried to resolve the mystery of the disappearance of his own parents, the people who never bought anything, never worked, newer paid taxes, and newer raised their son…...

At a séance, Sir Alington, a venerable expert of the mental condition, is pestered by Mrs. Eversleigh about the importance of the sixth sense. Soon, a young man named Dermot is drawn in and tells them both about the sixth sense he experiences, a red signal that spells danger. He is about to tell them of the last time he saw the red signal when he stops himself. The last time he had the signal was earlier that very evening. But how could there be danger at a simple gathering of old friends?

‘Tis the Season… for a Christmas Crime Thriller Short Story. A late-night shootout erupts over stolen cigarettes and leaves a Good Samaritan wondering, “Did I do the right thing?” JoJo is a repeat offender who grew up in foster care. His sister was adopted by a man named Davey, his only connection to family life. When JoJo is released after a short stint in county jail, Davey agrees to pick him up and drive him to a motel near his home. But when JoJo asks to stop for cigarettes, Davey’s in for the fight of his life. JoJo swipes a pack of smokes causing a fast-moving chain of ...

Imagine a Holmes without his Boswell or, as is the case with the audiobook you will soon have to your ears, imagine a Holmes without the voice of Watson. Is there a difference? After all, we have learned about the great detective through that of his loyal companion, his dear friend and his Boswell. What might we be missing? Who else could tell of the great detective’s feats? Find out as today's best Sherlock Holmes authors tell stories from the various perspectives of the other cast of colorful characters and experience Holmes like never before as you go beyond Watson.

In The Adventure of the Jeweled Falcon, Holmes tracks down an ancient priceless statue, but others are looking for it too. In The Case of the Violin Savant, using clues found in the sophisticated musical compositions of a celebrated but mute nine-year-old violin savant, Holmes and Watson attempt to discover where and why the boy and his parents vanished. In The Adventure of Stonehenge in London, Holmes and Watson stumble upon a strange structure on the roof of a mansion in London, and somehow it relates to the missing eighth Earl of Rendlesham.

Mr Parker Pyne is asked to catch a diamond thief during regatta festivities at Dartmouth harbour when more conventional search methods prove fruitless.

The 40 short stories in this collection chronicle the heartache, pain, love, loneliness, fears, marital discord, joys, and dreams among normal people from a variety of backgrounds and professions in contemporary American society. The captivating characters and their compelling stories hold up a mirror to the country in which we live.