Detective Short Stories Mysteries

Train journeys through rolling countryside and cruises across the open ocean might sound like paradise, but when murder strikes mid-journey, they’re anything but. Even on vacation, tensions can bubble beneath the surface, and when the end of the line leads to murder, everyone’s a suspect.

For Ellery Queen, there is no puzzle that reason cannot solve. In his time, he has faced down killers, thugs, and thieves, protected only by the might of his brain - and the odd bit of timely intervention by his father, a burly New York police inspector. But when a university professor asks Queen to teach a class, the detective finds there are people whom reason cannot touch: college students. Queen's adventure on campus is only the first of this incomparable collection of short mysteries.

The house always wins. Unless it falls down… When Bubbles acts as a witness in a high-profile murder case she’s warned to stay low. Taking on a gambling gangster and his henchmen wasn’t in the cards. But then he went and made it personal… HoloCity Hard Boys is the second stand alone mystery novella in the HoloCity Case Files series, a companion collection to the Bubbles in Space series. Blade Runner meets The Fifth Element in this eccentric cyber-noir thriller series about a bleak world ravaged by corrupt leaders, mega-corporations, and crime lords… and the washed-up detective who...

Four previously uncollected stories from one of the great mystery writers of our time - swift, cunning murder mysteries (two of which feature the young Adam Dalgliesh) that together, to borrow the author's own word, add up to a delightful "entertainment".

Previously published as Deadly Secrets: Hidden Name by Madalena Melchior. SECRET NAME Samarkand. Could the name of an ancient city at the heart of the Silk Road be the key to solving a murder -- and help save the life of a wrongly accused man? Sherlock Holmes will get to the bottom of this mystery, summon the ghosts of erstwhile tragedies, and expose the truth behind a carefully hidden name.

October on the island of Rhodes is a veritable paradise of privacy, beauty, and calm - or so Hercule Poirot has imagined. The reality is quite different, as the arrival of famed Chanel beauty Valentine Chantry causes a ripple of malice to be felt across the island. She captivates at least one married man with her wiles and good looks, as her brooding husband watches on. Poirot senses that someone has murder in their heart, and he guesses right. As things come to a tragic head, only Poirot the quiet observer can piece together what has happened in this lover's triangle.

For the second time in a week, homicide detective Tyler Odom is visited by his recently deceased wife. And, once again, she gifts him with a case-solving tip. But before Tyler can connect with psychiatrist Daphne Janet, he's called to the Midtown Theater to investigate the death of actor and playwright Dennis Klein.

Amateur sleuth Clarissa Montgomery Hayes loves her loyal canine partner, Paw. Together they sniff out crime and dig up clues to solve mysteries. Can a dog be a detective? He sure can. The dog detective is on the case in this collection of the first five cozy mystery short stories in the Dog Detective Series. In “The Mystery of the Blue Dolphins,” Clarissa’s amateur sleuth uncle has died. Or was it murder? And what has happened to the stolen jewels he was investigating? Clarissa and Paw are on vacation at the beach in “The Mystery of Aunt Carol’s Disappearance” where their ...

Something is very wrong in the town of Palm Grove Arayah, Garrett and Maverick are entangled in a Murder who is responsible for this heinous and cruel act? From the award winning Author of Born To Survive comes Murder By Moonlight

Jon Talbot is a history professor who makes sense of the past by examining facts. He also knows how to speculate about the what-ifs. Jon’s doing both following the death of his wife, Pax. Driving home late from a volunteer assignment, she plunged off a mountain highway and died. The police find nothing suspicious about the facts: a deer in the road, a blown tire, a broken neck. But the what-ifs are leading Jon down a twisting trail of secrets. After five years of marriage, he is finally getting to know his wife.

After a near-fatal adventure in another world—a world of dragons, no less—Samantha Moon is ready for her first real vacation in nearly a decade. With a little money in her pocket from the sale of a mansion left to her by her vampire sire, Sam sets her sights on a whirlwind European tour. First stop: Ireland. When a dark shadow races across her hotel suite, followed by something evil watching her son from a suit of armor, Samantha Moon is about to discover that her trip to the Emerald Isle is going to be anything but relaxing... it's going to get deadly. After all, something wicked has ...

★★★★★ "Keeps you thinking and on your toes! But watch out, the twist will get you every time!" - Reader review ___ Five riveting stories that remind us that fate can change our lives in a heartbeat! These intriguing tales encompass every evil deed from revenge to cold-blooded murder to human trafficking and yet never assume you know how they will end until you read the last page. Things are not always what they appear to be, especially when fate intervenes. Atonement: A serial killer is terrorizing the Dallas-Fort Worth area and wherever he strikes he leaves a strange memento ...

Mrs. Packington felt alone, helpless, and utterly forlorn. But her life changed when she stumbled upon an advertisement in the Times that read: "Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne." Equally adept at putting together the fragments of a murder mystery or the pieces of a broken marriage, Mr. Parker Pyne is possibly the world's most unconventional private investigator. Armed with just his intuitive knowledge of human nature, he is an Englishman abroad, traveling the globe to solve and undo crime and misdemeanor.

When wealthy spinster Emily French is found murdered, suspicion falls on Leonard Vole, the man to whom she hastily bequeathed her riches before she died. Leonard assures the investigators that his wife, Romaine Heilger, can provide them with an alibi. However, when questioned, Romaine informs the police that Vole returned home late that night covered in blood. During the trial, Ms. French's housekeeper, Janet, gives damning evidence against Vole.

This collection features some of the greatest fictional detectives ever, including: Sherlock Holmes, Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond, Father Brown, Morris Klaw, and Inspector Morse amongst others. Reader Edward Hardwicke, who played Watson to Jeremy Brett's Holmes in the early 1990s, makes an ideal reader for the genre.

THIS IS THE NOVELLA-LENGTH PREQUEL TO THE FULL LENGTH COZY MYSTERIES IN NANCY MCGOVERN'S POPULAR SERIES, "A MURDER IN MILBURN"! MEET NORA NEWBERRY, THE CLEVER & CALCULATING FEMALE SLEUTH, AS A TEENAGER, BEFORE SHE BECAME THE YOUNG WOMAN SHE IS IN THE MAIN BOOKS OF THE SERIES! *** BEFORE YOU BUY: GET TWO BOOKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! YOU CAN GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE WHEN YOU JOIN NANCY'S MAILING LIST! FIND THE LINK IN ANY OF HER OTHER BOOKS! DEATH AT A DINER IS THE FIRST FULL-LENGTH STORY IN THIS SERIES SO IT WOULD BE THE BEST PLACE TO FIND IT! Whether you are new to the series or a dedicated ...

When haute couture meets cold-blooded murder... Lena Montgomery's quiet home has been transformed into fashion central as she hosts an exclusive runway show featuring some of the industry's biggest names. With her quick-witted grandmother and loyal friend Charlie by her side, she's prepared for the usual drama that comes with corralling high-maintenance designers and models. But when renowned fashion designer Maggie St. Clair is found strangled with her own signature scarf moments before the show, Lena's event transforms from a celebration of style to a gathering of suspects. Between bitter...

The Greatest Female Crime Writers of All Time is a collection of 17 classic detective novels and stories, read by three award-winning narrators. Included here are stories by some of the greatest female crime writers of the 20th century: Agatha Christie; Dorothy L. Sayers; and Josephine Tey.

Every town hides a few dark secrets. Some dogs track scents. Bentley tracks trouble. And Maggie Shaw has learned to trust him with her life. If you love quick read, small-town suspense, layered mysteries, and strong women who won’t back down, The Shelter Conspiracy is the perfect escape. When a simple volunteer job at a local animal shelter uncovers a chilling secret, Maggie and her intuitive therapy dog, Bentley, find themselves in the crosshairs of a danger no one saw coming. What makes The Shelter Conspiracy impossible to put down? A fearless K-9 handler willing to risk everything for ...

Arriving at his friend’s funeral, Bryce had in his pocket the envelope with a single key delivered to his office the day before, send by dead now James. A random act of violence; his friend was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Shot as he was driving across the Potomac. Bryce tries to understand what happened to James and his own role in this story. He finds more and more data about what his dead friend was involved in to and clearly sees now that his own life is in danger. This is the first series of Bryce Palmer Saga.