Family Mystery

Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J. D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead—very dead—on the hotel’s tearoom floor.

In the remote town of Consequence, nestled deep in the southeast side of Washington State, an ominous presence has cast its shadow over the community. Residents whisper of mysterious disappearances, strange sightings, and unexplained terror lurking within the dense woods surrounding the town. Chief of Police Darin Lane, a seasoned and peaceful law enforcement officer, is determined to uncover the truth behind the mounting fear that is gripping his town. As the town’s Chief of Police, he finds himself thrust into a chilling investigation that defies rational explanation. With each passing ...

A captivating story of a shocking crime, bitter betrayal and enduring love, bridging time and a vast cultural divide. It’s 1951, and Jonathan McKendry’s best friend and small-town lawyer, George Hansen, has found himself on the wrong end of bad situations in the past, but never one so unpopular as when he steps up to defend a local Native American man accused of a shocking crime. Jonathan, now married to Dr. Emily Compton McKendry, desperately tries to help his friend save the life of an innocent man, as well as save his wife and a young family who are threatened by an abusive and ...

PLANTING SEEDS OF DOUBT… In the final novella of the Seasons series, NY Times bestselling author Kate Collins brings the beloved characters from New Chapel back to the page like never before. Fall has arrived in New Chapel, Indiana, and life has never been better for local florist Abby Knight Salvare and her handsome private eye husband, Marco, until a missing person’s case puts our two hometown heroes at odds, showing signs of stress in an otherwise perfect marriage. Town busybody Sylvie Freeman is certain that her twin brother has gone missing, although everyone in her family is ...

When an old friend is arrested in Dublin, tour guide Lana Hansen will need the luck of the Irish to clear him of the crime. Lana is thrilled her friend Jeremy and his wife are on her tour to Ireland. The couple are having the time of their lives exploring the country’s rich literary and cultural history, until they run into Guy Smith, a reporter Jeremy recently exposed as a fraud. A tussle turns into a fight and leaves each man vowing to destroy the other. Yet cross words and dirty looks tell Lana that Jeremy is not the only client on her tour who has a grudge against the reporter. When ...

Every family passes down stories from one generation to the next...and sometimes they take on a life of their own. Family secrets are a part of life in both the Ryan and Smith families...and never more so than during an unexpected family reunion in the mountains of Utah. Nate had two goals for the trip...keep an eye on his uncle’s medical condition after the shooting that almost killed him...and keep an even closer eye on his sister. Jenna wanted a life outside of the family business. She didn’t have her brother’s tenacity or streak of independence, but she had a glimmer of hope that ...

“Highly amusing, risqué and calamitous is a description of it, just like Lillian’s life.” If you could go back and do life differently, would you? He sat on the curb, bloody. All but his daughter murdered, and she was missing. I should have just called 911 and waited in my car. I didn’t. I felt pulled to prove the man’s innocence as he became the number one suspect. And then, I became the number one target. Can I do life differently? Good lord, I’ll still struggling to answer this question. “Although Lillian's future and happiness would benefit greatly from her NOT getting ...

Motive. Means. Opportunity. Without proof of all three, the guilty can walk free. But even with an alibi, the innocent can still be condemned. For six award-winning, bestselling authors of psychological suspense, truth and lies weave together in a tangle of conflicting loyalties, hidden crimes, and dark secrets. Pull one thread, and there’s no telling what will unravel.

The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, the breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families, let alone raise them. But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality TV show called The Substitute.

Imagine that you live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where your children run free, in and out of other people's houses. You've known your neighbors for years and you trust them. Implicitly. You think your children are safe. But are they really? On a midsummer night, as a festive neighborhood party is taking place, preteen Pip discovers her 13-year-old sister Grace lying unconscious and bloody in a hidden corner of a lush rose garden. What really happened to her?

A mountain girl in the early 1900’s copes with a marriage arranged by her dad. Her story is titled from an old saying “I own my land, heaven-high and hell-deep.” “Your pa gave his consent for us to marry,” he said the words as though it was a simple matter. It wasn’t a romantic proposal of love and devotion. It wasn’t a proposal at all. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I tried again. “I don’t know your name,” I managed to say as I felt my chest constrict. There was a pain in me that started at my toes and went to the roots of my hair. Dad had come up with a ...

Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it's served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don't knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing what's buried in the Morrows' backyard. But 19-year-old Michael Morrow isn't like the rest of his family. He doesn't take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees.

Thomas and Viv Adler are the envy of their neighbors: attractive, successful, with well-mannered children and a beautifully restored home. Until one morning, when they wake up to find their porch has been pelted with eggs. It’s a prank, Thomas insists; the work of a few out-of-control kids. But when a smoke bomb is tossed on their front lawn, and their car’s tires are punctured, the family begins to worry. Surveillance cameras show nothing but grainy images of shadowy figures in hoodies.

It’s the perfect home for the perfect family: pretty Nora Howell, her handsome husband, their two teenage daughters, and lovable dog. As California transplants making a fresh start in Brooklyn, they expected to live in a shoebox, but the brownstone has a huge kitchen, lots of light, and a backyard. The catch: its previous residents were victims of a grisly triple homicide that remains unsolved. Soon, peculiar things begin happening. The pug is nosing around like a bloodhound. Nora unearths a long-hidden rusty box in the flowerbed.

Ruthie Flores is running out of time. Assembling a team who can discreetly breach the walls is a last-ditch effort to find out if her estranged daughter is in danger and to make up for what she’s done before it’s too late—literally. The old woman is in hospice care and she isn’t expected to live long enough to see the seasons change. Meredith Flores Montgomery keeps a safe distance from her mother. The pair hasn’t spoken in years, and Meredith has no plans for that to change. She isn't sure she can forgive Ruthie for the careless decisions that altered the trajectory of their ...

"Unlocking Family Secrets: Journey of an Adoptee's Quest for Answers," tells the personal story of Sharon Henifin, who was adopted as a baby and spent much of her life searching for her birth parents. This captivating memoir takes readers on a journey through Sharon's emotional struggles and determination to uncover her true identity. As Sharon delves deeper into her search, she discovers that her adoption was shrouded in secrecy and that her birth parents' identities were carefully concealed. But with a combination of perseverance, luck, timing, and the help of DNA testing, Sharon can ...

NEW to the Peridale Café series? This is the PERFECT jumping in point! The truth always rises to the surface... Julia South-Brown is thrilled to unveil her café’s latest creation—cruffins—at the grand opening of Peridale’s new community square. But her excitement turns to dread when Wendy Michaels, a sharp-tongued food critic and Julia’s former college nemesis, publicly accuses her of negligence, then dies under suspicious circumstances. As whispers of sabotage spread through the village, Julia’s café becomes the focus of scandal, threatening her livelihood and reputation. ...

Former PI-in-training Amber Winslow has decided to flee her life in the dead of night, carrying nothing but the clothes on her back. Down on her luck and with no other choice, she heads to the sunny state of Arizona to the luxury accommodations of her grandmother’s retirement community. Never mind that Amber’s never actually met her estranged and eccentric Grandma Jade.

Welcome to Quillhaven, where books whisper secrets, pastries hold enchantments, and a witch’s potions are anything but predictable. Annie Hart has her hands full running Spellbound Stories Bookshop and mentoring young witches in the magical town of Quillhaven. As a descendant of the legendary Elara Blackwood, she’s got a knack for brewing subtle potions and chatting with animals—especially her two mischievous, ageless Siamese cats, Leo and Luna. When her most promising young witch-in-training mysteriously vanishes into thin air, peace in Quillhaven takes a tumble. Meanwhile, Caleb ...

Laura Amy Schlitz delivers this Horn Book Fanfare and Laura Amy Schlitz delivers this Horn Book Fanfare and Cybils Award-winning best-seller that whisks 11-year-old Maud Flynn from a cold New England orphanage and into the stately mansion of three wealthy spinsters. After the Hawthorne sisters adopt her in 1909, they tell her she's their secret child. She must remain indoors at all times and must never stand in front of windows. Maud doesn't mind their restrictions. But she does wonder what could possibly require such secrecy.