Humorous Detective

Aspiring potion-witch Isabella Proctor dreams of a normal life away from magic. But when she stumbles upon her mentor's lifeless body, her world turns upside down, and a simple life seems far from reach. Suddenly entangled in a murder investigation, Isabella finds herself the prime suspect in the eyes of the newly-arrived Detective Palmer. Juggling a failing apothecary, a grandmother who sees people that aren't there, and a police department inexperienced in solving murders, Isabella must use her wits and magic to clear her name. With danger lurking around every corner and her freedom on ...

Marriage? It can be absolute murder. The royal wedding looms and Felicity can think of little else … until a member of her dream team is arrested for attempted murder. Doris, a long-time friend and superstar florist, stands accused of attempting to kill half a dozen brides, their bouquets poisoned with an unknown toxin. Ordered not to interfere by the hateful Chief Inspector Quinn, Felicity is determined to find the real person behind the bizarre crimes and clear her friend’s name – Doris must be innocent, right? But Felicity is not exactly known for her sleuthing skills. If anything,...

Her small town is filled with mysteries and Rebekah is sure that she, along with her best friend Mouse, will be able to solve every last one of them. Rebekah and Mouse are on a fun field trip with their classmates when Rebekah, as usual, finds a mystery to solve. Will her detective work pay off or land her in a lot of trouble with Mrs. Konti and the tour operator at the museum?

Penelope makes a fast break from her old life to the picturesque town of Bath, Maine. But the excitement halts when a dead body is found near her dumpster. Divorcee', Penelope, starts a new chapter in the town known for it’s boutiques. But when handyman Ricky’s body is found behind her shop, the old cliche, shop ‘til you drop, suddenly becomes a literal reality. Her curiosity piqued over the unsolved murder, she sets out to unearth the truth, with her bite-sized sidekick, Teo the Teacup Chihuahua, in tow. When town gossip reveals Ricky’s shady past and his recent argument with Harry...

In this dual collection of short stories, Alexander McCall Smith brings his trademark humor and warmth to inventive tales of spying and vengeance. In one story, a spy dropped deep into enemy territory manages to disguise himself—quite convincingly—as a nun. In another, an invitation to join the Vatican Secret Service sends a prospective operative down a rabbit hole of controversy and confusion. A third story finds an author, on the brink of public ruin, seeing the error of his ways after an act of kindness saves the day.

It’s all Tinkler’s fault. If it weren’t for his obsession with the 1970s band Black Dog, none of this would have happened. The members of Black Dog performed an infamous publicity stunt on Halig Island: they burned a million dollars on an enormous bonfire. But the stunt backfired, splitting the band for good and increasing the value of their final, recalled album tenfold.

America’s most-read, most-watched, and most­ beloved serial killer - Dexter Morgan - is back. After selling more than one million copies and inspiring the wildly popular number one Showtime series and top-rated crime drama on pay-cable television, New York Times best-selling author Jeff Lindsay returns with his most hilarious, macabre, and purely entertaining novel yet. Dexter Morgan has always lived a happy homicidal life. He keeps his dark urges in check by adhering to one stead­fast rule...he only kills very bad people.

“...a suspenseful, pitch-perfect novel with an unlikely lead detective: a fictionalized version of iconic Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges… An intelligent, original detective novel.” - Kirkus Reviews. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1967. The blind poet Jorge Luis Borges, visiting at Harvard, faces a crisis of conscience and identity as he and his young assistant Nick Martin grapple with an extraordinary series of crimes and the equally baffling conundrums of literature and philosophy. Forty-five years later, struggling with pain and grief, Nick Martin looks back with wonder at that ...

Albert and Rex are going to the palace. It’s the day the Kings' birthday honour list recipients get their knighthoods, but like everywhere else they go, there is trouble to be found. With his three children and youngest granddaughter, Apple-Blossom, in tow, Albert is a little embarrassed by the lavishness of the affair. Yet all that is forgotten when he spots a man he knows. A man guilty of murder. A man who can only be at the palace for one thing. But Albert is about to be presented to the king, now is not the time to be chasing criminals. I guess that's why he's Rex's sidekick. Step ...

RJ Spencer is a lucky 12-year-old. He lives in the big city and his parents are landlords of the high-rise apartment building that is his home. The many tenants in the building, along with the endless possibilities of adventures in the city itself, are the perfect setting for the young detective as he sets out to solve every case he can get his hands on. RJ is getting caught up in disgusting green goo everywhere he goes. After seeing some strange bright lights at the park one night, he and Joey are determined to catch the aliens before they get what they are seeking...possibly RJ and Joey!

Isabella Proctor has a new super power... ...finding dead bodies. What did she ever do to deserve this? She’d like to trade this power in for something, anything else – talk to ants, mix the perfect mojito, anything other than finding her friends dead. After her neighbor is murdered, her not-so-ordinary life takes a sharp turn into the weird – magic amulets, secret societies, deadly feuds, and talking cats. Things go from bad to worse when another friend is murdered and she can’t go to Detective Palmer for help. Can she capture a witch so much older and stronger than she is or will ...

Charlie just wants a quiet life … Then he finds a human skull buried in the front yard. Mystery writer Charlie McGinley moves from L.A. to a small town in New Mexico. No more big-city hassles. No more big-city hustles. Guess again! Suddenly Charlie has to deal with disappearing bodies, crabby cops, crazed killers, and a very pregnant wife, while trying desperately to avoid ending up in an unmarked grave next to the mysterious stiff. Gold Medal Winner, Humor and Satire —2024 Global Book Awards “Proverbial skeletons in closets and actual ones buried in the yard help make this a bone-...

Verity King has a problem with her husband. He’s been turned into a frog, and contrary to opinion, that’s not an improvement. A cryptic message, a severed finger in her fridge, and no signs of forced entry make it clear to Tempest why he was called, but Mr King’s worrying transformation is just the first act. Almost before he can add up the clues, a second victim confirms the theme and Tempest finds himself up against someone performing modern retellings of the Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales … with real live human characters. Tempest also has a new partner and it’s not his old army...

A suspenseful yet delightful cozy mystery that I couldn't put down. The twist and turns kept me reading till the very end. ARC Team reviewer. I wanted to learn calligraphy at the local craft store. I didn't know the owner would kick the bucket after our first class. Her death is too suspicious. As I talk to the craft club who knows everyone that has ever come into the craft store I find out who would have wanted the victim inked out. Everyone saw her cat fight with the town's blabber mouth and her cousin's estranged husband and city councilman just happened to emerge just in time to call ...

There’s a voodoo woman in New Orleans who knows your darkest secrets French Quarter paranormal investigator Wyatt Thomas learns he’s permanently linked to the spirit of a man with whom he’d fought a duel during another lifetime. The only person who can free Wyatt from his curse is long-dead voodoo queen Marie Laveaux. To seek her help, he must travel back to Antebellum New Orleans, succeed in his endeavor, or be trapped in the past forever. When Wyatt meets his former lover at the Mulatto Ball, he doesn’t know if he wants to return. While Wyatt is time traveling, detective Tony ...

For Alice and her partner Joe, moving to the sleepy village of Penton is a chance to embrace country life and prepare for the birth of their first child. He can take up woodwork; maybe she’ll learn to make jam? But the rural idyll they’d hoped for doesn’t quite pan out when a dead body is discovered at their local prenatal class, and they find themselves suspects in a murder investigation. With a cloud of suspicion hanging over the heads of the whole group, Alice and her new-found pregnant friends set out to solve the mystery and clear their names, with the help of her troublesome dog, Helen.

Instead of catering to cozy readers at my inherited bookshop, I found myself staring at the town’s crabbiest gardener… taking a dirt nap in my alleyway. I just turned a new page in my life when I returned to Bramble Dale to start a laid back book club. But when my old crush is pegged as a suspect for a murder it became a crime story that I needed to solve. When my trusty yellow lab, Peanut, sniffs out a bloodied scarf, me and my bestie start questioning suspects. With the victim rigging the gardening competition so he always won there were more than enough people that wanted to dig his ...

I'm Tracy Belden, a single mom on my first solo case as a PI. Instead of creating crossword puzzles, I’m searching for my wealthy ex-husband’s second wife, missing for three days. I was hoping she ran off with his money. Then, I found her body. Now, the police are eyeing me as a suspect. To make matters worse, my precocious, 11-year-old son and my geriatric landlady are trying to solve the case without me, If my puzzle solving skills can't lead me to the killer, I'll be finishing my crossword puzzle in jail. If you like fast-paced, funny whodunits with smalltown adventures, you'll love ...

How far would you go, to save the ones you love? Kiku’s quest to rescue her lover has gone disastrously wrong. With the odds stacked against her, her enemies think she’ll run and hide to save herself. They’re wrong—dead wrong. Kiku decides to take the fight to them instead. Now the hunter, Kiku, will stop at nothing to protect those she loves. WARNING: If you have plans, cancel them! You won’t be able to stop reading, so get ready to strap in, buckle up, and hang on for an action-thrill ride of your life! Award-winning, Wall Street Journal bestselling author Christopher Greyson ...

A light, cozy mystery series in a quaint Bavarian Christmas town with a fun loving, amateur female sleuth, her adorable rescue cocker spaniel, and enough garden gnomes to fill a museum. Book 1 - Deck the Santa Chloe Carson is excited for her long-awaited family reunion. But as they gather in a snow-clad village to plan their aging mother’s dream of opening a restaurant, the old lady’s habit of spreading garden gnomes around town leads to a panicked pilgrimage. And the mayhem continues when their visit to the nutcracker museum reveals Kris Kringle has come to an unmerry demise. With a ...