Humorous Mysteries

Fledgling reporter Fletch's first big interview is with a millionaire lawyer with a crooked streak and an itch to give away some of his ill-gotten gains. He ends up dead in the News-Tribune's parking lot before Fletch can ask question number one. So Fletch goes after the murderer instead and ends up learning a thing or two about crime and punishment. At the same time, he's supposed to be covering (or maybe uncovering) a health spa that caters to all its clients' needs and gets hired as a very personal trainer.

When a mysterious letter arrives at the Shady Pines Library, Librarian Maggie Montgomery never expects it to lead her to Everwood Manor- a crumbling estate steeped in secrets. The new owners have uncovered a bundle of old letters and a diary in the attic. They believe Maggie, with her knowledge of local history, is the perfect person to unravel their secrets. Joined by her loyal beagle Sherlock and her two best friends, Tessa and Hannah, Maggie begins digging into the story of the Van Allen family— The manor’s previous residents who vanished without a trace decades ago. Once the ...

The Byzantine Fire is much more than a flawless ninety-carat ruby. As a stone it's worth over a million dollars, a value vastly increased by its pure gold band - but its history is what makes it priceless. A ring that has been fought for with sword and pen and passed from nation to nation by all manner of theft and trickery, has finally made its way to the United States. The US agrees to return it to Turkey, but it's about to be stolen twice more.

Stevie here, reporting to you live from Ebenezer Falls, Washington, with my disaster of a day. It started off like any other day, with the exception of Win's strange behavior, that is. But it's all gone downhill from there and I have questions. So many questions.... For instance, why is everyone else in Eb Falls behaving as strangely as my International Man of Mystery? And who the heck is Donna? For that matter, who's Candy Cane and why does she have snow? Who's the blonde picking up Win in our driveway? And was that an Aston Martin I just saw drive by?

Autumn is in the air in the Blue Ridge Mountain community of Crozet, Virginia - and all the traditions of the changing seasons are underway. Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen cleans her cupboards; her husband, Fair, prepares the horses for the shorter days ahead; and the clamorous barking of beagles signals the annual rabbit chase through the central Virginia hills. But the last thing the local beaglers and their hounds expect to flush out is a dead body.

A food thief is on the loose in the Five Streets—and only one cat is clever enough to catch them. Jack is no ordinary feline. He knows every alley, scent, and secret across the Five Streets. When food begins vanishing from trusted hideaways and no cat will talk, Jack takes the case. He is determined to uncover who, or what, is behind the thefts that are shaking the balance of power in his once orderly world. But as Jack digs deeper, he uncovers something more sinister than hunger. Whispers of betrayal. Shadows that move without sound. A threat that could change everything the street cats ...

R. J. and Joey are very excited about the summer, especially their favorite daily treat of ice cream. Then the worst thing possible occurs and one day Mr. Pip's ice cream truck is nowhere to be seen. Will R. J. and Joey be able to track down the strange guy who seems to be responsible for the disappearance of Mr. Pip and their daily treat?

Goonies-meets-James-Bond-style hijinks continue with a group of unpopular fifth-graders who run a spy network right under their teachers’ noses. Their tech-loving, geeky ways may get them shunned by the “it” crowd, but with a little help from science, these kids’ most dweeby qualities become big-time weapons in the fight against super-villains.

After Deanna Sullivan—aka Tweedle-Dee—found herself hanging upside down at the town carnival, the last thing she expected was for Reel Thurman to return home. But when strange occurrences threaten her safety, the overbearing security expert and local legend, Reel Thurman, swoops into town and vows to protect her. Reel might have laser-focused skills and the body of a Greek god, but in Deanna’s opinion, he was supposed to stay in her past—far in her past. With a mega eye roll thrown his direction, Deanna focuses on her baking, determined to ignore him. But as the ovens heat up, so ...

Zoobreak revisits the characters from Korman's popular Swindle, as Griffin Bing and his friends come together for another heist. Savannah's pet monkey has been kidnapped and given to a zoo! Griffin quickly puts together a plan to steal the critter back, but not all goes smoothly. The crew realizes animals in the zoo are treated badly, so they hatch another scheme - to smuggle the animals into a better zoo.

From USA Today bestselling author, Julie Mulhern, comes a short worthy of the Country Club Murders name. For Aggie DeLucci, former assistant private investigator and current housekeeper extraordinaire, 1975 is turning out to be a banner year. There’s a new man her life, Mac. He makes her laugh, takes her dancing, and makes a helluva salami sandwich. When Mac is accused of theft, it’s up to Aggie to clear his name. She’ll have to polish her slightly tarnished investigative kills and tame her fears (and her hair) to catch the real thief. If this is your first trip to 70s Kansas City, ...

"This series is my favorite new addiction!"~ Reviewer The coconut wireless is always humming in Ohia, Maui—and the latest topic of gossip is me, Kat Smith. I’m Secret Service, not Postal Service—but I feel like a criminal when I’m appointed postmaster to a cozy little village on Maui. Turns out I’ve stolen a well-earned promotion from beloved Auntie Pua Chang, who’s been there forever—when all I want to do is hide out in paradise until the witch hunt to kill my career is over. I haven't been in Ohia a day when Tiki the post office cat brings a prize to my doorstep—a piece of...

The new director at Camp Lone Wolf seems like a nice guy. But when the kids learn the legend of a local boy who disappeared and the wolf that prowls the campgrounds howling in the night, they start to wonder if Camp Lone Wolf is more than just a name. Mr. Jenkins is covered in hair, eats his meat almost raw, and has an obsession with wolves. But could he really be a werewolf?

Agatha O’Malley has become a recluse in the home that should be holding warm and wonderful memories. Up until her husband’s death, she led a happy and social life as the wife of a wealthy physician in the small town of Park Place, South Carolina. But now that he’s dead, she’s not only grieving for him, she’s furious with him over the mysterious disappearance of the stocks, bonds and money he told her he’d put aside for their retirement. What is she to do when there’s barely enough money in their joint checking account to survive, and how will she pay property taxes and keep up...

The last thing I expected during Bramble Dale’s big debut cook-off was a dead food critic face-first in a plate of my best friends winning but fatal almond chicken. It was an and accident because she wouldn’t poison him on purpose. Really? Now I’m knee-deep in flour, lies, and a whole lot of bad alibis, trying to figure out who really wanted this foodie dead. Between his baking co-star girlfriend stealing the show and a rival food critic cutting into his review columns this harsh baking judge had more enemies than a guy could choke on. With my pet detective yellow Lab, Peanut, and my ...

In a jungle of monsters, the real danger is falling for one... Cora A monster is chasing me through my home. On prehistoric planet Xren, where alien dinosaurs roam free, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. My home in a treetop was supposed to be safe. Nobody should know I’m here, a hundred feet off the ground. But this thing even knows my name. I think this is a caveman chasing me. He’s huge and terrifying, with spikes on his face and a big horn growing from his head. He has something even bigger under his loincloth. Yeah, I know their game on this woman-less planet: abduct Earth girls ...

Author of The Big Splash and Emmy®-winning writer for PBS’s WordGirl, Jack D. Ferraiolo delivers the uproarious adventure of a different kind of hero. Behind every superhero stands a trusty—though less glamorous—sidekick. For Phantom Justice there is (drumroll, please) Bright Boy! Superfast and superstrong!

Tom Angleberger scored two critical and popular hits with his Star Wars–inspired The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back. In the hilarious Fake Mustache, young Lenny Flem Jr.’s friend Casper disguises himself with a shockingly convincing handlebar mustache and begins robbing banks, quickly amassing a fortune. Setting his sights on the presidency, Casper is working on plans for world domination—and only Lenny stands in his way.

The phone rang, sharp and insistent, cutting through the silence of the night. I glanced at the clock—11:43 PM. Too late for a casual call. “Hello?” I answered groggily. “Samantha Jamison?” a woman’s voice came through, shaky and panicked. “...I’m so sorry to call so late. I grabbed your card on his desk; didn’t know who else to reach out to—” “Who is this? Whose desk?” I asked, blinking away sleep. “I’m Felicity Shaw, Alistair Davenport’s assistant. I just left his residence located off the main road to Highlands. I... I’m afraid something terrible has ...

Fletch, investigative reporter extraordinaire, can’t be bothered with deadlines or expense-account budgets when it comes to getting his story. Working undercover at the beach to dig up a drug-trafficking scheme for his next blockbuster piece, Fletch is invited into a much deeper narrative. Alan Stanwyk, CEO of Collins Aviation and all-around family man, mistakes the reporter for a strung-out vagabond and asks him for a favor: kill him and escape to Brazil with $50,000.