Mystery Short Stories For Adults

Now settled in his new home as a hotel cat on a tiny Scottish island, Leger is searching for activities to keep him busy. As always, his mind turns to sleuthing... At a Burns Supper hosted by Tony, the hotel's manager, in honour of the Lithuanian girls he has employed to work for him, the mystery of three recent thefts is apparently solved when two of the stolen wallets turn up in one of the girl's bags. However, Leger is not convinced that the accused, Emilija, is guilty and using his feline instincts, sets about searching for the true culprit to clear Emilija's name.

Refreshed after his recent trip to the island, Leger is back in Glasgow but finds there are matters which require his attention. His girlfriend is angry that he disappeared to the island without saying goodbye and issues an ultimatum; take a break from sleuthing or lose her. Leger must also find a home for Lily, the island sleuth who returned to Glasgow with him and it seems a local cat loving criminal, Malky Maguire, is the perfect person to adopt her. Undeterred by a series of break-ins and acts of vandalism at the Maguire home, Lily settles in and is soon part of the family. However, the...

He thought she was lost forever but he has finally tracked her down. Leger reunites with his friend, former housemate and fellow detective, Lily and she's back in his life just in time to help him solve a mystery. When John, the man of the house in Leger's temporary home, unexpectedly vanishes, Leger initially is not concerned. After all, he and John have never really seen eye to eye. Why would he care if John went for a really long walk? But, Lily suspects that John is in danger and with very little in the way of clues, something Lily heard might transpire to be invaluable to the ...

With his player past, will she ever be able to trust him? Maggie Emerson has had a crush on her brother's friend Declan for years. She knows he's not into girls like her - he's always surrounded by skinny model types. With her curvy body and a career choice that never made her wealthy family happy, Maggie is sure Declan will never fall for her. Except now that her job is in jeopardy, she has no one else to turn to... Declan Archibald knows he wants no one else but Maggie. He wasn't ready for her before, but now he can't get her out of his mind. He tried wooing her a few months ago, and it ...

April Fools' Day has arrived and Leger can't help himself from playing tricks. With his new-found reading skills, as basic as they are, he manages fool Ginger's human, John, into believing he is a psychic cat who can predict the winner of dog races. Thinking Leger is the key to untold riches, John takes Leger's signs and signals seriously and plans to gamble with Leger's help. However, a trip to the local pub, and the slot machine there sheds light on the shady dealings of of the pub's owner.

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 ...

Two days before Hogmanay, after the Christmas glitter has settled, a mysterious new neighbour is poisoned. Knowing that Amber and this young man could not have met the same fate by coincidence, Leger begins the investigation into what happened, with Lily's help. When that leads him to the newly opened Queen Languoreth pub, he comes face to face and clashes with the new manager. To put his own safety and Annabella's happiness first, he resolves never to go back to the pub, even if this means that another life could be at stake. However, Lily has other ideas.

Leger and the clowder are back and have their hearts set on putting the infamous Harvey behind bars. They are taking shifts to watch him around the clock but it seems someone else is too... When Leger, delirious and heartbroken after Ginger's latest bombshell, finds himself at Billy Johnston's house in the middle of the night looking for Harvey, he witnesses a truly disturbing crime about to be carried out. The only thing that stops it from happening and chases the perpetrator away is the sight of Leger's Shadow on the wall. Leger finds himself conflicted and overwhelmed at this turn of ...

Leger's family are taking a trip to a tiny Scottish island and he is looking forward to spending the summer with Annabella, Hugh and Bob. But when he discovers he is to stay in Glasgow with Annabella's niece, Carole, while the rest of the family go on their trip he is outraged. Leger hears there has been a murder on the island and knows he has to somehow travel with them and assist in finding the killer. What he didn't count on was meeting a fellow cat sleuth on the island as well as a clowder of unfriendly gossips. The island way of life proves to be very different from Glasgow. Can he ...

The festive season should be a time for generosity and goodwill, but in Glasgow, Leger finds that is not the case. His human companion's attempt to raise funds for a CT scanner for a local hospital has been thwarted by a callous thief who has stolen decorations from her seasonal garden display. Now Leger resolves to mend Annabella's broken heart by finding the thief. With Ginger nursing her newborn kittens, Isabella confusing him with erratic behaviour and Bob more interested in Hugh's discarded slipper than helping solve this mystery, Leger's only clue comes from an unexpected source - a ...

Spring is about to arrive in Glasgow, but it's already been a busy year and Leger needs a break, especially after he cheats death through sheer luck and uses up one of his lives. When he turns to Annabella for sympathy, he finds her cold and distant - a clear signal that something is wrong. After some coaxing she confides that she has been robbed and threatened by her attacker. If she contacts the police, they will kill Leger. Terrified, she retreats into herself and Leger vows to catch the culprit. However, it's not going to be as simple as that. The reappearance of an old friend distracts...

Having decided life in the highlands, however temporary, is not for her, Annabella has given care of Leger to her niece Carol while she is Christmas shopping in Germany. Leger strongly objects to the decision, but has no choice in the matter. Leger is frequently left out in the chilly December rain with no catflap to use and questions Annabella's judgement, until one day he meets Saffron, a neglected child who lives across the street. The pair connect on a deep level in a short time, with Saffron more than once coming to Leger's aid. So when Saffron's mother is murdered one night, and Leger...

Leger and his family have been unsettled for a few weeks. He is particularly worried about Annabella, especially when she starts talking about no longer being here. She tries to settle her anxious mind by treating herself to some new jewels, but just a few hours after purchasing them, someone steals them. Leger has his suspicions about who the culprit is, but unmasking them will risk the newfound closeness he has developed with his mother. Forced to make a choice between his loyalty to his human mother and his feline one, Leger finds that the decision is taken out of his hands.

Claire Murray has no idea why handsome, popular Dave Rickerson would want to ask her on a New Year's date. They've never even spoken before and suddenly he's pulling out all the stops to get her to go. Is there something he's not telling her or is this a fairy tale New Year's Eve about to come true? This sweet romantic short story is a companion to Adventures of a New Year's Kiss (a cozy mystery novella featuring Suzie Whitsett). Numerous Funeral Crashing characters appear in it. For more about the order of the books - The Funeral Crashing Mystery Series: #1 - Adventures in Funeral Crashing...

She’d waited years for this moment…for him. You can always go home…but what will you find when you do. Jonathan Hansen is about to find out. For years they’ve hidden a huge secret…an island that was home to their small town, the families and friends who live there, and the secrets they've kept for generations. But danger might be right beyond the water’s edge. Together, two guarded hearts are willing to face the impending threat and the danger it poses to the tranquility of their small island home. Ainslin O’Cleary wasn’t the type to over-react but she was beginning to feel ...

Dark and hazy nights were both their sword and shield... Liz Danger surrounded her. Escape seemed impossible. Hope came from the last place she expected. She knew his name...everyone did. But she knew nothing about the man he really was. Or if he had any chance at saving her. Sam The plan was a good one. If it worked. He had the perfect cover story. He’d be the one asking all the questions. Looking for answers was the story of his life and everyone knew it...expected it. This time though...the stories could turn out differently than expected. Sam and Liz knew the trip wouldn’t be easy ...

Ruby Innes is under attack. Someone is attempting to sabotage her life, making it difficult to do her job and start a new relationship with her Kleptos Anonymous boyfriend, Henry. As the weeks tick down until an important trial Ruby is getting more and more desperate to solve this case before it all collapses on top of her. The Mall Cadet is a young adult short-read series where you follow Ruby Innis in her attempts to set things straight after being caught shoplifting. With quick wits and the desire to make up for her wrongdoings, Ruby takes on various cases inside the mall. Will she atone...

The Summers family always chose somewhere special to spend their Christmas holiday instead of at home. Every year their holiday vacation destination was different and determined by each of their Christmas wishes. Hannah and her children loved their Christmas holiday tradition even though it was never easy for everyone to be completely satisfied and this year was no different...or was it? Daniel Summers quickly offered to handle the arrangements for their upcoming Christmas holiday vacation. He knew his mother was surprised and maybe even a little suspicious about his offer to find a place ...

They left this part out at the academy…and now I’m sowing what I didn’t reap… My name is Ainsley Adams, and unbeknownst to most, I’m a Reaper. I settled in the town of Hideaway Hills after graduation, married a nice electrician, and we purchased a cute little house on the lake to start our life together. Things were going along swimmingly. Or so I thought. After discovering my husband in bed with another woman, I did what any other wronged wife would do – I picked up a frying pan and bopped the good-for-nothing louse over the head with it. I didn’t think I’d hit him that ...

Vampires and merpeople, angels and demons—the stories in this anthology imagine worlds where the only thing more powerful than the supernatural, is love. A girl in a graveyard goes on an unexpected date, a shipwrecked sailor makes a connection on a forbidden island, a piano melody summons a soul mate. Creatures of folktales and legend, of land and sea, of centuries past and life after life, all wrapped into one spellbinding compendium. Once you sink into its story, it’ll never let you go.