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"In this atmospheric southern cozy debut, Madeline Brimley returns to the bookstore she inherited, discovering that small towns hold deadly secrets. Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia many years ago to go to college and pursue her dreams on the stage. Her dramatic escapades are many but success has eluded her, leaving her at loose ends. But then she gets word that not only has her beloved, eccentric Aunt Rose passed, but she's left Madeline her equally eccentric bookstore housed in an old Victorian mansion in the small college town of Enigma. But when she arrives in her beat-up Fiat to claim The Old Juniper Bookstore, and restart her life, Madeline is faced with unexpected challenges. The gazebo in the back yard is set ablaze and a late night caller threatens to burn the whole store down if she doesn't leave immediately. But Madeline Brimley, not one to be intimidated, ignores the threats and soldiers on. Until there's another fire and a murder in the store itself. Now with a cloud of suspicion falling over her, it's up to Madeline to untangle the skein of secrets and find the killer before she herself is the next victim"-- Provided by publisher.

"Struggling private investigator Kate Myles is shattered to learn her late father isn't her biological dad. She's still reeling when she discovers that an unknown distant relative is the prime suspect in a decades-old murder investigation. Trying to convince her to take on the case for free, an old colleague recommends her as an investigator for a recent arson murder in the same small town. After giving up on a failed acting career, Abby Coburn is starting over as a promising social work student. With her life on the right track, she's determined to help her brother, Jacob, whose meth addiction triggered a psychotic break and descent into crime. But when Abby dies in a fire that kills two other people and destroys part of the town, the police immediately suspect Jacob. As the Coburn family grapples with the tragedy, Kate begins unraveling the cold case but finds herself caught in the middle of an emotional minefield. Pretty soon, she discovers that this town is full of dark secrets, and as she comes closer and closer to figuring out the truth, Kate must solve both murders before she becomes the next victim"-- Provided by publisher

"It's a truth universally acknowledged that a genuinely top-notch party must be in want of a theme. Allie Catt, caterer and personal chef in the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, has devised a winning formula by using her clients' favorite books as inspiration. Her first themed event is based on Pride and Prejudice (Allie's cat, Darcy, approves), and it's so popular that soon she has grand ideas for future parties based on Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, Babette's Feast and more. Business is booming, and a rival catering company is fuming. But there's a sting in the tale when the aunt of one of Allie's clients and best friends, Tegan, is murdered. Tegan is the victim's sole heir, and quickly becomes the main suspect. Allie has no doubts about her friend's innocence, but how to prove it? Once again, her love of literature comes to the rescue, and with some guidance from her favorite fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, Allie sifts through the clues. With a little luck--and the kind of pluck that would make Elizabeth Bennett proud--she may be able to stop a killer from serving up a second course of murder..."-- Provided by publisher.

"Prudence MacKenzie is delighted to attend a riveting rehearsal of Waif of the Highlands with her dear friend, Lydia Truitt, whose cousin, Septimus Ward, stars in the play. But the drama continues after the curtain falls, as the women overhear a ferocious argument between Septimus and the play's famous playwright-director, Barrett Hughes. When confronted about the dispute, Septimus reveals that he actually wrote the script, but allowed Hughes to claim authorship in return for casting Septimus's paramour, Flora Campbell, in the lead. Septimus has come to regret the agreement and vows to reclaim authorship, even if it means the play never opens. But, days later, Prudence and Geoffrey are urgently summoned to Septimus's boarding house, where the thespian lays dying in Lydia's arms. Lydia believes her cousin's death is no accident and wants Hunter and MacKenzie Investigative Law to look into the matter, going so far as to help Prudence and Flora secure employment undercover in the play's wardrobe department. At first, Hughes's determination to keep the production running seems admirable, but his motives are soon called into question as Prudence hears whispers backstage about his notorious predatory behavior with young women. And when another body turns up at the theatre, it's clear that someone is targeting the play and its company--but why? Prudence and Geoffrey must improvise as they tread into an unfamiliar world where deceit is cultivated for entertainment and deception is celebrated as talent, to expose a darkness lurking behind the glittering stage lights. . ."-- Provided by publisher.

"An eye-wateringly expensive watch is found discarded on the land days prior to a dead body turning up. "Sister" Jane Arnold sets out to find the connection between the two, with a little help from her friends--both two legged and four--in this transportive mystery from New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown"-- Provided by publisher.

Greg Abimbola is many things. He's Black, British and fluent in Russian. He's a snappy dresser, a reasonable teacher, and an unenthusiastic sports fan. But most of all, he's exceptional at keeping secrets. Like, who he really is, and the things he's done. Determined to keep his head down after helping solve a murder in the school basement, Greg fears a trap when Sergeant Rachel Lev of the Pittsburgh police corners him in his apartment. Because his refusal to take credit isn't modesty, it's a survival tactic.

"A gripping new novel inspired by a real place and events from the author's family, Trouble Island is the standalone suspense debut from historical mystery writer Sharon Short. Many miles from anywhere in the middle of Lake Erie, Trouble Island serves as a stop-off for gangsters as they run between America and Canada. The remote isle is also the permanent home to two women: Aurelia Escalante, who serves as a maid to Rosita, lady of the mansion and wife to the notorious prohibition gangster, Eddie McGee. In the freezing winter of 1932, the women anticipate the arrival of Eddie and his strange coterie: his right-hand man, a doctor, a cousin, a famous actor, and a rival gangster who Rosita believes murdered their only son. Aurelia wants nothing more than to escape Trouble Island, but she is hiding a secret of her own. She is in fact not a maid, but a gangster's wife in hiding, as she runs from the murder she committed five years ago. Her friend Rosita took her in under this guise, but it has become clear that Rosita wants to keep Aurelia right where she is. Shortly after the group of criminals, celebrities, and scoundrels arrive, Rosita suddenly disappears. Aurelia plans her getaway, going to the shore to retrieve her box of hidden treasures, but instead finds Rosita's body in the water. Someone has made sure Aurelia was the one to find her. An ice storm makes unexpected landfall, cutting Trouble Island off from both mainlands, and with more than one murderer among them. Both a gripping locked room mystery, and a transporting, evocative portrait of a woman in crisis, Trouble Island marks the enthralling standalone suspense debut from Sharon Short, promising to be her breakout novel, inspired by a real island in Lake Erie, and true events from her own rich family history"-- Provided by publisher.

"The New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling Department Q series comes to a thrilling conclusion when the team must turn inward to solve the cold case that has put their own leader behind bars, a place where his enemies are plentiful and time is quickly running out. On the day after Christmas, head of Department Q, Detective Carl Mørck, finds himself handcuffed in a police car headed for Copenhagen's Vestre prison. After fifteen years, a violent case from his past has caught up with him. Charges of drug trafficking and murder threaten to destroy his life and career. But he is being framed. Someone has a million-dollar bounty on his head to make sure he doesn't talk, putting him in grave danger among the prison's incarcerated criminals and corrupt officers. The question that remains is, Why? Carl's colleagues at the Copenhagen Police Department instantly turn their backs on him, leaving the ever-loyal Department Q team as his only hope. In search of answers, Rose, Assad, and Gordon must disobey direct orders from way up the chain to try to unravel case. With only one another to trust and Carl's battle against the unknown mastermind's henchmen worsening by the day, they must work faster than ever before if they are to clear his name-and save his life"-- Provided by publisher.

"Claudia Lin-mystery novel superfan and, until recently, clichéd underemployed English major-has scored her dream job: co-running Veracity, a dating detective agency whose mission is to determine if chronically online New Yorkers are telling the truth about themselves to their prospective partners. Unfortunately, along the way, she and her colleagues-tech wizard Squirrel, and the beautiful and intimidating Becks-have uncovered a nefarious AI conspiracy. And the corrupt corporate matchmakers may be resorting to murder to protect their secrets. Luckily, a client's ex is ready to turn on his employers-slipping Claudia thumb drives and setting up secret meetings to exchange information about what the company is up to behind the scenes. But even as Claudia starts to get a feel for this new genre-just call her Lin, Claudia Lin-she's distracted by the romantic tension with both Becks and a flirtatious and charming target. There's also the fear that her older brother, Charles, is unwittingly falling into the corporation's deadly web through his consulting work. How can you know who to trust if you are keeping secrets and lying to those you love? How real are the carefully constructed identities we present to the world, online and off? The Rivals simultaneously skewers and celebrates spy stories while also revealing the ways technology is reshaping who we think we are"-- Provided by publisher.

In the alleys off San Francisco's Castro Street, young couples are into blood as an aphrodisiac. It was just a matter of time before someone turned up dead. Murdered. Detective Jeff "Dutch" Holland was the wrong man at the wrong time for this investigation. Moving from Houston to San Francisco, he was hoping for a fresh start with the force and his marriage, but his personal demons quickly dovetailed into the classic profile that "cutting" attracted.

"Spenser is waiting out the latest Boston snowstorm when he gets word that Rita Fiore has been shot. Rita's always been a tricky one: flirting with Spenser for years, she's an ever-present figure that transcends friendship in Spenser's circle. But at the end of the day, Rita is family. And family will always be protected. Both a pit bull in the courtroom and provocateur outside it, Rita is no stranger to controversy. But as one of the city's toughest lawyers, Spenser knows that there's no short list of suspects who might want to enact revenge. With Rita's life hanging in the balance, it's up to him to get to the bottom of things, even if it means unearthing some unsavory secrets that might just lead him into an age-old game of lies and deceit"-- Provided by publisher.

Housekeeper Phyllida Bright is comfortable managing Mallowan Hall, but struggles with London's chaos while her employer Agatha Christie is away. With a limited staff and a difficult French cook, Phyllida is further challenged when Archibald Allston is found dead onstage, initially believed to be of natural causes. Soon, more theater-related murders occur, creating panic. Phyllida steps in to investigate the pattern, aiming to uncover the killer before more victims fall.

"A much-anticipated posthumous novel from the beloved author of Roses and Dragonfly, April Storm follows a suburban housewife who discovers she's being tracked by a private detective--and a murderer"-- Provided by publisher.

With her personal life in turmoil, New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum navigates danger and intrigue in a high-stakes case that could change her life.

"New mother Lady Georgiana Rannoch finds herself trying to separate fact from fiction when a murder occurs during the filming of a splashy historical drama on the grounds of her estate. . . . My darling little James Albert has finally arrived, and I am enjoying every moment of being a new mother. Well, there are certainly many dirty nappies to be changed, and I may be somewhat sleep deprived, but I am utterly content, especially now that my husband, Darcy, won't be traveling quite so much for his very secret government work. Everything is going swimmingly until Darcy is summoned to a private meeting with my cousin, who happens to be King Edward VIII. The king is in turmoil and wants desperately to marry the scandalously divorced and even more scandalously American Wallis Simpson. Darcy tries to convince Edward that his duty to his people must come first, but my besotted cousin is having none of it. Much to my shock and horror, he asks Darcy and I to hide Mrs. Simpson here at Eynsleigh while he figures out what to do. I will admit freely that I don't love the idea of the judgmental, aloof Mrs. Simpson coming to stay with us, but we can hardly refuse the king. Surely she won't stay very long, and then things can get back to normal. But I soon discover that Sir Hubert, the owner of Eynsleigh, has just given a film crew permission to shoot a motion picture about Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn on the grounds. Trying to keep Mrs. Simpson hidden while entertaining these Hollywood transplants is much more than I bargained for. And when the young star of the show goes missing and another is found dead, my once quiet home is in complete disarray. Of course, no crisis would be complete without my never pleasant sister-in-law, Fig, who decides now would be a perfect time to visit with Binky and their two children. I know I will need to keep my wits about me to rescue my household from the brink of madness, all while searching for a missing person, solving a murder, and stopping a scandal of royal proportions. . . "-- Provided by publisher.

"In the tradition of Wait for Signs and The Highwayman, Craig Johnson is back with a short novel set in the Alaska tundra where a young Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear face off with powerful enemies who will do anything to get what they want. Tooth and Claw follows Walt and Henry up to Alaska as they look for work after they both returned from serving in Vietnam. While working for an oil company in the bitter cold of winter, they soon encounter a ferocious polar bear who seems hell-bent on their destruction. But it's not too long until they realize the danger does not lurk outside in the frozen Alaskan tundra, but with their co-workers who are after priceless treasure and will stop at nothing to get it. Fans of Longmire will thrill to this pulse-pounding and bone-chilling novel of extreme adventure that adds another indelible chapter to the great story of Walt Longmire"-- Provided by publisher.

Cordelia Graves, a ghost, must enlist the help of her apartment's current tenant in order to solve the murder of their across-the-hall neighbor.

"Three sisters reunite on a family vacation and rekindle their relationship the only way they know how--by covering each other's tracks in a real-life murder mystery not even they can figure out. Remi Finch has spent the better part of her adult life avoiding family--especially her sisters. They just don't click. Besides, her unconventional upbringing and major anxiety have convinced Remi that she can't build a relationship with anyone. Period. When her parents plan a family reunion camping trip to celebrate their anniversary, Remi's willing to reconnect, if only because she doesn't have a choice. But then a dead body turns up at their campsite, and their sisterly bonding kicks into high gear. No one knows the whole story, but the Finch women are prepared to cover up the pieces before anyone tries to put them together. It's a precautionary measure, probably unnecessary. Nobody else was there, so how could they have seen anything? Between old grudges and new dynamics, a handsome park ranger, and a body that won't stay hidden, Remi is about to learn that nothing strengthens family ties quite like crime."-- Amazon.com.

"Struggling private investigator Kate Myles is shattered to learn her late father isn't her biological dad. She's still reeling when she discovers that an unknown distant relative is the prime suspect in a decades-old murder investigation. Trying to convince her to take on the case for free, an old colleague recommends her as an investigator for a recent arson murder in the same small town. After giving up on a failed acting career, Abby Coburn is starting over as a promising social work student. With her life on the right track, she's determined to help her brother, Jacob, whose meth addiction triggered a psychotic break and descent into crime. But when Abby dies in a fire that kills two other people and destroys part of the town, the police immediately suspect Jacob. As the Coburn family grapples with the tragedy, Kate begins unraveling the cold case but finds herself caught in the middle of an emotional minefield. Pretty soon, she discovers that this town is full of dark secrets, and as she comes closer and closer to figuring out the truth, Kate must solve both murders before she becomes the next victim"-- Provided by publisher.

"A man found hanging in a usually serene Oregon forest sends the town of Brookings into a panic and brings Detectives Patty O’Toole and Rick Starker running. Who is he? What has he done to be murdered in such a way? Uncovering the answers proves to be more complex than they first expect. The man’s past looks like a promising lead, but no sooner do they discover possible motives in his history when they learn of another death. Do the similarities lead back to the same twisted mind? As the body count mounts, the detectives realize that they could be dealing with their very first serial killer. One who is always watching…"--from Amazon.com

"Finding a dead body is not normal. But Ava is not a normal teenager. In this chilling debut mystery, only the obsessive spirit of youth can save a sleepy town from the savagery within. Fourteen-year-old Ava Bonney is unlike other children. She has an obsessive interest in the rate at which dead animals decompose. The motorway she lives by regularly offers up roadkill, and in the dead of night, Ava likes nothing more than to pull her latest discovery into her roadside den and record her findings. One night, she stumbles across the body of her classmate Mickey Grant, and fearing that her secret ritual could be revealed, she makes an anonymous call to the police. When Detective Seth Delahaye is given the case, Ava won't step back - not when teenagers in her sleepy South Birmingham town are going missing. How hard can it be to track a killer? Marie Tierney's debut, Deadly Animals, is a beautiful novel about a small community's descent into devastation and desperation - and the bravery of youth in the face of darkness"-- Provided by publisher.

Jack Reacher wakes up alone, in the dark, handcuffed to a makeshift bed. His right arm has suffered some major damage. His few possessions are gone. He has no memory of getting there. The last thing Reacher can recall is the car he hitched a ride in getting run off the road. The driver was killed. His captors assume Reacher was the driver's accomplice and patch up his wounds as they plan to make him talk. A plan that will backfire spectacularly . . . -- Provided by publisher.

"The granddaughter of a serial killer shows readers another side of the beloved city. The chill of a San Francisco summer can be deadly. No one knows this better than Capri Sanzio, who makes her living giving serial killer tours of the city. Capri has been interested in the topic since she was a kid, when she discovered she's the granddaughter of serial killer, William 'Overkill Bill' Sanzio. She's always believed in his innocence, though she's never taken the leap to fully dive into the case. But now an Overkill Bill copycat has struck in San Francisco. And Capri's former mother-in-law, Sylvia, just cut off Capri's daughter's tuition payments. Needing cash, Capri wonders if this is the time to exonerate her grandfather. The case is back in the news and the police will be looking to understand the past to catch a present-day killer. Capri could finally uncover the truth about Overkill Bill--documenting the process with a podcast and a book--and hopefully earn some money. Before Capri can get very far, the cops discover the copycat's latest victim: Sylvia. Capri soon finds herself at the heart of the police's investigation for an entirely different reason. She and her daughter are prime suspects."-- Provided by publisher.

"Two teens appear out of nowhere, ransacking a small-town groceryand attacking the police officers who come to investigate. Their clothes are torn and filthy, their hands and bare feet callused, they have fangs. They're sister and brother, alone against the world. Where did they come from? Raised by wolves, they say. Kai and Holo are taken in by the police chief and his wife, and begin adjusting to life in a small town, attending school and going on dates. But humans,they find, are the most vicious animals. And the mystery of their upbringing brings dark and powerful forces to Kokanee Creek, tearing the town apart and threatening the lives of everyone they love"-- Provided by publisher.

"In this one-of-a-kind mystery with heart and humor, a hilariously grumpy pony must save the only human he's ever loved after discovering she stands accused of a murder he knows she didn't commit. Pony has been passed from owner to owner for longer than he can remember. Fed up, he busts out and goes on a cross-country mission to reunite with the only little girl he ever loved, Penny, who he was separated from and hasn't seen in years. Penny, now an adult, is living an ordinary life when she gets a knock on her door and finds herself in handcuffs, accused of murder and whisked back to the place she grew up. Her only comfort when the past comes back to haunt her are the memories of her precious, rebellious pony. Hearing of Penny's fate, Pony knows that Penny is no murderer. So, as smart and devious as he is cute, the pony must use his hard-won knowledge of human weakness and cruelty to try to clear Penny's name and find the real killer. This acutely observant feel-good mystery reveals the humanity of animals and beastliness of humans in a rollicking escapade of epic proportions"-- Provided by publisher.