Adelaide, 1931: Telephone switchboard operator Frances' life is difficult as sole provider for her mother and adopted uncle. But it's thrown into turmoil when she overhears a suspicious conversation on the phone, planning a murder. If a life is at risk, she should tell the police; but that would mean breaking her confidentiality clause and would cost her the job. And Frances soon begins to doubt the evidence of her own ears – it was a very bad line, after all... She decides to put it behind her, and meets slightly dangerous nightclub owner Jack. Jack's no angel – but when Frances' earlier fears resurface, she knows that he's the person to confide in. Frances and Jack's hunt for the truth puts them in grave danger, and soon enough Frances will learn that some things are a matter of love and death…

Jack and Frances Mystery

A Matter of Love and Death

Would you kill to write a bestseller? Well Adrian Slater says that he's prepared to do just that – and announces the fact in a creative writing class. Lecturer Dudley Grose is convinced that Slater is a psychopath and means what he says. But the Dean of the university doesn't believe him and neither do the cops. But when a student on the course vanishes and her bathroom is awash with blood, the police wonder if Slater has actually carried out his threat, and if the book he's writing contains the evidence that will put him away.

The Bestseller

Hugh Everton was intent on nothing more than quietly drinking in the second-rate hotel he found himself in on England's south coast - and then in walked his old flame Lucy and her new husband and ex-Judge, Gregory Bath. Entreated by Lucy to join her party for an evening back at the Bath residence, Hugh is powerless to resist, but when the night ends with the judge's inexplicable murder he is pitched back into a world of chaos and crime - a world he had tried to escape for good. First published in 1952, The Widow of Bath offers intricate puzzles, international intrigue, and a richly evoked portrait of post-war Britain, all delivered with Bennett's signature brand of witty and elegant prose.

British Library Crime Classics

The Widow of Bath

With Peaceful Repose Cemetery, Drew Slocombe is determined to revolutionise the entire death industry. Unfortunately, Drew's gravedigger has just discovered that their cemetery has one too many corpses when the body of an elderly woman is found. The police seem to think that the body is that of a vagrant, but for Drew things don't add up. The mystery deepens when Genevieve Slater turns up at Drew's door. As a man looking to escape both money worries and marriage problems, Genevieve proves impossible to resist.

Grave Concerns

A woman's dismembered corpse is discovered in a quarry, and police quickly link the victim back to their chief suspect: her husband, Doctor Ibraham Aziz. His wife had been planning to leave him, so his guilt isn't in doubt as far as local law enforcement is concerned. Barrister Arthur Skelton is asked to represent the accused, and though all believe the case to be hopeless, Skelton suspects there may be more to the victim's death. Aided by his loyal clerk Edgar and his roaming cousins, Alan and Norah, Skelton soon finds himself embroiled in an investigation not only concerning this world but the one beyond. Can he convince a jury of Aziz's innocence before the judge dons his black cap?

Skelton

Skelton's Guide to Suitcase Murders

Christmas: a time for family and festivity. Unless you're in Adder's Fork, home of the Essex Witch Museum, where it's a time for ghostly spirits and demonic visits. In these twelve short stories, menacing ghosts and supernatural terrors haunt Rosie Strange and Sam Stone, as well as characters past and present from beyond the Essex Witch Museum. Featuring stories from The Strange Casebook as well as original short stories.

Essex Witch Museum

The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas

Eleven-year-old Tippy Chan lives in a small town in a quiet part of the world - where her Uncle Pike escaped from the first chance he got as a teenager. Now Pike is back with his new boyfriend Devon to look after Tippy while her mum's on a cruise. Tippy's in love with her uncle's old Nancy Drew books and is desperate to solve a real mystery. When her teacher's body is found beside Riverstone's only traffic light, Tippy's moment has arrived. She and her minders form the Nancys, a secret amateur detective club - though their adventure quickly morphs into something more dangerous. Regardless of their own safety, and despite the constant distraction of questionable fashion choices in the town that style forgot, the Nancys know only they can stop the killer from striking again.

Nancy

The Nancys

Gemma's business is on the brink of collapse, and there's a real chance that she and her husband could lose everything they've worked so hard for. So when a stranger offers financial help, Gemma ignores the red flags and accepts out of desperation. The condition? Just companionship – that's all the stranger wants. Surely a small price to pay to get her life back? But when things seem too good to be true, it's often because they are – and soon Gemma finds herself being dragged so far into a twisted, dangerous world that she might never surface again…

When He Finds You

Serial killers never retire. They just go on hiatus. The urge to kill is always there, bubbling below the surface. Billy and Charlie thought their killing days were behind them. They used to be prolific life-takers, but old age finally caught up with them. Now they are ending their days in a dismal nursing home in Blackpool, with only their memories to keep them going. Memories of murder and mutilation. But when Archie turns up at the home, everything changes. Archie is a breath of fresh air and he puts new life into Billy and Charlie - and before long they realise that it's time to start killing again.

Killing Time

Not all terrorists are driven by religion or politics. Dan "Spider" Shepherd and his SAS team are on the trail of a terrorist whose motives are much more personal. Sabit Kusen wants revenge and doesn't care how many innocents he kills along the way. Shepherd and his team hunt their quarry around the world – from Athens to Paris to Zurich to Singapore and on to Sydney, but the elusive Kusen is always one step ahead of them. Can Shepherd catch Sabit Kusen before he carries out his most audacious attack? And does he have what it takes to pull the trigger to end the fanatic's reign of terror?

Spider Shepherd

Moving Targets

Soldier Ralph Delchard and lawyer Gervase Bret lead a group of the King's finest commissioners into the war-torn lands of Yorkshire to settle land claims and compile the Domesday Book. One island of wealth and luxury remains in Yorkshire: the castle of merchant Aubrey Maminot. There the commissioners learn of two great terrors: the rogue Olaf Evil Child, a hero of the poor and conquered Saxon people, and the ravenous lions Aubrey Maminot keeps as pets. The lions make a feast of an anonymous young man who tries to sneak into the castle, and Gervase Bret begins to wonder why someone would commit such an act of suicide.

Domesday

The Lions of the North

Torna John Verdon, l'autor del best-seller mundial de Sé el que estàs pensant, amb un nou cas en què l'exdetectiu Dave Gurney arriscarà fins i tot la pròpia vida per posar fi a les macabres ambicions d'un perillós assassí com cap al qual s'hagi enfrontat mai. L'Angus Russell, un poderós home milionari, apareix mort a la seva mansió de Harrow Hill amb un tall a la gola. Les empremtes dactilars i l'ADN trobats a l'escena del crim assenyalen com a culpable en Billy Tate, un extravagant habitant del poble relacionat amb temes de bruixeria i amb una coneguda rancúnia contra la víctima. Però hi ha un problema. Després de caure d'una teulada, en Tate va ser declarat mort la vigília de l'assassinat d'en Russell. Quan la policia revisa el dipòsit on es troba el cos d'en Tate dins d'un taüt precintat, descobreix que, a més que el cadàver ha desaparegut, el taüt no estava trencat per dintre, sinó per la part exterior. De seguida es desferma un circ mediàtic, amb titulars que proclamen: home mort caminant, l'assassí de l'infern, l'assassinat de zombis. El poble sencer entra en pànic: comencen a córrer tota mena de teories de conspiració, comença una literal cacera de bruixes i, per tirar més llenya al foc, un apocalíptic predicador amant de les armes encoratja els seus seguidors a una batalla contra Satanàs. Mentre en Dave Gurney s'endinsa en la realitat de Harrow Hill, les víctimes mortals augmenten ràpidament. En Gurney descobreix una xarxa de relacions malaltisses, ressentiments aferrissats i amargues lluites de poder. Cada capa d'enganys que descobreix el porta a una altra. Però finalment en Gurney descobrirà l'estranya veritat al cor dels assassinats, una veritat tan esfereïdora com els titulars amb què es va trobar a l'inici de la investigació. John Verdon va treballar en diverses agències publicitàries a Manhattan com a director creatiu fins que, com el seu protagonista, es va traslladar a viure al nord de l'estat de Nova York en un entorn rural. Sé lo que estás pensando (Roca 2010), la seva primera novel·la, va ser un èxit mundial. El 2011 va publicar No abras los ojos, que també va ser un èxit de crítica i vendes, a la qual va seguir Deja en paz al diablo, No confíes en Peter Pan, Controlaré tus sueños y Arderás en la tormenta. La sèrie, protagonitzada pel carismàtic detectiu retirat David Gurney, és ja un referent del gènere negre i criminal. Amb El ángel negro / L'àngel negre (Roca 2020), Verdon repta novament al lector amb un nou desafiament, una trama plena de girs i un final sorprenent.

L'àngel negre

Després de la pandèmia de la COVID-19, el terrorisme islàmic observa a distància l'auto-aniquilació econòmica i social de la decadent i odiada societat occidental. Enmig del desastre, una petita nació sense estat reneix de les seves cendres, es reinventa i aprofita la crisi per canviar el model de país. L'èxit la situa al capdavant dels països més pròspers d'Europa, però al mateix temps la converteix en objectiu prioritari del gihadisme. Aquesta situació compromesa obliga la presidenta de la Generalitat a fer nous plantejaments que provocaran la sobtada i imprevisible dimissió de la sotsinspectora Mimí Vidal del cos de Mossos d'Esquadra, el 19 de novembre de 2021. «Ningú no va entendre perquè la Mimí havia plegat dels Mossos d'un dia per l'altre i s'havia tancat a casa. Els seus, però, ho van respectar. L'Enric va voler creure, encara que ella no n'hi digués res, que era per complir millor el desig que tots dos compartien de ser pares, desig que una feina tan arriscada li impedia d'assumir amb responsabilitat. La Sandra va dir-se que si la seva amiga de l'ànima no li volia aclarir, ella no li reclamaria cap explicació, que per això era la millor pels segles dels segles. La Rosa... la Rosa va començar a patir des del primer moment de saber-ho; la seva filla no podia haver deixat la que era la feina de la seva vida sense més ni més. La Mimí, a casa, llegia, amagava els llibres que llegia i es connectava a la xarxa». Encertar els motius ocults pels quals una persona decideix seguir els dictats més foscos de l'ànima humana i prendre el camí de la destrucció de la societat on viu no és a l'abast de ningú, ni dels més experts, ni dels més intuïtius, ni dels més empàtics. Per això la Mimí, amb la seva peculiar autoestima oscil·lant, pensa sovint que aquesta vegada la seva missió és impossible. Aquesta novel·la continua la saga sobre la Mimí Vidal, que es va iniciar amb Les cadenes subtils l'any 2016 i va seguir amb El silenci de Vallbona l'any 2017.

La llum de l'impostor

Una trama irresistible, uns personatges fascinants: Camilla Läckberg deixa ben clar que és la gran dama de la novel·la sueca de misteri. Lagent Patrik Hedström es disposa a gaudir del seu permís de paternitat per cuidar la Maja, que acaba de fer un any. Mentrestant, lErica Falck comença a escriure un nou llibre, tot i que no es pot treure del cap el misteriós bagul que va trobar a les golfes. A dins, els diaris de joventut de la seva mare i una medalla amb una esvàstica embolicada en un jersei de nadó tacat de sang. Què té a veure tot això amb la mort violenta dun vell historiador de Fjällbacka, Erik Frankel, expert en nazisme i amenaçat per grups dextrema dreta? En Patrik no es podrà quedar a casa... Un assassinat? Aleshores, no tan sols thas endut la Maja al lloc on ha aparegut un cadàver, sinó que, a més a més, era un assassinat.

Empremtes que mai s'esborren

Una trama magnètica i intel·ligent amb la qual Fred Vargas demostra, un cop més, per què se la considera una de les millors autores de novel·la policíaca del panorama internacional. Poc després que el comissari Adamsberg hagi tornat a París, havent tancat un cas a la Bretanya, la policia de Rennes li demana ajuda per resoldre un crim que sembla que té relació amb una fosca llegenda local: el fantasma d’un comte anomenat «el Coix», la pota de fusta del qual continua ressonant pels passadissos del castell de Combourg. L’Adamsberg es desplaça amb el seu equip a la zona, on s’ha trobat el cadàver d’un veí després que el sinistre caminar del Coix se sentís de nit pels carrers de Louviec.

Sobre la llosa

Dos terribles fets, sense cap connexió òbvia, sacsegen Fjällbacka fins al moll de l’os. Troben un fotògraf famós brutalment assassinat en una sala d’exposicions. Henning Bauer, el premi Nobel de literatura, cau víctima d’un atac violent a la petita illa on es troba escrivint la desena entrega de la seva coneguda saga de llibres. Mentre Patrik Hedström i els seus col·legues de la comissaria no semblen avançar en cap dels casos, Erica Falck investiga l’assassinat d’una dona transsexual a Estocolm que va tenir lloc durant la dècada dels anys vuitanta. A poc a poc, l’Erica s’adona que els fils del passat estan connectats amb el temps present, i que els vells pecats deixen un llarg rastre darrere seu.

El niu del cucut

Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson are busy managing both the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium on Baker Street and the adjoining Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room in anticipation of the upcoming book signing with the illustrious Renalta Van Markoff, the author of the controversial Hudson and Holmes series. However, tragedy strikes during the author Q&A session of the signing when a dedicated Sherlockian verbally attacks the series for disgracing Sherlock's legacy and is then publicly humiliated when the author triumphantly lashes back and gains the upper hand-that is, until she collapses on the table and is pronounced dead. Fortunately, there's no shortage of suspects-the author's bullied personal assistant, her frustrated publicist, her hapless publisher, a handsome book dealer, an obsessively rabid fan, and a world of Sherlock enthusiasts with strong objections to Renalta's depiction of the Great Detective-so the shrewd sleuthing duo quickly begin to eliminate the impossible and deduce the truth .

A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery

Body on Baker Street

Determined to make her heroine "as poor and plain as myself," Charlotte Brontë made a daring choice for her 1847 novel. Jane Eyre possesses neither the great beauty nor entrancing charm that her fictional predecessors used to make their way in the world. Instead, Jane relies upon her powers of diligence and perception, conducting herself with dignity animated by passion. The instant and lasting success of Jane Eyre proved Brontë's instincts correct. Readers of her era and ever after have taken the impoverished orphan girl into their hearts, following her from the custody of cruel relatives to a dangerously oppressive boarding school and onward through a troubled career as a governess. Jane's first assignment at Thorn field, where the proud and cynical master of the house harbors a scandalous secret, draws readers ever deeper into a compelling exploration of the mysteries of the human heart. A banquet of food for thought, this many-faceted tale invites a splendid variety of interpretations. The heroine's insistence upon emotional equality with her lover suggests a feminist viewpoint, while her solitary status invokes a consideration of the problems of growing up as a social outsider. Some regard Jane's attempts to reconcile her need for love with her search for moral rectitude as the story's primary message, and lovers of Gothic romance find the tale's social and religious aspects secondary to its gripping elements of mystery and horror. This classic of English literature truly features something for every reader.

Jane Eyre

After the West London Museum suffers extensive fire damage, the shop owners on Baker Street come together to hold an afternoon auction tea to raise funds to rebuild it. Cape Cod’s cognoscenti file into Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room...but the auction never happens. Before the gavel can fall, museum-board chair Kathy Lamb is found dead in the back room. Wrapped tightly around her neck is a long rope of decorative knotted tea cups. Gemma’s boyfriend in blue, Ryan Ashburton, arrives on the scene with Detective Louise Estrada. But the suspect list is long, and the case is far from elementary. Does Kathy’s killing have anything to do with a mysterious death seven years ago? Gemma has no intention of getting involved in the investigation, but when fellow shopkeeper Maureen finds herself the prime suspect, she begs Gemma for help. Ryan knows Gemma’s methods, and he isn’t happy when she gets entangled in another mystery. But with so many suspects and so few clues, her deductive prowess may prove invaluable.

A Scandal in Scarlet

Legendary stage and movie star Sir Nigel Bellingham arrives on Cape Cod to star in a stage production of The Hound of the Baskervilles put on by the West London Theater Festival. When Sir Nigel, some of the cast, and the director visit the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop at 222 Baker Street, Gemma Doyle realizes that Sir Nigel is not at all suited to the role. He's long past his prime and an old drunk to boot. The cast is not happy, but the show must go on. Before the play opens, Jayne's mother arranges a fundraising afternoon tea to be catered by Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room. The tea is a huge success, but, when it's time to leave, Sir Nigel has gone missing-only to be found at the bottom of the rocky cliff, dead. When the police focus their attention on Jayne's mother despite numerous other suspects, the game is once again afoot, and it's up to Gemma and Jayne to clear Jayne's mother's name.

The Cat of the Baskervilles

An eerie and evocative Victorian-set horror thriller about how a well-meaning butcher's daughter from London's Whitechapel grew up to become the baker who stuffed her pies with the flesh of Sweeney Todd's victims. Perfect for fans of Clare Whitfield, Jess Kidd and Ambrose Parry. Includes original Victorian pie recipes. "You want to know the true tale of the wicked woman, the murdering monster, what baked the pies that she filled with the bits of her victims? The talk of London Town. I will tell you what you want to know, if it be the last that I do tell. And it may well be." Enclosed herewith: the hitherto untold story of Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney Todd's infamous partner in crime—a bloodcurdling correspondence of profound horror and intrigue. London, England, 1887: At the abandoned apartment of a missing young woman, a dossier of evidence is collected and sent to the Chief Inspector of the London Police for review. It contains a curious correspondence between an inquisitive journalist, Miss Emily Gibson, and the woman Gibson thinks may be the infamous Mrs. Lovett—Sweeney Todd's accomplice, who baked men into pies and sold them in her pie shop on Fleet Street. Rumours have swirled about Mrs. Lovett since the disappearance of hundreds of unwitting men decades ago—but is it actually Lovett, even if the suspected woman swears against it? As the woman relays the harrowing account of her life—from her upbringing on Butcher's Row in the unruly and perilous streets of Victorian London to her daring escape from a mad doctor—the correspondence unlocks an intricate mystery that brings Miss Gibson closer to the truth, even as that truth may cost her dearly.

The Butcher's Daughter

A nineteenth-century boy from a Mississippi River town recounts his adventures as he travels down the river with a runaway slave, encountering a family involved in a feud, two scoundrels pretending to be royalty, and Tom Sawyer's aunt who mistakes him for Tom.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English. Lymstock is a small town with lots of secrets. Recently several people in the town have received anonymous hate-mail. When Mrs Symmington receives one of the letters and then dies in mysterious circumstances, the people of the town no longer know whom they can trust. Who is writing the letters? And why? Miss Marple helps solve the mystery.

Collins Agatha Christie ELT Readers

The Moving Finger

Who is this mysterious woman from Wolf's past who can so easily summon him to her side? When Lady Arlene Archibald tracks Wolf down and begs him for help, he plans to travel to Brighton alone to see her. What was he thinking? Instead, he finds himself with an unruly entourage of lords, ladies, servants, children, and even a dog. Can and will he help Arlene prove her friends innocence? How will he manage Tabitha coming face-to-face with his first love? And how is he to dissuade the Dowager Countess of Pembroke from insinuating herself into the investigation? Beneath its veneer of holiday, seaside fun, Brighton may be more sinister than it seems.

Tabitha & Wolf Historical Mystery Series

An Inexplicable Woman

NATIONAL BESTSELLER “This delicious combination of Clue and The Great British Bake Off kept me turning the pages all night!” —Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author Only Murders in the Building meets The Maid in this “deliciously entertaining whodunit” (Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author) where someone turns up dead on the set of TV’s hottest baking competition—perfect for fans of Nita Prose, Richard Osman, and Anthony Horowitz. Every summer for the past ten years, six awe-struck bakers have descended on the grounds of Grafton, the leafy and imposing Vermont estate that is not only the filming site for “Bake Week” but also the childhood home of the show’s famous host, celebrated baker Betsy Martin. The author of numerous bestselling cookbooks and hailed as “America’s Grandmother,” Betsy Martin isn’t as warm off-screen as on, though no one needs to know that but her. She has always demanded perfection, and gotten it with a smile, but this year something is off. As the baking competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s merely sabotage—sugar replaced with salt, a burner turned to high—but when a body is discovered, everyone is a suspect. A sharp and suspenseful thriller for mystery buffs and avid bakers alike, The Golden Spoon is “as addictive as bingeing your favorite culinary competition and as satisfying as a piece of your favorite cake” (Kellye Garrett, author of Like a Sister).

The Golden Spoon

In this “twisty, propulsive thriller” (Robyn Harding, internationally bestselling author) from Megan Collins, two sisters-in-law are at painful odds when the man who connects them—the brother of one, the husband of the other—is accused of a brutal crime. Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law, connected by Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother, Jason. More than that, the two are devoted best friends and business partners, believing that theirs is a uniquely unbreakable bond. To Sienna, her protective brother can do no wrong, and although Julia knows he’s not perfect, they’ve built a comfortable life and family together. Recently, Jason has been putting in long hours to secure a promotion at work, so when his boss is found brutally murdered—his lips sewn shut—the Larkins are shocked and unsettled, especially as local gossip swirls. A few days later, Julia and Sienna’s lives are upended when Jason gets into a car accident and is placed in a medically induced coma. Worse, the police arrive with news that he’s the prime suspect in the murder investigation. With Jason unable to respond—and with Julia and Sienna working to clear his name—the two women find their friendship threatened for the first time: Sienna staunchly maintains her brother’s innocence, but as their investigation uncovers a complicated web of secrets, Julia is less sure she’s willing to defend her husband. With her signature “moody and atmospheric” (USA TODAY) writing, Megan Collins has crafted a rich, gripping story that explores just how fragile our closest bonds can be.

Thicker Than Water

“Rollicking good fun.” —The Wall Street Journal A bestselling thriller author arranges a luxury train trip that is not what it appears to be in this electrifying modern homage to Agatha Christie that is filled with “rich, complex characters, taut prose, and twists and turns that keep those pages turning as the plot thickens” (Lisa Barr, New York Times bestselling author). Reclusive author Ginevra Ex is famous for her unusual approach to crafting her bestselling thrillers: she hires real people and conducts intensive interviews, then fictionalizes them. Her latest main character, Rory, is thrilled when Ginevra presents her with an extravagant bonus—a lavish trip along Italy’s Mediterranean coast on the famed, newly renovated Orient Express. But when Rory boards the train, she’s stunned to discover that her brother, her best friend, and even her ex-fiancé are passengers, as well. All invited by Ginevra, all hiding secrets. With each stop, from Cinque Terre to Rome to Positano, it becomes increasingly clear that Ginevra has masterminded the ultimate real life twisty plot with Rory as her main character. And as Ginevra’s deceptions mount, and the lies and machinations of Rory’s travel companions pile up, Rory begins to fear that her trip will culminate like one of Ginevra’s books: with a murder or two. In the opulent compartments of the iconic train, Rory must untangle the shocking reasons why Ginevra wanted them all aboard—and to what deadly end. The perfect read for fans of Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley, and Paula Hawkins, The Main Character mixes “the family drama of Knives Out with the locked room atmosphere of Murder on the Orient Express and the resulting cocktail is like an Aperol spritz on a hot summer’s day: perfect” (Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author).

The Main Character

A puppet master. A deadly game. A race against time. Copycat killings stain London’s streets with blood in this gripping psychological thriller. London is gripped by terror as a mastermind recreates history’s most gruesome murders—without ever dirtying his hands. Paramedic Tom Freedman recruits his killers from the shadows of the internet, manipulating the broken and desperate to carry out his deadly vision. Emotionally damaged criminologist Ethan Marshall is dragged into the case, tasked with stopping a predator who thrives on control and chaos. When Tom’s twisted game turns personal, Ethan receives chilling taunts and watches as the killer tightens his grip, pulling Ethan further into the nightmare. To stop Tom, Ethan must outwit a mind bent on pain and suffering. But as the clock ticks down, Ethan realizes this is more than a hunt for justice—it’s a battle for survival. Dark, relentless, and packed with shocking twists, this is a thriller that fans of Chris Carter won’t be able to put down.

Copy, Kill, Repeat

In the city that’s become a symbol for the death of the American dream, a nightmare killer is unravelling reality. A terrifying new thriller from Lauren Beukes, award-winning author of The Shining Girls. Detective Gabi Versado has hunted down many monsters during her eight years in Homicide. She’s seen stupidity, corruption and just plain badness. But she’s never seen anything like this. Clayton Broom is a failed artist, and a broken man. Life destroyed his plans, so he’s found new dreams – of flesh and bone made disturbingly, beautifully real. Detroit is the decaying corpse of the American Dream. Motor-city. Murder-city. And home to a killer opening doors into the dark heart of humanity. A killer who wants to make you whole again…

Broken Monsters

'Megan Abbott at her very best. Cool, crisp, chilling.' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train You told each other everything. Then she told you too much. Kit has risen to the top of her profession and is on the brink of achieving everything she wanted. She hasn’t let anything stop her. But now someone else is standing in her way – Diane. Best friends at seventeen, their shared ambition made them inseparable. Until the day Diane told Kit her secret – the worst thing she’d ever done, the worst thing Kit could imagine – and it blew their friendship apart. Kit is still the only person who knows what Diane did. And now Diane knows something about Kit that could destroy everything she’s worked so hard for. How far would Kit go, to make the hard work, the sacrifice, worth it in the end? What wouldn’t she give up? Diane thinks Kit is just like her. Maybe she’s right. Ambition: it’s in the blood . . . Give Me Your Hand is the latest blistering thriller from Megan Abbott.

Give Me Your Hand

Late one night, a man walks into the luxurious home of disgraced banker Harry McNamara and his wife Julie. And when the man launches an unspeakably brutal attack on Harry, a horror-struck Julie, frozen by fear, watches her husband die. Just one hour later, the attacker, J. P. Carney, hands himself into the police and confesses to beating Harry to death. But he also claims that the assault was not premeditated and that he didn’t know the identity of his victim. With a man as notorious as Harry McNamara, who was just found innocent in a highly sensationalized fraud trial, the detectives cannot help but wonder Was this really a random act of violence? Was Julie really powerless to stop J. P.? When Harry’s many sins are unveiled to include corruption, greed, and betrayal, nothing is for sure. This gripping psychological thriller will have you questioning who—of Harry, Julie, and J. P.—is really the guilty one and whether or not Carney's surrender was driven by a guilty conscience or if his confession was a calculated move in a deadly game.

The Confession

The most chilling read of the Christmas season.As the snow begins to fall, the body count begins to climb… DI James Walker is ready for a quiet family Christmas in the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey. But when he opens an early Christmas present left on his doorstep, he soon realises it is no gift. Inside is a gruesome surprise, and a promise – twelve days, twelve murders. Not long after, the first body is found, half frozen in the snow. As the blizzards descend, panic spreads through the remote Cumbrian village – there’s a killer amongst them, and with eleven more victims to go, anyone could be next…. Can James stop the killer before they strike again? The first in a new series, Alex Pine has written a dark, atmospheric crime novel, set in a snowed-in Cumbrian village, for fans of Val McDermid, Ross Greenwood and LJ Ross. Readers love Alex Pine's Christmas crime:‘This is by far the best book I've read all year. Top marks for storyline, pace and setting. Alex Pine always delivers a cracking Christmas treat. As far as I'm concerned the festive season would no longer be the same without a dose of Christmas crime in Cumbria!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Such a breath of wintery fresh air to the thriller genre.’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This is the kind of book where you say just one more chapter, and before you know it, you have finished it.’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I was desperate to get into this … I was not one bit disappointed. It was fast paced and exciting. I found it hard to put it down.’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I raced through it this weekend. Such a smart idea: twisty, warped, credible, brilliantly plotted and compelling. Deserves to be such a hit.’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Loved this festive crime thriller. Gorgeous Lake District setting but with a very dark storyline. Excellent characters and fast paced.’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A fast paced storyline with plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing how it will all come together.’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Definitely worth reading on a cold night, maybe as the snow falls outside.’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DI James Walker series

The Christmas Killer

Beth and Ian are desperate to have a child. So much so that they decide to sell his family cabin in upstate New York to pay for IVF. When they arrive at the cabin, they meet Ryan, the caretaker. But Ryan is not who he says he is… He’s here because he knows Beth has a dark secret. And now he intends to use it against her. He threatens to tell Ian everything about Beth's past unless she does exactly what he says. Beth finds herself caught in a nightmarish trap. If Ian discovers what she’s been hiding from him, she’s sure he’ll leave her. She’ll lose everything she cares about, including the chance to have a child of her own. On the other hand, what Ryan wants her to do is so dark and twisted it’s beyond horrifying. Either way, Beth is sure her life is over, she can see no way out. Unless she digs deep and finds a part of herself that is willing to do something so awful it doesn’t even bear thinking about... This stunning psychological thriller is perfect for fans of Teresa Driscoll, Freida McFadden, and Daniel Hurst.

You Can't Hide

In Manhattan, an elderly lawyer's business is growing. Having two scriveners in his employ, the lawyer advertises for a third to meet demand. Enter Bartleby, a glum albeit quality scrivener. However, the lawyer quickly discovers that something is off with his new employee. When asked to perform any duties outside of copywriting, Bartleby responds with a canned 'I would prefer not to.' Soon Bartleby is living at the office and performing less and less at work. Finally fed up with his strange new scrivener, the lawyer asks Bartleby to leave, only to find himself on the receiving end of yet another 'I would prefer not to.'

Bartleby, the Scrivener

‘The ending shattered me in a way only Tarryn Fisher can!’ Colleen Hoover, Sunday Times bestselling authorAn explosive new thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Never Never! ‘A defiant stand against the things that haunt us. The ending shattered me in a way only Tarryn Fisher can!’ Colleen Hoover Iris Walsh saw her twin sister, Piper, get kidnapped – so why does no one believe her? Iris narrowly escaped her pretty, popular twin sister’s fate as a teen – vanished long before the cops agreed to investigate. With no evidence to go on but a few fractured memories, the case quickly went cold. Now an adult, Iris wants one thing – proof. And if the police still won’t help, she’ll just have to find it her own way; by interning at the isolated Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane, where secrets lurk in the shadows and are kept under lock and key. But Iris soon realizes that something even more sinister is simmering beneath the surface of the Shoal, and that the patients aren’t the only ones being observed… Praise for Tarryn Fisher: ‘Will leave the most sure-footed reader uneasy until the last word is read’ Sunday Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover ‘A compulsive, brilliant, enthralling thriller… a novel that totally captures absolute love and utter deception, total obsession and cruel betrayal. I was hooked to the very last page’ Sunday Times bestselling author, Adele Parks ‘Fans of B A Paris will love this addictive page-turner’ Woman’s Weekly ‘This page-turning psychological thriller by Tarryn Fisher will leave you guessing right until the end’ HELLO! ‘A perfect page-turner…a must-read’ Woman & Home ‘Gripping’ Bella ‘Compelling page-turner from a great writing duo’ My Weekly ‘A glorious thriller – you’ll be asking for more!’ Chat ‘A tortuous romance mystery that will keep you guessing’ Sunday Post ‘A fantastic thriller that asks the question: how well do we know the people we love? Filled with twists and turns you won't see coming’ PopSugar ‘Not just an original story but an equally original plot twist … an emotional and psychological crescendo that will keep readers on their toes until its final page’ USA Today

Good Half Gone

Following Alison Larkin's beloved narration of Agatha Christie’s The Secret Adversary comes the very first Hercule Poirot mystery. Brilliantly narrated by James Warwick, star of the Masterpiece Theater Tommy and Tuppence Partners in Crime TV series on PBS, this delightful, authentic recording of Agatha Christie's first novel is followed by an exclusive interview with James Warwick and Alison Larkin. When Emily Inglethorpe dies suspiciously after marrying a man 20 years her junior, her nephew, Captain Hastings, recruits his old friend Hercule Poirot to help in the investigation. Other critically acclaimed classic audiobooks from Alison Larkin Presents include the AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award-winning recording of Peter Pan and The Inconsiderate Waiter by J. M. Barrie, Pride and Prejudice and Songs from Regency England, Northanger Abbey and The History of England, Emma, and Persuasion and Poems by Jane Austen, and Alice in Wonderland and Jabberwocky with a short excerpt from The Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass and Phantasmagoria by Lewis Carroll and Alison Larkin's narration of The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie: "Champagne bubbly - a jaunty, jolly good listen" -Publishers Weekly For more information visit www.alisonlarkinpresents.com

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

""Full of tongue-in-cheek humor, excellent dialogue, and fantastic characters, this expertly crafted story from Carter (The Blonde Identity) is a heart-melting rivals-to-lovers romance combined with a delightful locked-room mystery."" — Library Journal (starred review) Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter. The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room two days before Christmas. Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt: She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery. He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy. She hates his guts. He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.) But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself. That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone. She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust? As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor. Assuming they don’t kill each other first. The laugh out loud holiday ""romystery"" that you've been waiting for!

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

“A must-read” (Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author) from the acclaimed author of The Main Character about a wealthy family drawn together on a South African safari, only for a series of shocking murders to rock their exclusive compound. Odelia Babel, CEO of a sustainable fashion empire, is about to marry for the second time—to a man twenty-five years her junior. Asher Bach is the thirty-something designer of Odelia’s luxury clothing line, the darling of every high-fashion journalist, and madly in love with Odelia. Eager to celebrate her nuptials with her nearest and dearest, Odelia invites her adult children, her daughter-in-law, her grandchild, and her best friend/assistant to an all-expenses-paid luxury safari at Leopard Sands in South Africa, the Babel family’s favorite vacation spot. It seems like the perfect trip, but not everyone is thrilled for the happy couple. Amid game drives in the bush and bonfires beneath the desert stars, tensions among the family threaten to boil over. And then, the morning after a big fight with her son Sam—and hours before the wedding—Odelia is found murdered. Sam is immediately the prime suspect, but he claims he has an ironclad alibi—he was with his twin sister, Bailey. Only Bailey is nowhere to be found… As the heat roils in this “cleverly constructed puzzler that brings all the delights of classic Golden Age mysteries into the 21st century” (Library Journal, starred review), desperate poachers and ferocious animals lurk, and dark motives fester, it becomes clear that whoever killed Odelia isn’t quite finished yet, and the rest of the Babel family is their prey.

The Safari

Winner of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award From legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting story about “an ordinary man in an extraordinary condition rising above hatred” (The Washington Post) and bringing the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine together—a “joyful, uplifting” (Entertainment Weekly) tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences, “the sign of a master elevating his own legendary game yet again” (USA TODAY). Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis. In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade—but escalating—battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face—including his own—he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others. “Written in masterly Stephen King’s signature translucent…this uncharacteristically glimmering fairy tale calls unabashedly for us to rise above our differences” (Booklist, starred review). Elevation is an antidote to our divisive culture, an “elegant whisper of a story” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), “perfect for any fan of small towns, magic, and the joys and challenges of doing the right thing” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Elevation

’A brilliant read’ B A Paris Two sisters go missing. Only one returns. Getting people to believe you is easy. If you tell them what they want to hear. When my sister and I disappeared three years ago, they found Emma’s car at the beach. Some people believed she had gone there to find a party or meet a friend who never showed. They believed that she’d gone for a swim. They believed that she’d drowned. Maybe by accident. Maybe a suicide. Everyone believed Emma was dead. As for me, well – now I’m back to tell our story. You’ll have to see if you believe it.

Emma in the Night

Children are killing themselves across the State of Tennessee. Is it a horrible coincidence, or are dark forces at work? When Jack Nightingale learns that there is a mysterious list of children who are at risk, he takes the case, spurred on by the fact that he knows one of the names and that makes it personal. His investigation brings him up against a demon from Hell who is being used on a mission of revenge. But if Nightingale is to save the children, and his own soul, he'll need help from an old adversary.

Jack Nightingale

Tennessee Night

Fethering residents, Jude and Carole, get more than they bargained for when a meal in their local pub leaves everyone with food poisoning. The landlord is horrified and when a series of disasters start to befall his business it looks like it could be the end of the road for the Crown and Anchor. The two amateur detectives wonder if it might just be more than a run of bad luck. When a young man is found in the kitchen with a knife through his heart, Carole and Jude swing into action. There's a killer on the loose and our lady sleuths need to uncover who it is before it's last orders for the pub – and themselves.

Fethering

The Poisoning in the Pub

Jude has never been averse to a bit of a flutter; her friend Carole, on the other hand, thinks that the local betting shop is a den of iniquity. But when Jude stumbles upon the body of a Polish immigrant, Tadeusz Jankowski, the race is on to find his killer. The odds aren't looking good. No one seems to know anything about the mysterious Tadeusz – even his sister can't shed any light on what he was doing in Fethering. As they question the local residents, Carole finds an unexpected friend in an inveterate gambler and Jude finds herself in potential trouble with a lecherous and charming drama professor.

Blood at the Bookies

When Jude pays a visit to Long Bamber Stables  – to meet an unusual new client and his owner, Sonia Dalrymple – she does not expect to stumble across a man laying in the darkness. Co-owner of the stables, Walter Fleet, has been viciously stabbed to death and Jude suspects she may have arrived only seconds after his murder. Unable to resist a mystery, friends Jude and Carole begin to make discreet enquiries. It soon becomes clear that Long Bamber Stables is a hotbed of dangerous passions, murderous rivalries and sinister secrets…and this horsing community will do anything to conceal the truth behind their deceptive lives.

The Stabbing in the Stables

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. It is about a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde. The work is commonly associated with the rare mental condition often spuriously called "split personality", referred to in psychiatry as dissociative identity disorder, where within the same body there exists more than one distinct personality. In this case, there are two personalities within Dr Jekyll, one apparently good and the other evil; completely opposite levels of morality. The novella's impact is such that it has become a part of the language, with the very phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" coming to mean a person who is vastly different in moral character from one situation to the next. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was an immediate success and is one of Stevenson's best-selling works. Stage adaptations began in Boston and London and soon moved all across England and then towards his home Scotland within a year of its publication and it has gone on to inspire scores of major film and stage performances. There are dozens of stage and film adaptations of the novella, over 123 film versions alone, not including stage and radio versions. Total Running Time (TRT): 3 hours, 6 min. Reading by David Barnes. Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (1850-1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer. His most famous works are Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. A literary celebrity during his lifetime, Stevenson now ranks among the 26 most translated authors in the world, ahead of fellow nineteenth-century writers Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe. His works have been admired by many other writers, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, Marcel Schwob, Vladimir Nabokov, J. M. Barrie, and G. K. Chesterton, who said of him that he "seemed to pick the right word up on the point of his pen, like a man playing spillikins."

The Strange case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

Having been booked to give a talk at Fethering Library, successful author Burton St Clair invites his old friend Jude to come along. Although they haven't met for 20 years, Jude is not surprised to find that St Clair hasn't changed, with his towering ego and somewhat shaky relationship with the truth. What Jude hadn't been suspecting however was that the evening would end in sudden, violent death. More worrying, from Jude's point of view, is the fact that the investigating police officers seem to be convinced that she herself was responsible for the crime. With the evidence stacking up against her, Jude enlists the help of her neighbour Carole.

The Liar in the Library

In the village of Spire, murder is afoot. Wealthy landowner Alexander, Earl of Greengrass is caught with his trousers down in the village graveyard before meeting a gruesome end. Luckily Susie Mahl happens to be on hand. With her artist's eye for detail and her curious nature she is soon on the scent of the murderer…

Susie Mahl

A Brush With Death

The Cornish village of St Petroc is the sort of place where people come to hide. Tom Killgannon is one such person. An ex-undercover cop, Tom is in the Witness Protection Programme and St Petroc offers him a chance to live a safe and quiet life. Until he meets Lila. Lila is a 17-year-old runaway. When she breaks into Tom's house she takes more than just his money. His wallet holds everything about his new identity. He also knows that Lila is in danger from the travellers' commune she's been living at. But to find her he risks not only giving away his location to the gangs he's in hiding from, but also becoming a target for whoever is hunting Lila.

Old Religion, The

A head teacher's work is never done, especially if, like Jane Cowan, you're a victim of your own success. Having done well with Wrayford Primary, she's now expected to bring neighbouring schools up to scratch as well. And all these responsibilities are compounded by an influx of children, most of whom do not speak English, following their families supplying cheap labour to surrounding farms. Jane can't turn a blind eye to the conditions in which many of these families are living, even more so when some children simply disappear. When everything points to the shadowy dealings of people smugglers in the area, she has her work cut out for her seeing justice done.

Jane Cowan

Head Count

Having landed a small part in a new West End play, The Habit of Faith, Charles Paris is dismayed to discover that his good fortune has been orchestrated by his bête noire, the now-famous screen actor Justin Grover. But why has Grover become involved in this relatively obscure production – and why has he roped in Charles to star? From the outset the production is fraught with difficulties – and matters become even more complicated when a body is discovered at the foot of the dressing room stairs. Did they fall – or were they pushed? As one of the last people to have seen the victim alive, Charles Paris is drawn into the ensuing investigation.

Charles Paris

A Deadly Habit

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Books in category 'Crime, Thrillers & Mystery'

Crime, Thrillers & Mystery

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