Amateur Detective

The Inugami Curse is a fiendish, intricately plotted classic mystery starring the legendary Detective Kosuke Kindaichi. In 1940s Japan, the wealthy head of the Inugami clan dies, and his family eagerly await the reading of the will. But no sooner are its strange details revealed than a series of bizarre, gruesome murders begins. Detective Kindaichi must unravel the clan’s terrible secrets of forbidden liaisons, monstrous cruelty and hidden identities to find the murderer and lift the curse wreaking its bloody revenge on the Inugamis.

When Lily Mason and her human boyfriend, Parker Knowles, help a friend rescue two abused pitties, they're determined to find out who abandoned the dogs in a deserted house. But the decrepit home has other secrets, too, such as the dead body in the basement. For once, Lily hasn't stumbled upon a corpse, but Parker's buddy has - and he's arrested for murder. With the help of their friends, human and nonhuman alike, Lily and Parker are determined to find out what really happened. Even if it means putting their own lives in danger.

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling mystery author Cheryl Bradshaw comes two series starters, two full novels, the first books in two of her bestselling series: BLACK DIAMOND DEATH: Sloane Monroe Series, Book One Charlotte Halliwell has been keeping a deadly secret. Before she has the chance to reveal it, she's found dead. At first glance, it appears to be nothing more than an accident, until poison is found coursing through Charlotte's body. Charlotte's sister Audrey hires Sloane Monroe, a sassy, headstrong private investigator to look into her sister's murder. As Sloane works to...

When an American tourist is murdered with a scone in Gemma Rose's quaint English tearoom, she suddenly finds herself apron-deep in a mystery involving long-buried secrets from Oxford's past. Armed with her insider knowledge of the university and with the help of four nosy old ladies from her local Cotswolds village (not to mention a cheeky little tabby cat named Muesli), Gemma sets out to solve the mystery - all while dealing with her matchmaking mother and the return of her old college love, Devlin O'Connor, now a dashing CID detective.

It is an ordinary Thursday, and things should finally be returning to normal. Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A local news legend is on the hunt for a sensational headline, and soon the gang are hot on the trail of two murders, ten years apart. To make matters worse, a new nemesis pays Elizabeth a visit, presenting her with a deadly mission: kill or be killed.

Dr. Theo Cray has a legendary mathematical knack for catching serial killers. Until his exposure to a mind-altering pathogen knocks him off his game. It has upended an investigation, destroyed his reputation, and left him to question his own sanity. One person still trusts him to finish the job. His former professor Amanda Paulson is helping point Cray down a logical path to his prey: a nomadic health-care worker whose murder spree stretches back decades and whose victims number in the hundreds.

It's late 1936, and King Edward is in turmoil, having fallen in love with the scandalously divorced and even more scandalously American Wallis Simpson. He wants to marry her but knows that doing so will jeopardize his crown. Edward confides in his dear friend Darcy, Georgie's husband, and the couple agree to hide Wallis in their home while Edward figures out what to do. But unbeknownst to Georgie and Darcy, Sir Hubert, the owner of the estate, has given a film crew permission to shoot a motion picture about Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn on the grounds

Bexley Simon and Sam Farmer aren't detectives, but they play them on TV. Well, played, past tense. The iconic cult hit that was Craven's Daughter ended five years ago, and their friendship died along with it. Fans were disappointed that the pair's legendary chemistry went unfulfilled—and other fans were crushed that the actual spark between actresses Bex and Sam didn't pay off, either. The network never intended for two women to get romantic, in life or onscreen, despite the fans. But the bigger tragedy was the loss of their dear friend, makeup artist Jen Arnot.

The Headless Horseman. Everyone knows the legend. That’s all it is, right? When a third headless victim is found on Boston’s streets, Chloe Mayfield is tasked with finding the person behind the crime spree – no one else wants a case this weird. It would be easy to dismiss the murders as nothing more than the random acts of a madman with a cosplay fetish, but when her investigations lead her to the morgue, she comes face to face with an apparition she cannot explain. Throw in the stalker-like attentions of a deranged clown, dangerous interactions with the Salem witches, and an enemy ...

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

Newport Innkeeper Caroline Kent and Police Detective Hank Nightingale are back in the middle of murder when Caroline's friend, Broadway actress Meredith Hackett, appears unexpectedly at the Inn at Kenwood Court. When she is found dead shortly after arriving, it's up to Caroline and Hank to solve the case.

The bestselling novel about a century-old suicide turns out to be the recipe for a grisly modern murder in the sleepy village of Glacier. Was the novel's author dispatched? Did she take her own life just as her heroine had? Why did they both die a hundred years apart in the same way and in the same Victorian mansion? Amateur sleuth, Melanie Willoughby, faces off with a bumbling local sheriff, and a bevy of suspects including quirky writers, a greedy publisher and shady relative to prove what everyone else claims to be a suicide was really a murder. With the help of her fearless terrier, Su-...

In The Accountant’s Cookbook for Murder, buttoned-up accountant Martin Wells never expected murder at the Redwood County Cook-Off. When a food critic dies mid-bite, Martin must follow the breadcrumbs—through sabotage, suspects, and savory secrets—to solve the case. It’s a cozy mystery where spreadsheets meet sabotage, and the recipe for murder gets personal.

Bernard isn't your ordinary house cat. Former circus performer with a talent for theft, he's happily retired to a luxurious life with the wealthy Scarborough family in Los Angeles. That is, until one night when his old habits lead him into the bedroom of socialite Diedre Longhorn, just in time to find her murdered, with a mysterious golden egg-shaped artifact gone missing. When his owners Lance and Irene are implicated in both the theft of Diedre's jewelry and possibly her murder, Bernard must use his unique feline skills to uncover the truth. But he quickly discovers that Diedre's death is...

At first, the mystery they're tasked with seems to have nothing to do with Aerin or her kidnapper. But as Seneca, Maddox, and Madison hit the Jersey Shore to gather clues, they begin to uncover the true background of the killer and the horrors that shaped him into who he is. The scavenger hunt leads them to the family of a recently kidnapped boy, a serial child-snatcher, and dark secrets they could never have seen coming.

These are the first four novels featuring Charles Bentley, a retired professor of English Literature who worked at Opal College in Opalsville, Massachusetts in the upper northwestern corner of the state. Upon his retirement, Charles finds himself becoming involved in solving a number of murders that occur in his part of the world. A widower, now without a full-time job, he is also at a decision point in his life where he must deal with new romantic interests and the possibility of pursuing a career path allowing him to develop new talents. Charles rapidly finds that the remaining decades of...

All chess games end in a murder... It's 1920, the murders of a trade unionist, a knight and a bishop shock Britain. The finger of blame seems to point to Russia. As the body count rises, Kit Aston plays a deadly game of chess with a Russian grandmaster where checkmate is a matter of life or death. The latest Kit Aston whodunnit is a gripping historical crime thriller, full of twists and hilarious one liners which fuses classic murder mystery with a spy novel. The Kit Aston mysteries mix real life historical characters and events with crime thrillers full of red herrings. No books are the ...

When the body of "how-to" book writer Terry Holiday is found by Aster Paterson in her flower garden, the townspeople of Haven are shocked. But they're even more surprised when the beloved bookshop owner insists that the spirit of her late husband Peter Paterson led her to the grim discovery. Only Aster seems unsurprised—she's been baking his favorite shortbread cookies every day, hoping to lure his ghost back home . . . Even Maureen is a little skeptical—until Peter's ghost appears in the bookshop window for all to see.

“I’m sorry but the answer’s no.” Reluctant author, Anthony Horowitz, has had enough. He tells ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne that after three books he’s splitting and their deal is over. The truth is that Anthony has other things on his mind. His new play, a thriller called Mindgame, is about to open at the Vaudeville Theater in London’s West End. Not surprisingly, Hawthorne declines a ticket to the opening night. The play is panned by the critics. In particular, Sunday Times critic Margaret Throsby gives it a savage review, focusing particularly on the writing.

What can you do when an enemy claims sanctuary in your home? Hester Johnson is no one's favorite person, but when she arrives at Proctor House begging to be hidden, the Proctor family takes her in. When something spooks Hester, she runs away - straight into her killer. Is it coincidence she's left on Isabella's door? The danger has never been greater for Detective Palmer and Isabella needs to protect him, find the murderer, and keep her family's secrets. For fans of Samantha Silver, Amanda M. Lee, and Leighann Dobbs, On a Larkspur is a clever, fast-paced cozy mystery that will keep you ...