Humorous Detective

"If there was one piece of advice Olive Crisp always followed, it was that “one should never attempt to solve a crime on an empty stomach..."' 1970s. Cambridge, England. A MYSTERIOUS MURDER AT MIDNIGHT: When a student falls from the turrets of King’s College, Cambridge and the police rule his death as accidental, Olive consults her tarot cards - which confirm her suspicions of murder - and decides to take the investigation into her own hands. A COSY COMMUNITY: Fortunately, the college porter is a loyal customer of Olive’s cafe, The Biscuit Tin, and when she plies him with his ...

Although it is autumn in the small English town of Bishop’s Lacey, the chapel is decked with exotic flowers. Yes, Flavia de Luce’s sister, Ophelia, is at last getting hitched, like a mule to a wagon. “A church is a wonderful place for a wedding”, muses Flavia, “surrounded as it is by the legions of the dead, whose listening bones bear silent witness to every promise made at the altar.”

Out of bail skippers and rent money, Stephanie Plum throws caution to the wind and follows in the entrepreneurial bootsteps of Super Bounty Hunter, Ranger, engaging in morally corrupt and marginally legal enterprises. So, a scumbag blows himself to smithereens on her first day of policing a crack house and the sheik she was chauffeuring stole the limo. But hey, nobody’s perfect!

Charlie McGinley writes about tough guys…then he has to become one. Fed up with writing cheesy detective fiction, Charlie dreams of writing something serious. Unfortunately, his publisher insists that he keep cranking out hard-boiled Johnny Dent PI novels. When Charlie stumbles across an urban legend about Thomas Edison inventing a machine that could speak to the dead, he thinks he’s found the perfect gimmick to spice up his next book. That is, until he builds the "Ghost Machine" and accidentally uses it... And people in his small New Mexico town start dying. Suddenly, Charlie must ...

In this dual collection of short stories, Alexander McCall Smith brings his trademark humor and warmth to inventive tales of spying and vengeance. In one story, a spy dropped deep into enemy territory manages to disguise himself—quite convincingly—as a nun. In another, an invitation to join the Vatican Secret Service sends a prospective operative down a rabbit hole of controversy and confusion. A third story finds an author, on the brink of public ruin, seeing the error of his ways after an act of kindness saves the day.

There are places in this world where even angels fear to tread. In book 2 of the gripping thriller, Cain Haight — a drunk ex-soldier, his opportunist ex-wife, her redneck mother, and a sweet Amish woman are on a mission to rescue two kids from the rebel soldiers who kidnapped them. But they have to survive journeying across the Tennessee landscape filled with nightmarish creatures. The words of Cain’s grandmother echo in his ears. “There are places in this world where even angels fear to tread.” But that’s where we’re headed, straight into Hell. Grab your copy and start reading ...

Woman Brutally Murdered on Cruise The luxury cruise ship Grand Voyager is headed full speed to Dubai after stops in Sri Lanka and India. Meg has just attended a big fat royal wedding and is looking forward to some relaxing sea days. Her hot dinner date is interrupted by the announcement of a passenger's death. Rushing to the spot, Meg is sad to learn it is her new friend who was celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary. Further investigation reveals the old woman was stabbed in her suite. Meg can't believe the bashful mother of two that security apprehended is capable of such a heinous ...

A body in a lake. A castle on the ridge. Can she sweep the streets clean and restore her town’s legendary appeal? Camelot, West Virginia. Mayor Dreama Avalon longs to see her small town thrive again. And her noble cause begins by transforming her ailing community in the heart of coal country into a bustling tourist hotspot. But when a former beauty queen turns up dead, the determined widow fears a growing crime wave means her home will never reclaim its prosperous past. Appointing a brave newcomer as her new white knight police chief, Dreama discovers the troublemaker victim was already ...

In Undercover: Karma, Detective Carlo D'Scenzi finds himself stretched thin between two high-stakes cases and a ticking clock. Tasked with investigating the Michigan Patriots militia, he and his partner Big Lou must determine if the group poses a real threat or is simply exercising free speech. Meanwhile, they’re also assigned to track down the elusive duo of robbers, Benny and G, wreaking havoc across Detroit. Short on manpower, Carlo reluctantly brings in Red for backup, hoping it’s enough to get the job done while avoiding a mountain of follow-up work. But as the cases twist through ...

You probably already know my name. Lucy Chase, the woman who doesn’t remember murdering her best friend. Even though they couldn’t find enough evidence to charge me, I know you all think I did it. That’s OK. I realise being found wandering the streets the next day covered in her blood wasn't a great look. Believe me, I’m as frustrated as you are. I’d love to know if I’m a murderer – it’s the sort of thing you really should know about yourself, isn’t it? And now, thanks to true-crime podcast Listen for the Lie, I finally have the chance to find out.

The complete BBC Radio collection bringing together two full-cast dramatisations of Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently novels. In Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Dirk Gently has an unshakable belief in the interconnectedness of all things, but his Holistic Detective Agency mainly succeeds in tracking down missing cats for old ladies. Then Dirk stumbles upon an old friend behaving bizarrely - and he's drawn into a four-billion-year-old mystery that must be solved if the human race is to avoid immediate extinction....

Maple Leaf St Claire is a young fortune teller new to the city of Twyne. She sets up her caravan and quickly gets customers. Despite failing Witchaven School for Witches her reputation grows quickly and she attracts the attention of the Lady Gray whose husband has gone missing. She asks Maple to look into the disappearance. A witch's sigil drawn in a distinctive red chalk and a fiery note were left where he was last seen — a delicate matter indeed, especially in a city where The Order is active! Witches abound!

Instead of catering to cozy readers at my inherited bookshop, I found myself staring at the town’s crabbiest gardener… taking a dirt nap in my alleyway. I just turned a new page in my life when I returned to Bramble Dale to start a laid back book club. But when my old crush is pegged as a suspect for a murder it became a crime story that I needed to solve. When my trusty yellow lab, Peanut, sniffs out a bloodied scarf, me and my bestie start questioning suspects. With the victim rigging the gardening competition so he always won there were more than enough people that wanted to dig his ...

A light, cozy mystery series in a quaint Bavarian Christmas town with a fun loving, amateur female sleuth, her adorable rescue cocker spaniel, and enough garden gnomes to fill a museum. Book 1 - Deck the Santa Chloe Carson is excited for her long-awaited family reunion. But as they gather in a snow-clad village to plan their aging mother’s dream of opening a restaurant, the old lady’s habit of spreading garden gnomes around town leads to a panicked pilgrimage. And the mayhem continues when their visit to the nutcracker museum reveals Kris Kringle has come to an unmerry demise. With a ...

Meg Butler sets sail on the Grand Voyager on a luxury world cruise, eager to visit 30 countries before she's 30. But she hasn't planned on running into murder! The ship is hosting a Bingo tournament for the length of the cruise. Several passengers are competing for the grand prize which is rumored to be in six figures. Meg runs into a friendly older man who boasts of being a skilled player. He has developed a fool proof strategy that is guaranteed to win him big money. Meg is warmed by his affectionate manner toward her and feels he is the father figure she has always yearned for. Disaster ...

Good friends Caroline and Laura were in daily contact. When Laura fails to return her calls, Caroline is prompted to find out what is going on. It had been a lover’s tiff; Robert informed her, that had provoked Laura to walk out on him. Caroline knew that in such circumstances her best friend would turn to her for sympathy and advice, yet she hadn’t. There had to be other factors at work. Caroline, together with Robert, begin to track Laura’s movements over the past week. They follow a trail that leads them into the dark world of illegal antiques, illicit drug dealing and money ...

A cryptic clue. A missing professor. A town with more secrets than streetlamps. When small-town reporter Julia Wright receives an anonymous email about a decades-old scandal and the sudden disappearance of beloved but eccentric Professor Bing, she trades headlines for hidden clues. Known for her love of puzzles and her stubborn streak, Julia’s hardly the type to back down—even when the trail leads to her own family’s locked-away past. With her mischievous dog Cooper sniffing out trouble and a brooding detective who’d rather she stay out of it, Julia plunges into a world of cryptic ...

I wanted a surprise party, not a zombie apocalypse. For my 42nd birthday, I think I’m getting a surprise party. But my best friend didn’t invite me to her office for a party. She wants me to find a missing corpse. Dr. Faith Jackson, the Regional Medical Examiner, lost a body on her watch. If I can’t find the missing corpse, Faith could lose her job. And a murder suspect will get off scot-free. The Reluctant Corpse is anything but the start of the zombie apocalypse. And the odds are good - I might end up in a dumpster before it’s all said and done. Must be Thursday. The Reluctant ...

Meet Charles Emerson Crashoweski the Third—better known as Crash—a green-eyed, red-furred, fur-matted feline with more attitude than manners. Aloof, opinionated, and morally allergic to effort (unless tuna is involved), Crash is a cat with one mission: stay out of trouble… unless trouble deserves it. In a world overrun by smart appliances, nosy humans, and wannabe kittens named Buttons, Crash delivers an epic, hilarious, tail-whipping account of what it means to be a cat who simply cannot be bothered—until the fate of the living room (and the litter box) depends on him. Prepare to ...

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...