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The State vs. Elinor Norton
by Mary Roberts RinehartThough a woman has confessed to murder, her friend tries to piece together what really happened in a mystery from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author. The state has accused beautiful young Elinor Norton of murder, and she refuses to mount a defense. Guilt is written all over her elegant features, but her childhood best friend refuses to believe it when Elinor confesses to the crime. Forced into a dull marriage against her will, Elinor is just beginning to adjust to life with Lloyd when she meets the man who will tear her world apart. Blair Leighton is her husband&’s best friend and was his companion in the war, and he has a charm that makes Elinor quiver from the inside out. At first, her husband is oblivious to this illicit attraction, but when the two men go into business together, the tension threatens to rip the triangle apart. Soon, Elinor is forced to make a chilling decision. One of these men must die—but which?
The Thin Man: A classic crime masterpiece
by Dashiell HammettONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING meets MONSIEUR SPADEIt's 1932, and Nick and Nora Charles, and their pet schnauzer, Asta, are in New York City for the Christmas holidays. With the privilege of wealth, they can enjoy whatever they want - the best food and drink, open-topped rides through the city; speakeasies where the rich rub shoulders with gangsters...Rich they may be, but they are also great fun to be with, kind to those in need, and more than capable of keeping their cool in a fight. So when a friend asks Nick to help him find a killer they accept - and are soon plunged into the world of the eccentric Wynant family, the head of which is an inventor who disappeared ten years before.Nick and Nora have to pick through implausible alibis, false identities, a highly glamorous but dysfunctional family - and the mystery of The Thin Man - in order to find out the truth.
Three Act Tragedy: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #10)
by Agatha ChristieIn Agatha Christie’s classic, Three Act Tragedy, the normally unflappable Hercule Poirot faces his most baffling investigation: the seemingly motiveless murder of the thirteenth guest at dinner party, who choked to death on a cocktail containing not a trace of poison.Sir Charles Cartwright should have known better than to allow thirteen guests to sit down for dinner. For at the end of the evening one of them is dead—choked by a cocktail that contained no trace of poison.Predictable, says Hercule Poirot, the great detective. But entirely unpredictable is that he can find absolutely no motive for murder.…
Tiempo de albaricoques
by Beate Teresa HanikaUna delicada historia sobre el amor, la amistad y el recuerdo con el trasfondo de la Segunda Guerra Mundial Un viejo árbol. Una tortuga llamada Hitler. Dos mujeres. Y una casa en Viena llena de recuerdos. Elisabetta ha vivido siempre en el hogar de su niñez y desde entonces todos los veranos prepara mermelada con los albaricoques del árbol de su jardín. Conserva un tarro de cada año, igual que conserva vivos los recuerdos de su primer amor, de su pequeña tortuga y del día en que todo cambió cuando sus padres y hermanas fueron deportados por las SS. Cuando la joven y reservada bailarina Pola llega para vivir en la habitación que alquila la anciana, ambas mujeres descubrirán juntas que solo resolviendo los conflictos que las atormentan podrán por fin hacer las paces con el pasado. La crítica ha dicho...«Elegantemente escrito, lleno de fuerza y simbolismo.»New Books in German «Una novela conmovedora.»Berliner Zeitung
Touch and Go: A Golden Age Mystery
by Patricia WentworthThis mystery ratchets up the suspense as a governess tries to save her teenage charge from a deadly fate "No one can take a mother's place." But Sarah Trent is determined to try. She has just been engaged as governess to seventeen-year-old Lucilla Hildred, whose mother and stepfather were killed in a car accident. Lucilla's father died in the war, and his younger brother, Maurice, has been missing since 1918. Uncle Maurice's disappearance isn't the only mystery at the Red House. One night Sarah is awakened by a frightening noise. Something flings itself against her window and she hears the sounds of claws against glass. Then Holme Fallow, the estate where Lucilla was born--and where no one has lived since the war--is burgled. The only clue as to the culprit is a set of muddy footprints. Next someone tampers with the brakes on Lucilla's bicycle, and she stumbles over a baluster rail. It's soon clear to Sarah that someone is trying to kill the orphaned teenager, sole heir to Holme Fallow. Is it visiting American John Brown? Lucilla herself, playing a dangerous game? Or has someone else been patiently waiting for the perfect moment to strike? No matter the perpetrator, a ghost from the past could change everything. Patricia Wentworth, beloved creator of Miss Silver, crafts a puzzling mystery replete with twists, turns, and multiple suspects.
The Unfinished Clue (Country House Mysteries #3)
by Georgette HeyerA houseful of people he loathes is not Sir Arthur's worst problem...It should have been a lovely English country-house weekend. But the unfortunate guest-list is enough to exasperate a saint, and the host, Sir Arthur Billington-Smith, is an abusive wretch hated by everyone from his disinherited son to his wife's stoic would-be lover. When Sir Arthur is found stabbed to death, no one is particularly grieved-and no one has an alibi. The unhappy guests fi nd themselves under the scrutiny of Scotland Yard's cool-headed Inspector Harding, who has solved tough cases before-but this time, the talented young inspector discovers much more than he's bargained for.
Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
by Agatha ChristieWhile playing an erratic round of golf, Bobby Jones slices his ball over the edge of a cliff. His ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds the crumpled body of a dying man. The man opens his eyes and with his last breath says, "Why didn't they ask Evans?" Haunted by those words, Bobby and his vivacious companion, Frankie, set out to solve a mystery that will bring them into mortal danger. . .
The Album
by Mary Roberts RinehartA killer has an axe to grind in this classic whodunit from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Circular Staircase and mystery-writing pioneer. Crescent Place was once a peaceful country green surrounded by five tasteful suburban houses and populated by polite, responsible citizens. But as the city enveloped it, the residents built a gate to keep the world out. With each passing year, the subdivision grew stranger and stranger—until it began to look like a time capsule of the 1890s. In these houses are a husband and wife who fight constantly, and another couple who hasn&’t spoken to each other in two decades. There is a widow in permanent mourning and a daughter whom the newspapers call psychotic. And there is a bedridden old woman who is about to be killed with an axe. When her murder shatters the quiet of the little enclave, the tabloids delight in trumpeting the neighborhood&’s peculiarities. But as the search for the killer intensifies, the area&’s strangest secrets have yet to be revealed.
Ask a Policeman (The Detection Club)
by Agatha Christie Dorothy L. Sayers Martin Edwards Helen Simpson Anthony Berkeley Gladys Mitchell The Detection Club John Rhode Milward KennedyWith “a touch of genius,” this round-robin mystery follow-up to The Floating Admiral features famous detectives including Lord Peter Wimsey (The Times Literary Supplement). Following the success of The Floating Admiral, in which certain members of the Detection Club—including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and G. K. Chesterton—collaborated on a whodunit, six writers pooled their talents to create another coauthored mystery. This time the premise had an added twist: authors would swap their detective characters, allowing for some extremely entertaining parodies of one another’s sleuths. When a ruthless British newspaper tycoon is shot dead in his home, the high-level suspects include the assistant commissioner of Scotland Yard, casting doubt on the impartiality of a formal police investigation. As a solution, the home secretary brings in four brilliant detectives to solve the murder: Mrs. Bradley, Sir John Saumarez, Lord Peter Wimsey, and Roger Sheringham. Featuring a preface by inaugural Detection Club member Agatha Christie, this playful tour de force gathers together half a dozen Golden Age Mystery masters: John Rhode, Helen Simpson, Gladys Mitchell, Anthony Berkeley, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Milward Kennedy.
Buenaventura
by Toni AparicioUna tragedia familiar la condujo a la mansión de los Campoamor; una misteriosa desaparición le devolvió la libertad. Un secreto familiar silenciado...Santamaría de la Villa, 1933. La vida de Esperanza cambiará para siempre. Se dirige hacia la mansión de los Campoamor, una de las familias aristócratas más respetadas de Asturias. Lleva consigo una maleta, el peso de los recuerdos y un extraño presentimiento. Está allí porque ha sido contratada como dama de compañía de la señora, pero se da cuenta enseguida de que no es bien recibida... Una misteriosas desaparición...El paso de los días acrecienta esa sensación y aumenta el desasosiego. Esperanza está convencida de que hay algo más, y las horas se vuelven insoportables. Descubre que hay un secreto que todo el personal guarda y que está relacionado con Buenaventura, hija y única heredera de doña Rosario, que al parecer ha desaparecido en circunstancias extrañas. Y una lucha desesperada contra el destino...Sabe que ni don Manuel, el médico, ni Diego Carreño, el administrador de la finca, ni la señorita Agustina, la férrea ama de llaves, se lo pondrán fácil, pero está decidida a descubrir la verdad. En ese camino chocará con los fantasmas de su pasado y descubrirá el precio de una vida nueva. Narrada con un estilo envolvente que recuerda a Rebeca, Jane Eyre o El jardín olvidado, Toni Aparicio construye con maestría una novela magnética que cautiva y golpea, que descubre las aristas de los secretos y sus peligros y que retrata la violencia de unos seres que luchan por hacerse hueco. Una novela de ambientes, de estilo gótico, de miradas y silencios. Un misterio familiar que nos traslada al mundo rural gobernado por los instintos primarios donde la pureza y los sueños luchan por abrirse camino. «Todavía eres joven para ser consciente de lo que te digo y es normal. Cuando una es joven, cree que tienetodo el tiempo del mundo y, en cierta manera, así es. Pero el tiempo se acaba. No emplearlo debidamente es un grandísimo error que no nos podemos permitir». «Todos sabíamos que Buenaventura era especial. Sin duda el haber nacido en una familia rica la situaba en una posición privilegiada, pero ella no quería ser solo una mujer apoltronada en su condición. Quería vivir, saber, viajar, conocer, amar...».
Buenaventura
by Toni AparicioUna tragedia familiar la condujo a la mansión de los Campoamor; una misteriosa desaparición le devolvió la libertad. Un secreto familiar silenciado...Santamaría de la Villa, 1933. La vida de Esperanza está a punto de cambiar para siempre. Se dirige hacia la mansión de los Campoamor, una de las familias aristócratas más respetadas de Asturias. Lleva consigo una maleta, el peso de los recuerdos y un extraño presentimiento. Está allí porque ha sido contratada como dama de compañía de la señora, pero se da cuenta enseguida de que no es bien recibida... Una misteriosas desaparición...El paso de los días acrecienta esa sensación y aumenta el desasosiego. Esperanza está convencida de que hay algo más, y las horas se vuelven insoportables. Descubre que hay un secreto que todo el personal guarda y que está relacionado con Buenaventura, hija y única heredera de doña Rosario, que al parecer ha desaparecido en circunstancias extrañas. Y una lucha desesperada contra el destino...Sabe que ni don Manuel, el médico, ni Diego Carreño, el administrador de la finca, ni la señorita Agustina, la férrea ama de llaves, se lo pondrán fácil, pero está decidida a descubrir la verdad. En ese camino chocará con los fantasmas de su pasado y descubrirá el precio de una vida nueva. Narrada con un estilo envolvente que recuerda a Rebeca, Jane Eyre o El jardín olvidado, Toni Aparicio construye con maestría una novela magnética que cautiva y golpea, que descubre las aristas de los secretos y sus peligros y que retrata la violencia de unos seres que luchan por hacerse hueco. Una novela de ambientes, de estilo gótico, de miradas y silencios. Un misterio familiar que nos traslada al mundo rural gobernado por los instintos primarios donde la pureza y los sueños luchan por abrirse camino. «Todavía eres joven para ser consciente de lo que te digo y es normal. Cuando una es joven,cree que tiene todo el tiempo del mundo y, en cierta manera, así es. Pero el tiempo se acaba. No emplearlo debidamente es un grandísimo error que no nos podemos permitir». «Todos sabíamos que Buenaventura era especial. Sin duda el haber nacido en una familia rica la situaba en una posición privilegiada, pero ella no quería ser solo una mujer apoltronada en su condición. Quería vivir, saber, viajar, conocer, amar...».
The Case of the Sulky Girl
by Erle Stanley GardnerTHE CASE OF THE SULKY GIRL was only the second of the Perry Mason books ever written, published in September 1933. Perry, Della and Paul Drake all appear. And for the first time, Mason's young law clerk Frank Everly. Still no appearance by District Attorney Hamilton Burger or Lieutenant Tragg. But this is the first Perry Mason story to feature his courtroom manipulations. The story has a beautiful young blond with a fiery temper, Frances Celane, being blackmailed. Her uncle and guardian, Edward Norton, won't give her any money from her trust, so that she can pay off the blackmailer. And so before you know it, he's dead and she's accused of his murder. She's secretly been married, and that's the basis for the blackmail. Did her new husband do it? He says so, but Perry suspects he's just trying to cover for his new bride. Obviously, his client is innocent. (Aren't they always?) So just who did murder Edward Norton?
The Death Miser (Department Z #1)
by John CreaseyThe first in the series featuring British intelligence’s elite detectives by the Edgar Award–winning author. Millions of lives are at stake if a sinister international conspiracy succeeds. It’s up to England’s elite detective agency, Department Z, to make sure that doesn’t happen. They’ve got to keep things quiet, too. Discretion is something the Hon. James Quinion knows only too well—it’s all part and parcel of being a member of the secret service. Now, as Department Z’s agents prepare for this high-profile, high-risk assignment, Quinion will find himself right in the line of fire—and in personal danger . . .
Death Miser (Department Z #1)
by John CreaseyThe first in the series featuring British intelligence’s elite detectives by the Edgar Award–winning author. Millions of lives are at stake if a sinister international conspiracy succeeds. It’s up to England’s elite detective agency, Department Z, to make sure that doesn’t happen. They’ve got to keep things quiet, too. Discretion is something the Hon. James Quinion knows only too well—it’s all part and parcel of being a member of the secret service. Now, as Department Z’s agents prepare for this high-profile, high-risk assignment, Quinion will find himself right in the line of fire—and in personal danger . . .
The Dragon Murder Case: Philo Vance #7 (Philo Vance #7)
by S.S. Van DineA whodunit that &“presents a good puzzle, and that, according to Mr. Vance and his tens of thousands of readers, is what murder mystery books are for&” (The New York Times). No question, The Dragon Murder Case showcases Our Philo at his most supremely irritating. The book is set at a Manhattan mansion complete with picturesque pool. Into that pool dives Sanford Montague, never to be seen again. Fools rush to blame the supernatural, noting that the &“Dragon Pool,&” is supposedly home to a monster known to the Lenape Indians. Philo&’s not so sure: He is (of course) an expert on both dragons and the Lenape Indians, with a sort of sideline expertise in pools and fish. It is tempting to agree with Ogden Nash that &“Philo Vance needs a kick in the pance&”: and by the time you reach the end of Dragon, you will almost certainly want to point your boot at his posterior. But you will have had a swell time getting there, and we&’ve got a crisp greenback that says you&’ll be chuckling too hard to aim.Praise for the Philo Vance series &“With his highbrow manner and his parade of encyclopedic learning, Philo Vance is not only a detective; he is a god out of the machine.&” —The New York Times &“The Philo Vance novels were well-crafted puzzlers that captivated readers . . . the works of S.S. Van Dine serve to transport the reader back to a long-gone era of society and style of writing.&” —Mystery Scene &“Outrageous cleverness . . . among the finest fruits of the Golden Age.&” —Bloody Murder
Drury Lane's Last Case (Drury Lane Mysteries #4)
by Ellery QueenWith the help of actor Drury Lane, Inspector Thumm chases a stolen manuscript and a man with a rainbow beard Inspector Thumm has never seen such a marvelous beard. It is massive and pointed, a rainbow composed of all the colors of Joseph’s biblical coat. He’s so distracted by the beard that he hardly notices the man it belongs to: a prospective client with mysterious business. This bearded fellow hands over an envelope containing a million-dollar secret—and the key to a matter of life and death. However, Thumm quickly forgets his strange visitor when a rare Shakespearean manuscript is stolen, only to be replaced by a rarer, more valuable one. With the help of the legendary Shakespearean actor Drury Lane, Thumm must locate the missing manuscript and solve an impossible murder—before the curtain comes down forever.
The Ghost Parade (Judy Bolton Mysteries #5)
by Margaret Sutton Pelagie DoaneJudy regrets that she is leaving Farringdon for a vacation in the Thousand Islands just as life in Farringdon gets interesting. The police are on the trail of counterfeiters, but Judy won't be around to help them. Excitement does follow Judy, however, when she impulsively purchases seven Indian masks at an auction. Judy learns that the masks are rumored to be cursed and that misfortune befalls whomever owns the monster heads. At first Judy refuses to believe the nonsense, but after the young people arrive at camp, the heads begin to appear and disappear and change location within the storage box. Mysterious sounds are heard at night. The monster heads appear to be alive! As with all mysteries, there is a logical explanation for the movement of the monster heads, and Judy's search for the solution proves to be more exciting and dangerous than she could ever have imagined.
Hangman's Holiday
by Dorothy L. Sayers4 Lord Peter Wimsey tales, 6 Montague Egg stories, and 2 other stories from one of the great mystery writers
Hangman's Holiday
by Dorothy L SayersPoisoned port . . . pet cats in peril . . . purloined pearls . . .Lord Peter Wimsey solves the mysteries of the man who was blown into the fourth dimension and the murder in fancy dress. He pursues miscreants across several countries and into unexpected hiding places. Dorothy L. Sayers' other detective, Montague Egg, encounters a fugitive murderer and uncovers a killer in an Oxford cloister. The travelling salesman extraordinaire solves puzzles with a unique combination of matter-of-fact practicality and brilliant deduction.'She combined literary prose with powerful suspense, and it takes a rare talent to achieve that. A truly great storyteller.' Minette Walters(P)2015 Hodder & Stoughton
Hangman's Holiday: A Collection of Mysteries (The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries #13)
by Dorothy L. SayersLord Peter Wimsey and Montague Egg confront menaces from purloined pearls to poisoned port in tales from &“one of the greatest mystery story writers&” (Los Angeles Times). In the annals of mystery writing, Lord Peter Wimsey and Montague Egg are among the most memorable detectives. Lord Peter—noble by birth, brilliant by nature—is a fly in the ointment of criminals across Britain, turning up whenever the police ask him to lend his quick wit and keen eye to an investigation. Montague Egg is a free-spirited figure, a traveling wine salesman with an unfortunate habit of stumbling over murder scenes. Both are inimitably charming, and neither has ever failed to catch his man. In this collection of stories featuring the two detectives, plus a couple of bonus tales, the mystery maven&’s evocation of England between the wars—and her chilling puzzles—remain as engaging as ever. Hangman&’s Holiday is the 9th book in the Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, but you may enjoy the series by reading the books in any order. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Dorothy L. Sayers including rare images from the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College.
John Creasey Box Set 1 (Department Z)
by John CreaseyIn one volume: three classic Department Z detective novels by the Edgar Award–winning writer who sold eighty million novels worldwide. Department Z is the super-secret team of investigators that works within British intelligence—now, this special collection offers three action-packed pre–World War II tales of mystery. Included are: First Came a Murder Sir Basil Riordon is a mysterious, frightening, and immensely wealthy man. But is he also a killer? After a member of an exclusive London club is poisoned, the head of England’s elite secret service, Gordon Craigie, has to navigate among some important and intimidating people to find out. Death Round the Corner Leopold Gorman studies the World Economic Conference with interest—and then picks five rich and powerful men to bring his plan to fruition. If any one of them shows reluctance to fall in with his scheme, he’ll be dead within the hour. The only thing standing in the master criminal’s way is Department Z . . . The Mark of the Crescent The mark of the crescent signs an order for murder. Gordon Craigie and Department Z are embroiled in a desperate investigation involving drugs, and must uncover who is behind the mysterious mark before the anonymous culprit claims another victim. The trail starts at the country estate of Greylands—but where will the mark of the crescent lead?
Julius (Vmc Ser. #517)
by Daphne Du MaurierFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA'His first instinct was to stretch out his hands to the sky. The white clouds seemed so near to him, surely they were easy to hold and to caress, strange-moving things belonging to the wide blue space of heaven . . . 'Julius Levy grows up in a peasant family in a village on the banks of the Seine. A quick-witted urchin caught up in the Franco-Prussian War, he is soon forced by tragedy to escape to Algeria. Once there, he learns the ease of swindling, the rewards of love affairs and the value of secrecy. Before he's twenty, Julius is in London, where his empire-building begins in earnest, and he becomes a rich and very ruthless man. Throughout his life, Julius is driven by a hunger for power, his one weakness his daughter, Gabriel . . . A chilling story of ambition, Daphne du Maurier's third novel has lost none of its ability to unsettle and disturb.
Julius (Virago Modern Classics #117)
by Daphne Du MaurierFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA'His first instinct was to stretch out his hands to the sky. The white clouds seemed so near to him, surely they were easy to hold and to caress, strange-moving things belonging to the wide blue space of heaven . . . 'Julius Levy grows up in a peasant family in a village on the banks of the Seine. A quick-witted urchin caught up in the Franco-Prussian War, he is soon forced by tragedy to escape to Algeria. Once there, he learns the ease of swindling, the rewards of love affairs and the value of secrecy. Before he's twenty, Julius is in London, where his empire-building begins in earnest, and he becomes a rich and very ruthless man. Throughout his life, Julius is driven by a hunger for power, his one weakness his daughter, Gabriel . . . A chilling story of ambition, Daphne du Maurier's third novel has lost none of its ability to unsettle and disturb.
The Kennel Murder Case: Philo Vance #6 (Philo Vance #6)
by S.S. Van DineA classic mystery featuring dogged detective Philo Vance. &“An intricate puzzle . . . [Vance] has an uncanny insight into the subtler aspects of crime.&” —The New York Times Given all the rich people getting bumped off in Philo Vance&’s Manhattan, it&’s amazing there are enough left to support the symphony. Latest up: Arthur Coe, found dead in his own locked bedroom. Suicide? The ever-perceptive Philo doesn&’t buy that theory for a second. The presence in Coe&’s house of a strange, prize-winning terrier only adds to the mystery, although Philo&’s fabulously in-depth knowledge of dogs does not in fact solve the crime; his fabulously in-depth knowledge of the murder of the Empress Elizabeth of Austria in 1898 proves much more useful. Like most of the Philo Vance novels, Kennel was made into a movie, directed this time by Michael Curtiz, who a few years later would turn his hand to a little number known as Casablanca. At least one critic has called the film a &“masterpiece,&” and though we make no similar claim for the book, GoodMysteries.com, dedicated to the art of the classic whodunit, calls Kennel &“one of the best locked-room setups ever written.&”Praise for the Philo Vance series &“With his highbrow manner and his parade of encyclopedic learning, Philo Vance is not only a detective; he is a god out of the machine.&” —The New York Times &“Well-crafted puzzlers that captivated readers . . . the works of S.S. Van Dine serve to transport the reader back to a long-gone era of society and style of writing.&” —Mystery Scene &“Outrageous cleverness . . . among the finest fruits of the Golden Age.&” —Bloody Murder