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Bloody Relations
by Don GutteridgeDon Gutteridge's fifth action-packed Marc Edwards mystery vividly portrays Canada struggling to become a nation.It is July of 1838, and an uneasy peace hangs over Upper and Lower Canada. The provinces have suffered two rebellions, and the unresolved grievances of the local population still linger beneath the fragile calm. Britain has finally taken note of the situation, and Lord Durham is dispatched as the temporary commissioner of both colonies, tasked with finding a resolution amongst the disputing factions. News of the impending change is greeted with a mix of fanfare and malice, and to Marc Edwards the new appointment signals an opportunity to unite the country for which he has long fought. But when Lord Durham's nephew is discovered in bed beside a dead woman, the murder weapon in his hand, it seems as though any hope for progress is lost. Unwilling to jump to conclusions, Marc soon finds himself embroiled in the investigation that ranges from Toronto's elite mansions to its most violent slums. With the fate of a country resting on his search, Marc races to uncover the truth behind the murder before time runs out. As Marc and police constable Horatio Cobb thread their way through the political backrooms and seedy barrooms of the city, they will come face-to-face with the desperation embraced by those who have nothing--and everything--to lose. Don Gutteridge's series is a vivid portrayal of Canada as a nation-to-be struggling to find its identity and autonomy, and in Marc Edwards readers will see the courage and integrity that helped to give birth to a country.
Bloody River Blues (John Pellam #2)
by Jeffery DeaverFrom Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Empty Chair and The Devil's Teardrop, comes his trademark "ticking-bomb suspense" (People) that explodes off the page in this heart-stopping thriller.Hard-living Hollywood location scout John Pellam found the perfect backwater Missouri town for shooting a retro gangster film. But when real bullets leave two people dead and one cop paralyzed, Pellam—an unwitting witness to the brutal hits—is suddenly the South&’s most wanted man. The feds and local police want him to talk. Mob enforcers want him silenced. And a mysterious blonde just wants him. Trapped in a town full of sinister secrets and deadly deceptions, Pellam must focus on facing down a killer before his own story fades to black.
Bloody River Blues (Location Scout thrillers #2)
by Jeffery DeaverMove over Bonnie and Clyde . . . Hollywood location scout John Pellam thought the scenic backwater town of Maddox, Missouri, would be the perfect site for an upcoming gangster film. But after real bullets leave two people dead and one cop paralysed, he's more sought after than the Barrows gang.Pellam had unwittingly wandered onto the crime scene just moments before the brutal hits. Now the feds and local police want him to talk. Mob enforcers want him silenced. And a mysterious blonde just wants him. Trapped in a town full of sinister secrets and deadly deceptions, Pellam fears that death will imitate art, as the film shoot - and his life - race toward a breathtakingly bloody climax.
Bloody Royal Prints
by Reba White WilliamsThe 4th book in the Coleman and Dinah Greene mystery series! The fellowship at the Art Museum of Great Britain was too good for Dinah to pass up. She never expected that she'd find herself homesick and unhappy. With her husband Jonathan busy opening a London branch of his investment banking business and with her cousin Coleman home in New York, struggling to get her second magazine up to speed, Dinah feels very much alone. Fortunately, she makes friends with Rachel Ransome and, through her, meets a member of the royal family. Things seem to be turning around...until Rachel comes under the suspicion of the Palace Police, sweeping Dinah into her troubles. Now Coleman needs to come to England to help as the source of Rachel's difficulties becomes more apparent--and more vexing. Can the three women join forces to extricate themselves from a conflict that goes back centuries?
Bloody Royal Prints
by Reba White WilliamsThe 4th book in the Coleman and Dinah Greene mystery series!The fellowship at the Art Museum of Great Britain was too good for Dinah to pass up. She never expected that she'd find herself homesick and unhappy. With her husband Jonathan busy opening a London branch of his investment banking business and with her cousin Coleman home in New York, struggling to get her second magazine up to speed, Dinah feels very much alone.Fortunately, she makes friends with Rachel Ransome and, through her, meets a member of the royal family. Things seem to be turning around...until Rachel comes under the suspicion of the Palace Police, sweeping Dinah into her troubles.Now Coleman needs to come to England to help as the source of Rachel's difficulties becomes more apparent--and more vexing. Can the three women join forces to extricate themselves from a conflict that goes back centuries?
Bloody Scotland: New Fiction From Scotland's Best Crime Writers
by James CrawfordTwelve of Scotland’s most famous crime authors evoke the sinister side of the country’s architecture in stories that are by turns calculating, chilling, and redemptive. Scotland has often been depicted as a land of haunting, misty moors and literary genius. But Scotland has also been a place of brutal crime, terrifying murder, child abuse, and bank robbery. Crime can strike anywhere. From the southern border to the Northern Isles, suspicion and suspense are never far away. Edinburgh, with its reputation for civility and elegance, has often been the scene of savagery; the dark streets of industrial Glasgow and Dundee have protected thieves and muggers, while the villages of coast and countryside hide murderous men and wild women. Stellar contributors to Bloody Scotland include Val McDermid, Christopher Brookmyre, Denise Mina, Peter May, Ann Cleeves, Louise Welsh, Lin Anderson, Doug Johnstone, Craig Robertson, E. S. Thomson, Sara Sheridan and Stuart MacBride explore the thrilling potential of Scotland’s iconic sites and structures. From murder in a Hebridean blackhouse and a macabre tale of revenge among the furious clamour of an eighteenth century mill, to a dark psychological thriller set within the tourist throng of Edinburgh Castle and an ‘urbex’ rivalry turning fatal in the concrete galleries of an abandoned modernist ruin, this collection uncovers the intimate—and deadly—connections between people and places. Prepare for a dangerous journey into the dark shadows of our nation’s architecture—where passion, fury, desire, and death collide.
Bloody Secrets: A Lupe Solano Mystery (Lupe Solano #3)
by Carolina Garcia-AguileraBold and beautiful Miami PI Lupe Solano takes on a case that began long ago but is just about to end in a murder…In 1958, as Cuba’s revolution was underway, two wealthy men made a pact to sell all they had and flee the country from fear of a newly empowered Cuban population. One was able to escape with his fortune intact, while the other ended up dying in prison as an enemy of the state.Now, the dead man’s son, Luis Delgado, has arrived in Miami—and he aims to finally claim his family’s lost fortune from Miguel de la Torre. After being rebuffed by his father’s longtime friend, Luis asks Lupe Solano to investigate.At first, Lupe is unsure of the veracity of Luis Delgado’s claims. Yet the more she uncovers, the more she finds herself determined to seek justice for him. The problem is that the de la Torres clan is one of the oldest and most powerful Cubano families in the city. And they are quite willing to remove anyone who threatens to take them down. Even a fellow Cuban exile with excellent detective skills…Praise for Carolina Garcia-Aguilera“With sharp-edged characters and some profound probing of moral ambiguities, the latest Lupe Solano tale is suspenseful, provocative and satisfying.” —Publishers Weekly“The third Lupe Solano novel continues to have the freshness that made its two predecessors remarkably insightful and compelling novel.” —Harriet Klausner
Bloody Shame: A Lupe Solano Mystery (Lupe Solano #2)
by Carolina Garcia-AguileraSexy, sassy Miami private eye Lupe Solano returns in a “meticulously constructed mystery” (Boulder Planet) in which she must deal with a puzzling case and a personal tragedy that are dangerously intertwined.Lupe is about to do something completely out of character—put aside her work and worries for the first time in forever and take a vacation to the Florida Keys. But just as she’s packing her bags, defense attorney (and occasional bedmate) Tommy McDonald calls her up with a job.Tommy’s client is Alonso Arango, a jewelry store owner who shot a man in self-defense. Since no knife was found and no one actually witnessed the incident, he’s being charged with murder. And after interviewing Arango, both Lupe and Tommy know he’s lying. But why?Complicating things further is Lupe’s longtime friend, Margarita. After mentioning having information pertaining to the case, she perishes in a mysterious car accident before she can reveal all.As Lupe copes with her grief, she digs deeper into the mystery—and soon finds herself on the run from a killer plot to turn her planned vacation into a permanent retirement.Praise for Carolina Garcia-Aguilera“A free-spirited heroine, some wry humor, and an insider’s look at an unfamiliar milieu are pluses here.” —Kirkus“[Garcia-Aguilera] weaves in the nuances of the Hispanic community with finesse. Lupe often uses her understanding of her heritage into her work.” —Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
Bloody Sunday: A Thriller (A Dewey Andreas Novel #8)
by Ben Coes"Ben Coes' Bloody Sunday is a propulsive read with enough plot hooks, twists, and action to fill five thrillers. Fans of Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, and Tom Clancy will tear through Bloody Sunday and close the book counting the days till Dewey’s next adventure." —Mark Greaney, New York Times bestselling author of Agent in PlaceThe latest in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Dewey Andreas series.North Korea, increasingly isolated from most of the rest of the world, is led by an absolute dictator and a madman with a major goal—he's determined to launch a nuclear attack on the United States. While they have built, and continue to successfully test nuclear bombs, North Korea has yet to develop a ballistic missile with the range necessary to attack America. But their missiles are improving, reaching a point where the U.S. absolutely must respond.What the U.S. doesn't know is that North Korea has made a deal with Iran. In exchange for effective missiles from Iran, they will trade nuclear triggers and fissionable material. An exchange, if it goes through, that will create two new nuclear powers, both with dangerous plans.Dewey Andreas, still reeling from recent revelations about his own past, is ready to retire from the CIA. But he's the only available agent with the skills to carry out the CIA's plan to stop North Korea. The plan is to inject a singular designer poison into the head of the North Korean military and in exchange for the nuclear plans, provide him with the one existing dose of the antidote. But it goes awry when Dewey manages to inject a small amount of the poison into himself. Now, to survive, Dewey must get into North Korea and access the antidote and, while there, thwart the nuclear ambitions of both North Korea and Iran. And he has less than 24 hours to do so—in the latest thriller from Ben Coes.
Bloody Sunday: Bloody Sunday (Luke Jensen Bounty Hunter #3)
by William W. Johnstone J.A. JohnstoneLuke Jensen gets caught in a black widow&’s web in this blazing Western adventure from the authors of Dead Shot. The Greatest Western Writer of the 21st Century In the bestselling novels of William W. Johnstone, mountain man Smoke Jensen is a legend. Now, Johnstone presents the adventures of Smoke&’s long-lost brother Luke, who was reportedly killed during the Civil War. The war is over and Luke is very much alive, his soul forged by the violence he witnessed on the battlefields. His job is now tracking down the worst outlaws—by any means necessary. Protect the Innocent Gloria Jennings went on the run when she was accused of murdering her wealthy husband back east. And when she&’s accused of killing her new rancher husband in West Texas, Luke is able to track her down. But when he does, he surprises himself by not bringing her in—and actually helping her face down rival ranchers and other threats. Getting to know her, Luke doesn&’t believe Gloria is a killer. But there are others that do. And when they show, Luke is going to have to go gun to gun with a pack of ruthless manhunters out for blood—and blood money. But another, even more vicious enemy is coming. A secret enemy from Gloria&’s past who wants her dead at all costs. And it&’s up to Luke and his lightning hands to make sure that doesn&’t happen . . . Praise for the novels of William W. Johnstone &“[A] rousing, two-fisted saga of the growing American frontier.&”—Publishers Weekly on Eyes of Eagles
Bloody Sunrise
by Mickey SpillaneTiger gets mixed up with the Iron Curtain world, fights and flourishes his way through intrigue, murder and mayhem.
Bloody Sunrise (Murder Room #84)
by Mickey SpillaneSecret agent Tiger Mann has his wedding interrupted by a call to look into the defection of a top Russian spy, Gabin Martrel, who has requested asylum in the US but won't provide any information.Tiger figures that he has defected to find an old flame, an Olympic skier named Sonia, and that if he finds her, Martrel will talk.But a nuclear threat thrown into the mix puts not just American but British national security at risk . . .
Bloody Tourists (Destroyer, #134)
by Tim SomheilA-KICKIN' AND A-GRINNIN' The tiny Caribbean tourist trap of Union Island wants to declare its independence from the U.S. And while baby-faced island leader Greg Grom's "Free Union Island" movement is taken about as seriously as a summer day, good ol' Greg is touring Dixieland's hot spots, from the honky-tonks to the hee-haws, trying to rally support for the cause. And some weird stuff is happening. ... Ordinary beer-swilling, foot-stomping, linedancing yahoos are running amok, brawling like beasts on a rampage. Remo Williams--currently not experiencing a lot of job satisfaction as Reigning Master--spots the connection between the doofball from Union Island and the redneck killer zombies. And he's pretty sure Greg is slipping something into the local brew, but the why is another matter. No biggie. Remo's not in a mood to make friends, or deal with Chiun's abuse or CURE's insults. He's here to smoke some bacon. Happily.
Bloody Tourists: Number 134 in Series (The Destroyer #134)
by Warren Murphy Richard SapirThe tiny Caribbean tourist trap of Union Island wants to declare its independence from the U.S. And while baby-faced island leader Greg Grom's "Free Union Island" movement is taken about as seriously as a summer day, good ol' Greg is touring Dixieland's hot spots, from the honky-tonks to the hee-haws, trying to rally support for the cause. And some weird stuff is happening . . .Ordinary beer-swilling, foot-stomping, line-dancing yahoos are running amok, brawling like beasts on a rampage. Remo Williams - currently not experiencing a lot of job satisfaction as Reigning Master - spots the connection between the goofball from Union Island and the redneck killer zombies. And he's pretty sure Greg is slipping something into the local brew, but the why is another matter. No biggie. Remo's not in a mood to make friends, or deal with the Chiun's abuse or CURE's insults. He's here to smoke some bacon. Happily.Breathlessly action-packed and boasting a winning combination of thrills, humour and mysticism, the Destroyer is one of the bestselling series of all time.
Bloody Twist: A Lupe Solano Mystery (Lupe Solano #7)
by Carolina Garcia-AguileraHot-blooded Miami PI Lupe Solano has become “one of the genre’s most formidable protagonists” (Chicago Tribune)—and her latest mystery proves that she’s only getting better at discovering the truth behind the most heinous of crimes.Lupe Solano is back at work after a lengthy recovery following a gunshot wound. Almost immediately, Lupe’s paramour—attorney Tommy MacDonald—drops a most unusual case in her lap.Tommy’s client is the blonde and beautiful Madeline Meadows, who is Miami’s most expensive call girl…and, somehow, also a medically-verified virgin. But now, several men have been murdered and Madeline’s involvement with all of them appears to be the only thing tying the cases together. Lupe is tasked with investigating the deaths before the authorities can pin them on Madeline.It’s not easy, since Lupe ends up having to contend with everything from Madeline’s lowlife pimps to her borderline-psychotic pet Chihuahuas. She slowly begins to suspect that the purportedly pure prostitute is not what—or who—she appears to be. Unfortunately, those suspicions may place Lupe right in the crosshairs of a killer…Praise for Carolina Garcia-Aguilera“Private eye Lupe Solano has developed a snappy style.” —New York Times“This is Garcia-Aguilera at her best. A former private investigator, she is expert at using Lupe’s questions, hunches and dogged pursuit of the case to keep the mystery unfolding and the plot driving forward.” —Miami Herald
Bloody Waters: A Lupe Solano Mystery (Lupe Solano #1)
by Carolina Garcia-AguileraThe debut mystery novel featuring the “strong, sexy, and funny” (Nelson DeMille) Miami PI Lupe Solano, who gets involved in a case that is literally a matter of life-or-death…Lupe Solano has succeeded as a female private eye by using her brains, bravado, and, occasionally, her beauty. And with the support of her eccentric, sometimes maddening family never in doubt, she knows she’ll always have a place to go when her life gets complicated. And it’s about to get more complicated than ever.Her newest clients are Lucia and Jose Marino, parents of an adopted four-year-old who has fallen deathly ill. The child’s only hope is a bone marrow transplant from the birth mother, whom the Marinos want Lupe to locate. But finding the woman proves far from simple after Lupe uncovers a black-market adoption ring being run by Elio Betancourt, a ruthless attorney willing to stop at nothing ensure his affairs remain secret.To save a child’s life, Lupe will have to do battle with Betancourt, deal with some very unsavory characters, and venture to the island of her dreams—Lupe’s ancestral home of Cuba. Getting into the country will be difficult… But getting out might be impossible.Praise for Carolina Garcia-Aguilera“A talent worth watching.” —Kirkus“Lupe and her eccentric family (a bodybuilding cousin; a dad who keeps a boat provisioned for the day when Castro falls; a sister who’s a nun) have a charm that bodes well for future outings.” —Publishers Weekly“Immediately engaging, written in a witty, straightforward style spiced by Lupe’s wry observations on Cuban-American family life.” —Miami Herald
Bloody Winter: A Pyke Mystery
by Andrew PepperThe troubled head of the Detective Branch returns, in an intriguing case of kidnap, rebellion and murder...The body of a vagrant is discovered in a ditch in County Tipperary. Knox, a young Irish policeman with divided loyalties is told that the landowner wants the case dealt with swiftly and quietly. However, when Knox examines the corpse, he realises that this supposed vagrant was wearing a Savile Row suit . . .Three months earlier, Detective Inspector Pyke was investigating a kidnapping in Wales. The crime seems to be linked to a group of rebels, but Pyke soon suspects the case is not as clear cut as it seems.What are the links between the rebellion in Wales and the unrest in Ireland - and has Pyke finally bitten off more than he can chew?
Bloody Women
by Helen Fitzgerald&“Quite possibly the greatest psycho noir ever written . . . American readers of dark, brilliant crime fiction need to get hip to FitzGerald now.&” —Spinetingler Magazine Before settling down to a new life in Italy with her fiance´, Catriona decides to lay her past to rest by meeting up with her previous partners. But on the morning of her wedding, Cat is arrested for murder. Not just one murder, but three. All of the victims were her ex-boyfriends, and all of them were viciously mutilated. So now she&’s in jail, and the woman who is writing her biography has interviewed many people in Cat&’s life. But no one is telling the truth. This is an ingenious and compelling page-turner, full of twists and dark humor from an intriguing and stylish writer with a growing fanbase.&“A delight to find something new . . . funny, moving, horrifying and compelling.&” —Times Literary Supplement&“A kind of black comedy and written with wit and humor, despite the theme of murder and violence . . . So this novel has it all—thriller, drama, whodunit, comedy, great characters and good humor.&” —The Bookbag&“FitzGerald . . . is adept at arresting openings, tense cliffhangers and tumultuous climaxes.&” —The Herald&“Delicious, ingenious, inventive and mordantly funny. Helen FitzGerald has a real skill for making the totally absurd and goofy, thoroughly logical and reasonable.&” —Big Beat from Badsville
Bloom
by Delilah S. DawsonA sweet sapphic romance takes a deadly dark turn in this sharp-as-a-knife tale with the slow build menace of Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber—from a New York Times-bestselling author hailed by Chuck Wendig as "a storyteller working at the top of her class.&”Rosemary meets Ash at the farmers&’ market. Ash—precise, pretty, and practically perfect—sells bars of soap in delicate pastel colors, sprinkle-spackled cupcakes stacked on scalloped stands, beeswax candles, jelly jars of honey, and glossy green plants. Ro has never felt this way about another woman; with Ash, she wants to be her and have her in equal measure. But as her obsession with Ash consumes her, she may find she&’s not the one doing the devouring…Told in lush, delectable prose, this is a deliciously dark tale of passion taking an unsavory turn...
Bloom and Doom
by Beverly AllenAs the co-owner of The Rose in Bloom, Audrey Bloom creates magnificent flower arrangements for brides to be. Though helping to plan a wedding can be stressful, it's nothing compared to the groom turning up dead. A designer of eye-catching bridal bouquets--many of them based on the Victorian meanings behind each flower--Audrey Bloom is used to celebrations that end with happily ever after. In fact, every couple she's worked with is still together, living in wedded bliss. But her perfect record is about to be broken. Her childhood friend Jenny Whitney has reeled in the most eligible bachelor in Ramble, Virginia, and she's hired Audrey to design the bouquet. But before Jenny can walk down the aisle clutching her blend of anemone, scabious, and pussy willow (a floral disaster in Audrey's mind), the groom is found dead--sprinkled with bits of a bouquet. This is bad for business--not to mention for Jenny, who has become the prime suspect. So Audrey decides to do a little digging herself, hoping she won't be the next Ramble resident pushing up daisies...
Blooming Murder (Iris House Mystery Ser. #1)
by Jean Hager"A timely inheritance has enabled spunky, self-sufficient Tess Darcy to transform her late Aunt Iris's estate into a charming bed-and-breakfast inn. Aptly enough, among her first guests is a gaggle of gardening enthusiasts gathered together for the regional Iris Growers' Convention--a thorny bunch more interested in digging up dirt than in weeding and watering. And when one of them turns up dead in Tess's magnificent garden--a cake knife planted firmly in her chest--it falls to the harried hostess to unearth the killer... before any more corpses spring up." The complete seven novel Iris House cozy mystery series is in the Bookshare Collection. Most have several recipes at the end, after the core text. Look for: #2. Dead and Buried, #3. Death on the Drunkard's Path, #4. The Last Noel, #5. Sew Deadly, #6. Weigh Dead and #7. Bride and Doom.b
Blossom
by Andrew VachssIn the figure of Burke, Andrew Vachss has given contemporary crime fiction one of its most mesmerizing characters. An abused child raised in orphanages, foster homes, and prisons, Burke is a career criminal and outlaw who steals and scams for a living. But he draws the line at the psychopaths and predators who stalk children. Sometimes he draws that line in blood. In Blossom, an old cellmate has summoned Burke to a fading Indiana mill town, where a young boy is charged with a crime he didn't commit and a twisted serial sniper has turned a local lover's lane into a killing field. And it's here that Burke meets Blossom, the brilliant, beautiful young woman who has her own reasons for finding the murderer-and her own idea of vengeance. Dense with atmosphere, savagely convincing, this is Vachss at his uncompromising best.
Blotto, Twinks and Riddle of the Sphinx (Blotto Twinks #5)
by Simon BrettThe curse of Pharaoh Sinus Nefertop is upon Blotto so it's up to Twinks to banish it!Yet another financial crisis at Tawcester Towers! So this time the Dowager Duchess decides to sell off the less important family possessions, which have, for a long time, been consigned to the attics of the ancestral home.Blotto and Twinks are dispatched to help the valuer as he carries out an inspection. Not much of any worth is found but then the valuer spies some Egyptian artifacts, collected by the tenth duke, Rupert the Egyptologist. In some excitement he rushes back to London to consult his reference books, leaving Blotto and Twinks alone in the attic, where they are drawn to a sarchophagus decorated with hieroglyphs. Twinks starts to translate: 'Anyone who desecrates this shrine will be visited by the Pharoah's curse...' - just as Blotto prises the lid off.From that moment on a series of unpleasant incidents start happening at Tawcester Towers but it is only when the Dowager Duchess's precious pug is struck down with a stomach bug that she instructs her son to sort things out and stop the accelerating sequence of disasters.It's the brainy Twinks who decide the only thing to be done is to put the genie back in the bottle and so she, together with Blotto and their trusty chauffeur Corky Froggett, undertake take the sarcophagus back to Egypt, to the Valley of the Kings as only when this is done will the effect of the Pharoah's curse be lifted...
Blotto, Twinks and Riddle of the Sphinx (Blotto Twinks Ser.)
by Simon BrettThe curse of Pharaoh Sinus Nefertop is upon Blotto so it's up to Twinks to banish it!Yet another financial crisis at Tawcester Towers! So this time the Dowager Duchess decides to sell off the less important family possessions, which have, for a long time, been consigned to the attics of the ancestral home.Blotto and Twinks are dispatched to help the valuer as he carries out an inspection. Not much of any worth is found but then the valuer spies some Egyptian artifacts, collected by the tenth duke, Rupert the Egyptologist. In some excitement he rushes back to London to consult his reference books, leaving Blotto and Twinks alone in the attic, where they are drawn to a sarchophagus decorated with hieroglyphs. Twinks starts to translate: 'Anyone who desecrates this shrine will be visited by the Pharoah's curse...' - just as Blotto prises the lid off.From that moment on a series of unpleasant incidents start happening at Tawcester Towers but it is only when the Dowager Duchess's precious pug is struck down with a stomach bug that she instructs her son to sort things out and stop the accelerating sequence of disasters.It's the brainy Twinks who decide the only thing to be done is to put the genie back in the bottle and so she, together with Blotto and their trusty chauffeur Corky Froggett, undertake take the sarcophagus back to Egypt, to the Valley of the Kings as only when this is done will the effect of the Pharoah's curse be lifted...
Blotto, Twinks and the Bootlegger's Moll
by Simon BrettDue to financial hardships at Tawcester Towers, the Dowager Duchess has decreed that the only way the family fortunes can be restored is to marry Blotto off... to an American!So begins the fourth adventure in the Blotto and Twinks series, and this time the aristocratic sleuthing siblings end up being transported across the Pond to the gangster-ridden hell-hole that is Prohibition Chicago.Reluctantly, Blotto, together with Twinks and his trusty chauffeur Corky Froggett set sail on ocean liner S/S His Majesty. He feels like a condemned man as awaiting him in Illinois is fabulously wealthy heiress Mary Chapstick, the only daughter of meat-packing magnate Hiram P. Chapstick III. But it's Twinks who discovers early on that all is not as it seems and that Hiram P. Chapstick III is in fact up to his neck in a bootlegging operation run by the notorious Chicago mobster, Spagsy Chiaparelli. So Blotto and Twinks set out to unmask the villainy of Hiram P. Chapstick III, where a final shootout takes place among the filthy stockyards, abattoirs and caning factories of Chicago's Meatpacking District - will Blotto and Twinks ever make it back to dear old Blighty?