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The Big Man's Daughter
by Owen Fitzstephen18 year-old Rita Gaspereaux is suddenly "orphaned" when her con-artist father's illegal enterprise blows up around her. Alone and broke in San Francisco 1922, she must now navigate his criminal world, all the time haunted by tales of a black bird statuette reputed to possess otherworldly, wish-fulfilling powers. Rita has learned much from her father about the dark fringes of society. But has she learned enough? Fortunately, she is not without her own resources. What helps her most to cope with the greed, cruelty, and deceit around her is her almost obsessive reading of fiction, particularly the novel she possesses (and is possessed by) at the time of her father&’s death. This book-within-the-book, a source of escape and solace for the blossoming young con-artist, tells the story of another 18 year-old, a Dorothy G. from Kansas. The two young women couldn't be more different. But as the story proceeds their lives become entwined in unexpected ways. The haunting conclusion is breathtaking.
The Big Midget Murders (The John J. Malone Mysteries #6)
by Craig RiceIt&’s murder backstage for a cynical Chicago attorney—from &“the Dorothy Parker of detective fiction&” (William Ruehlmann). It&’s part casino, part nightclub, and part circus. For its new owners, Jake Justus and his socialite wife, Helene, it&’s also a gamble. Luckily they have Jay Otto. Next to a bouncy burlesque bit, Otto&’s high-wire act is the hottest draw in the joint. But the crowd isn&’t the only thing left breathless. The performer has just been found in his dressing room, doped up, dead, and hanging by eleven silk stockings. The method is fetching. The probable motive? Otto was the nastiest, most hateful, devious, blackmailing little cuss on the circuit. But Jake&’s friend, attorney John J. Malone, thinks this is more than a case of justifiable homicide—especially when Otto isn&’t the last on the bill to get all choked up. Now Malone has a lot of secrets to untangle so he can collar the killer, because Jake and Helene&’s necks could be next on the line. The Big Midget Murders is &“expertly timed . . . and frenzied . . . with lavish accompaniment of good wise-cracking. Verdict: Superior&” (TheSaturday Review of Literature). &“Call it screwball noir, call it hard-boiled farce, call it whatever you want . . . Craig Rice did it with John J. Malone, her ne-er-do-well bibulous attorney&” (Thrilling Detective).
The Big Nap
by Bruce HaleGrammar school--it's all about eating and sleeping. Well, for Chet Gecko, anyway.To Chet, nothing is more divine than a plate of Mrs. Bagoong's Mothloaf Surprise followed by a sweet bit of shut-eye on the playground. (Besides a few Pillbug Crunch bars and a monthlong holiday, that is.)In these two hilarious mysteries from Chet's tattered casebook, he and his mockingbird partner, Natalie Attired, must catch a cafeteria thief, foil the sinister plans of a weaselly zombie master . . . and still take part in the Nations of the World PTA assembly. (Fourth-grade detectives get no respect.)
The Big Nap (Mommy-Track #2)
by Ayelet WaldmanWhen her infant son's beautiful young Chasidic babysitter vanishes, Juliet can't help wondering if the girl was fleeing something even scarier than her screaming, squalling charge. Like her upcoming arranged marriage, maybe? It's certainly possible. Or perhaps something much more sinister has occurred. Why else would her family be so reluctant to call in the police? To find out the truth, Juliet, with her over-tired kids in tow, will have to travel from her havoc-filled home in Los Angeles to a Chasidic enclave in Brooklyn. In search of answers. In pursuit of justice. And in desperate need of a big, long nap...
The Big Nowhere
by James EllroyLos Angeles, 1950 Red crosscurrents: the Commie Scare and a string of brutal mutilation killings. Gangland intrigue and Hollywood sleaze. Three cops caught in a hellish web of ambition, perversion, and deceit. Danny Upshaw is a Sheriff's deputy stuck with a bunch of snuffs nobody cares about; they're his chance to make his name as a cop...and to sate his darkest curiosities. Mal Considine is D.A.'s Bureau brass. He's climbing on the Red Scare bandwagon to advance his career and to gain custody of his adopted son, a child he saved from the horror of postwar Europe. Buzz Meeks-bagman, ex-Narco goon, and pimp for Howard Hughes-is fighting communism for the money. All three men have purchased tickets to a nightmare. (100,000 words)
The Big Nowhere (L. A. Quartet)
by James EllroyThe second novel in The L.A. Quartet. Murder, mayhem and dirty cops on the make against the backdrop of anti-communist hysteria in L.A. in 1950.It&’s Los Angeles in the new year of 1950. The Communist Scare is heating up. Gangsters vie for control of the town. The Hollywood studios are feuding with the unions.Then a dead body with its eyes gouged out turns up.The investigating officer, Sheriff&’s deputy Danny Upshaw, is obsessed with the murder case that no one else cares about. LAPD Lieutenant Mal Considine jumps onto the Red Scare bandwagon to advance his career and gain custody of his adopted son. And Buzz Meeks is in it all for the money.The three cops get caught in the city&’s web of ambition, perversion, and deceit. All three have purchased tickets to a nightmare.
The Big Over Easy (Nursery Crimes Series #1)
by Jasper FfordeJasper Fforde's bestselling Thursday Next series delights readers of every genre with its literary derring-do and brilliant flights of fancy. In The Big Over Easy, the first book in a new series, Fforde takes a break from classic literature and tumbles into the seedy underbelly of nursery crime. Meet Detective Inspector JACK SPRATT, family man and head of the Nursery Crime Division, long suffering under the shadow of the flashy Detective Friedland Chymes with his astonishing number of published cases in Amazing Crime Stories. SPRATT is fresh from a spectacular failure to see convicted three wily pigs for the murder of a certain wolf. The media and tide of public opinion are set squarely against him. Now, new trouble is brewing. It's Easter in Reading-a bad time for eggs-and no one can remember the last sunny day. Ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Dumpty, minor baronet, lover of women, ex-convict, and former millionaire philanthropist, is found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Yes, the big egg is down. All those brittle pieces sitting in the morgue point to foul play. SPRATT and his new partner, SERGEANT MARY MARY, search through Humpty's sordid and secretive past in hopes of finding the key to his death. Immersed in a case that reaches into the highest echelons of Reading society and business, SPRATT is walking the tightrope of his career. Before long JACK and MARY find themselves grappling with a sinister plot involving cross-border money laundering, bullion smuggling, problems with beanstalks, Titans seeking asylum, and the cut-and-thrust world of international hiropody. And on top of all that, the Jellyman is coming to town.... The familiar and utterly transformed characters and world of nursery crime are pure ingenious fun. Just when you thought he'd stretched his astonishing imagination to the limit, Jasper Fforde does it again with this dazzling new series.
The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime (Nursery Crime Ser. #No. 1)
by Jasper FfordeIt's Easter in Reading - a bad time for eggs - and no one can remember the last sunny day. Humpty Dumpty, well-known nursery favourite, large egg, ex-convict and former millionaire philanthropist is found shattered beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Following the pathologist's careful reconstruction of Humpty's shell, Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his Sergeant Mary Mary are soon grappling with a sinister plot involving cross-border money laundering, the illegal Bearnaise sauce market, corporate politics and the cut and thrust world of international Chiropody. As Jack and Mary stumble around the streets of Reading in Jack's Lime Green Austin Allegro, the clues pile up, but Jack has his own problems to deal with. And on top of everything else, the JellyMan is coming to town. . .
The Big Over Easy: Nursery Crime Adventures 1
by Jasper Fforde‘It looks like he died from injuries sustained during a fall...' Bestselling author Jasper Fforde begins an effervescent new series. ' It's Easter in Reading - a bad time for eggs - and no one can remember the last sunny day. Humpty Dumpty, well-known nursery favourite, large egg, ex-convict and former millionaire philanthropist is found shattered beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Following the pathologist's careful reconstruction of Humpty's shell, Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his Sergeant Mary Mary are soon grappling with a sinister plot involving cross-border money laundering, the illegal Bearnaise sauce market, corporate politics and the cut and thrust world of international Chiropody. As Jack and Mary stumble around the streets of Reading in Jack's Lime Green Austin Allegro, the clues pile up, but Jack has his own problems to deal with. And on top of everything else, the JellyMan is coming to town...
The Big Over Easy: Nursery Crime Adventures 1 (Nursery Crime)
by Jasper Fforde‘It looks like he died from injuries sustained during a fall...' Bestselling author Jasper Fforde begins an effervescent new series. ' It's Easter in Reading - a bad time for eggs - and no one can remember the last sunny day. Humpty Dumpty, well-known nursery favourite, large egg, ex-convict and former millionaire philanthropist is found shattered beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Following the pathologist's careful reconstruction of Humpty's shell, Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his Sergeant Mary Mary are soon grappling with a sinister plot involving cross-border money laundering, the illegal Bearnaise sauce market, corporate politics and the cut and thrust world of international Chiropody. As Jack and Mary stumble around the streets of Reading in Jack's Lime Green Austin Allegro, the clues pile up, but Jack has his own problems to deal with. And on top of everything else, the JellyMan is coming to town...
The Big Over Easy: Nursery Crime Adventures 1 (Nursery Crime)
by Jasper Fforde'It looks like he died from injuries sustained during a fall...' Bestselling author Jasper Fforde begins an effervescent new series. It's Easter in Reading - a bad time for eggs - and no one can remember the last sunny day. Humpty Dumpty, well-known nursery favourite, large egg, ex-convict and former millionaire philanthropist is found shattered beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Following the pathologist's careful reconstruction of Humpty's shell, Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his Sergeant Mary Mary are soon grappling with a sinister plot involving cross-border money laundering, the illegal Bearnaise sauce market, corporate politics and the cut and thrust world of international Chiropody. As Jack and Mary stumble around the streets of Reading in Jack's Lime Green Austin Allegro, the clues pile up, but Jack has his own problems to deal with. And on top of everything else, the JellyMan is coming to town...(P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
The Big Picture
by Douglas Kennedy'Palm-tingling sensation ... captivating ... a completely convincing imaginative performance ... enthralling' The TimesOn the face of it, Ben Bradford is your standard Wall Street hot shot - Junior partner in a legal firm, 6 figure income, wife and two young kids straight out of a Gap catalogue. But along with the WASP lifestyle comes the sting - Ben hates it. He wants - has always wanted - to be a photographer. When he discovers his wife has fallen in love with another man, the consequences of a moment of madness force him to question not just the design of his life but the price of fulfilment. Because finding yourself means nothing when you're pretending to be someone else. From the picket fences of yuppie New England to Montana's untouchable splendour, The Big Picture spans states and states of mind in a thrilling novel of genuine originality.Reviews for The Big Picture'The Horse Whisperer recast by Patricia Highsmith ... a compulsive page-turner and a dark moral fable' Mail on Sunday'Kennedy's skill is to send you racing down the slope of sheer story' Esquire
The Big Pink
by Ann PillingWhen Angela is sent to board at The Moat, a girls' school run by cold Auntie Pat, it starts out as a disaster. Overweight and self-conscious, her life is made a misery when the girls in her dormitory--known as The Big Pink--form an Anti-Angela Society, and soon she herself is known as The Big Pink. But Angela does find allies among the more colourful characters of the school--doting old Matron, outrageous Kath Broughton and nervous Hettie MacBride. However, she is constantly aware of her aunt's efficient but heartless presence. Why is she always the butt of Auntie Pat's bad temper? And what can she do to break the ice?
The Big Race Lace Case: Mack Rhino, Private Eye 1 (QUIX)
by Jennifer Swender Paul DuBois JacobsMack Rhino is a private detective—who just so happens to be a rhinoceros—in this silly, fun-to-read Aladdin QUIX chapter book that&’s perfect for emerging readers!Mack Rhino is a private eye who has just finished solving his 99th case. With his trusty sidekick, Redd Oxpeck by his side (or on his back) he&’s about to embark on his 100th. There&’s a big race in town, but all the runners are missing the laces to their sneakers! Who&’s run off with the goods, and why?
The Big Rewind: A Novel
by Libby CudmoreRaymond Chandler meets Nick Hornby in this clever noir romp through hipster Brooklyn as a mysterious mix tape puts a young amateur sleuth on the hunt for a killer—and for the truths hidden within her own heart.To listen to someone else's mix tapes is a huge breach of trust.But KitKat was dead…and curiosity got the better of me.When a mix tape destined for her friend KitKat accidentally arrives in Jett Bennett’s mailbox, she doesn’t think twice about it—even in the age of iTunes and Spotify, the hipster residents of the Barter Street district of Brooklyn are in a constant competition to see who can be the most retro.But when Jett finds KitKat dead on her kitchen floor, Jett suspects the tape might be more than just a quirky collection of lovelorn ballads. And when KitKat’s boyfriend Bronco is arrested for her murder, Jett and her best friend Sid set out to discover the real killer on an epic urban quest through strip joints and record stores, vegan bakeries and basement nightclubs. But the further into KitKat’s past she goes, the more she discovers about her own left-behind love life—and the mysterious man whose song she still clings to….
The Big Scam: A Novel of the FBI
by Paul LindsayInside a nondescript cinder-block building in Manhattan, beyond the misleading sign that reads "Global Fish" and the attractive plainclothes FBI employee at the reception desk, Special Agent Nick Vanko is running a surprisingly successful undercover operation. His bosses consider him a hard case and the members of his squad a bunch of self-destructive freaks with disciplinary problems. But despite the regular investigations by internal affairs, the squad is capable of doing real Bureau work. They've been chipping away at the Brooklyn mob, where their prime target, the don's anointed capo, Mike Parisi, is in the middle of a bitter power struggle with underboss Danny DiMiglia. DiMiglia is ruthless and unimaginative, but Parisi is smarter, and when Manny, one of his crew, finds twenty grand and a page from a hand-drawn map in his father's abandoned safe deposit box, Parisi realizes he's got the means to bring DiMiglia down. But first they have to retrieve the other half of the map, and it's in an evidence room at the FBI. While the agents at Global Fish obstruct the FBIHQ inspector who's just arrived, a female agent is assigned to the squad. Sheila's got as many problems as the rest of them, but the most serious is her obsession with a serial murder investigation she's been unable to solve. Vanko is rattled by his attraction to her and diverts the squad to help her find the killer, just as Parisi uses the map in a whopper of a scam to keep DiMiglia in check.
The Big Score
by Michael KilianA billionaire’s commission draws an architect into a conspiracy of sex, lies, and murder The ship is dead in the water. Its lines are tangled and its sails are slack as it drifts toward the rocky coast. A fisherman spies the vessel and steps aboard, expecting it to be deserted. But there is 1 passenger: a lovely young woman with a rolled-up painting in her hand and 2 bullets in her chest. Across Lake Michigan, Matthias Curland returns to Chicago for the 1st time since he gave up architecture to devote himself to fine art. After emptying his bank accounts for the pursuit of painting, he’s shocked to find that his once-affluent family is also destitute, and their famed architecture firm is on the verge of bankruptcy. When the Curland name is linked to the dead woman’s painting, Matthias finds himself facing off against a power-mad billionaire who could bring Chicago to its knees.
The Big Secret
by Peter EarleyFederal Chief Investigator Nick LeRue has brought down some of the smoothest operators on Capitol Hill and uncovered dangerous secrets in politicians' pasts. But the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, investigative journalist Heather Cole, leads Nick down a dangerous path. Fueled by Heather's twin sister, Melanie, and her visions of her sister being held captive by an unseen man, Nick follows Heather's trail from Washington, DC, to the small town of Pushmataha, Mississippi. It appears that Heather may have been close to uncovering this town's darkest and bloodiest secret, but the town's residents will do anything to keep that secret from getting out. And as Melanie's visions become increasingly darker and more frightening, it's up to Nick to reveal what the town so desperately wants to keep hidden, and save Heather from the brutal hands of the Pushmataha powers that be.
The Big Seven (The Detective Sunderson Series #2)
by Jim HarrisonFrom the New York Times–bestselling author of The Great Leader and Legends of the Fall: a retired detective confronts the sins of man in rural Michigan. In The Great Leader, Mark Twain Award–winning author Jim Harrison introduced readers to the hard-drinking, nearly-retired Detective Sunderson. In this darkly comic follow-up, Sunderson takes stock of his past, while his outlaw neighbors bring new havoc to his doorstep. To flee his troubles, Detective Sunderson buys a hunting cabin in a remote area of Michigan&’s Upper Peninsula. But with neighbors like the Ames family, there is no peace to be found. Armed to the teeth, the Ameses have local law enforcement too intimidated to take them on. Then Sunderson&’s cleaning lady, a comely young Ames woman, is murdered, and black sheep brother Lemuel Ames seeks Sunderson&’s advice on a crime novel he&’s writing which may not be fiction. In a story shot through with wit, bedlam, and Sunderson&’s contemplation of the seven deadly sins, The Big Seven is a superb reminder of why Jim Harrison is &“one of the finest writers of the past half-century&” (The Washington Times).
The Big Sheep: A Novel
by Robert KroeseLos Angeles of 2039 is a baffling and bifurcated place. After the Collapse of 2028, a vast section of LA, the Disincorporated Zone, was disowned by the civil authorities, and became essentially a third world country within the borders of the city. Navigating the boundaries between DZ and LA proper is a tricky task, and there's no one better suited than eccentric private investigator Erasmus Keane. When a valuable genetically altered sheep mysteriously goes missing from Esper Corporation's labs, Keane is the one they call. But while the erratic Keane and his more grounded partner, Blake Fowler, are on the trail of the lost sheep, they land an even bigger case. Beautiful television star Priya Mistry suspects that someone is trying to kill her - and she wants Keane to find out who. When Priya vanishes and then reappears with no memory of having hired them, Keane and Fowler realize something very strange is going on. As they unravel the threads of the mystery, it soon becomes clear that the two cases are connected - and both point to a sinister conspiracy involving the most powerful people in the city. Saving Priya and the sheep will take all of Keane's wits and Fowler's skills, but in the end, they may discover that some secrets are better left hidden.Kroese's The Big Sheep is perfect for fans of Philip Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Terry Pratchett's Guards! Guards!, and Scalzi's Old Man's War.
The Big Shot
by Frank L. PackardWell-known gangster Shive Frank killed on Second Avenue! Murder car escapes! said the headlines of the 1929 newspaper.
The Big Silence (The Abe Lieberman Mysteries #6)
by Stuart M. KaminskyThis Chicago cop drama is &“jam-packed with the stuff of good crime fiction—character, style, place, recognizable human conflict&” (The Washington Post). When the wife of a mob witness is killed and his teenage son is kidnapped, the ransom isn&’t cash—it&’s his life. The dead can&’t testify. If the witness kills himself, the mob will let his son live. Now veteran cops Abe Lieberman and Bill Hanrahan need to protect their witness from himself while they turn Chicago&’s gangland upside down to save the kid. It doesn&’t help that Hanrahan is newly sober in AA, battling drink urges and the guilt of recently losing another informant. Lieberman has seen his partner at his worst with the booze and always had his back. But now both their backs are against the wall, and they&’ll need to rely on each other and make some hard choices to set this one right. Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and Edgar Award Winner Stuart M. Kaminsky &“has the pro&’s knack of combining quirky people, succinct descriptions, an eye for detail, and dark humor to produce entertainment at its best&” (Chicago Sun-Times).
The Big Sin (Prologue Books)
by Jack WebbWhen a determined Irish Catholic priest and a tough Jewish police detective team up to solve the murder of a gorgeous showgirl, the evidence of violence and corruption they uncover tears the town apart!Of his fast and unusual thriller Jack Webb writes: “The Big Sin was written because I needed faith in myself. So I wrote a story about faith … For all the gaudiness my story may wear as a mystery filled with violence, good is good in it, and bad, bad, ant there’s strength enough in the simply faith within to swing the outcome.”Father Shanley refused to believe that Rose had committed the big sin.
The Big Six
by Arthur RansomeAdventures of the Coot Club, a bird protection society started by Tom Dudgeon to which Dorothea and Dick belong. While sailing on the Norfolk Broads, the Coot Club members are accused of setting boats adrift. They are able to prove their innocence only after some clever detective work. Swallows and Amazons series. Sequel to "Coot Club." For grades 4-7 and older readers.
The Big Sleep
by Raymond ChandlerThe first Philip Marlowe novel, and one of the most iconic detective stories ever written. Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by General Sternwood to investigate the blackmailing of his daughter, Carmen. He is able to track down what appears to be the culprit, but quickly realizes that things are much more complicated than they appear. The Big Sleep has been adapted into film twice, with Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum playing Marlowe. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.