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Vengeance is Mine (The Ray Cruz series)
by Steven TorresRay Cruz is a killer. When his daughter is attacked, he&’ll do anything and spill anyone&’s blood to protect her.Elena Maldonado struggles to reach her father's home after she's been beaten brutally by the henchman of a local businessman, Robert Meister. At one time, Elena's father, Ray Cruz, worked as hired muscle himself, but he thought he'd left that life behind. When Elena knocks at his door, a wreck and unwilling to explain, his instincts kick in – the instinct to protect his family and wreak vengeance on whoever was behind the brutal message his daughter seems to have understood all too clearly – stay quiet, do as we say or worse will happen and no one you love will be safe. A trip to the hospital attracts the attention of the police and Detective Jack Carver. Carver warns Ray to let the police handle the case, but Ray is not the type to let this attack go unpunished. It doesn&’t take long, however, before the FBI gets involved telling Ray that Elena is working with them. None of this stops Ray from asking his questions, bribing some, intimidating others and beating the hardest cases. Soon, he finds the henchmen, but they know very little about who hired them and nothing about why. Ray makes them pay for their ignorance and their brutality. Detective Carver and FBI agent Ramona Esposito warn Ray against taking things into his own hands not knowing how far Ray has already gone or is willing to go.FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.
Vengeance: A Lew Fonesca Mystery (The Lew Fonesca Mysteries #1)
by Stuart M. KaminskyThree years ago Lew Fonseca quit his job as a process server with the State Attourney's Office in Cook County, Illinois, and drove his rattling Toyota south to escape the memories of his beloved late wife. Headed for Key West, the Toyota broke down in a Dairy Queen parking lot in Sarasota, Florida. Buoyed by the friendship of a few trustworthy souls, Lew settled there, making ends meet by doing some investigative work for local attourneys.Now, Lew is hired by Carl Sebastian, one of Lew's lawyer's clients, to find his missing wife. Following up on a few leads, Lew finds himself being trailed by a mysterious burly man, and saddled with another missing person case -- this time a runaway teen. With the help of some friends, Lew seems to be getting closer and closer to Melanie -- but will he find her before the unthinkable happens?At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Vengeance: The Khan 2
by Saima MirJia Khan must fight to stay on top when secrets from the past are revealed. The brilliant, tension-filled follow-up to the bestselling Times and Guardian Crime Novel of the Year. 'Unputdownable, unflinching and timely.' Erin Kelly For two years, Jia Khan has been running her late father&’s organised crime business in the north of England. So far, her authority has remained unchallenged, but now things are beginning to unravel. When she finds her father&’s notebook recounting his arrival from Pakistan in the 1970s, it awakes an old family feud that could have devastating repercussions for Jia. And worst of all, one of her staff lies brutally slain, his corpse displayed provocatively in her garden despite her sophisticated security. Someone is getting dangerously close. Could there be a traitor in Jia Khan&’s trusted inner circle? 'Propulsive... A riveting second outing for the Khan.' Vaseem Khan
Vengeance: The SSU Book 1
by Vanessa KierScarred by a tragic past, one woman will do anything to exact vengeance...Left for dead after assassins killed her parents, Jenna Paterson believes she survived for one reason only. Vengeance. She vows revenge on the men behind the attack, including her once beloved older brother, Kai. But Kai has disappeared with a microchip containing data on a top-secret government research program.Ten years ago, undercover agent Niko Andros sent a vicious Mexican crime lord to prison. Now the man has been released and he's kidnapped Niko's aunt. The price for his aunt's freedom is Kai and the microchip. Niko will do anything to save his aunt-including using Jenna as bait.As Niko dives back into the deadly criminal underground he'd barely escaped, Jenna discovers she's not as tough as she thinks. Teamed up to find her brother, Niko and Jenna fight to survive in a dangerous world of lies, betrayal, and hidden agendas. Only love can save them...if they'll let it.
Vengeance: The thrilling novel from the Sunday Times bestseller
by Susan LewisKirsten Meredith is a successful, rich and beautiful woman who seems to have it all. But she is also a woman haunted by her past which threatens to ruin her life - a lingering past of loneliness and rejection. And most dangerous of all, of burning vengeance.Lawrence McAllister is the man who walked out on her and broke her heart. Yet he is the only man who can help her fight her worst enemy - Dyllis Fisher, a woman who has vowed to destroy Kirsten's life at all costs. And in a world where bitter vengeance will know no limit, Kirsten needs all the help she can get...
Vengence Road (A Jack Gannon Novel #1)
by Rick Mofina"Vengeance Road is a thriller with no speed limit! It's a great read!"--Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Gripping, no-holds-barred...lightning paced...with enough twists to keep you turning pages well into the wee hours. Vengeance Road is masterful suspense."--Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author The body of Bernice Hogan, a troubled young former nursing student with a tragic past, is found in a shallow grave near a forest creek. Jolene Peller, a single mom struggling to build a new life with her little boy, vanishes the night she tries to find Bernice. Hero cop Karl Styebeck is beloved by his community, but privately police are uneasy with the answers he gives to protect the life--and the lie--he's lived. The case haunts Jack Gannon, a gritty, blue-collar reporter whose own sister ran away from their family years ago. Gannon risks more than his job to pursue the story behind Styebeck's dark secret, his link to the women and the mysterious big rig roaming America's loneliest highways on its descent into eternal darkness. Originally published in 2009.
Venice Noir (Akashic Noir #0)
by Maxim JakubowskiVenice, Italy, behind the tourist veil is revealed and dissected. “Drifter” by Emily Mandel was selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories 2013, edited by Otto Penzler and Lisa Scottoline “Forget the magnificence of Venice’s art, architecture, and music, and delve into this tour of the City of Water’s murky depths . . . visions of a Venice not seen in tourist brochures.” —Publishers Weekly Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book. Brand-new stories by: Peter James, Emily St. John Mandel, Barbara Baraldi, Mike Hodges, Mary Hoffman, Maria Tronca, Matteo Righetto, Tony Cartano, Francesco Ferracin, Isabella Santacroce, Michelle Lovric, Francesca Mazzucato, Maxim Jakubowski, and Michael Gregorio. From the introduction by Maxim Jakubowski: “It’s one of the most famous cities in the world. Immortalized by writers throughout the years, frozen in amber by film and photography, the picturesque survivor of a wild history whose centuries encompass splendor, decay, pestilence, beauty, and never-ending wonders. A city built on water, whose geographical position once saw it rule the world and form a vital crossing point between West and East. A city of marchants, artists, glamour, abject poverty, philosophers, corrupt nobles, refugees, courtesans, and unforgettable lovers, buffeted by the tides of wars, a unique place whose architecture is a subtle palette reflecting the successive waves of settlers, invaders, religions, and short-term rulers . . . Change in this most curious of cities is something almost imperceptible and invisible to the naked eye. Walking just a few minutes away from the Rialto Bridge, for instance, and losing yourself in backstreets, where the canals and small connecting bridges leave just enough space to pass along the buildings without falling into the water, it’s as if you are stepping into a past century altogether, with no indication whatsoever of modernity. You wade through a labyrinth of stone, water, and wrought-iron bridges, and after dark feel part of another world where electricity isn’t yet invented, a most unsettle feeling nothing can prepare you for . . .”
Venice Noir (Noir)
by Guido EekhautFrom the Hercule Poirot Award–winning author of Absinthe, a post–World War II thriller set on the shadowy, twisting streets and canals of Venice. Ten years ago, Ellen Barth was a frontline correspondent during World War II, a witness to the atrocities that the Allies suffered. Now, leaving her scandalous divorce proceedings behind in England, she arrives at a luxurious Venetian hotel, brought to this quiet city in November by a letter offering her a document of historical value. The document is the journal of Alfred Rosenberg, chief ideologue of the Nazi Party and a close friend of Hitler. After it was used to convict him in Nuremberg, the diary disappeared. Inside are the names of fascists still at large, members of the political elite and ruling classes—those with everything to lose. In Barth&’s hands it is both a weapon and a curse. She has seen first-hand the worst that humanity can do—and knows deep in her heart that those complicit in the horrors should not escape their fates. But she&’ll have to survive Venice first . . .Praise for Guido Eekhaut &“Thrilling . . . Eekhaut expertly ratchets up the tension . . . Fans of Thomas Harris&’s Black Sunday will find a lot to like.&” —Publishers Weekly on Purgatory &“A Belgian detective worthy to follow in the footsteps of Poirot! Political intrigue, an atmospheric venue, and rollicking action from beginning to end!&” —Paul J. Heald, author of Cotton and Raggedyland on Absinthe &“An absorbing crime thriller with crisp, smart writing and plenty of engaging details. . . . Great stuff.&” —Steve Anderson, author of the Kaspar Brothers series
Venom
by Fiona PaulLove, lust, murder, mayhem and high society converge in one thrilling debut Part Gossip Girl, part Edgar Allan Poe, and wholly beautiful, elegant and suspenseful, this novel set in Venice during the Renaissance is a true romantic thriller. When Cassandra Caravallo visits her friend Liviana's crypt and finds a murdered courtesan inside, her world is turned upside down. Before she knows it, Cass is involved with Falco, a grave-robbing artist, and on her way to discovering corruption in the elite Venetian society. But will she find the man who's been savagely murdering beautiful young girls before he finds her? Will she stay true to her fiance, who's off studying law in France? Or will she succumb to Falco's charms? Beauty, love, romance and murder combine in a novel that's as seductive and stunning as Venice itself.
Venom
by Joan BradyDavid Marion and the Freyl family return in a page-turning story of international suspense and intrigue by award-winning author Joan Brady.
Venom House
by Arthur W. UpfieldInspector Napoleon Bonaparte investigates a mansion in the center of a man-made lake, where ghosts of aborigines are said to be...
Venomous Lumpsucker
by Ned BeaumanThe irresistible new novel by the Booker-longlisted author Ned Beauman - a darkly funny and incisive zoological thriller for the age of Extinction Rebellion.The venomous lumpsucker is the most intelligent fish on the planet. Or maybe it was the most intelligent fish on the planet. Because it might already be extinct. Nobody knows. And nobody cares. Except for two people.Mining executive Mark Halyard has a prison cell waiting for him if that fish has gone for good. And biologist Karin Resaint needs it for her own darker purposes. They don't trust each other, but they're left with no choice but to team up, pursuing the lumpsucker across the strange landscapes of near-future Europe. On the way, they are drawn into a conspiracy far bigger than one ugly little fish.Gripping and singular, Venomous Lumpsucker is a comedy about environmental devastation that asks: do we have it in us to avert the tragedy of mass extinction?And also: do we really need to bother?'A comic caper about our insanely decadent world careering through ecocide, Venomous Lumpsucker is bracingly, excoriatingly funny on our idiocy and the unquantifiable loss that we enable. It's also savagely, forensically serious on the reality of mass species loss, as illuminating as it is entertaining.' Martin MacInnes, author of Infinite Ground
Venomous Lumpsucker
by Ned BeaumanThe irresistible new novel by the Booker-longlisted author Ned Beauman - a darkly funny and incisive zoological thriller for the age of Extinction Rebellion.The venomous lumpsucker is the most intelligent fish on the planet. Or maybe it was the most intelligent fish on the planet. Because it might already be extinct. Nobody knows. And nobody cares. Except for two people.Mining executive Mark Halyard has a prison cell waiting for him if that fish has gone for good. And biologist Karin Resaint needs it for her own darker purposes. They don't trust each other, but they're left with no choice but to team up, pursuing the lumpsucker across the strange landscapes of near-future Europe. On the way, they are drawn into a conspiracy far bigger than one ugly little fish.Gripping and singular, Venomous Lumpsucker is a comedy about environmental devastation that asks: do we have it in us to avert the tragedy of mass extinction?And also: do we really need to bother?'A comic caper about our insanely decadent world careering through ecocide, Venomous Lumpsucker is bracingly, excoriatingly funny on our idiocy and the unquantifiable loss that we enable. It's also savagely, forensically serious on the reality of mass species loss, as illuminating as it is entertaining.' Martin MacInnes, author of Infinite Ground
Venomous Lumpsucker: WINNER of the Arthur C. Clarke Award 2023
by Ned BeaumanThe irresistible new novel by the Booker-longlisted author Ned Beauman - a darkly funny and incisive zoological thriller for the age of Extinction Rebellion.The venomous lumpsucker is the most intelligent fish on the planet. Or maybe it was the most intelligent fish on the planet. Because it might already be extinct. Nobody knows. And nobody cares. Except for two people.Mining executive Mark Halyard has a prison cell waiting for him if that fish has gone for good. And biologist Karin Resaint needs it for her own darker purposes. They don't trust each other, but they're left with no choice but to team up, pursuing the lumpsucker across the strange landscapes of near-future Europe. On the way, they are drawn into a conspiracy far bigger than one ugly little fish.Gripping and singular, Venomous Lumpsucker is a comedy about environmental devastation that asks: do we have it in us to avert the tragedy of mass extinction?And also: do we really need to bother?'A comic caper about our insanely decadent world careering through ecocide, Venomous Lumpsucker is bracingly, excoriatingly funny on our idiocy and the unquantifiable loss that we enable. It's also savagely, forensically serious on the reality of mass species loss, as illuminating as it is entertaining.' Martin MacInnes, author of Infinite Ground(P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Venomous: A Must Read Crime Thriller (The Adam Black Thrillers #3)
by Karl HillA Scottish special forces officer is recruited to help rescue the prime minister&’s daughter in this thriller by the author of Violation. Tasked with uncovering crucial information from a psychopath nicknamed &“The Red Serpent,&” Adam Black infiltrates one of Scotland&’s hardest prisons. A young woman has been abducted and the Red Serpent may have the answers to her whereabouts. But the clock is ticking. When Black is betrayed, his only option is to break out prison in order to find the woman and the identity of her abductor. Can Black rescue the woman and stop a deranged psychopath? Will he make it out of this alive? Black knows one thing for sure—there will be bloodshed.A great choice for fans of Lee Child, Mark Dawson, James Deegan, and Rob Sinclair. Venomous can be read as the third entry in the Adam Black Series or as an unmissable stand-alone.
Venus Envy
by Rita Mae BrownAt thirty-five, Mary Frazier Armstrong, called "Frazier" by friends and enemies alike, is a sophisticated woman with a thriving art gallery, a healthy bank balance, and an enviable social position. In fact, she has everything to live for, but she's lying in a hospital bed with a morphine drip in her arm and a life expectancy measured in hours. "Don't die a stranger," her assistant says on her last hospital visit. "Tell the people you love who you are." And so, as her last act on earth, Frazier writes letters to her closest family and friends, telling them exactly what she thinks of them and, since she will be dead by the time they receive the letters, the truth about herself: she's gay. The letters are sent. Then the manure hits the fan in Charlottesville, Virginia, because the funny thing is, Frazier Armstrong isn't going to die after all.
Venus Preserved: The Secret Books Of Venus (The Secret Books of Venus #4)
by Tanith LeeThe final novel in the alchemical thriller series set in an alternate Venice by the World Fantasy Award–winning author of A Bed of Earth. Centuries into the future, the sunken city of Venus has been salvaged from beneath the sea and rebuilt there under a dome, where it is supported by a vast network of computers that regulate weather, noise, and the most precious undersea commodity of all—air. It is here that a macabre experiment takes place. Conducted by geneticists at the university, the test consists of the resurrection of two lost souls, both murdered in their times: Jula, a first-century gladiatrix, and Cloudio del Nero, the eighteenth-century composer who met his fate in Lee&’s acclaimed first volume of the Secret Books of Venus series. An unexplained catastrophe occurs, claiming several lives. Was it merely an accident, computer failure, or has the trial unleashed an airborne virus? Or is there an even more sinister danger afoot, a force from beyond that threatens the survival of Venus itself? To answer these questions, a traveler from the surface is forced to confront mysteries in his own past that have remained buried, and to reveal the connection that ties him to the unavenged spirits wreaking havoc on the doomed city. &“The last of the four Secret Books of Venus is a tale of suspense and mystery.&” —Booklist
Venus in Copper (Marcus Didius Falco #3)
by Lindsey DavisIn the heyday of the Roman Empire, a small accounting error has left Marcus Didius Falco sharing a cell with a large rat. But the Empire's most beleaguered investigator is finally bailed out, and promptly accepts a commission to help a family of freed slaves fend off a professional bribe. This is the third Falco mystery, set in first-century Rome. It follows Shadows in Bronze.
Venus triste: Una novela sobre la primera Miss México y la pasión que la condujo al crimen
by Ana RomeroMaría Teresa Landa ocupó en dos ocasiones las portadas de los principales periódicos del país: por ser reina de belleza y por ser una asesina. María Teresa Landa fue la ganadora en 1928 del concurso de belleza Señorita México, que la convirtió en la primera Miss México de lahistoria. Poco después contrajo nupcias con Moisés Vidal, un general de la Revolución venido a menos, que le ocultó que ya estaba casado con otra mujer, también llamada Teresa, con quien además tenía dos hijas. La mañana del 25 de agosto de 1929, María Teresa comenzó su día como cualquier domingo, serena y desenfadada, hasta que se encontró con este titular en Excélsior: «Acusan de bigamia al esposo de Miss México». Su vida dio un vuelco. Presa de la tristeza, la ira y los celos, tomó el revólver de su marido y descargó seis balas sobre él. La reina debelleza era ahora una asesina. La prensa nacional hizo eco de lo ocurrido bajo titulares que se referían a ella como la Viuda Negra. Ana Romero narra la historia de María Teresa con maestría y sensibilidad. No sólo hace eco de las notas de la época, sino que se mete en la piel del personaje para tratar de comprender su psiquis, sus anhelosy sus miedos, y nos ofrece un retrato fascinante de una mujer a quien la belleza llevó tanto a la gloria como a la ruina. «De manera ingeniosa, desnuda el proceso de escritura exhibiendo no sólo las reflexiones del narrador, sino combinando recursos y fuentes hasta convertirlos en parte fundamental de la trama.» -MÓNICA LAVÍN«Con un estilo fresco en que participan el humor y la ironía, invita a una reflexión sobre el devenir de las mujeres en México a lo largo de los últimos cien años.» -EDUARDO ANTONIO PARRA
Venus's Vanishing Vase: An I.P.P.I. Mystery Story
by Kristin O'Donnell TubbIn this story, four friends who are members of the InterPlanetary Private Investigators solve a mystery that takes place on the planet Venus.
Vera (Domaine Etranger Ser. #2)
by Elizabeth Von ArnimA handsome stranger enters Lucy Entwhistle's life on the very day of her father's death. Everard Wemyss is mourning the recent loss of his wife, and he and Lucy are drawn together in their shared experience of grief. A remarkable bond forms between the despairing couple, the thought of separation proves intolerable, and they are quickly married and settled into Everard's isolated country home, The Willows. But everything about the mansion is shadowed with the specter of Vera, its previous mistress. As Everard gradually becomes increasingly overbearing and abusive, Lucy begins to wonder about the circumstances of Vera's "accidental" death. This darkly comic novel by the author of Enchanted April is believed to have inspired the Daphne du Maurier classic Rebecca. Elizabeth von Arnim based Vera on her own ill-starred marriage to a member of the British aristocracy. Her 1921 novel offers a witty and compelling look at a sinister possibility of a marriage in which a self-absorbed bully can exploit a naïve young woman, and romantic delusions can keep a wife in thrall to her husband's tyranny.
Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery (A Vera Kelly Story #2)
by Rosalie KnechtWinner of the 2021 Edgar Award – G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award Finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards The “splendid genre-pushing” (People) Vera Kelly series returns in full force as our recently out-of-the-spy-game heroine finds herself traveling from Brooklyn to a sprawling countryside estate in the Caribbean in her first case as a private investigator. When ex-CIA agent Vera Kelly loses her job and her girlfriend in a single day, she reluctantly goes into business as a private detective. Heartbroken and cash-strapped, she takes a case that dredges up dark memories and attracts dangerous characters from across the Cold War landscape. Before it’s over, she’ll chase a lost child through foster care and follow a trail of Dominican exiles to the Caribbean. Forever looking over her shoulder, she nearly misses what’s right in front of her: her own desire for home, connection, and a new romance at the local bar. In this exciting second installment of the Vera Kelly series, Rosalie Knecht challenges and deepens the Vera we love: a woman of sparkling wit, deep moral fiber, and martini-dry humor who knows how to follow a case even as she struggles to follow her heart.
Vera Kelly: Lost and Found
by Rosalie KnechtA Star Tribune Best Book of Summer An iBooks and ALTA Journal Best Book of the Month and a Book Riot Best Crime Book of the Month One of Crime Reads' Most Anticipated Books of the Year Everyone’s favorite sleuth—Vera Kelly—is back and put to the test as she searches for her missing girlfriend. It’s spring 1971 and Vera Kelly and her girlfriend, Max, leave their cozy Brooklyn apartment for an emergency visit to Max's estranged family in Los Angeles. Max’s parents are divorcing—her father is already engaged to a much younger woman and under the sway of an occultist charlatan; her mother has left their estate in a hurry with no indication of return. Max, who hasn’t seen her family since they threw her out at the age of twenty-one, prepares for the trip with equal parts dread and anger. Upon arriving, Vera is shocked by the size and extravagance of the Comstock estate—the sprawling, manicured landscape; expansive and ornate buildings; and garages full of luxury cars reveal a privileged upbringing that, up until this point, Max had only hinted at—while Max attempts to navigate her father, who is hostile and controlling, and the occultist, St. James, who is charming but appears to be siphoning family money. Tensions boil over at dinner when Max threatens to alert her mother—and her mother’s lawyers—to St. James and her father’s plans using marital assets. The next morning, when Vera wakes up, Max is gone. In Vera Kelly Lost and Found, Rosalie Knecht gives Vera her highest-stake case yet, as Vera quickly puts her private detective skills to good use and tracks a trail of breadcrumbs across southern California to find her missing girlfriend. She travels first to a film set in Santa Ynez and, ultimately, to a most unlikely destination where Vera has to decide how much she is willing to commit to save the woman she loves.
Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (A Vera Wong Novel)
by Jesse Q. SutantoVera Wong is back and as meddling as ever in this follow-up to the hit Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.…Ever since a man was found dead in Vera's teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. She&’s surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tilly, has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly's girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena Gray. The very same Officer Gray that she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn't be ungrateful, even if one is slightly...bored.Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena's, Vera finds a treasure trove: Selena's briefcase. Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer—who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for. Online, Xander had it all: a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer. The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can't seem to actually identify him. Who is Xander Lin? Nobody knows. Every contact is a dead end. Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.Vera is determined to solve Xander's murder. After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, and there is nothing she wouldn't do for her future daughter-in-law.
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (A Vera Wong Novel)
by Jesse Q. SutantoA USA Today bestseller Edgar Award Winner for Best Original Paperback Audie Award Winner for MysteryLibby Award Winner for Best MysteryA lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco&’s Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to. Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn&’t know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer. What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police?