Showing results for "love-" in Crime Fiction

Doctor Fionn Kane is running from a broken heart, one he hopes to mend in small-town Nebraska, far away from his almost-fiance and his derailed surgical career. It's a simpler life: head down, hard work, and absolutely no romantic relationships. He wants none of the circus he left behind in Boston. But then the real circus finds him.

Meet Tannie Maria: a woman who likes to cook a lot and write a little. One Sunday morning, as Maria savours the breeze through the kitchen window whilst making apricot jam, she hears the screech and bump that announces the arrival of her good friend and editor, Harriet. What Maria doesn't realise is that Harriet is about to deliver the first ingredient in two new recipes (recipes for love and murder) and a whole basketful of challenges.

Hannah Wilson can't text her ex again - it's too sad. She can't snap back at the new boss who took her promotion either - she'll be fired. But what she can do is write a series of furious letters to William Thompson, arrested for the murders of multiple women he got close to.

Love, like hell, is a four-letter word for Agatha . . . No happily ever after for her! Recently married to neighbour James Lacey, Agatha quickly finds that love is not all it's cracked up to be - soon the newly-weds are living in separate cottages and accusing each other of infidelity. Then, after a fight down the local pub, James vanishes - a bloodstain the only clue to his fate. Naturally, Agatha is Suspect Number One. Determined to clear her name - and find her husband - Agatha begins her investigation and promptly discovers a murdered mistress . . .

The most brutal don in the city has a weakness: me. I never wanted the life my parents tried to force on me, so I vowed I’d never marry a mobster. Yet here I am, walking down the aisle toward mobster of the century, all to save my sister. Rafaele Messero. Cold, ruthless, and irritatingly handsome. Not that I’ve noticed. After all, this marriage is the end of all my hopes and dreams. And for him, it’s nothing more than a calculated business move. At least that’s what I think, until he snaps at the priest to hurry up so that he can kiss me.

An ugly duckling as a child, Jodie Bentley had two dreams in life - to be beautiful and rich. She's achieved the first, with a little help from a plastic surgeon, and now she's working hard on the second. Her philosophy on money is simple: you can either earn it or marry it. Marrying is easy; it's getting rid of the husband afterwards that's harder. That takes real skill. But hey, practice makes perfect....

Agatha Raisin thinks she's in for a treat when her ex-husband James Lacey invites her on holiday but - horrors! - his idea of an idyllic break is the small, run-down resort of Burryhill-on-Sea. And from there on things go from bad to worse, so when a fellow guest in their hotel is found murdered, Agatha herself is chief suspect - and has to solve this case from a locked police cell!

Three Butlers. Two weddings. One funeral. The explosive new novel from the Sunday Times number-one best-selling author Kimberley Chambers. Times are changing in the East End, from bad to worse.... Despite the love they share, Bella and Michael's lives seem to be continually throwing grenades in their path to true happiness. Bella's dark secret is threatening to spiral out of control - and has the power to destroy the Butler brothers' bond once and for all....

Never Love a Stranger, still considered one of Robbins' most powerful books, tells the story of Francis "Frankie" Kane, an orphan growing up in the dirty world of New York's Hell's Kitchen. After being kicked out of a Catholic orphanage when it is discovered that he is of Jewish descent, a confused and deeply distraught Frankie turns to a life of crime, the only life he knows, and he's good at it.

A young local student has apparently committed suicide. Her body is found in an abandoned car on a lonely country road. She didn't own a car. Didn't even drive. How did she get there? Where did she die? Who moved her, and why? Meanwhile a man in his 60s is found dead in a gully up on the wild moorland. He is wearing an expensive suit and carrying no identification. Post-mortem findings indicate he died from injuries sustained during the fall. But what was he doing up there? And why are there no signs of a car in the vicinity?

Marina is a divorced mother of three preschoolers. Lilah is a shy and lonely librarian. Opal is a broke post-menopausal fitness guru. These three strangers have nothing in common-except for the man who's been lying to all of them. And who they are now holding hostage in a basement. EAT, SLAY, LOVE is a book about making friends, finding joy, and discovering the woman you really are . . . though sometimes, becoming your best self involves committing abduction and murder.

Matthew Brooks and Vanessa Lyons are a perfect love match, both attorneys at a powerful New York City law firm. But there’s a hitch: Matt just made partner, and Vanessa is coming up for partner next year. And Vanessa’s husband has his suspicions. Vanessa is assigned to the biggest case at the firm, the one that will determine her future. Unfortunately, Matt has been working the case for years, leaving him no choice but to supervise his lover in violation of firm policy.

I've been told all my life that love is a weakness in our world. That couldn't be further from the truth, but that's only half of what I need to finish the job. Power—it's the only thing some people understand besides money. I'm not worried; power is one thing I'm not lacking in this fight. That's what comes with being the sole heir to two criminal empires and making friends in all the right places. Now that all the pieces are set, it's finally time to shake things up in this criminal world and bring an end to the era of the Five Families.

Gina Gambino wants revenge. Her life has been turned upside down with the murder of her two hoodlum sons, but she knows who's done it. Her target is Don Francini, leader of one of the most powerful mafia families in Palermo. Using her brain and her body, Gina worms her way into his household, becoming first his housekeeper then his mistress, weaving a complicated web of poison and murder. It seems her plans are going well until one disastrous night.

All I wanted was my baby brother back from the man who stole him away. My family is in Tyrant’s debt, a man they hate, and they disown me when the devil’s eyes stray to me. Now there’s nothing and no one to protect me from the cruel man who runs this city from the shadows. But Tyrant’s not going to drag me away by my hair just yet. He’s going to torment me first.

When innkeeper Dorthe Hyllested is found murdered, the police are surprised and puzzled to discover a concealed nursery in her upstairs apartment. As far as her friends and family knew, the recently widowed Dorthe was childless—so who lived in this secret toy-strewn room? And more importantly, where is the child now?

A woman ahead of her time, Molly Murphy is determined to be a private detective. Having inherited the cases of her deceased mentor, Paddy Reilly, she's following philandering husbands, tracking down a runaway Dublin debutante, and working in a sweatshop to discover who's purloining dress designs. None of her jobs seem dangerous...at first.

As DI Nicola Tanner investigates what appears to be a series of organised killings, her partner, Susan, is brutally murdered, leaving the detective bereft - and vengeful. Taken off the case, Tanner enlists the help of DI Tom Thorne to pursue a pair of ruthless killers and the broker handing out the deadly contracts. As the killers target their latest victim, Thorne takes the biggest risk of his career and is drawn into a horrifying and disturbing world in which families will do anything to protect their honour.

Cat has a dangerously dwindling bank balance. She also has: a month before her landlord kicks her out, a surprise wedding invitation from rich mean girl, Louisa, a secret talent for con artistry. A priceless jewel the size of a cocktail olive is glinting on Louisa’s finger. And when Cat meets her ideal plus one, Jake–who’s gifted at hustling and posing as the perfect boyfriend–this wedding becomes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After all, how hard can a diamond heist be?

Cameron Winter has a knack for solving complicated crimes. His background – spy turned English professor – means he’s uniquely placed to decipher the clues behind some of the most complex cases. When four members of a wealthy household are killed in their suburban Chicago mansion, shock reverberates around the community. Their bodies were pulled from the burning building – but all of them had already been shot dead. It seems like an open-and-shut case when local police soon have the obvious culprit under lock and key.