Showing results by publisher "Isis Publishing Ltd" in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. A cabaret act sees thirteen knives thrown to outline Jean La Morse's body; if he moves when the thirteenth is thrown above his head, he will likely die. With plenty of men vying for the hand of the woman he loves, the act is becoming more and more dangerous...

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. When playwright James Annixter is hit by a taxi and forgets the ingenious resolution of his locked room mystery play, he struggles to find the mysterious man he explained it to...

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. Actor, journalist and writer Ernest Dudley’s BBC Radio detective Doctor Morelle is in the process of developing a cure for the common cold when he is approached by ventriloquist Voxio, whose doll has been stolen.

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. The strange new owner of a run-down theatre tells the tale of how a man was killed on its stage many years ago, in full view of an audience, and why the murder was never solved despite the many witnesses.

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. The third act of a play is cut short by the death of an actor onstage. Inspector Bristow must delve into the man's past and relationships with his colleagues to solve the mystery.

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. The cast and crew of a play quickly find themselves under suspicion when their lead actor is discovered dead in his dressing room between acts, with his face made-up a horrifying picture.

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. Anthony Wynne's series detective Dr Eustace Hailey becomes involved in the affairs of Lord and Lady Rushmore, the dancer Lalette Yorke, and their acquaintance Michael Dale, as lies and secrets escalate to a life-threatening climax.

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. This unusual tale by Roy Vickers follows Scotland Yard as they investigate the mysterious death of the wife of a famous clown.

Forty years ago, the name Rachel McMahon was synonymous with evil. After killing four men in the most brutal of ways, the world rejoiced as she was locked up. Now Rachel has done her time, repented for her crimes, and is ready to live a quiet life back in Scotland under a new name.

Irving Ash is a private investigator down on his luck. His life's in the gutter and work has dried up. With bills mounting, he's forced to take a job working security detail at a porn studio. He's barely started the job when the porn company's highest earning star, Brandi Dyvine, goes missing. Irving can't resist digging deeper into her disappearance, and trails Brandi through the dive bars and deadly streets of Denver - the Mile High City.

1996. Northern Israel. Lola leaves an unhappy home life in England for the fabled utopian life of a kibbutz. But this heavily guarded farming community on the Arab-Israeli border isn't the idyll it seems, and tensions are festering. Hundreds of miles away, in the Jerusalem offices of the International Tribune newspaper, all eyes are on Israel's response to a spate of rocket attacks from Lebanon - until cub reporter Jonny Murphy gets a tip from a mysterious source that sends him straight into the danger zone.

A serial killer is on the loose in Hamburg, targeting dancers from The Acapulco, a club in the city's red-light district, removing their scalp as a gruesome trophy and replacing their hair with plastic wigs. Chastity Riley is the state prosecutor responsible for crimes in the district, and she's working alongside the police as they investigate. Can she get inside the mind of the killer?

The city of Wellington is unforgiving and unrepentant. Forget the politicians: they're poor amateurs in deception and crime. It's Saturday night down on the wharf. Celebrations are in full swing for the Westons' fortieth wedding anniversary. Their daughter Stella has returned from London to attend. Once shoulder-tapped as detective material, a few bad decisions and a questionable ethical dilemma saw her leave the police force under a cloud. She's now a private investigator in London, reduced to filming errant husbands for court cases.

Meet Jez. Adulterous husband to Maxine, devoted father to Jamie. Promiscuous lover, university professor, pro-vice-chancellor for research - and a serial killer aiming to get to the top by any means necessary. His passion for murder parallels his love of music, and he matches each kill with its own special theme song to enhance the experience as he works towards assembling his very own top forty greatest hits. So when the vice-chancellor of lowly ranked Francis Drake University begins to sexually pester Jez's mistress Bella, it accelerates his plans for domination.

Following her grandmother's death and mysterious legacy, nomadic artist Piper Thorne embarks on a mission to reclaim a stolen family treasure and right a wrong. But rugged adversary and private investigator Ben Powell is not the only thing standing in her way.

Betty's life is on repeat: waitress till late, drink till dawn, collapse into bed to forget. But partying like there's no tomorrow is no fix for the problems crowding in. Her ex is back and drinking at her favourite haunts, her flat was burgled, and she faces eviction if she can't pay late rent. Then there's the serial rapist dubbed 'the Psychic', who's terrorising women in their homes. When her ex is murdered and left in her bed, Betty and her flatmate Alabama turn to the bar world to find out who did it. Was it the Psychic - or someone closer?

It is November 5th, Guy Fawkes Night, 1930. Bonfires are blazing, rockets burst. In a country lane, revellers discover a car that has been set on fire. At first they assume that this is the work of vandals taking the Guy Fawkes spirit a little too far, then they notice, sitting at the wheel, a body, charred beyond recognition. The initial assumption is that the owner of the car, Mr William Hodge, a successful travelling vacuum cleaner salesman has taken his own life by flooding the car with petrol and lighting a match.

Josh is a sweet, well-meaning university student with a big heart. After he impulsively steals two research mice from a campus laboratory, he hides them in the basement of Harewood Hall, a venerable building in the retirement village where he works. The mice are happy, Josh is happy—until he discovers that his charges might be carrying a deadly disease. Enter a curious cat called Harley, a devilish dog called Bobby, the arrival of some mysterious packing boxes and a strange spike in the village's water bill.

Actress Enora Andressen is facing the perfect storm. Her favourite French director, Remy Despret, has lost his touch and is keeping dangerous company. Her agent, Rosa, has been seduced by a kiss-and-tell novel of doubtful provenance. While H, sicker by the day at home at Flixcombe Manor, is battling both Long Covid and something far darker. Devoting herself to H, Enora needs good news, and it arrives in the shape of a fascinating Remy idea based on Flixcombe's role during the Second World War.

Adam and Colin are aboard The Elysian, cruising towards Italy to see Adam get hitched, and are determined to stay out of trouble. On the first night, a priceless piece of art is stolen from an eccentric old lady. Adam and Colin offer to help recover it, and are convince the thief was one of their fellow dinner guests from earlier in the evening. Can the amateur sleuths reunite the painting with its owner before they dock in Venice? And, with danger lurking around every porthole, will Adam even make it to the altar?