Showing titles in Amateur Sleuths

Forty-something Maggie Sharpe is returning to her quaint childhood town of Dogwood Mountain, Missouri, nestled in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, Maggie recently inherited Dogwood Bakery, along with a cute little cottage, from her aunt Marjorie. With a son in the Navy, deployed six months at a time, and an ex in Kansas, Maggie decided that it was time for a change, but she soon learns that life back home is not all sprinkles and jelly-filled donuts.

Amongst the rows of charming, brightly painted cabins, an elderly man's beach hut is set on fire in the middle of the night—while he sleeps inside. By day, Fiona, Sue, and Daisy volunteer at the Dogs Need Nice Homes charity shop. By night, they investigate crimes. And they're determined to get to the bottom of this murder. Malcolm Crainey was an obsessive beach-comber who lovingly decorated his hut with the treasures he found by the sea. Who'd want to kill a harmless old man?

A film company is coming to the Cornish village of Penstowan, and the whole community turn up to be cast as extras, even Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker. Determined to join in with the fun and ignore any dramas, Jodie intends to make the most of this time with her mum and daughter and hopefully see their names in lights…or really small writing on the credits page. But right on cue, the company’s caterer is sabotaged and Jodie must step up. It soon becomes clear that someone is out to spoil the filming.

A new family moves in over the road. The new family is acting strange. This new family has some secrets. From the author of Audible's Thriller of the Year, Silent Child, comes another psychological thriller to keep you guessing until the very end. Performed by Sophie McShera, (Daisy Mason, Downton Abbey), enter the world of a family broken by lies, a woman traumatised by a dark past, and a child caught in the crossfire.

When Qwill rents Euphonia's Gage's mansion in Moose County, he and Koko soon discover closet after closet jammed with several generations of junk. Meanwhile, the mansion's former occupant is enjoying a new life in warm, sunny Florida. Or is she? Word soon comes that Euphonia is dead, an apparent suicide. Why would someone so happy and full of life kill herself? And what is the connection between the Gage family and potato farmer Gil Inchpot, who is found buried in the snow with a bullet in his head? Can Qwill and the cats uncover a family secret before the winter yields another dead body?

Vivian Wainwright is living her dream. The middle-aged widow owns the Misty Bay Tearoom, a quaint English-accented shop on the Oregon coast. But on the eve of the tearoom's second anniversary, the dream turns nightmarish when a man falls to his death from a hotel balcony. The body belongs to Dean Ramsey, ex-husband of Vivian's assistant, Jenna. Detective Tony Messina quickly zeroes in on Jenna as the prime suspect, since she was seen leaving the hotel shortly before the body was found.

It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation in sweet, sunny Cape Cod—just me and my beloved brother—but discovering a corpse in our rental house really throws a wrench into our tanning schedule. Now a rude, crude bounty hunter has arrived on the back of his motorcycle to catch the killer and refuses to believe I can be helpful, despite countless hours of true crime podcast listening. Not to mention a fulfilling teaching career of wrangling second graders.

Thespian sleuth Charles Paris is his own worst enemy, a louche lush who can resist anything except temptation - especially in the form of women and alcohol. Estranged from his long-suffering wife, Frances, his personal life is shambolic, and as an actor, he's C-list at best. But he does have a talent for solving murders - which is just as well, because wherever he goes, someone seems to drop dead.

Abbey has barely arrived in the quaint, quiet town of Hideaway Grove before things turn from blissful to bloody—as the new librarian is mowed down by a car. The only witness on the scene isn’t much help, aside from handing Abbey the bag of books dropped by the victim. Even worse, the sheriff’s office seizes Abbey’s car because of a suspicious dent in the right front fender.

Spring, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift, explorer extraordinaire and accidental sleuth, hasn’t had a vacation since she arrived in England a year ago. So she books into the Grand Hotel in the fashionable resort of Brighton for some fresh air, fish and chips, and, of course, a dip in the ocean. Eleanor is enjoying her view of the waves and trying to find her bathing suit when calamity strikes: A guest has been found dead at her beautiful hotel. The distraught manager, who can’t afford a scandal, asks Eleanor to solve the case as swiftly as possible.

Erin Coleridge's used bookstore in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England, is a meeting place for the villagers and, in particular, for the local Jane Austen Society. At the Society's monthly meeting, matters come to a head between the old guard and its young turks. After the meeting breaks for tea, persuasion gives way to murder with extreme prejudice when president Sylvia Pemberthy falls dead to the floor. Poisoned? Presumably, but by whom? And was Sylvia the only target?

Ghost hunter Verity Long has forty-eight hours to plan her sister's dream wedding on a budget that wouldn't even cover the cake. The venue? A stunning Irish manor in Jackson, Tennessee—enemy territory for any self-respecting citizen of Sugarland. But the place is perfect, the photos are free, and Melody is over the moon. There's just one tiny catch. Two dead grooms, fifty years apart. And Alec's timing? It couldn't be worse.

Arthur’s Boatyard is a jewel in the crown of Saxford St Peter, a famous firm that’s been fixing barges and boats for a hundred years. But their centenary celebration shows it’s not all plain sailing… The owner, Anthony Mottram, seems to be at daggers drawn with half the village. So when he turns up dead in his own workshop, Eve Mallow knows she needs to chart her path carefully if she’s to find his killer.

Late summer 1933. After a quarrel with too-plucky-for-her-own-good amateur sleuth Kitty Underhay, dashing ex-army captain Matthew Bryant is nursing his wounds, and a tumbler of brandy, when there’s a heavy knock at the door and he finds himself arrested for murder. The body of aspiring actress Pearl Bright has been found, strangled with one of Matt’s own bootlaces, and the evidence seems to be stacked against him. The local constabulary might have locked Matt up, but before they can throw away the key, Kitty hears the news and hies to his aid, determined to prove his innocence.

'A new Simon Brett novel is an event for mystery fans!' P.D. James 'Simon Brett writes stunning detective stories. I would recommend them to anyone' Jilly Cooper Introducing a new, but not-so-amateur, sleuth from another peaceful English village with an alarmingly high death rate! The first...

Henry Bins has a rare sleep disorder where he's only awake for sixty minutes a day, from 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. His meticulously regimented life—three minutes to shower, five minutes to eat, seventeen minutes of school, four minutes to play Zelda—is turned upside down when his dad leaves for a week-long cruise.

Ex-reporter Joe Winder had been working in the public relations department of a sleazy family entertainment park, The Amazing Kingdom of Thrills, when he chanced upon a news-breaking story inspired by the disappearance of two blue-tongued voles and the bizarre death of Orky, the killer whale.

Winter 1924. When Lady Eleanor Swift unexpectedly finds herself a guest of the reclusive Duke of Auldwyke, she’s determined to enjoy Christmas with all the trimmings at his sprawling manor house. And that includes kisses under the mistletoe and cozying up by the fire with her fiancé, dashing detective Hugh Seldon. Instead, the season of goodwill turns frosty as she finds the Duke’s studious secretary, Mr Porritt, dead in the storeroom. Clasped in his chilly hand is a golden pendant in the shape of a rose.

Winchester, 1925. When heiress and amateur sleuth Cressida Fawcett is invited to her aunt’s mansion on Cloister Close, she is looking forward to a quiet stay in the historic town. The views of the cathedral are heavenly–and her aunt’s maid, Nancy, makes devilishly good ginger biscuits! But it seems Cressy and her pug Ruby won’t be allowed to rest in peace… On a tour of the crypt, they are shocked to stumble across the body of Anthony, the gentle, devoted verger. And a wild-eyed Nancy is standing over him, bloodied candlestick in hand…

When Sir Harry is asked to go to Paris for a Secret Intelligence Service meeting, he - of course - asks Kat to come along. But the getaway à deux quickly turns dangerous when Harry goes missing. Suddenly, with both their lives in danger, it's up to Kat to find out what's really going on. As the trail takes her from grand hotels to the late-night bars of Place Pigalle, it soon becomes clear that treachery has a murderous price in the City of Light.