Download or read book Still Life with Murder written by Patricia Burford Ryan and published by . This book was released on 2014-06-24 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "What a thoroughly charming book! A beautiful combination of entertaining characters, minute historical research, and a powerful evocation of time and place." -NYT bestselling author Barbara Hambly Boston, 1868: The dawn of the Gilded Age, an era of burgeoning commerce and invention, of unimaginable new fortunes and lavish excess-for some. Born into poverty, young Nell Sweeney scratches by on her wits and little else until fortune blesses her with a position as nursery governess to the fabulously wealthy Hewitts. But she soon learns that ugly secrets lurk beneath the surface of their gold-plated world. The Hewitts' eldest son, William, a former Union Army battle surgeon and the black sheep of the family, was reported to have died years before in a notorious Confederate prison. But one snowy February afternoon, his parents learn that he is, in fact, still alive-and in jail for having murdered a man while on opium. Infuriated by his son's deception and convinced of his guilt, August Hewitt forbids his wife from coming to Will's aid, so she begs Nell to help exonerate him. Nell finds that she must delve into the kind of dark and treacherous underworld she thought she'd left far behind if she is to unearth the truth before the hangman's noose tightens around William Hewitt's throat. Still Life with Murder is a #1 national bestseller originally published by Berkley Prime Crime. 91K words. "P.B. Ryan makes a stunning debut with Still Life with Murder, bringing Nineteenth Century Boston alive, from its teeming slums to the mansions on Boston Common, and populating it with a vivid and memorable cast of characters... I couldn't put the book down... I can't wait for the next installment." -Bestselling author Victoria Thompson "P.B. Ryan captures an authentic flavor of post-Civil War Boston... The atmosphere is that of The Alienist, but feisty Irish nursemaid Nell Sweeney is a more likable protagonist. I look forward to seeing her in action again." -New York Times bestselling author Rhys Bowen "Still Life with Murder is a skillfully written story of intrigue and murder set during Boston's famous Gilded Age. Nell Sweeney is a winning heroine gifted with common sense, grit, and an underlying poignancy. With its rich sense of place and time and a crisp, intelligent plot, readers will speed through this tale and be clamoring for more." -Bestselling author Earlene Fowler"Utterly absorbing. Vividly alive characters in a setting so clearly portrayed that one could step right into it. A very clever plot in which each clue is clearly offered and yet the identity of the murderer is a complete surprise." -Bestselling author Roberta Gellis"If you like fast moving, accurately drawn, historical mysteries, you won't go wrong by trying Still Life with Murder." -Reviewing the Evidence"This debut mystery is a winner, with a feisty heroine, a colorful historical backdrop and a strong mystery rife with complexities. An ideal blend of history and mystery." -RT BookReviews"Still Life with Murder is sheer perfection... gripping... powerful... unforgettable... You'll know you've read one hell of a story after you turn the last page!" -Reader to Reader Reviews

Download or read book Still Life with Murder written by Patricia Burford Ryan and published by Berkley. This book was released on 2003 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first title in a new series set in 1868 Boston. Nell Sweeney, a young Irish immigrant working as governess for the wealthy Hewitt family, is sent to discover the truth behind a rumor that one of the two eldest Hewitt sons--thought killed in the Civil War--is still alive and in prison. Original.

Download or read book Still Life and Death written by Tracy Gardner and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A murder at the flower shop. An uncle suspected by the cops. Savanna and her sisters are on the case. Savanna Shepherd, a former art authenticator turned grade school art teacher, is delighted when her Uncle Max and Uncle Freddie move to Carson. Uncle Max takes a job at Libby’s Blooms, where Savanna teaches a still life painting class for adults. But one morning, Uncle Max finds a dead body in the rooftop greenhouse…and even worse, it looks like an inside job. Savanna and her sisters—Skylar, a lawyer, and Sydney, the owner of a pet shop and grooming salon—dig in to find the real murderer. With their connections to the community and Savanna’s keen eye for details, they uncover longstanding resentments and horticultural clues. Meanwhile, Savanna’s dating local doctor Aidan Gallager, but she worries it’ll cause a scandal, since his daughter is in her class. As Savanna’s investigation leads her into thorny situations, the killer may be arranging another murder: her own. This cozy mystery includes a free original Hallmark recipe for Chocolate Pecan Brownies.

Download or read book Still Life with Crows written by Douglas Preston and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2003-07-01 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a series of murders strikes small-town Kansas, FBI Special Agent Pendergast must track down a killer or a curse -- either way, no one is safe. A small Kansas town has turned into a killing ground. Is it a serial killer, a man with the need to destroy? Or is it a darker force, a curse upon the land? Amid golden cornfields, FBI Special Agent Pendergast discovers evil in the blood of America's heartland. No one is safe.

Download or read book Still Life in Blood written by Crystal Heidel and published by . This book was released on 2013-08-08 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does seeing the future mean you may have a chance to change it? For Francesca Munro, a successful artist in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, that is a question that plagues her daily thoughts. For years she's kept her psychic abilities a secret but when a murder she's dreamt of actually occurs-and then another-her struggle to cope with the deadly visions may be exposed. Francesca knows that there is a deeper meaning to the murders, one that may be connected to her-especially when she begins to receive bizarre and cryptic clues that send her catapulting into a search for the truth about her mother who committed suicide twelve years earlier. As Francesca tries to figure out how the past she barely remembers, yet is so desperate to forget, is connected to the killings, the body count rises. Delaware State Police Homicide Detective Jack Remington tries to unravel the intricate knot that ties the victims to Francesca. But can Jack solve the mystery before Francesca becomes the final piece in a twisted killer's one-man show?

Download or read book Still Life Chesapeake Valor Book 2 written by Dani Pettrey and published by Bethany House. This book was released on 2017-01-31 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Romantic Suspense's Rising Star Continues to Win Fans Blacklisted in the photography business over a controversial shot, Avery Tate answered an ad for a crime scene photographer. She expected to be laughed at, but crime scene analyst Parker Mitchell hired her outright--and changed her life. But six months ago, when her feelings for Parker became too strong, she left his employ to sort out her heart. Now, for the first time, Avery is facing the world that rejected her to attend the gallery opening of a photography exhibit and support her best friend, who modeled for the show. But the only image of her friend is a chilling photo of her posing as if dead--and the photographer insists he didn't take the shot. Worse, her friend can't be found. She immediately calls Parker for help. As Avery, Parker, and his friends in law enforcement dig into the mystery, they find themselves face-to-face with a relentless and deadly threat.

Download or read book Still Life written by Louise Penny and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2008-09-30 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Read the series that inspired Three Pines on Prime Video. In Still Life, bestselling author Louise Penny introduces Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec. Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter. Still Life introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces---and this series---with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny.

Download or read book Still Life written by Val McDermid and published by Grove Atlantic. This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Scottish police inspector deals with forgeries and false identities in a new murder mystery in the “superior series” (The New York Times). When a lobster fisherman discovers a dead body in Scotland’s Firth of Forth, DCI Karen Pirie is called into investigate. She quickly discovers that the case will require untangling a complicated web—involving a long-ago disappearance, art forgery, and secret identities—that seems to surround a painter who can mimic anyone from Holbein to Hockney. Meanwhile, a traffic accident leads to the discovery of a skeleton in a suburban garage. Karen has a full plate, and it only gets more stressful as the man responsible for the death of the love of her life is scheduled for release from prison, reopening old wounds just as she was getting back on her feet. From a Diamond Dagger Award winner and multiple Edgar Award finalist, Still Life is a tightly plotted mystery featuring an investigator “whose unwavering confidence is tempered by a strong dose of kindness and sense of justice” (Booklist). “There are few other crime writers in the same league.”—Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post

Download or read book Murder in a Mill Town written by P B Ryan and published by Hawkley Books. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Nell is one of the strongest, most honorable, and dearest heroines to grace the pages of an amateur sleuth novel.... P.B. Ryan knows how to write a tale that will grip and keep readers' interest throughout the novel." -Midwest Book Reviews Nell Sweeney, a young Irish-born governess in post-Civil War Boston, may not have much, but she does possess both a keen mind and a brave heart. As governess to the wealthy Hewitt family, she finds plenty of opportunities to use both-especially when the seamy side of society shows itself... The lowborn Fallons come to Viola Hewitt with a desperate plea for help. Their wayward daughter, Bridget, a pretty young employee of Hewitt Mills and Dye Works, hasn't been seen for days. Mrs. Fallon, unwilling to believe that Bridget would just run off without a word, fears that she's come to a bad end-possibly at the hands of her ex-con lover. Viola, confined to a wheelchair, enlists Nell to locate the missing mill girl. Working with Viola's black sheep son, Will, Nell uncovers a web of schemes and greed and dark obsession... and what she knows may just be the death of her. Originally published by Berkley Prime Crime, Murder in a Mill Town was nominated for the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award. 68K words. "Ryan creates characters you care about and a plot that holds your interest as you try to unmask the killer. Lively and intriguing, this is a fast-paced, wonderful read. -RT BookReviews "I love this series. After finishing the book, I had to go back and re-read scenes and I even pulled out the first book to re-read much of Nell and Will's many conversations again." -Babbling Book Reviews "The saga style of Catherine Cookson meets the 'Victorian vices' world of Anne Perry in this popular whodunit. Much thought and research has gone into making the two faces of mid-19th century Boston come to life, whether the gilded world of the Hewitts or the grubby back streets of the underworld." -MyShelf.com "Ms. Ryan excels in her ability to show her characters' complexities. Most are neither good nor bad, but living lives enmeshed with many shades of gray. Add the rich historical detail and readers have an excellent historical mystery with an intriguing heroine." -The Best Reviews "Nell is an interesting and unique character....The mystery itself is done quite well, with clues pointing to various suspects, and an unexpected resolution....I hope to see much more of Nell in future books." -The Romance Reader's Connection "1868 Boston is well portrayed in this series...an enjoyable story...There is no trace of Colonnade Row in what is now Boston's downtown shopping area, and Charlestown is but a shell of the prosperous city that existed there in the nineteenth century, but this book brings them back into existence. -Reviewing the Evidence

Download or read book Murder on Black Friday written by P B Ryan and published by . This book was released on 2014-06-25 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A mesmerizing mystery. Not only does Ryan provide readers with a tightly wound, suspenseful novel peopled with multidimensional characters, she writes about an era whose problems mirror our own. This is a historical period she knows and brings to life so clearly that readers are totally immersed. Nell is an ideal heroine: smart, intrepid and human. Be on the lookout for her return." -RT BookReviews On Sept. 24, 1869, the gold market crumbles, and fortunes are lost in a matter of minutes. When two of Boston's most prominent men are found dead on Wall Street's first "Black Friday," it's widely assumed that they committed suicide over their financial losses. But upon examining the bodies, forensic scientist Dr. William Hewitt concludes that one of the men was most likely murdered. Will wants to investigate the circumstances surrounding the suspicious death, but to do so, he needs to navigate the upper echelons of Boston society, which are foreign to him. He enlists the aid of Nell Sweeney, the Irish-born governess employed by his estranged parents. Not only is Nell acquainted with many of the city's most prominent citizens, she understands how their wealth and power can be used to keep dark secrets under wraps. As their investigation progresses, Nell and Will discover that the two dead men were linked by something more valuable-and far more treacherous-than gold. Originally published by Berkley Prime Crime. 57K words. "Nell and Will are a confirmed pair of amateur sleuths in this fourth entry in the popular Gilded Age series, and this makes the setting perhaps slightly cozier, but as usual, P B Ryan is spot on with her period detail. This is the best part about the series for me, as these books really do open a window into how both the high and low society of Boston operated. She thankfully doesn't shrink (Anne Perry style) from showing it, warts and all...probably the best entry yet." -MyShelf.com "As always, Nell and Will's predicament tugs at my heart. Loved it!" -Babbling Book Reviews "The author has an amazing grasp of life during this period of history. Each detail is crafted to let the reader feel immersed in the time; from the major historical events, to the minutiae of everyday life. These facts are effortlessly woven into the overall narrative." -The Romance Reader's Connection

Download or read book Still Lives written by Maria Hummel and published by Catapult. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Twelve shocking paintings. Eleven famous murders. One missing artist . . . and one woman driven to find her—this Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine Selection is a “stunning achievement” (Los Angeles Times). Kim Lord is an avant–garde figure, feminist icon, and agent provocateur in the L.A. art scene. Her groundbreaking new exhibition Still Lives is comprised of self–portraits depicting herself as famous, murdered women―the Black Dahlia, Chandra Levy, Nicole Brown Simpson, among many others―and the works are as compelling as they are disturbing, implicating a culture that is too accustomed to violence against women. As the city’s richest art patrons pour into the Rocque Museum’s opening night, all the staff, including editor Maggie Richter, hope the event will be enough to save the historic institution’s flailing finances. Except Kim Lord never shows up to her own gala. Fear mounts as the hours and days drag on and Lord remains missing. Suspicion falls on the up–and–coming gallerist Greg Shaw Ferguson, who happens to be Maggie’s ex. A rogue’s gallery of eccentric art world figures could also have motive for the act, and as Maggie gets drawn into her own investigation of Lord’s disappearance, she’ll come to suspect all of those closest to her. Set against a culture that often fetishizes violence, Still Lives is a page–turning exodus into the art world’s hall of mirrors, and one woman’s journey into the belly of an industry flooded with money and secrets. “It’s a thrilling mystery that will leave you wondering which characters you can and can’t trust . . . There’s a twist at the end that still keeps us up at night, it's THAT good.” —Reese Witherspoon (A Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine Selection)

Download or read book Life After Murder written by Nancy Mullane and published by Public Affairs. This book was released on 2012-06-26 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An award-winning journalist and producer of This American Life traces the stories of five convicted murderers to assess their struggles for redemption, efforts toward parole and first steps in transitioning back to civilian life. 25,000 first printing.

Download or read book A Rule Against Murder written by Louise Penny and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2009-01-20 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Read the series that inspired Three Pines on Prime Video. A Rule Against Murder, the fourth book in Louise Penny's award-winning and critical revered mystery series features the wise and beleaguered Inspector Armand Gamache. It is the height of summer, and Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache are celebrating their wedding anniversary at Manoir Bellechasse, an isolated, luxurious inn not far from the village of Three Pines. But they're not alone. The Finney family—rich, cultured, and respectable—has also arrived for a celebration of their own. The beautiful Manoir Bellechasse might be surrounded by nature, but there is something unnatural looming. As the heat rises and the humidity closes in, some surprising guests turn up at the family reunion, and a terrible summer storm leaves behind a dead body. It is up to Chief Inspector Gamache to unearth secrets long buried and hatreds hidden behind polite smiles. The chase takes him to Three Pines, into the dark corners of his own life, and finally to a harrowing climax.

Download or read book A Fatal Grace written by Louise Penny and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2007-05-15 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Read the series that inspired Three Pines on Prime Video. From the #1 New York Times bestseller Louise Penny comes the second Armand Gamache mystery set in the stunning countryside of Quebec. Winner of the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel! Welcome to winter in Three Pines, a picturesque village in Quebec, where the villagers are preparing for a traditional country Christmas, and someone is preparing for murder. No one liked CC de Poitiers. Not her quiet husband, not her spineless lover, not her pathetic daughter—and certainly none of the residents of Three Pines. CC de Poitiers managed to alienate everyone, right up until the moment of her death. When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, of the Sûreté du Quebec, is called to investigate, he quickly realizes he's dealing with someone quite extraordinary. CC de Poitiers was electrocuted in the middle of a frozen lake, in front of the entire village, as she watched the annual curling tournament. And yet no one saw anything. Who could have been insane enough to try such a macabre method of murder—or brilliant enough to succeed? With his trademark compassion and courage, Gamache digs beneath the idyllic surface of village life to find the dangerous secrets long buried there. For a Quebec winter is not only staggeringly beautiful but deadly, and the people of Three Pines know better than to reveal too much of themselves. But other dangers are becoming clear to Gamache. As a bitter wind blows into the village, something even more chilling is coming for Gamache himself.

Download or read book Witch Way to Murder written by Shirley Damsgaard and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bewitched meets Murder She Wrote in this delightful new cozy mystery series featuring Ophelia Jensen, small town librarian and reluctant psychic, and her grandmother Abby, a benevolent witch. Thirty something Ophelia Jensen wants to live a quiet life as a small town librarian. She's created a comfortable existence with her kooky, colorful grandmother Abby, and if it were up to her, they could live out their days—along with Ophelia's dog Lady and cat Queenie—in peace and quiet. But, to Ophelia's dismay, she and Abby aren't a typical grandmother/granddaughter duo. She possesses psychic powers, and Abby is a kindly witch. And while Ophelia would do anything to dismiss her gift—harboring terrible guilt after her best friend was killed and she was unable to stop it—threatening events keep popping up, forcing her to tap into her powers of intuition. To make matters worse, a strange—yet devastatingly attractive—man is hanging around Ophelia's library, and no matter how many times she tells him she's sworn off men forever, he persists. Soon this handsome newcomer reveals he's following a lead on a local drug ring, and then a dead body shows up right in Abby's backyard. And much as Ophelia would like to put away her spells forever, she and Abby must use their special powers to keep themselves, and others, out of harm's way.

Download or read book The Word is Murder written by Anthony Horowitz and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: **A Guardian 'Best Thriller of the Year!'** The New York Times bestselling author of Magpie Murders and Moriarty brilliantly reinvents the classic crime novel once again with this clever and inventive mystery starring a fictional version of the author himself as the Watson to a modern-day Holmes, investigating a case involving buried secrets, murder, and a trail of bloody clues. A woman crosses a London street. It is just after 11am on a bright spring morning, and she is going into a funeral parlor to plan her own service. Six hours later the woman is dead, strangled with a crimson curtain cord in her own home. Enter disgraced police detective Daniel Hawthorne, a brilliant, eccentric man as quick with an insult as he is to crack a case. And Hawthorne has a partner, the celebrated novelist Anthony Horowitz, curious about the case and looking for new material. As brusque, impatient, and annoying as Hawthorne can be, Horowitz—a seasoned hand when it comes to crime stories—suspects the detective may be on to something, and is irresistibly drawn into the mystery. But as the case unfolds, Horowitz realizes he’s at the center of a story he can’t control . . . and that his brilliant partner may be hiding dark and mysterious secrets of his own. A masterful and tricky mystery which plays games at many levels, The Word Is Murder is Anthony Horowitz at his very best.

Download or read book Murder in the Kitchen written by Alice B. Toklas and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2011-04-07 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this memoir-turned-cookbook, Alice B. Toklas describes her life with partner Gertrude Stein and their famed Paris salon, which entertained the great avant-garde and literary figures of their day. With dry wit and characteristic understatement Toklas ponders the ethics of killing a carp in her kitchen before stuffing it with chestnuts; decorating a fish to amuse Picasso at lunch; and travelling across France during the First World War in an old delivery truck, gathering local recipes along the way. She includes a friend's playful recipe for 'Haschiche Fudge', which promises 'brilliant storms of laughter and ecstatic reveries', much like her book.