Download or read book Three Plots for Asey Mayo written by Phoebe Atwood Taylor and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Asey solves the Swan Boat Murder “in the best Mayo manner [and] the other two stories are just as good.”—The New York Times Top-notch entertainment for mystery readers is contained in this volume made up of three Asey Mayo short novels, each replete with the excitement, the humor and the amusing characterisations that have distinguished all of this author’s popular books about the famous Cape Cod sleuth. In “The Headacre Plot,” murder is all tied up with an eccentric millionaire’s hobby for wooden Indians and merry-go-round horses, which play a neat part in the solution of the killing of Colonel Head. “The Wander Bird Plot” concerns the girl, Cordelia, her angry uncle, and the unfortunate and very dead gentleman found in their trailer. The third of the stories takes its title, “The Swan Boat Plot,” from its locale in Boston’s Public Garden, near the famed swan boats. Asey Mayo witnesses the shooting of a young photographer and is called upon to solve a case that involves Boston’s glamour girl and leads him on a fine chase through Boston’s old brick-bordered streets.
Download or read book Three Plots for Asey Mayo written by Phoebe Atwood Taylor and published by . This book was released on 1969-03-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Home Sweet Homicide written by Craig Rice and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2018-03-20 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the “grand dame of mystery mixed with screwball comedy”: The children of a widowed mystery writer play amateur sleuths and matchmakers (Ed Gorman, Ellery Queen Award–winning author). When your mom’s a mystery writer, a talent for detection is only natural. So when the three children of prolific whodunit author Marion Carstairs become material witnesses in a neighborhood murder, they launch their own investigation. And why not? They know everything about baffling mysteries from reading their mother’s books, the publicity could do wonders for her sales, and then she and a handsome detective could fall in love. It’s too perfect for words. Marion’s too busy wrapping up the loose ends of her latest book for the inconvenience of a real crime. But what’s surfacing in the shadows of the house next door is not quite as predictable as fiction: accusations of racketeering, kidnapping and blackmail; a slain stripper; a grieving but slippery husband; a wily French artist; a panicky movie star; and a cop who’s working Marion’s last nerve. If the kids are game, Marion decides she is too—in between chapters, at least. Besides, this whole dangerous bloody mess could turn out to be a source of inspiration! This stand-alone mystery was the basis for the classic 1946 comedy starring Randolph Scott and Peggy Ann Garner and “makes clear why Craig Rice remains one of the best writers of mystery fiction” (Jeffery Marks, author of Who Was That Lady?).
Download or read book Death Lights a Candle written by Phoebe Atwood Taylor and published by Asey Mayo Cape Cod Mysteries. This book was released on 2005 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Miss Prudence Whitsby becomes involved in crime detection when she attends a Cape Cod house party
Download or read book The Cape Cod Mystery An Asey Mayo Mystery written by Phoebe Atwood Taylor and published by Wildside Press LLC. This book was released on 2018-07-25 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a famous author turns up dead, it's up to Asey Mayo to find the killer. First in the series.
Download or read book The Iron Clew written by Phoebe Atwood Taylor and published by Foul Play Press. This book was released on 1992 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leonidas Witherall, Phoebe Atwood Taylor's “other” detective, inhabits a suburb of Boston named Dalton. One of its most colorful residents, he is the proprietor of a prestigious boys' school and instantly recognizable by all as William Shakespeare's remarkable look-alike. Few people, however, know him as “Morgatroyd Jones,” author of the popular and flamboyant Lieutenant Haseltine adventure novels. But like his own fictional hero, Witherall's outrageous escapades mix slapstick and suspense like no one else's.
Download or read book The Polkadot Murder written by Frances Crane and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on 2013-11-15 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The Hollywood-cum-Santa Fe artists, both screwy and sensible, in the desert are all neatly caught in the lively style given to Mrs. Pat to narrate. Grade: A”—The Saturday Review “Plenty of excitement.”—Kirkus From the jacket: “Time was,” said the sheriff of Santa Maria, “when murder was murder in this country. ... But now we got artists and writers and therefore psychology. It's enough to ruin the country.” It was lucky for Sheriff Trask that Pat Abbott and his lively wife, Jeanie, were vacationing in the little New Mexican artists’ colony the day a psychotic war veteran and a gangster's widow arrived on the Plaza. By an unlikely coincidence they were the former spouses of friends of the Abbotts who had just announced their engagement. Gilbert Mason, a Hollywood writer with a penchant for seeing the worst, pointed out to Jeanie that it looked as if there would be no marriage, for the widow packed a gun. The first day of tension exploded into murder and kidnapping, both crimes committed almost simultaneously, as if they had been masterminded to confuse pursuit. Immediately everyone began to act out of character. Competent Vanessa Wells, a writer who had lived alone and liked it for years, turned nervous and absent-minded. Gilbert Mason, a confirmed gossip, acted as if he knew more than he told. The gangster's widow and her apelike retainer became good Samaritans. And the handsome war veteran, who'd always looked after himself, began to plot his own downfall. Through the exciting adventure Mrs. Crane conveys the many aspects of the New Mexican landscape, using the charm of Spanish-Indian culture, the backbiting of bohemia, and the terrifying, cruel loneliness of the desert to enhance the suspense.
Download or read book Fatal Descent written by John Dickson Carr and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fatal Descent by John Dickson Carr and Cecil Street (writing as Carter Dickson and John Rhode) Carr and Street “are such expert mystery-mongers that their collaboration could scarcely fail to produce something extra special in the bafflement line. Fatal Descent is all of that.”—The New York Times “London publisher shot in automatic elevator. Dr. Horatio Glass and Insp. Hornbeam pool wits—and humor—to spot the killer. Neat variation of good old ‘hermetically sealed room’ problem, with two authors—and their sleuths—working beautifully in harness. Verdict: Top Drawer”—The Saturday Review A seemingly impossible murder in a private elevator draws two sleuths to the case. Inspector Hornbeam and Dr. Horatio Glass are at odds from the beginning, each dismissive of the other’s theories, thus creating an atmosphere as much of competition as cooperation. From the novel: The elevator was perhaps six feet square by eight feet high, with steel walls painted to imitate bronze. Sir Ernest Tallant sat very quietly in the rear right-hand corner. His legs were outthrust stiffly, his back bent a little forward; and the brim of the rakish gray hat shaded his face. He might have been a grotesque parody of Little Jack Horner, if it had not been for the widening bloodstains on the left breast of his jacket. His umbrella lay beside him, also looking oddly childish like his posture. Under each roof corner of the elevator there was a tiny electric light; these four little lights illumined even the wrinkles on the backs of the man’s hands, and glittered on the pieces of broken glass. Published in the United Kingdom as Drop to His Death
Download or read book The Amber Eyes written by Frances Crane and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Nasty characters and clues pointing off in all directions—quite good.”—The Miami News When some new neighbors move in near the San Francisco home of Pat and Jean Abbott they seem to be a very strange family indeed, and soon they present as puzzling and as nasty a series of attempted murders and suspicious deaths as one could find in the annals of crime. First a child is found dead (suffocation? poison? or both?). Pat Abbott is engaged by one of the grown daughters to investigate, but Homicide is called in, in the person of the saturnine Inspector Sam Bradish and his imperturbable sergeant, Cohen. There are plenty of suspects, for, they find, nearly every one of the Alby family had both motive and opportunity for killing the child. There are various attempts upon the lives of the people involved, including the lovelorn Rona, second wife of Dr. Alby, she of the amber eyes, who would readily sacrifice a fortune for the sleek Don Quayle, who isn’t quite so insensible to the uses of money. Then there is the attempt to kill the elder sister and Rona’s wild swing when she takes a shot at Pat Abbott. Finally Pat uncovers the ugly story of an earlier murder, and the pattern begins to take form. In his masterly reconstruction of the series of crimes, Pat takes a knife thrust which is not serious but which puts the final confirmation on his deductions. Action, Jean’s bright chatter, interesting people—a thoroughly readable and absorbing murder mystery.
Download or read book The Fourth Postman written by Craig Rice and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Fourth Postman by Craig Rice, the first mystery writer to be featured on the cover of Time magazine. “Plot and people as wacky as ever, with busted Malone and chicken-poxed Justuses supplying plenty of comedy and, surprisingly, much intriguing sleuthing. Verdict: Fun.”—The Saturday Review “Why can’t all murders be as funny as those concocted by Craig Rice?”—The New York Times 1 Postman! 2 Postmen! 3 Postmen! All murdered! John J. Malone sticks his nose into the case of the dead postmen and picks up a crack on the head, an Australian beer hound, and six redheaded twins. It all begins when he takes on a new client, Rodney Fairfaxx. Rodney was tabbed for the postmen murders because he hadn’t received a letter from a dead girl for more than 30 years. Malone doesn’t think that this is enough reason to kill, but he can’t prove it. … “A1.”—Kirkus Reviews
Download or read book The Harvest Murder written by John Rhode and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on 2013-11-18 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Harvest Murder was also published as Death in the Hopfields “The good doctor continues to be a master of the science of detection.”—The New York Times Sergeant Wragge happened to see it there, lying by the side of the road, and decided to take care of it himself. After all, a twelve-inch butcher knife is nothing to be left loose on a public highway. When he noticed those curious stains on the blade, his suspicions were more than aroused and he felt that he must be ready for trouble. The Sergeant’s forebodings were swiftly corroborated by the events that followed—robbery, a mysterious disappearance, perhaps murder; so he felt that he was justified in demanding the aid of Scotland Yard. The careful investigations of Inspector Hanslet and Jimmy Waghorn soon had them on the right track; but it was Dr. Priestley’s quiet, seemingly enigmatic suggestion that finally unearthed the solution.
Download or read book Horror on the Ruby X written by Frances Crane and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The glamor of a luxury ranch house, a bejewelled and gifted Indian, a poisonous lady of the manor, two sons, worshipful and mysterious, a Puritanical spinster, an alluring secretary, and a succession of violent deaths and threats of death. Jeanie (naturally) accumulates evidence and trouble.”—Kirkus Pat and Jean Abbott find it impossible to obtain information from the people at the ranch; their host’s vengeful mother, Georgina Mackenzie, resents intrusion into the lives of her eccentric protégés. It soon becomes clear to the Abbotts that Mrs. Mackenzie’s handsome Navajo chauffeur and bodyguard actively resents their presence at the Ruby X. As they drive away in low gear, Pat attempts to negotiate the treacherous hill from the ranch to the Rio Grande. The gorge below seems like a gruesome black gash. Then, without warning, their car plummets madly toward the river’s brink, crashing to a dizzy, roaring halt.
Download or read book Death on the Boat Train written by John Rhode and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on 2013-11-18 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “One always embarks on a John Rhode book with a great sense of security. One knows that there will be a sound plot, well-knit process of reasoning, and a solidly satisfying solution with no loose ends or careless errors of fact.”—Dorothy Sayers From the Jacket: Fair blew the wind from France, and the Channel steamer Isle of Jethou rolled a bit in the stiff south-westerly breeze. But the rough crossing didn’t upset the mysterious passenger who had locked himself into his cabin as soon as he boarded the boat at Guernsey. The same desire for seclusion had manifested itself on the boat-train to Waterloo, for the guard had been presented with a pound-note to reserve a compartment for Mr. Mystery. But did he travel alone? For at Waterloo the gentleman from Guernsey was a pretty genuine corpse. Death on the Boat-Train is a first-rate detective story, once again featuring the coldly clever scientific mind of Dr. Priestley, John Rhode’s brilliant creation.
Download or read book The Coral Princess Murders written by Frances Crane and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In exotic Tangier, the well-known husband and wife team of Pat and Jean Abbott discover that international drug trafficking, plus greed and intrigue, invariably spell catastrophe for those involved therein. And very bad luck for a number of free-loading beachcombers and expatriates who’d just about convinced themselves that they never had it so good.
Download or read book Give em the Ax written by Erle Stanley Gardner and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on 2012-08 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Give 'em the Ax by Erle Stanley Gardner (as A. A. Fair), a Cool and Lam mystery, complete and unabridged. From the cover: The Rimley Rendezvous was the kind of back-street bistro where a tired businessman could drop in for a pick-up, no questions asked. Deep carpets and subdued lights gave the place an air of clandestine class. And solicitous waiters catered to the customer's every whim. All these comforts added up to a steep cover charge, especially since blackmail figured as the major part of the tab. It was a very lucrative business...until a murderer cut into the profits...and left his ax in Donald Lam's car. The team of Cool and Lam are at their fast-talking, fast-moving best in this tough tale of suicide, blackmail and murder.
Download or read book Murder in Bright Red written by Frances Crane and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on 2013-11-14 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pat and Jean Abbott, visiting relatives in a rich oil town, are called on to clear a pretty air-line hostess, Sally Carroll, who is suspected of having murdered her old beau. By the time the Abbotts arrive on the scene, there has been a curious change of policy: nobody wants them on the case, not the cousin and heir of the dead man, not his widow, and especially not the sheriff. Perversely, they decide to stay. Pat is shot at by a man who is supposed to be helping them, and Jean is buried in an abandoned well by a woman who claims to be on their side. Then a car they think is a friend’s crashes them into a ditch. Nevertheless they stick with the job until they come up with a solution that is both surprising and satisfying—but they cannot prevent the killer from claiming a second victim. “Pro Handling”—The Saturday Review “Congenial and confiding.”—Kirkus
Download or read book The Shocking Pink Hat written by Frances Crane and published by St. Swithin Press. This book was released on 2013-11-14 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Army intelligence work whets Pat's wits for lively, well-plotted and mystifying case with spouse stooging pleasantly.”—The Saturday Review From the Jacket: San Francisco is the locale of this fast-paced mystery by the author of The Indigo Necklace and The Man in Gray—San Francisco of the fabulously steep hills, the fog drifting in over the bay, the excellent restaurants and the exotic dives. On one of its hills, in a muffling fog, Pat and Jean Abbott, Mrs. Crane’s delightful sleuthing couple, see a car crash into a hydrant, and it's no surprise to anyone when a murdered man is found slumped behind the wheel. The dead man, however, is the estranged husband of a very good friend of the Abbotts, Nancy Leland. Because Nancy is suspected of the murder, the Abbotts are from then on involved in two more murders, mayhem and a few other slightly illegal activities. A grim chain of apparently unrelated clues leads them to the murderer, and to a solution of more than passing interest to the Federal Bureau of Narcotics.”
