Download or read book The Body in the Dumb River written by George Bellairs and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2019-12-01 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the captivating treasures buried in the British Library's archives. Largely inaccessible to the public until now, these enduring British classics were written in the golden age of detective fiction. "A decent, hardworking chap, with not an enemy anywhere. People were surprised that anybody should want to kill Jim." But Jim has been found stabbed in the back near Ely, miles from his Yorkshire home. His body, clearly dumped in the usually silent ('dumb') river, has been discovered before the killer intended?disturbed by a torrential flood in the night. Roused from a comfortable night's sleep, Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is soon at the scene. With any clues to the culprit's identity swept away with the surging water, Bellairs' veteran sleuth boards a train heading north to dredge up the truth of the real Jim Teasdale and to trace the mystery of this unassuming victim's murder to its source. The Body in the Dumb River, like all of Bellairs' crime books, delves into the complex inner-workings of an insulated country community. With all the wittiness and suspense of classic British mysteries, this is a story that explores the long-buried secrets of a small town?and the disastrous events that take place when they finally come to light. Also in the British Library Crime Classics: Smallbone Deceased Continental Crimes Blood on the Tracks Surfeit of Suspects Death Has Deep Roots Checkmate to Murder

Download or read book Death of a Busybody written by George Bellairs and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2017-09-05 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "Fascinating period detail from the blackout days, a plot that keeps surprising, and contemporary crime novelist Martin Edwards' insightful introduction add to the fun." —Booklist Miss Tither, the village busybody, is not the best-loved resident of Hilary Magna. She has made many enemies: bombarding the villagers with religious tracts, berating drunkards, and informing the spouses of cheating partners. Her murder, however, is still a huge shock to the Reverend Ethelred Claplady and his parish. Inspector Littlejohn's understanding of country ways makes him Scotland Yard's first choice for the job. Basing himself at the village inn, Littlejohn works with the local police to investigate what lay behind the murder. A second death does little to settle the collective nerves of the village, and as events escalate, a strange tale of hidden identities, repressed resentment, religious fervour and financial scams is uncovered. Life in the picturesque village of Hilary Magna proves to be very far from idyllic.

Download or read book The Body Lies written by Jo Baker and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2020-05-19 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A dark, thrilling new novel from the best-selling author of Longbourn: a work of riveting psychological suspense that grapples with how to live as a woman in the world--or in the pages of a book--when the stakes are dangerously high. When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote English countryside, it's meant to be a fresh start, away from the bustle of London and the scene of a violent assault she is desperate to forget. But despite the distractions of her new life and the demands of single motherhood, her nerves continue to jangle. To make matters worse, a vicious debate about violence against women inflames the tensions and mounting rivalries in her creative-writing class. When a troubled student starts turning in chapters that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the professor recognizes herself as the main character in his book--and he has written her a horrific fate. Will she be able to stop life imitating art before it's too late? At once a breathless cat-and-mouse game and a layered interrogation of the fetishization of the female body, The Body Lies gives us an essential story for our time that will have you checking the locks on your doors.

Download or read book Toll the Bell for Murder written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inspector Littlejohn is once again summoned to the Isle of Man when a local vicar is accused of murder in this long-running British mystery series. As a rule, the towns of the Isle of Man are eerily silent after dark. But that silence is shattered one black night by an explosion followed by the violent ringing of the church bell. The vicar, Sullivan Lee, is discovered praying beside the murdered body of Sir Martin Skollick. Archdeacon Kinrade must summon his old friend, Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard, to get to the bottom of another perplexing crime. With the help of Inspector Knell of the Manx C.I.D., Littlejohn sheds light on the victim’s life, uncovering misdeeds and enemies aplenty. A womanizer and a fraud, it’s no wonder someone might want Skollick dead. But the inspectors have much more to unravel before they can clear the vicar’s name.

Download or read book The Night They Killed Joss Varran written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The murder of a convict on the night of his release brings Littlejohn to the silent marshes of the Isle of Man in this thrilling British mystery novel. A deckhand and petty criminal, Joss Varran was set to return home after a year in jail. Instead, he’s found dead in a ditch not far from his sister’s cottage. While Varran was never well liked, it’s a mystery why anyone would bother to kill him . . . Facing a dead end, Inspector Knell of the Manx police calls in his friend from Scotland Yard, Chief Superintendent Littlejohn. Together they find that Varran was up to no good while working on a container ship between Ramsey and Preston. It seems the dockhand may have gotten in over his head . . . so much so that prison would seem like a safe place to hide . . . Now the two investigators chase a trail of clues to find those responsible for Varran’s death . . . and prevent others from meeting the same fate.

Download or read book Bones in the Wilderness written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The case of a missing antiques dealer brings Scotland Yard to France . . . When Samuel Cheever, a shady dealer, goes to France to buy antiques and never returns, people begin to ask questions, and Superintendent Littlejohn is sent to uncover the mystery. Then, when Cheever’s bones are discovered in the wilderness of the Camargue, Littlejohn finds himself having to navigate the company of the French police. While working the case, Littlejohn and his partner, Sergeant Cromwell, throw themselves into la vie française with gusto: the sunshine, the food and, of course, the wine. But Cheever’s trail leads to many strange places, and even stranger people, from travelers to bullfighters to cowboys—and when one of the cowboys turns up dead and Cheever’s possessions are found in his home, the investigation takes a dark turn . . .

Download or read book He d Rather Be Dead written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-10-17 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mayor of a seaside town is murdered, and a London police detective must sort through motives both political and personal . . . Thanks to its mayor, Sir Gideon Ware, the quiet harbor town of Westcombe has turned into a crowded and rather garish seaside destination where visitors can come to escape the stress of wartime. When Ware collapses at a lavish luncheon, felled by strychnine, Inspector Littlejohn must travel from London to solve the seemingly inexplicable murder. Ware was surrounded by local bigwigs at his table—but that’s just the beginning of the suspect list, as Littlejohn untangles the rivalries, resentments, and corrupt dealings that permeate this picturesque but troubled community . . . Praise for the Inspector Littlejohn mysteries “Assured prose, well-drawn characters, and the atmosphere of 1940s wartime England . . . well worth the reader’s time.” —Publishers Weekly “Everything is quite comparable in tone to a really good Simenon.” —The New York Times “Dryly ceremonious wit [that] shines from the very first page.” —Kirkus Reviews

Download or read book The Cursing Stones Murder written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A body surfaces off the Isle of Man in a puzzling mystery by the master of the “pure British detective story” (The New York Times). The Manx Shearwater was scallop dredging—but it dragged up a body from the water instead. Considering that the corpse was tied at the ankles and weighed down with stones, it’s clear this was no accidental drowning—and now the locals are in an uproar. The victim appears to be Cedric Levis, who had an extravagant house and a reputation for philandering. Was Levis murdered for his money—or was this a crime of passion? Under the pretext of a holiday, Chief Inspector Littlejohn is invited by his old friend Archdeacon Kinrade to unofficially assist with the murder investigation—but to separate fact from fiction, he’ll have to sort through accusations, town gossip, and mysterious stories surrounding the ancient Cursing Stones . . .

Download or read book The Tormentors written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a young hooligan is accused of murdering a prominent resident on the Isle of Man, Inspector Littlejohn must uncover the truth in this classic mystery. In a small town on the Isle of Man, an elderly gentleman is found violently stabbed in an alley, andhis wallet missing. All fingers point to a suspicious Teddy-Boy visiting from Liverpool. The victim was a well-known member of a distinguished family, and his relatives are eager to see justice served. To avoid an unwarranted arrest, the Manx police call in Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard to investigate. While the young man maintains his innocence, Littlejohn’s investigations lead him to the Bishop’s Arm pub. There he meets some of the island’s most dubious characters and begins to uncover surprising secrets about one of the island’s most respected individuals.

Download or read book Crime in Lepers Hollow written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-06-13 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A relaxing holiday is cut short by murder for the Scotland Yard detective in a mystery by “one of [the genre’s] subtlest and wittiest practitioners” (The New York Times). Set on having a relaxing holiday in Tilsey, Detective Inspector Littlejohn once again finds himself pulled into a baffling investigation. When local judge Nicholas Crake is found dead in his home, Littlejohn and his partner Sergeant Cromwell have the difficult task of sifting out the murderer from a mass of feuding neighbors, friends, and family. Could Crake’s faithless wife have had the means? Or his strange brother-in-law? Or what about the superintendent, who seems to be doing more to impede the case than solve it? Faced with family secrets, old grudges, and more than one dead body, Littlejohn must unravel a web of deceit to get to the bottom of this case.

Download or read book The Case of the Demented Spiv written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a petty hoodlum encounters murder most foul, Inspector Littlejohn must uncover the dark secrets of a sleepy English village in this classic mystery. It’s a quiet night at the Oddfellow’s Arms until a stranger walks in. He looks like your average, untrustworthy, street corner spiv. But when he starts ranting to anyone who will listen about a dead body at Fennings’ Mill, he seems more like a raving lunatic. When local police investigate the mad-man’s tale, they find a grimly peculiar corpse: the face is smeared with theatrical makeup and a false mustache is pasted neatly over the lip. Once reporters descend on the tiny village, Scotland Yard sends Inspector Littlejohn to assist the investigation. But he quickly discovers that more than a few residents are telling lies, and the victim’s costume conceals a truly perplexing case.

Download or read book Murder Makes Mistakes written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inspector Littlejohn faces the most baffling case of his career when a killer in Cheshire strikes close to home in this acclaimed mystery series. It’s a shock what happens to Sergeant Cromwell, faithful friend and assistant to Superintendent Littlejohn. While attending his uncle’s funeral in the pretty village of Rushton Inferior, he is shot in the head. Now, Littlejohn faces a distressing crisis—and a perplexing question: Why was Cromwell shot in Rushton, where he is quite unknown? Littlejohn rushes north to the hospital where his sergeant is lying. There, he learns that the crime was committed with the smallest bullet the surgeon has ever seen. A shot from a pop gun, in fact. As the famous superintendent gets to work, he unravels a series of secrets and incidents that shed new light on Rushton—and his friend.

Download or read book Corpses in Enderby written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A murder in plain sight brings Scotland Yard to investigate family secrets in a sleepy English town in this mystery from the beloved series. In the close-knit community of Enderby, Ned Bunn wasn’t what you’d call popular. In fact, there were some fellow residents who wished him dead. But when Bunn is found dead on the doorstep of his own shop, the town is in shock. As Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard investigates, he finds more than typical small-town animosity in the victim’s past. Surprising revelations about Bunn and his family bring new leads—and new suspects—to this unexpectedly baffling case.

Download or read book Corpse at the Carnival written by George Bellairs and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a seaside festival ends in murder, Superintendent Littlejohn gets caught up in a baffling investigation in this acclaimed British mystery series. It’s holiday time in Douglas and the town is alive with the local carnival. A brass band and bagpipes lead a procession down the promenade, and the cheering onlookers slowly make their way to the pier. But when the crowd thins and the promenade empties, a man is found dead at the center . . . Detective Littlejohn, who happens to be in town visiting a friend, now faces a perplexing case. In a small town that runs on gossip, nobody seems to know the victim. The waitress who identified him knew him only as ‘Uncle Fred.’ Who would want to murder an anonymous man? It soon becomes clear there is more to Uncle Fred than initially thought. As Littlejohn is pulled deeper into the mystery, the layers of Uncle Fred’s secretive life begin to unravel and the superintendent finds himself racing to prevent a second murder . . .

Download or read book Saving Grace Cry Me a River written by Nancy Holder and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2009-10-27 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A dazzling novel based on the hit television series Saving Grace In the shadow of past misfortune, Oklahoma police detective Grace Hanadarko lives life hard and fast. After Grace’s drinking and driving leads to tragedy, an uncharacteristic angel named Earl answers her prayers and hopes to guide her back on the right path. But saving Grace is about to become a hell of a ride. Ever defiant and rebellious, Grace does have a soft side, especially for kids. The body of a teenage boy dredged out of the Oklahoma River appears to be a suicide. But Grace soon discovers that the boy, Zack Lacey, may have been murdered, the victim of a brutal hate crime. As Grace digs with her typical driven style, she uncovers shocking secrets in young Zack’s life, forcing her to wrestle with questions of faith, hope, and justice. She’ ll deliver justice for the boy. As for faith–well, she’s working on it.

Download or read book Long Bright River written by Liz Moore and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, PARADE, REAL SIMPLE, and BUZZFEED AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK "[Moore’s] careful balance of the hard-bitten with the heartfelt is what elevates Long Bright River from entertaining page-turner to a book that makes you want to call someone you love.” – The New York Times Book Review "This is police procedural and a thriller par excellence, one in which the city of Philadelphia itself is a character (think Boston and Mystic River). But it’s also a literary tale narrated by a strong woman with a richly drawn personal life – powerful and genre-defying.” – People "A thoughtful, powerful novel by a writer who displays enormous compassion for her characters. Long Bright River is an outstanding crime novel… I absolutely loved it." —Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl on the Train Two sisters travel the same streets, though their lives couldn't be more different. Then one of them goes missing. In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, two once-inseparable sisters find themselves at odds. One, Kacey, lives on the streets in the vise of addiction. The other, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat. They don't speak anymore, but Mickey never stops worrying about her sibling. Then Kacey disappears, suddenly, at the same time that a mysterious string of murders begins in Mickey's district, and Mickey becomes dangerously obsessed with finding the culprit--and her sister--before it's too late. Alternating its present-day mystery with the story of the sisters' childhood and adolescence, Long Bright River is at once heart-pounding and heart-wrenching: a gripping suspense novel that is also a moving story of sisters, addiction, and the formidable ties that persist between place, family, and fate.

Download or read book Harrow the Ninth written by Tamsyn Muir and published by Tordotcom. This book was released on 2020-08-04 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Harrow the Ninth, an Amazon pick for Best SFF of 2020 and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling sequel to Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor's haunted space station. The Locked Tomb is a 2023 Hugo Award Finalist for Best Series! “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!” —Charles Stross on Gideon the Ninth “Unlike anything I've ever read.” —V.E. Schwab on Gideon the Ninth “Deft, tense and atmospheric, compellingly immersive and wildly original.” —The New York Times on Gideon the Ninth She answered the Emperor's call. She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend. In victory, her world has turned to ash. After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders. Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her. Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off? THE LOCKED TOMB SERIES BOOK 1: Gideon the Ninth BOOK 2: Harrow the Ninth BOOK 3: Nona the Ninth BOOK 4: Alecto the Ninth At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.