Download or read book The Guard Hill House Mystery written by Edie Becker and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2007-05 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Jaime Escobar gets a disturbing e-mail asking for help from a woman claiming to be his best friend Michael's sister, he begins an adventure that takes him to a sleepy Southern town full of dangerous secrets. After arriving in Michael's hometown of Front Royal, Virginia, Jaime soon meets Michael's sister, M Forester. M believes her brother has mysteriously disappeared and may be in trouble. Since Jaime hasn't heard from Michael in months, he's inclined to think it's just one of his friend's practical jokes. But everyone in the town-and even other family members-are reluctant to talk about Michael. The only useful piece of information Jaime can glean from the residents is about Michael's home, Guard Hill House. It's haunted, they say, and when ominous drums begin to sound in the house, something terrible is about to happen. Jaime brushes aside their warning and heads to Guard Hill House to try to find clues to Michael's whereabouts. But after one horrifying experience almost kills him, and M has an unexplained, nearly fatal accident, the two realize the power of the old house. Did Michael somehow succumb to its frightening pull-and will they be next?

Download or read book The House Next Door written by Anne Rivers Siddons and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2007-07-03 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The house next door to the Kennedys appears to be haunted by an all-pervasive evil, and the couple watches as a succession of owners becomes engulfed by the sinister force, until the Kennedys set out to destroy the house themselves.

Download or read book The Summit House Mystery written by L. Dougall and published by FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY. This book was released on with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The story's the thing" is a creed to which novel readers are supposed to give unanimous adherence. Art, literary style, study of character, and other of the higher, subtler elements of fiction, good as they are acknowledged to be, must yield first place to "the story," and afterwards shift for themselves the best way they may. How many so-called novel readers adhere to this creed is a matter of question—probably not as many as its exponents believe. Unquestionably there are two forms of fiction—the one in which art, and style, and character are pre-eminent, and control the course of the story, and the one in which "the story's the thing," and often the only thing. But why should not these two forms of fiction be blended? Why should not the art of George Eliot or Mr. Meredith be wedded to the thrilling action and absorbing mystery of Anthony Hope and Sir A. Conan Doyle? In this story, "The Summit House Mystery," Miss Dougall has illustrated so well the possibilities of combining an exciting story with the charm of real literary art, that it must be considered as a model for a better school of popular fiction. In substance and in form it is unusually satisfying. The mystery with which it deals is so impenetrable as to baffle the cleverest reader until the very sentence in which, literally in a flash of light, the secret is revealed; yet from the beginning the story progresses steadily, logically, and without straining or melodramatic claptrap, to the inevitable solution. It is not, in the ordinary sense, a detective story, altho the two elements of concealment and search are present. It is not a "love story," but love, of the noblest order, supplies the cause and the support of the terrible mystery throughout the book. It is, as one has aptly said, a story of mystery "into which a soul has been infused." The rare distinction of its style and the beauty of its language place it far above stories of its class. A wonderful setting is given, high up on the summit of Deer Mountain, in Georgia, and the story seems to take on a quiet dignity, as well as a deeper atmosphere of mystery, from the lofty solitude. Seldom have the beauties of the mountains, "in all their varying moods of cloud, and mist, and glorious night," been painted in truer colors. "The Summit House Mystery" must inevitably set a higher standard for such novels, and the public will thus gain more than this one good story if it shall have, as it deserves, an immense popular success.

Download or read book The Suspicions of Mr Whicher written by Kate Summerscale and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2008-04-07 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dramatic story of the real-life murder that inspired the birth of modern detective fiction.

Download or read book The Red House Mystery written by A. A. Milne and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2012-07-03 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In between tea and billiards, a pair of amateur detectives investigates their host's disappearance. Droll whodunit from the creator of Winnie the Pooh sparkles with witty dialogue, deft plotting, and an amusing cast.

Download or read book The Publishers Weekly written by and published by . This book was released on 1925 with total page 1238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Teen Haunted House Mysteries Bundle Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay Teen Ghost at Dead Lake written by R. Barri Flowers and published by R. Barri Flowers. This book was released on with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teen Haunted House Mysteries Bundle contains two complete YA ghost mystery novels by bestselling author R. Barri Flowers, including Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay and Teen Ghost at Dead Lake. Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay Three years after her father was killed, sixteen-year-old Peyton Delaney, her mother, Melody, and new stepfather, Vance McIntyre, relocate to Shadow Bay, Minnesota and move into an old Victorian. They are unaware of the house's dark history--fifty years ago, a jealous husband snapped, murdering his wife, her lover, and sixteen-year-old daughter before killing himself. But when Peyton begins to have nightmares about the crime and is haunted by a ghostly teenage girl named Caitlyn, she begins to investigate with the help of the caretaker's cute son, Bryant. As the two delve into the supernatural mystery surrounding the house, they discover that the events that led to the tragedy of fifty years ago are somehow intertwined with the present. In other words, history is repeating itself and Peyton, Bryant, and their parents are being drawn into a disturbing case of jealousy, possession, revenge, and murder, while seemingly powerless to prevent the inevitable from taking place all over again. Caitlyn is a ghost who has had to relive the nightmare of being murdered by her father for half a century. When Peyton and her family arrive at the house where Caitlyn’s spirit has remained trapped, she feels a connection to Peyton and knows instinctively that it will take the two of them to not only free Caitlyn at long last, but to prevent her tragedy from becoming one that Peyton too must endure. Teen Ghost at Dead Lake When sixteen-year-old Paige Preston and her mother relocated to Dead Lake, Michigan, they were unaware that a seventeen-year-old previous resident of their house had killed himself by jumping off a cliff into the lake six months earlier. But was it really suicide? Noah Snyder is a ghost. At least he thinks so. Only he's not sure how he died. He recruits the attractive Paige to help him get to the bottom of the mystery so he can move on. Before he died, Noah was the captain of the boys swim team and popular at Dead Lake High School. He had also suffered from depression after losing his father when Noah was just a boy. Paige, who had initially believed she was dealing with an imposter Noah, is stunned to find out that he is a real ghost and that there were more than a few people who may have wanted him dead. Being attracted to a cute teen ghost is no small feat as Paige tries to adjust to life in a new town and help unravel the mystery of his death. In the process, she soon finds herself in danger, as someone wants to keep a deadly secret at all costs. Praise for R. Barri Flowers “Great mystery and I loved the narration. The narrator really brought the story to life! I will highly recommend this mystery to my friends and family!” -- Amazon reviewer on Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay "This was like 'Sweet Valley High' meets 'True Blood'.... Fans of the 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' series will enjoy this series. Great for young readers!" - Jessica's Reviews on Count Dracula’s Teenage Daughter “This book has some serious potential with a really unique idea!... I think my students would really love this book.” -- Brittany Elsen, Book Reviewer on Count Dracula’s Teenage Daughter “The story was fast paced and had a lot of twist and turns... I would recommend this book for people who enjoy a good vampire YA book, it's packed with teenage drama and triangles that will keep you turning the pages.” -- Ordinary Girlz Book Reviews on Out for Blood “A very interesting concept and world that Flowers has written. With the introduction of a few more key players, I see some real potential in the future of the series.” -- Hot Off the Shelves on Out for Blood

Download or read book Mirrorland written by Carole Johnstone and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-04-20 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Unnerving.” —People “Unsettling...unlocks its mysteries slowly.” —The New York Times Book Review “A dark, twisty, and richly atmospheric exploration of the power of imagination” —Ruth Ware, author of The Woman in Cabin 10 “Beautifully written and told with a watchmaker’s precision” (Stephen King), Mirrorland is a thrilling psychological suspense novel about twin sisters, the man they both love, the house that has always haunted them, and the childhood stories they can’t leave behind. Cat lives in Los Angeles, far from 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where she and her estranged twin sister, El, grew up. As kids, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs, full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days, Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband, Ross. But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to 36 Westeryk Road, which hasn’t changed in twenty years. The grand old house is still full of shadowy corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues: a treasure hunt that leads them back to Mirrorland, where the truth lies waiting... A brilliantly crafted story that “feels like the love child of Gillian Flynn and Stephen King” (Greer Hendricks, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about love, betrayal, revenge—and the price of freedom.

Download or read book Ghosts in Glass Houses written by Kay Charles and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-09-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marti Mickkleson sees ghosts. Only her great-grandmother believes her. Since she died the day before Marti was born, her support isn't worth much in the world of the living. When Marti wakes up in a compromising position with her estranged father standing over her, she thinks he owes her a big apology. After all, he's dead and talking to her-and she talks back. Instead, he claims he was murdered and demands she go home and do something about it. She agrees-anything to get her father out of her life and into his own afterlife. In Bicklesburg, she finds her once formidable mother in the throes of dementia, her perfect-prom-queen sister now a lawyer married to a not-so-perfect man, and her bad-boy high school boyfriend a private security guard watching over the family fortress. When her mother wanders away and is found cradling a bloodstained garden gnome, she and Grandma Bertie must uncover a murderer before Marti ends up a ghost herself.

Download or read book Encyclopedia of American Short Films 1926 1959 written by Graham Webb and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2020-07-27 with total page 735 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Short subject films have a long history in American cinemas. These could be anywhere from 2 to 40 minutes long and were used as a "filler" in a picture show that would include a cartoon, a newsreel, possibly a serial and a short before launching into the feature film. Shorts could tackle any topic of interest: an unusual travelogue, a comedy, musical revues, sports, nature or popular vaudeville acts. With the advent of sound-on-film in the mid-to-late 1920s, makers of earlier silent short subjects began experimenting with the short films, using them as a testing ground for the use of sound in feature movies. After the Second World War, and the rising popularity of television, short subject films became far too expensive to produce and they had mostly disappeared from the screens by the late 1950s. This encyclopedia offers comprehensive listings of American short subject films from the 1920s through the 1950s.

Download or read book The Notting Hill Mystery written by Charles Felix and published by e-artnow. This book was released on 2020-12-17 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Source documents compiled by insurance investigator Ralph Henderson are used to build a case against Baron "R___", who is suspected of murdering his wife. The baron's wife died from drinking a bottle of acid, apparently while sleepwalking in her husband's private laboratory. Henderson's suspicions are raised when he learns that the baron recently had purchased five life insurance policies for his wife. As Henderson investigates the case, he discovers not one but three murders. Although the baron's guilt is clear to the reader even from the outset, how he did it remains a mystery. Eventually this is revealed, but how to catch him becomes the final challenge; he seems to have committed the perfect crime.

Download or read book Heap House Iremonger 1 written by Edward Carey and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Part one of an unusual and astonishing new fantasy trilogy that blends fine literary fare with a terrific romp through the reimagined outskirts of Victorian-era London In the imaginary borough of Filching, the extensive Iremonger family (“kings of mildew, moguls of mould”) have made a fortune from junk, building a dark and sprawling mansion from salvage scrap. Heap House is surrounded by the dangerous, noxious, shifting Heaps that stretch beyond its bounds. And within its walls, certain objects begin to display strange signs of life. Young Clod Iremonger is about to be "trousered" and betrothed (unwillingly) to his cousin Pinalippy when he meets the plucky orphan servant Lucy Pennant, with whose help he begins to uncover the dark secrets of his family’s empire. Mystery, romance and the perils of the Heaps await! Gorgeously (and ghoulishly) illustrated by the author, Heap House is peopled with unforgettable characters with delightfully skewed names--anxious, animal-loving Tummis with his pet seagull; menacing cousin Moorcus; dreadful Aunt Rosamud and more. As Carey writes, “Every life is thick with rubbish, but the Iremongers did it with a difference.”

Download or read book Buried Secrets written by Joseph Finder and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2011-06-21 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joseph Finder introduced Nick Heller, a "private spy" who finds out things powerful people want to keep hidden, to widespread acclaim from the critics and wild enthusiasm from the readers, in the New York Times bestselling novel Vanished. Now, in Buried Secrets, Nick Heller returns, finding himself in the middle of a life-or-death situation that's both high-profile and intensely personal. Nick has returned to his old home town of Boston to set up his own shop. There he's urgently summoned by an old family friend. Hedge fund titan Marshall Marcus desperately needs Nick's help. His teenaged daughter, Alexa, has just been kidnapped. Her abduction was clearly a sophisticated professional job, done with extraordinary precision. Alexa, whom Nick has known since she was young, is now buried alive, held prisoner in an underground crypt, a camera trained on her, her suffering streaming live over the internet. She's been left with a limited supply of food and water and, if her father doesn't meet the demands of her shadowy kidnappers, she'll die. And as Nick begins to probe, he discovers that all is not quite right with Marshall Marcus's business. He's being investigated by the FBI, he has a lot of shady investors, his fund is in danger and now he has a lot of powerful enemies who may have the motivation to go after Marcus's daughter. But to find out who's holding Alexa Marcus hostage, Nick has to find out why. Once he does, he uncovers an astonishing conspiracy that reaches far beyond anything he could have imagined. And if he's going to find Alexa in time, he will have to flush out and confront some of his deadliest opponents ever.

Download or read book Matchmaker Mysteries Series The Complete Series written by elise sax and published by 13 Lakes Publishing. This book was released on 2019-01-24 with total page 2220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and Jana DeLeon, Elise Sax’s wickedly funny Matchmaker Mysteries series proves that the road to love comes with a few dead ends. The complete Series Boxed Set is a page-turning beach read and a small town mystery romance of ten novels, two novellas, and the book of Grandma Zelda’s advice. "Elise Sax will win your heart."--New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis * "Sax will make you laugh. Her larger-than-life characters jump off the page and make crazy seem like a fun place to hang out."—New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig * “Elise Sax belongs on every bookshelf.”—New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster * "With quirky characters reminiscent of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and a small-town heroine redolent of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse" --RT Book Reviews * "Fans of laugh-out-loud romantic suspense will enjoy this new author as she joins the ranks of Janet Evanovich."--Booklist, on An Affair to Dismember An Affair to Dismember: * Three months has been Gladie Burger’s limit when it comes to staying in one place. That’s why Gladie is more than a little skeptical when her Grandma Zelda—who is more than a little psychic—recruits her into the family’s matchmaking business in the quaint small town of Cannes, California. What’s more, Gladie is also highly unqualified, having a terrible track record with romance. Still, Zelda is convinced that her granddaughter has her clairvoyant “gift.” But when the going gets tough, Gladie wonders if this gift has a return policy. * When Zelda’s neighbor drops dead in his kitchen, Gladie is swept into his bizarre family’s drama. Despite warnings from the (distractingly gorgeous) chief of police to steer clear of his investigation, Gladie is out to prove that her neighbor’s death was murder. It’s not too long before she’s in way over her head—with the hunky police chief, a dysfunctional family full of possible killers, and yet another mysterious and handsome man, whose attentions she’s unable to ignore. Gladie is clearly being pursued—either by true love or by a murderer. Who will catch her first? * Citizen Pain: * Since joining the family matchmaking business run by her eccentric and psychic Grandma Zelda, Gladie is always looking for love. But when an unbearable toothache knocks her out of commission and into the dentist’s chair, she prays only for relief. No such luck. Emerging from an anesthetic haze, Gladie awakes to find that not only is her tooth still throbbing, but her dentist is dead—and the lead suspect in the murder, office receptionist Belinda, just so happens to be Gladie’s first real client. Now it’s up to Gladie to find Belinda a man and keep her from being locked up behind bars. * As if that weren’t enough distraction, two gorgeous men are vying for Gladie’s attention: Spencer, the playboy chief of police, and Holden, Gladie’s secretive, gorgeously muscled neighbor. Still, Gladie’s not complaining about having a helping hand or two when the case leads her to a dangerously bizarre cult. She may have met her match—and if she’s not careful, it could be her last. * The Wizard of Saws: * Five months have passed since Gladie Burger came to Cannes, California, to join her eccentric Grandma Zelda in the family matchmaking business, and Gladie is quickly mastering the rules of attraction. Her latest fix-up is still going strong and Gladie’s bank account is back in the black—until a rival matchmaker arrives in town and has both Gladie and Zelda seeing red. * Not only is self-proclaimed psychic Luanda Laughing-Eagle stealing Grandma Zelda’s clients, but Zelda is convinced that Luanda’s ESP is total BS. She tasks Gladie with exposing Luanda as a fraud, but Gladie’s attention is diverted when murder comes a-calling. Spencer Bolton, the gorgeous chief of police and Gladie’s on-again, off-again flame, wants her to stay out of the investigation–and away from the deliciously chiseled detective who also aims to win Gladie’s heart. But the one thing Gladie’s learned is that in business, love and murder . . . it’s always personal. * Field of Screams: * Since joining the family matchmaking business run by her eccentric and psychic Grandma Zelda, Gladie has had little success. Involved on one level or another—hot sex, almost committed, and crying in her pillow—with three men, Gladie distracts herself by giving up on matchmaking and starting a new career. But when Gladie stumbles on body parts of dead baseball players all over town, she’s dragged into solving yet another murder mystery. With her life in chaos and the killer getting closer, Gladie has to come to terms with the fact that love is murder. * From Fear to Eternity: * It’s still up in the air whether Gladie really has her psychic grandmother’s “gift,” but she’s determined to finally give matchmaking her best shot. She’s also determined to give her new relationship with hottie Police Chief Spencer Bolton a shot…that is, if she can find him. * Despite her good intentions, Gladie is being sued by a matchmaking client, but even with bankruptcy around the corner, that’s not her biggest problem. There seems to be a rash of dead senior citizens popping up at the tea shop owner’s family home. Gladie is recruited to find the murderer, but this time she may have met her match—and if she’s not careful, it could be her last. * West Side Gory: * Life is going great for Gladie Burger. She’s having lots of sex with her hottie boyfriend, Chief of Police Spencer Bolton, she’s settled into her matchmaking career, she’s got a new car, and it’s been over two weeks since she’s stumbled on a dead body. It seems like she’s finally got her life on track, since she moved in with her psychic grandmother to help her with her matchmaking business. * But when a stomach ache proves to be more serious, she finds herself in West Side Hospital, preparing for surgery. Befriending the woman in the next bed in her hospital room, she becomes distressed when the woman vanishes. Alerting the hospital staff, they tell her that the woman never existed. Has Gladie lost her mind, or is something more sinister happening at West Side Hospital? * Scareplane: * Gladie is nervous about her upcoming vacation with hottie police chief Spencer Bolton. She’s never flown before, and she’s not looking forward to the experience. Her fear is heightened when a plane crashes into the house across the street. But there’s little time to think about it because their town is hosting a law enforcement conference, where Southern California’s finest are coming to discuss law and order. Everything is going to plan. Spencer is hailed as a great police chief, and Gladie is fixing up half of the town…until one of the guests—a famous police czar—drops dead. Now everyone is a suspect, and Gladie is being prevented from investigating the death by the new police detective on the force…a hottie female cop who thinks Gladie is enemy #1 and Spencer is marriage material. * It Happened one Fright: * Spencer might have marriage on his mind, but Gladie is distracted by her best friend’s troubles and a busy matchmaking month. The father of Bridget’s baby is threatening to take custody away from her, and when he winds up murdered, Bridget becomes the top suspect. Now, Gladie must juggle her own love life, her matchmaking, and proving that Bridget is innocent, not to mention dealing with the town’s attempt to break the world record for the largest Easter egg hunt. But poking around is dangerous, and Gladie could be next on the killer’s hit list. * The Big Kill: * Progress is being made on Gladie’s house and her impending wedding. Meanwhile, her best friend Bridget is ready to give birth. But all of that takes a backseat to Gladie’s discovery in her grandmother’s attic about her father. It looks like her father’s motorcycle accident when she was a child was no accident, and now Gladie is thrust into her father’s world, where his best friends could have been his murderers. Will Gladie find the killer before she’s next? * It’s a Wonderful Knife: * It’s wedding time in Cannes. Gladie’s wedding. But once again, love has to take a backseat to murder. Will Gladie’s wedding go off without a hitch? Ha! Just kidding. Enjoy the mayhem as Gladie and Spencer finally say their vows and realize their happily ever after. * Ship of Ghouls: * Gladie and Spencer are finally married. After they’re gifted a honeymoon cruise, they’re on their way into international waters. But the ship is less than luxurious, and the ship’s crew isn’t what they seem. When Gladie stumbles on a dead body, the newlyweds are thrust into a life-or-death mystery. Gladie’s “gift” could come in handy to find the killer, but she might find herself overboard before justice is served. * Road to Matchmaker: * A month before Gladie Burger moves to the small town of Cannes, California to help in her grandmother’s matchmaking business, she’s busy moving from one temporary job to the next. Living in Los Angeles in a studio apartment over an Italian restaurant, she works in a used book store doing inventory, but she spends most of her time reading the collection of old murder mysteries. After an accident involving the books, Gladie has lost her memory and believes she’s the detective in the last book that she read. Determined to track down her arch nemesis, Gladie finds herself in a real-life mystery and an adventure of a lifetime. * Matchmaking Advice From Your Grandma Zelda: * The complete collection of Grandma Zelda’s matchmaking advice from the bestselling Matchmaking Mysteries series. All of her words of wisdom are here, and as a bonus, Yiddish definitions and introductions by Elise Sax and Grandma Zelda are included. Zelda’s humorous words of wisdom about love and life are a shot of happiness, sure to brighten anyone’s day.

Download or read book Boxed Secrets written by Mary Jo Stanley and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2011-05 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Louise Pierce Perkins has been unsuccessful in undermining Vivian Black's marriage to John Williams, the man of Louise's dreams. Louise, married hurriedly to an attorney only to prevent being disinherited by her rich aunt, still desires the wealthy heir to a ship-building business whose family is listed on the Social Register. She has discovered that her deceased mother had some safety deposit boxes and wants to know what is in them. In this part of the saga, she decides to hire a private detective to find out any secrets about her aunt, Vivian, and Vivian's mother. Louise should be careful when she asks the courts to force Emily to let her see what's in the bank boxes because she might just get it. Although Emily and Belle find out what's in the boxes, they both vow never to reveal the contents to either Louise or her brother, William. They try to protect Louise from herself and her greed. "Boxed Secrets" is the second part of the family saga about the Coleman, Pierce, and Black families. What did Louise's mother hide in the boxes to protect her children? What new tactics will Louise try to get even with Vivian? What will Louise do to maintain her own social status? Numerous revelations are made in this book about both Louise and her relatives as they try to either hide or find out what lurks inside the "Boxed Secrets".

Download or read book Matchmaker Mysteries Books 1 4 written by elise sax and published by 13 Lakes Publishing. This book was released on 2019-01-24 with total page 968 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and Jana DeLeon, Elise Sax’s wickedly funny Matchmaker Mysteries series proves that the road to love comes with a few dead ends. The Books 1-4 Boxed Set is a page-turning beach read and a small town mystery romance and includes the books An Affair to Dismember, Citizen Pain, The Wizard of Saws, and Field of Screams. "Elise Sax will win your heart."--New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis * "Sax will make you laugh. Her larger-than-life characters jump off the page and make crazy seem like a fun place to hang out."—New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig * “Elise Sax belongs on every bookshelf.”—New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster * "With quirky characters reminiscent of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and a small-town heroine redolent of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse" --RT Book Reviews * "Fans of laugh-out-loud romantic suspense will enjoy this new author as she joins the ranks of Janet Evanovich."--Booklist, on An Affair to Dismember An Affair to Dismember: * Three months has been Gladie Burger’s limit when it comes to staying in one place. That’s why Gladie is more than a little skeptical when her Grandma Zelda—who is more than a little psychic—recruits her into the family’s matchmaking business in the quaint small town of Cannes, California. What’s more, Gladie is also highly unqualified, having a terrible track record with romance. Still, Zelda is convinced that her granddaughter has her clairvoyant “gift.” But when the going gets tough, Gladie wonders if this gift has a return policy. * When Zelda’s neighbor drops dead in his kitchen, Gladie is swept into his bizarre family’s drama. Despite warnings from the (distractingly gorgeous) chief of police to steer clear of his investigation, Gladie is out to prove that her neighbor’s death was murder. It’s not too long before she’s in way over her head—with the hunky police chief, a dysfunctional family full of possible killers, and yet another mysterious and handsome man, whose attentions she’s unable to ignore. Gladie is clearly being pursued—either by true love or by a murderer. Who will catch her first? * Citizen Pain: * Since joining the family matchmaking business run by her eccentric and psychic Grandma Zelda, Gladie is always looking for love. But when an unbearable toothache knocks her out of commission and into the dentist’s chair, she prays only for relief. No such luck. Emerging from an anesthetic haze, Gladie awakes to find that not only is her tooth still throbbing, but her dentist is dead—and the lead suspect in the murder, office receptionist Belinda, just so happens to be Gladie’s first real client. Now it’s up to Gladie to find Belinda a man and keep her from being locked up behind bars. * As if that weren’t enough distraction, two gorgeous men are vying for Gladie’s attention: Spencer, the playboy chief of police, and Holden, Gladie’s secretive, gorgeously muscled neighbor. Still, Gladie’s not complaining about having a helping hand or two when the case leads her to a dangerously bizarre cult. She may have met her match—and if she’s not careful, it could be her last. * The Wizard of Saws: * Five months have passed since Gladie Burger came to Cannes, California, to join her eccentric Grandma Zelda in the family matchmaking business, and Gladie is quickly mastering the rules of attraction. Her latest fix-up is still going strong and Gladie’s bank account is back in the black—until a rival matchmaker arrives in town and has both Gladie and Zelda seeing red. * Not only is self-proclaimed psychic Luanda Laughing-Eagle stealing Grandma Zelda’s clients, but Zelda is convinced that Luanda’s ESP is total BS. She tasks Gladie with exposing Luanda as a fraud, but Gladie’s attention is diverted when murder comes a-calling. Spencer Bolton, the gorgeous chief of police and Gladie’s on-again, off-again flame, wants her to stay out of the investigation–and away from the deliciously chiseled detective who also aims to win Gladie’s heart. But the one thing Gladie’s learned is that in business, love and murder . . . it’s always personal. * Field of Screams: * Since joining the family matchmaking business run by her eccentric and psychic Grandma Zelda, Gladie has had little success. Involved on one level or another—hot sex, almost committed, and crying in her pillow—with three men, Gladie distracts herself by giving up on matchmaking and starting a new career. But when Gladie stumbles on body parts of dead baseball players all over town, she’s dragged into solving yet another murder mystery. With her life in chaos and the killer getting closer, Gladie has to come to terms with the fact that love is murder.

Download or read book Palace of the Drowned written by Christine Mangan and published by Flatiron Books. This book was released on 2021-06-01 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of Tangerine, a "taut and mesmerizing follow up...voluptuously atmospheric and surefooted at every turn” (Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go Dark). It’s 1966 and Frankie Croy retreats to her friend’s vacant palazzo in Venice. Years have passed since the initial success of Frankie’s debut novel and she has spent her career trying to live up to the expectations. Now, after a particularly scathing review of her most recent work, alongside a very public breakdown, she needs to recharge and get re-inspired. Then Gilly appears. A precocious young admirer eager to make friends, Gilly seems determined to insinuate herself into Frankie’s solitary life. But there’s something about the young woman that gives Frankie pause. How much of what Gilly tells her is the truth? As a series of lies and revelations emerge, the lives of these two women will be tragically altered as the catastrophic 1966 flooding of Venice ravages the city. Suspenseful and transporting, Christine Mangan's Palace of the Drowned brings the mystery of Venice to life while delivering a twisted tale of ambition and human nature.