Download or read book The Sea Glass Murders written by Timothy Cole and published by Linden Publishing. This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A headless corpse tossed in a dumpster unites a small-town cop and a formidable retired lady spy to track a killer in a wealthy New England neighborhood. A decapitated body burned to a crisp might be found in any dumpster in any city in America, but not in the aristocratic Gold Coast community of Westport, Connecticut. Local cop Tony DeFranco dutifully collects evidence, knowing that the State Police will take over the case. But when the state investigator tries to cover up the murder, DeFranco starts a rogue investigation. DeFranco forms an alliance with retired CIA case officer Dasha Petrov, whose elderly, ladylike appearance masks a lifetime’s experience with violence and deception. As the body count mounts, DeFranco relies on Dasha’s insights and skills acquired over decades of global troubleshooting to stop a killer operating at the pinnacle of American power. A glimpse at the sordid underside of position and wealth, The Sea Glass Murders is an action mystery with an immersive, fast-paced plot and unforgettable characters.

Download or read book Sea Glass House Murder written by Susan Bridges Winters and published by Susan Winters. This book was released on 2023-08-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Suddenly, Cici stops and appears to be looking under the old, gray, wooden dock. I slip my cell phone into the pocket of my tattered, blue jean shorts and run down the stairs heading to the dock. Cici was still staring under the dock when I ask, "Cici, what's wrong?" Cici keeps her focus under the dock and starts to drag something from under the dock. Seaweed is hanging on the thing as she drags it into the orange canoe. She places her fingers on what appears to be the neck on a body and begins to check for a pulse. "What is it?" I asked seeing tears gently flowing down Cici's face.

Download or read book Murder This Close written by Timothy Cole and published by Linden Publishing. This book was released on 2022-06-07 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the wealthy Gold Coast enclave of Westport, a feud between mystery writers turns deadly—and retired spy Dasha Petrov must find the real killer to clear her name. Once one of the most lethal secret agents in the world, Dasha Petrov has hunted Nazis, Communists, and one common murderer (in The Sea Glass Murders, the first Dasha Petrov thriller). But now it’s 1991, two years after that unpleasantness, and Dasha is living a sedate life appropriate to an elderly widow in wealthy Westport, Connecticut, spoiling her grandchildren and innocently flirting with two of her neighbors, the rival mystery novelists Barnaby Jayne and Michael Aubrey. The two writers, both wildly successful and many times married, cordially despise each other. Dasha thinks they’re just two silly men with big egos, but the writers’ feud boils over into a bizarre series of attacks that starts with a blowgun dart and escalates to booby traps and car bombs. And when Jayne and Aubrey both turn up dead, the evidence points to one suspect—Dasha herself. Now Dasha has to once again call upon her cunning mind and capacity for extreme violence, honed by her younger years as a Nazi-killing partisan and a top-rank CIA agent. Teaming up with her old allies, Westport police chief Tony DeFranco and local TV reporter Tracy Taggart, Dasha sets out to clear her name, find the real killer, and figure out why she was targeted—while dodging jealous wives, a sleazy tabloid reporter, child spies, and a fearsome Mafia hit man, leading to a tense and dramatic confrontation. Fast-paced and filled with intriguing characterization, Murder This Close is a stunning murder mystery with a twisty cerebral plot and plenty of hard-hitting action.

Download or read book Murder At the Lighthouse written by Frances Evesham and published by Boldwood Books Ltd. This book was released on 2020-05-11 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever found a body on the beach? Recently widowed Libby Forest arrives in the small coastal town of Exham-on-Sea, keen to start a new life baking cakes and designing chocolates. Walking on the beach one stormy autumn day, Libby and excitable Springer Spaniel ‘Shipley’ discover a dead body under the lighthouse. Convinced the death was no accident, Libby teams up with Max Ramshore, an attractive local resident, and Bear, a huge sheepdog, to confront indifference from the community and unmask the killer. Murder at the Lighthouse is the first in a series of Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries set at the small English seaside town full of quirky characters, sea air and gossip. If you love Agatha Christie-style mysteries, cosy crime, clever dogs and cake, then you'll love these intriguing whodunnits. THE EXHAM-ON-SEA MURDER MYSTERIES: 1. Murder at the Lighthouse 2. Murder on the Levels: 3. Murder on the Tor: 4. Murder at the Cathedral 5. Murder at the Bridge 6. Murder at the Castle 7. Murder at the Gorge 8. Murder at the Abbey Other Books by Frances Evesham in the Ham Hill Murder Mystery series A Village Murder A Racing Murder A Harvest Murder Here's what readers are saying about the series: 'This is a perfect short, cosy mystery.' 'It makes you wonder if English country villages are safe places to live. But I certainly would given half a chance.' 'Frances Evesham has invented an array of lively village personalities to get in Libby's way from her Goth teenage lodger to the pompous chair of the women's group or the rude but kindly garage proprietor." 'With every book, I grow more fond of Libby and Exham.' 'If you like Miss Marple this amateur sleuth will enthral you.'

Download or read book Murder at the Bridge written by Frances Evesham and published by Boldwood Books Ltd. This book was released on 2020-05-11 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A summer wedding, a stolen heirloom, an eccentric aunt. What could possibly go wrong? When a suspicious death follows a country wedding, Libby Forest’s instincts tell her there's something deeply amiss in the picturesque villages of Exmoor. Alongside her on-off partner Max Ramshore, Libby delves deeper into the mysterious goings-on at Upper Compton as a sinister new acquaintance casts a foreboding shadow over Libby’s investigations. As people begin to disappear, it’s a race against time to uncover the Exmoor secrets before it’s too late. For lovers of cosy murder mysteries, Agatha Christie novels, Midsomer Murders, Murder She Wrote, lovable pets, cake and chocolate, the Exham-on-Sea Mysteries are set in a close-knit community at the Somerset seaside, full of colourful local characters. The green fields, rolling hills and sandy beaches of the English West Country provide the perfect setting for crime, intrigue and mystery. THE EXHAM-ON-SEA MURDER MYSTERIES: 1. Murder at the Lighthouse 2. Murder on the Levels 3. Murder on the Tor 4. Murder at the Cathedral 5. Murder at the Bridge 6. Murder at the Castle 7. Murder at the Gorge 8. Murder at the Abbey Other Books in the Ham Hill Murder Mystery series by Frances Evesham A Village Murder A Racing Murder A Harvest Murder What readers say about the series: 'It makes you wonder if English country villages are safe places to live. But I certainly would given half a chance.' 'Exham on Sea is populated with wonderful characters.' 'With every book, I grow more fond of Libby and Exham; this time it already felt like coming home.' 'If you like Miss Marple this amateur sleuth will enthral you.' 'A series to watch out for.'

Download or read book Honeymoon With Murder written by Carolyn Hart and published by Crimeline. This book was released on 2010-08-04 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In sickness and in health . . . Mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance and detective Max Darling are finally tying the knot, but a bizarre sequence of events might unravel this blissful marriage before it begins. With the ceremony completed and the champagne goblets emptied, Max sweeps Annie into his arms for an amorous moment . . . when the phone rings and a woman on the other end of the line screams bloody murder! The newlyweds rush to the scene of the crime, only to discover that Ingrid Jones, Annie's bookstore assistant, has vanished, leaving the body of a neighborhood Peeping Tom on her living room rug. As the community of Broward's Rock, including a dotty New Age psychic and Annie's meddling new mother-in-law, mobilizes to find the missing woman, the cold corpse puts the honeymoon plans on the shelf . . . and Annie's love of investigation threatens to bring the big chill to Max's hungry heart.

Download or read book Sea Glass Sunrise written by Donna Kauffman and published by Zebra Books. This book was released on 2015-06-01 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A downhearted lawyer and a hard-headed contractor might solve a mystery if they can stop fighting in this romance from a USA Today–bestselling author. In seaside Blueberry Cove, Maine, friends are just another word for family, and big-city politics take a backseat to local pride. But the real treasure on these shores is always love… When D.C. lawyer Hannah McCrae heads home to Blueberry Cove for her brother’s wedding, she’s dragging a lot of baggage along with her—and she doesn’t mean suitcases. Betrayed personally, and humiliated professionally, the last thing she wants is a new man. That’s fine with square-jawed, rugged contractor Calder Blue. He and Hannah may be wildly attracted to one another, but all he wants is to build the town’s hotly contested new yacht club and mend a centuries-old family feud. Yet thanks to resentments old and new, day after day the pair wind up tangled in each other’s business—and maybe soon in each other’s arms. Includes a delicious wedding cake recipe! “Charming characters, emotion galore, a small town—you’re going to love Donna Kauffman!”—Lori Foster “A fun summer book with a touch of mystery set in [a] sleepy little seaside town.”—Harlequin Junkie

Download or read book Love Story With Murders written by Harry Bingham and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2014-02-18 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Harry Bingham’s Talking to the Dead introduced readers to one of the most compelling new heroines in crime fiction, Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths, earning comparisons to Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander. Now D.C. Griffiths returns to investigate a series of gruesome murders—and their connection to her own shadowy past. D.C. Fiona Griffiths is facing the prospect of a dull weekend when the call comes in, something about illegal dumping in a Cardiff suburb. But when she arrives on the scene she finds, in a garage freezer, a severed human leg, complete with a pink suede high-heeled shoe. South Wales police are able to ID the body part as that of a young woman who went missing five years earlier; a young woman who once made a living as an exotic dancer. All at once, Fiona’s job as a detective and her role as a loving daughter collide: Fiona’s father owns a Cardiff strip club and was once deeply involved in the local crime scene. Still in recovery from a devastating psychotic breakdown, Fiona is wary of exploring a path that might end at her father’s door . . . yet her obsessive approach to criminal investigation leaves her no other option. But Fiona’s specialty is not the living, it is the dead. And as she is just starting to get into the murdered girl’s head, a severed hand is found—and this one is male. Soon, police are swamped with an increasing number of body parts found in and around suburban gardens, sheds, and garages. Media attention is intense, and investigators are working from a list of hundreds of persons of interest. When the department identifies the second victim, Fiona struggles to connect him with the dead stripper. What do the victims have in common? And why this macabre method of disposing the corpses? The answers may be more than Fiona can handle. Because in order to solve the riddle of these hideous murders, D.C. Fiona Griffiths will have to delve into the mysteries of her past—and hope she comes out intact . . . and alive. Praise for Love Story, with Murders “A most intriguing, if peculiar, detective . . . Although his volatile protagonist certainly dominates the first-person narrative, [Harry] Bingham doesn’t stint on plot (very complicated), procedures (very detailed) or action (very brutal). . . . Satisfying.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review “Love Story, with Murders is a dark delight, and I look forward to Fiona’s future struggles with criminals, her demons and the mysteries of her past.”—The Washington Post “Bingham’s superb second police procedural featuring Det. Constable Fiona Griffiths delivers an even more intense plot and richer character study than his first. . . . Fiona’s past mental problems and her unconventional personality make her a distinctive lead.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Some of the most memorably staccato narration in the genre . . . [Bingham’s] remote, unquenchable heroine makes her stand apart from every one of her procedural brothers and sisters.”—Kirkus Reviews “Compelling . . . [Love Story, with Murders] amply proves the freshness and flair that [Bingham] has brought to the police procedural. . . . Surprisingly delicate, it weaves a sinuous, seductive spell and confirms we have a new crime talent to treasure.”—Daily Mail (UK) “Love Story, with Murders boasts what must be the most startling protagonist in modern crime fiction.”—The Sunday Times (London) From the Hardcover edition.

Download or read book Murder by the Sea written by Kathleen Bridge and published by Lyrical Underground. This book was released on 2019-05-21 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a murderer crashes a masquerade ball, it's up to Liz to unmask the killer . . . It's been quite a year for novelist Liz Holt. She's overcome a lot and is finally feeling at peace with her new life at her family's hotel, the Indialantic by the Sea, on the beautiful barrier island of Melbourne Beach, Florida. She's ready to ring in the New Year at the Florida Writes Literary Masquerade Ball. But when her ex-boyfriend surprises her at the ball, she can't disguise her anger, and the two engage in a very public argument. When her ex turns up on the hotel grounds, shot through the heart, Liz finds herself topping the suspect list. With the help of family and friends, she needs to clear her name before the real killer waltzes away scot-free . . . Recipes included! Praise for Kathleen Bridge “A delightful sneak peek into life in the Hamptons, with intricate plotting and a likeable, down-to-earth protagonist. A promising start to a promising series.” —Suspense Magazine on Better Homes and Corpses “The descriptions of furniture and other antiques, as well as juicy tidbits on the Hamptons, make for entertaining reading for those who enjoy both antiques and lifestyles of the rich and famous.” —Booklist on Better Homes and Corpses “An excellent read.” —RT Book Reviews on Hearse and Gardens “Ghostal Living is a marvelously entertaining tale of revenge, murder, quirky characters—and disappearing books! With a clever protagonist, wonderful details of life in the Hamptons, and plot twists on top of plot twists, Kathleen Bridge will have mystery readers clamoring for more.” —Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author

Download or read book Murder by the Book written by Lauren Elliott and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2018-10-30 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Addie Greyborne loved working with rare books at the Boston Public Library—she even got to play detective, tracking down clues about mysterious old volumes. But she didn’t expect her sleuthing skills to come in so handy in a little seaside town . . . Addie left some painful memories behind in the big city, including the unsolved murder of her fiancé and her father’s fatal car accident. After an unexpected inheritance from a great aunt, she’s moved to a small New England town founded by her ancestors back in colonial times—and living in spacious Greyborne Manor, on a hilltop overlooking the harbor. Best of all, her aunt also left her countless first editions and other treasures—providing an inventory to start her own store. But there’s trouble from day one, and not just from the grumpy woman who runs the bakery next door. A car nearly runs Addie down. Someone steals a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Then, Addie’s friend Serena, who owns a nearby tea shop, is arrested—for killing another local merchant. The police seem pretty sure they’ve got the story in hand, but Addie’s not going to let them close the book on this case without a fight . . .

Download or read book Murder at the Abbey written by Frances Evesham and published by Boldwood Books Ltd. This book was released on 2021-11-11 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Brand NEW instalment in the bestselling Exham-on-Sea series. An unsolved murder echoes down the corridors of Cleeve Abbey for years. The Exham-on-Sea’s History Society's annual summer picnic comes to an abrupt end when human bones are discovered in Washford River, beside historic Cleeve Abbey. Thrilled to find evidence of a possible centuries-old murder mystery, the members of the society organise a ghost-hunting night in the ruins of Cleeve Abbey, despite amateur sleuth Libby Forest's reservations. Libby is a woman of many talents, a baker, chocolatier, even a reluctant sleuth, but she's no fan of the supernatural.and her doubts are justified when a friend is attacked under cover of darkness at the ghost-hunt. Distressed and angry, Libby sets out with her new husband Max and their two dogs Bear and Shipley to uncover the connection between the murder of a sixteenth century monk and a present-day attack in picturesque Somerset. With friends and neighbours as suspects, Libby and Max close in on the culprit only to find that others are still in danger. There's no time to lose as the sins of the past threaten lives in the community. Murder at the Abbey is the eighth in a series of Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries from the small English seaside town full of quirky characters, sea air, and gossip. If you love Agatha Christie-style mysteries, cosy crime, clever dogs and cake, then you'll love these intriguing whodunnits.THE EXHAM-ON-SEA MURDER MYSTERIES: 1. Murder at the Lighthouse 2. Murder on the Levels: 3. Murder on the Tor: 4. Murder at the Cathedral 5. Murder at the Bridge 6. Murder at the Castle 7. Murder at the Gorge 8. Murder at the Abbey Books in the Ham Hill Murder Mystery series by Frances Evesham A Village Murder A Racing Murder A Harvest Murder

Download or read book A Time to Swill written by Sherry Harris and published by A Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Salo. This book was released on 2021-07-27 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Saloon owner Chloe Jackson is after a murderer with skeletons in the closet--and one on a boat. BAD TO THE BONE Chloe loves her new life pouring beers and mixing cocktails at the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida Panhandle town of Emerald Cove. But on the job, the only exercise she gets is walking from one end of the bar to the other, so in the mornings she loves to run on the beach. On this morning's foggy run, she spots a sailboat washed up on a sandbar. Hearing a cry, she climbs aboard the beached vessel to investigate and finds not only a mewling kitten--but a human skeleton in the cabin. The skeleton is tied back to Chloe's friend Ralph, whose wife disappeared on a sailboat with three other people twelve years ago. Believing his wife was lost at sea, Ralph remarried. Now he finds himself a murder suspect. Chloe is determined to find out who's been up to some skulduggery, but her sleuthing will lead her into some rough waters and some bone-chilling revelations...

Download or read book The Fleur de Sel Murders written by Jean-Luc Bannalec and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2018-04-24 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Commissaire Dupin is back in The Fleur de Sel Murders, this Brittany mystery from international bestselling author Jean-Luc Bannalec. The old salt farmers have always said that the violet scent of the Fleur de Sel at harvest time on the salt marshes of the Guérande Peninsula has been known to cause hallucinations. Commissaire Dupin also starts to believe this when he’s attacked out of the blue in the salt works. He had actually been looking forward to escaping his endless paperwork and taking a trip to the “white country” between the raging Atlantic Ocean and idyllic rivers. But when he starts snooping around mysterious barrels on behalf of Lilou Breval, a journalist friend, he finds himself unexpectedly under attack. The offender remains a mystery, and a short time later, Breval disappears without a trace. It is thanks to his secretary Nolwenn and the ambition of the prefect that Dupin is assigned to the case. But he won’t be working alone because Sylvaine Rose is the investigator responsible for the department—and she lives up to her name... What’s going on in the salt works? Dupin and Rose search feverishly for clues and stumble upon false alibis, massive conflicts of interest, personal feuds—and ancient Breton legends.

Download or read book Three Shots to the Wind written by Sherry Harris and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2022-03-29 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Series Featured in Buzzfeed Books! Chloe’s Windy City ex-fiancé gets blown away in the Florida panhandle . . . DEAD EXES TELL NO TALES Saloon owner Chloe Jackson appears to have a secret admirer. She’s pouring drinks at the Sea Glass Saloon in Emerald Cove when an airplane flies by above the beach with a banner reading I LOVE YOU CHLOE JACKSON. She immediately rules out Rip Barnett. They are in the early stages of dating and no one has said the L word. Then a bouquet of lilacs—her favorite flower—is delivered to the bar, followed by an expensive bottle of her favorite sparkling wine. It couldn’t be . . . Sure enough, her ex-fiancé from Chicago has flown down to Florida for an accountants’ convention. But is he trying to mix business with pleasure and win her back? Unfortunately he’s not in a hotel conference room, he’s floating facedown in the lake next to her house, clutching a photo of Chloe. Who murders an accountant on a business trip—it just doesn’t add up. When Rip becomes the prime suspect, Chloe is determined to find the secret murderer. But if she isn’t careful, it may be closing time and lights out for her . . . “Entertaining . . . a pleasantly appealing debut series.” —Dru’s Books Musings

Download or read book The Real Town Murders written by Adam Roberts and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2017-08-24 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alma is a private detective in a near-future England, a country desperately trying to tempt people away from the delights of Shine, the immersive successor to the internet. But most people are happy to spend their lives plugged in, and the country is decaying. Alma's partner is ill, and has to be treated without fail every 4 hours, a task that only Alma can do. If she misses the 5 minute window her lover will die. She is one of the few not to access the Shine. So when Alma is called to an automated car factory to be shown an impossible death and finds herself caught up in a political coup, she knows that getting too deep may leave her unable to get home. What follows is a fast-paced Hitchcockian thriller as Alma evades arrest, digs into the conspiracy, and tries to work out how on earth a dead body appeared in the boot of a freshly-made car in a fully-automated factory.

Download or read book Murder at the Gorge written by Frances Evesham and published by Boldwood Books Ltd. This book was released on 2020-11-17 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A joke? A prank? Or something more sinister? When the Exham-on-Sea residents are targeted by anonymous emails containing apparently harmless nursery rhymes, no one knows whether to laugh or shudder until an unexplained death touches the town. Libby Forest, baker, chocolatier and Exham’s very own resident private investigator, alongside her partner Max Ramshore, set out to solve the puzzle before more people die. But when Max’s ex-wife arrives on the scene, ahead of Max and Libby's long-awaited nuptials, things go from bad to worse. With the town and their relationship under threat, Max and Libby need the help of the Exham History Society if they're going to find the nursery rhyme killer in time. Murder at the Gorge is the seventh in a series of Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries set at the small English seaside town full of quirky characters, sea air, and gossip. If you love Agatha Christie-style mysteries, cosy crime, clever dogs and cake, then you'll love these intriguing whodunnits.THE EXHAM-ON-SEA MURDER MYSTERIES: 1. Murder at the Lighthouse 2. Murder on the Levels 3. Murder on the Tor 4. Murder at the Cathedral 5. Murder at the Bridge 6. Murder at the Castle 7. Murder at the Gorge 8. Murder at the Abbey Books in the Ham Hill Murder Mystery series also by Frances Evesham A Village Murder A Racing Murder A Harvest Murder What readers are saying about Murder at the Gorge: 'The ideal book to read during lockdown. The only problem is that I am sure that I have put weight on reading about all the cakes and chocolate.' 'A well-constructed storyline with plenty of angles and suspects to be worked on.' 'Another great book from Frances Evesham... loved every minute. Can't wait for the next one.'

Download or read book Murder at the Castle written by Frances Evesham and published by Boldwood Books Ltd. This book was released on 2020-05-11 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Libby Forest is hot on the trail of the killer when disaster strikes closer to home. The sudden death of an elderly volunteer at Dunster Castle rocks the Castle’s ancient calm to its core leaving members of the local History Society devastated. When the finger is pointed at a fellow volunteer, his wife Margery fears her husband of forty years may be the killer. Libby Forest, in partnership with Max Ramshore and their two much-loved dogs, Bear and Shipley are determined to find the castle killer – no matter who it may be. Quirky characters, dogs, cake and gossip abound in this Exham-on-Sea Murder Mystery, set in a charming English seaside town of Exham-on-Sea - a book for readers who love Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries, cosy crime, dogs, cake and chocolate. THE EXHAM-ON-SEA MURDER MYSTERIES: 1. Murder at the Lighthouse 2. Murder on the Levels 3. Murder on the Tor 4. Murder at the Cathedral 5. Murder at the Bridge 6. Murder at the Castle 7. Murder at the Gorge 8. Murder at the Abbey Other Books by Frances Evesham in the Ham Hill Murder Mystery series A Village Murder A Racing Murder A Harvest Murder What readers are saying about the series: 'This is a perfect short, cozy mystery.' 'It makes you wonder if English country villages are safe places to live. But I certainly would given half a chance.' 'Frances Evesham has invented an array of lively village personalities to get in Libby's way from her Goth teenage lodger to the pompous chair of the women's group or the rude but kindly garage proprietor.' 'With every book, I grow more fond of Libby and Exham.' 'If you like Miss Marple this amateur sleuth will enthral you.'