Collection: Mystery, Thrillers, & Crime

In her all-new supernatural thriller, bestselling indie horror author Ania Ahlborn asks: How far would you go for success? What would you be capable of if the promise of forever was real?With his marriage on the rocks and his life in shambles, washed-up true-crime writer Lucas Graham is desperate for a comeback, one more shot at the bestselling success he once enjoyed. His chance comes when he's promised exclusive access to death row inmate Jeffrey Halcomb, the notorious cult leader and mass murderer who's ready to break his silence after thirty years, and who contacted Lucas personally from his maximum-security cell. With nothing left to lose, Lucas leaves New York to live and work from the scene of the crime: a split-level farmhouse on a gray-sanded beach in Washington State whose foundation is steeped in the blood of Halcomb's diviners--runaways who were drawn to his message of family, unity, and unconditional love. There, Lucas sets out to capture the real story of the departed faithful. Except that he's not alone. For Jeffrey Halcomb promised his devout eternal life...and within these walls, they're far from dead.

From Ann Cleeves--New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows--comes Telling Tales.

"Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers."--Louise Penny

It has been ten years since Jeanie Long was charged with the murder of fifteen-year-old Abigail Mantel. Now residents of the East Yorkshire village of Elvet are disturbed to hear of new evidence proving Jeanie's innocence. Abigail's killer is still at large.

For one young woman, Emma Bennett, the revelation brings back haunting memories of her vibrant best friend--and of that fearful winter's day when she had discovered her body lying cold in a ditch.

As Inspector Vera Stanhope makes fresh enquiries on the peninsula and villagers are hauled back to a time they hoped to forget, tensions begin to mount. But are people afraid of the killer or of their own guilty pasts?
With each person's story revisited, the Inspector begins to suspect that some deadly secrets are threatening to unfurl...

Ruth Galloway uncovers the bones of what might be a notorious Victorian child murderess and a baby snatcher known as "The Childminder" threatens modern-day Norfolk in this irresistible mystery from Elly Griffiths.

The service of the Outcast Dead is held annually in Norwich, commemorating the bodies in the paupers' graves. This year's proceedings hold special interest for forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway, who has just unearthed the notorious Mother Hook, hanged in 1867 at Norwich Castle for killing multiple children. Now Ruth is reluctantly starring in a TV special, working alongside the alluring historian Dr. Frank Barker. Nearby, DCI Harry Nelson is investigating the case of three children found dead in their home when another child is abducted. A kidnapper dubbed the Childminder claims responsibility, but is the Childminder behind the deaths too? The team races to find out--and after a child close to everyone involved disappears, the stakes couldn't be higher.

"An uncommon, down-to-earth heroine whose acute insight, wry humor, and depth of feeling make her a thoroughly engaging companion."--Erin Hart, Agatha- and Anthony Award-nominated author of Haunted Ground and Lake of Sorrows

Elly Griffiths's Ruth Galloway novels have been praised as "gripping" (Louise Penny), "highly atmospheric," (New York Times Book Review), and "must-reads for fans of crime fiction" (Associated Press). She is the winner of the 2010 Mary Higgins Clark Award.

FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE BOSCH SERIES AND THE LINCOLN LAWYER SERIES

"An addictive read that, once it grabs you in those first few pages, won't let go of you."--Boston Globe

Forced out of the Los Angeles Times amid the latest budget cuts, newspaperman Jack McEvoy decides to go out with a bang, using his final days at the paper to write the definitive murder story of his career.

He focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a sixteen-year-old drug dealer in jail after confessing to a brutal murder. But as he delves into the story, Jack realizes that Winslow's so-called confession is bogus. The kid might actually be innocent.

Jack is soon running with his biggest story since The Poet made his career years ago. He is tracking a killer who operates completely below police radar-and with perfect knowledge of any move against him. Including Jack's.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK - "A total departure for the author of The Paris Wife, McLain's emotionally intense and exceptionally well-written thriller entwines its fictional crime with real cases."--People (Book of the Week)

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE - "The kind of heart-pounding conclusion that thriller fans crave . . . In the end, a book full of darkness lands with a message of hope."--The New York Times Book Review

"This mystery will keep you guessing, and stay with you long after you finish. Dive in."--Daily Skimm

Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing.

The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.

Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives--and our faith in one another.

A handsome stranger. A dead billionaire. A citywide treasure hunt. Tuesday Mooney's life is about to change in ways she--and no reader--could never expect in this "rollicking" (Star Tribune), award-winning novel. A Kirkus Reviews Best Book - An Indie Next Pick - A Library Reads Selection - A New York Post Best Book of the Week - A Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week - A Buzzfeed Best Paperback - and more! Tuesday Mooney is a loner. She keeps to herself, begrudgingly socializes, and spends much of her time watching old Twin Peaks and X-Files DVDs. But when Vincent Pryce, Boston's most eccentric billionaire, dies--leaving behind an epic treasure hunt through the city, with clues inspired by his hero, Edgar Allan Poe--Tuesday's adventure finally begins. Puzzle-loving Tuesday searches for clue after clue, joined by a ragtag crew: a wisecracking friend, an adoring teen neighbor, and a handsome, cagey young heir. The hunt tests their mettle, and with other teams from around the city also vying for the promised prize--a share of Pryce's immense wealth--they must move quickly. Pryce's clues can't be cracked with sharp wit alone; the searchers must summon the courage to face painful ghosts from their pasts (some more vivid than others) and discover their most guarded desires and dreams. A deliciously funny ode to imagination, overflowing with love letters to art, from The Westing Game to Madonna to the Knights of the Round Table, Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts is the perfect read for thrill seekers, wanderers, word lovers, and anyone looking for an escape to the extraordinary.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

"Gruesome yet poetic...highly original." --The Seattle Times
"Dark and funny." --Wired
"A mesmerizing evolution of a classic contemporary myth." --Simon Pegg
"A strange and unexpected treat...elegantly written, touching, and fun." --Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife
"Has there been a more sympathetic monster since Frankenstein's?" --Financial Times

In Warm Bodies, Isaac Marion's New York Times bestselling novel that inspired a major film, a zombie returns to humanity through an unlikely encounter with love.

"R" is having a no-life crisis--he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he'd rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization.

And then he meets a girl.

First as his captive, then his reluctant house guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R's gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn't want to eat this girl--although she looks delicious--he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can't imagine, and their hopeless world won't change without a fight.

This fast-paced action novel is set in a future where the world has been almost destroyed. Newbery Honor Author Rodman Philbrick is at his very best.

Nobody around here reads anymore. Why bother, when you can just shoot all the images and excitement straight into your brain? I've heard of books, but they were long before I was born, in the backtimes before the Big Shake...In a world where people only use mindprobes for entertainment, a teenaged boy is one of the rare human beings who can see life for what is really is. Cruelly nicknamed "Spaz", he is subject to random seizures that make it impossible for him to use the brain-drain tech. But what sets him apart eventually becomes his salvation.After meeting an old man called Ryter, Spaz begins to learn about how the world used to be before the catastrophic earthquake that changed everything. There is a story of a promised land, rich in its bounties, that can cure any ailment and more beautiful than any place left in the desolate wasteland humanity calls home. The two set off to find Eden in the hopes of saving Spaz's dying sister, and together, seek to bring some good back to the world.Fahrenheit 451 meets The Giver in this action-packed thriller from the author of the bestselling novel Freak the Mighty.The Last Book in the Universe joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!

From New York Times best-selling author, Eoin Colfer comes his second book in the Artemis Fowl series about a teenage criminal mastermind and his siege against dangerous, tech-savvy fairies.

The internationally best-selling series inspired the movie, Artemis Fowl, now streaming on Disney+!
Artemis Fowl has created the most powerful new supercomputer known to man--using stolen technology from an elite race of underground fairies.
When the computer falls into the hands of an IT billionaire with a mob connection, Artemis is in deep trouble.
Only one fairy can help now. If only he wasn't the fairies' public enemy number one. . .

Sometimes danger comes from the most unexpected places.

Gwen Proctor has always been willing to do anything it takes to protect her kids. But there are some things even she can't protect them from. When a violent incident at Connor's school brings the press to Gwen's doorstep, she agrees to take a case out of town hoping to keep her family out of the crushing media spotlight.

The case is that of a missing girl, last seen getting into a truck with a stranger before disappearing. Gwen has a reputation for finding those who are lost, but this time something is wrong. Her instincts are off, and every clue she uncovers only raises more doubts, not just about the missing girl and the circumstances of her disappearance, but also about the fragile safety Gwen's created for her family.

The closer she comes to uncovering the truth, the more she unwittingly puts those she loves at risk. Someone from Gwen's past doesn't appreciate the new life she's built for herself and is willing to do anything it takes to tear it apart. Except this time it isn't Gwen in the crosshairs, but her partner Sam. Without her instincts to rely on, how can Gwen protect those she loves against an enemy she never sees coming?

Help Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose solve their first four mysteries!

A is for AUTHOR . . .
Dink writes to his favorite author, mystery writer Wallis Wallace, and invites him to visit Green Lawn. Wonder of wonders, Wallace says yes! In fact, the famous writer says that the only way he won't come is if he's kidnapped. But when the big day comes, Wallis Wallace is nowhere to be found. The police think he just missed his plane, but Dink knows better. It's up to Dink and his two best friends, Josh and Ruth Rose, to find Wallace--before it's too late!

B is for BANDIT . . .
A bandit has robbed the Green Lawn Savings Bank! Dink and his friends Josh and Ruth Rose are ready to help. When a private detective comes to Dink's door looking for the kid who videotaped the crime, the trio volunteers to find him. After all, there's a reward! But tracking down one red-headed kid isn't such an easy job, especially if he doesn't want to be found. Dink and his friends must find that kid--and his tape--before the bandit does!

C is for CANARY . . .
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose get an urgent call from Mrs. David. Her canary is gone! And that's not all. Three other pets have mysteriously disappeared--including Ruth Rose's cat, Tiger! The kids are sure a pet-napper is to blame. They won't stop until they've tracked down the thief and returned the stolen pets to their rightful owners!

D is for DUNGEON . . .
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are having a sleepover--in a castle! Dink's favorite mystery writer, Wallis Wallace, has invited them for a visit. But as soon as they arrive, the kids start hearing screams behind the walls. Wallis Wallace says not to worry, every castle is haunted, but Dink isn't so sure. Can they discover who--or what--is haunting Moose Manor?

A young boy must unravel a curse to save his family's beloved Maine motel in this spooky, "tightly paced" (Publishers Weekly) middle grade novel sure to delight fans of Whispering Pines and The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street!

Twelve-year-old Parker has grown up in his family's Home Away Inn, nestled on a wooded peninsula in Maine called Spruce Point. His best friend, Frankie, has been staying at the inn every summer for years with her family. Together, they've had epic adventures based out of a nearby old treehouse that serves as their official headquarters for Kids Confidential Meetings.

But lately, business at the inn hasn't been great, and Parker is pretty sure he knows why. It's long been rumored that Mrs. Gruvlig, one of the few year-rounders on Spruce Point, has unique abilities of the supernatural kind. And Frankie is absolutely sure she saw a ghost on Mrs. Gruvlig's property! As more and more spooky happenings occur around the Point, Parker and Frankie are convinced Spruce Point has been officially cursed.

A GRIPPING HISTORICAL THRILLER SET IN INVERNESS IN THE WAKE OF THE 1746 BATTLE OF CULLODEN.

'This slice of historical fiction takes you on a wild ride' THE TIMES

After Culloden, Iain MacGillivray was left for dead on Drummossie Moor. Wounded, his face brutally slashed, he survived only by pretending to be dead as the Redcoats patrolled the corpses of his Jacobite comrades.

Six years later, with the clan chiefs routed and the Highlands subsumed into the British state, Iain lives a quiet life, working as a bookseller in Inverness. One day, after helping several of his regular customers, he notices a stranger lurking in the upper gallery of his shop, poring over his collection. But the man refuses to say what he's searching for and only leaves when Iain closes for the night.

The next morning Iain opens up shop and finds the stranger dead, his throat cut, and the murder weapon laid out in front of him - a sword with a white cockade on its hilt, the emblem of the Jacobites. With no sign of the killer, Iain wonders whether the stranger discovered what he was looking for - and whether he paid for it with his life. He soon finds himself embroiled in a web of deceit and a series of old scores to be settled in the ashes of war.

******************

PRAISE FOR THE BOOKSELLER OF INVERNESS

'Fresh and intriguing . . . Her best yet' ANDREW TAYLOR

'Everything you could ask for from a historical thriller' ANTONIA HODGSON

'An intricately wrought, compulsively page-turning tale' CRAIG RUSSELL

'A first rate historical thriller' 5* READER REVIEW

'From the moment I began reading I was hooked' 5* READER REVIEW

'Hugely entertaining . . . fast paced, twisting and turning' 5* READER REVIEW

Two friends form a detective agency--and must solve their first murder case--in this "sharp-witted debut" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) that is the first adventure in a brand-new middle grade mystery series set at a 1930s boarding school.Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are best friends at Deepdean School for Girls, and they both have a penchant for solving mysteries. In fact, outspoken Daisy is a self-described Sherlock Holmes, and she appoints wallflower Hazel as her own personal Watson when they form their own (secret!) detective agency. The only problem? They have nothing to investigate. But that changes once Hazel discovers the body of their science teacher, Miss Bell--and the body subsequently disappears. She and Daisy are certain a murder must have taken place, and they can think of more than one person with a motive. Determined to get to the bottom of the crime--and to prove that it happened--before the killer strikes again, Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects, and use all the cunning, scheming, and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test? Previously published as Murder Most Unladylike in the UK.

To save an innocent man's life, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must expose a financial scam that could ruin the most powerful aristocrats in Victorian-era London, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret of Bow Lane.

Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter, has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel's wife fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.

When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she's treading in dangerous waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.

While investigating a man claiming to be the long-lost heir to a noble family, Veronica Speedwell gets the surprise of her life in this paperback reprint from New York Times bestselling and Edgar(R) Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

London, 1889. Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian beau, Stoker, are summoned by Sir Hugo Montgomerie, head of Special Branch. He has a personal request on behalf of his goddaughter, Euphemia Hathaway. After years of traveling the world, Euphemia's eldest brother, Jonathan, heir to Hathaway Hall, was believed to have been killed in the catastrophic eruption of Krakatoa a few years before.

But now a man matching Jonathan's description and carrying his possessions has arrived at Hathaway Hall with no memory of his identity or where he has been. Could this man truly be Jonathan, back from the dead? Or is he a devious impostor, determined to gain ownership over the family's most valuable possession--a legendary parure of priceless Rajasthani jewels? It's a delicate situation, and Veronica is Sir Hugo's only hope.

Veronica and Stoker agree to go to Hathaway Hall to covertly investigate the mysterious amnesiac. Veronica is soon shocked to find herself face-to-face with a ghost from her past. To help Sir Hugo discover the truth, she must open doors to her own history that she long believed to be shut for good.