Collection: Mystery, Thrillers, & Crime

The Museum of Food Art is in a state of panic! A priceless painting was pilfered in the middle of the night. Fortunately, the Pigeon Private Detectives--PPD for short--are on the scene. These three detectives crave cracking a good case almost as much as they like snacks. But can they catch a thief who appears to be a master of disguise?

Once again, author-illustrator Christee Curran-Bauer pokes fun at detective procedurals with kid-friendly humor, as she did in book one of the series, The Case of the Missing Tarts

The residents of Lake Eden, Minnesota, are planning to paint the town red, white, and blue to celebrate the Fourth of July--but the fireworks are already going off at Hannah Swensen's bake shop, The Cookie Jar. . .

Lemon Meringue Pie Murder

Hannah Swensen thought she'd finally discovered the recipe for a perfect life. But her sometime beau Norman Rhodes tosses a surprise ingredient into the mix when he phones to tell her he's just bought a house from local drugstore clerk Rhonda Scharf--which he plans to tear down in order to build the dream home he and Hannah designed. It seems the plan has been cooking for quite some time, and Hannah's shocked. Especially since her ring finger is still very much bare. . .

The good news is that the soon-to-be-torn-down house is full of antiques--and Norman has given Hannah and her mother first dibs. They uncover some gorgeous old furniture, a patchwork quilt . . . and Rhonda Scharf's dead body. A little more sleuthing turns up the half-eaten remains of a very special dinner for two--and one of The Cookie Jar's famous lemon meringue pies. Now it's up to Hannah to turn up the heat--and get busy tracking down clues. Starting in her very own kitchen.

Includes nine original cookie and dessert recipes for you to try!

"Tasty . . . Hannah is irresistible as a cookie fresh from the oven."
--Publishers Weekly

#1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Dean Koontz takes a surprising and exhilarating road trip with a man in pursuit of his strange past--mile by frightening mile.

Quinn Quicksilver was born a mystery--abandoned at three days old on a desert highway in Arizona. Raised in an orphanage, never knowing his parents, Quinn had a happy if unexceptional life. Until the day of "strange magnetism." It compelled him to drive out to the middle of nowhere. It helped him find a coin worth a lot of money. And it practically saved his life when two government agents showed up in the diner in pursuit of him. Now Quinn is on the run from those agents and who knows what else, fleeing for his life.

During a shoot-out at a forlorn dude ranch, he finally meets his destined companions: Bridget Rainking, a beauty as gifted in foresight as she is with firearms, and her grandpa Sparky, a romance novelist with an unusual past. Bridget knows what it's like to be Quinn. She's hunted, too. The only way to stay alive is to keep moving.

Barreling through the Sonoran Desert, the formidable trio is impelled by that same inexplicable magnetism toward the inevitable. With every deeply disturbing mile, something sinister is in the rearview--an enemy that is more than a match for Quinn. Even as he discovers within himself resources that are every bit as scary.

Jace Boucher returns in the third terrifying volume of the Something is Killing the Children spinoff that continues to reveal the secret history of the House of Slaughter.

Jace's past and present collide, with new revelations from his youth shedding light on his current mission. No longer the monster hunter he once was and unaware of Aaron's fate, Jace must protect the orphans under his care. Can he save them from not just the monsters, but a rage and guilt more terrifying than the children have ever witnessed? Jace will have to make a difficult choice between vengeance, loyalty, and rescue from certain death! Meanwhile Sunny has to deal with monsters within and without, while caught between the White Masks and a cruel pair of eyes watching from between the trees... Series artist Antonio Fuso (Lost Falls, GI Joe: Cobra) joins returning writer Tate Brombal (Behold, Behemoth) in the next chapter of Jace Boucher's story! Collects House of Slaughter #11-15.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert continues her smoking-hot series about two feuding families--and their wealthy, powerful, and scandalous secrets.

Carrigan O'Malley has always known her arranged marriage would be more about power and prestige than passion. But after one taste of the hard-bodied, whiskey-voiced James Halloran, she's ruined for anyone else. Too bad James and his family are enemy number 1.

Hallorans vs. O'Malleys-that's how it's always been. James should be thinking more about how to expand his family's empire instead of how silky Carrigan's skin is against his and how he can next get her into his bed. Those are dangerous thoughts. But not nearly as dangerous as he'll be if he can't get what he wants: Carrigan by his side for the rest of their lives.

The game is once again afoot in this thrilling mystery from the bestselling author of The House of Silk, sanctioned by the Conan Doyle estate, which explores what really happened when Sherlock Holmes and his arch nemesis Professor Moriarty tumbled to their doom at the Reichenbach Falls.

Internationally bestselling author Anthony Horowitz's nail-biting new novel plunges us back into the dark and complex world of detective Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty--dubbed the Napoleon of crime" by Holmes--in the aftermath of their fateful struggle at the Reichenbach Falls.

Days after the encounter at the Swiss waterfall, Pinkerton detective agent Frederick Chase arrives in Europe from New York. Moriarty's death has left an immediate, poisonous vacuum in the criminal underworld, and there is no shortage of candidates to take his place--including one particularly fiendish criminal mastermind.

Chase and Scotland Yard Inspector Athelney Jones, a devoted student of Holmes's methods of investigation and deduction originally introduced by Conan Doyle in "The Sign of Four", must forge a path through the darkest corners of England's capital--from the elegant squares of Mayfair to the shadowy wharfs and alleyways of the London Docks--in pursuit of this sinister figure, a man much feared but seldom seen, who is determined to stake his claim as Moriarty's successor.

A riveting, deeply atmospheric tale of murder and menace from one of the only writers to earn the seal of approval from Conan Doyle's estate, Moriarty breathes life into Holmes's dark and fascinating world.

Welcome to Myrtlewood, a quirky town, steeped in magic, tea, and mystery...

Life's a struggle for Rosemary Thorn and her teen daughter, Athena. But their regular troubles are turned upside down after Granny Thorn's mysterious death.

Despite her cousin's sinister manoeuvrings, Rosemary returns to Myrtlewood and the sprawling, dilapidated Thorn Manor. But there's more to the old house than meets the eye, as Rosemary and Athena soon find out - in a whirlwind of magic, adventure, mystical creatures, and endless cups of tea.

Life in Myrtlewood would be bliss if Rosemary could only clear her name in a certain murder investigation, solve the mystery, and stay out of mortal peril - for at least a little while!

A small town with endless secrets, strange activities, and a house with a mind of its own.

If you love mystery, witches, magic, and a big dose of humour, you're going to love the Myrtlewood Mysteries!

In the depths of the Nevada desert, FBI agent Rachel Walling and former LAPD Detective Harry Bosch must confront The Poet, a terrifying serial killer who leads them down a dark and twisted path.
FBI agent Rachel Walling finally gets the call she's dreaded for years, the one that tells her the Poet has surfaced. She has never forgotten the serial killer who wove lines of poetry in his hideous crimes -- and apparently he has not forgotten her.

Former LAPD detective Harry Bosch gets a call, too -- from the widow of an old friend. Her husband's death seems natural, but his ties to the hunt for the Poet make Bosch dig deep. Arriving at a derelict spot in the California desert where the feds are unearthing bodies, Bosch joins forces with Rachel. Now the two are at odds with the FBI . . . and squarely in the path of the Poet, who will lead them on a wicked ride out of the heat, through the narrows of evil, and into a darkness all his own . . .

"WOW!!!! I have not read a book this good some time!" Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Two Widows was perfection!" Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This is a hidden gem of a novel!!" NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This is most definitely a five star read." Little Miss Book Lover 87 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The body of an unidentified woman has been found on a local beach in a small town. The police have no suspects.

Gloria is used to solitude. Widowed and still grieving her late husband, she spends her days with only her faded photographs for company. But when a young woman is murdered nearby, Gloria grows anxious. Living alone in old farmhouse, surrounded by empty woods, there's no one for miles who would hear her scream.

When freelance travel writer Beth arrives with her trailer to live on Gloria's land, Gloria is relieved not to be alone. The police have no suspects in the murder and fearless Beth makes Gloria feel safe. Then Gloria discovers Beth is a widow too: the women become closer and begin to share their secrets.

But soon Gloria starts to wonder... what does she actually know about Beth? About what brought her to this isolated spot? About how her husband really died? Is it a coincidence that she's arrived just as this small town has seen its first murder in decades?

Gloria thought that Beth had told her all her secrets. She was wrong.

An utterly compelling suspense novel that will have you hooked, Two Widows is a gripping thriller that will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, The Couple Next Door and The Woman in the Window.

Readers love Two Widows

"WOW!!!! I have not read a book this good some time! It had me hooked from the very beginning and I could not stop till I finished! I had to keep going, had to know how this ended! Laura Wolfe really knows how to catch a reader's attention... I cannot wait to read more by her!" Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Two Widows is brilliant! I thought I had the plot figured out and then boom! I'll meekly admit I didn't have the plot figured, turns out I had nothing figured! Lots of red herrings but overall this is a clever story of friendship, loss and darkness. I read in two sittings because Two Widows was perfection! Don't waste your time reading reviews, just pick it up and read it! I promise you won't regret it." Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"This is a hidden gem of a novel!! A stonking good read, that kept me guessing. It is not predictable like many books of this genre. Definitely worthy of 5 stars!!" NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Wow. I had absolutely no idea I would love this book as much as I have. I really haven't been able to put this one down. I have been gripped from the very first page and found that I have very quickly devoured this book in just one sitting... This is most definitely a five star read." Little Miss Book Lover 87 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What would you do if you were planning to kill your brother-but someone beat you to it?

After former Olympic contender turned burn-out horse trainer Cillian Clarke is framed for the murder of his identical twin Christopher, a rising-star Virginia politician, Cillian is forced to go on the lam. But when someone from Christopher's past emerges and offers Cillian the chance to clear his name, Cillian is plunged headfirst into a sinister conspiracy that not only threatens the sanctity of democracy, but also promises to expose the devastating secret intertwining the brothers forever-the truth behind the death of a woman they both loved.

THE POWER TO RULE THE WORLD OR SET US ALL FREE.

When an undiscovered temple emerges from the waters of a drought-stricken lake, the world of archeology starts to pay attention.

On the discovery of a set of hieroglyphs suggesting the location of an ancient power source so abundant it could boil the world's oceans dry, a lot more people start to listen.

Enter EDEN BLACK.

With forest fires, droughts, and famine worldwide, Eden and her band of unlikely heroes must move quickly to make sure this lifeline for humankind doesn't become another asset for the super-rich.

From Lake Nasser to the labyrinthine tunnels beneath The Giza Plateau, Eden will find herself trapped in the crosshairs of a tycoon on the make, an enigmatic secret society, and a foe who's closer to home than she could ever imagine.

The Giza Protocol is the much-anticipated sequel to The Ark Files. Buy now to continue this pulse-pounding adventure series!

While there's loads of conflict, chase scenes, fighting and suspense, The Giza Protocol contains no swearing, sex or gore.

What USA Today, New York Times, and Amazon Bestselling authors think of Luke Richardson's writing:

"Luke Richardson writes stories the way artists were meant to, by immersing themselves in scenes so that the reader feels like they are in the room with the characters."

ERNEST DEMPSEY

"Richardson redefines the genre, but in a VERY good way. Skip this one at your peril!"

NICK THACKER

"Luke Richardson has a unique way of transporting you to the locations in his books and dropping you right into the mess with his characters."

TY HUTCHINSON

FEATURING BRAND-NEW STORIES FROM: Paula McLain, Jill Bialosky, Thrity Umrigar, Michael Ruhlman, Daniel Stashower, D.M. Pulley, J.D. Belcher, Alex DiFrancesco, Miesha Wilson Headen, Abby L. Vandiver, Sam Conrad, Angela Crook, Susan Petrone, Dana McSwain, and Mary Grimm.

FROM THE EDITORS' INTRODUCTION:
"Cleveland is a working-class town, though its great institutions were founded by twentieth-century robber barons and magnates . . . It's this mix of the wealthy and the working class that makes this city--an urban center of brick and girders surrounded by verdant suburbs--a perfect backdrop for lawlessness. Cleveland has certainly seen its share of high-profile crime. Eliot Ness, Cleveland's director of public safety in the 1930s, hunted unsuccessfully for the 'torso murderer' who killed and dismembered twelve people in Kingsbury Run, the area now known as the Flats, then populated by bars, brothels, flophouses, and gambling dens. The famous disappearance of Beverly Potts in the early 1950s on Cleveland's west side made national headlines. The sensational murder of Marilyn Sheppard in Bay Village and the imprisonment and eventual acquittal of her husband, the surgeon Sam Sheppard, became the basis for a popular television drama The Fugitive . . .

"The noir stories in this volume hit all these same notes, and their geographies reflect the history of the city and its politics, its laws, poverty, alienation, racism, crime, and violence."

Homicide detective Eve Dallas must untangle a twisted family history while a hostage's life hangs in the balance--in Abandoned in Death by New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb.

The woman's body was found in the early morning, on a bench in a New York City playground. She was clean, her hair neatly arranged, her makeup carefully applied. But other things were very wrong--like the tattoo and piercings, clearly new. The clothes, decades out of date. The fatal wound hidden beneath a ribbon around her neck. And the note: Bad Mommy, written in crayon as if by a child.

Eve Dallas turns to the department's top profiler, who confirms what seems obvious to Eve: They're dealing with a killer whose childhood involved some sort of trauma--a situation Eve is all too familiar with herself. Yet the clues suggest a perpetrator who'd be roughly sixty years old, and there are no records of old crimes with a similar MO. What was the trigger that apparently reopened such an old wound and sent someone over the edge?

When Eve discovers that other young women--who physically resemble the first victim--have vanished, the clock starts ticking louder. But to solve this case she will need to find her way into a hidden place of dim light and concrete, into the distant past, and into the cold depths of a shattered mind.

Stephen King's unforgettable novella--first included in his 1990, award-winning collection Four Past Midnight and made into a highly acclaimed miniseries--about a terrifying plane ride into a most unfriendly sky.On a cross-country, redeye flight from Los Angeles to Boston, ten passengers awaken in Bangor, Maine, to find that the crew and most of their fellow passengers have disappeared. The airport shows no signs of life. Yet they hear "radio static" in the distance. Craig Toomey, an irritable investment banker on the verge of a breakdown, believes it is "The Langoliers," monsters he was afraid of as a child who attack those who waste time. It's mystery author Bob Jenkins who first theorizes that they have flown through a time rip. Bob declares they have entered a place that forbids time travelers to observe or interfere with past events. It turns out that Craig is right, in a way. Two creatures, followed by hundreds more, emerge from the forest and head for the plane, consuming everything in their path. Can the survivors manage to fly the plane back to Los Angeles, back to the correct time, before The Langoliers succeed in their deadly mission to destroy the plane and the world? Dinah Bellman, the young blind girl whose aunt did not survive the time rip, has the greatest insight of all. A spine-tingling, propulsive novella, The Langoliers is a brilliant read from the masterful Stephen King.

Hank has his paws full when he discovers a mother cat and six kittens trespassing in a haystack on his very own ranch. (Have we mentioned cowdogs don't like cats?) Join Hank as he is trapped in a runaway pickup, surrounded by a herd of stray cats, and forced to battle a raging bull. Can Hank stop the cats from taking over his ranch?

The 10th Anniversary Edition of Robin Sloan's New York Times bestseller, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, with a new foreword by Paul Yamazaki and featuring the story Ajax Penumbra 1969.

A winner of the Alex Award and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction
Named a best book of the year by Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR

The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything--instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store.

Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends. But when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls.

Rendered with irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave.