The annual that has included the likes of Joyce Carol Oates and Max Allan Collins is back with another array of traditional mysteries and tales of crime and suspense from its usual roster of luminaries. Besides presenting twenty of the year's finest crime and mystery stories, from Sharan Newman and James W. Hall to Anne Perry and Jeffery Deaver, The Deadly Bride is also the only annual to feature a roundup of the year in mystery. This invaluable overview includes everything the true fan needs to know about the year in crime and mystery, from a comprehensive list of award-winners and essays on the state of the art to obituaries and an annotated bibiliography of the year's releases.
"In the past decade, it's become obvious that crime and mystery fiction has become the most popular form of entertainment for literary, television, and movie audiences alike. From traditional mystery stories with devious doings and a plot full of clues to terse thrillers with edge-of-the-seat climaxes to the nail-biting tale of psychological suspense, no field of popular fiction can match contemporary crime writing in diversity, excitement, cunning, or satisfaction. In this stunning collection of the year's best offerings in the genre, armchair detectives, suspense addicts, and crime solvers alike can thrill to these new stories in the unique way only mystery fiction can provide."--BOOK JACKET.
A trip to Denver to research legalized marijuana turns into a murder case: “Very entertaining…[the] solution is both surprising and memorable.”—Booklist It’s a well-known fact that some members of the cancer-survivor support group Hannah Ives works with take marijuana. Recreational use of the drug may be illegal, but a few, like Maryland State Senator Claire Thompson, are prescribed it on medical grounds. Now Claire has co-sponsored a Cannabis Legalization Bill—and wants Hannah to be part of a fact-finding task force that testifies before the Maryland State Senate. Before long, Hannah is in Denver, Colorado, the Mile High City, staying at a B&B with a group of pot pilgrims and medical refugees—some of whom, like her, are on a mission for information. But when one of the group is found dead, and a closer inspection of the body reveals they may not be who they seem, Hannah is plunged into a dangerous cocktail of drugs and death. From the Agatha and Anthony Award-winning author, this is an involving mystery starring a “heroine who must not be missed” (Sujata Massey, author of The Salaryman’s Wife). “Witty, well-constructed…Talley takes the reader on a timely and illuminating trip into the often befuddling world of marijuana legislation.”—Publishers Weekly “Hannah Ives tackles life’s up and downs with humor, intelligence, and courage.”—Deborah Crombie, Macavity Award-winning author “In this American version of a manor-house mystery, Hannah has to figure out who among the guests—a young academic couple, a naval cadet, senior citizens on their way to a wedding—is hiding what…[an] amusingly colorful setting.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Engrossing . . . beautifully written and carefully crafted . . . [a] work that explores the healing power of truth.”—The Boston Globe For seventeen years, a rural community in Kansas has faithfully tended the grave of an anonymous teenage girl christened the Virgin of Small Plains. And some claim that, perhaps owing to the girl’s intervention, strange miracles and unexplainable healings have occurred. Slowly, word of the legend spreads. But what really happened in that snow-covered field almost two decades ago, when the girl’s naked, frozen body was found? Why did young Mitch Newquist disappear the day after the shocking discovery, leaving behind his distraught girlfriend, Abby Reynolds, and their best friend, Rex Shellenberger? Now Mitch has returned to Small Plains, reigniting simmering tensions and awakening secrets. Never having resolved her feelings for Mitch, Abby is determined to uncover the startling truth about his departure. The three former friends must confront the ever-unfolding consequences of the night that forever changed their lives—and the life of their small town. Praise for The Virgin of Small Plains “Nancy Pickard . . . has evolved into a writer of substantial literary power. . . . [She] has fashioned a novel that accurately reflects the secrets and silences locked deep within the hearts of all small-town Midwesterners.”—The Denver Post “Tantalizing . . . Pickard writes with insight and compassion about an unresolved crime that continues to haunt a farming community.”—The New York Times Book Review “A class act . . . Pickard has a talent for adding depth to a story that conveys a sense of place and history.”—Orlando Sentinel “Crisply written, this new novel about loss of faith, trust, and innocence is utterly absorbing.”—Tucson Citizen
DI Hillary Greene is not a happy woman. Not only has her corrupt husband died, leaving her in the mire with an internal investigation team, but she's living on a relative's canal boat in the tiny village of Thrupp. Things perk up, however, when her boss assigns her the case of a body found in a canal lock.
Why murder a dying man? In 1938 London, Olivia attends a wedding, but when she and the bride visit the bride's grandfather, they find him dead. No surprise, except for the knife in his chest.
"Each chapter flows smoothly into the next so that it feels like one author wrote this tale. Marcia Talley and her dozen cohorts deserve kudos for this successful project." --Midwest Book Review On the banks of the Truxton River lies Gryphon's Gate, a gated community built by Henry Drysdale where the rich and privileged live, work and play. Tempers flare when Henry's ex decides to develop the adjoining land and environmentalists, developers, residents and the media clash. Then the violence turns ugly--a dead body is found on the golf course and Detective Diane Robards is called in to investigate. Diane's efforts are thwarted at every turn and as she uncovers the secrets behind the serene facade of Gryphon's Gate, she races against the clock to unmask a ruthless killer. Featuring contributions from Gayle Lynds, Rita Mae Brown, Lisa Gardner, Linda Fairstein, Kay Hooper, Kathy Reichs, Julie Smith, Heather Graham, Jennifer Crusie, Tina Wainscott, Anne Perry and Katherine Neville.
"This is the perfect summer beach read."—Publishers Weekly Pretty Guilty Women is the summer thriller for any fan of Big Little Lies looking for beautiful views, romantic escapes, and a surplus of murder suspects. Something has gone terribly wrong to turn the Banks wedding into a murder mystery. Four different women rush to offer confessions, each insisting that they committed the crime—alone. Ginger is holding her family together by a thread. Kate is used to buying her way out of everything. Emily's drowning her whole vacation in a bottle. Lulu's been getting rid of men for years—and has the ex-husbands to prove it. Four women, holding their friends close and their secrets closer. Four confessions. One murder. Only these women know what really happened—and they're not telling. A suspenseful twist on the classic beach read, Pretty Guilty Women is page-turning thriller perfect for fans of Liv Constantine and Liane Moriarty.
