The Sayers Swindle

The Sayers Swindle

Author: Victoria Abbott

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2013-12-03

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1101627204

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Jordan Kelly is delighted to make money tracking down rare and valuable mystery novels for her employer, Vera Van Alst, an avid collector and the most difficult woman in Harrison Falls, New York. But now her boss’s complete set of Dorothy Sayers is missing, and finding them may lead Jordan to a murder suitable for Sayers’s esteemed sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey… When Jordan manages to locate her boss’s missing books, they are in the possession of Randolph Adams, an elderly man in a nearby town. Offering a valuable Hemingway first edition as an incentive, Jordan thinks she’s about to seal the deal—but some of Randolph’s relatives think he should hold out for more. Then the entire family disappears—and a dead body shows up. It’s up to Jordan to collect the clues—and make sure a killer gets booked.


The Christie Curse

The Christie Curse

Author: Victoria Abbott

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2013-03-05

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1101619449

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In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared—making headlines across the world—only to show up eleven days later at a spa under an assumed name. During those eleven days, did she have time to write a play? Jordan Kelly needs a new job and a new place to live. She’s back in Harrison Falls, New York, living with her not so law-abiding uncles, in debt thanks to a credit card–stealing ex and pending grad school loans. Enter the perfect job, a research position that includes room and board, which will allow her to spend her days hunting down rare mysteries for an avid book collector. There’s just one problem: her employer, Vera Van Alst—the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls. Jordan’s first assignment is to track down a rumored Agatha Christie play. It seems easy enough, but Jordan soon finds out that her predecessor was killed while looking for it, and there is still someone out there willing to murder to keep the play out of Vera’s hands. Jordan’s new job is good…but is it worth her life?


The Marsh Madness

The Marsh Madness

Author: Victoria Abbott

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2015-09-01

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 0698191307

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The national bestselling author of The Wolfe Widow presents another spine-tingling mystery featuring rare book collector Jordan Bingham and some Ngaio Marsh first editions worth killing for… Jordan works hard to improve Vera Van Alst’s collection of classic detective stories. So when Chadwick Kauffman—heir to the Kauffman fortune—offers a very good price on a fine collection of Ngaio Marsh first editions owned by his recently deceased stepfather, she is thrilled to meet with him at his fabled summer estate, Summerlea. The next day, Jordan and Vera are shocked to read that Chadwick has died in a fall from the grand staircase at Summerlea. But when the picture in the paper is of a different man, it becomes clear that the ladies are victims of a scam. And they’ll have to unmask the imposter fast, because someone is trying to frame them for murder…


The Wolfe Widow

The Wolfe Widow

Author: Victoria Abbott

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2014-09-02

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 0698143213

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As Thanksgiving approaches, Jordan Bingham is grateful for her job researching rare books for Vera Van Alst, the infamous curmudgeon of Harrison Falls, New York. But when an uninvited guest makes an appearance, much more than dinner is disrupted—and Jordan is thankful just to be alive… Vera Van Alst doesn’t normally receive visitors without appointment, but she agrees to see the imperious Muriel Delgado upon arrival. Shortly thereafter, Jordan is told that her position is being terminated. Evicted from the Van Alst House, Jordan is determined to find out what hold Muriel has over her erstwhile employer. It seems Muriel has designs on Vera’s money and property—not to mention a particular interest in her collection of Nero Wolfe first editions. When Jordan discovers a deadly connection between Muriel and the Van Alst family, it’s up to her to put the house in order and stop a killer from going back to press.


Reading the Cozy Mystery

Reading the Cozy Mystery

Author: Phyllis M. Betz

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2021-02-19

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 1476641692

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With their intimate settings, subdued action and likeable characters, cozy mysteries are rarely seen as anything more than light entertainment. The cozy, a subgenre of crime fiction, has been historically misunderstood and often overlooked as the subject of serious study. This anthology brings together a groundbreaking collection of essays that examine the cozy mystery from a range of critical viewpoints. The authors engage with the standard classification of a cozy, the characters who appear in its pages, the environment where the crime occurs and how these elements reveal the cozy story's complexity in surprising ways. Essays analyze cozy mysteries to argue that Agatha Christie is actually not a cozy writer; that Columbo fits the mold of the cozy detective; and that the stories' portrayals of settings like the quaint English village reveal a more complicated society than meets the eye.


Brat Farrar

Brat Farrar

Author: Josephine Tey

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-12-25

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1476733147

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What begins as a ploy to claim an inheritance ends with the impostor’s life hanging in the balance. In this tale of mystery and suspense, a stranger enters the inner sanctum of the Ashby family posing as Patrick Ashby, the heir to the family's sizable fortune. The stranger, Brat Farrar, has been carefully coached on Patrick's mannerism's, appearance, and every significant detail of Patrick's early life, up to his thirteenth year when he disappeared and was thought to have drowned himself. It seems as if Brat is going to pull off this most incredible deception until old secrets emerge that jeopardize the imposter's plan and his life. Culminating in a final terrible moment when all is revealed, Brat Farrar is a precarious adventure that grips the reader early and firmly and then holds on until the explosive conclusion.


A Celebration of Beatrix Potter

A Celebration of Beatrix Potter

Author: Beatrix Potter

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2016-11-01

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13: 0515159581

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2016 marks the 150th birthday of Beatrix Potter, making it the perfect time to pay tribute to the beloved author/illustrator with A Celebration of Beatrix Potter! With illustrious tales of characters like Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, and Jemima Puddle-Duck, Beatrix Potter established herself as one of the most cherished and influential author/illustrators of children's literature. To mark her milestone birthday, this gorgeous collection features beautiful illustrations of Potter's characters, as interpreted by well-known illustrators. Each illustration is accompanied by text from the artist explaining what that character means to them, making this a true celebration of Beatrix Potter. Praise for A Celebration of Beatrix Potter: "How delightful to see Peter Rabbit, Mr. McGregor, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, and company portrayed in various and unique styles. Excerpts from and introductory descriptions of nine of Potter’s books round out this superb collection... This 150th anniversary celebration of the life and work of Beatrix Potter will encourage aspiring young artists to carry on her legacy."–Linda L. Walkins, School Library Journal, Starred Review


Rotten to the Core

Rotten to the Core

Author: Sheila Connolly

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2009-07-07

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1101082046

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Second in the series that readers can sink their teeth into. Orchard owner Meg Corey must clear her name of murder after the discovery of a pesticide-poisoned body in her springhouse. Includes recipes.


The Hammett Hex

The Hammett Hex

Author: Victoria Abbott

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2016-10-04

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 0425280365

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The national bestselling author of The Marsh Madness takes rare book collector Jordan Bingham on a trip to San Francisco—home to Dashiell Hammett’s hard-boiled heroes—where nothing is as it seems. On a getaway to the City by the Bay, book collector Jordan Bingham becomes entangled in a mystery with more twists than Lombard Street... Jordan has been able to swing a romantic trip to San Francisco with Officer Tyler “Smiley” Dekker on one condition—she must return with a rare copy of Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest for her irascible employer, Vera Van Alst. For his own part, Smiley is full of surprises. He’s a Dashiell devotee himself—excited to be in the city of Hammett’s hard-boiled heroes like Sam Spade and the Continental Op—and also announces he plans to visit his previously unmentioned estranged grandmother, who lives in an old Victorian in Pacific Heights. But the trip goes downhill fast when Jordan is pushed from a cable car and barely escapes death. And when a dark sedan tries to run the couple down, it’s clear someone’s after them—but who? Just like in Hammett’s world, nothing is quite what is seems... INCLUDES RECIPES