Art Parker, an unemployed journalist, answers an ad for employment, but the ad has few details about what the job entails or where he'll be working. He gets the job after an evening interview at a huge, Victorian-style mansion miles from anywhere. The owner, an incredibly wealthy old man, hires Art as live-in writing coach for his teenage granddaughter. That sounds like an easy, relaxing sort of job, at least until the next afternoon when Art and Mary Ann--she's the granddaughter--find the housemaid dead on the girl's bedroom floor. An out-of-control sheriff, a bizarrely named lawyer, a beautiful librarian, a marvelous cook, and a huge valet/gardener clutter the landscape and add a pile of confusion while Art and Mary Ann decide to do some detecting on their own. What do they turn up? Another body. After enlisting the help of Mary Ann's friend, Jennifer, the unlikely sleuths eventually solve both murders but not before nearly becoming victims themselves.
A new series debut that finds a talented hotel manager tasked with saving her bankrupt hometown, only to be declared a chief suspect in the murder of her high-school nemesis.
This true crime saga—with an eccentric Southern backdrop—introduces the reader to the story of a murder in a crumbling Louisville mansion and the decades of secrets and corruption that live within the old house’s walls. On June 18, 2010, police discover a body buried in the wine cellar of a Victorian mansion in Old Louisville. James Carroll, shot and stabbed the year before, has lain for 7 months in a plastic storage bin—his temporary coffin. Homeowner Jeffrey Mundt and his boyfriend, Joseph Banis, point the finger at each other in what locals dub The Pink Triangle Murder. On the surface, this killing appears to be a crime of passion, a sordid love tryst gone wrong in a creepy old house. But as author David Dominé sits in on the trials, a deeper story emerges: the struggle between hope for a better future on the one hand and the privilege and power of the status quo on the other. As the court testimony devolves into he-said/he-said contradictions, David draws on the confidences of neighbors, drag queens, and other acquaintances within the city's vibrant LGBTQ community to piece together the details of the case. While uncovering the many past lives of the mansion itself, he enters a murky underworld of gossip, neighborhood scandal, and intrigue.
As whale-watchers gather in the Pacific Northwest, a B&B manager gets a glimpse of a killer in this mystery novel by the USA Today bestselling author. It’s whale-watching season in the California town of Redwood Cove, and Kelly Jackson is preparing for the tourist rush at Redwood Heights—a Victorian-style estate owned by her boss. With a string of recent jewelry thefts in the area, she’s also busy keeping tabs on the many dust-covered artifacts displayed throughout the property. But when Kelly finds a visitor’s dead body on the grounds, the police start keeping tabs on her—as a murder suspect. Clearing her own name will be a whale of a chore, even with the help of the Silver Sentinels, a group of local retirees who are always ready for an investigation. Now Kelly’s on the hunt for clues hidden behind the mansion’s glamorous façade. But if she doesn’t find the killer soon, she may wind up history herself.
Welcome back to Asheboro, Maryland, where real estate can be a matter of life and death. Killer in the Carriage House is the second book in the Victorian Village Mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly. Coming back to her hometown was never on the agenda for hotelier Katherine Hamilton. But when she’s offered a chance to lead the charge of transforming the landscape into a Victorian village and tourist attraction, Kate can’t quite refuse. The only problem? Nobody in Asheboro has the passion, nor the funds, to get plans off the ground. . .until Kate teams up with handsome historian Joshua Wainwright, who has ambitious ideas of his own involving an old mansion and a treasure-trove of documents that could attract investors and help seal the deal. Then, just as Kate and Josh seem ready to pull the trigger, a dead body turns up in the town library. Do these mysterious papers spell danger instead of dollars? That’s what Kate intends to find out before all bets are off...and someone else ends up six feet under.
Celebrate the holidays with the very first mystery in the ever-popular series featuring sleuth Lucy Stone as she unravels unsolved murders in picturesque Maine. “Meier continues to exploit the charm factor in her small-town setting, while keeping the murder plots as realistic as possible in such a cozy world.” —Booklist As if baking holiday cookies, knitting a sweater for her husband’s gift, and making her daughter’s angel costume for the church pageant weren’t enough things for Lucy Stone’s busy Christmas schedule, she’s also working nights at the famous mail-order company Country Cousins. But when she discovers Sam Miller, its very wealthy founder, dead in his car from an apparent suicide, the sleuth in her knows something just doesn’t smell right. Taking time out from her hectic holiday life to find out what really happened, her investigation leads to a backlog of secrets as long as Santa’s Christmas Eve route. Lucy is convinced that someone murdered Sam Miller. But who and why? With each harrowing twist she uncovers in this bizarre case, another shocking revelation is exposed. Now, as Christmas draws near and Lucy gets dangerously closer to the truth, she’s about to receive a present from Santa she didn’t ask for—a killer who won’t be satisfied until everyone on his shopping list is dead, including Lucy herself . . .
"Superb... Flanders's convincing and smart synthesis of the evolution of an official police force, fictional detectives, and real-life cause célèbres will appeal to devotees of true crime and detective fiction alike." -Publishers Weekly, starred review In this fascinating exploration of murder in nineteenth century England, Judith Flanders examines some of the most gripping cases that captivated the Victorians and gave rise to the first detective fiction Murder in the nineteenth century was rare. But murder as sensation and entertainment became ubiquitous, with cold-blooded killings transformed into novels, broadsides, ballads, opera, and melodrama-even into puppet shows and performing dog-acts. Detective fiction and the new police force developed in parallel, each imitating the other-the founders of Scotland Yard gave rise to Dickens's Inspector Bucket, the first fictional police detective, who in turn influenced Sherlock Holmes and, ultimately, even P.D. James and Patricia Cornwell. In this meticulously researched and engrossing book, Judith Flanders retells the gruesome stories of many different types of murder in Great Britain, both famous and obscure: from Greenacre, who transported his dismembered fiancée around town by omnibus, to Burke and Hare's bodysnatching business in Edinburgh; from the crimes (and myths) of Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper, to the tragedy of the murdered Marr family in London's East End. Through these stories of murder-from the brutal to the pathetic-Flanders builds a rich and multi-faceted portrait of Victorian society in Great Britain. With an irresistible cast of swindlers, forgers, and poisoners, the mad, the bad and the utterly dangerous, The Invention of Murder is both a mesmerizing tale of crime and punishment, and history at its most readable.
By the author of the Amazon best-seller The Soul CollectorWhen Edwin Gonzalez and Lillian Otero purchased the historic S.K. Pierce Victorian Mansion in Gardner, Massachusetts, in 2009, they scoffed at the ghostly legends surrounding the house. They didn't believe in ghosts.The house soon proved them wrong. By the fall of 2011, they were forced from their house, narrowly escaping with their lives.Includes interviews from paranormal experts: Carl Johnson, Andrew Lake, Michael Robishaw, Lucky Belcamino, Marc Arvilla, and more. Forward written by Thomas D'Agastino.Contains photos, as well as audio and video links of evidence captured at the Haunted Victorian Mansion.
‘Superb sleuthing! I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Dedley End and can’t wait to go back!’ Heidi Swain, author of The Cherry Tree Café Once Upon a Crime... Nancy Hunter and her grandmother Jane Hunter run the Dedley Endings Bookshop, selling crime, thriller and mystery books, in a small, quiet Cotswold village where nothing ever happens... That is, until the wealthy and reclusive Roth family open up their mansion for the first time in thirty years, inviting the people of Dedley End to a lavish engagement party. While everyone is thrilled to finally look around the mansion on the hill, the festivities are quickly cut short when beautiful Lucy, recently married to young Harry Roth, is found dead after being pushed over the first-floor balustrade. But who among the guests could have been capable of her murder – and why? Nancy and Jane decide to investigate – after all, not only do they own a crime themed bookshop, they were also both named after famous literary detectives – but soon wonder if they’ve taken on more than they can handle. Especially when it seems the killer has worked out that they’re hot on their heels... Can they catch the murderer before the murderer catches up with them? Or will there be a deadly ending to this story? Praise for Murder at the House on the Hill: ‘Such a fab book - really puts the cosy in cosy crime!’ M. A. Kuzniar, author of Midnight in Everwood ‘This is a brilliant ‘whodunnit’ which gave me some serious Miss Marple feels...it’s absolutely brilliant and a pleasure to read’ Head in a Book18 ‘I loved this brilliant cozy read...it felt very Christie-esque. Nancy and Jane were fab, I loved their relationship. And I can’t wait for more.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review ‘Even gave me some Murder, she wrote vibes... I truly enjoyed reading this funny, cosy mystery’ Tizi’s Book Review ‘A cosy crime story with lovable characters and a gripping storyline, perfect for curling up with’ Kelly T’s Space ‘I really enjoyed this cosy crime, I was hooked with the storyline but also charmed by the characters’ Kraftireader ‘A very well written story with a crime to solve but also with characters that the reader really starts to care about.’ Reader Review ‘What an absolute delight this was to read... I was still guessing whodunnit until the end.’ Wrong Side of Forty UK ‘I loved the characters of Nancy and Jane...a gripping read, which certainly held my attention and kept me guessing.’ Ginger Book Geek ‘A delightful detective duo, a charming and clever cosy mystery.’ Diane Jeffrey, author of The Silent Friend ‘A cosy, satisfying and enjoyable murder mystery full of intrigue...and even better, with a bookshop too!’ Ella Allbright, author of The Last Charm ‘A well-executed murder mystery...I loved every second of it.’ Reader Review ‘A blast! It’s fast paced, fun and it keeps you guessing till the end!...The story is filled with lots of characters and unusual twists.’ Reader Review
A rich selection from diaries, letters, advice books, magazines, and paintings creates a rooms-by-room portrait of Victorian life--from childbirth in the master bedroom to separate gender domains in the drawing room and parlor.
