Search results for null

The Odor of Violets

Otto Penzler, Baynard Kendrick

In the early days of WWII, a blind detective follows unseen clues to solve a murder and undermine a German spy plot.

Meet Captain Duncan Maclain. Blinded during his service in the first World War, Maclain made up for his lack of vision by sharpening his other senses, achieving a mastery of the subtle unseen clues often missed by those who see only with their eyes. Aided by his dogs Schnucke and Driest, the Captain puts the intelligence-gathering techniques he learned in the Army to work, making a name for himself as New York City’s most sought-after private detective. Now it’s 1940, there’s a second World War breaking out, and Maclain is pulled into a case unlike any he’s investigated before.

The murder of an actor in his Greenwich Village apartment would cause a stir no matter the circumstances but, when the actor happens to possess secret government plans, and when those plans go missing along with the young woman with whom he was last seen, it’s sensational enough to interest not only the local police, but the American government as well.

Maclain suspects a German spy plot at work and, in a world where treasonous men and patriots are indistinguishable to the naked eye, it will take his special skills to sniff out the solution.

Reissued for the first time in over a half-century, Odor of Violets is the most well-known installment in the long-running Duncan Maclain series, which featured one of crime fiction’s earliest disabled detectives. The novel, filmed in 1942 as Eyes in the Night, is a classic hybrid of mystery and espionage fiction.

The Cape Cod Mystery

Phoebe Atwood Taylor

The “Codfish Sherlock Holmes” solves a whodunnit in 1930s Cape Cod

Meet Asey Mayo, Cape Cod’s answer to Sherlock Holmes. Settled down from his former life as a seafaring adventurer, Asey is a Jack-of-all-trades who uses his worldly knowledge, folksy wisdom, and plain common sense to solve the most puzzling crimes to strike the peninsula. And in this, his first case, Asey finds himself embroiled in a scandal that will push his deductive powers to their limits.

A massive heatwave is scorching the Northeast, and vacationers from New York and Boston flock to Cape Cod for breezy, cool respite. Then a muckraking journalist is found murdered in the cabin he’s rented for the season, and the summer holiday becomes a nightmare for the local authorities. There are abundant suspects among the out-of-towners flooding the area, but they ultimately fix their sights on beloved local businessman Bill Porter as the murderer―unless Asey Mayo can prove him innocent and find the true killer.

A light whodunnit with an unforgettable amateur sleuth at its center, The Cape Cod Mystery is the first novel from one of the most beloved authors of the American Golden Age mystery. The plot is adorned with insightful historical detail and a healthy dose of Cape Cod local color, making this an enjoyable and enlightening read perfect for a beachside afternoon.

The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021

Lee Child

A Wall Street Journal holiday 2021 pick

A Suspense Magazine Best Book of the Year

Lee Child selects the twenty best mystery short stories of the year, including tales by Stephen King, Sara Paretsky, and many more.

Under the auspices of New York City's legendary mystery fiction specialty bookstore, The Mysterious Bookshop, and aided by Edgar Award-winning anthologist Otto Penzler, international bestseller Lee Child has selected the twenty most suspenseful, most confounding, and most mysterious short stories from the past year, collected now in one entertaining volume.

Includes stories by:

• Alison Gaylin
• David Morrell
• James Lee Burke
• Joyce Carol Oates
• Martin Edwards
• Sara Paretsky
• Stephen King
• Sue Grafton (with a new, posthumously-published work!)

And many more!

The Benson Murder Case

S. S. Van Dine

Brilliant amateur sleuth Philo Vance solves a puzzling murder in one of the most influential detective novels of the twentieth century

All of Wall Street and Manhattan high society is abuzz after playboy stockbroker Alvin Benson is discovered dead in his brownstone mansion, slumped over in an easy chair with a bullet in his head. The man’s body is found in a room locked from the inside, and his head is missing the toupee that usually adorned it. Ballistics experts, detectives, and the NYPD’s top brass can’t solve the crime, but luckily they don’t have to: New York’s leading flaneur and art connoisseur, Philo Vance, is on the case, and he’s got precisely the far-flung and esoteric knowledge needed to interpret the clues and determine whodunnit.

By carefully examining the crime scene and reconstructing the deadly shooting, Vance determines a number of things about the murderer, including his or her height―and this is only the first of many deductive feats that he will pull off before the investigation comes to a close. But will he be able to pierce the alibi of the true killer and prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?

The first novel in one of the most influential detective series of the early twentieth century, The Benson Murder Case introduces iconic amateur sleuth Philo Vance with a plot loosely based on the true-life murder of a famous bridge player. Its aristocratic Golden Age New York setting, obscure art cultural references, and devilishly complicated puzzle plot make this a must-read for nostalgia buffs and for anyone who appreciates a classic mystery.

Margaret's Story

Eugenia Price

In this powerful crescendo to Eugenia Price’s acclaimed Florida Trilogy, young and headstrong Margaret Seton vows to win the heart of grieving widower Lewis Fleming.

Margaret’s Story tells of the heartwarming relationship between the bold Margaret and her beloved Lewis, and how it plays out against dangerous and tumultuous events while spanning almost half a century. Experiencing Seminole uprisings, Florida’s burgeoning statehood, the Civil War, and the challenges of Reconstruction, Margaret holds her devoted family together with love, strength, and faith. Even the tragedy of seeing their beloved plantation on the St. John’s River, Hibernia, destroyed twice, and having sons and husband pitted against each other in war cannot break Margaret’s spirit or shake her faith. Her unconditional love, unflagging conviction in God, and contagious hope impact her descendants, a young state, and indeed a nation.

Don Juan McQueen

Eugenia Price

Bestselling author Eugenia Price captures the drama, the glory, and the pure emotion of Southern life and love with perfection in Don Juan McQueen.

A powerful novel by Eugenia Price, Don Juan McQueentells the story of John McQueen, an American patriot and friend of Washington and Jefferson, who finds himself bankrupt and forced to flee to Spanish East Florida to escape imprisonment. Anne, his beautiful wife, and children remain in Savannah, Georgia, as he obtains a new identity—Don Juan McQueen, confidante to the Spanish governor. The more he adapts to his new home, the more quickly he falls from the graces of Anne, and their children are trapped between them.

Filled with action and drama, this sequel to Maria reveals a unique period in history as the characters struggle with religion, Spanish influence, and America’s quest for expansion and recognition.

Maria

Eugenia Price

The spirited story of Mary Evans, an extraordinary woman from colonial Charles Town who finds a place for herself in St. Augustine after Spain relinquishes Florida.

In this captivating tale, Eugenia Price paints a vivid picture of the tumultuous historic and political events that shaped the life of Mary Evans, a remarkably independent woman in the colonial south. Born in Charles Town, South Carolina, Mary, a skilled midwife, accompanied her first husband, British soldier David Fenwick, when his regiment fought the Spanish in Cuba. When Spain agreed to give all of Florida in exchange for the city of Havana, Mary (who became known as Maria) and her husband were forced to relocate to the new British garrison town of St. Augustine, Florida.

Maria exposes challenges that would unnerve a less resourceful woman, but she made a name for herself—developing and enhancing her position with influential citizens of St. Augustine. Eventually marrying three times, Maria proved herself to be an extraordinary woman, for any day or time.

Apocalypse Child

Flor Edwards

For the first thirteen years of her life, Flor Edwards grew up in the Children of God. The group's nomadic existence was based on the belief that, as God's chosen people, they would be saved in the impending apocalypse that would envelop the rest of the world in 1993. Flor would be thirteen years old. The group's charismatic leader, Father David, kept the family on the move, from Los Angeles to Bangkok to Chicago, where they would eventually disband, leaving Flor to make sense of the foreign world of mainstream society around her. Apocalypse Child is a cathartic journey through Flor's memories of growing up within a group with unconventional views on education, religion, and sex. Whimsically referring to herself as a real life Kimmy Schmidt, Edwards's clear-eyed memoir is a story of survival in a childhood lived on the fringes.

Alamo in the Ardennes

John McManus

At last, here is a book that tells the full story of the turning point in World War II's Battle of the Bulge - the story of five crucial days in which small groups of American soldiers, some outnumbered 10 to 1, slowed the German advance and allowed the Belgian town of Bastogne to be reinforced. Alamo in the Ardennes provides a compelling, day-by-day account of this pivotal moment in America's greatest war.

A Deception of Massive Proportion: A Romantic Comedy

Victorine Lieske

She's a reporter. He's a rockstar who must keep his identity hidden.

When tabloid reporter, Riley Campbell, lands the job to be Shadow Walker’s personal assistant for one week, she thinks the stars have finally aligned for her. She can spend an entire week digging around to figure out the masked pop singer’s true identity and get that promotion she desperately needs to save her father. But when things start to get personal with Shadow Walker, Riley has to decide if deceiving him really is the best plan.

Jalen Carter had never had a break in his life. That is until he put on a mask that hid his burned skin and entered American Superstar, the popular singing competition that jumpstarted his career. Now his concerts are sold out nationwide. The only problem? He must keep his identity a secret or all his fame could come crashing down around him. When the lovely Riley Campbell enters his life and makes him weak in the knees, he’s not sure what to do. Will revealing his true identity scare her away?

A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity

Victorine Lieske

Some mistakes are meant to happen.

When Danica Jordan, daughter of the famous actor Samuel Jordan, gets involved in yet another horrible scandal, her father cuts her off, leaving her stranded and forced to get a—gasp!—CLEANING JOB. If that isn’t bad enough, someone keeps leaking photos of her to the paparazzi. All Dani wants to do is disappear.

Famous football star Austin Scott is staying at the Billionaire Club to recuperate from an injury. When Danica mistakes him for a maintenance man, he doesn’t correct her. He really doesn’t even want to talk to her, but she’s in a bad spot and he ends up helping her. The more time he spends with her, the more he falls for her. Except, she still thinks he’s the maintenance man.

Sometimes the truth is better left alone. That is, until it all comes crashing down around you.

A Marriage of Anything But Convenience

Victorine Lieske

It was a simple marriage of convenience. Just two years. What could possibly go wrong?

Nara couldn't believe it when her father came up with the crazy idea that she needed to marry Mr. Stuffy himself. Derek Marshall. Sure, he was stinkin' gorgeous and made her insides quiver. But marry him? She was on her way to getting her dream job as a fashion designer. Well, on her way if you counted getting coffee for someone who had her dream job.

Derek has been in love with Nara all his life. But how can he possibly get her to see it? He's not cool like the men Nara usually dates. He gets tongue tied around her. But now they're married and all he can think about is the clock ticking down until the divorce date.

Can he show her how much he really cares?