There are days, even in the capricious climate of London, when the whole world seems at peace; when the blue of the summer sky, the fragrance of some distant flower brought in by a passing breeze, and the contented chirp of the birds, all unite to evoke a spirit of thankfulness for the very gift of life itself.

English Private Eye Sam Dyke tracks down a vicious killer who seems to have no regard for the law ... or anything else.Making a killing in business is one thing - doing it for real is another.Private Investigator Sam Dyke turns down a job that would require skills that he doesn't have - patience, computer-literacy, tact. Then he finds that the skills he does have - tenacity, aggression, street-smarts - are exactly the ones he needs for his next case - hunting down a cold-blooded murderer who seems to know what his every step will be.To solve the case Sam must negotiate with his ex-wife, cement a relationship with a new love, unravel an office-based financial fraud and fight off an arrogant murderer armed only with a pen-knife. Altered Life is fast-paced, bitterly comic and introduces a tough new English private eye who knows what he wants and, usually, how to get it.

James is alone on Halloween night. His parents go to a Halloween Party, but never return. The search for James's parents begins.On Halloween Night James is alone, while his parents are at a party. His parents never return home. The search for his parents and the truth for what happened on that Halloween Night begins. This short story follows James and the two detectives in charge of the search.

To claim his mate, he’ll have to come out of the shadows… A Stranded Artist Winnifred Parker is a survivor. She’s been on her own since she was sixteen. But when stranded on an island with nothing but her paint set, she has new obstacles to overcome. Not the least of which is the sexy, tattooed musician she’s marooned with. A Roguish Rocker Aiden’s inner dragon knows Winnifred is his mate, and he'll do anything to be near her. Abandoned on the island together, he has the chance to impress Winnie with his guitar riffs. But winning her heart will require more sincerity than this mysterious rogue is ready to reveal. A Stealthy Attack... When vampires arrive, Aiden can no longer conceal his dragon nature. He whisks Winnie away, but her rescue comes at a terrible price. Winnifred wants nothing to do with him! Will Aiden ever come out of hiding again? And if he does, can the self-sufficient painter admit she needs love, not only to the secretive warrior, but to herself?

“Constant action and top-notch writing.” —New York Times A Palm Beach playboy who amuses himself with murder finds himself on a collision course with a vacationing Motown cop in Elmore Leonard’s Split Images—a gripping and electrifying example of noir gold from “the coolest, hottest writer in America” (Chicago Tribune).  Split Images is Grand Master Leonard at the top of his game, a bravura example of how exemplary crime fiction is done by a writer who stands tall among the all-time mystery greats: John D. MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, et al. The brilliant creator of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (of TV’s Justified) now brings us a cast of vivid and unforgettable characters on both sides of the law, in a twisting masterwork of unrelenting suspense that the Washington Post calls, “Brilliant...impressive...superb.”

Francesca was widowed a year ago. Since then she has focused on her children, trying to soothe their grief as well as her own. Her husband and father never quite saw eye to eye but no one could have cared more for her in the past year than her close-knit family. Finally, she feels she might be ready to move on with life. Until she is contacted out of the blue by someone who says he must get information to her. That her husband's death wasn't what it seemed. And that her family know more than they say ... Who can Francesca trust? And what will happen to her if she puts her faith in the wrong person?

This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.

Chester Calhoun lives with his sister and his aunt in a house on the upper east side, and across the street lives beautiful and mysterious society hostess Victoria Van Allen, known to her friends as Vicky Van. Vicky is a an enigma. She lives in a stunningly appointed house with a servant but no one really knows anything about her. She’s vivacious and a little bit Bohemian, but entirely respectable. Vicky often hosts bridge parties for well-heeled New York socialites.  One night, a wealthy millionaire is stabbed to death at one of these salons, and Vicky Van disappears before the police can be summoned.Chester is convinced that Vicky didn’t do it, despite the circumstances. The police discover that the millionaire was not merely a random millionaire, but a well-known businessman with ties to Vicky’s past.  Fleming Stone is summoned and for once he has an assistant. Fibsy is one of the rare sidekicks who is actually allowed to figure out the solution to the mystery. The surprise twist ending is one of Carolyn Wells’ best. 

NaNoWriMo 2015. 1st draft. Etta and Jen Astley crash their car going to a weekend mystery novel seminar. Waking up, they discover they are trapped inside one of Winifred Warlock's murder mysteries while in the real world, they lie in comas. The only way to escape from the novel, is to solve the murder before the murderer kills them... Their only help is Miss Margaret Mittens, the amateur detectiveFirst draft of novel written during NaNoWriMo 2015. A young woman, Etta Astley and her mother Jen. are driving to a weekend seminar at a country house about the Golden Age of Crime and especially, the famous murder mystery writer, Winifred Warlock. On the way, they crash the car and are knocked unconscious. On waking up, they find themselves at a country house where Etta is a guest and Jen her lady's maid. They discover that they are trapped inside one of Winifred Warlock's murder mysteries while in the real world, they lie in comas in a hospital. Then the murders start to occur and they realise that the only way to escape from the novel, is to solve the murder but the murderer has got them in his or her sights.... Their only help is Miss Margaret Mittens, the amateur detective. COMPLETE FIRST DRAFT .

Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go. When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

The Knights of the Golden Circle was the largest and most dangerous clandestine organization in American history. It amassed billions in stolen gold and silver, all buried in hidden caches across the United States. Since 1865 treasure hunters have searched, but little of that immense wealth has ever been found.Now, one hundred and sixty years later, two factions of what remains of the Knights of the Golden Circle want that lost treasure—one to spend it for their own ends, the other to preserve it. Thrust into this battle is former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone, whose connection to the knights is far deeper than he ever imagined. At the center is the Smithsonian Institution—linked to the knights, its treasure, and Malone himself through an ancestor, a Confederate spy named Angus "Cotton" Adams, whose story holds the key to everything. Complicating matters are the political ambitions of a reckless Speaker of the House and the bitter widow...

Auckland, June 1886. Ngati Wai chief Paratene Te Manu spends long sessions, over three long days, having his portrait painted by the Bohemian painter Gottfried Lindauer. Hearing of Lindauer's planned trip to England reminds him of his own journey there, twenty years earlier, with a party of northern rangatira. As he sits for Lindauer, Paratene retreats deeper and deeper into the past, from the triumphs in London and their meetings with royalty to the disintegration of the visit into poverty, mistrust, and humiliation. Based on a true story.

E. Phillips Oppenheim was a popular 20th century writer best known for penning suspenseful thriller novels like The Mystery of Mr. Bernard Brown. Many of his more than 100 novels are still read today.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Nobody suspects little old ladies of doing bad things... like sedating their house guests and strangling them with a machine knitted garrotte! Hilda Hopkins hits the road and outwits the police and everyone chasing her, but no one can run forever, especially not at her age and in those stockings!Nobody suspects little old ladies of doing bad things... like sedating their house guests and strangling them with a machine knitted garrotte! Hilda Hopkins hits the road and outwits the police and everyone chasing her, but no one can run forever, especially not at her age and in those stockings!Hilda can't help knitting a lifelike effigy of each of her 'Gentlemen' and it could be her passion for wool brings her undone.