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Inheritance Tracks: A Sloan And Crosby Mystery (Sloan And Crosby Ser. #25)
by Catherine AirdFour strangers arrive at the solicitors’ office of Puckle, Puckle, and Nunnery. They have never met, and have no idea why they have been invited. But they – along with a missing man – are descendants of the late Algernon George Culver Mayton, the inventor of “Mayton’s Marvellous Mixture” and each entitled to a portion of the Mayton Fortune. But before they can split the money, the missing man must be found.They begin their search, but then Detective Sloan receives a call that one of the legatees had died following an attack of food poisoning. Now detectives Sloan and Crosby must determine whether the deceased merely ingested a noxious substance by accident, or if the legatees are being picked off one-by-one. And when matters of money and family rivalry are involved, there is almost certainly foul play afoot.
Last Writes (Sloan and Crosby #26)
by Catherine AirdThe police inspector brightened. ‘I must say that any suggestion of a motive would be a help. The deceased didn’t appear to have any natural enemies.’ ‘We’ve all got natural enemies, Inspector. I think what poor Walkinshaw had were some unnatural ones.’Last Writes is a mischievously clever compendium of twenty-two short stories from the pen of classic crime author Catherine Aird. Not only do her much-loved police duo Detective Inspector Christopher Sloan and Detective Constable William Crosby feature, but also a host of new characters including the mysterious Malcolm Venables of the Secret Service.Full of delicious twists and turns, Last Writes is be a collection to curl up with and savour.
Learning Curve (Sloan and Crosby)
by Catherine Aird‘Like Agatha Christie, Aird specialises in classic puzzles . . . Intricate , witty and thoroughly delightful’ Publishers WeeklyWhen the incessant mutterings of gravely ill Derek Tridgell culminate in a clear cry of foul murder, Detective Inspector Sloan and Detective Constable Crosby are brought in to investigate whether these are deathbed ramblings or revelations. They uncover three tragic deaths that may or may not be linked to Derek’s last words, including a fatal car accident from which his son Paul walked away unscathed.With a tight-lipped Paul knowing more than he’s letting on, Sloan and Crosby have their work cut out if they’re ever going to untangle this complex case.‘Gorgeously entertaining’ Daily Telegraph
Losing Ground (Sloan and Crosby #22)
by Catherine AirdThe dramatic theft of an 18th Century painting is discovered just moments before the old manor house uniquely depicted in the background of the portrait is set alight, coincidence? Does the reputation of the Baronet, the subject of the painting, as a hell-raiser and member of the Crustacean club have any connection to the fire?Events become decidedly more complex as a grisly spectacle is sighted in the blazing inferno moments before the roof collapses... Detective Inspector Sloan and Detective Constable Crosby are soon on the case and find themselves piecing together a puzzle that has its roots deep in the town's history.
Past Tense (Sloan and Crosby #23)
by Catherine AirdJanet Wakefield is shocked by a call from the Berebury Nursing Home, informing her that her husband's estranged great-aunt, Josephine Short, has passed away. Janet is sure that her husband Bill was the last of Josephine's close family, so she is taken aback when a handsome young man introduces himself at the funeral as Josephine's grandson. Meanwhile Detectives Sloan and Crosby find themselves assigned two rather puzzling cases. First, there's the young woman's body which has been discovered in the River Alm. And then there's the mysterious break-in at Berebury Nursing Home. To be precise, it's Josephine Short's room at the Nursing Home that's been entered, although nothing seems to be missing. What could the intruder have been after? It becomes apparent to Sloan and Crosby that the two cases are connected ...but who can the killer be?
The Walrus and the Spy
by Catherine AirdA new short story from CWA Diamond Dagger Award winner, Catherine Aird.When Henry Tyler meets Malcolm Carruthers unexpectedly at the Mordaunt Club, the club frequented by workers from the Foreign Office, he is tasked with decoding an important message that might shed light on a possible traitor. As Tyler tries to decipher the code he has no idea that he's about to be schooled in the art of code-breaking by two very unexpected 'spies'.
The Blood Dimmed Tide (Inspector Madden series #2)
by Rennie AirthIn Rennie Airth's The Blood Dimmed Tide it is 1932 and John Madden, former Scotland Yard Inspector, is now a farmer in the peaceful Surrey countryside. However his peace is about to be shattered, for when a young girl goes missing, it is he who discovers her disfigured body hidden in a wood. Disturbed by what he has seen he is convinced the killer has struck before . . .When a second body is found, Madden's instinct is proved right – there is a multiple killer at large. Allying himself with his old colleagues, and against the wishes of his anxious wife, he immerses himself in one more case, and his insights into the personality of the man they are seeking are soon borne out.But he will have to stay one step ahead of a killer who is a master of reinvention, and who has been covering his tracks for many years. And soon significant links are discovered in Germany, where the Nazis are on the brink of power . . .Enjoy more of this historical crime series with The Dead of Winter and The Reckoning.
The Dead of Winter (Inspector Madden series #3)
by Rennie AirthShortlisted for the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award, retired Inspector John Madden returns in Rennie Airth's The Dead of Winter.During a blackout on the streets of London on a freezing evening in late 1944, a young Polish land girl, Rosa Nowak, is suddenly and brutally killed. For the police, their resources already stretched by war regulations and the thriving black market, this is a shocking and seemingly random crime. No one can find any reason why someone would want to murder an innocent refugee.For the former police inspector John Madden, the crime hits close to home. Rosa was working on his farm and he feels personally responsible for not protecting her. His old colleagues Angus Sinclair and Billy Styles are still at the Yard, but struggle to make sense of their few clues.Their only lead points towards war-torn Europe – but as the fighting sweeps across the continent, will they find the killer before he strikes again?Enjoy more of this historical crime series with The Reckoning and The Death of Kings.
The Death of Kings: A John Madden Mystery (Inspector Madden series #5)
by Rennie AirthFrom the critically acclaimed author, Rennie Airth, comes the fifth John Madden mystery, The Death of Kings.I have reason to believe that the jade pendant accompanying this letter is the same one that disappeared from Miss Portia Blake's body in August 1938 . . . Since the piece could not have been stolen by the man who was hanged for Miss Blake's murder, the question arises: who else could have taken it? And why? 1949. An unsigned letter arrives on the desk of Chief Inspector Derry of the Canterbury police. Enclosed is a jade pendant, identical to the one that went missing from the body of Portia Blake, an actress murdered a decade previously. The case had been shut quickly at the time – the accused vagrant gave a written confession and was sentenced to the gallows - but in the police's haste to close the inquiry, the necklace was never recovered. Until now. Inspector Madden is asked to investigate the letter's worrying claims by his old friend, and former Chief Inspector, Angus Sinclair, who fears the wrong man may have been hanged on his watch. But with a world war separating Madden from the murder, the truth will not come easy . . .
The Reckoning (Inspector Madden series #4)
by Rennie AirthThe Reckoning is a stunning, atmospheric crime novel teeming with twists and moving between the 1940s, the First and Second World Wars.The Second World War has ended, leaving a bruised and fragile peace. But this tranquillity is threatened when a shocking murder takes place in the Sussex countryside. Before long, police experts discover a link to another, earlier, killing hundreds of miles away . . .While Scotland Yard detective Billy Styles struggles to find a link between these two murders, a strange twist of fate brings former Detective Inspector John Madden into the investigations.As the victim count rises it becomes clear that to catch this serial killer Madden, Styles and young policewoman Detective-Constable Lily Poole must act quickly. But Madden remains haunted by the mysteries at the heart of the case. Why was his name in a letter the second target had been penning, just before he died? Could the real clue to these perplexing murders lie within the victims' pasts? And within his own?Rennie Airth, the author of River of Darkness, The Blood-Dimmed Tide and The Dead of Winter presents his greatest and most compelling novel yet.
River of Darkness (Inspector Madden series #1)
by Rennie AirthIn Rennie Airth's River of Darkness it is 1921 and a terrible discovery has been made at a manor house in Surrey – the bloodied bodies of Colonel Fletcher, his wife and two of their staff. The victims have all been stabbed and the lack of disturbance in the house suggests that the attack was one of terrifying speed.The Surrey police force seem ready to put the murders down to robbery with violence, but Detective Inspector Madden from Scotland Yard sees things slightly differently. For he has experienced the horrors of World War I and has seen madness at first hand. And he is certain this crime has been perpetrated by a psychopath who will strike again . . . and soon.Enjoy more of this historical crime series with The Blood Dimmed Tide and The Dead of Winter.
Handling the Undead
by John Ajvide LindqvistIn the city morgue, the dead are waking up... What do they want? What everybody wants: to come home'Reminiscent of Stephen King at his best. Best read by sunlight' Independent on SundaySomething peculiar is happening. Stockholm is enduring a heatwave, electrical appliances cannot be switched off and everyone has a blinding headache. Then the terrible news breaks - in the city morgue, the dead are waking...David always knew his wife was far too good for him. But he never knew how lost he'd be without her until tonight when her car hit an elk. Now she's gone and he's alone. But when he goes to identify her body, she begins to move. It's terrifying, but it gives David a strange kind of hope.Across the city, grieving families find themselves able to see their loved-ones one last time. But are these creatures really them? How long can this last? And what does it all mean?
Harbour
by John Ajvide LindqvistThey only stopped watching her for a matter of minutes. That was all it took.'This is a third consecutive masterpiece from an author who deserves to be as much a household name as Stephen King' - SFX Magazine It was a beautiful winter's day. Anders, his wife and their feisty six-year-old, Maja, set out across the ice of the Swedish archipelago to visit the lighthouse on Gavasten. There was no one around, so they let her go on ahead. And she disappeared, seemingly into thin air, and was never found. Two years later, Anders is a broken alcoholic, his life ruined. He returns to the archipelago, the home of his childhood and his family. But all he finds are Maja's toys and through the haze of memory, loss and alcohol, he realizes that someone - or something - is trying to communicate with him. Soon enough, his return sets in motion a series of horrifying events which exposes a mysterious and troubling relationship between the inhabitants of the remote island and the sea.
Let the Old Dreams Die: Stories
by John Ajvide LindqvistThe follow-up collection to the international vampire bestseller Let the Right One In**Includes the short story Border, now a major film**Whatever happened to Oskar and Eli? And what became of the beleaguered families in Handling the Undead? Find out in Let the Old Dreams Die. In other tales from this collection, a woman finds a dead body and decides to keep it for herself, a customs officer has a mysterious gift that enables her to see what others hide, and a man believes he knows how to deceive death. These are the stories of John Ajvide Lindqvist's rich imagination. They are about love and death, and what we do when the two collide and the monsters emerge.
Let the Right One In (Nhb Modern Plays Ser.)
by John Ajvide Lindqvist**The international bestseller and the book behind the film and play Let Me In** 'The new Stephen King' The TimesOskar and Eli. In very different ways, they were both victims. Which is why, against the odds, they became friends. And how they came to depend on one another, for life itself. Oskar is a 12-year-old boy living with his mother on a dreary housing estate at the city's edge. He dreams about his absentee father, gets bullied at school, and wets himself when he's frightened. Eli is the young girl who moves in next door. She doesn't go to school and never leaves the flat by day. She is a 200-year-old vampire, forever frozen in childhood, and condemned to live on a diet of fresh blood. John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel, a huge bestseller in his native Sweden, is a unique and brilliant fusion of social novel and vampire legend. And a deeply moving fable about rejection, friendship and loyalty.
Little Star: A Novel
by John Ajvide Lindqvist'The new Stephen King. Don't miss it' The Times He found her as a baby, abandoned in the forest. He saved her life. With her first breath - a perfect, musical note - he realised she was no ordinary child. It was for her own protection that he hid her from the authorities. Was it his fault, what she turned into? Or was that why she was left for dead in the first place? The girl who became a little star. Who became, with her extraordinary powers, the most terrifying thing imaginable. In John Ajvide Lindqvist's fourth masterpiece, he ratchets up the tension until the story reaches its blood-chilling conclusion. In doing so, he confirms his place as the undisputed new king of horror.
All The World's A Stage: Erast Fandorin 11 (Erast Fandorin Mysteries)
by Boris AkuninTHE 11TH BOOK IN THE BESTSELLING ERAST FANDORIN MYSTERIES SERIESEBRD LITERATURE PRIZE FINALIST'This is Akunin on characteristic form... the pages race by' GuardianEliza Altairsky-Lointaine is the toast of Moscow society, a beautiful actress in an infamous theatre troupe. Her love life is as colourful as the parts she plays. She is the estranged wife of a descendant of Genghis Khan. And her ex-husband has threatened to kill anyone who courts her.He appears to be making good on his promise.Fandorin is contacted by concerned friend - the widowed wife of Chekhov - who asks him to investigate an alarming incident involving Eliza. But when he watches Eliza on stage for the first time, he falls desperately in love . . . Can he solve the case - and win over Eliza - without attracting the attentions of the murderer he is trying to find?What readers are saying about the Erast Fandorin Mysteries:'I loved how it consumes you, making you believe that you're indeed living in different era' Olga on Goodreads (five stars)'A delightful mystery/adventure! There's a dark twist at the end that has me anxious to continue in this series' Neil on Goodreads (five stars)'These books are a fun, riotous read that you don't want to put down until you've completed each and every one of them' Jill on Goodreads (five stars)'Every sentence is a delight to read... I am almost feeling bereft now that I have once more run out of English copies of Akunin's work.' Kate on Goodreads (five stars)A page-turning delight perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and the Russian literary greats. Shortlisted for the inaugural EBDR Literature Prize.
Black City
by Boris AkuninThe latest book in the internationally bestselling Erast Fandorin Mysteries series'Readers can expect prime Akunin - ingenious, twisty, exotic' Daily Mail Crimea, 1914. When the Tzar's head of security is assassinated, Fandorin is called to investigate: the killer has been overheard mentioning a 'black city' so Fandorin and his trusty companion, Masa, head to Baku, the burgeoning capital of oil. But as soon as they arrive, they are attacked and Fandorin almost drowns in an oil well. Saved by a stranger who hides him in the labyrinth of Baku's Old City, Fandorin begins to suspect the plot might be part of something larger - and much more dangerous. With war brewing in the Balkans, and Europe's empires struggling to contain the threat of revolution, Fandorin must try and solve his difficult case yet before time runs out.An explosive, edge-of-your-seat finale, filled with intrigue, wit and Boris Akunin's unforgettable characters.What readers are saying about the Erast Fandorin Mysteries:'Think Tolstoy writing James Bond with the logical rigour of Sherlock Holmes' Guardian'There's a dark twist at the end that has me anxious to continue in this series' Neil on Goodreads (five stars)'Erast Petrovich Fandorin is a man with lightning-fast reactions, a probing analytical mind and a great arsenal of concealed weaponry' Daily Telegraph'These books are a fun, riotous read that you don't want to put down' Jill on Goodreads (five stars)'Gloriously tounge-in-cheek but seriously edge-of-your-seat at the same time' Daily Express
The Coronation: A Fandorin Mystery (Erast Fandorin Ser. #7)
by Boris AkuninFandorin returns in a swashbuckling tale of abduction and intrigue, set during the build-up to the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II. Grand Duke Georgii Alexandrovich arrives in Moscow for the coronation, with three of his children. During an afternoon stroll, daughter Xenia is dragged away by bandits, only to be rescued by an elegant gentleman and his oriental sidekick. The passing heroes introduce themselves as Fandorin and Masa, but panic ensues when they realise that four-year old Mikhail has been snatched in the confusion. A ransom letter arrives from an international criminal demanding the handover of the Count Orlov, an enormous diamond on the royal sceptre which is due to play a part in the coronation. Can the gentleman detective find Mikhail in time?
The Death of Achilles: Erast Fandorin 4 (Erast Fandorin Mysteries #4)
by Boris AkuninErast Fandorin returns to Moscow, and he just can't seem to keep out of trouble... The fourth novel in the bestselling crime series from the author of THE WINTER QUEEN.Erast Fandorin returns to Moscow after an absence of six years, only to find himself instantly embroiled in court politics and scandal. His old friend General Sobolev - the famous 'Russian Achilles' - has been found dead in a hotel room, and Fandorin suspects foul play.Using his now-famous powers of detection - powers that belie his twenty-six years - Fandorin embarks on an investigation, during which the political and the personal may become dangerously blurred. With the assistance of some formidable martial arts skills, acquired whilst Fandorin was in Japan, our eccentric and ingenious hero must endeavour to discover not so much whodunit, as why...
The Diamond Chariot: Erast Fandorin 10 (Erast Fandorin Mysteries #10)
by Boris AkuninA stunning and epic finale to the series, pitting Fandorin against both Ninjas and terrorists on the Trans-Siberian Express!The first of the interlinked plotlines is set in Russia during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Fandorin is charged with protecting the Trans-Siberian Railway from Japanese sabotage in a pacy adventure filled with double agents and ticking bombs.Then we travel back to the Japan of the late 1870s. This is the story of Fandorin's arrival and life in Yokohama, his first meeting with Masa and the martial arts education that came in so handy later. He investigates the death of a Russian ship-captain, fights for a woman, exposes double-agents in the Japanese police, fights against, and then with the ninjas, and becomes embroiled in a shocking finale that interweaves the two stories and ties up the series as a whole.
The Erast Fandorin Mysteries: The Winter Queen, Turkish Gambit, Murder on the Leviathan (Erast Fandorin Mysteries #7)
by Boris AkuninTHE FIRST THREE VOLUMES IN THE BESTSELLING ERAST FANDORIN SERIES1 THE WINTER QUEEN'Think Tolstoy writing James Bond with the logical rigour of Sherlock Holmes' GUARDIANMoscow 1876. A young law student commits suicide in broad daylight in Moscow's Alexander Gardens. But this is no ordinary death, for the young man was the son of an influential industrialist and has left a considerable fortune.Erast Fandorin, a hotheaded new recruit to the Criminal Investigation Department, is assigned to the case.Brilliant, young, and sophisticated, Fandorin embarks on an investigation that will take him from the palatial mansions of Moscow to the seedy backstreets of London in his hunt for the conspirators behind this mysterious death.2 TURKISH GAMBIT'A popular hero to equal Sherlock Holmes and James Bond' THE TIMESThe Russo-Turkish war is at a critical juncture, and Erast Fandorin, broken-hearted and disillusioned, has gone to the front in an attempt to forget his sorrows. But Fandorin's efforts to steer clear of trouble are thwarted when he comes to the aid of Varvara Suvorova - a 'progressive' Russian woman trying to make her way to the Russian headquarters to join her fiancé.3 MURDER ON THE LEVIATHAN'Fandorin is a beautifully drawn character who more than lives up to comparisons with Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes' DAILY EXPRESSOn 15th March 1878 Lord Littleby, an English eccentric and collector, is found murdered in his Paris house together with nine members of his staff. A gold whale in the victim's hand leads Erast Fandorin to board the Leviathan, the world's largest steamship, as the murderer is one of the 142 first class passengers.Commissioner Gauche of the French police has narrowed down the suspects to ten, and they are forced to eat together at every meal time in the ship's Windsor Suite until 'the Crime of the Century' is solved. But is the murderer really at the table?
Murder on the Leviathan: Erast Fandorin 3 (Erast Fandorin Mysteries #3)
by Boris AkuninThe third Erast Fandorin mystery from Boris Akunin, shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger.'Akunin is an outstanding novelist...Fandorin is a beautifully drawn character who more than lives up to comparisons with Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes...The characters are delightful and you can imagine them in a Woody Allen version of an Agatha Christie novel...Akunin's work is gloriously tongue-in-cheek but seriously edge-of-your-seat at the same time' Daily ExpressOn 15th March 1878 Lord Littleby, an English eccentric and collector, is found murdered in his Paris house together with nine members of his staff. A gold whale in the victim's hand leads Erast Fandorin to board the Leviathan, the world's largest steamship, as the murderer is one of the 142 first class passengers. Commissioner Gauche of the French police has narrowed down the suspects to ten, and they are forced to eat together at every meal time in the ship's Windsor Suite until 'the Crime of the Century' is solved. But is the murderer really at the table, and can Erast Fandorin discover his or her identity before Gauche? As more passengers are murdered and the Leviathan heads towards Calcutta, Fandorin needs all his investigative skills to find the truth.
Not Saying Goodbye
by Boris AkuninRUSSIA, 1918The young Soviet state is in turmoil. Chekists walk along the streets. Hunger, cold and mud crawl away in the former aristocratic quarters of Moscow. The old order has been turned upside down, leaving room for political infighting and dark subterfuge.This is the world Erast Fandorin - the celebrated detective - wakes up to after three years in a coma. His faithful assistant Masa might have nursed him successfully back to life, but there is no guarantee that the old Fandorin, with his razor-sharp intellect and superhuman strength, will ever be back.Determined to leave behind Moscow - a city he doesn't recognise anymore - Fandorin embarks on one last great adventure. But who can he trust in a country torn apart by civil war?
Pelagia And The Black Monk: The Second Sister Pelagia Mystery (Sister Pelagia #2)
by Boris AkuninSister Pelagia, bespectacled, freckled, woefully clumsy and possessed of a not very nunnish aptitude for solving crimes, returns in a tale of monastic intrigue, murder and adventure.Just as the dust from the case of the White Bulldog begins to settle in the small Russian town of Zavolzhsk, its sleepy rural existence is shaken up once again by the arrival of a desperately frightened monk who seeks the help of the bishop, Mitrofanii.The monks have been troubled by visions of a dark, hooded figure that appears to walk on the waters of the vast Blue Lake surrounding their monastery. Sceptical of ghost stories, Mitrofanii sends first his clever young ward, then two of his most trusted advisors, to investigate the mystery. All meet with unexpected fates.Finally Sister Pelagia takes matters into her own hands and, adopting a number of ingenious disguises, she ventures across the Blue Lake in search of answers. As she delves deeper into the layers of secrecy that cloak the islanders, and as the body count continues to rise, Pelagia begins to realise that an encounter with a ghost may be the least of her problems...