Showing titles in Animals

Back in Pickax, Jim Qwilleran expects to resume a quiet life, but the people and animals of Pickax have other ideas. A noisy cardinal wakes him every morning, nosy neighbors drop by uninvited, and the Siamese cats—Koko and Yum Yum—misbehave, even sneezing on guests. As if they weren't bad enough, Qwill's long-time companion, Polly Duncan, acts as though she is in love—with another man. Worst of all, Qwill finds a body in his apple orchard.

Who knew a seven-foot nutcracker could be a murder weapon? Finding the body of the toy store owner Betty King is the latest in a list of reasons Michael Bellemare feels far from jolly this holiday season. Having secured jobs for two local teens at the store, obligation leads Michael to help uncover the killer and clear both their names. Unfortunately, the mounting evidence seems to point to one of the teens. Partnering with detective Janis Jets, Michael listens in as Janis interviews residents and learns more about the hold Betty King had over Lily Rock. Possible mob ties. A runaway dog.

Welcome to Seacastle, a neglected resort on England's south coast. Divorced, broke, and saddled with a malevolent rescue cat, Tanya Bowe has swapped investigative journalism for running a struggling vintage furniture shop. When her tech-savvy stepson, Mouse, invades her life, he's a reminder that the modern world moves faster than she does. But life takes a darker turn when an old schoolmate is found dead in her family mansion.

My life was going just fine by most standards. I ran a successful business in a tight-knit magical community, and lived just blocks from a beautiful lake and series of hiking trails. Then Selene showed up. According to some magical code I inherit my aunt's ancient familiar; a grumpy ten-pound cat with a broken filter. She fancies herself something of a saber-toothed tiger, and claims to have wrestled the thread of her ninth life from the hands of the Fates themselves—although, I'm pretty sure that last part isn't true. Almost positive.

Her modern-day life turns into a tangle of secrets when a fall lands her back in time. When a mundane mishap propels Ellie into a bygone era – the Roaring Twenties, she’s not only stuck in time, but she lands smack dab in the middle of another mystery. Steeped in history, a local landmark’s haunting becomes Ellie’s prime objective as she navigates a society of guys and dolls in the hopes of finding her way home. As she delves deeper, she finds out that not all is as it seems and the past is filled with secrets, puzzles, and intrigue she didn’t expect.

Viv and Rex's plans to return to community college and get their PI license hit an unexpected snag when their instructor, a seasoned private investigator, winds up dead the first day. Now, instead of studying for midterms, they’re cramming to crack the case.

The instant Sunday Times bestseller. The must-have sequel to Sosuke Natsukawa's bestselling The Cat Who Saved Books – an uplifting tale from Japan about a talking cat and the power of books to make a difference in the world. Nanami Kosaki loves reading. The local library has become a home from...

When their vacation in Bar Harbor, Maine, turns deadly, amateur sleuths Lily and Cassie find themselves entangled in a web of secrets dating back to the days of pirates. With their spirited ghost companion, Ri, and the clues hidden in a series of stolen artifacts, the duo must piece together the puzzle before time runs out. As danger lurks in every corner of this quaint coastal town, they’ll need all their wits—and maybe a little paranormal help—to crack the case and avoid becoming the next victims.

Ghost hunter Verity Long has forty-eight hours to plan her sister's dream wedding on a budget that wouldn't even cover the cake. The venue? A stunning Irish manor in Jackson, Tennessee—enemy territory for any self-respecting citizen of Sugarland. But the place is perfect, the photos are free, and Melody is over the moon. There's just one tiny catch. Two dead grooms, fifty years apart. And Alec's timing? It couldn't be worse.

Who killed Baubles the Clown? The beloved performer Baubles, hired to entertain children with Sparkles his Shetland pony, is found slumped over in the corral strangled by his trick lasso. Lily Rock's librarian, Meadow McCloud, wants to help find the killer but she has a personal crisis to deal with. Between Christmas errands and the plentiful expectations that come with the season, she's feeling pretty overwhelmed. Plus there's the secret she's kept from her daughter, Sage, that keeps threatening her peace of mind. If that isn't enough, Sage is overwhelmed with her concerns.

Max Effort never thought he'd find himself at The Dead Crow's sixth annual pickled onion festival, but serendipity is a peculiar thing, so here he stood. He didn't care, because his two best friends-Min his ex-wife, and Anxious the Terrier-were with him so life was sweet. When the pub's chef goes missing, Max reluctantly agrees to step in and save the day. Having vowed never to enter a commercial kitchen again, he soon regrets the decision, especially when the chef is found dead in a broom closet with a jar of pickled onions.

When Italy’s greatest opera singer, Rodolfo Argento, is killed in a terrible car accident, the police initially rule his death a tragic accident or suicide. But his elderly mother, Violetta, believes this to be poppycock! Her son was a brilliant driver and had too much to live for. She suspects foul play and turns to Private Investigator, Dan Armstrong to discover the truth. So Dan and Oscar travel to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, to find out what really happened. There Dan discovers Rodolfo’s private life could have come straight out of a Shakespeare play.

Clara Kelly only wants to be free. Fleeing her abusive husband and holing up in his empty historic Salem, Massachusetts house, she’s shocked to find it already occupied by the ghosts of a sad-eyed Union soldier and cat. And just as the thirty-two-year-old fugitive accepts that the supernatural is real, a deadly car accident out front brings the phantom of the recently deceased to her door claiming he’s been murdered.

A Halloween Ball. A missing friend. A serial killer’s return? Ellie Byrne is ready to enjoy a Halloween masquerade ball at her bed and breakfast with friends, but when her friend mysteriously disappears, Ellie’s evening takes a dark turn. Just as Mia is found, shaken but unharmed, another body is discovered, and it looks like the infamous Clue Killer may have resurfaced after 20 years of silence. With a murderer on the loose, Ellie, with the help of her snarky cat Cleo and loyal dog Lola, must dig deep into the town’s secrets.

When investigative journalist, Alexi Ellis, falls victim to cutbacks, she and Cosmo, her anti-social feral cat, head for beautiful Hopgood Hall, where they plan to lick their wounds in the boutique hotel run by her old friends, Cheryl and Drew Hopgood. But when she arrives Alexi discovers Cheryl and Drew both distraught. Their close friend, Natalie Parker, who recently settled in the area, has gone missing. Alexi’s sure the woman has just taken a trip somewhere, but she still has a nose for a story and agrees to look into it.

Doreen eagerly anticipates her escape to the coast, leaving behind the wintery blues of Kelowna. However, the trip means returning to her old home—back when she was married to Mathew—stirring up a whirlwind of memories. She hopes for a peaceful journey, but, as soon as she steps into the conservatory, she realizes her hobby has unexpectedly followed her here. Mack takes a few days off work to assist Doreen in sorting through Mathew’s belongings, aware of the emotional challenges she faces when revisiting her former life.

Colorado's Redstone Ridge is a place of extraordinary beauty, but this rugged mountain wilderness harbors a horrifying secret. When a charred body is discovered in a shallow grave on the ridge, officer Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner, Robo, are called in to spearhead the investigation. But this is no ordinary crime - and it soon becomes clear Mattie has a close personal connection to the dead man.

When crime novelist Phoebe opens the post and receives an invitation to her own funeral, she’s horrified. Not least because the date of her death is marked as tomorrow. Deciding it’s nothing more than a prank from an enemy from her past, she determines to put it to the back of her mind. But the next morning, when her completely infuriating postman (who likes to think himself her no.1 literary critic) rings her doorbell, a parcel of poisoned pen-nibs explodes in his face. Forced to confront the fact her correspondence is more RIP than RSVP, Phoebe realises someone must want her dead.

My life was going just fine by most standards. I ran a successful business in a tight-knit magical community, and lived just blocks from a beautiful lake and series of hiking trails. Then Selene showed up. According to some magical code I inherit my aunt's ancient familiar; a grumpy 10-pound cat with a broken filter.

Tearoom sleuth Gemma Rose is looking forward to a holiday filled with delicious Yuletide treats, time with friends and family, and maybe even a "white Christmas" in Oxford. But when she's snowed in at a country manor, she finds herself stumbling on a puzzling murder, complete with a body in the library, a house full of suspects, and a trail of mysterious footprints!