EBR May Crime

So, this was a hot flush. The utterly pointless flag-bearer of menopause. That explained a lot. She held her body as upright as possible on the cramped seat, like one of those hot-stepping lizards in the Namib desert and tried to look like she was having a detecting epiphany. ‘Shame, you’re really sweating, hey,’ said Gladys. ‘Don’t worry. It’s coming for you, too.’ Normally quick witted and sharp eyed, Detective Fatima Matthews is being sucker punched by menopause, and that’s not even the half of it. Someone is playing deadly games with a local publisher, there’s a reader found dead with melted eyes and just when she could really use the career boost, her internal polygraph has decided to flatline. As the threats escalate and one crisis triggers another, Fatima must come to terms with what it means to face your frailties, and whether a second chance is really possible when your greatest adversary is time. With plagiarism scandals, buried secrets and red herrings aplenty, Andrea Shaw’s thrilling debut gives the local publishing industry its moment in the sun.

Read more less

At your peril, you are cordially invited to summer at the Gatsby West Egg Mansion, with the most illustrious - and the deadliest - guest list. When one of the guests is murdered, Greta Gatsby is on hand to investigate... The world's most beloved literary characters. The gilded opulence of the Roaring Twenties. A murder that scandalises high society. And a clever young woman of unusual persistence... Be ready to re-think the world of Gatsby.1922: You are cordially invited to summer at the Gatsby Mansion in West Egg, with the most illustrious - and the deadliest - guest list.Freshly twenty-one and sporting a daring new bob, Greta Gatsby - younger sister to the infamous Jay - is finally free of finishing school. An idyllic summer stretches ahead of her at the Gatsby Mansion, the jewel of West Egg.But when Greta arrives at the secluded white-stone estate bathed in the late-afternoon light, she finds she isn't the only visitor. Jay is hosting an intimate gathering of New York's fashionable set: Daisy and Tom Buchanan, along with his brother Edgar, Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker.That evening, the guests enjoy a candelabra-lit dinner party. That night, they dance to the lilt of the gramophone. The next morning, one of them is missing.Murder has come to West Egg, the warm breeze tainted by scandal, betrayal and secrets. Turning sleuth isn't how Greta meant to spend her summer - but what choice does she have when one of them could be next? A deliciously unputdownable whodunnit perfect for fans of The Christie Affair and Miss Austen Investigates.

Read more less

A quaint bookshop, a small-town murder, and a brand-new amateur sleuth―what could possibly go wrong? Harvey Beckett dreamed of opening a cozy bookstore in the charming town of St. Marin’s, where the biggest drama would be late book returns. But when she stumbles over a dead body in her storeroom―none other than the town’s most nosy and unpopular reporter―her fresh start takes a deadly turn. Now, her grand opening is overshadowed by whispers of murder, and Harvey is suddenly at the center of small-town intrigue. With her faithful hound, Mayhem, by her side and her aloof cat, Aslan, watching from a safe distance, she’s determined to clear her name and uncover the truth. But the deeper she digs into the town’s secrets, the more dangerous the game becomes. Someone in St. Marin’s wants to keep the past buried―at any cost. Can Harvey solve the mystery before the killer closes the book on her for good? Publishable by Death is the first book in The St. Marin’s Press Mystery series, a charming cozy mystery collection filled with books, quirky characters, and plenty of small-town secrets.

Read more less

THE MARTINI CLUB ISN’T OPEN TO EVERYONE . . .   Maggie Bird’s ‘book group’ is an unusual one – a group of retired spies living an anonymous life in the seaside town of Purity. And this summer they plan little more than ‘reading’ (whilst sipping martinis), and some gentle birdwatching. But trouble is just around the corner as the summer guests arrive. For acting Police Chief Jo Thibodeau, summer brings its own problems – packed streets, bar brawls, petty theft. And now, a missing teenager down by the lake.   When their good friend becomes a prime suspect in the girl's disappearance, Maggie and her Martini Club must put down their binoculars and roll up their sleeves. Leaving Jo to deal with not only a powerful family desperate for answers, but a meddlesome group of retirees.   Can Jo and the Martini Club find a way to work together, as they uncover one of the deadliest scandals their small town has ever seen?

Read more less