"Terns of Endearment is the twenty-fifth book in
New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews's hilarious Mag Langslow mystery series. Meg Langslow's grandfather has been booked by a cruise line to give
lectures on birds and other environmental topics as part of their ship’s
education/entertainment itinerary, and Grandfather has arranged for a
passel of family members to join him.The passengers vacation
quickly becomes a nightmare when they wake up to find themselves broken
down and in need of repairs in the Bermuda Triangle. To keep the
stranded passengers calm, Meg’s family and friends band together to keep
things organized and provide entertainment. Some even take up the cause
of nursing an injured tern back to health.But things get even
worse when a crew member announces to all that a woman has jumped
overboard, leaving behind her shoes, shawl, and a note. The note reveals
she's the mortal enemy of group of writers who came on board for a
retreat, and the group is split on whether suicide is in-character for
her. Meanwhile, grandfather’s assistant Trevor seems to have gone
missing too!
The captain decides not to investigate, saying
he'll notify American authorities when they reach their destination. But
Meg's father thinks they should find out whether there was foul play
while the prime suspects are all stuck on board. Who wanted the writer
dead? Why doesn’t the captain seem concerned? What happened to Trevor?
It'll be a race against the clock to solve these mysteries before they
make the necessary repairs and return to shore." (from Amazon.com)
"Reprinted for the first time in over twenty years,
The Case of the Careless Kitten is one of the most highly praised cases in the iconic Perry Mason series, which need not be read in any particular order. Perry Mason seeks the link between a poisoned kitten, a murdered man, and a mysterious voice from the past. Helen
Kendal's woes begin when she receives a phone call from her vanished
uncle Franklin, long presumed dead, who urges her to make contact with
criminal defense attorney Perry Mason; soon after, she finds herself the
main suspect in the murder of an unfamiliar man. Her kitten has just
survived a poisoning attempt, as has her aunt Matilda, the woman who
always maintained that Franklin was alive in spite of his disappearance. Lucky
that Helen took her uncle's advice and contacted Perry Mason—he
immediately takes her as a client. But while it’s clear that all the
occurrences are connected, and that their connection will prove her
innocence, the links in the case are too obscure to be recognized even
by the attorney’s brilliantly deductive mind. Risking disbarment for his
unorthodox methods, he endeavors to outwit the police and solve the
puzzle himself, enlisting the help of his secretary Della Street, his
private eye Paul Drake, and the unlikely but invaluable aid of a
careless but very clever kitten in the process." (from Amazon.com)
The latest
Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery--
Antiques Ravin'--by Barbara Allan is the thirteenth installment in the series.
"The votes are in! Eccentric seventy-something Vivian
Borne—elected county sheriff, to everyone’s amazement but her
own—springs into action. In her new role, the community playhouse diva
appoints daughter Brandy reluctant deputy and makes their spunky shih
tzu Sushi a K-9 unit of one. Soon the
amateur-sleuths-turned-pro have a challenging case to solve as a series
of creepy crimes plague an ill-fated Edgar Allan Poe festival, where a
fiend is misguidedly dispensing Poe-etic justice. Small-town Antiqua,
known for its quaint main street of antique shops, has set out to
celebrate the gothic poet with food, fun, and rare memorabilia, only to
have the Master of the Macabre’s twisted tales come to deadly life. A
purloined tome, a black cat, a musty mausoleum, and mysterious
disappearances—these tell the tale of a heartless murderer. But Vivian
and Brandy Borne are determined to decipher the cryptic clues to make
sure a ravin’-mad killer strikes “nevermore”!" (from Amazon.com)
In the latest
Royal Spyness Mystery,
Love and Death Among the Cheetahs, author Rhys Bowen has finally sent Georgie and Darcy on there honeymoon. "I was so excited when Darcy announced out of the blue that we were
flying to Kenya for our extended honeymoon. Now that we are here, I
suspect he has actually been sent to fulfill another secret mission. I
am trying very hard not to pick a fight about it, because after all, we
are in paradise! Darcy finally confides that there have been robberies
in London and Paris. It seems the thief was a member of the aristocracy
and may have fled to Kenya. Since we are staying in the Happy Valley—the
center of upper-class English life—we are well positioned to hunt for
clues and ferret out possible suspects. Now that I am a
sophisticated married woman, I am doing my best to sound like one. But
crikey! These aristocrats are a thoroughly loathsome sort enjoying a
completely decadent lifestyle filled with wild parties and rampant
infidelity. And one of the leading lights in the community, Lord
Cheriton, has the nerve to make a play for me. While I am on my
honeymoon! Of course, I put an end to that right off. When he
is found bloodied and lifeless along a lonely stretch of road, it
appears he fell victim to a lion. But it seems that the Happy Valley
community wants to close the case a bit too quickly. Darcy and I soon
discover that there is much more than a simple robbery and an animal
attack to contend with here in Kenya. Nearly everyone has a motive to
want Lord Cheriton dead and some will go to great lengths to silence
anyone who asks too many questions. The hunt is on! I just hope I can
survive my honeymoon long enough to catch a killer. . . ." (from Amazon.com)
