When the castle of Shrewsbury is taken during the war between Empress Maud and King Stephen, 94 prisoners are taken, 94 are hanged. When Brother Cadfael arrives to perform the burial rites, he finds one corpse too many among the bodies stacked about the fortress. Cadfael reports the discrepancy to Stephen’s newly appointed Sheriff Gilbert Prescote, who reluctantly announces it to the town, asking if anyone can identify the unknown man.Godith identifies the murdered man as Nicholas Faintree, a squire of the rebel leader FitzAlan.
Murphy’s Law: A Molly Murphy Mystery (Molly Murphy Mysteries Book 1) by Rhys Bowen
From the creator of the much-loved Constable Evan Evans mysteries comes a colorful new series set in turn-of-the-century New York City. When spirited redhead Molly Murphy was growing up a peasant on the coast of Ireland she always imagined there was something more in store for her. She couldn’t have known how right she was until the day she became a murderer, albeit in self-defense. Under drastic circumstances, Molly is forced to strike out into a new world. With the police right behind her, Molly’s only chance at escape is a false identity and a steamship that will take her far, far away: to America.
When her ship sails into New York Harbor, with the majestic figure of the Statue of Liberty providing comfort and inspiration, Molly is sure her whole life is in front of her. But she’s got one last hurdle to clear: Ellis Island. She is just one among thousands of immigrants on the tiny island, awaiting their fate with anxiety and hope. Unfortunately for Molly, before she is able to leave the island a man is brutally murdered, his throat cut from ear to ear, and coincidence and fate make her a suspect in a crime she didn’t commit. Under a cloud of suspicion, and due largely to a growing mutual attraction between Molly and the handsome police captain in charge of the case, she is allowed to leave Ellis Island for Manhattan. Unfortunately, she’s got a mission she couldn’t have anticipated: clear her own name of murder. Alone in a new country with no one to lean on, Molly hits the vibrant streets of New York intent on finding out what really happened. After all, if she can’t, she’ll be sent back to Ireland, where the dreaded gallows await.
With the sweeping skyline of 19th century New York and the gritty, pulsating underworld of recently arrived immigrants forming a vivid backdrop, Rhys Bowen transports readers back in time to America’s not-so-distant past. The first entry in the Molly Murphy series is a fascinating look at our immigrant history as well as an intensely absorbing page-turner.
Crocodile on the Sandbank: The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 1 by Elizabeth Peters
Amelia Peabody inherited two things from her father: a considerable fortune and an unbendable will. The first allowed her to indulge in her life’s passion. Without the second, the mummy’s curse would have made corpses of them all.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick
One of the most famous and beloved mysteries from the queen of suspense, Agatha Christie! More than 100 million copies sold and now a Lifetime TV movie.
Ten people, each with something to hide and something to fear, are invited to a isolated mansion on Indian Island by a host who, surprisingly, fails to appear. On the island they are cut off from everything but each other and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives. One by one, the guests share the darkest secrets of their wicked pasts. And one by one, they die…
Which among them is the killer and will any of them survive?
Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey Series Book 1) by Dorothy Sayers
Lord Peter Wimsey investigates the sudden appearance of a naked body in the bath of an architect at the same time a noted financier goes missing under strange circumstances. As the case progresses, it becomes clear that the two events are linked in some way!
Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster
Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster
A prominent judge is dead. Hannah Sheraton, a troubled sixteen year-old-girl, is accused. When the legal community turns its back, and the judiciary decides to make an example of her and try her as an adult, only Josie Bates will defend her. Flawed and brilliant, Josie is committed to saving the girl, but the deeper she digs the more she realizes that politics and family history are a combustible and dangerous combination. When the truth is uncovered, it will either save Hannah or destroy them both.
50 States by Richard R. Becker
50 States by Richard R. Becker
An Idaho farmer who aches for absolution after a tragedy is given one more chance at redemption. Two runaways cross paths in a Tennessee bus station with only one ticket between them. A family sees looters racing toward their home as they escape an Oregon wildfire. A young couple takes a reckless turn off a state highway in Utah and find themselves in a nightmarish government biohazard area.
These and 46 more shorts make up an anthology that will surprise readers with each new thought-provoking story as they skip effortlessly across different genres, moods, and states of mind. Together, they provide a character-driven sampling of the American experience over the last 60 years — the kind and the cruel, the heroic and criminal — in unpredictable and exciting ways.
50 States is a debut collection of short stories that captures the human condition and reveals how perception shapes destiny. The book spans several literary genres with each short story set in a different state across America. It is soon to be released as an audiobook, narrated by a 5-time Emmy winner.
Frayed Ends by Sally J. Ling
Leaving her hectic job as a news producer in Washington, D.C., was never part of Randi Brooks’ plan, but when she learns of her parents’ tragic deaths, she has no choice but to rush home to Boca Raton, Florida. When she finds out their deaths weren’t accidental, things take a turn toward the dangerous. Toss in a fire and theft at the family-owned fabric store and upholstery shop and an unscrupulous real estate developer willing to do whatever it takes to get her property, and things become deadly.
To complicate matters more, a mysterious but handsome man living in the guest house and an attractive cop harboring a high school crush are both vying for Randi’s affection.
While Randi struggles to make some difficult decisions regarding her parents’ business, her job in D.C., and her conflicting feelings toward both men, the three of them must find out who murdered Randi’s parents before the killer strikes again.
Her Untamed Soul by Mandira Mazumder
Her Untamed Soul by Mandira Mazumder
My book is about the life journey of a free-spirited and intelligent small-town girl who grows up into an empowered woman through various phases she goes through. The first book is about her intriguing and adventurous childhood & adolescence when she romances with her class friend from her engineering college. Latha has grown up in a class-divided and rigid society. But she defies the “love laws” that bind her. She fights for her right to choose her lover, and they passionately love each other. All hell breaks loose as the family spies inform her father. She is kept under house arrest and the parents stop her education.
All exit points are blocked. The first book tells us if the persecuted girl will find her way out to her independence.
The Book2 is about her insane struggle with the entire society and her criminal father who is politically powerful. On the one hand, the police are on their trail and the local goons, trying to find her hideout. Life becomes unbearably hard and challenging when Latha fights out her life’s battle to protect her love life. Her father takes appalling revenge and the world of the 22 years old girl burns to ashes.
Book 3 is about Latha’s story of rising from the ashes and fighting out a bigger challenge legally. It is a harsh world of crime and intrigues. The trajectory of the protagonist’s life completely changes as she learns, gradually, to survive and discover her happiness. She rediscovers love in a much greater way. Would she find her joy and redemption from her existential crisis as a woman?
Falling into Magic: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic, Book 1 by Elizabeth Pantley
Falling into Magic: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic, Book 1 by Elizabeth Pantley
An accidental journey through a magic mirror. A portal to an enchanted land. A mysterious family she never knew she had. Hayden’s life is upended with the wonder of Destiny Falls. But it is tainted by the danger that brought her here and that threatens her newfound family. Can Hayden and her sassy sidekick remove the threat, so that she can begin her magical new life in this captivating world?
[Read more…] about Falling into Magic: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic, Book 1 by Elizabeth Pantley