Book a room at the Pennyfoot Hotel this holiday season for a charming mystery that “combines the feel of an Agatha Christie whodunit with a taste of Upstairs Downstairs”(Cozy Library). A merry hustle and bustle heralds the holidays at the Pennyfoot—and this year is doubly busy. Even as Cecily Sinclair Baxter prepares for the holidays, she’s also helping her friend Madeline plan her impending wedding. This year, Cecily has a cracking holiday surprise for her guests—gorgeous Christmas crackers handmade for the Pennyfoot. And once the crackers pop, one lucky guest will discover a beautiful pearl brooch. But things soon turn less than jolly. A mysterious fire breaks out in an upstairs room, killing the mood—and two guests. And at the bottom of it all: a missing Christmas cracker. Who would deliver such a murderous gift? Cecily’s dead-set on solving this mystery before another deadly present turns up, and Madeline’s nuptials come unwound...

To all appearances, Kerry is an idyllic tourist destination. Yet scratch beneath its scenic surface and the sordid secrets of the county known as 'the Kingdom’ flow free like blood . . . Some of the most notorious murders in the history of Ireland have taken place in Kerry, including a two-day orgy of slaughter perpetrated by state forces during the Civil War. Another is the case of two farmers fighting over a patch of land not big enough to accommodate a picnic blanket, resulting in a killing that inspired the play and film The Field. The county’s most infamous case was the discovery of a baby stabbed to death on a beach, with another infant’s body found during the subsequent investigation. To this day, the identities of the children, their mothers and the murderer remain a mystery, but the case led to the government setting up a tribunal to investigate the Gardaí and how they had handled the inquiry. In Ring of Death, true-crime writer Anthony Galvin explores the bloody history of Kerry and the many fascinating murder cases that have occurred in the county over the past century.

Perfect for readers who love mysteries with unforgettable characters. Join Trixie in this newest cozy mystery where she must rescue her friend Jerry, accused for the death of the Mayor! With the evidence in plain sight, it seems the detectives have the right guy. But Trixie remembers a certain someone sneaking around the Big Top who didn't belong, despite being a respected politician. With Prancer, her horse, and the many circus dogs, Trixie is on the hunt for both evidence and the true villain. Then she discovers he may be on the hunt for her. Can she catch him in time in this fast-paced mystery?

Young Teddie Crawford is dead from multiple stab wounds in a restaurant kitchen awash with blood. LAPD homicide detective Kate Delafield is relentless in her pursuit and capture of his killer. But bringing that killer to trial imperils Kate’s professional standing and personal privacy—and her belief in the justice system to which she has devoted her life. The suspect claims self-defense—that Teddie Crawford made a homosexual advance and backed it up with a knife. Yet everything Kate learns about Teddie Crawford tells her that his murder was deliberate. And to develop proof of first degree murder, she must find clear answers to mystifying questions for the prosecuting attorney—a woman who has never before prosecuted a homicide case. Kate is increasingly isolated as she tries to shield her young lover from the brutal realities of this case and finds few allies among her LAPD brethren. Even her partner, Ed Taylor, is loathe to aggressively pursue a case involving a dead gay man and his gay associates. As the trial date looms, she discovers she has a personal stake: the defense attorney is a man from her past. A man with the power to expose the private life she has kept rigidly separate from her life as a police officer. Murder by Tradition reaches new heights in the powerful storytelling readers have come to expect from Katherine V. Forrest. Lambda Literary Award Winner.

Mikeela is the successful lawyer with the world at her feet, yet she lacks excitement and feels that something is missing in her life. Cocoa, the stripper, is trying to get on the come up and move out the projects. Black, the undercover cop, is striving to get to the next level in her career with a desire to put the local drug kingpin behind bars for personal and professional reasons. Three sisters with mommy issues and dreams of making the memories of the hood a thing of the past. Only time will tell if loyalty lies with blood or if the sisterhood bond will crumble in the midst of betrayal.

The murder of Marie Chauvet still haunts Gil Leduc three years later. The sixteen year-old accompanies his girlfriend Jan Barrio and her family to Toronto where Jans father, a Niagara Falls police officer, attends a conference. Gil and Jan hope to spend time with April Ames, an aspiring model and close friend of Jan. The two teens agree to meet her one morning at the North York Centre. Upon arrival they hear her scream. Someone dressed like a Shiite Muslim is ready to shoot April. Gil and Jan try to prevent the shooting, but the person shoots at them beforeshooting April. Jan tries to save April, but its too late. Soon another murder follows. As the teens search for the killer, they uncover a few baffling questions: Why is Ramona Gonzales, a college friend of Jans mother, not returning phone calls? Why is Peter Bartholomew, a teacher at the teens high school whos been accused of inappropriate conduct with minors, really in Toronto? Who is the young man Gil has seen at both the murders of Marie Chauvet and April Ames? Will they find out before its too late?

This authoritative, balanced, and accessible reference resource provides readers with a wide-ranging survey of capital punishment in America, including its history, its legal and cultural foundations, and racial and economic factors in its application. This carefully crafted primer on the history and present state of capital punishment in the United States examines cultural, political, and legal factors and developments, as well as key figures, groups, and movements, by consolidating a wide variety of material into a single, convenient source. Utilizing a rich and varied array of scholarship and primary sources, this work examines historical, political, cultural, and legal factors and developments that have shaped the contours of capital punishment throughout American history. It examines key figures and organizations who have played pivotal roles in debates over the death penalty; provides readers with illuminating coverage of laws, cases, and the people involved; discusses the experiences of death row inmates; and explores questions and controversies revolving around the socioeconomic factors that influence the use of capital punishment.

This selection of smart, accessible essays covers CSI's cutting-edge science, intriguing mysteries, and engaging personal dynamics. Essays from experts in the field illuminate such processes as DNA testing, ballistics, crime-scene photography, and autopsy procedure. With pieces that focus on the leads' varying appeals, the history of forensics on television, the show's treatment of alternate sexualities, and whether the incredible attention to detail actually gives criminals an advantage, this anthology provides an in-depth investigation that enriches the viewing experience.

Rosie Thompson is an eighteen-year-old girl with her whole life ahead of her. The Homecoming Dance is just one night away and she can already feel the weight of the crown upon her head. But when she leaves her home that Friday night, it’s for the very last time. When her body is found in a park the next morning, a whole town is turned upside down and a family is torn apart. Fifteen years later, Olivia still hasn’t moved on from her sister’s murder. Not only does she still see the ghost of her dead sister, she is pursuing a career studying the very monsters that destroyed Rosie and hundreds of other helpless victims. Olivia is desperate to find closure, but a new murder with connections to her past has reopened old wounds. Nate Tucker is a successful Chicago detective. He also happens to be Olivia’s best friend. Nate has been fascinated by the Thompson case since the first time Olivia mentioned her dead sister to him. When a dead girl shows up in the city under circumstances eerily similar to Rosie’s murder, he is quick to make the connection. Now, with stale evidence and fifteen-year-old memories to guide him, Nate has the chance to solve the current murder case, as well as the death of the Homecoming Queen that refuses to stop haunting the people she left behind. Dark and haunting, Ring Around the Rosie is utterly suspenseful and surprising to the end. ********** Topics: romantic suspense, mystery, murder mystery, serial killer, detective, police procedural, amateur detective, crime, suspense, psychological thriller, friends to lovers, romance, love story, mystery series, romance series, twist, surprise, suspenseful, surprising, female sleuth, female heroine Perfect for fans of: Kendra Elliot, Melinda Leigh, Blake Pierce, Lisa Regan, A.J. Rivers, Mary Burton, Nora Roberts, Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gray, Rachel Caine, T.R. Ragan, D.K. Hood