Four holiday whodunits in one—the perfect present for puzzle fans! “Light-hearted capers . . . Each as frothy as a cup of good eggnog” (The Wall Street Journal). Together, crossword editor and amateur sleuth Belle Graham and her private detective husband, Rosco Polycrates, are “a great investigative team in the tradition of Nick and Nora” (Bookbrowse). In this holiday-themed collection—featuring two story anthologies and two novels by national bestselling author Nero Blanc—Belle and Rosco follow the clues and fill in the blanks to find the answers to some very puzzling mysteries. A Crossworder’s Holiday: In these five short mysteries, Belle and Rosco solve puzzles in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Nantucket, and a haunted house in the Cotswolds. Perhaps the most challenging is the case of mobster Freddy Five Fingers, who was sending tip-offs to the cops via crosswords printed in the local tabloid—before he croaked. A Crossworder’s Gift: Five more Yuletide mysteries take Belle and Rosco from sunny St. Lucia where they decipher clues to find a buried treasure to a blizzard that strands a sewing circle. And in Las Vegas, a high roller has strewn clues throughout his suite to form a crossword puzzle that leads to loot. Wrapped Up in Crosswords: With Christmas approaching, Belle does her part creating a Noel crossword contest while Rosco dons a red suit and snowy-white beard to collect toys for the town’s annual children’s drive. But his good will starts to dim when he and two Newcastle Police Department colleagues are mistaken for escaped convicts masquerading as small-town Santas. A Crossworder’s Delight: Just in time for the holidays at Newcastle’s historic Paul Revere Inn, Belle discovers an abandoned treasure: a book of dessert recipes written in the form of crosswords handed down from mother to daughter. But as nice as that is, someone else has been naughty: A valuable Longfellow poem has been stolen from its place of honor on the wall of the inn’s front parlor. As he starts to investigate, Rosco finds himself with a new sleuthing partner, twelve-year-old E. T. Whitman—a bit of a wordsmith himself.

From 3x USA TODAY bestselling author Harper Lin: The Emma Wild Mysteries with Recipes. Save 60% and buy the box set! Fame. Mystery. Romance. From CHRISTMAS to VALENTINE'S DAY. The box set includes FOUR fun novellas at 20,000 words each. Killer Christmas (Book 1) After breaking up with hunky movie star Nick Doyle, superstar singer Emma Wild returns to her hometown for Christmas to get away from it all. In Hartfield, a small town in Ontario, Canada, she gets caught up in a murder case after a fan's drink is poisoned at the Chocoholic Cafe, owned by Emma's sister Mirabelle. Who is the killer and was the drink originally intended for Emma? To add to the chaos, Sterling Matthews is the detective on the case. He'd shattered her heart nine years ago and inspired all her hit singles, but now they must work together to find the murderer before the murderer finds Emma. Includes holiday drink recipes. New Year’s Slay (Book 2) Things are heating up with Emma’s high school sweetheart, the handsome Detective Sterling Matthews, but when her movie star ex, Nick Doyle, comes looking for her with a huge diamond engagement ring, Emma’s world turns upside down. When the owner of The Sweet Dreams Inn is stabbed to death with a chunky knitting needle, Nick is the prime suspect because he is the inn's only guest. Emma and Sterling must work together once again to prove Nick's innocence and find the real killer. Three’s a crowd in this murder case. Will Emma make up her mind between her first love and her Hollywood hunk? Includes special recipes. Death of a Snowman (Book 3) Everything's going well for singer Emma Wild. Taking a break from her crazy celebrity life in Hartfield has been a refreshing change, even if she did have some difficulty choosing between her movie star boyfriend Nick Doyle and her high school sweetheart Detective Sterling Matthews. But she has made up her mind: she knows who she wants to spend the rest of her life with. The mayor of Hartfield asks Emma to perform at the annual Snowman Festival, where there are a plethora of fun activities to cure the townspeople of their winter blues every January. But when the mayor’s two children are kidnapped in broad daylight during the snowman building contest, Emma snaps into detective mode. The only clue she has is a ransom note, which contains a couple of lines from an obscure poet named Harold Winken. She thought she also saw the children talking to a man from the stage when she was performing, but she has no idea who this mysterious man could be. Emma asks Detective Sterling Matthews for help, but he has a new partner, a smart and beautiful brunette named Sandra who only sees Emma as a shallow nuisance. Can Emma solve the case on her own and prove that she’s more than a pretty face. Includes snow cone recipes. Valentine’s Day Victim (Book 4) It looks like superstar singer Emma Wild is going to be single on Valentine’s Day. She’s ignoring all of Detective Sterling Matthew’s calls and evading her promotional duties for her third album release. All she wants to do is sit at home, watch trashy TV shows and eat junk food. But a journalist from Rolling Stone magazine on a tight deadline tracks her down and follows her around town the same time that Emma’s sister Mirabelle invites her to be one of the judges for the town’s annual baking contest. After the contest is over, Emma finds the winner’s dead body in a toilet stall! While Sterling and his partner Sandra arrests a contestant named Cherry, Emma thinks they have the wrong suspect. Can she figure out who it is before the murderer kills someone else? Includes cupcake recipes. keywords: christmas cozy mystery box set holiday cozy mystery series christmas cozy mystery box set bundle holiday cozy mysteries small town cozy mystery with recipes cozy mystery valentines day holiday season culinary cafe cozy mysteries bundle box set Christmas cozy mystery with recipes valentines day cozy mystery

Murder never takes a holiday—as husband-and-wife sleuths Belle Graham and Rosco Polycrates discover when they tackle five crimes hidden in crossword puzzles In “The Proof of the Pudding,” Belle and Rosco interrupt their Vermont holiday to solve a crossword that’s a recipe for murder. Pennsylvania Dutch Country is the setting for “A Partridge in a Pear Tree” as Rosco helps a college buddy crack a case of foul play concealed in a puzzle. “Mum’s the Word” for mobster Freddy Five Fingers. Before he croaked, he was sending tip-offs to the cops via crosswords printed in the local tabloid. Now Belle and Rosco are in Philadelphia to help the Feds figure out Freddy’s final puzzle. While in the Cotswolds to visit old friends, Belle and Rosco encounter “A Ghost of Christmas Past” when they find a fragment of a puzzle that holds clues to a haunted house’s secret history. And in the title story, Belle and Rosco are enjoying a quiet Christmas in Nantucket when a purveyor of priceless Americana asks for their help in solving a puzzle hidden inside a forgery. Now the race is on to decipher clues that could save a life. This ebook includes five crossword puzzles that can be downloaded as PDFs, with answers in the back of the book.

Description What could be more innocent than a crossword puzzle? A game to while away an idle hour, a diversion for the lonely. And yet its cunning formula could still be turned to sinister purpose. The curious crossword devised by Mr. George Winterton turned out to be part of a game for high stakes - it was the creation of a man whose brother had just drowned and who feared for his own life. Yet the dog hadn't barked... When Detective-Constable Owen (B.A. Oxon, pass degree only) arrives in the picturesque village of Suffby Cove, he is faced with the mystery of an appallingly ingenious murder - one whose ramifications reach out of England to the continent, and touch the lives of many men and women. Crossword Mystery is the third of E.R. Punshon's acclaimed Bobby Owen mysteries, first published in 1934 and part of a series which eventually spanned thirty-five novels. This edition features a new introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans. "What is distinction? The few who achieve it step - plot or no plot - unquestioned into the first rank. We recognized it in Sherlock Holmes, and in Trent's Last Case, in The Mystery of the Villa Rose, in the Father Brown stories and in the works of Mr. E.R. Punshon we salute it every time." Dorothy L. Sayers

It’s 1980, and Mahesh Pal has just a couple of weeks before he flies out to start a new life in London for his doctoral studies. It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing: His parents are unhappy that he hasn’t taken charge of the family business and settled down with a wife and kids. They are even more disappointed in his desire to move abroad. Mahesh remains steadfast in his decision until he receives an unusual letter. A professor whom he barely knew, Devesh Tripathi, has passed away, leaving behind a box of possessions that Mahesh must retrieve in person. Before he knows it, he is on a train to Benares to pick up the box before leaving for London. Aarvi Lal, the daughter of a local Benares bookseller, enjoys working with her father in his shop. Books are her whole world, and she’s dreading the day of her marriage—as well as all that will change with it when she starts a new life with her husband. But things take a mysterious turn when she’s informed that Devesh, her father’s friend, has left behind a folder and books for her. Mahesh and Aarvi discover that they have received a series of crosswords, and solving them unearths cryptic clues. Their answers unravel a mystery about who Devesh truly was and whether his death was really an accident. But why did he choose them, two crossword puzzle aficionados from different corners of India, to reveal the truth? As the pair get closer to finding the answer, they form a friendship that quickly blossoms into something more. But they are running out of time . . . and solving the mystery has bigger implications than they had ever anticipated. A Poet’s Ballad: A Crossword Mystery is a charming, wistful tale about two characters who find themselves at major crossroads in their lives; one because of their own choices and the other due to parental and societal expectations.

More than 200,000 words of the best mystery and suspense fiction from around the world The world's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories Each year, editors Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg cast their net far and wide, across the seas, throughout the world to catch the best-the most suspenseful, most original, intriguing, confounding, downright entertaining stories of crime and mystery. Edgar winners from the U.S., Silver Dagger winners from the U.K., and stories from elsewhere as well come together here in a bountiful crop of great stories by the best in the business, including Lawrence Block - Jon L. Breen - Stanley Cohen - Bill Crider - Jeffery Deaver - Jeremiah Healy - Clark Howard - Susan Isaacs - John Lutz - Sharyn McCrumb - Ralph McInerny - Anne Perry - Bill Pronzini - Donald E. Westlake and many others. This book's a killer! At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Two Christmas stories in the Vegan Vamp world and a bonus story from Kate Baray’s Lost Library world! MAKIN’ THE LIST Not everyone makes Santa's nice list. Mallory's having nightmares, except they feature a kindly bearded man in a red velvet suit. That's right, Mallory is dreaming about Santa Claus, and it's giving her the willies. Everyone loves Santa! What can it possibly mean that the cheerful big guy makes her fangs chatter? Find out whether Mallory's strange new Santa-phobia takes all the happy out of her holiday. MY, WHAT BIG FANGS YOU HAVE Christmas Dinner, liquid and vegan If those dietary restrictions don’t have Mallory’s mother in a tizzy, then her daughter’s sudden weight loss certainly does. Evelyn’s getting to the bottom of her daughter’s mysterious diet before the dessert course, no matter how far it stretches her parenting skills or dents her reputation as the perfect hostess. Join Evelyn, her daughter Mallory, and their close friends for this heartwarming Christmas story set in the Vegan Vamp world. KRAMPUS GONE WILD Christmas at the beach shouldn't include horned hellions with razor sharp teeth and a taste for rowdy fun. Lizzie and John's private pre-Christmas engagement celebration takes an unexpected turn when a Krampus outbreak intrudes. Three-feet tall, horned, and full of mischief, the local Krampuses are running amok. Click to find out if Lizzie and John tame the beasts before the locals discover magic is real and on their doorstep! Author’s Note: Each of the three titles included in the collection has been previously published under its listed title.

Fans of Nick and Nora, meet Rosco and Belle: a crossword-loving couple who read the clues and fill in the blanks to find killers. Puzzles included! The residents of the bucolic Massachusetts hamlet are up in arms. A developer has bought the sprawling Quigley homestead, and his construction crew is causing a ruckus digging up the land. The noise stops abruptly when a female skeleton is found buried in the garden. Hired to find out who killed Jane Doe—and why—cop-turned-investigator Rosco Polycrates and his wife, crossword editor Belle Graham, discover an insular community that doesn’t take kindly to outsiders. With the local police labeling it a cold case, they have their work cut out for them. Add arson and a double homicide, and the grid is set for a brainteaser that just might stump two of New England’s most dedicated crime busters—if it doesn’t kill them first. This ebook includes six crossword puzzles that can be downloaded as PDFs, with answers in the back of the book. Corpus de Crossword is the 5th book in the Crossword Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Are you up for a thrilling adventure? Meet Joe, Amy, Sarah, and Will. Together, these intrepid youngsters spend their holidays solving mysteries in 1950's Britain. Enjoy these three exciting stories: *The Mystery of Smugglers Cove *The Mystery of Adventure Island *The Mystery of Hidden Valley These adventure stories will suit people who enjoy Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys or the Famous Five.

It's not easy to collect, in a single volume, the finest mystery and suspense fiction the world has to offer, but The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Second Annual Collection rises to that challenge, inviting you to discover what Kirkus Reviews dubs " . . . the year's anthology of choice." In his Second Annual collection, Ed Gorman once again brings together the year's most powerful fiction by such outstanding authors as Lawrence Block, Stuart M. Kaminsky, Ed McBain, Joyce Carol Oates, Ian Rankin, and Donald E. Westlake. The volume also abounds with fresh new stories by newer authors, from U. S. publications, and also from sources on other shores, including England, Germany, and the Netherlands. Ed Gorman set benchmark for great mystery and suspense fiction with the First Annual Collection. Overflowing with award-winning authors and terrific stories, The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Second Annual Collection also promises to be a treasure for anyone who loves a mystery. More than 200,000 words of superlative mystery and suspense fiction from around the world, with stories by: Lawrence Block Jan Burke Dorothy Cannell Clark Howard Peter Lovesey Joyce Carol Oates Nancy Pickard Bill Pronzini Ian Rankin And many others A Banquet of Mystery and Crime Fiction For those who love outstanding mystery and crime reading, award-winning author and editor, Ed Gorman, has once again collected the best stories of the year from around the world. Immerse yourself in stories that baffle, tantalize, and delight, by the following authors: Miguel Agustí Doug Allyn Noreen Ayres Robert Barnard Lawrence Block Jan Burke Dorothy Cannell Stanley Cohen Mat Coward Peter Crowther Brendan DuBois Jurgen Ehlers Pete Hamill Joseph Hansen Edward D. Hoch Clark Howard Stuart M. Kaminsky Richard Laymon Gillian Linscott Peter Lovesey John Lutz Christine Matthews Ed McBain Bob Mendes Denise Mina Joyce Carol Oates Gary Phillips Nancy Pickard Bill Pronzini Robert J. Randisi Ian Rankin Les Roberts Peter Robinson S. J. Rozan Kristine Kathryn Rusch Donald E. Westlake At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.