Archives: Books

Coffin, Scarcely Used

  • Publication date: 22/02/2018
  • Paperback ISBN: 9781788420150
  • eBook ISBN: 9781788420136
A Flaxborough Mystery 1

Coffin, Scarcely Used

Colin Watson

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In the respectable seaside town of Flaxborough, the equally respectable councillor Harold Carobleat is laid to rest. Cause of death: pneumonia.

But he is scarcely cold in his coffin before Detective Inspector Purbright, affable and annoyingly polite, must turn out again to examine the death of Carobleat’s neighbour, Marcus Gwill, former prop. of the local rag, the Citizen. This time it looks like foul play, unless a surfeit of marshmallows had led the late and rather unlamented Mr Gwill to commit suicide by electrocution. (‘Power without responsibility’, murmurs Purbright.)

How were the dead men connected, both to each other and to a small but select band of other town worthies? Purbright becomes intrigued by a stream of advertisements Gwill was putting in the Citizen, for some very oddly named antique items…

Witty and a little wicked, Colin Watson’s tales offer a mordantly entertaining cast of characters and laugh-out-loud wordplay.

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Hopjoy Was Here

  • Publication date: 22/03/2018
  • Paperback ISBN: 1788420187
  • eBook ISBN: 9781788420174
A Flaxborough Mystery 3

Hopjoy Was Here

Colin Watson

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The gripping sight of four burly policemen manhandling a bath down the front path of a respectable villa isn’t one the residents of Flaxborough see every day.

Net curtains twitch furiously, and neighbours have observations to make to Chief Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love about the inhabitants of 14, Beatrice Avenue. Nice Gordon Periam, the mild-mannered tobacconist, and his rather less nice (in fact a bit of a bounder) lodger Brian Hopjoy had apparently shared the house amicably.

But now neither man is to be found and something very disagreeable seems to be lurking in the drains… Then a couple of government spooks turn up, one with an eye for the ladies – the drama is acquiring overtones of a Bond movie!

Witty and a little wicked, Colin Watson’s tales offer a mordantly entertaining cast of characters and laugh-out-loud wordplay.

 

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Miss Seeton Flies High

  • Publication date: 19/04/2018
  • Paperback ISBN: 1788420764
  • eBook ISBN: 9781788420754
A Miss Seeton Mystery 23

Miss Seeton Flies High

Hamilton Crane, Heron Carvic

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Lucky Miss Seeton! A modest Premium Bond win means a whole week in legendary Glastonbury. She can draw and drink in the surroundings, just what she needs for her scene-painting role in the village production of ‘Camelot’.

By coincidence, the kidnapped Heir to an industrial family may be hidden around there and Chief Superintendent Delphick has asked the ex-art teacher to create some of her famous, insightful sketches. Even he is nonplussed by the resulting images of capering sheep in straitjackets, flashing false teeth!

But the Heir is in danger, a murderer is lurking, and the first victim may not be the last. Then fortune favours Miss Seeton again, her raffle ticket winning her a hot air balloon flight, and well, it’s just amazing what you can see from above . . .

Serene amidst every kind of skulduggery, this eccentric English spinster steps in where Scotland Yard stumbles, armed with nothing more than her sketchpad and umbrella!

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Magical Mystery Paws

  • Publication date: 12/07/2018
  • Paperback ISBN: 1788420985
  • eBook ISBN: 9781788420976
The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency 6

Magical Mystery Paws

Mandy Morton

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All aboard for the Summer of Fluff!

Meet Hettie Bagshot, a long-haired tabby cat whose whiskers twitch at the first sign of a mystery, and her best friend Tilly Jenkins. Together, they run the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency, and nothing will stop them from untangling each brain-teasing case that comes their way.

In scorching temperatures, Hettie Bagshot and her sidekick Tilly set out on a road trip to catch a killer cat amid a sea of entertainers. As Psycho Derek’s bus lurches from one venue to the next, the killer strikes again. The big question for The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency is who will be next?

Will it be Patty Sniff, the ageing punk star? Or Kitty O’Shea from the Irish dance troupe? Or perhaps Belisha Beacon’s days are numbered. As the fur flies and the animosity builds, Hettie and Tilly become embroiled in a world of music, mayhem and murder. As matters draw to a terrifying conclusion, will Magical Mystery Paws finally top the bill?

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The Pope of Palm Beach

  • Publication date: 31/05/2018
  • eBook ISBN: 9781788421133
A Serge Storms Adventure 20

The Pope of Palm Beach

Tim Dorsey

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If you like your humour dark and twisty, then you’ll love Tim Dorsey’s outrageous Serge Storms series of crime novels.

Part spree killer, part local historian, Serge and his human narcotic partner Coleman regularly carve a trail of destruction and marijuana roaches through the state of Florida. This time they’re on a frenzied literary pilgrimage that leads them back to Riviera Beach, the cozy seaside town where the boys spent their formative years.

Growing up, Serge was enthralled by the Legend of Riviera Beach, aka Darby, a welder at the port who surfed the local waves like no other, long before the hot spots were hot. But there was also a much murkier legend that made the rounds of the schoolyards from Serge’s youth – of a crazy hermit living in a makeshift jungle compound farther up the mysterious Loxahatchee River than anyone dared to venture.

Now Serge is back, with those legends looming larger than ever in the rearview mirror of his memory. As his literary odyssey moves closer and closer to his old stomping grounds, Serge digs into the past as only Serge can. Along the way, he unintentionally disturbs long-forgotten ground, attracting the attention of a cast of villains that only Florida can produce.

In other words, welcome to Tim Dorsey’s slice of America – where nobody gets out unscathed and untanned!

 

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Bump in the Night

  • Publication date: 08/03/2018
  • Paperback ISBN: 1788420160
  • eBook ISBN: 9781788420143
A Flaxborough Mystery 2

Bump in the Night

Colin Watson

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Tuesday nights have suddenly turned quite ridiculously noisy in the country town of Chalmsbury, where the good folk are outraged at having their rest disturbed.

It begins with a drinking fountain being blown to smithereens – next the statue of a local worthy loses his head, and the following week a giant glass eye is exploded. Despite the soft-soled sleuthing of cub reporter Len Leaper, the crime spate grows alarming.

Sheer vandalism is bad enough, but when a life is lost the amiable Inspector Purbright, called in from nearby Flaxborough to assist in enquiries, finds he must delve deep into the seamier side of this quiet town’s goings on.

Witty and a little wicked, Colin Watson’s tales offer a mordantly entertaining cast of characters and laugh-out-loud wordplay.

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The Yellowthread Street Mysteries

  • Publication date: 07/02/2019
  • eBook ISBN: 9781788420068
A Yellowthread Street Mystery 999

The Yellowthread Street Mysteries

Books 1-3

William Marshall

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The first three books in William Marshall’s unforgettable, classic series of police procedurals – suspenseful and hilarious in equal measure.

Yellowthread Street Among the gangsters and the goldsmiths of Hong Bay, Chief Inspector Feiffer and his police department had their hands full . . . tourist troubles, a US sailor turned stick-up artist, and the jealous Chinese who solved his marital difficulties with an axe. Then the Mongolian with a kukri brought an extra touch of terror to the district . . .

The Hatchet Man Postman Lawrence Shang was watching a film called The Axeman of Shanghai when his life abruptly ended. Carpet trader Edward Peng was enjoying The Last Picture Show. So begins a series of murders across the Hong Bay district of Hong Kong – and a nightmarish investigation for Harry Feiffer and his staff at the Yellowthread Police Station.

Gelignite In the seamy Hong Bay district of Hong Kong, crimes of every shape and size were commonplace. But not letter bombs. Not till Mr Leung and Mr Ramaswamy were spread bloodily over the office walls. When Detective Inspector Spencer narrowly escaped becoming victim number 3, the Yellowthread Street police were grimly determined to track down the culprit.

Yellowthread Street brings to vivid life a seamy world where people called Osaka Oniki the Disemboweller, Shotgun Sen and The Chopper feel at home, a world of surreal possibility recorded with unique humour and a poignant sense of humanity.

Praise for the Yellowthread Street series:

“Marshall has the rare gift of juggling scary suspense and wild humor and making them both work.” Washington Post Book World

“Marshall’s style – blending the hilarious, the surreal, and the poignant – remains inimitable and not easily resisted.” San Francisco Chronicle

Marshall has few peers as an author who melds the wildest comedy and tragedy in narratives of nonstop action.” Publishers Weekly

“Marshall is building a growing, iconoclastic body of work that mixes weird fantasy [and] wayward characterization . . . to produce a subtle, charged, atmospheric, lush fiction hybrid sure to satisfy those with a taste for mysteries on the far edges.” Philadelphia Inquirer

“Despite the wild humor, Marshall’s stories contain excellent police procedure, real suspense, and fine irony . . . incessantly scary.” Chicago Tribune

Among the best police procedural series on the market.” Detroit Free Press

“As an inspired poet of the bizarre, [Marshall] orchestrates underlying insanity into an apocalyptic vision of the future.” New York Times Book Review

“Marshall’s novels feature seemingly supernatural events that turn out to have logical, if not precisely rational, origins. He has savage fun with police procedure.” TIME

Nobody rivals Marshall’s ability to expose the links between comic hysteria and the most mundane human foibles, from greed to cowardice to simple funk.” Kirkus Reviews

“Moves at the speed of a bullet; don’t read it aloud or you’ll run out of breath.” Chicago Sun-Times

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The Miss Seeton Series

  • Publication date: 19/10/2017
  • eBook ISBN: 9781788420716
A Miss Seeton Mystery 999

The Miss Seeton Series

Books 4-5 and Prequel

Heron Carvic, Hamilton Crane

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This collection brings together the fourth and fifth adventures in the Miss Seeton Mysteries series by Heron Carvic, plus the series prequel by Hamilton Crane. While a picture may paint a thousand words, for this lovable retired art teacher, a sketch can catch a thousand criminals . . .

Miss Seeton Sings (Book 4) Miss Seeton boards the wrong plane and lands amidst a gang of European counterfeiters. One false note, and her new destination is deadly indeed.

Odds on Miss Seeton (Book 5) Miss Seeton in diamonds and furs at the roulette table? It’s all a clever disguise for the high-rolling spinster . . . but the game of money and murder is all too real.

Miss Seeton’s Finest Hour (A Prequel) War-time England, and a young Miss Emily Seeton’s suspicious sketches call her loyalty into question—until she is recruited to uncover a case of sabotage.

Retired art teacher Miss Seeton steps in where Scotland Yard stumbles. Armed with only her sketch pad and umbrella, she is every inch an eccentric English spinster and the most endearing and unlikely master of detection.

What people are saying about Miss Seeton:

“Miss Seeton is a hoot! I was torn between laughter and eye rolling with each page turn. The characters are loveable and thoroughly British. This is a perfect specimen of classic British mystery.“

What a joy Miss Seeton is. Why did I wait so long to read them? Splashy characters, lovely setting, and just plain funny.”

“I’ve become a Miss Ess addict. Great characters that get better with each book. A must for anyone who loves a good British cozy with a twist, and surprising revelations of what a good brollie can do in a pinch.”

“What a great series. This is one of the best in English light reading mysteries.”

“Miss Seeton is a delightful sendup of the amateur sleuth. If your doctor has prescribed laughter as the best medicine, run and buy the entire series as fast as you can.”

Editorial reviews:

“A most beguiling protagonist!New York Times

“Miss Seeton gets into wild drama with fine touches of farce . . . This is a lovely mixture of the funny and the exciting.” San Francisco Chronicle

“This is not so much black comedy as black-currant comedy . . . You can’t stop reading. Or laughing.” The Sun

Depth of description and lively characters bring this English village to life.” Publishers Weekly

“Fun to be had with a full cast of endearingly zany villagers . . . and the ever gently intuitive Miss Seeton.” Kirkus Reviews

“Miss Seeton is the most delightfully satisfactory character since Miss Marple.” Ogden Nash

“I think, on the whole, Miss Seeton is the most loveable and entertaining of any of today’s fiction detectives. May she live forever.” London Mystery Selection

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Doorways in the Sand

  • Publication date: 28/09/2017
  • Paperback ISBN: 191144087X
  • eBook ISBN: 9781911440437

Doorways in the Sand

Roger Zelazny

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The most playful – and arguably most accessible – novel by the master of inventive science fiction. 

Humanity is not alone in the cosmos. The aliens have given a precious relic to the people of Earth: star-stone. But the harmony of the galaxy is endangered when they discover that the star-stone has disappeared.

Likeable Fred Cassidy is an eternal undergraduate. All he thinks he knows about the star-stone is that it came to Earth in an interplanetary trade for the Mona Lisa and the British Crown jewels.

When Fred is accused of stealing the cosmic artefact, he is pursued from Australia to Greenwich Village and beyond, by telepathic psychologists, extra-terrestrial hoodlums and galactic police in disguise. Follow him on his adventures as he enters multiple realities, flipping in and out of alien perspectives, through doorways in the sand.

Miss Seeton Quilts the Village

  • Publication date: 07/09/2017
  • Paperback ISBN: 1911440748
  • eBook ISBN: 9781911440734
  • Audiobook ISBN: 9781788420310
A Miss Seeton Mystery 22

Miss Seeton Quilts the Village

Hamilton Crane, Heron Carvic

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Audiobook
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Miss Seeton returns! – a new original (the first in almost 20 years) for this classic series of humorous cosy mysteries created by Heron Carvic.

It’s practically a Royal Marriage! The highly eligible son of Miss Seeton’s old friends Sir George and Lady Colveden has wed the daughter of a French count.

Miss Seeton lends her talents to the village scheme to create a quilted ‘Bayeux Tapestry’ of local history, inspired by the wedding. But her intuitive sketches reveal a startlingly different perspective – involving buried Nazi secrets, and links to the mysterious death of a diplomat and to a South American dictator . . .

Serene amidst every kind of skulduggery, this eccentric English spinster steps in where Scotland Yard stumbles, armed with nothing more than her sketchpad and umbrella!

What people are saying about Miss Seeton:

“Miss Seeton is a hoot! I was torn between laughter and eye rolling with each page turn. The characters are loveable and thoroughly British. This is a perfect specimen of classic British mystery.“

What a joy Miss Seeton is. Why did I wait so long to read them? Splashy characters, lovely setting, and just plain funny.”

“I’ve become a Miss Ess addict. Great characters that get better with each book. A must for anyone who loves a good British cozy with a twist, and surprising revelations of what a good brollie can do in a pinch.”

“What a great series. This is one of the best in English light reading mysteries.”

“Miss Seeton is a delightful sendup of the amateur sleuth. If your doctor has prescribed laughter as the best medicine, run and buy the entire series as fast as you can.”

Editorial reviews:

“A most beguiling protagonist!” New York Times

“Miss Seeton gets into wild drama with fine touches of farce . . . This is a lovely mixture of the funny and the exciting.” San Francisco Chronicle

“This is not so much black comedy as black-currant comedy . . . You can’t stop reading. Or laughing.” The Sun

Depth of description and lively characters bring this English village to life.” Publishers Weekly

“Fun to be had with a full cast of endearingly zany villagers . . . and the ever gently intuitive Miss Seeton.” Kirkus Reviews

“Miss Seeton is the most delightfully satisfactory character since Miss Marple.” Ogden Nash

Other books in the series