Recommendations based on "Claws and Effect A Mrs. Murphy Mystery"

When Alice Ascher is murdered in Andover, Hercule Poirot is already on to the clues. Alphabetically speaking, it's one down, twenty-five to go.There's a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway guide beside each victim's body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover; and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her belt on the beach at Bexhill; then who will Victim C be?

The first children's murder mystery from number-one-bestselling author of The Appeal, Janice Hallett, perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Rhian Tracey. When Ava and Luke discover a mysterious box of papers in their attic they are instantly curious about secrets it might hold. As they read through letters, diary entries, newspaper cuttings and listen to secret recordings, they realize that a decades-old, still unsolved, murder mystery is unfolding right in front of them . . . Ava and Luke decide to try and crack the case themselves. But as they work through the clues, it soon becomes clear that the mystery isn't something left in the past- the killer is still be out there - and might be closer than they think... YOU know the facts. YOU have all the clues. Can YOU solve the mystery before they do?

Someone s getting crossed off the register. Nora Blackbird may have been to the manor borne, but these days money is so tight, she can t afford to lose her job as a society columnist. So when her new boss at the "Philadelphia Intelligencer" Australian tabloid editor Gus Hardwicke tells her to work the celebrity gossip beat or start checking the want ads, the choice is easy. Now Nora s writing a profile on billionaire fashion designer Swain Starr, who recently retired to build a high-tech organic farm with his new wife, Zephyr, a former supermodel. But before Nora can get the story, the mogul is murdered. And now Gus wants her to snap up an exclusive on who killed Starr before the cops do. But solving a celebrity murder isn t easy with a home life as colorful as Nora s. Her sort-of-husband, Mick, a former mobster, is associating once again with unsavory characters. Her sister Libby is on a mission to get her diabolical twins on stage or screen with the help ofan unscrupulous former child star. And the youngest Blackbird sister, Emma, just got kicked out of the house by Mick who refuses to explain why. If anything can bring the blue-blooded Blackbird sisters together, it s a murder investigation involving high-society events, glamorous people, and the disappearance of a genetically perfect pig that may or may not be basking in the sun at Blackbird Farm. They ll all have to pull together this time, because if Nora can t bring home the bacon, she might have to exchange her bucolic estate for a cramped walk-up."

Murder under the stars... Nora Blackbird--pregnant at last --is spending summer afternoons wallowing in the Bucks County pool of her best friend, Lexie Paine, who has just been released from prison. At night, Nora is covering Philadelphia's high-society events for the local newspaper. And this time she doesn't have to look far for a good story. Next door, a Broadway show is in rehearsal at the estate of Toodles Tuttle, the long-deceased but ever-legendary composer. Reigning over the estate is Toodles's diva widow, Boom Boom. The demanding old broad still rules with an iron fist, and considering the chorus line of enemies she's racked up over the years, her death has been a hotly anticipated event. So imagine everyone's dismay when it's her beloved daughter, Jenny, who drops dead--from a cause that is anything but natural--just as the lights are set to go on for the lucrative new Toodles musical. Yet murder is only an overture to the drama to come.... Nora's sister Libby, a soon-to-be-grandmother, has gotten herself into a sticky situation, wooed by both a lowly bug exterminator and a cheesecake-loving Broadway impresario. Edgy sister Emma has a dangerous new boyfriend who may jeopardize her show-jumping exploits. And the love of Nora's life, Mick Abruzzo, has been desperate to prevent Nora from meeting the most notorious member of his mobbed-up family--his mother. Now Nora has to deal with the bump-and-grind of her personal life, and also bring the curtain down on a daring killer--before he forces her to exit stage left, permanently.

"Crombie’s characters are rich, emotionally textured, fully human. They are the remarkable creations of a remarkable writer."—Louise Penny “Nobody writes the modern English mystery the way Deborah Crombie does—and A Bitter Feast is the latest in a series that is gripping, enthralling, and just plain the best.”   — Charles Todd, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Ascot and A Cruel Deception New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie returns with a mesmerizing entry in her “excellent” (Miami Herald) series, in which Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are pulled into a dangerous web of secrets, lies, and murder that simmers beneath the surface of a tranquil Cotswolds village. Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, have been invited for a relaxing weekend in the Cotswolds, one of Britain’s most enchanting regions, famous for its rolling hills, golden cottages, and picturesque villages. Duncan, Gemma, and their children are guests at Beck House, the family estate of Melody Talbot, Gemma’s detective sergeant. The Talbot family is wealthy, prominent, and powerful—Melody’s father is the publisher of one of London’s largest and most influential newspapers. The centerpiece of this glorious fall getaway is a posh charity harvest luncheon catered by up-and-coming chef Viv Holland. After fifteen years in London’s cut-throat food scene, Viv has returned to the Gloucestershire valleys of her childhood and quickly made a name for herself with her innovative meals based on traditional cuisine but using fresh local ingredients. Attended by the local well-to-do as well as national press food bloggers and restaurant critics, the event could make Viv a star. But a tragic car accident and a series of mysterious deaths rock the estate and pull Duncan and Gemma into the investigation. It soon becomes clear that the killer has a connection with Viv’s pub—or, perhaps, with Beck House itself. Does the truth lie in the past? Or is it closer to home, tied up in the tangled relationships and bitter resentments between the staff at Beck House and Viv’s new pub? Or is it more personal, entwined with secrets hidden by Viv and those closest to her?

The most dramatic installment yet in the Nero Award-winning Pentecost and Parker series, as Will scrambles to solve a shocking murder before Lillian takes the fall for the crime. NEW YORK CITY, 1947: Wealthy financier and ghoulish connoisseur of crime, Jessup Quincannon, is dead, and famed detective Lillian Pentecost is under arrest for his murder. Means, motive, and a mountain of evidence leave everyone believing she's guilty. Everyone, that is, except Willowjean "Will" Parker, who knows for a fact her boss is innocent. She just doesn't know if she can prove it. With Lillian locked away in the House of D--New York City's infamous women's prison--Will is left to root out the real killer. Was it a member of Quincannon's murder-obsessed Black Museum Club? Maybe it was his jilted lover? Or his beautiful, certainly-sociopathic bodyguard? And what about the mob hit-man who just happened to disappear after the shots were fired? With the city barreling toward the trial of the century, each day brings fresh headlines and hints of long-buried scandals from Lillian's past. Will is desperate to get her boss out from behind bars before her reputation is destroyed. Because the House of D is no kind place, especially for a woman with multiple sclerosis. Or one with so many enemies. Her health failing and being targeted by someone who wants her dead, Lillian needs to survive long enough to take the stand. With time running out on both sides of the prison walls, Will and Lillian must wager everything to uncover who put their thumb on the scales and a bullet in Quincannon's head. Before Lady Justice brings her sword down, ending Pentecost and Parker's adventures once and for all.

Small-town librarian Kathleen Paulson never wanted to be the crazy cat lady. But after Owen and Hercules followed her home, she realized her mind wasn't playing tricks on her-her cats have magical abilities. When the body of elderly do-gooder Agatha Shepherd is found near Kath's favorite local café, she knows Owen's talent for turning invisible and Hercules's ability to walk through walls will give the felines access to clues Kath couldn't get without arousing suspicion. Someone is hiding some dark secrets-and it will take a bit of furtive investigating to catch the cold-hearted killer.

In the third Magical Cats mystery, small town librarian Kathleen Paulson and her very special cats must go on the hunt to find a clever killer...It's been raining cats and dogs in Mayville Heights. The small town's been deluged, and now the local artists' co-op is on the verge of flooding. Kathleen has been up all night helping her friends move their creations to the safety of the upstairs studio. The artwork survives, but when controversial mask maker Jaeger Merrill is found drowned in the co-op basement, Kathleen questions whether the death was accidental. After she discovers the artist was using an assumed name, she realizes she can't actually assume anything about him. With the help of handsome detective Marcus Gordon—and Owen and Hercules's extraordinary powers of feline detection—it's up to Kathleen to unmask a killer.

Rita Mae Brown and her inseparable co-author, that fabulous feline Sneaky Pie Brown, are together again in this triple-threat collection of mystery and manners, southern-style. In fact, the first three novels in the Browns' Mrs. Murphy bestselling mystery series are reprinted here in their entirety. Whether you are already familiar with the detective work of postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her tiger cat Mrs. Murphy or are new to the team, you are sure to be intrigued by their unique approach. It's murder with a touch of whimsy, all set in the cozy hamlet of Crozet, Virginia. Meet Harry's friends, neighbors...and suspects--folks like notorious society vamp Boom Boom Craycroft inRest in Pieces, or the nice Miranda Hogendobber inMurder at Monticello, and get a good taste of Brown's wickedly observant take on manners below the Mason-Dixon line. Cat lovers, mystery aficionados, and anyone who might like an armchair visit to a delightful old town down South, is sure to enjoy these witty, cleverly-plotted tales of suspense.

Rita Mae Brown and her literary feline sidekick Sneaky Pie Brown are back with a third omnibus of clever sleuthing by postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her feline sidekick Mrs. Murphy. For the first time all in one volume, here are CAT ON THE SCENT, PAWING THROUGH THE PAST, and CLAWS AND EFFECT, three more prime examples of charm and murder co-existing in the lovely hamlet of Crozet, Virginia. In CAT ON THE SCENT, the good people of Crozet are quite excited about their upcoming Civil War battle reenactment until things get a little too authentic when a soldier ends up with three very real bullets in his back. Someone has waited twenty years to take revenge in PAWING THROUGH THE PAST. Crozet High's Class of 1980 is about to have its twentieth reunion--but one classmate is looking forward to it for the wrong reasons. Each member of the class receives a note saying “You'll never get old,” but it becomes clear this is more threat than compliment when a classmate turns up dead with a bullet between his eyes. The juicy gossip from Crozet Hospital has everyone entertained in CLAWS AND EFFECT--until its source is found murdered. Mrs. Murphy sniffs out a dirty little secret that dates back to the days of the Underground Railroad, and she has to protect Harry from a coldly calculating killer with a prescription for murder.