Recommendations based on "The Midnight Picnic"

Ghosts, a kidnapping, a crew of young detectives, and family secrets mix in this new standalone mystery set in the world of the best-selling Greenglass House, from a National Book Award nominee and Edgar Award–winning author.   Marzana and her best friend are bored. Even though they live in a notorious city where normal rules do not apply, nothing interesting ever happens to them. Nothing, that is, until Marzana’s parents are recruited to help solve an odd crime, and she realizes that this could be the excitement she’s been waiting for. She assembles a group of kid detectives with special skills—including the ghost of a ship captain’s daughter—and together, they explore hidden passageways, navigate architecture that changes overnight, and try to unravel the puzzle of who the kidnappers are—and where they’re hiding. But will they beat the deadline for a ransom that’s impossible to pay?   Legendary smugglers, suspicious teachers, and some scary bad guys are just a few of the adults the crew must circumvent while discovering hidden truths about their families and themselves in this smart, richly imagined tale.  

A new tie-in edition of Agatha Christie's bestseller, to coincide with the broadcast of the new movie on ITV starring Geraldine McEwan. Includes a full colour plate section, a 'making of' essay, background facts and a bonus chapter. The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which reads: 'A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.' A childish practical joke? Or a hoax intended to scare poor Letitia Blacklock? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out...

A brutal murder with a golf club and an ingenious plot bursting with snobbery, suspicion , adultery and secrets -- to say nothing of the dreadful crime of catricide...The lives of the inhabitants of Swevenings are disrupted only by a fierce competition to catch the Old Un, a monster trout known to dwell in a beautiful stream which winds past their homes. Then one of their small community is found brutally murdered; beside him is the freshly killed trout. Both died by violence -- but Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn's murder investigation seems to be much more interested in the fish...

Commemorating 75 years since the Empress of Crime's first book, the tenth volume in a set of omnibus editions presenting the complete run of 32 Inspector Alleyn mysteries. BLACK AS HE'S PAINTED Called in to help with security arrangements for a presidential reception at a London embassy, Chief Superintendent Alleyn ensures the house and grounds are stiff with police. Nevertheless, an assassin strikes, and Alleyn finds no shortage of help, from Special Branch to a tribal court - and a small black cat named Lucy Lockett... LAST DITCH Young Rickie Alleyn has come to the Channel Islands to write, but village life seems tedious - until he finds the stablehand in a ditch, dead from an unlucky jump. But Rickie notices something strange and his father, Chief Superintendent Roderick Alleyn, is discreetly summoned to the scene, when Rickie disappears... GRAVE MISTAKE With two husbands dead, a daughter marrying the wrong man and a debilitating disease, it is no wonder that Sybil Foster took her own life. But Chief Superintendent Roderick Alleyn doesn't believe she was the type to kill herself - and he thinks someone else has made a very grave mistake...

-- The recent formation of the Ngaio Marsh Society demonstrates the lasting appeal of this classic practitioner of the crime novel.

An e-original short story from New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance, featuring a sneak peek of the next J. P. Beaumont novel, Den of Iniquity—Twinkle Winkleman finds herself in a dangerous, life-threatening situation, and love forces her to confront the near-impossible. A skilled mechanic and certified spitfire, Twinkle Winkleman is as hard as nails; she has to be with a name like hers. Twinkle learned everything there is to know about cars from her time in her daddy’s garage in Anchorage, and when her father dies, she gains ownership of the shop and Maude, her dad’s prized 1973 International Harvester Travelall. Life has not been kind to Twinkle: she grew up without her mother, her daddy’s gone, her ex-husband betrayed her, and her son Tad was killed after a trip to Seattle to handle some “unfinished business.” Right now, the only things Twinkle truly cares for are her garage, Maude, and Cindy—her daughter-in-law and Tad’s widow. One evening, Cindy and her friend, Leslie, have a girls’ night out at the local karaoke bar. Even though neither Twinkle nor Cindy are fans of Leslie’s boyfriend, James, Twinkle is happy to see her daughter-in-law enjoying her freedom and a night on the town. That is until she wakes up in the middle of the night and discovers Cindy hasn’t come home. Even more concerning, she isn’t picking up her phone. What follows is a mother-in-law’s desperate and bold attempt to find her daughter-in-law—even if it means leading the dangerous search on her own, with a little help from J. P. Beaumont. As an Alaskan Winter rears its head, Twinkle is up against the clock: will she be able to save the person that means the most to her?

A brand new Golden Age cosy crime mystery from the multi-million-copy bestseller Faith Martin. 'A masterfully constructed pageturner of a murder mystery. Clever, compelling, and intriguing. An excellent read' TA Williams 'Hugely entertaining with an ingenious solution! I loved it!' Clare Chase 'Suspicious notes, a lethal hat pin and a body in the library ... As far as I'm concerned Faith Martin is the Grand Dame of Country House Crime!' J. M. Hall Yorkshire, 1926. Gentleman ghost-hunter Arbuthnot 'Arbie' Swift and his old friend Val arrive at Cleeves Lea Manor, looking forward to the promise of a lavish weekend party. The lady of the house, an avid reader of Arbie’s books, is eager to show him off to her distinguished guests. Amidst the festivities, Arbie is also tasked with investigating rumours of a ‘ghost train spitting fire’ for the third instalment of the increasingly popular (to Arbie’s great surprise) Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-hunting. But when the guests start dying, Arbie instead finds himself thrust into the middle of a murder investigation. With time running out, will he and Val be able to uncover the truth? Praise for the Val and Arbie Mysteries: ‘Brilliant characters that leap off the page’The Sun on Murder by Candlelight ‘Amuses and intrigues in equal measure’ Daily Mail ‘A golden-age world with an energy that is totally contemporary’ J.M. Hall ‘A charming and clever take on a locked room murder’ Sarah Yarwood-Lovett ‘A wonderful Wodehousian world of intrigue and suspicion and a tricky puzzle to solve.’ Helena Dixon ‘All the ingredients of a classic mystery – engaging characters and an impossible crime. The story races along like a runaway locomotive... enormous fun.’ Orlando Murrin ‘A beautiful written 1920’s murder mystery series full of fun, wit and red herrings’ Anita Davison 'The perfect "country house" murder mystery. The book is terrific fun.' Jane Bettany 'We devoured this whoddunit in one sitting!' Bella 'With murder, intrigue, and ghostly happenings, this will satisfy cosy crime fans.' Heat

Two dead girls in the riverTwo tiny statues of the Virgin Mary concealed in their clothingOne CSI on the hunt for their killerWhen Judith Chen is found floating in Boston's Harbour, links are made with the murder of Emma Hale, a student who vanished without trace, only for her body to wash up months later.CSI Darby McCormick is assigned to the case and uncovers a piece of overlooked evidence from the Hale investigation which brings her into contact with Malcolm Fletcher, a former FBI agent now on the Most Wanted list after a string of bloody murders. And when a third student goes missing, Darby is led into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with deadly links to the past and a man who speaks to the Blessed Virgin. A man who wants to be a secret friend to the girls he abducts

Dot, her best pal Beans and TOP DOG McClusky are back on the case in a brand-new story! When Dot starts hearing strange noises at night she's convinced there must be something SPOOKY afoot. But before they can prove there's a ghost on the loose, Dot and Beans have to follow Ace Detective Fred Fantastic's golden rule: GET PROOF. Easier said than done when the suspect appears to be invisible! It's time to FOLLOW THAT HUNCH!

A stranger's attempt to burn down the greenhouse of Ethel Elliot, a poor widow, gives Trixie her first mystery of summer vacation