In this first Inspector Banks novel, a peeping tom is frightening the women of Eastvale; two young thugs are breaking into homes; and an old woman may or may not have been murdered. Inspector Banks investigates these cases, which weave together as the story reaches a tense climax.

A Sharon McCone mystery, in which the detective is hired by a reclusive photographer to find his missing roommate, and when she is found dead, McCone has to confront numerous suspects.

В клетке с приматом найден растерзанный труп девушки, изучавшей эволюцию видов. Одиннадцать человек арестованы за чудовищные преступления. Человек, жестоко расправившийся с невинными детьми, покончил с собой. Что стоит за беспричинными вспышками насилия? Когда в следующий раз сработает бомба замедленного действия? За расследование берутся Люси Энебель и Франк Шарко. Героям предстоит отправиться в джунгли Амазонии, где притаилось древнее зло, ждущее своего часа, чтобы, подобно бессмертной огненной птице, восстать из пепла.

Obscene graffiti, poison pen letters and a disgusting effigy greeted Harriet Vane on her return to Oxford. A graduate of ten years before and now a successful novelist, this should have been a pleasant, nostalgic visit for her. She asks her lover, Lord Peter Wimsey, for help.

Podczas wystawnego przyjęcia wydanego na cześć sędziego okręgowego Pinchasa Hornsztyka zostaje zamordowana jego żona Aleksandra, ambitna kobieta interesu. Uczestnicząca w przyjęciu Lizzi Badihi, "księżniczka miejscowego brukowca", postanawia podjąć prywatne śledztwo. Rozwikłanie zagadkowego zabójstwa staje się dla niej sprawą prestiżową. Frapująca intryga kryminalna, która zadowoli najwybredniejszych koneserów tego gatunku powieści, nie jest jednak jedyną zaletą książki. W miarę rozwoju akcji ciekawym przeobrażeniom podlega też sama jej bohaterka, głównie za sprawą niekonwencjonalnych przygód erotycznych. Czytelnik znajdzie tu też sporo ciekawych obrazków z życia współczesnej izraelskiej prowincji.

Neeve Kearny, córka emerytowanego komisarza nowojorskiej policji, jest właścicielką drogiego butiku z wytwornymi strojami od znanych projektantów. Do najlepszych jej klientek należy Ethel Lambston, znana pisarka i publicystka o złośliwym piórze. Gdy Ethel przez kilka dni nie odbiera zamówionej garderoby, Neeve zaczyna się niepokoić. Wielu ludzi, wśród nich były mąż pisarki i zachłanny bratanek, ucieszyłoby się, gdyby autorka kontrowersyjnych artykułów zniknęła na zawsze. Złe przeczucia Neeve potwierdzają się – w parku stanowym zostaje znalezione ciało zamordowanej Ethel. Neeve, będąca ważnym świadkiem w śledztwie, uczestniczy w skomplikowanym dramacie chciwości, ambicji i bezwzględnego dążenia do rozgłosu. Nie wie, że jej samej również zagraża śmiertelne niebezpieczeństwo.

Edward Lincoln ist ein berühmter Schauspieler. Auf der Leinwand mimt er den mutigen Helden, den stürmischen Liebhaber und liefert den Verbrechern halsbrecherische Verfolgungsjagden. Außerhalb der Filmstudios ist er nichts als ein zufriedener Familienvater und gewöhnlicher Bürger. Südafrika, wo Lincoln für seinen jüngsten Film Werbung machen soll, ist nun allerdings nicht gewöhnlich. Dort lauern die Gefahren nicht nur vor der Kamera: eine bis oben mit Sprengstoff gefüllte Goldmine, ein Naturreservat voller Raubtiere und ein unheilvolles Gestüt feuriger Vollblutpferde, die kein einziges Rennen gewinnen… Seine beste Rolle spielt Lincoln ohne Drehbuch, fern der klimatisierten Filmstudios, in der sengenden Afrikasonne. Und diesmal ist es kein Spiel.

«Francis wählt für jedes Buch eine völlig neue Konstellation, er stellt jeweils neue Hauptfiguren in den Mittelpunkt und vermeidet bewußt den Seriencharakter, wie man ihn bei anderen Krimi-Autoren häufig findet. Ungewöhnlich knapp, bissig und scharfsinnig sind die Dialoge, die seinen Büchern den typischen Francis-touch verleihen. Zudem sind die Helden keine schießwütigen James-Bond-Draufgänger, sondern eher nachdenkliche, intelligente Softies, die allerdings kein Pardon mehr kennen, wenn sie von unbelehrbaren Schurken herausgefordert werden.«

Dick Francis "Gefälscht", originalausgabe: "In the Frame". Pferdemaler Charles Todd hat sich auf ein gemütliches Wochenende bei seinem Cousin eingestellt. Dieser jedoch empfängt ihn tief verstört — denn vor wenigen Stunden ist gerade seine Ehefrau ermordet worden.

Der Verdacht der Polizei fällt schon bald auf Donald, der nicht die Kraft hat, die Vorwürfe zurückzuweisen. Todd scheut weder Mühe noch Gefahr, um Donalds Unschuld zu beweisen. Skrupellosen Kunsthändlern auf der Spur, reist er durch ganz Australien. Doch seine Nachforschungen bleiben nicht unbemerkt, und bald wird der Verfolger zum Verfolgten…

Dick Francis "Gegenzug",original: "The Edge".Schauplatz dieser Geschichte voller Dramatik und Intrigen ist ein Millionärsexpreß, der die spektakuläre Landschaft Kanadas durchquert. An Bord sind reiche Pferdebesitzer, die ihre Pferde in Toronto, Winnipeg und Vancouver an den Start begleiten wollen. Und ein eiskalter Erpresser, für den Mord nur eine Alternative unter vielen darstellt.

Get a load of this! The hardboiled world of James Hadley Chase, the thriller maestro, is recaptured in this new edition of tough and gritty tales.

An early morning stroll in the park, or a lonely cross-country drive to Florida; evading arrest in war-torn Cuba, or sipping bourbon in the Bronx—it makes no odds, serious trouble lies just around the corner…. The sleazy jungle of lamp-lit streets, faded hotel lobbies and soulless freeways is the setting for a menagerie of typically brash Chase characters: all-metal blondes that weaken your resistance, merciless thugs in uniform and third-rate double-crossers.

Fast-paced and crackling with cynical wit, this classic anthology shows why Chase is the unchallenged British champion of the tough American tradition.

Publisher’s Note

This remarkable collection of short stories was first published in 1942 and is now re-issued for the first time. It is a tribute to the vigour and storytelling ability of James Hadley Chase that after so many years these tales still shock and thrill the reader.

"A mystery worth barking about." – Linda O Johnston

Disgraced Texas beauty queen, Melinda (Mel) Langston, owns Laguna Beach's Bow Wow Boutique. Mona Michaels, Mel's most despised client, owns a star dog, Fluffy, who's worth millions. When Mona is found whacked in the head with Fluffy's Daytime Emmy, everyone wants Fluffy, but someone won't stop at murder to get the pooch.

Secrets. Blackmail. Mel tackles the case like a dog with a bone. But can she dig up the truth before the killer buries her?

I stumbled through the doorway into a mini-palace fit for a movie star. Fluffy's palace. A white sheepskin rug in front of her personal fireplace, a king-sized sleigh bed and a dressing screen (why a dog needed a dressing screen was beyond me). Fresh, filtered water dripped into her Wedgewood doggie bowl.

The room looked like it had been ransacked.

Mona was sprawled on the floor as if posing for a men's magazine. It was almost picture-perfect, except for the blood matting her five-hundred-dollar haircut and the gold statue stuck in her head.

I hesitantly moved closer. Fluffy nuzzled Mona's cheek. When she didn't move, Fluffy pawed her shoulder, still whining.

"I don't think she's getting up, girl," I said softly.

Mona was deader than a stuffed Poodle.

Michelle Mason tells herself she's on vacation. A brief stay in the Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta. It's a chance to figure out her next move after the unexpected death of her banker husband, who's left behind a scandal and a pile of debt. The trip was already paid for, and it beats crashing in her sister's spare room. When a good-looking man named Daniel approaches her on the beach, the margaritas have kicked in and she decides: why not?

But the date doesn't go as either of them planned. An assault on Daniel in her hotel room, switched cell phones and an encounter with a 'friend' of Daniel's named Gary gets Michelle enmeshed in a covert operation involving drug runners, goons, and venture capitalists. Michelle already knows she's caught in a dangerous trap. But she quickly finds that running is not an option. If she's not careful, she'll end up buried in the town dump, with the rest of the trash. Now she needs to fight smart if she wants to survive her vacation.

Cabot Cove's own mystery writer and sleuth, Jessica Fletcher, travels to London to visit the grande dame of mystery novels, only to discover that the acclaimed author has been murdered.

From the author of LOOKING FOR TROUBLE, a further crime novel featuring private investigator Sal Kilkenny. When a man is distraught at his wife's apparent infidelity, he enlists the help of Sal to confirm his suspicions, only to find himself a widower soon afterwards. From there Sal's other case also begins to take a disturbing and violent turn.

An all-too-realistic thriller about for-profit prisons, big-money politics, shady non-profits, the war on drugs – and the people who would kill to keep the system intact

Emily runs a successful bistro in Humboldt County, California, where she lives with her boyfriend, Jeff, a volunteer firefighter. A lot of her best customers are in the cannabis business, but so what? It's true, firefighting isn't really Jeff's main job – that would be flying Humboldt's finest weed to out-of-state customers. And sure, he isn't really Emily's boyfriend, more like the guy she's stuck with by circumstance. Actually, his name is Danny, not Jeff, and Emily's real name is Michelle Mason, although no one can ever know that. She's on the run from her past – which has just caught up with her. Gary, an ex-CIA agent who got her and Danny into this whole mess, has just shown up in Humboldt County. Michelle should have killed him when she had the chance, but now she's stuck playing Gary's game – and if she loses, she or someone close to her will pay the ultimate price.

This was one case when Bertha Cool didn’t see much of her partner, Donald Lam. This time he was living with the clients instead of running up expensive hotel bills. Still, it made it even harder for Bertha to keep tabs on him.

But she had to admit that Henry C. Ashbury was a pretty smart cookie, and it was his idea to take Donald on as a gym coach so the little smoothie could gain his daughter’s confidence. Someone was blackmailing Alta Ashbury — and her father didn’t trust any of the household, least of all his second wife.

Darko Dawson, Chief Inspector in the Ghana police service, returns in this atmospheric crime series often compared to Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels.

Darko Dawson has just been promoted to Chief Inspector in the Ghana Police Service – the promotion even comes with a (rather modest) salary bump. But he doesn't have long to celebrate because his new boss is transferring him from Accra, Ghana's capital, out to remote Obuasi in the Ashanti region, an area now notorious for the illegal exploitation of its gold mines.

When Dawson arrives at the Obuasi headquarters, he finds it in complete disarray. The office is a mess of uncatalogued evidence and cold case files, morale is low, and discipline among officers is lax. On only his second day on the job, the body of a Chinese mine owner is unearthed in his own gold quarry. As Dawson investigates the case, he quickly learns how dangerous it is to pursue justice in this kingdom of illegal gold mines, where the worst offenders have so much money they have no fear of the law.