detective fiction

Twin sisters Hanna and Alex, who together run the Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop, find their volunteer work at their local Christmastime high school reunion event turn serious when they discover an old classmate's dead body. That classmate, it turns out, had been hitting on Hanna only hours before, and, worse, was killed by a nutcracker figure the sisters had been admiring at the party. Now, Hanna is a prime suspect in a murder case, and only Alex and their sleuthing canine companion, Watson, can clear her name and find the real killer.

Book and candle shop owner Tabby Winslow is determined to clear her fraternal twin's name when she's accused of murdering her boss. Each twin must draw on their uncanny clairvoyant abilities to uncover the truth, all while solving various other paranormal activities in the community, including an energy vampire searching for a lost cousin.

Meg Langslow must take in a group of programmers stuck in Caerphilly for Christmas who are working with her brother's software company on a forensic genealogy and DNA analysis project. When the programmers' boss is found murdered, Meg tries to find the killer before Christmas but the file of suspects is longer than Santa's list.

When bookseller Summer Merriwether of Brigid's Island, NC, joins her local library's mystery panel discussion, she learns her late mother's deadly secret: she was somehow linked with an actual murder that rocked Brigid's Island thirty-five years ago, which became the inspiration for a popular novel. When the life of the book's author is threatened, Brigid finds the knowledge of it threatening her own life, as well.

Becca Colwin is on her way home from work at Charm and Cherish when she follows a stray kitten down an alley to a dead body. The police find a connection between Becca and the victim, putting Becca under suspicion. It seems Becca's cheating ex, Jeff, is working on a new type of spyware and now Becca is involved. Fortunately, her new kitten seems to have powers that could help Becca find the killer and clear her name.

February in the Hudson Valley brings a new murder mystery for veterinarian Dr. Kate to solve--two bodies, one a man atop the ice of Lover's Lake, the other apparently his woman, frozen face up under the water. Tragically, the young couple had just been married, and when they learn their animal hospital's tranquilizers had been used in the murders, it is up to Dr. Kate and her vet tech Mari to stop the murderer before he strikes again.

Phoebe Winchester is adjusting to her new life in Raven Creek, Washington, where she runs the bookstore and tea shop, the Earl's Study, out of the Victorian manor she inherited from her dearly departed Aunt Eudora. In addition, she's learning to master her recently discovered magical powers, but when she discovers a dead body at an estate sale, Phoebe doesn't know how much more she can handle. She enlists the help of an old friend and private investigator, Rich, to clear her name and solve the murder.

"Riley Donovan is the new kid in town. When her next-door neighbor's barn catches on fire, with him inside it, Riley helps save him. But rather than being hailed a hero, Riley finds herself a target of harassment. When her neighbor is accused of starting the fire, Riley believes he is innocent and is determined to prove it--even it means making powerful enemies"--Back cover.

Using their code-breaking skills, four middle-schoolers solve the mystery of the eccentric man who draws stick figures on his second-floor bedroom window.

Cody and the other members of the Code Busters Club take a trip to the Winchester Mystery House. Back matter includes keys to the codes and solutions to the coded messages that appear throughout the text.