- Table View
- List View
Thirty Hours with a Corpse: and Other Tales of the Grand Guignol (Dover Horror Classics)
by S. T. Joshi Maurice LevelCharacterized by gratuitous acts of brutality and surprise endings, these tales of obsession and violence are the creations of a twentieth-century French writer whose works were staged by the legendary Théâtre du Grand-Guignol of Paris. The precursors of modern thrillers and slasher films, these stories have been specially selected for this edition and introduced by horror specialist S. T. Joshi. Thirty-nine conte cruel ("cruel tales") include "In the Light of the Red Lamp," in which a husband's photographs of his dead wife reveal a deeper tragedy; "Fascination," the tale of a morbid passion that develops when the narrator, determined to stay at home, shoots his mistress for the sake of peace and quiet; and "The Bastard," concerning a father's suspicions about his son's paternity. Other stories include "The Taint," a view of infanticide as mercy-killing; "The Test," in which an accused murderer is forced to reenact his crime; and "A Maniac," recounting a thrill-seeker's ghoulish impulse to witness death-defying stunts gone wrong.
Thirty-One Bones: A Novel
by Morgan CryCarl Hiaasen meets Tartan Noir in this comic crime caper set on the sunny Costa Blanca.What Carl Hiaasen does for Florida and Elmore Leonard did for LA, Morgan Cry does for Spain's sun-splashed Mediterranean coast, where British expats and certain notorious criminals go to escape-slash-retire.When Daniella Coulstoun's estranged mother, Effie, dies in Spain under suspicious circumstances, Daniella feels it's her duty to fly out for the funeral. Effie was the sole owner of the seedy expat pub Se Busca, whose faithful kept her in business for twenty years. Among them is a dangerous group of misfits who confront Daniella on her arrival, claiming that Effie stole huge sums of cash from them in a multimillion-euro property scam. They want the money back, and Daniella is on the hook for it.When a suspicious Spanish detective begins to probe Effie's death and a London gangster hears about the missing money, Daniella faces threats on every front, including the promise of breakage to thirty-one of her precious bones. With no idea where the cash is and a seemingly impossible deadline, she has no choice but to fall back on her wits to solve the mystery in a world where she is out of depth and her very survival is at stake.
Thirty-Three Teeth
by Colin CotterillDr. Siri Paiboun travels to Luang Prabang where he communes with the deposed king who is resigned to his fate: it was predicted long ago. He attends a conference of shamans called by the Communist Party to deliver an ultimatum to the spirits: obey Party orders or get out. But as a series of mutilated corpses arrives in Dr. Siri's morgue, and Nurse Dtui is menaced, he must use all his powers--forensic and shamanic--to discover the creature--animal or spirit--that has been slaying the innocent.
Thirty-Three Teeth
by Colin CotterillDr. Siri Paiboun, one of the last doctors left in Laos after the Communist takeover, has been drafted to be national coroner. He is untrained for the job, but this independent seventy-two-year-old has an outstanding qualification for the role: curiosity. And he does not mind incurring the wrath of the party's hierarchy as he unravels mysterious murders, because the spirits of the dead are on his side--and a little too close for comfort more often than he would like. With the help of his newly appointed secretary, the ambitious and shrewd Dtui, and Mr. Geung, the Down Syndrome-afflicted morgue assistant, Dr. Paiboun performs autopsies and begins to solve the mysteries relating to a series of deaths by what seem to be bear bites, to explain why the government official ran at full speed through a seventh-story window and fell to his death, and to discover the origins of the two charred bodies from the crashed helicopter in the temple at Luang Prabang. As it turns out, not surprisingly, not all is peaceful and calm in the new Communist paradise of Laos.
Thirty-Three Teeth
by Colin CotterillDr. Siri Paiboun, one of the last doctors left in Laos after the Communist takeover, has been drafted to be national coroner. He is untrained for the job, but this independent seventy-two-year-old has an outstanding qualification for the role: curiosity. And he does not mind incurring the wrath of the party's hierarchy as he unravels mysterious murders, because the spirits of the dead are on his side--and a little too close for comfort more often than he would like. With the help of his newly appointed secretary, the ambitious and shrewd Dtui, and Mr. Geung, the Down Syndrome-afflicted morgue assistant, Dr. Paiboun performs autopsies and begins to solve the mysteries relating to a series of deaths by what seem to be bear bites, to explain why the government official ran at full speed through a seventh-story window and fell to his death, and to discover the origins of the two charred bodies from the crashed helicopter in the temple at Luang Prabang. As it turns out, not surprisingly, not all is peaceful and calm in the new Communist paradise of Laos.
Thirty-Three Teeth
by Colin CotterillDr. Siri Paiboun, one of the last doctors left in Laos after the Communist takeover, has been drafted to be national coroner. He is untrained for the job, but this independent 72-year-old has an outstanding qualification for it: curiosity. And he doesn't mind incurring the wrath of the Party hierarchy as he unravels mysterious murders, because the spirits of the dead are on his side--and a little too close by his side more often than he'd like.With the help of his newly-appointed secretary, the ambitious and shrewd Dtui, and Mr. Geung, the Down-Syndrome-afflicted morgue assistant, Dr. Paiboun performs autopsies and begins to solve the mysteries relating to a series of deaths by what seem to be bear bites, to explain why the government official ran at full speed through a seventh story window and fell to his death and to discover the origins of the two charred bodies from the crashed helicopter in the temple at Luang Prabang. As it turns out, not surprisingly, not all is peaceful and calm in the new Communist paradise of Laos.
Thirty-Three Teeth
by Colin CotterillThe highly anticipated sequel to The Coroner's LunchLaos, 1977. Something wild and evil has been let loose in the city of Vientiane and a series of mutilated corpses lands in the morgue of Dr Siri Paiboun-the reluctant national coroner. Just as things in the capital start to get interesting, 72-year old Dr Siri is sent to the old royal capital Luang Prabang, where he becomes involved in the Communist Government's plot to rid the country of its king and all the royal spirits. Meanwhile, back in Vientiane, Dr Siri's helpers-Mr. Geung, a mentally challenged lab technician, and Nurse Dtui, whose nickname means "Fatty"-investigate the strange deaths. But is the killer man or beast? It'll take all the coronial team's powers to crack this gruesome mystery. With a great sense of fun and a lively, loveable cast of characters, Thirty-Three Teethwill delight fans of The Coroner's Lunchand win Cotterill a whole new bunch of readers.
Thirty-Three Teeth
by Colin CotterillAgainst all his expectations, Dr Siri Paiboun has rather enjoyed his first five months in office. Now, as hot-season nights close in, Siri is spirited away from Laos' steamy capital on a Matter of National Security. Arriving in Luang Prabang, he's a busy man, examining carbonized corpses, dining with the deposed king, attending a shamans' conference and being rescued by the ghost of an elephant. Not that Siri's complaining... Luang Prabang is in mountains and a good fifteen degrees cooler.Meanwhile, back at Vientiane headquarters, it's hot. Bloody hot - savaged bodies are piling up in Siri's absence. Is it the missing black bear from the circus, or could it be a weretiger? Siri's trusty assistant Nurse Dtui goes snooping but, unlike her boss, the spirits aren't looking out for her... And just what creature, if any, has thirty-three teeth?(P)2010 WF Howes Ltd
Thirty-Three Teeth (Dr. Siri Paiboun Mystery Ser. #Bk. 2)
by Colin CotterillSiri Paiboun is suddenly a busy man. Five months into his new role as National (and only) Coroner, he has been called to the capital on a 'matter of national security'.Soon enough, he's examining carbonized corpses, meeting the deposed king and attending a shaman's conference.Meanwhile, back at his woefully inadequate morgue, savagely mauled bodies are piling up and Siri's assistant decides to investigate. Can she be dealing with a weretiger, or is it a bear of some kind? Whatever kind of animal has thirty-three teeth?
This - Is Murder
by Cortland FitzsimmonsThis—Is Murder!, first published in 1941, is a classic murder mystery set aboard a film producer’s yacht cruising near California’s Catalina Island; guests include the cast and crew of a new film. Tragedy strikes when the film’s leading lady drowns while swimming, but the death is no accident. Trapped in a thick fog, it falls to passenger Dean Mallory, author of Crime Fictions and the film’s screenwriter, to investigate and identify the killer.It started off as a publicity stunt, a short cruise to Catalina Island on the producer’s yacht for some of the cast and crew of his next film, Blue Lagoon. But when the leading lady, the exotic Zara fails to come up after a dive off the yacht, the cause of death is found to be poison. Trapped on the yacht by a thick fog, it’s up to Dean Mallory, mystery author and screen writer to solve the crime, knowing that one of the passengers is the murderer. But which one? Is it the leading man, the rival actress, the mysterious central casting "Rajah," the Russian, or even the producer? And was the motive jealousy, blackmail, or something even more sinister? This-is Murder! is a mystery for all fans of those classic 1930’s movies.Cortland Fitzsimmons was born in Brooklyn, New York (possibly Queens) on June 19, 1893 and died July 25, 1949 in Los Angeles, California. After attending New York University and The City College of New York, he worked for some time as a salesman for several book distributors and publishers before turning to writing full time in 1934. Most of his works as a writer were mysteries, a number of which were based on sports themes such as 70,000 Witnesses: A Football Mystery, Crimson Ice: A Hockey Mystery, and Death on a Diamond: A Baseball Mystery. A number of his novels were made into films and he moved to Los Angeles to work as a screenwriter. His last book was a cookbook that he co-wrote with his wife Muriel Simpson You Can Cook If You Can Read.
This Angry Land
by Terence StrongFor fourteen years he has kept the demons at bay. The former SAS sergeant from Ulster has renounced the gun. With help from the bottle and a village girl, he devotes his life to others in war-torn Mozambique. But as the terror spreads, he must fight again. Plunged into the savage cauldron of Africa's killing fields, he confronts two very different but equally implacable enemies.
This Blessed Plot
by M. R. D. MeekRich and poor. Lennox Kemp knew they all had their peculiarities. Chasing errant husbands could be both irritating and frustrating. And rude, unwashed-and broke-Mrs. Sorrento didn't make the job any easier. On the other side of the tracks and just as seamy-although disguised behind fine crystal and patrician smiles-were the Courtenays. Twins Vivian and Venetia were rich, reckless and probably quite ruthless. They needed Kemp to oversee the legalities of rather bizarre plans for their massive inheritance. It's only when the paths of these clients cross that Kemp discovers he's unwittingly become a bit player in an elaborately staged performance of greed, deceit and murder... and that the next body that falls may be his own.
This Body of Death: An Inspector Lynley Novel (A Lynley Novel #16)
by Elizabeth GeorgeNew York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George is back with a spellbinding tale of mystery and murder featuring Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley. On compassionate leave after the murder of his wife, Thomas Lynley is called back to Scotland Yard when the body of a woman is found stabbed and abandoned in an isolated London cemetery. His former team doesn't trust the leadership of their new department chief, Isabelle Ardery, whose management style seems to rub everyone the wrong way. In fact, Lynley may be the sole person who can see beneath his superior officer's hard-as-nails exterior to a hidden-and possibly attractive-vulnerability. While Lynley works in London, his former colleagues Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata follow the murder trail south to the New Forest. There they discover a beautiful and strange place where animals roam free, the long-lost art of thatching is very much alive, and outsiders are not entirely welcome. What they don't know is that more than one dark secret lurks among the trees, and that their investigation will lead them to an outcome that is both tragic and shocking. A multilayered jigsaw puzzle of a story skillfully structured to keep readers guessing until the very end, This Body of Death is a magnificent achievement from a writer at the peak of her powers.
This Body of Death: An Inspector Lynley Novel: 16 (Inspector Lynley #13)
by Elizabeth GeorgeElizabeth George's masterly new novel brings Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley back onto centre stage in an intricate crime drama. While DI Thomas Lynley is still on compassionate leave after the murder of his wife, Isabelle Ardery is brought into the Met as his temporary replacement. The discovery of a body in a Stoke Newington cemetery offers Isabelle the chance to make her mark with a high profile murder investigation. Persuading Lynley back to work seems the best way to guarantee a result: Lynley's team is fiercely loyal to him and Isabelle needs them - and especially Barbara Havers - on side. The Met is twitchy: a series of PR disasters has undermined its confidence. Isabelle knows that she'll be operating under the unforgiving scrutiny of the media, so is quick - perhaps too quick - to pin the murder on a convenient suspect. The murder trail leads Lynley and Havers to the New Forest, and the eventual resolution of the case. Its roots are in a long-ago act of violence that has poisoned subsequent generations and its outcome is both tragic and shocking.
This Body of Death: An Inspector Lynley Novel: 16 (Inspector Lynley #13)
by Elizabeth GeorgeElizabeth George's masterly new novel brings Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley back onto centre stage in an intricate crime drama.While DI Thomas Lynley is still on compassionate leave after the murder of his wife, Isabelle Ardery is brought into the Met as his temporary replacement. The discovery of a body in a Stoke Newington cemetery offers Isabelle the chance to make her mark with a high profile murder investigation. Persuading Lynley back to work seems the best way to guarantee a result: Lynley's team is fiercely loyal to him and Isabelle needs them - and especially Barbara Havers - on side. The Met is twitchy: a series of PR disasters has undermined its confidence. Isabelle knows that she'll be operating under the unforgiving scrutiny of the media, so is quick - perhaps too quick - to pin the murder on a convenient suspect. The murder trail leads Lynley and Havers to the New Forest, and the eventual resolution of the case. Its roots are in a long-ago act of violence that has poisoned subsequent generations and its outcome is both tragic and shocking.(p) 2011 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us: A Novel
by Edgar Cantero"Cantero has written the funniest private investigator this side of Peter Sellers. How can you not love the warring siblings, opposites in a single body, as they outwit everyone they meet? You will. You will love them."--Josh MalermanFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Meddling Kids comes a mind-blowing, gender-bending, genre-smashing romp through the entire pantheon of action and noir. It is also a bold, tautly crafted novel about family, being weird, and claiming your place in your own crazy story. In a dingy office in Fisherman's Wharf, the glass panel in the door bears the names of A. Kimrean and Z. Kimrean. Private Eyes. Behind the door there is only one desk, one chair, one scrawny androgynous P.I. in a tank top and skimpy waistcoat. A.Z., as they are collectively known, are twin brother and sister. He's pure misanthropic logic, she's wild hedonistic creativity. The Kimreans have been locked in mortal battle since they were in utero...which is tricky because they, very literally, share one single body. That's right. One body, two pilots. The mystery and absurdity of how Kimrean functions, and how they subvert every plotline, twist, explosion, and gunshot--and confuse every cop, neckless thug, cartel boss, ninja, and femme fatale--in the book is pure Cantero magic. Someone is murdering the sons of the ruthless drug cartel boss known as the Lyon in the biggest baddest town in California--San Carnal. The notorious A.Z. Kimrean must go to the sin-soaked, palm-tree-lined streets of San Carnal, infiltrate the Lyon's inner circle, and find out who is targeting his heirs, and while they are at it, rescue an undercover cop in too deep, deal with a plucky young stowaway, and stop a major gang war from engulfing California. They'll face every plot device and break every rule Elmore Leonard wrote before they can crack the case, if they don't kill each other (themselves) first. This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us is a brilliantly subversive and comic thriller celebrating noir detectives, Die Hard, Fast & Furious, and the worst case of sibling rivalry, that can only come from the mind of Edgar Cantero.
This Book Is Not Good for You (Secret Series, Book #3)
by Pseudonymous BoschBetween the pages of this book lies the secret to the best-tasting chocolate in all the world. I promise, your taste buds will tingle. Your palette will sing! Oh no, have I accidentally tempted you to read this book? I will warn you, however, the most delicious things are never good for you...and this story is particularly scrumptious! In this tooth-rotting adventure, Cass's mom has been kidnapped by the evil dessert chef and chocolatier, Señor Hugo! The ransom...the legendary tuning fork. Can Cass and Max-Ernest find the magical instrument before it's too late? Will they discover the evil secret ingredient to Señor Hugo's chocolate success? If you're tempted, take a taste, but just remember...this book is not good for you.
This Book Will Bury Me: A Novel
by Ashley WinsteadFrom the nationally bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight Is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watchesIt’s the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose and even glory.So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho, takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don’t make sense, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only leads to more questions. Something’s not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any murderer they’ve faced before. Placing themselves in the centre of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap.One year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, Jane decides to break her silence and reveal the true story behind the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans.
This Book Will Bury Me: A Novel
by Ashley WinsteadFrom the national bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.It's the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions, and begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...
This Charming Man: (The Stranger Times 2) (The Stranger Times #2)
by C. K. McDonnellSTOP PRESS! The Stranger Times wins the 2023 British Fantasy Award for Best Audio Work!Vampires do not exist. Everyone knows this. So it's particularly annoying when they start popping up around Manchester . . . Nobody is pleased about it. Not the Founders, the secret organisation for whom vampires were invented as an allegory, nor the Folk, the magical people hidden in plain sight who only want a quiet life. And definitely not the people of Manchester, because there is nothing more irksome than being murdered by an allegory run amok. Somebody needs to sort this out fast before all Hell really breaks loose - step forward the staff of The Stranger Times.It's not like they don't have enough to be dealing with. Assistant Editor Hannah has come back from getting messily divorced to discover that someone is trying to kidnap a member of their staff and while editor Vincent Banecroft would be delighted to see the back of any of his team, he doesn't like people touching his stuff - it's the principle of the thing.Throw in a precarious plumbing situation, gambling debts, an entirely new way of swearing, and a certain detective inspector with what could be kindly referred to as 'a lot of baggage' and it all adds up to another hectic week in the life of the newspaper committed to reporting the truth that nobody else will touch.This Charming Man is the second book in the critically acclaimed The Stranger Times series.'A gag-filled romp . . . in the spirit of Terry Pratchett.' The Times'Great characters, a jet-propelled plot, and a winning premise.' Guardian'Fresh and genuinely funny.' SFX
This City Is Ours: A Novel
by Denis PittsManhattan is held for ransom in this “competent and exciting book” from the acclaimed thriller writer of The Predator (The New York Times). It’s New Year’s Eve and Manhattan is rendered motionless by a blizzard of ice and snow. On top of that, there’s a terrorist ultimatum: $130 billion dollars in forty-eight hours, or else . . . The world’s largest supertanker, five-hundred thousand tons of black nitro and steel, is moored near the city. Soon it will ignite in a blast of atomic fury, engulfing Manhattan in a mushroom cloud of searing death and destruction. That is, if no one can stop it. Newly-elected mayor Ben Boyle, ex-plumber, a commonsense man of uncommon courage, takes on the toughest job of all: negotiating with the world’s richest banks for money, and in a city of millions, searching for just one man. Holed up in a sleazy Times Square hotel, the calculating Cherokee terrorist George Mahle waits. With his plan going perfectly, he watches as New York begins to collapse. Follow Boyle’s race against time in this thrilling tale of deadly machinations, detailed drama and political scheming. “A fast-paced thriller.” —The Cincinnati Post “Tense, exciting . . . Expertly and vividly written.” —The Columbus Dispatch “A major work that every city and inhabitant of the city can take a lesson from . . . A well-written, well-developed novel.” —South Bend Tribune
This Coven Won't Break (These Witches Don't Burn #2)
by Isabel SterlingIn this gripping, romantic sequel to These Witches Don't Burn, Hannah must work alongside her new girlfriend to take down the Hunters desperate to steal her magic.Hannah Walsh just wants to finish high school. It's her senior year, so she should be focusing on classes, hanging out with her best friend, and flirting with her new girlfriend, Morgan. But it turns out surviving a murderous Witch Hunter doesn't exactly qualify as a summer vacation, and now the rest of the Hunters seem more intent on destroying her magic than ever. When Hannah learns the Hunters have gone nationwide, armed with a serum capable of taking out entire covens at once, she's desperate to help. Now, with witches across the country losing the most important thing they have--their power--Hannah could be their best shot at finally defeating the Hunters. After all, she's one of the only witches to escape a Hunter with her magic intact.Or so everyone believes. Because as good as she is at faking it, doing even the smallest bit of magic leaves her in agony. The only person who can bring her comfort, who can make her power flourish, is Morgan. But Morgan's magic is on the line, too, and if Hannah can't figure out how to save her--and the rest of the Witches--she'll lose everything she's ever known. And as the Hunters get dangerously close to their final target, will all the Witches in Salem be enough to stop an enemy determined to destroy magic for good?
This Cowboy's Son (Home on the Ranch)
by Mary Sullivan"You have a son."The announcement is not exactly the welcome Matthew Long expects from Jenny Sterling when he arrives in Ordinary, Montana. Five years away can change a man, but he suspects he's still not the settle-on-the-ranch type. And if he can't settle, how is he supposed to lend a hand to raise his kid?Seems Jenny has different ideas, however. She wants Matt to do what he does best—move on so that she can return to her life without him. Surprisingly that's something Matt doesn't want to do. Because the moment he gets over the shock of being a daddy, he remembers all the powerful chemistry between him and Jenny. And if there is one person who could persuade him to be the staying kind, it might be her.
This Cruel Design (Mortal Coil #2)
by Emily SuvadaCat thought the Hydra epidemic was over, but when new cases pop up, Cat must team up with an enemy to fix the vaccine before the virus spirals out of control in this thrilling sequel to This Mortal Coil, which New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman says “redefine’s ‘unputdownable.’”The nightmare of the outbreak is finally over, but Cat’s fight has only just begun. Exhausted, wounded, and reeling from revelations that have shaken her to her core, Cat is at a breaking point. Camped in the woods with Cole and Leoben, she’s working day and night, desperate to find a way to stop Lachlan’s plan to reprogram humanity. But she’s failing—Cat can’t even control her newly regrown panel, and try as she might to ignore them, she keeps seeing glitching visions from her past everywhere she turns. When news arrives that the Hydra virus might not be as dead as they’d thought, the group is pushed into an uneasy alliance with Cartaxus to hunt down Lachlan and fix the vaccine. Their search takes them to Entropia, a city of genehackers hidden deep in the desert that could also hold the answers about Cat’s past that she’s been searching for. But when confronted with lies and betrayals, Cat is forced to question everything she knows and everyone she trusts. And while Lachlan is always two steps ahead, the biggest threat to Cat may be the secrets buried in her own mind.
This Dame for Hire: A Novel (Faye Quick #1)
by Sandra Scoppettone"I didn’t start out to be a private eye. I thought I was gonna be a secretary–get my boss his java in the morning, take letters, and so on. Hell, I didn’t get my degree in steno to put my life on the line. It was true I wanted an interesting job, but that I’d end up a PI myself . . . it never entered my mind. " New York, 1943. Almost anything in pants has gone to serve Uncle Sam in the war–including Woody Mason, the head of a detective agency in midtown Manhattan. Left to run the show is his secretary, Faye Quick, who signed on to be a steno, not a shamus. At twenty-six and five foot four, there’s not much to Faye, but she’s got moxie–which she’ll need when she stumbles over a dead girl in the street and takes on her first murder case. This victim wasn’t any ordinary girl. Claudette West was a student at NYU and the daughter of a Park Avenue family. Faye, who lives in bohemian Greenwich Village–where no one cares how you look–ventures uptown, where people care enough about money to kill for it. Claudette’s father is convinced greed was the motive, and that Claudette’s working-class boyfriend, Richard Cotten, killed the girl because she threw him off the gravy train. Faye, however, isn’t so sure, not when she learns about all the other men Claudette was secretly seeing–from her lecherous literature professor to an apparent con artist. For Faye, there are more shocking surprises in store than turns and dips in the Coney Island Cyclone. Going after the bad guys and fighting a good fight on the home front, Faye is as scrappy and endearing as any character Sandra Scoppettone has ever created, and This Dame for Hire’s period setting is rendered so real you can hear the big band music, see the nylons and fedoras, and feel the rumble of the Third Avenue El. When it comes to an irresistible detective and a riveting new series, you must remember this: Here’s looking at Faye Quick. From the Hardcover edition.