I grew up reading murder mysteries and watching old black-and-white films on television. As a teenager, I couldn’t get enough of Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and I loved challenging myself to solve the mystery before the end of the book, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
One thing I noticed in reading the classics is that LGBTQ+ people were either completely absent or used for comic relief or tragic effect. I wanted to change that with my stories, showing that they can be compelling protagonists, solving murders and sometimes finding love.
I was intrigued to discover an Agatha Christie book I had not previously read. I found it instantly intriguing and puzzling, with Hercule Poirot in the center of things.
The way Agatha Christie described the settings with such wonderful detail, I was instantly transported aboard the train, seeing myself as a fellow passenger, watching the mystery unfold.
Agatha Christie's classic Hercule Poirot railway mystery, reissued in a beautiful new classic hardcover edition designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.
'You could, perhaps, love a thief, mademoiselle, but not a murderer!'
When the luxurious Blue Train arrives at Nice, a guard attempts to wake serene Ruth Kettering from her slumbers. But she will never wake again - for a heavy blow has killed her, disfiguring her features almost beyond recognition. What is more, her precious rubies are missing.
The prime suspect is Ruth's estranged husband, Derek. Yet Poirot…
From the first chapter, I was drawn in by the descriptions and setting of 1938 in Europe, on the brink of World War II.
So many interesting and multifaceted characters! The mystery was also intriguing to me, and I found the puzzles and clues well-placed and engaging, keeping me guessing until the final reveal.
A luxury train, stranded on a legendary viaduct in the Alps, with a murderer on board.The Bernina Express, 1938. As Europe holds its breath for the Munich Conference, a disparate group of passengers boards the legendary alpine train: a nervous English courier, a sharp Hungarian journalist, a formidable British aunt and her niece, a mysterious Italian Contessa and her new companion, and two German “art historians” who are clearly something else. When a sudden rockfall strands the train high on the breathtaking Alpine Landwasser Viaduct, the isolation turns deadly. A passenger is found stabbed in his compartment, an empty satchel…
Nelson West, a former Chicago homicide detective, is hired by wealthy heir Lionel Bing to discreetly help “fix” scandals and legal problems for his father’s wealthy friends.
Bing, a brilliant but troubled investigator, suffers from PTSD symptoms as a result of being kidnapped and witnessing the murder of his mother…
I have long held a fascination with the Sherlock Holmes stories, and this one was no exception.
Set in England in the early 1900s, it captures the feel of that period perfectly. I found the story and the mystery to be gripping and compelling, and Holmes was his usual brilliant self, while Watson bumbled along.
I found it a delightful and quick read, and as is often the case, far better than any of the film adaptations because it goes into more depth than a movie ever reasonably could.
When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead, his face distorted with shock and horror, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are faced with a sinister and difficult puzzle. A fearsome creature stalks the wild and barren hills of Dartmoor. Is it a demon from the spirit world? Will it defeat their skill and courage? Who is the tall, mysterious figure seen lurking on the moor at night? Can Holmes save Sir Henry, the new owner of Baskerville Hall, from the ancient family curse? Or will the terrifying hound claim yet another victim?
What’s not to love about this? I first experienced The Big Sleep by viewing the classic Humphrey Bogart movie, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the film, I admit I was a bit perplexed over some of the plot points.
Reading the book cleared up some, but not all, of my confusion, and yet it’s a book I would read again and again. The classic 1930s setting of Los Angeles and Hollywood, the noir elements, and the hard-boiled detective, Phillip Marlowe, are an unbeatable combination in my mind.
Raymond Chandler's first three novels, published here in one volume, established his reputation as an unsurpassed master of hard-boiled detective fiction.
The Big Sleep, Chandler's first novel, introduces Philip Marlowe, a private detective inhabiting the seamy side of Los Angeles in the 1930s, as he takes on a case involving a paralysed California millionaire, two psychotic daughters, blackmail and murder.
In Farewell, My Lovely, Marlowe deals with the gambling circuit, a murder he stumbles upon, and three very beautiful but potentially deadly women.
In The High Window, Marlowe searches the California underworld for a priceless gold coin and finds himself…
Welcome to Marble Hill, Iowa, a small town where every quiet street and familiar face conceals hidden depths of mystery and intrigue. These thrilling stories follow Police Chief Tom Petrosky and State Police Forensics Specialist Patricia Johnson as they interweave crime investigation and a personal relationship.
I admit I was drawn to this book because of the author.
I grew up, as many did, reading all the beloved Winnie the Pooh stories by A.A. Milne, so when I discovered he had penned a murder mystery, I was curious. A large house, a murder, compelling characters, and subtle clues kept me reading until the very end. A clever who-done-it mystery with a satisfying ending.
The Red House Mystery (1922) is a detective novel by A.A. Milne. Known more for his series of Winnie-the-Pooh stories and poems for children, Milne also wrote novels and plays for adults, including this successful whodunnit. The Red House Mystery, Milne's only detective novel, was highly successful upon publication and is noted for its use of an amateur sleuth as well as its intricate, puzzle-like plot. Despite earning the ire of Raymond Chandler, Milne's novel was reprinted in the U.S. and in Britain numerous times.
At his house in the English countryside, Mark Ablett hosts a small party of…
A Death After Dinner is first and foremost a murder mystery, set in England at an ancient country estate in 1951. But it is also a love story between two men. It’s a story of second chances and new romances, hidden in the shadows as the period required, but also sometimes out in the open.
The book shows that LGBTQ people have always been here, just hiding in plain sight, while sometimes doing extraordinary things like solving murders.
San Diego Private Investigator, Brig Ellis, is hired by a wealthy industrialist to help him acquire the final horse in a set of twelve palomino miniatures that once belonged to the last Emperor of China. What begins as a seemingly reasonable assignment quickly morphs into something much more malevolent.
She sells books, eats well, and has a very large brain. Criminals fear her.
Meet Beatrice Valentine, a larger-than-life bookshop owner with a penchant for three things in abundance—delicious Italian food, vino, and murder. For decades, she has sold used and rare books from her stylish-but-cluttered domain on New York…
