Murder Go Round

As soon as Pat Kirby arrives for safe keeping at an off season summer cottage with Susan, her Witness Protection Program representative, the laughter and intrigue begin. Pat, the key witness in a murder trial, saw an executive shot for control of his overseas account. As he was wheeled into the operating room, she saw him transmit the numbers needed to access the off shore account, but she can't figure how to find those numbers. Soon the place is swarming with government agents and cohorts of the hit man. Who can Pat trust? Is the resident shopkeeper a substitute? Why does the local interior decorator seem out of place? What about the man who claims to be her husband or the girl claiming to be her daughter? Her protector? The young fellow from which agency? And most of all, the head of the WPP who is experiencing temporary amnesia? Everyone wants the numbers in this hilarious comedy.

An antique carousel horse sends Salem, Massachusetts, into a spin in this eerie murder mystery: “Highly original and great fun.” —Carolyn Hart, New York Times-bestselling author of Ghost Ups Her Game Lee Barrett has agreed to attend a storage auction with Aunt Ibby—even though she suspects the forgotten rooms will yield more junk than treasure. Her skepticism vanishes once the two win an overlooked locker and uncover a trove of beautiful curiosities, including a stunning wooden carousel horse with gentle eyes and fading paint. But just before Lee leaves the fairground relic at a local repair shop, the sight of a silver samovar awakens her psychic abilities and conjures visions of murder. Lee prays the intrusive ESP episode was just a glimpse into the past—until her policeman boyfriend reports a dead man outside the shop. Apparently, the unknown victim had been hot on Lee’s trail since the auction. And with the horse found dismantled, it looks like he was up to no good. What’s the story behind the antique equine, and could a strange bubblegum-chewing woman with fiery hair have something to do with it all? Guided by her gift and O’Ryan, her wise tabby cat, Lee’s set on catching the murderer . . . before she’s sent on the darkest ride of her life. Praise for The Witch City Mysteries “Perfectly relaxing and readable.”– Kirkus Reviews “This rewarding paranormal cozy series debut will have Victoria Laurie fans lining up to follow.” —Library Journal “Keeps readers guessing until the very twisted and eerie end.” —RT Book Reviews

A collection of three mysteries, Thirteen at Dinner, A.B.C. Murders, and Funerals are Fatal. Hercule Poirot is once again the detective.

The Gory Stories Behind The Murder Ballads Cheerfully vulgar, revelling in gore, and always with an eye on the main chance, murder ballads are tabloid newspapers set to music, carrying word of the latest ‘orrible murders to an insatiable public. Victims are bludgeoned, stabbed or shot in every verse and killers often hanged, but the songs themselves never die. Instead, they mutate – morphing to suit local place names as they criss cross the Atlantic and continue to fascinate each generation’s biggest musical stars. Paul Slade traces this fascinating genre’s history through eight of its greatest songs. Stagger Lee’s “biographers” alone include Duke Ellington, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Dr John, The Clash and Nick Cave. No two tell his story in quite the same way. Covering eight classic murder ballads, including “Knoxville Girl”, “Tom Dooley” and “Frankie & Johnny”, Slade investigates the real-life murder which inspired each song and traces its musical development down the decades. Billy Bragg, The Bad Seeds’ Mick Harvey, Laura Cantrell, Rennie Sparks of The Handsome Family and a host of other leading musicians add their own insights.