"We never lock our doors." This is an often-heard remark expressing a commonplace American attitude or belief that, despite whatever danger might prevail in public spaces, life inside our own homes remains (or at least should remain) safe, carefree, normal. This book covers 13 high-profile cases in which evil paid an untimely visit and found the entrance open--when everything was normal, until it wasn't.

A young woman has a new position - but will she listen to the voice warning her not to cross the threshold of that sinister house... Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection Club Nora Deane, a young nurse, has been instructed to report to 12 Askew Avenue, Charlbury, to look after a new patient. As she steps from the station into an impenetrable blanket of fog, she is glad to accept the escort of a mysterious young man to the address. Once alone in the darkness, she presses the bell and waits. She shivers. She wants to be inside, out of the dangers of the dark. Yet some inner voice persistently warns her not to cross the threshold of that sinister house . . .

"The Rue Morgue Murders" is a pioneering tale in the mystery genre, in which detective Auguste Dupin uses his acute observation and logic to solve a brutal double murder in Paris, revealing a surprising and unusual outcome.

“Downright spectacular. A riveting page turner as prescient as it is purposeful.” —Providence Journal on Tell No Lies A family torn apart. A botched investigation. She’ll stop at nothing to get answers. US Marshal Regan Merritt never bought the FBI’s theory that her ten-year-old son’s murder was tied to her job. Yet as leads went cold, she’d had to walk away from the marshals, the case and her now ex-husband, Grant, who blamed her for Chase’s death. After Regan receives a chilling voice mail from her former boss, Tommy, claiming new information about Chase’s murder, she can no longer stay away from her pain-filled past. Especially when Tommy’s murdered before she can return his call. Now more than ever, Regan’s determined to find the truth, but the more she digs, the more evidence points to Grant as the killer’s true target. But Grant isn’t talking. As she tries to pin down her ex, Regan discovers something much bigger and far more sinister is at play—and she’s running out of people she can trust. Regan Merritt Series Book 1: The Sorority Murder Book 2: Don't Open the Door Don’t miss SEVEN GIRLS GONE, the next page-turning thriller from New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan!

Boston, Massachusetts 1880...Charles Brennan, obsessed by greed, abused his power as a husband and employer, isolating his wife, Rose, and violating the household help. In an act of desperation, one of them murdered him, releasing them all from his control, but not from the guilt and shame they buried deep within. Through the Open Door, a sequel to Kitchen Canary, meets the characters seven years later. The killer recounts the abuse inflicted by Charles Brennan and describes the final acts of cruelty that led to his murder. When the doors of freedom opened, each of the victims followed their own path. Rose Brennan is a shrewd business women, who imports high end art and furnishings for the wealthy occupying Back Bay. She is the matriarch of the 'family,' her children and the victims of her late husband's cruelty. Rose's son, Charles, moved to Europe in search of exotic imports for his mother's business. Margaret, sullen and irascible, cannot find her place in the world.. Virginia, the child conceived by an Irish domestic and Charles Brennan, is approaching adolescence, and wants to know about her birth story. The Irish domestics are established with husbands and families. The Irish have a foothold in politics, with a plan to elect the first Irish Catholic mayor of Boston. Moira and Paddy McMahon's marriage, built on a foundation of secrets and lies, crumbles when Paddy finds the lure of politics greater than his love of family. Moira seeks the counsel of a new pastor, while Paddy comforts himself with whiskey, gambling and women. Boston's wealthy are moving to the new Back Bay. Katie O'Neil's husband, Sean, is at the center of the building boom. He offers a job to Etta's son. Matthew finds the logging camp in Maine a dreary and cold place to work. He's frozen out by the white Irish, rejecting him for his race. It takes all his strength to prevail as a negro in a white world. The freed slaves, Etta and William , continue to work for Mrs. Brennan. William, now married, observes their lives from afar, while Etta immerses herself and her sons, Matthew and Luke in the 'family.' Her sense of security is shattered when she learns Luke's actions could jeopardize her home and livlihood. Through the Open Door describes the effects of the abuse of power on its victims as they continue their lives. Through the experiences of its characters, it pays homage to the courageous men and women who left their homelands to assure a better life for their families, and provides the reader with an understanding of the rejection, humiliation and ultimate bravery of freed negroes as they assimilated into an unwelcoming white culture. Through the Open Door celebrates the accomplishments of the children of immigrants, and serves as a reminder that throughout the generations, joy, acceptance, heartbreak and loss are a part of every family's story.

Deep in the heart of touristy small-town Spirit Canyon, South Dakota, former journalist Zo Jones runs the Happy Camper gift shop, where she sells everything from locally made souvenirs to memorabilia. She even rents out mountain bikes, and dabbles in the adventure industry—and sleuthing . . . It’s Memorial Day weekend in Spirit Canyon, and for Zo that means the return of summer shoppers. It also means the return of her good friend Beth, who’s moved back to the area to reopen her family’s premier hotel, Spirit Canyon Lodge. Beth and Zo spent many childhood summers there and Zo can’t wait to reconnect and celebrate the Grand Opening. But the festivities go from bad to worse when a power outage knocks out the lights—and morning reveals a competitor’s dead body found on the premises . . . Soon enough, Beth is the prime suspect in the suspicious death. Fortunately, Zo isn’t afraid to put her investigative skills to work and prove her friend’s innocence. To start digging for information, she appeals to Max Harrington, a local Forest Ranger and unlikely ally. Though they’ve argued about Happy Camper’s tours, in this case they agree on one thing: Beth isn’t a murderer. Stranger things have happened than their collaboration. After all, this is Spirit Canyon. But as the list of suspects grows, Zo will have to keep her guard up if she doesn’t want to be the next lodge guest to check out . . .

The plot thickens for American gothic writer Penelope Parish when a murder near her quaint British bookshop reveals a novel's worth of killer characters. Penelope Parish has hit a streak of bad luck, including a severe case of writer's block that is threatening her sophomore book. Hoping a writer in residence position at The Open Book bookstore in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, England, will shake the cobwebs loose, Pen, as she's affectionately known, packs her typewriter and heads across the pond. Unfortunately, life in Chumley is far from quiet and when the chairwoman of the local Worthington Fest is found dead, fingers are pointed at Charlotte Davenport, an American romance novelist and the future Duchess of Worthington. Charlotte turns to the one person who might be her ally for help: fellow American Pen. Teaming up with bookstore owner Mabel Morris and her new friend Figgy, Pen sets out to learn the truth and find the tricks that will help her finish her novel.

Following nearly a decade of research, this account solves the mysterious death of biochemist Frank Olson, revealing the identities of his murderers in shocking detail. It offers a unique and unprecedented look into the backgrounds of many former CIA, FBI, and Federal Narcotics Bureau officials—including several who actually oversaw the CIA's mind-control programs from the 1950s to the 1970s. In retracing these programs, a frequently bizarre and always frightening world is introduced, colored and dominated by many factors—Cold War fears, the secret relationship between the nation's drug enforcement agencies and the CIA, and the government's close collaboration with the Mafia.