Art imitates life. Or does it? One sleepy Sunday morning in Buenos Aires, the protagonist of Martinez's brilliant new mystery finds himself unexpectedly tangled up in the story of Luciana, a former authors' assistant whom he has not seen for at least ten years, and Kloster, a rival writer - only far more successful; bestselling, in fact. What he discovers will make him question everything he had always believed - taken for granted - about chance and calculation, cause and effect. Luciana is desperate. In the decade since she last had anything to do with either of the writers, nearly all her close family have died, in highly unusual circumstances. And Luciana or her sister could be next. Luciana's convinced that her one-time employer Kloster is behind the deaths, punishing her for her part in the break-up of his marriage in a murderous frenzy of revenge worthy of one of his own prodigiously successful crime novels. But which comes first, murder or novel? Clever and gripping, THE BOOK OF MURDER is a chilling crime story in which the line between fact and fiction suddenly seems blurred.

For the fourth year, generous authors have graciously contributed their time, efforts and creativity to raise money for a very worthy effort-making children happy. This year, nineteen talented authors and one very talented editor have put their skills together and produced a very remarkable book. Wolfmont's 2008 anthology for Toys for Tots was an Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Top Ten Bestseller for 2008, and the only small press title in the list. Praise for past Toys for Tots anthologies: "You'll find yourself surrounded this Christmas by thieves, thugs, murderers, and adulterers - and loving every minute of it!" -- P.M. Terrell, acclaimed author of RICOCHET, KICKBACK, and THE CHINA CONSPIRACY "(A) delightful collection for all types of mystery fans." -- Mary Saums, author of the Thistle and Twigg mystery series "Each story is a tantalizing present waiting to be unwrapped." -- Peggy Ehrhart, author of SWEET MAN IS GONE

A former FBI agent gets entangled in a financial mogul’s murder in this “superior” whodunit series (Publishers Weekly). Once one of Wall Street’s most powerful forces, Donald McAdam’s life changed when he found himself in a tight spot with the SEC. Either give up everything, they told him, or inform on your friends. Never one for loyalty, McAdam chose the wire, and sent half the stockbrokers in New York to prison. Now he’s filthy rich, isolated, and so paranoid that he buys his cocaine laced with strychnine, in hopes of building up a tolerance for the poison. His caution doesn’t help him, however, when he tumbles off his high-rise balcony and falls headfirst back down to Wall Street. Soon afterward, one of the men McAdam put away invites ex–FBI investigator Gregor Demarkian on a very peculiar cruise—onboard a cramped precise replica of the Mayflower. But when the behavior of the passengers proves rather un-Puritan, Demarkian discovers something that would have shocked Columbus: a New World murder.

FRAMED? Jessica’s art-viewing Italian vacation is interrupted by a pair of gunmen who steal a painting and kill a retired police officer in the process. Agreeing to help identify the crooks should they be caught, Jessica returns to Cabot Cove and puts the shocking experience behind her. Months later, Wayne Simsbury, the stepson of an old friend, comes to her for help. Wayne’s father has been shot to death. Not only has Wayne’s stepmother, Marlise, been charged with the murder, but Wayne himself claims to have witnessed the crime. Unsure what to do, he has sought out Jessica—the one person his stepmother had always claimed could help with any problem. Now, on top of a seemingly open-and-shut murder case to crack in Chicago, Jessica finds herself back in Italy helping the police make their case against the art thieves—and she faces a looming danger that may connect the Italian killers to the fate of her old friend....

The Blue Ridge Mountains, fun historical tidbits, a hint of the supernatural, and a taste of romance—this bookish cozy mystery series debut about a crime-solving librarian is “one of the best” (New York Journal of Books). Librarian Amy Webber must archive overdue crimes and deadly rumors before a killer strikes again in small-town Virginia . . . Fleeing a disastrous love affair, university librarian Amy Webber moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic mountain town in Virginia. She quickly busies herself with managing a charming public library that requires all her attention with its severe lack of funds and overabundance of eccentric patrons. The last thing she needs is a new, available neighbor whose charm lures her into trouble. Dancer-turned-teacher and choreographer Richard Muir inherited the farmhouse next door from his great-uncle, Paul Dassin. But town folklore claims the house’s original owner was poisoned by his wife, who was an outsider. It quickly became water under the bridge, until she vanished after her sensational 1925 murder trial. Determined to clear the name of the woman his great-uncle loved, Richard implores Amy to help him investigate the case. Amy is skeptical until their research raises questions about the culpability of the town’s leading families . . . including her own. When inexplicable murders plunge the quiet town into chaos, Amy and Richard must crack open the books to reveal a cruel conspiracy and lay a turbulent past to rest in A Murder for the Books, the first installment of Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library mysteries.

Once more we meet the inimitable Inspector Albert V. Tretheway and his colleague, Constable Jonathan (Jake) Small, in the Canadian city of Fort York in 1939. Pranks begin when Tretheway's beloved bowler hat disappears. Three weeks later Tretheway and Jake investigate a nervous neighbor's report about an anonymous phone tip that her long-dead husband is in her garage. They find instead a live horse wearing Tretheway's missing bowler. The pranks escalate, and only Tretheway connects them and surmises they are movie-inspired. The guessing game begins. Which movie is next? When the fourth prank involves a pre-dug grave, the Hindu Goddess Kali and the murder of a popular Bugle-Major, Tretheway spearheads a chase, cerebral and physical, through more movie murder adventures to a fiery spectacular finale.

Discover the science of forensics through Agatha Christie's novels in the ultimate true crime investigation Agatha Christie is the bestselling novelist of all time, and nearly every story she ever wrote involves one—or, more commonly, several—dead bodies. And the cause of death, the motives behind violent crimes, the clues that inevitably are left behind, and the people who put the pieces together to solve the mystery invite the reader to analyze the evidence and race to find the answer before the detective does. Nearly every step of the way, Christie outlines the nuts and bolts of early 20th-century crime detection, relying on physical evidence to tell the real story behind the facades humans erect to escape detection. Christie wouldn't have talked of "forensics" as it is understood today—most of her work predates the modern developments of forensics science—but in each tale she harnesses the power of human observation, ingenuity, and scientific developments of the era. A fascinating, science-based deep dive, The Science of Murder examines the use of fingerprints, firearms, handwriting, blood spatter analysis, toxicology, and more in Christie's beloved works. What readers are saying: "Highly entertaining with many fascinating snippets of insider information about real life criminal cases. This is a must for Christie fans." "Thoroughly researched and a delight to read!" "A wealth of information and knowledge to help give an insight to the golden age of crime fiction." "Absolutely brilliant book that looks at how Agatha Christie made use of developments in forensic science in her novels and upgraded her understanding over time." "Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors, unparalleled in her clever plots and twisting tales. She was also a forensic expert, weaving into her novels human observation, ingenuity and genuine science of the era. This book illuminates all of Agatha's incredible knowledge, showing how she stayed at the cutting edge of forensic knowledge, as seen through her much loved characters."

In The Gift of Death, Jacques Derrida's most sustained consideration of religion to date, he continues to explore questions introduced in Given Time about the limits of the rational and responsible that one reaches in granting or accepting death, whether by sacrifice, murder, execution, or suicide. Derrida analyzes Patocka's Heretical Essays on the History of Philosophy and develops and compares his ideas to the works of Heidegger, Levinas, and Kierkegaard. A major work, The Gift of Death resonates with much of Derrida's earlier writing and will be of interest to scholars in anthropology, philosophy, and literary criticism, along with scholars of ethics and religion. "The Gift of Death is Derrida's long-awaited deconstruction of the foundations of the project of a philosophical ethics, and it will long be regarded as one of the most significant of his many writings."—Choice "An important contribution to the critical study of ethics that commends itself to philosophers, social scientists, scholars of relgion . . . [and those] made curious by the controversy that so often attends Derrida."—Booklist "Derrida stares death in the face in this dense but rewarding inquiry. . . . Provocative."—Publishers Weekly

'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times 'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' Ian Rankin A spellbinding concoction of crime, history and horror - perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Jonathan Creek _______ Edinburgh, 1888. A violinist is murdered in his home. The dead virtuoso's maid swears she heard three musicians playing in the night. But with only one body in the locked practice room - and no way in or out - the case makes no sense. Fearing a national panic over another Ripper, Scotland Yard sends Inspector Ian Frey to investigate under the cover of a fake department specializing in the occult. However, Frey's new boss, Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray, actually believes in such supernatural nonsense. McGray's tragic past has driven him to superstition, but even Frey must admit that this case seems beyond reason. And once someone loses all reason, who knows what they will lose next . . . _______ 'This is wonderful. A brilliant, moving, clever, lyrical book - I loved it' Manda Scott 'A great cop double-act . . . It's the pairing of the upright Frey and the unorthodox McGray that notches up the stars for this book' Sunday Sport 'A brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting . . . with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written - The Strings Of Murder is everything you need in a mystery thriller' Crime Review

Relieved to hear of the death of best-selling author Cameron Harris, and with him the death of his poison pen, the members of the Tower Writer's Collective soon become suspects in his murder.