When murder mystery theatre becomes too real for comfort... Firefighter Larry Holmes needs some time away. Out of other options, he agrees to take his cousin's place at a crime fiction convention. Larry doesn't like mystery novels, but he can enjoy the host resort's amenities and stay out of the way. That plan goes out the window, however, when he arrives at the venue with the convention's organizer, Selena Watt, and the close-knit Crime Club decides that with Holmes and Watt present, the game must be afoot. The convention concludes with a staged murder mystery weekend at stately Rafferty House. Neglected for decades, the Victorian-era summer home built on an island in Georgian Bay has been restored and upgraded... mostly. At first, everything goes according to script. Then, shots are fired, people get hurt, and Larry suddenly finds himself in the middle of a real-life murder mystery. Only a few people on the island could have done it. The police can't come soon enough and the Crime Clubbers are itching to practice their sleuthing skills, taking Larry along for the ride. But with a serving staff paid to lie and unexpected guests with unclear motives, who can be trusted? Only Rafferty House knows--and it is not happy.

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Caroline Cooney, and R.L. Stine comes The Weekend was Murder! from four-time Edgar Allen Poe Young Adult Mystery Award winner Joan Lowery Nixon. Mary Elizabeth can’t wait for the weekend to begin at the Ridley Hotel, where a famous mystery writer and a troupe of actors are coming to enact a murder mystery for 150 amateur sleuths. Mary Elizabeth’s role is to discover the “body” in Room 1927, which is supposed to be haunted. But nothing prepares her for the real body she finds in Room 1927… “A masterfully constructed, engaging read that…[is] ingeniously plotted, fast-paced and lighthearted.” –Publishers Weekly “Fans will love wading through the myriad details and placing bets on the outcome.” –Kirkus Reviews “Mystery fans will…enjoy trying to solve the various crimes.” –School Library Journal

THE FIRST IN A NEW BOOK THEMED COZY MYSTERY SERIES You won't be able to stop turning the pages of this small town mystery, which is: Perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Lorna Barrett A riveting bookclub cozy mystery Full of quirky, Southern charm Not every murder is by the book... As Sugar Springs gears up for its all-class high school reunion, Mississippi bookstore owner Arlo Stanley prepares to launch her largest event: a book-signing with the town's legendary alum and bestselling author, Wally Harrison. That's when Wally is discovered dead outside of Arlo's front door and her best friend is questioned for the crime. When the elderly ladies of Arlo's Friday Night Book Club start to investigate, Arlo has no choice but to follow behind to keep them out of trouble. Yet with Wally's reputation, the suspect list only grows longer—his betrayed wife, his disgruntled assistant, even the local man who holds a grudge from a long-ago accident. Between running interference with the book club and otherwise keeping it all together, Arlo anxiously works to get Chloe out of jail. And amidst it all, her one-time boyfriend-turned-private-eye returns to town, just another distraction while she digs to uncover the truth around Wally's death and just what Sugar Springs secret could have led to his murder. If you love women's murder club books, Amy Lillard's cozy mysteries are just for you!

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Caroline Cooney, and R.L. Stine comes The Weekend was Murder! from four-time Edgar Allen Poe Young Adult Mystery Award winner Joan Lowery Nixon. Mary Elizabeth can’t wait for the weekend to begin at the Ridley Hotel, where a famous mystery writer and a troupe of actors are coming to enact a murder mystery for 150 amateur sleuths. Mary Elizabeth’s role is to discover the “body” in Room 1927, which is supposed to be haunted. But nothing prepares her for the real body she finds in Room 1927… “A masterfully constructed, engaging read that…[is] ingeniously plotted, fast-paced and lighthearted.” –Publishers Weekly “Fans will love wading through the myriad details and placing bets on the outcome.” –Kirkus Reviews “Mystery fans will…enjoy trying to solve the various crimes.” –School Library Journal

When beautiful young socialite Scarlett Liddell apparently commits suicide during a 'Murder Mystery Weekend', expensively staged at a Lakeland castle, the coroner calls in DI Skelgill and his team to tie up the legal loose ends. Post mortem results, however, cast doubt upon the provisional verdict - and circumstantial evidence begins to point to one obvious suspect - Will Liddell, the woman's multi-millionaire entrepreneur husband. When Will Liddell is separately accused of an unrelated offence, it seems the noose is tightening around his neck - but the more Skelgill delves beneath the surface of the exclusive circle in which the wealthy couple have moved, the more he realises there may be complex motives afoot. In this psychological drama - set amidst an echelon of society beyond his regular comfort zone - Skelgill cannot so easily rely upon his roughhewn intuition to guide him. To expose the truth, he must unpick a tangle that might almost be the plot for a murder mystery weekend itself.

Convinced that there is something creepy about his new piano teacher, Jerry soon hears terrifying stories about Dr. Shreek's music school and students who never completed their lesson alive.

During the celebrations for Adrian Bennett's birthday a murder takes place. The road to the house is closed because of bad weather, and the police can't get there. So Milly decides to find out for herself who did it. Graded reader with 2 audio CDs, and exercises with answers. Suitable for self-study, building vocabulary, and developing reading and listening skills.

Early on the morning of May 6, 1840, the elderly Lord William Russell was found in his London house with his throat so deeply cut that his head was nearly severed. The crime soon had everyone, including Queen Victoria, feverishly speculating about motives and methods. But when the prime suspect claimed to have been inspired by a sensational crime novel, it sent shock waves through literary London and drew both Dickens and Thackeray into the fray. Could a novel really lead someone to kill? In Murder by the Book, Claire Harman blends a riveting true-crime whodunit with a fascinating account of the rise of the popular novel and the early battle for its soul among the most famous writers of the day.

A mountaintop mansion. A motley collection of guests. A murder. This weekend has all the makings of a classic, cozy mystery story. And a story is all it's supposed to be--acted out by noted authors and eager fans at the atmospheric Mohonk Mountain House resort in upstate New York. Along with a gaggle of his peers, Mallory's been invited to join the fun by donning a costume and an alter-ego to pose as a "suspect." But before you can say "nobody leaves this room!", Mallory is once again thrust into the role of driven detective when the game's designated "corpse" turns up decidedly dead. There's no doubt that the victim, notorious mystery-novel critic Kirk Rath, incited the murderous wrath of nearly every writer he reviewed. But even the most scathing critical barbs never drove a writer to put down the pen in favor of the sword. And even Mallory is baffled by the curious circumstances surrounding the mystery within a mystery. Did he actually witness Rath being run through by a masked figure in the snowy darkness? Was Rath really spotted alive and sneering after the bloody fact? Is someone playing mind games? And is everyone in the house fair game? Murder will out, as they say. But can even the masterful Mallory outwit a roguish gallery of the finest plotters in print?

A storm-struck island. A blood-soaked bed. A missing man. In this captivating mystery that's perfect for fans of Knives Out, Senior Investigator Shana Merchant discovers that murder is a family affair. Thirteen months ago, former NYPD detective Shana Merchant barely survived being abducted by a serial killer. Now hoping to leave grisly murder cases behind, she's taken a job in her fiancé's sleepy hometown in the Thousand Islands region of Upstate New York. But as a nor'easter bears down on her new territory, Shana and fellow investigator Tim Wellington receive a call about a man missing on a private island. Shana and Tim travel to the isolated island owned by the wealthy Sinclair family to question the witnesses. They arrive to find blood on the scene and a house full of Sinclair family and friends on edge. While Tim guesses they're dealing with a runaway case, Shana is convinced that they have a murder on their hands. As the gale intensifies outside, she starts conducting interviews and discovers the Sinclairs and their guests are crawling with dark and dangerous secrets. Trapped on the island by the raging storm with only Tim whose reliability is thrown into question, the increasingly restless suspects, and her own trauma-fueled flashbacks for company, Shana will have to trust the one person her abduction destroyed her faith in--herself. But time is ticking down, because if Shana's right, a killer is in their midst and as the pressure mounts, so do the odds that they'll strike again.