The show must go on . . . When mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance is invited to stage a Mystery Night for the annual antebellum house tour of the Historical Preservation Society of Chastain, South Carolina, she instead finds herself the leading lady in a flesh-and-blood drama. The play's the thing wherein the curtain falls on mean-spirited grande dame Corinne Webster. While jeweled fingers point, accusing Annie of murder, the perpetrator lurks within the genteel cast of Murder-Most-Make-Believe . . . and the murder weapon is one of the props. In the tight-laced society of Chastain, Annie is guilty until proven innocent. With her fiance, Max Darling, Annie pieces together evidence to clear her name—until her chief witness is murdered. Now it will take all her sleuthing skills to discover the evil in the heart of Chastain's Beautiful People.

Paris Fashion Week. The pinnacle of the fashion industry. A global spectacle where dreams are made, careers are launched, and fortunes are won or lost. It is a world of breathtaking beauty, where designers pour their hearts and souls into their creations, and models grace the runway with an ethereal grace that captures the imagination of the world. But beneath the dazzling facade of this glamorous world, a darker truth lurks – a truth of ruthless ambition, cutthroat competition, and a relentless pursuit of success at any cost. This is the world that Lena Valente, a renowned fashion designer, knows all too well. She’s on the cusp of unveiling her latest collection, a masterpiece of artistry and innovation that promises to redefine the boundaries of haute couture. But tragedy strikes when one of her top models is found dead, a victim of a chilling mystery that threatens to unravel everything she’s built. As the police dismiss the death as an accident, Lena senses something sinister at play. Driven by a desire for justice and a fierce sense of protectiveness for her team, Lena joins forces with Theo Dupont, an investigative journalist with a keen eye for uncovering the truth. Together, they plunge into the opulent but treacherous world of fashion, where secrets are guarded fiercely, and the price of truth can be deadly. As they unravel the intricate web of deceit, they discover that the killer is not just seeking to destroy lives, but to silence anyone who dares to expose the industry's hidden secrets. With each passing moment, the stakes escalate, forcing Lena and Theo to confront a killer who will go to any lengths to protect their own agendas. This is a story about the pursuit of truth, the dangers of ambition, and the enduring power of human resilience in the face of darkness.

In this mystery in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series, Jessica Fletcher visits New York City during fashion week, only to discover someone has rather fatal designs... Jessica is in Manhattan to attend the debut of a new designer. Formerly Sandy Black of Cabot Cove, the young man has reinvented himself as Xandr Ebon, and is introducing his evening wear collection to the public and—more important—to the industry’s powers-that-be: the stylists, the magazine editors, the buyers, and the wealthy clientele who can make or break him. At the show, the glitz and glamour are dazzling until a young model—a novice, taking her first walk down the runway—shockingly collapses and dies. Natural causes? Perhaps. But when another model is found dead, a famous cover girl and darling of the paparazzi, the fashion world gets nervous. Two models. Two deaths. Their only connection? Xandr Ebon. Jessica’s crime-solving instincts are put to the test as she sorts through the egos, the conflicts of interest, the spiteful accusations, and the secrets, all the while keeping an amorous detective at arm’s length. But she’ll have to dig deep to uncover a killer. A designer’s career is on the line. And another model could perish in a New York minute.

An in-depth look at the films of Dario Argento, Italy's acknowledged master of horror and suspense, has made a career out of exploring the macabre poetry of images of violent death. He did not, however, set out to be a filmmaker. He established himself early on as a progressive voice in film criticism-lavishing praise on directors like Sergio Leone, who had yet to receive their due from the Italian critical establishment. His efforts attracted the attention of Leone himself, who invited the young critic to help develop the story for his next feature. The end result, Once Upon a Time in the West, is often cited as a masterpiece-and from there, Argento went on to enjoy success as a screenwriter before making the all-important switch to directing. His directorial debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, became a major hit and helped to popularize the floundering genre of Italian thrillers, also known as gialli. In the years since, Argento has established a high profile as one of Italian cinema's most commercially successful artists, earning a level of celebrity which is almost unheard of among film directors. His filmography includes such beloved gems as Deep Red, Suspiria, Inferno, and Phenomena, as well as more hotly-debated titles like The Stendhal Syndrome, The Phantom of the Opera, Sleepless, and Mother of Tears. Murder by Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento explores the full scope of his work as a writer, a producer, and a director. Lavishly illustrated and with newly conducted interviews with Dario Argento, as well as such colleagues as actress (and daughter) Fiore Argento, actress Sally Kirkland, actress Irene Miracle, composer Claudio Simonetti, and cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, the book provides a comprehensive overview of Argento's life, career, and rich cinematic legacy.

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.

'I think you have something here' I said, 'This could lead to a whole new way of understanding criminal behaviour. As far as I know no one's ever tried to figure out why serial killers kill. The implications are profound.' Haunting, heartfelt, and deeply human, Dr Ann Burgess's remarkable memoir combines a riveting personal narrative of fearless feminism and ambition, bone-chilling encounters with real-life monsters, and a revealing portrait of the ever-evolving US criminal justice system. A Killer By Design will inspire, terrify, and enlighten you in equal measure. It forces us to confront the age-old question 'What drives someone to kill, and how can we stop them?' 'Of all the colleagues I've worked with, Ann is one of the sharpest – and one of the toughest ... She taught us how to harness the chaos of serial killers' minds and helped us decipher the undecipherable. I'd recommend that everyone read A Killer By Design; not only is it a great page-turner, but it's about time Ann's story was heard' - JOHN E. DOUGLAS, former FBI criminal profiler and bestselling author of Mindhunter.

If you have ever wanted to write and host your own murder mystery party games but you did not know where to start or how to begin than this book is the perfect guide for you! All the ideas and inspiration you could possibly ever need to create the professional quality murder mystery dinner party games of your dreams are included here in this guide. You can create an unlimited variety of murder mystery scenarios and stories using our system. I present to you a step by step guide for not only creating unique murder mystery scenarios but also a guide to hosting the games you write and ideas for creating your own game components, props, decorations, and costume suggestions. (re-edited to address grammar and typo issues)

Buzz is a Yuppie Boston lawyer, whose wit is as sharp as his Mont Blanc pen. Ally is his career-savvy interior-designer wife - intelligent, gorgeous, and quick as a whip. Their worlds collide only once a year when the Boston Designers' Annual Show House competition descends upon them, and Buzz will do all he can to stay out of Ally's way until the barrage of chintz and silk has subsided. This year, though, when the Show House is opened for the designers' preview, two most unpleasant surprises are uncovered: one decorator is discovered murdered and another found comatose from a violent attack. When a seemingly innocent suspect is charged with the crimes, Buzz takes on his defense and must solve the mystery to save his client. In the process, he encounters fabric scandals, love triangles, and power struggles of the decorative kind - not to mention a colorful cast of characters and the occasional design tip that will have you reeling with laughter - and reupholstering, too!

GONE WITH THE GHOST Bailey Burke has had a rough six months—it’s not easy thinking your romantic overtures toward your best friend caused him to kill himself. Except that’s exactly what happened. Ryan is very much dead, having shot himself with his own police-issued gun. Guilt and grief shouldn’t cause hallucinations though, but six months after Ryan went into the ground, Bailey is freaking out and swearing his ghost is standing in her kitchen. Ryan claims he didn’t commit suicide, but was murdered, and he needs Bailey to help him find his killer so he can earn his ticket out of purgatory. SILENCE OF THE GHOST When a body is found near her historic neighborhood of Ohio City, mimicking the famous Torso Murders, and she starts hearing voices, Bailey thinks she’s really lost it now. Ryan’s ghost is one thing, but a whole gaggle of undead talking to her? No thanks. Bailey doesn’t see how an uptight lightweight like herself can handle the modern equivalent. But now that Ryan has scared off every man she’s tried to date, including his former partner Marner, she has Saturday nights free for murder-mystery solving. ONCE UPON A GHOST With Bailey Burke’s design and staging business booming- it turns out tangling with a serial killer is the best advertising ever- she has no time to lament her lack of love life, or wonder where her dead friend Ryan’s ghost has gone. She hasn’t seen him in months, but when she finds a body in a home she’s been hired to stage she’s hounded by the dead man’s ghost. Bailey finds herself immersed in mob dealings, the secret world of male-only sweat baths, and double dealings. When another body turns up, there is no doubt that she’s in over her head… again. HOW THE GHOST STOLE CHRISTMAS All Bailey wants for Christmas is to stop seeing dead people. A reluctant spiritual medium, she craves a stress-free holiday with no ghosts popping in and out of her house. But when Bailey does the décor for a huge fundraising party featuring a replica slide from A Christmas Story, no one expects to find Santa’s dead body. In the slide. Solving St. Nick’s murder is the only way to get back to cozy nights by the fire with her cop boyfriend Marner in time for some Christmas mistletoe… IT’S A GHOST’S LIFE When the bitterly cold days of January descend on Cleveland, Bailey Burke finds her “Put It Where?” home staging business is as frozen as her toes. The only bright spot is the return of her friend Ryan after his eviction from heaven. Especially since no other dead people seem to be harassing her in recent weeks. Yet when her grandmother’s bingo buddy turns up frozen solid in a stranger’s back yard, Bailey is the only one who finds the death suspicious. Bailey knows fashion and she knows Vera, a one-time film star, would not be caught dead, literally, in a stained nightgown and cheetah-print boots. Determined it prove it is homicide and not dementia, she enlists Ryan’s help to investigate, despite his ghostly limitations. GHOSTS LIKE IT HOT Bailey escapes the frozen winter with her boyfriend, Detective Jake Marner, and heads south. But in a city like Key West, murder and ghosts don’t take a vacation. A romantic sunset cruise turns not-so-romantic when a body floats by, followed by an abandoned yacht--the passengers missing. So much for searching for her lost shaker of salt. Instead she’s tracking down a killer who has left no clues. DANCES WITH GHOSTS Spring has sprung in Cleveland and Bailey is facing all kinds of major life changes. Marner’s mother needs her help planning a thirtieth birthday party for him, including dance lessons for Bailey and Jake. Which would be fun, except their instructor appears to have tangoed with the wrong partner. She’s found dead on the dance floor, a butchered ballroom teacher with multiple stab wounds. Can Bailey and her two favorite guys solve the case of the killer Cha Cha?