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Megan Luz had only been on the police force for six months when she tasered her sexist partner in the groin. She's given a second chance, this time with a K-9 partner named Bridget. Together, the officer and dog investigate a mall bombing.

Murder never takes a holiday!''Tis the season for tree trimming, mistletoe-dangling, and a cut-throat competition that has everyone in Caerphilly on edge. Whatever happened to the simple joys and magical spirits of Christmas? Meg Langslow''s own mother is among those participating in a holiday-themed design extravaganza in which each room in an untenanted show house is decorated for the public to view. All the proceeds go to charity-so why are all the contestants fighting tooth and nail to win first prize?"Intrigue...amusement...Andrews reliably delivers. She also manages to slip in profundities and sentiments that warm the heart."-New York Journal of BooksThat is the question Meg is trying to answer after Clay Spottiswood, the most haughty and hostile of the designers, turns up dead. With tempers flaring and fears on the rise, can Meg sort through the tinsel-strewn mayhem and solve a murder...before the killer strikes again? "Andrews does a spectacular job tying up all the loose ends into a big holiday bow!"-The Criminal Element

This time, Meg has got herself into a Holy mess!"A yuletide funfest."—Richmond Times-DispatchIn Duck the Halls, the brilliantly funny Donna Andrews delivers boughs of holly and barrels of laughs with Meg''s latest adventure in her award-winning, New York Times bestselling series. A few nights before Christmas, Meg Langslow is awakened when volunteer fireman Michael is summoned to the New Life Baptist Church, where someone has rigged a cage full of skunks in the choir loft. The lengthy process of de-skunking the church requires its annual pre-Christmas concert to relocate to Trinity Episcopal, where Mother insists the show must go on, despite the budget-related protests of Mr. Vess, an elderly vestryman. Meanwhile, when Meg helps her grandfather take the skunks to the zoo, they discover that his boa has been stolen. . .only to turn up later during the concert, slithering out from the ribbon-bedecked evergreens. The next morning is Sunday, and the congregation of St. Byblig''s, the local Catholic church, arrives to find it completely filled with several hundred ducks."Extravagantly funny." —Publishers WeeklyIt''s clear that some serious holiday pranksters are on the loose, and Meg is determined to find them. But before she can, a fire breaks out at Trinity, and Mr. Vess is found dead. Who would have murdered such a harmless—if slightly cranky—old man? Who has the time, during the busy holiday season, to herd all of these animals into the town''s churches? And will Meg ever be able to finish all of her shopping, wrapping, cooking, caroling, and decorating in time for Christmas Eve?"A quirky…humorous…holiday treat." —Booklist

Like everyone reading the newspapers these days, 10-year-old Barney Roberts knows the killer will strike again soon. The victim will be another boy, just like him. The body will be drained of blood, and left somewhere on a Thames beach. There will be no clues for London detectives Dana Tulloch and Mark Joesbury to find. There will be no warning about who will be next. There will be no real reason for Barney''s friend and neighbor, Lacey Flint, on leave from her job as a London police detective, to become involved…and no chance that she can stay away. With the clock ticking, the violence escalating, and young lives at stake, Lacey and Barney both know they can''t afford a single wrong step if they hope to make it through alive.S.J. Bolton, an award-winning author of five novels, delivers her most compelling novel to date, in which a fragile police detective and a courageous, lonely eleven-year-old boy must work together to unmask a killer. Lost provides all of the pulse-pounding suspense, beautifully drawn characters, and intricate plotting thriller fans could hope for—and more.Please note, this title is published in the UK as Like This For Ever.

In the Spring of 1926, the corpses of three men are found in shallow graves off the beaten path in Epping Forest outside of LondonΓÇöeach shot through the heart and bearing no identification. DCI Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard, the lead detective, is immediately given two urgent orders by his supervisor at the Yard: solve the murders quickly and keep his wife, the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher, away from the case! Thankfully, Daisy''s off visiting their daughter at school. But when a teacher is found dead, Daisy is once again in the thick of it. As Daisy tries to solve one murder, Alec discovers that the three victims in his case were in the same Army company during World War I, that their murders are likely related to specific events that unfolded during that tragic conflict, and that, unless the killer is revealed and stopped, those three might only be the beginning.

A compelling murder mystery set in seventeenth-century Japan, filled with finely drawn characters and suspenseful plot twists, Laura Joh Rowland's The Samurai's Wife is a novel as complex, vivid, and artful as the glorious, lost world it portrays. Far from the Shogun's court at Edo, Most Honorable Investigator Sano Ichiro begins the most challenging case of his career. Upon the insistence of his strong-willed and beautiful wife Reiko, Sano arrives with her at the emperor's palace to unmask the murderer--who possesses the secret of kiai, "the spirit city," a powerful scream that can kill instantly. A high Kyoto official is the victim. Treading carefully through a web of spies, political intrigue, forbidden passions, and intricate plots, Sano and Reiko must struggle to stay ahead of the palace storm--and outwit a cunning killer. But as they soon discover, solving the case means more than their survival. For if they fail, Japan could be consumed in the bloodiest war it has ever seen...

A SMALL-TOWN TRAGEDYYears ago, Katie Sanford's husband was convicted of the murder of Jenny Robbins, then died himself in prison. Katie and Jenny's husband, Chief of Police Jake Robbins, have had to work at putting the tragedy behind them. But it's all brought up again in the wake of a hurricane which has just wreaked havoc on their quiet New England town.A WHOLE WORLD OF SECRETSSince its founding, Wilton, Maine, has had a quaint tradition of creating a time capsule every fifty years, and the storm unearthed the most recent capsule. As the editor of the local paper, Katie joins Chief Robbins to supervise its opening. Neither of them is prepared for the macabre set of predictions-dating back to months before Jenny's murder-that they find inside. Someone predicted her death, as well as eleven other tragedies, which are still occurring even long after the death of Katie's husband...who might have been innocent all along. But as Katie and Jake race to stop the next predictions from coming true, they find themselves caught in a terrifying mind game with no rules...and life or death consequences.

Publishers Weekly calls Laura Joh Rowland''s The Cloud Pavilion "One of the best mysteries of the year." In this next installment of the enthralling series, samurai hero Sano Ichiro must mend old family fissures, and bring a culprit who has disgraced his cousin to justice. Japan, 1701. A terrified woman is brutally attacked amid a swirling storm of clouds. Meanwhile, at Edo Castle, samurai detective turned chamberlain, Sano Ichiro, is suspicious of his old rival, Yanagisawa, who has been oddly cooperative since returning from exile. But just as Yanagisawa''s true motives begin to emerge, Sano''s estranged uncle comes to him for help: His daughter has disappeared, and he begs Sano and his wife, ReikoΓÇöwho once suffered through the kidnapping of their own sonΓÇöto find her before it is too late.

Be nice. Nice is good. Nice sets a standard. Then, when you get mean, the shock is strongest.Montgomery "Monty" Haaviko has done the crimes and has lived the criminal lifestyle. His trade secrets--could fill a book. Now all he wants to do is settle down with his wife and baby and work on building a straight life. But for a man who's never held down a legitimate job and who faces the daily temptation of returning to his past, it isn't going to be easy. When Monty foils a robbery in his new home, killing the intruders, he quickly finds there are those who don't want him ever to forget what he once was. Detective Sergeant Enzio Walsh knows all about Monty's history and is determined to use it to put Monty away for murder. A couple of drops of Krazy Glue on the tips of your fingers eliminate fingerprintsNot since Jack Reacher has there been such a quick-thinking, hard-edged anti-hero whom readers will root for against all odds. Monty imparts his hard-earned criminal knowledge via sharp asides straight out of the hit show Burn Notice or the bestselling Beat the Reaper, because he knows it's going to take all of the tricks he has to prove his innocence, protect his family and avoid the allure of the life he left behind. A dying man can do a lot of damage.

Following on the heels of Pintoff''s Edgar Award–winning debut, A Curtain Falls is a moody and evocative tale that follows Ziele as he scours the streets in search of a true fiend.The careers of New York City detective Simon Ziele and his former partner, Captain Declan Mulvaney, went in remarkably different directions after the tragic death of Ziele''s fiancée in the 1904 General Slocum ferry disaster. While earmarked for bigger things, Ziele moved north of the city to escape the violence, and Mulvaney dug in deeper, heading up the precinct in the most crime-ridden part of New York. Yet with all of the resources at Mulvaney''s disposal, a puzzling crime compels him to ask his former partner for help. A chorus girl has been found dead on a Broadway stage dressed as the lead. There is no sign of violence. The coroner would call it a suicide, but then she''d be the second actress to die that way in only days.

Meg and Michael's house is serving as the marshaling point for the annual Caerphilly Christmas parade. The theme is "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and it features twelve drummers from the school marching band, eleven bagpipers, and so on. As organizer, Meg's job is hard enough. But when her nephew Eric, wide eyed and ashen faced, whispers, "Meg, something's wrong with Santa," things take a tragic turn. The local curmudgeon, whose beard and belly made him a natural for the role, has been murdered. Now it's up to Meg and Chief Burke to tackle the two-fold mission of solving the murder and saving Christmas!This latest adventure from award-winning Donna Andrews is filled with outrageous Christmas spirit and malice.

In this dynamite series debut, Sharon Fiffer has introduced an engaging and enterprising heroine in Jane Wheel. Recently laid off from her advertising job, separated from her husband Charley, and colliding head-on with a midlife crisis, Jane is trying to make ends meet as an antique "picker" foraging for killer stuff at suburban Chicago''s estate sales and auctions, garage sales and flea markets.Before long she''s addicted to the hunt, spending her Friday nights with the classified ads and a street map, outlining her weekend plan of attack. Jane knows that finding the real treasures is all about being in the right place at the right time. But just as she''s settling in to her new routine, Jane finds herself in just the wrong place and at quite the wrong time: stumbling over her neighbor Sandy''s dead body. Soon she''s the prime suspect. After all, everyone on the block seems to have seen her kissing Sandy''s husband at a recent dinner party. Leaning on her best friend Tim, a flower shop owner and fellow junk hound, as well as Evanston police detective Bruce Oh, Jane has no choice but to hunt for the truth. Hopefully her knack for uncovering valuables in the least likely of places will extend to discovering clues as well. Like the vintage postcards, Bakelite buttons, and Fulper lamps that she dreams of finding, to Jane the truth just might be priceless.Sharon Fiffer''s mystery debut is a fabulously entertaining read and an intriguing puzzle featuring a heroine that''s a dynamic mix of Miss Marple, Kinsey Millhone, and Leigh and Leslie Keno.

Fresh on the heels of Killer Stuff, Sharon Fiffer''s auspicious debut, antique "picker" Jane Wheel is making a career out of going through old stuff; it seems she can''t get enough of the piles of vintage clothing, kitchen utensils, Bakelite buttons and post cards she finds at estate sales across the Chicago area. What this saloon keepers'' daughter loves, though, is not the items themselves but the stories they tell about the lives of their owners.So needless to say Jane''s delighted when a Saturday morning estate sale turns up a serendipitous find: a whole room packed full of 1950''s saloon ephemera. As luck would have it, she''s been planning to redecorate her parents'' pub, still run and recently purchased outright by her folks. Piles of Bakelite darts and dice, countless advertisements from long-defunct liquor suppliers, and, most exciting of all, a bunch of old bar games, employed by untold patrons intent on whiling away the tedious moments in between the sips of so long ago. She makes a deal to buy the whole room, and can''t wait to get the stuff back to her hometown.As she''s cataloging her find, however, Jane makes a gruesome discovery. Packed between the glassware and bowling trophies and old photographs she''s already fallen in love with, she uncovers one highly personal, unusual and creepy collectible that she is sure the saloon keeper would have preferred to have kept to himself. It sure sparks her curiosity about the saloon owners, and when Jane gets curious nothing''s going to stop her. Employing her friends Detective Bruce Oh and fellow junkhound Tim Lowry, as well as her erstwhile husband Charley, Jane sets out to lay bare the secrets of long ago, secrets that even people close to her would rather be kept quiet forever. Packed with as much intrigue and suspense as a long-buried chest in your grandmother''s attic, Dead Guy''s Stuff is a fantastic sophomore effort from acclaimed promising cozy writer Sharon Fiffer.

Ah, Treachery!, the last novel Thomas wrote before his death, tells the story of one Captain Edd "Twodees" Partain, drummed out of the Army and hounded by rumors of his involvement in a secret operation in El Salvador. Twodees gets hired on to help a fundraiser for the "Little Rock folks" recover funds that were stolen from an illicit stash used to smooth over problems and pay off hush money. Meanwhile, Partain is involved in a storefront operation called VOMIT (Victims of Military Intelligence Treachery) trying to defend former intelligence operatives such as Partain from those who are trying to cover up the past permanently.

A dead body is discovered in a locked room in a country house in the affluent Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Nine people were present in the house at the time, nine people who saw nothing they''d like to report and did nothing they''re willing to confess to. A document that might relate to a CIA scandal in the recent past--or to a presidential election in the near future--is missing, and much sought after. No one will know exactly what it means until it''s found. But would someone be willing to kill for it? The key to this complicated puzzle lies with two sisters, two young women who don''t quite fit into Washington''s high-stakes political arena. Retired Foreign Service agent Richard Michaelson and his friend Marjorie Randolph find themselves at the middle of this whirlwind of political and personal intrigue, and must do more than sort clues. For the most challenging locked room you''re likely to encounter in Washington, D.C., is your own mind.

Would you be wary if someone gave you the assignment of delivering five million dollars to a Philippine terrorist-never mind from whom or why? Booth Stallings, a terrorism expert just fired from his job at a bashful organization that never admitted its mount in the Washington merry-go-round, is wary. So wary that he cuts in con man "Otherguy" Overby, who in turn involves Artie Wu, pretender to the throne of China, and his partner, Quincy Durant. Obviously, good patriots don't want to hand over all that money to bad guys. Better they keep it for themselves. Which inevitably raises the question: Who among them will end up with the money?

Winner of the Edgar Award for Best First NovelAt the height of the Cold War, two Americans are runnng a bar in the West German capital, called Mac''s place. One of the pair, Michael Padillo, isn''t around a lot; he keeps disappearing on "business trips." McCorkle, his partner, wisely doesn''t ask questions; he knows Padillo has a second job -- he''s a (reluctant) US agent. But McCorkle is ready to answer a call for help from Padillo, and he joins his friend in a blind journey with no inkling of what they will encounter at the turn of each dark and dangerous corner.