Showing results by publisher "Books in Motion" in Mystery

Freelance writer Emerson Ward is minding his own business one sweltering July day when Larry Forrester shows up at the door of his Chicago brownstone, accuses him of seducing his teenage daughter, Ellen, and tries to kill him. A week later, when Larry's ex-wife tells Emerson that Ellen has gone missing and asks him to find her, Emerson also learns that his girlfriend, Nell, is pregnant. While Nell and Emerson confront the difficult decision of whether or not to keep their baby, Emerson discovers that Ellen may have been facing the same dilemma.

Las Vegas in the 1960s...corrupt politicians, mobsters, and crooked cops competed for turf and power, and Christina Patterson, Sin City's top madam, knew how to play the game. Beautiful, yet smart and savvy, admired by clients and associates alike, she held the secrets of the most influential people in Vegas.

Threatened victim, waiting grave...Sheriff McQuede is called to the cemetery by Ben Ward, a member of Durmont's Good Old Boys' Club. Ward's tombstone, where he plans someday to be buried with his first wife, is vandalized. A menacing date of death, fast approaching, has been drilled into the stone, and splotches of red paint drips over it like blood.

Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert of Green Gables had no intention of adopting the talkative, mischievous, red-headed girl the orphanage in Nova Scotia sent by mistake. What they wanted was a sturdy, sensible boy to help with the chores. Instead, they got 11-year-old Anne Shirley, whose capacity for adventure was only matched by her bright spirit and love of life. Still, there was something about the little girl that gave them second thoughts. She was keen of wit with a scintillating effervescence that was purely captivating. Just perhaps....

After finding letters from her father in an old box in her mother's house, Libby is determined to look into his untimely death. With her loyal Labrador, Shadow, and a close-knit circle of friends, Libby dives into a high-stakes investigation that stretches from corrupt boardrooms to desolate mountain trails. As mysterious forces close in, a long-lost truth emerges, and Libby finds herself facing more danger than she could have imagined.

An informant in hiding. Killers on a mission. This is the perfect time for cupcakes. Sterling Carter lives in Wandering Springs, a small Washington town on the Canadian border. During the day, Sterling toils in a local bakery, learning a new craft. In his free time, he reads mystery novels, listens to his favorite music, and plays with his cat.

A legendary treasure, a vanished professor, and a haunted library—welcome to the world of Emily Plankhurst. In the quaint town of Taos, New Mexico, Emily has inherited her family's research library and is determined to continue their legacy. But when a renowned history professor goes missing while searching for a long-lost Conquistador treasure, Emily finds herself caught up in a twisty mystery. With the help of her ghostly grandmother and a worried colleague of the professor, Emily must navigate through a town full of treasure hunters and clues to find the truth.

It’s Spring Break, and a trio of California college kids head out, not to the beach, but to the mountains of New Mexico, where they plan on a week of snowboarding, beer, and fun. But the instructions to reach their vacation rental are less than precise, and it’s late and snowy when they arrive at Taos Ski Valley. Days later, Casey’s sister is calling the only friend she knows in Taos—Kelly Sweet—hoping to get word to her brother that their mother’s condition has worsened and she doesn’t have long to live. No one has heard from Casey, and she urgently needs to reach him.

Libby’s world is rocked to the core when her business partner Alexis—working late one night—is attacked by an intruder at their spa. JJ shows up in full cop mode, terrified that his wife has barely escaped the serial rapist who’s been plaguing the city in recent months. But Lexi isn’t convinced. Too many seemingly unrelated incidents occur before they realize a decades-old murder and pact between two then-juvenile delinquents could be tied to everything going on now.

1924. John Olson left his home in Kootenai, Idaho for a sales trip to Spokane, expecting to return in two days. Instead he disappeared; his personal effects found strewn along the south bank of the Spokane River. Meanwhile, a hobo dressed in a business suit is rousted from a freight train. He has no idea where he is and, incredibly, has no idea who he is. He assumes an alias and works odd jobs while he searches for himself. Lonely, and with no one to turn to, he writes about his trials and his turmoil in a diary.

A trail of bodies reveals the M.O. of a serial killer. It can only be the work of a copycat. After all, the real killer died years ago. If that’s true, then why are his prints left at the crime scenes?

Charlie receives an assignment to drive a teen runaway girl back to her home in Arizona. It’s about a six hour drive each way, and all she has to do is deliver the girl back to her mother, enjoy a night in a nice hotel, turn around and drive back. She’ll be home in plenty of time to bake the Thanksgiving pies with Elsa and settle into the holiday season back in Albuquerque. Or not.

Professor Lexie Driscoll is conducting the first meeting of the Golden Age of Mystery book club in her best friend’s swanky mansion when another friend is murdered. More members are knocked off as Lexie unravels secret after secret, leading her to believe she’s living in Christie’s novel, And Then There Were None. Using Miss Marple’s knowledge of human nature and Hercule Poirot’s cunning, Lexie reveals the murderer.

Carly Turnquist, forensic accountant, is at home in Bear Cove, Maine, happily planning her son’s wedding, when she sees a bank robbery. The only problem is that nobody else sees the robbery, and when she tries to investigate, her credibility is called into question. Add into the mix her husband’s long-lost brother who turns up then promptly leaves town, neglecting to take his young son with him, and Carly is up to her ears again in mystery and intrigue. Can Carly prove she isn’t losing her mind, or will she lose her career in the bargain?

Doyle Flanders has finally found peace working as a custodian at Lone Star Family Fun Time, free from the limelight and out of trouble. But when he’s unexpectedly thrust into the role of Yango the Yeti, the theme park’s beloved mascot, everything changes. Now, Doyle can’t go anywhere without children following him and loyal fans clamoring for a picture. Adding to the problem, the local mob is looking for the man who should have worn the costume that day.

Enterprising Boyd Archer decides to purchase and renovate the old ghost town of Galva, Wyoming, site of the once prosperous Galva Gold Mine. During the mine’s heyday, a strongbox filled with gold and jewelry was stolen in a stagecoach robbery by Max Rigby, the vicious Black Mountain Bandit. This treasure is rumored to be hidden somewhere on his rugged mountain property. As a promotional stunt, in the spirit of fun, Archer advertises a hunt for the missing strongbox. Archer doesn’t count on the ruffians who appear in serious quest.

Detective Katie MacLeod has her hands full. It has been four years since her promotion to detective, and after paying her dues in property crimes investigations, she has made it to the Major Crimes unit. This is where the highest profile cases land—homicides, robberies, serious assaults, and sexual assaults. Katie catches two rape cases almost back-to-back. One victim is a prostitute with an unknown suspect… who Katie fears may be gearing up for more assaults. The other victim is a college student who has accused her boyfriend, a popular baseball player, of raping her at a party.

Carly Turnquist, forensic accountant, is joining husband Mike on a working vacation–working for him, vacation for her–at a dude ranch in New Mexico. First she learns of missing stock and unpaid invoices, then veiled threats and a dead foreman threaten to ruin her trip. Can Carly figure out who wants to put this family-owned ranch out of business, or will she die trying?

Libby Madsen, professional massage therapist and co-owner of the luxurious Dharma Inspired Day Spa, has probably heard it all. During what she thinks of as ‘tabletop confessions’ her clients often talk about way more of their personal lives than she really wants to hear. So when a regular, Maggie Crenshaw, talks about how her daughter went away on a camping trip with friends, it’s just so much chatter. But when Maggie says Isobel didn’t return home on time, is not answering her phone, and that the young woman is diabetic and really needs her meds.

Amber Zeckis has just flown home to Phoenix after a dream vacation with her dream guy in Paris. But things go sour when she is stopped at the airport and US Customs finds a huge amount of undeclared cash in her luggage. The problem is, Amber has no idea where it came from. The authorities don't believe her and it's looking like she could be facing prison time and fines. She calls on her friends for help, and the Ladies are faced with their trickiest case yet.