English Private Detectives

In his decades as an insurance investigator, Dave Brandstetter has never shied away from violence, and he’s had more than his share of close calls. Time's catching up with him, his body's slowing down, and his wit isn't as sharp as it used to be. But he will forgo retirement once more for the sake of a puzzle no detective could resist. Walking on the beach, a friend finds a bedraggled child who claims he's witnessed a murder. The victim is a drug-addicted pop star, and the obvious suspect is the dead man’s ex-girlfriend - a junkie whom the child saw standing over the body.

Rushmore McKenzie, a retired St. Paul policeman and unexpected millionaire, often works as an unlicensed PI, doing favors as it suits him. When two graduate students show up with a story about $8 million in missing stolen gold from the ’30s, McKenzie is intrigued. In the early 20th century, St. Paul, Minnesota, was an open city - a place where gangsters could stay unmolested by the local authorities. Frank “Jelly” Nash was suspected of masterminding a daring robbery of gold bars in 1933, but, before he could unload it, he was killed in the Kansas City Massacre.

Cecil Younger never thought it would come to this: providing surveillance for a chicken coop being raided by a fowl thief. But things have not exactly been breaking right lately for the Alaskan P.I. The logical thing to do? Take a vacation, of course. Well, it's not exactly a vacation. Younger has been paid to investigate a doctor aboard a luxurious first-class cruise ship up the Alaskan coast. Except passengers are dying. Now Younger finds himself trapped on a ship of fools with a murderer who is leaving a trail of well-to-do passengers in his wake...and leaving evidence pointing an accusing finger at Cecil!

The disappearance of firearms police officer Jonah Colley's young son almost destroyed him. A phone call from an old friend leads Jonah to the warehouse Slaughter Quay, and the discovery of four bodies, with a link to his son's case. Attacked and left for dead in the dark, Jonah is the only survivor. Under suspicion himself for what happened at Slaughter Quay, Jonah uncovers a network of secrets and lies about the people closest to him—forcing him to question what really happened to his son all those years ago...

The roots of racism and persecution in Tomsson Black's ancestry are deep and staggering. In his own lifetime, his misfortunes have become unbearable and, as they mount, serve as an impetus for a final and cataclysmic act of vengeance—the violent overthrow of white society. When acclaimed crime writer Chester Himes died in Spain in 1984, it was rumored that an unfinished story in the Harlem Detective series existed that had all but extinguished his heroes and their fraught city in an explosive paroxysm of racial strife.

William von Becker’s multibillion-dollar fund was limited to only the luckiest investors. Or so they thought. After the house of cards collapses and the disgraced von Becker commits suicide in prison, his family asks Jason Stafford to find out where the money is - and who is targeting them with attempted kidnappings. There are plenty of angry suspects to take a look at. But with roughly three billion of von Becker’s ill-gotten dollars floating around somewhere, there are other interested parties as well.

Inside Alaska's biggest national park, surrounding the town of Niniltna, a gold mining company has started buying up land. The residents of the Park, are uneasy. "But gold is up to nine hundred dollars an ounce," is the refrain of Talia Macleod, the popular Alaskan skiing champ the company hired to improve their relations with Alaskans. And she promises much needed jobs to the locals. But before she can make her way to every village in the area to make her case at town meetings and village breakfasts, there are two murders—one a long-standing mine opponent, and Ms. Macleod herself.

The name Allan Pinkerton was for decades synonymous with private detective; indeed, the work “Pinkerton” was generally used for any private detective whether or not they were associated with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. The all-seeing eye that served as the symbol of his company and the slogan - “We Never Sleep” - projected an image of a detective working tirelessly to pursue a desperate criminal and bring them to justice.

Al Harris’s actions haven’t gone unnoticed, and not all that attention is good. After being questioned by a couple of mysterious men, Harris comes back to find his office in ruins and Judy attacked - and all his case files stolen. What is it about those cases that is so important? The resulting investigation will take Harris back to the city of Chicago. The famous days of Al Capone and the Untouchables might be over, but the mafia still rules Chicago in its own way, and Harris is about to find out for himself just how alive and kicking they still are.

Springtime on the Cornish coast and Porthpella’s artistic community are throwing open their doors, welcoming visitors to the annual Arts Trail. And this year, celebrity artist Harrison Loveday is the guest of honour. However, the light mood soon darkens when there’s a dramatic death at the opening-night party, and after threatening messages start appearing around the village, fear takes over. Before long, Porthpella is shocked by a second brutal murder, and whisperings of a ‘serial killer’ start to circulate.

When private detective Cooper "Coop" Harrington meets record label mogul Grayson Taylor at a swank gathering of country music artists and politicians he never imagines he'll be investigating his brutal murder less than twenty-four hours later. The suspects are plentiful. More than a handful of people could have wanted him dead. Retained by Taylor's widow, Coop works alongside his best friend and Chief of Detectives, Ben Mason. The investigation leads Coop and Ben to scandalous indiscretions, secrets, and hints of corruption that swirl in the midst of their pursuit of the killer.

The Great Detective, by prominent Sherlock Holmes Society of London member Roger Johnson, offers the Holmesian another perspective on the beloved Canon. From a surrealist perspective, we find here a different and refreshing approach. We are transported to another time through the warmth of an English public house and immediately transfixed by the fascinating voices of those who contributed to the name Sherlock Holmes. This is a must listen for all those worshipers of the great detective.

In the stack of envelopes on top of Gideon's desk, one was curiously unlabeled, the same as any random piece of junk. He slid it open nonetheless. All the envelope contained was a simple leaf...dark green with serrated edges, finely divided and lacy. It was almost triangular, broad at the base with the tip tapering to an almost point. No sooner did he lay the envelope down on his desk, his phone rang. It was the Chief of Police requesting his service on another case.

Private investigators Timothy Badger and Benjamin Watson take on another unusual and baffling case in Victorian London when a mummy unwrapping party takes a chilling turn.

In Deadly Deception, the thrilling fifth installment of the gripping private detective murder mystery series, Coop and AB find themselves immersed in a web of intrigue and danger at a glamorous charity murder mystery gala. Accompanied by Aunt Camille and Charlie, they enter the opulent Sinclair Chateau, where Nashville's elite gather to rub elbows—politicians, business magnates, and influential donors.

Despite all their wealth and success, the Covington family has been cursed with tragedy. Twenty-five years ago, two horrific accidents threatened to ruin their business and livelihood. This, followed by two deaths in the family, forever change them. Now, the patriarch of the family is dying, and the son everyone thought died so long ago, returns. Dax Covington wants Coop to help him prove his identity and find out who tried to kill him. Then, there is the matter of identifying the remains of the body buried under Dax's headstone.

Coop's client is a renowned scientist in the pharmaceutical industry. The pending charge is the murder of his business partner, and a hundred million dollars provides the motive. As an arrest looms, the desperate client seeks Coop's help to uncover the real murderer. All evidence points to the mild-mannered scientist. He asserts his innocence and begs Coop to uncover the clues the police overlooked. Coop and Annabelle, his faithful sidekick, work around the clock to sift through the evidence in search of anything to clear their client.

A half-naked woman dead in a ditch. A disappearing pathologist. A teenager run off the road. For a peaceful island, Anglesey is experiencing abnormal levels of crime. What's the connection? DS Dara Brennan has women problems. His boss, Amanda Gold, is embroiled in office politics, and his wife thinks he's a disappointment. And then there's DS Kelly Morgan. As missing-person cases become murder enquiries, Dara must put aside his personal life and focus on the killer's trail.

Everyone's mourning in the nameless detective's office, and he doesn't like it one bit. For his own part, Nameless is spending more and more time at the cemetery, and at home he's hit a brick wall in his relationship with his wife. He'd rather be managing his pulp magazine collection and battling his weight, but, unfortunately, life won't cut Nameless a break.

For each of the detectives at the agency, a betrayal becomes not only the driving force behind an investigation, but the source of the kind of resolve that cannot be derailed by threats. Tamara's case began as something personal explodes as an investigation of her former lover leads to a scam that bilks charities. For Nameless, trying to find out who is gaslighting an old woman only exposes the ugly side of family. We're told that there are seven deadly sins; not on the list is the deadliest of them all: betrayal.