Mystery Reads

"The Dream Woman" is a novella by Wilkie Collins, telling the story of Francis Raven, a young man who dreams that a strange woman is trying to kill him. Eventually, he marries a woman who looks exactly like the one from his dream. This novella is a cosy mystery that leaves readers with more questions than answers. A lot of guesswork is needed, and the reader is often disturbed by the occurrences, not knowing what or how it came to this.

When divers discover an antique car with a skeleton inside, the Beacon Group dispatches TK O’Connor to lead the investigation into the 60-year-old cold case. It’s TK’s first chance as lead investigator, and the former marine is determined not to let her team down. But, almost as soon as she arrives in the downtrodden rustbelt city, her challenges mount.

Quiquendone is a small town in West Flanders, whose citizens are the wisest, most sociable and hospitable people. The town’s mayor, Van Tricasse, claims that the one if a person dies without having decided anything in his life then he has attained perfection. One day, Dr. Ox comes to the mayor with an offer. He wants to build a gas lightning system, at no cost for the city. However, Ox's intentions are completely different and this seemingly noble deed is just a facade. Will Van Tricasse accept the proposal? And what is Dr.

A young couple's fabulously orderly life is disrupted when the husband begins having prophetic dreams. The good news is that acting on these dreams averts disaster. The bad news? It soon involves a mysterious stranger in a cardigan, skeptical colleagues, and the FBI.

Following the death of the parents of Jonathan's four-year-old nephew Joshua, Dick and his partner find themselves in a new role: parents. As if fatherhood didn't bring enough of a set of challenges, the mother of one of Joshua's new friends is murdered, sending Dick on a trail to find out who killed her and why. With a list of suspects ranging from a lesbian ex-partner to the boy's race-car-driver father, Dick is soon embroiled in a case so complicated that child-rearing begins to look easier than solving the case.

Alice is pregnant with her husband Sir Richard Trevlyn’s child. One day, she listens to a conversation between her husband and a visitor through a keyhole. What she hears is shocking enough to make her faint, and when she comes to, her husband is found dead. Years later, the sixteen-year-old Paul applies for a job at the estate, and it becomes clear that there is more to him than meets the eye. What happened to Sir Richard Trevlyn, and who is the mysterious Paul? Louisa May Alcott’s mystery novella from the 19th century, read by B.J.

Christmas is just around the corner. People are cheery and excited, except for Ebenezer Scrooge for whom Christmas is just another day. Ebenezer is an old, bitter miser who has distanced himself from everyone and leads a lonely life by his own choice. He is greedy and selfish and the most important thing for him is hoarding money. However one night he gets a visit by the ghost of his old business partner Marley who is wandering the Earth shackled by heavy chains and money boxes.

Set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, this story introduces us to the legendary Conan the Barbarian. After the death of Vendhya’s emperor, Bunda Chad, Conan kidnaps his sister - Devi Yasmina.

After a long stay in South Africa, Richard Hannay arrives back in London just before the outbreak of World War One. There he meets Franklin Scudder, who claims to be investigating the Black Stone - a German spy organization. Hannay gives a shelter to the man but one day he finds him dead. Now the Scotsman fears that he might be the next one on the Black Stone’s list. Hannay decides to go back to his native Scotland with the notebook Scudder gave him before he was murdered.

Hadleyburg is a decent American town where all the people are honest, selfless and honorable. At least, that is how they see themselves. One day a stranger arrives in town and somehow the locals manage to offend him so badly that he is determined to get his revenge on them by exposing their true nature, which according to him is far from "incorruptible". How will he tempt the people that are so well trained to avoid temptation? Are they really as honest as they claim to be? B. J.

Paige has just touched the surface of the crimes of the Angel Syndicate , and there are more murders, lies and secrets still to be uncovered.

Paige helps Leo search for his mother, who has been missing since his father’s violent murder at the hands of a still unknown assailant. When they find his mother, they start to realize that all is not as it seems as she doesn’t remember anything from the night of her husband’s death.

Mario DeLuca, a respected New Orleans detective for over 20 years, has put many criminals behind bars, and there is not a one that wouldn’t want to see him dead. Felipe Cruz, in court, promised he would get even with Mario - one day. He still controls the streets of New Orleans from a prison cell and makes good on his promise.

The only thing worse than being the girl raised by a serial killer is being the girl he blames for getting caught...and now, Morgan Ames’ father has escaped prison. Morgan knows she’ll be at the top of her father’s hit list. After all, she dared to defy him, abandoning him to rot in jail while she escaped to live a normal life. Every instinct screams at Morgan to run and hide, but she’s as much a predator as her father, and she refuses to allow him to turn her into prey.

Ralph Orth is an American novelist who decides to move to the English countryside. There he buys a marvellous estate called Chillingsworth. Inside Chillingsworth’s gallery, Orth finds an old portrait of a young girl who takes Orth’s breath away. He is fascinated and is determined to find out who this girl was. His obsession with little lady Blanche gets so strong that one day he sees her walking around in the neighborhood.

The major part of the human population lives under the surface of Earth. Humankind has created a Machine which meets all possible needs. Travelling is permitted but people do not feel the need for it. Everybody lives in a separate room and communication is made via messages and videos only. However, not everyone is content with this life. There are rebels like Kuno who want to explore and get out of the limitations set by the Machine. Kuno will try to escape but without success.

A three-mast Brazilian ship passes by and a man standing on the shore, waving to it. After sailing on the broad and getting back home, the man starts feeling worse with every passing day. He realizes that there is a supernatural being in his home, taking his strength and sanity away. The man tries to fight back and kill the ghost but it proves more challenging than he had expected. He realizes that he himself had invited the creature.

The narrator is under the spell of Ellis - a female vampire - who takes him on series of flights to different places, such as Paris, St. Petersburg and the Isle of Wight. At these places, he becomes a witness to various incidents and becomes involves in different situations. Why was the narrator cursed by Ellis? Why did she take him to those places and what did she wanted to show him? What will the narrator learn from their journey? How will the story end? Find all the answers in Turgenev’s story "Phantoms" from 1863. B. J.

Hildred Castaigne is a young man who lives in New York City whose life changes drastically after he falls from his horse and injures his head. Castaigne gets unjustly confined to a mental institution, where Dr. Archer treats him. However, the doctor soon realizes, that this is a mistake and the young man’s condition is not as bad as he was told. During Hildred’s treatment, the United States have prospered and improved their infrastructure, a new aristocratic elite has been formed and suicide has been legalized.

After a passionate affair with Agnes Keith-Wessington, Jack Pansay wearies of her and becomes engaged to Miss Kitty Mannering. However, Wessington refuses to accept the rejection and reappears in Jack’s life, trying to make him reconsider. But to her greatest regret, Pansay continues to respond curtly and brutally. Not so long after, Agnes dies of a broken heart. From this moment on, Jack's life will never be the same again.

Mrs. Pratt mysteriously dies in her sleep after a fight with her husband. He thought that she had tried to poison him. But maybe it was the other way around? After a while Mr. Pratt is found dead as well, with a skull next to his head. Those who believe in ghosts think that Mrs. Pratt finally got her revenge. What do you believe? What happened with Mr. Pratt? If you are courageous enough, find the answer in "The Screaming Skull" by Francis Marion Crawford. B. J.