Society Mystery

In this celebration of the seemingly mundane, Carlsen opens our eyes to the engineering marvels, human stories, and natural wonders right outside our front door. He guides us through the surprising allure of sewers, the intricacies of power plants, the extraordinary path of an everyday letter, and the genius of recycling centers — all the while revealing that this awesome world isn’t just a spectator sport. Engaging as it is endearing, A Walk Around the Block will change the way you see things in your everyday life.

When Everly Hart's best friend Holland disappears, all signs point to an online game orchestrated by the enigmatic Mad Hacker, a grimm who preys on unsuspecting Gravemark students. He lures them into his perilous games, where victory promises rewards but defeat could lead to a descent into madness. Everly is torn between her complicated relationship with Hunter and her growing feelings for half-werewolf Ian. Both men are dangerous distractions as she tracks down the latest killer grimm plaguing their town.

The lives of Toronto teens Crystal and Becca Hatcher revolve around helping their mother out at the family's used bookstore, The Speckled Muse. It's a relatively uneventful after-school job, until an package arrives addressed to her mother, Julia. Thinking it's nothing more than run-of-the-mill inventory, Becca opens it and removes the book inside, unwittingly triggering an ancient magic and intertwining their fates with the powers that flow from the mysterious leather-bound book.

Emily and Colin Hargreaves make it a rule to spend as little time as possible with her parents in Kent, but are unable to refuse Lady Catherine Bromley’s invitation to join them for a pre-Christmas party that includes the family of Ala Kapur Singh, a powerful Punjabi maharaja who has come to England after receiving the Order of the Star of India.

While no-nonsense mother-to-be Cass Halloran tries downplaying her pregnancy and her frequent doctor's visits as an older mother-to-be, a softer side of the lobsterwoman emerges as she joins the Seaside Knitters in knitting an abundance of delicate hats and booties. But in contrast to the happy news, terrifying events unfold at the town's art series that puts a real chill in their New England fall...

A lone figure stands silhouetted atop the Mausoleum of Hadrian. Behind him, the sun is setting over the centre of the known world. Far below, the river is in full flood. The City of Rome lies spread out before him on the far bank. Footsteps pound up the stairs. He's been set up. An enemy is closing in; he is cornered. He jumps.

AD 260 - Betrayed by his most trusted adviser, the Roman Emperor Valerian has been captured by the Sassanid barbarians. Ballista looks on helplessly, but vows to avenge those who have brought the empire to the brink of destruction with their treachery. First he must decide what price he will pay for his own freedom. Only the fearless and those whom the gods will spare from hell can now save the empire from a catastrophic ending. Ballista, the Warrior of Rome, faces his greatest challenge yet.

Philip Gardiner has spent his life on a crusade uncovering the truth behind myths, legends and ancient mysteries. Author of the best selling Secrets of the Serpent and The Ark, the Shroud and Mary, the author now delves into another aspect of the human enigma with Secret Societies. In Secret Societies, Gardiner's quest is to uncover truths and secrets of the world's most powerful men in history.

Tony Cornell spent his life probing the very edges of reality. A member of the UK’s Society for Psychical Research (SPR), Cornell’s role as an investigator of so-called “spontaneous cases” saw him returning time and again to the unsettling spaces that exist just on the periphery of our ordered, tidy, and rational lives, and which we all do our best to ignore: Ghosts. Spirits. Premonitions. Psychic powers. Glimpses of other worlds that throw into question everything we take for granted about life, death, and material existence itself.

A large group of people enters the Rutledge Historical Society to see the new and much anticipated 1950s murder exhibit. After viewing the display, the group exits the building leaving two people behind. A few minutes later, one of the two is shot dead in front of the exhibit and the other one rushes out the back door and escapes. Was the perpetrator one of the group or was it the old woman’s daughter who has only a very weak (and stinky) alibi? Or could it have been someone else?

When Lorry Lockharte’s cousin, Kasey, is accused of murder, Lorry feels like once again she must work to find the murderer. Did Kasey do it, or is she truly innocent as she claims? Lorry isn’t so sure about this one. Not only did Kasey have the opportunity and the motive, but she picked up the murder weapon. Will Lorry find the murderer only to discover that it really is Kasey?

When a dead man that she knows falls out of Lorry Lockharte’s new car right in front of the sheriff, it doesn’t look good. Still, being hauled into the sheriff’s station isn’t what Lorry had expected. After a lawyer comes out of nowhere to get her released, Lorry struggles to prove her innocence and find the real killer.

After one final insult, Lorry Lockharte leaves her abusive husband stranded at the Grand Canyon. Returning home, she finds their house repossessed and her elderly employer deceased. Her cousin gets her a job at the Rutledge Historical Society after the previous employee had a fatal accident with a steep set of stairs. On her first day of work, Lorry finds a dead body at the foot of those same stairs. When she learns the dead woman is the sister of the previous victim, Lorry suspects the two deaths are related. Will she discover the killer in time or will she be the next victim?

Driven by a desire to save the Sinclair name from disgrace, Juliet seeks assistance from her father's old friends, the Burnhams. Unfortunately, her arrival does not go as expected, and Juliet finds herself mistakenly assuming the role of lady's maid to Mrs. Burnham and her daughter Eugenia. This unintentional appointment provides her with an opportunity to gain Mrs. Burnham's confidence and to investigate the treasonous rumors against her family as she assists Eugenia with preparations for her first London season.

When the mayor keels overdead in the middle of a speech, a clandestine student society immediately takes credit for his demise. Their mission is to create a perfect political system by any means at their disposal. Clare Vengel, a rookie officer fresh from the police academy and beyond bored with her routine as a beat cop, volunteers to go undercover as a student to infiltrate the secretive organization.

Daisy Mazlo faces a dilemma. She's met the man of her dreams in Cooper MacNeill, a gentleman in every sense of the word: tall, handsome, wealthy, witty, and very interested in her. But Daisy can't accept his love, so she runs away, moving back to Oakville, where she grew up, to sort out her feelings. Will the small, loving community of her past help her find herself? Will Cooper come after her? Will a letter be pivotal in resolving Daisy's dilemma?

Mary Gardner is a successful career-oriented woman with a passion for work and books. She is part of the Monday Mystery Society at Acorns, the local bookstore in Oakville. Her life is perfect, in her opinion, till she meets Stefan. Things start going downhill as he infiltrates her work, her life and her heart.

This is a neo-Victorian romance of fine mysteries, upset stomachs, and torrential downpours. Julia can't handle people. Lara can't handle Julia. Neither of the two knows how to deal with the feelings they bring out in each other. When a shared love of Victorian mysteries bring these two mismatched girls together, can the matchmaking track record of the Monday Mystery Society remain unbroken in the face of overwhelming odds?

Janie is a confident, professional editor in her thirties, when she's not around men. The opposite sex sends her into frazzled and tongue-tied states of being. She prefers the company of her best friend Sharon Hall, or no company at all, and is largely alone. When she joins the Monday Mystery Society book club, she hopes to make connections with other Oakville residents through literature, especially Victorian mysteries. Little does she know that at the book club, there is a tendency to find love in unexpected places.

As a champion longsword fencer, Jack Fischer receives many invitations to tournaments, but none like this: few details, no return address and thousands of dollars in cash that is his to keep whether he accepts or not. He wants nothing to do with it until a multi-national task force recruits him to help bring down the organizers, a society of modern duelists who fight to the death for the gratification of wealthy patrons.