Suspense Detective

Edgar Award-winning editor Otto Penzler collects more than 50 of his all-time favorite holiday crime stories - many of which are difficult or nearly impossible to find anywhere else. From classic Victorian tales by Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Thomas Hardy, to contemporary stories by Sara Paretsky and Ed McBain, this collection touches on all aspects of the holiday season, and all types of mysteries. They are suspenseful, funny, frightening, and poignant.

Harrison Baxter lives on a farm with his parents, on the outskirts of the village of Harmschapel. It's picturesque, idyllic, and tranquil - but Harrison is far from happy. His parent's marriage is strained, to say the least, and on top of that, his boyfriend, Daniel, has been mentally and physically abusing him for years. After he finds himself with one bruise too many, Harrison has had enough. But when he plucks up the courage to finally end his violent relationship, Harrison's life is changed forever when Daniel is found murdered in the most bizarre circumstances.

Jonny Cardew is bored. He’s worked hard all his life at a financially rewarding but dull job when all he ever wanted to do was to solve murders. Now he has time on his hands, but is it too late to be a detective? A chance meeting over breakfast with three quirky characters and a dog in need of rehoming could change his life.

When a young woman turns up dead along the Mississippi River, rising-star Detective Kate Rosetti quickly realizes it’s the work of a notorious cross-country serial killer. To complicate matters, Kate’s troublemaking sister turns up out of the blue in need of a place to live, a strikingly handsome FBI agent appears at the crime scene, convinced this case belongs to him, and a certain British billionaire is a little too interested in the murder…and Kate. As she begins to close in on the killer, the investigation takes a turn for the personal.

Who would suspect that the same mind that created the most famous literary detective of all time also took on the eternally popular genre of vampires? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a contemporary of Bram Stoker, gave us some fascinating works of vampire fiction. From the bloodsucking plant in "The American's Tale" to the bloodsucking wife in "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire," he reveled in the horror created by creatures who survived on the blood of men and women.

Eyes Peeled is the Isle of Man’s first and only detective agency. Not much happens on the idyllic Island that needs detecting, so on the whole, the team is not the most adept. In fact, generally speaking, they’re pretty useless. One of the agency’s more eager employees is Sam Levy. Nearing 40, he’s finally found a job he actually loves - even if he isn’t particularly good at it. Okay, let’s be honest. He’s rubbish. Still, Sam’s services are secured by persons unknown to track down a glamorous yet mysterious art dealer recently arrived on the sleepy Island.

Detective Rob Loxley has had to fight for everything in his career. The shadows of his past lead many to view him with suspicion. He's isolated and ostracised, despite his dedication to the job. In Sherwood Forest, a sadistic archer plays a deadly game. Victims are kidnapped, stripped, and become living targets for a relentless hunter. It's a cruel game of cat and mouse with fatal consequences.

In this stunningly twisty thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben, a secret from former Detective Sami Kierce's college days comes back to haunt him. His memory is clear, but all these years later, the facts don’t add up…which is something he cannot ignore. Sami...

Elvis Cole's relationship with attorney Lucy Chenier is strained. When she moved from Louisiana to join Elvis in Los Angeles, she never dreamed that violence would so easily touch her life - but then the unthinkable happens. While Lucy is away on business and her ten-year-old son, Ben, is staying with Elvis, Ben disappears without a trace. Desperate to believe that the boy has run away, evidence soon mounts to suggest a much darker scenario. Joining forces with his enigmatic partner, Joe Pike, Elvis frantically searches for Ben with the help of LAPD Detective Carol Starkey.

Edinburgh, 1911: When Maud McIntyre and her lady’s maid, Daisy, form a detective agency, they never dream their first case will take place at a glamorous house in the Scottish Highlands. But when the duchess of Duddingston, concerned that a notorious jewelry thief will target her lavish weekend party, employs Maud to go undercover as a guest to find the culprit, the agency has its first case to solve....

Beneath Norfolk’s wide skies and rugged coastline, darkness never sleeps. DI Tom Janssen returns to confront a new wave of crimes that cut through the calm of the countryside. A body discovered in the shadow of an ancient monument, a seaside town gripped by fear, and a killing that strikes close to home—each case challenges his instincts and tests the strength of his team. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, Janssen must navigate a path through deception and danger.

As day breaks over the fairground, Detective Katie Scott forces herself to take in another disturbing scene in front of her. A woman, the same age as her, found slumped in the carriage of the Ferris wheel, red lipstick dragged across her lips, her throat cut. Katie doesn’t want to believe that the serial killer picking off women across the state has found their way to the small town of Pine Valley, California, but when her team finds a gold engagement ring hanging nearby, it’s a terrifying, but undeniable fact.

The first time somebody tried to kill him was an accident. The second time was deliberate. Now Paul Mulchrone finds himself on the run with nobody to turn to except a nurse who has read one-too-many crime novels and a renegade copper with a penchant for violence. Together they must solve one of the most notorious crimes in Irish history. Or else they’ll be history.

At MI5 headquarters Regent's Park, First Desk Claude Whelan is learning the rule (cover your arse) the hard way. Tasked with protecting a beleaguered prime minister, he's facing attack from all directions himself. Over at Slough House, the MI5 satellite office for outcast and demoted spies, the agents are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath. Plus someone is trying to kill Roddy Ho.

Angharad "Harry" Russo is just your ordinary 20-something, with one exception - she's a witch with an out-of-the-ordinary gift. When her blind date goes sideways and she ends up face-to-face with a dead body, her life starts to go sideways too. Harry soon finds herself right in the middle of the mayhem, dealing with Cian Nash, a homicide detective that is as aggravating as he is sexy.

Neil Kettle is a detective chief inspector with Devon and Cornwall Police Force, in charge of the major crime investigation team. A widower, he comes through depression by using his work as support. A countryman, the son of a farmer, Neil is in touch with the landscape as he hunts down serial killers, murderers, drugs and weapons smugglers, human traffickers, rustlers, and even the Beast of Bodmin Moor.

Jason has his partner Vanessa back, and together they're asked to investigate a woman's death that on the face of it appears to be an allergic reaction. But alarm bells sound when the doctors can't identify the source. The more Jason and Vanessa look into this disturbing case full of bizarre characters, the more convinced they become that someone has committed murder. To find out who, they will have to identify a twisted mind.

This collection of 25 Hercule Poirot adventures is compiled from short stories written by Agatha Christie for The Sketch magazine in 1923 from March to December. In these stories, including "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim", "The Veiled Lady", and "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb", the eccentric private detective slowly and surely solves mysteries involving jealousy, revenge, and greed. These stories were well-received at the time and cemented Christie's reputation as the worthy successor to Arthur Conan Doyle.

Imaginez... Vous êtes une ado de quatorze ans. Vous avez fait le mur pour la première fois. Vous rentrez en cachette la nuit. Au matin, la maison est vide. Toute votre famille a disparu sans laisser de traces. Apparitions suspectes, coups de fils anonymes, messages accusateurs : vingt-cinq ans plus tard, le passé ressurgit.

Detective Carlo D'Scenzi, a relentless undercover operative, delves into Detroit's dark underbelly in pursuit of his nemesis, Moose Carpenter. As Carlo navigates his complex dual life, he finds himself entangled in a high-stakes game that centers around Glamour Jewelers, a seemingly reputable business with a sinister secret.