Medieval Mystery

Winner, the Glyph Award - Best Mystery Honorable Mention, Glyph Best Book Award list IPPY Best Mystery Award finalist John the Eunuch, Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian, is skilled at keeping his footing on the treacherous slopes of court intrigue, but even he may slip when presented with a new and byzantine problem: why would a holy man high atop his pillar spontaneously combust during a thunder storm? Soon, other stylites burn to their deaths. John, still fresh from working a tricky murder case two years earlier in One for Sorrow, finds that his investigations are hampered by a pagan philosophy tutor from his youth and a heretical Christian prophet whose ultimatums threaten to topple the Empire. Then murder strikes close to home and John has only days to find a solution before he, his friends, the Emperor Justinian, and the city itself are destroyed. A colorful cast of characters that includes a runaway wife, servants and soldiers, madams and mendicants, a venomous court page and a wealthy landowner or two-not to mention John's bête noire, the Empress Theodora-add texture to this rich, exotic tale.

"Siger paints travelogue-worthy pictures of a breathtakingly beautiful-if politically corrupt-Greece." -Publishers Weekly STARRED review Did the warriors of ancient Sparta simply vanish without a trace along with their city, or did they find sanctuary at the tip of the mountainous Peloponnese? That stark, unforgiving region's roots today run deep with a history of pirates, highwaymen, and neighbors ferociously repelling any foreigner foolishly bent on occupying this part of Greece. Less well-recorded are the Mani's families' strict code of honor and their history of endless vendettas with neighbors and with their own relatives. No wonder their farms look like fortresses. When Special Crimes Division Detective Yiannis Kouros is summoned from Athens to the Mani by his uncle, Kouros fears his loyalty to his boss, Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis, is about be to be tested by family pressure on the detective to act in some new vendetta, for this uncle once headed the Mani's most significant criminal enterprise. Instead, Kouros learns the family is about to become rich through the sale of its property-until the uncle is killed, and thus the deal. Acting swiftly to head off a new cycle of violence, Kouros satisfactorily solves the murder. Or so it seems until, back in Athens, Kaldis' probe into deeply entrenched government corruption leads straight back to the Mani. Both cops now confront a host of unexpected twists, unanticipated players, unanswered questions-and people yet to die.

David Randall, a private detective short of work, invites his psychic friend Camden into a case. Miss Viola Mitchell, an aging local actress, has recently been reported missing. The Parkland PD's Jordan Finley objects to the pair inspecting Viola's home, claiming the police don't need their help. Moments later, despite the array of birds and cats perfuming the residence, Cam advises Finley, "check the basement." Viola is neatly planted there in a square of dirt. Who would kill her? Why? Are others targeted? Is a local performer twisted by jealousy? Could a role in a Parkland Little Theatre production have caused her death? Cam goes undercover at the theater while rejecting demands from his fiancée that they marry this month. His psychic gifts have expanded to levitate objects. He fears for their children. She wants to put him on television. Meanwhile, a new Grace Street client, owner of popular BeautiQueen Cosmetics, is searching for her arrogant, absconding partner. Randall tracks him to Clearwater, Florida, and soon finds himself chasing shoplifters stealing pharmaceuticals and helping a jazz musician woo his woman while failing to woo his own love, Kary. Will Randall and Cam piece all this together?

The summer of 1273 is peaceful for most of England, but not for Prioress Eleanor of Tyndal Priory. Her friend, Crowner Ralf, is newly widowed with a baby. And her new anchoress is welcoming visitors to her window at night: one of them a man the prioress secretly loves. Now his loyalty to her as head of Tyndal Priory is suspect. Then Martin the Cooper is poisoned at the local inn. Martin had a wealth of enemies. The killer could be any of them. No one likes the direction the evidence points, but God's justice must be rendered even for the most forsaken soul. "Against an authentic backdrop of medieval life and lore, Royal once again brings alive characters who are true to their period yet exhibit emotions and feelings that 21st-century readers will recognize as their own." —Publishers Weekly starred review Priscilla Royal lives in Northern California. Forsaken Soul is her fifth Medieval Mystery. www.priscillaroyal.com

When one of her company falls ill on a return journey to Tyndal, Prioress Eleanor accepts lodging at a nearby manor. Master Stevyn's wife is having an affair with the groom while a local widow acts more the lady of the manor than the lady herself. His eldest son and spouse are obsessed with sin and heaven while his youngest son, bound for the Church, unexpectedly returns with more interest in lute playing than the priesthood. It is no surprise when someone's throat is cut, but the sheriff does all he can to avoid offending the family rather than seeking the real killer. When he arrests a servant, she herself is stabbed before she can either prove innocence or be taken off for hanging. Will Eleanor discover the dark secrets that have led to this string of killings before the murderer strikes again?

WHO IS TRYING TO KILL HOLLYWOOD'S GREATEST LOVER? Though Bianca LaBelle, star of the wildly popular silent movie serial "The Adventures of Bianca Dangereuse", and Rudolph Valentino, the greatest screen idol of all time, have been friends for years, in the summer of 1926 they are finally making their first picture together. Despite their success, one evening at Bianca's fabulous Beverly Hills estate, a troubled Rudy confesses that he has received anonymous death threats. In a matter of days, filming comes to an abrupt halt when Rudy falls deathly ill. It could be poison, but it's definitely not a coincidence. As Rudy lies dying, Bianca promises him that she will find out who is responsible. Was it one of his many lovers? A delusional fan? Or perhaps Rudy had run afoul of a mobster whose name Bianca knows all too well? With the help of P.I. Ted Oliver she dives into investigating the end of what had seemed to be the charmed life of Valentino. The inimitable Bianca brings her star power to the role of female private investigator in Valentino Will Die, a propulsive Hollywood mystery novel, sure to thrill fans of Golden Age movies.

It is May of 1272, and Prioress Eleanor of Tyndale, recovering from a near-fatal winter fever, journeys to Amesbury Priory to visit her aunt in time for the Feast of Saint Melor. Although Eleanor hopes to regain her strength in the midst of pleasant childhood memories, Death reveals a most troublesome fondness for her company. A ghost now haunts Amesbury. And when a man is decapitated near the river where the grim figure walks, Sister Beatrice, Eleanor's aunt and acting prioress of Amesbury, shows an uncharacteristic hesitancy about taking charge of any investigation. As others apparently fall victim to the vengeful ghost, Eleanor struggles to put a human face on the restless spirit, and Brother Thomas, pursuing a secret mission for the Church connected with the Priory's famous Psaltery, finds that his own demons have unexpectedly taken on a very human form....

In the Spring of 1277, Prioress Eleanor goes on a pilgrimage to a famous East Anglian shrine. There are rumors that King Edward may also visit the shrine soon to seek God's blessing for his invasion of Wales. Lurking in this sacred place, however, is an assassin hoping to murder a king. Soon after Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas arrive, a nun falls to her death from the priory bell tower. Brother Thomas finds the body, and the pair quickly grasp that this nun's death was not a simple tragedy. The circumstances point to murder, but this slaying is further tainted with treason. Among the pilgrims, merchants, and religious, too many betray an interest in this death-including a canny street child. At least one of them is most certainly a killer. Can Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas succeed in exposing the assassin or will they also fall victim to one who has made a covenant with hell?

When zookeeper Theodora "Teddy" Bentley fishes the body of Koala Kate out of Gunn Landing Harbor, she discovers that her fellow zookeeper didn't drown; she was strangled. The clues to Kate's killer implicate other animal keepers at Gunn Zoo, including Outback Bill, marsupial keeper and Kate's Aussie ex-boyfriend; and Robin Chase, the big cat keeper who's got it in for Teddy. Also displaying suspicious behavior are several "liveaboarders" at the harbor; Speaks-To-Souls, a shady "animal psychic;" and even Caro, Teddy's much-married, ex-beauty queen mother. But murderers aren't all Teddy has to worry about. Her embezzling father is still on the run from the Feds, and the motor on her houseboat is failing. To pay for the repairs, Teddy agrees to appear on a weekly live television broadcast featuring misbehaving animals that range from a cuddly koala to a panicky wallaby - and all hell breaks loose in the TV studio. All the while, the killer is narrowing in on Teddy....

Savvy storytelling infused with a spicy Southwestern setting. "Not only does Havill offer a melancholy reinterpretation of that grand western myth of the slow-talking, fast-thinking lawman, he also writes crisp, marvelously detailed police procedurals in which a mix of technical know-how and informed common sense gets things done."-Booklist Bill Gastner is going crazy recuperating from heart surgery. Dreaming of green chili, he's rescued by a phone call from back home. The Undersheriff arrives in Posadas County only to learn that his own home has been burgled. Moreover, Gastner finds his cranky ancient neighbor Florencio Apodaca has borrowed a bit of land to bury his equally ancient wife-and the dead woman's stepson questions if she died a natural death. Meanwhile a young boy out camping has vanished from atop Cat Mesa. A stringent search convinces Bill, his treasured deputy Estelle Reyes-Guzman, and Sheriff Martin Holman that the boy has been spirited away. Poisoned Pen Press has republished the five earlier novels in Steven Havill's carefully, cleverly detailed police procedural series richly redolent of southern New Mexico.

The next mystery book in a lively historical cozy series! A Russian prince. A wealthy heir. An impoverished earl's daughter. Which one will make an untimely exit from the London social scene? "If you like a clever mystery, a handsome ghost, and the far-from-bereaved widow who can't find the elusive killer without Rupert's help, Who's Sorry Now? is just your cup of English murder."-Charles Todd, author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries and the Bess Crawford mysteries London, England 1925. Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Devenand Hunter finds himself in the middle of a series of upper-class deaths in London. Bright Young People are being extinguished in their favorite night spots, from a sleazy private jazz club to the Savoy ballroom. Dev knows just the person to help him navigate the treacherous society waters: Lady Adelaide Compton, a marquess' daughter and widow of a Great War hero. Beautiful, clever, and kind, Addie is a unique woman-not the least because she's haunted by the irritating ghost of her deceased husband. Unfortunately, Dev has put her in jeopardy once before, nearly leading him to turn in his warrant card. But Addie is nobody's victim: when her sister Cee is attacked, Addie turns to the inspector, offering her help... and it soon becomes clear that the two of them working together on these Scottish mysteries could lead to much more than merely solving crime. The Lady Adelaide Mysteries: Nobody's Sweetheart Now (Book 1) Who's Sorry Now? (Book 2) Just Make Believe (Book 3)

Third book in the Posadas County Mystery Series "Gastner is an incisive investigator whose two most valuable qualities are compassion and insomnia. Unlike other fictional detectives who approach murder as a personal affront, Gastner sees himself as the victims' advocate, striving to even the scales of justice for those no longer able to do it themselves."-Booklist When two baffling crimes strike Posadas County, New Mexico, Undersheriff Bill Gastner knows they're connected somehow. But as the case heats up he may have to call in reinforcements… Bill Gastner, Undersheriff of Posadas County, may be getting on in years, but he's still as sharp as any other small town sheriff. When he gets a call that an elderly schoolteacher was found dead at the bottom of her basement stairs, he suspects it wasn't an accident. Something strange is going on… He's also sure that elderly Reuben Fuentes knows nothing about the bodies scattered on his dusty, southern New Mexico ranch. Although the other county sheriffs want to arrest Fuentes and be done with the case, Bill isn't convinced. No spring chicken himself, Bill summons his former deputy, Estelle Reyes-Guzman, from Mexico to help clear the old man of suspicion. She's used to handling people who call her a 'lady cop' and can take anything thrown her way. Eventually this generation-spanning law enforcement team finds a thread tying all the crimes together-a killer with no conscience. In this thrilling addition to Steven F. Havill's posadas County Mystery Series, Undersheriff Bill Gastner will have to rely on former deputy Estelle Reyes-Guzman to help him unravel a harrowing case that spans all of Posadas County. Check out the iconic series: • Perfect for fans of C.J. Box and Michael McGarrity • For readers who enjoy police procedurals and Southwest desert mysteries

May 1283. The roads near Tyndal Priory are, filled with happy pilgrims, but not all is joyful with Prioress Eleanor's loved ones. Signy, the innkeeper, is quarreling with her suddenly rebellious foster son, Nute. Brother Thomas remains distant and morose after the events in the last book. Gytha, Crowner Ralf's wife, suffers failing health while her husband is hunting smugglers on the remote North Sea coast. Before she can bring comfort and advice, a pilgrim is, murdered just outside the priory walls. This is the king's jurisdiction. She has no authority to investigate, but she knows something must be, done in the crowner's absence before the killer vanishes into the crowds. Is it too late? Will this be the first murderer she cannot bring to justice?

November 1283. Prioress Eleanor of Tyndal priory is visited by her cousin, the Earl of Ness, and his wife, Eda. When she is murdered in chapel with his knife, he becomes the prime suspect. Soon after, her priest is also killed in the same chapel. Are the crimes connected or not? Eda was a ruthless woman with many enemies. Her priest was a quiet and pious man, completely disinterested in worldly matters. Crowner Ralf claims jurisdiction under the king's law since no monastic is a suspect. Prioress Eleanor denies his claim and his insistence that he be the one to question her cousin. Before the crowner is allowed to investigate, she must find out why the murders were done on Church land, and she is convinced that she is the best one to get the truth from her cousin. But, as she digs deeper, she begins to fear that the crowner was right. Not only do the problems grow, but her cousin, whom she believed was innocent, is lying to her. Must she turn him over for hanging?