| Search | About | Preferences | Interact | Help | |
| 150 million books. 1 search engine. | ||
books tagged “mysteries”
books tagged “mysteries”
›› Find signed collectible books by ''
-
Abuse of Powerby Nancy Taylor RosenbergISBN 0525937684 (0-525-93768-4)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Abuse of Power'Book summary:After joining the police force of her small California city, idealistic Rachel Simmons becomes an eyewitness to appalling abuses of police authority and risks her life and the safety of her loved ones to reveal the corrupt system. [via]
More editions of Abuse of Power:
Agatha Christie Triviaby Richard T. RyanISBN 0517699176 (0-517-69917-6)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Agatha Christie Trivia'More editions of Agatha Christie Trivia:
And Be a Villainby Rex StoutISBN 0553239317 (0-553-23931-7)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'And Be a Villain'More editions of And Be a Villain:
-
Anna's Bookby Barbara VineISBN 0517587963 (0-517-58796-3)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Anna's Book'Book summary:An entry torn from the diary of a dead Englishwoman of Scandinavian descent holds the key to the identity of the woman's daughter. 20,000 first printing. $20,000 ad/promo. [via]
More editions of Anna's Book:
Anne McCaffreyby Anne McCaffreyISBN 0553188445 (0-553-18844-5)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Anne McCaffrey'More editions of Anne McCaffrey:
Best of Crime and Detective TVby Max Allan CollinsISBN 0517570556 (0-517-57055-6)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Best of Crime and Detective TV'More editions of Best of Crime and Detective TV:
Bitch Factorby Chris RogersISBN 0553106597 (0-553-10659-7)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Bitch Factor'More editions of Bitch Factor:
The Black Dudley Murderby Margery AllinghamISBN 0532123867 (0-532-12386-7)
Softcover, Manor Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Black Dudley Murder'More editions of The Black Dudley Murder:
-
Black Orchidsby Rex StoutISBN 0553205668 (0-553-20566-8)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Black Orchids'Book summary:Not much can get Wolfe to leave his comfortable brownstone, but the showing of a rare black orchid lures him to a flower show. Unfortunately, the much-anticipated event is soon overshadowed by a murder as daring as it is sudden. Its a case of weeding out a cunning killer who can turn up anywhereand Wolfe must do it quickly. Because a second case awaits his urgent attention: a society widow on a mailing list of poison-pen letters leading to a plot as dark as any orchid Wolfe has ever encountered. [via]
More editions of Black Orchids:
The Bloodied Ivyby Robert GoldsboroughISBN 0553052810 (0-553-05281-0)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Bloodied Ivy'More editions of The Bloodied Ivy:
A Case of Needby Michael CrichtonISBN 0525938028 (0-525-93802-8)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Case of Need'More editions of A Case of Need:
-
Cat on the Scentby Rita Mae Brown, Itoko Maeno, Sneaky Pie BrownISBN 055309971X (0-553-09971-X)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Cat on the Scent'Book summary:The animals in Crozet, Virginia, are a lot smarter than the humans, which will come as no surprise to the devoted fans of Rita Mae Brown's mysteries featuring Mrs. Murphy the tiger cat, the luxury-loving feline known as Pewter, and Tee Tucker, a curious corgi. In their seventh outing, they're leaps and bounds ahead of Harry Haristeen, the spunky postmistress they call Mom. Long before anyone else knows what's going on, they've figured out the connection between the shot fired at wealthy Sir Henry Vane-Tempest during the reenactment of a Civil War battle and a missing airplane hidden in Tally Urquhart's barn. They're better at finding evidence trampled underfoot at a crime scene than any detective is, and they know just whose lap to drop it in. While they might not understand exactly why county commissioner Archie Ingram is so exercised about Vane-Tempest's plans for development in Albemarle County--particularly when it promises to make him as wealthy as the husband of the woman he loves--they've sniffed out the sexual shenanigans that threaten to derail the private pact between Crozet's leading citizens. If Harry and her friends knew what the animals know, there'd be no mystery about it; there'd only be a charming and lighthearted story of chicanery in the new Old South with plenty of local color, the scent of lilacs wafting through every page, and the deft prose of a writer on top of her game. But then, there'd be no raison d'etre for the liveliest scene in the book, wherein Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tee take a turbo-charged Porsche for a breakneck ride through Virginia's verdant hills and dales. By the end of the book, the only mystery is whether Harry and Fair, her favorite ex-husband, will manage to get back together again in the next installment--or the one after that--of this popular series. --Jane Adams [via]
More editions of Cat on the Scent:
The Chill Factorby Chris RogersISBN 0553106619 (0-553-10661-9)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Chill Factor'More editions of The Chill Factor:
Consider the Lilyby Elizabeth BuchanISBN 0517595656 (0-517-59565-6)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Consider the Lily'More editions of Consider the Lily:
The Crocodile Birdby Ruth RendellISBN 0517595761 (0-517-59576-1)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Crocodile Bird'More editions of The Crocodile Bird:
The Crown Crime Companion: The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Timeby Mickey Friedman, Otto PenzlerISBN 0517881152 (0-517-88115-2)
Softcover, Random House Inc
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Crown Crime Companion: The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time'More editions of The Crown Crime Companion: The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time:
The Curse of the Blue Figurineby John BellairsISBN 0553155407 (0-553-15540-7)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Curse of the Blue Figurine'More editions of The Curse of the Blue Figurine:
-
The Daughters of Cainby Colin DexterISBN 0517700670 (0-517-70067-0)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Daughters of Cain'Book summary:Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse has become a favorite of mystery fans in both hemispheres. In each book, Dexter shows a new facet of the complex Morse. In this latest work, Morse must solve two related murders -- a problem complicated by a plethora of suspects and by his attraction to one of the possible killers. [via]
More editions of The Daughters of Cain:
Dead Famousby Ben EltonISBN 0552999458 (0-552-99945-8)
Softcover, Transworld Pub
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Dead Famous'More editions of Dead Famous:
-
Dead Waterby Barbara HamblyISBN 0553109642 (0-553-10964-2)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Dead Water'Book summary:Nineteenth-century New Orleans is a blazing hotbed of scorching politics and personal vendettas. And it's into this fire that Benjamin January falls when he is hired to follow Oliver Weems, a bank official who has absconded with $100,000 in gold and securities. But it's more than just a job for January. The missing money is vital to the survival of the school for freed slaves that he and his wife Rose have founded.
Following the suspected embezzler--and the money--onto the steamboat Silver Moon, January, Rose, and their friend Hannibal Sefton are sworn to secrecy about the crime until they can find the trunks containing the stolen loot. And then the unexpected happens: Weems is found murdered and suddenly the job of finding the pirated stash grows not only more difficult--but more deadly. There is no shortage of suspects--from the sinister slave-dealer to the bullying steamship pilot to the suspiciously innocent "lady" with connections to every river pirate in the riotous port of Natchez-Under-the-Hill--who all seem to have something to hide.
Now, with time running out, January seeks clues wherever he can find them--and allies among whoever can help. Working in tandem with a young planter named Jefferson Davies, he must uncover the dark web of corruption, betrayal, and greed that has already cost one man his life...and, if he can't catch a brutal, remorseless killer, will soon cost January and his friends theirs. [via]More editions of Dead Water:
Death in a Tenured Positionby Amanda CrossISBN 0525089357 (0-525-08935-7)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Death in a Tenured Position'More editions of Death in a Tenured Position:
Death on Deadlineby Robert GoldsboroughISBN 0553051938 (0-553-05193-8)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Death on Deadline'More editions of Death on Deadline:
A Demon in My Viewby Ruth RendellISBN 0553148109 (0-553-14810-9)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Demon in My View'More editions of A Demon in My View:
Die upon a Kissby Barbara HamblyISBN 0553109243 (0-553-10924-3)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Die upon a Kiss'More editions of Die upon a Kiss:
-
The Doorbell Rangby Rex StoutISBN 0553237217 (0-553-23721-7)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Doorbell Rang'Book summary:Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books are all great fun, full of wonderful food and the arcane details of hobbies as diverse as orchid growing and Balkan history. But in this outing, things suddenly become much more serious when Wolfe and his sidekick Archie Goodwin face the malevolent forces of J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI minions. Luckily, Stout's heart and his writing style are more than equal to the challenge. [via]
More editions of The Doorbell Rang:
Edgeby Olshaker Mark, Richard RestakISBN 0517580446 (0-517-58044-6)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Edge'More editions of Edge:
Encyclopedia Brownby Donald J. Sobol, Leonard W. ShortallISBN 0553157248 (0-553-15724-8)
Softcover, Random House Childrens Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Encyclopedia Brown'More editions of Encyclopedia Brown:
-
Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detectiveby Donald J. Sobol, Leonard ShortallISBN 0525672001 (0-525-67200-1)
Hardcover, Dutton Childrens Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective'Book summary:A Civil War sword...
A watermelon stabbing...
Missing roller skates...
A trapeze artist's inheritance...
And an eyewitness who's legally blind!
Theses are just some of the ten brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computerlike brain. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answer to all the mysteries are found in the back! [via]More editions of Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective:
Face on the Milk Cartonby Caroline B. CooneyISBN 0553058533 (0-553-05853-3)
Hardcover, Random House Children's Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Face on the Milk Carton'More editions of Face on the Milk Carton:
Fade to Blackby Robert GoldsboroughISBN 0553070606 (0-553-07060-6)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Fade to Black'More editions of Fade to Black:
A Family Affairby Rex StoutISBN 0553241222 (0-553-24122-2)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Family Affair'More editions of A Family Affair:
A Finer End: A Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novelby Deborah CrombieISBN 0553109561 (0-553-10956-1)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Finer End: A Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novel'More editions of A Finer End: A Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novel:
Follyby Laurie R. KingISBN 0553111035 (0-553-11103-5)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Folly'More editions of Folly:
For the Sake of Elenaby Elizabeth GeorgeISBN 0553081187 (0-553-08118-7)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'For the Sake of Elena'More editions of For the Sake of Elena:
A Free Man of Colorby Barbara HamblyISBN 0553102583 (0-553-10258-3)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Free Man of Color'More editions of A Free Man of Color:
Ghost Ridersby Sharyn McCrumbISBN 0525947183 (0-525-94718-3)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Ghost Riders'More editions of Ghost Riders:
-
Graveyard Dustby Barbara HamblyISBN 0553102591 (0-553-10259-1)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Graveyard Dust'Book summary:Benjamin January's life is such a mixture of exotic elements and influences that Barbara Hambly's historical mysteries about him often seem to be in danger of exploding. There's his very black skin in a society that equates lightness to class; his shaky status as a free man in 1830s slave-owning New Orleans; the music that he loves but now has to play at parties to make a living because he can't practice as a doctor in America. Graveyard Dust, the third in Hambly's fine series, adds the murky religion of voodoo to the mixture. Ben's older sister, Olympe, practices that ancient art and winds up being charged with murder by a frightened and suspicious police force. Then there's the yellow fever epidemic that has broken out, threatening not only public health but the financial future of several powerful citizens.
What keeps the book on track across all this colorful terrain is Hambly's uncanny ability to constantly show us the connections to our own place and time. January is always recognizable as our representative of strength and morality, even if he seems at times to be carrying unbearable burdens. Few mysteries have as much humanity and history in their list of ingredients. --Dick Adler [via]
More editions of Graveyard Dust:
The Hand in the Gloveby Rex StoutISBN 0553228579 (0-553-22857-9)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Hand in the Glove'More editions of The Hand in the Glove:
Hercule Poirot's Casebookby Agatha ChristieISBN 051765315X (0-517-65315-X)
Hardcover, Random House Value Pub
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Hercule Poirot's Casebook'More editions of Hercule Poirot's Casebook:
-
Homicide Trinityby Rex StoutISBN 0553234463 (0-553-23446-3)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Homicide Trinity'Book summary:Nero Wolfe attempts to find the killer who murdered his victim with Wolfe's own necktie, and he encounters a list of bizarre suspects, including a gun-toting wife and a cop-hating landlady. Reissue. NYT. [via]
More editions of Homicide Trinity:
The House of Stairsby Barbara VineISBN 0517572524 (0-517-57252-4)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The House of Stairs'More editions of The House of Stairs:
If Death Ever Sleptby Rex StoutISBN 0553236490 (0-553-23649-0)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'If Death Ever Slept'More editions of If Death Ever Slept:
In Pursuit of the Proper Sinnerby Elizabeth GeorgeISBN 0553102354 (0-553-10235-4)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner'More editions of In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner:
-
Innocentby Harlan CobenISBN 0525948740 (0-525-94874-0)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Innocent'Book summary:Matt Hunter made a mistake when he was 20 years old and paid for it with a four-year stint in prison that left him with a determination never to be locked up again. Finally, his life is back on the promising track he was taking before he accidentally killed a man: He has a good job, a newly pregnant wife he adores, and is about to close on the home of their dreams. Then he gets a couple of bizarre photos on his cell phone that seem to show his wife in a compromising position with a black-haired stranger. But before he can sort out who sent the anonymous pictures and why, he's running from the law--especially from the cop who was his best friend in grade school, and a sharp young detective who's stepped right into the middle of an FBI investigation spurred by the discovery that a dead nun who wasn't who she claimed to be is somehow mixed up in Matt and Olivia Hunter's life. Coben deftly wields a complicated plot involving a missing stripper, a dead gangster, an incriminating videotape, and a couple of agents who aren't quite who they seem to be, while Hunter manages to hold onto his faith in Olivia despite her clouded past and uncertain future. Like all Coben's protagonists, (including the hero of his popular series starring sports agent turned detective Myron Bolitar) Hunter is a nice, middle-class New Jersey boy who's still the innocent of the title, despite the miscarriage of justice that sent him to prison. Or was it? That's the moral question at the heart of this tightly constructed thriller, which will no doubt shoot directly to the top of the bestseller list, and deservedly so. --Jane Adams
Amazon.com Exclusive Content
A Bit of Bolitar: An Exclusive Essay by Harlan Coben
Beloved series character Myron Bolitar appears in a new short story included with Harlan Coben's latest thriller, The Innocent. In this Amazon.com exclusive essay, Coben shares his thoughts on Bolitar's return.More editions of Innocent:
Interstellar Pigby William SleatorISBN 0525440984 (0-525-44098-4)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Interstellar Pig'More editions of Interstellar Pig:
-
The James Joyce Murderby Amanda CrossISBN 0525241019 (0-525-24101-9)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The James Joyce Murder'Book summary:"If by some cruel oversight you haven't discovered Amanda Cross, you have an uncommon pleasure in store for you."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
Kate Fansler is vacationing in the sweet and harmless Berkshires, sorting through the letters of Henry James. But when her next-door neighbor is murdered, and all her houseguests are prime suspects, her idyll turns prosaic, indeed.... [via]More editions of The James Joyce Murder:
Jane and the Man of the Clothby Stephanie BarronISBN 0553102036 (0-553-10203-6)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Jane and the Man of the Cloth'More editions of Jane and the Man of the Cloth:
Justice Hallby Laurie R. KingISBN 0553111132 (0-553-11113-2)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Justice Hall'More editions of Justice Hall:
-
The Keys to the Streetby Ruth RendellISBN 0517706857 (0-517-70685-7)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Keys to the Street'Book summary:Set in and around London's Regents Park, where the city's wealthiest, poorest, kindest, and most vicious citizens all cross paths, this newest novel by the Edgar and Gold Dagger-winning author of Crocodile Bird tells of the deadly thanks a young woman risks receiving in return for an act of selfless generosity. [via]
More editions of The Keys to the Street:
King Solomon's Carpetby Barbara VineISBN 0517587955 (0-517-58795-5)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'King Solomon's Carpet'More editions of King Solomon's Carpet:
-
Kissed a Sad Goodbyeby Deborah CrombieISBN 055310943X (0-553-10943-X)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Kissed a Sad Goodbye'Book summary:Nominated for an Edgar, Deborah Crombie's 1997 Dreaming of the Bones was such a triumph in all respects that it's a hard act to follow. Kissed a Sad Goodbye, Crombie's sixth book about Scotland Yard's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, isn't quite as spectacular as her previous rendition. Still, the author who creates her very British world from a town in North Texas has managed to come up with an entirely respectable and highly enjoyable effort. Her story offers a fascinating setting in place of the poignant, personal drama that invigorated Dreaming of the Bones.
The body of a lovely young woman is found in London's fashionable Docklands area. She turns out to be Annabelle Hammond, the director of an old family firm of tea merchants. She was a woman of tremendous talent and sexual appetite, but also the kind of harsh and abrasive personality that provides plenty of motives for murder. The Hammond family is also historically linked to the self-made property developer Lewis Finch and his son, an activist dropout and street musician. The other suspects include a spineless boyfriend who works at the tea firm, a secretary too loyal to be true, and herrings of various shades of crimson. Kincaid and James have to solve it all, even as their own personal problems threaten to intrude. Thanks to Crombie's enviable ability to bring people and places to life with a single phrase, the story zips along like the new Docklands electric railroad.
Previous Kincaid-James books in paperback include Dreaming of the Bones, All Shall Be Well, Leave the Grave Green, and Mourn Not Your Dead. --Dick Adler [via]
More editions of Kissed a Sad Goodbye:
Last Coincidenceby Robert GoldsboroughISBN 0553053833 (0-553-05383-3)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Last Coincidence'More editions of Last Coincidence:
-
Los Alamosby Joseph KanonISBN 0553062247 (0-553-06224-7)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Los Alamos'Book summary:Spring 1945. As work on the first atomic bomb nears completion on a remote mesa in New Mexico, Karl Bruner, a Manhattan Project security officer, is found murdered in nearby Santa Fe. Is Bruner the victim of a violent sexual encounter, as the local police believe, or is his death a crime that threatens to jeopardize the secret of the Project itself? This is the mainspring of Joseph Kanon's Los Alamos, a supremely original and romantic new thriller that re-creates the most compelling real-life drama of this century.Michael Connolly, the intelligence officer brought in to crack Bruner's case--and then make it disappear--soon discovers that investigating a murder in Los Alamos is anything but routine. In a town so secret it does not officially exist, he must thread his way through a makeshift community of displaced ÚmigrÚs, soldiers, and idealistic scientists for whom murder is, at best, an unwelcome intrusion as they race to end a brutal war. Only when Connolly falls in love and begins an affair with Emma, the enigmatic wife of one of the scientists, does he truly begin to unravel the past associations, tangled sex lives, and conflicting morality at the dark heart of the Project.Interweaving fact and fiction, Los Alamos is at once a powerful novel of historical intrigue and a vivid portrait of those involved in the Manhattan Project: Robert Oppenheimer, its charismatic scientific director; General Groves, its blunt Army commander; and the brilliant team of scientists whose work would change the world forever. Like the invention at its core, Los Alamos is about fusion--of loyalty and betrayal, idealism and guilt--and its deadly aftermath. Elegantly written and deftly constructed, Los Alamos marks the emergence of a major new storytelling talent. [via]
More editions of Los Alamos:
Low Treasonby Leonard TourneyISBN 0525241531 (0-525-24153-1)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Low Treason'More editions of Low Treason:
Lullaby Townby Robert CraisISBN 0553081977 (0-553-08197-7)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Lullaby Town'More editions of Lullaby Town:
The Masque of the Black Tulipby Lauren WilligISBN 0525949208 (0-525-94920-8)
Hardcover, E P Dutton
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Masque of the Black Tulip'More editions of The Masque of the Black Tulip:
The Medical Detectivesby Berton RouecheISBN 0525242708 (0-525-24270-8)
Hardcover, Penguin USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Medical Detectives'More editions of The Medical Detectives:
The Missing Chapterby Robert GoldsboroughISBN 0553072412 (0-553-07241-2)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Missing Chapter'More editions of The Missing Chapter:
-
The Moonstoneby Wilkie CollinsISBN 0553211560 (0-553-21156-0)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Moonstone'Book summary:T.S. Eliot called `The Moonstone the first and greatest English detective novel. The novel is worthy of such praise.
The story begins with a brief prologue describing how the famous yellow diamond was captured during a military campaign in India by a British officer in 1799. The action moves quickly to 1848 England, where, according to the British officers will, the diamond has been given to one of the soldiers young relatives, Rachel Verinder. Yet only hours after the diamond arrives at the Verinder estate, it disappears. Was it stolen by a relative? A servant? And who are these three Indian men who keep hanging around the estate?
`The Moonstone is told from the point of view of several characters. The first portion of the tale is told by Gabriel Betteredge, house steward of the Verinder estate, who has been working for the family practically his entire life. Betteredges account holds the readers interest as he introduces the main players and the crime itself. The next account, by distant Verinder relative Miss Clack, is humorous and somewhat important. But after Miss Clacks account, things really take off at breakneck speed.
Readers who latch onto the T.S. Eliot quote expecting a modern detective tale will be sorely disappointed. You arent going to see anything resembling Jeffrey Deaver, James Patterson, Sue Grafton, or even Mary Higgins Clark. You also wont see Mickey Spillane, Dashiel Hammett, or Raymond Chandler. Nor will you see Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, or Martha Grimes. You wont even see Arthur Conan Doyle. But you WILL see the novel that influenced them all.
Youll also see something else. Something that modern mystery/detective writers have for the most part lost. Characters. Oh sure, modern writers have characters, but for the most part, the reader only learns enough about the character to forward the plot. In our time, plot is King. When `The Moonstone was published (1868), [via]
More editions of The Moonstone:
Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Storiesby Colin DexterISBN 0517799928 (0-517-79992-8)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories'More editions of Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories:
-
Motownby Loren D. EstelmanISBN 0553074210 (0-553-07421-0)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Motown'Book summary:Working undercover in order to stop a consumer advocacy agency from putting Detroit auto companies out of business, ex-cop and car lover Rick Amery becomes involved in the conflagration of a black gang war. Reprint. [via]
More editions of Motown:
The Mummy, the Will, and the Cryptby John BellairsISBN 0553157019 (0-553-15701-9)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt'More editions of The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt:
-
Murder at Monticello, Or, Old Sinsby Sneaky Pie Brown, Rita Mae Brown, Wendy WrayISBN 0553081403 (0-553-08140-3)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Murder at Monticello, Or, Old Sins'Book summary:A mystery at Monticello involves an old skeleton uncovered beneath the slave quarters and a new murder in Crozet, Virginia, with tiger-striped Mrs. Murphy and Welsh Corgi Tee Tucker joining forces to solve the killing and prevent another. 40,000 first printing. $40,000 ad/promo. [via]
More editions of Murder at Monticello, Or, Old Sins:
Murder in E Minorby Robert GoldsboroughISBN 0553051237 (0-553-05123-7)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Murder in E Minor'More editions of Murder in E Minor:
Murder She Meowedby Sneaky Pie Brown, Rita Mae Brown, Wendy WrayISBN 0553096044 (0-553-09604-4)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Murder She Meowed'More editions of Murder She Meowed:
Mysteries of Winterthurnby Joyce Carol OatesISBN 0517668955 (0-517-66895-5)
Hardcover, Random House Value Pub
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Mysteries of Winterthurn'
Past Caringby Robert GoddardISBN 055213144X (0-552-13144-X)
Softcover, Trafalgar Square
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Past Caring'More editions of Past Caring:
-
Pawing Through the Pastby Rita Mae Brown, Sneaky Pie Brown, Itoko MaenoISBN 0553107380 (0-553-10738-0)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Pawing Through the Past'Book summary:When a mystery author claims her cat as coauthor, it's a fairly safe bet that the team won't be producing disturbing psychological thrillers or hard-edged legal procedurals. And indeed, Rita Mae Brown and her cat, Sneaky Pie, have carved out a comfortable niche for themselves in the cozy category, spinning tales (Rest in Pieces; Murder, She Meowed; Cat on the Scent) around the goings-on in Crozet, a small Virginia town where everyone knows everyone else and recipes and gossip are exchanged over the post office counter. Mary Minor Haristeen ("Harry") is Crozet's postmistress and the proud owner of two cats, Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and one corgi, Tee Tucker--animals with an uncanny ability to sniff out secrets and hidden motives as well as mice and roast beef.
Pawing Through the Past capitalizes on the myriad subtle relationships that form the backbone of small-town culture, and which Brown and Sneaky Pie have carefully woven throughout the Mrs. Murphy series. In a nicely appropriate nod to that culture's rivalries and alliances, Brown has chosen a high school reunion--traditional hotbed of simmering unease--as her mise-en-scène. When each member of the Crozet High Class of 1980 receives an anonymous note stating, "You'll never get old," most take it as a joke or a compliment. But when the class womanizer turns up with a bullet between his eyes, and more notes--and more bodies--start appearing, Harry and her menagerie find themselves at the center of a revenge plot 20 years in the making.
Brown's latest is replete with the sly asides that have endeared her to animal lovers--"Cats are by instinct and inclination dedicated anarchists"--and with the naively humorous "conversations" between the animals themselves. When Pewter, watching a team of police officers wrestling a stiff corpse out of a dumpster, wonders, "Why don't they just break his arms and legs?" Murphy replies knowingly, "They'd pass out. Humans are touchy about their dead." Unfortunately, these favorable attributes can't quite mask an incoherent plot, nor Brown's awkwardly pompous social commentary: "By and large, the women looked better than the men, testimony to the cultural pressure for women to fuss over themselves." But Brown's legions of fans will doubtlessly forgive these shortcomings, concentrating instead on the antics of a memorable four-legged and furry trio. --Kelly Flynn [via]
More editions of Pawing Through the Past:
Pay Dirt Or, Adventures at Ash Lawnby Sneaky Pie Brown, Rita Mae BrownISBN 0553096036 (0-553-09603-6)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Pay Dirt Or, Adventures at Ash Lawn'More editions of Pay Dirt Or, Adventures at Ash Lawn:
Playing for the Ashesby Elizabeth GeorgeISBN 0553092626 (0-553-09262-6)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Playing for the Ashes'More editions of Playing for the Ashes:
Please Pass the Guiltby Rex StoutISBN 055323854X (0-553-23854-X)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Please Pass the Guilt'More editions of Please Pass the Guilt:
Poseidon's Goldby Lindsey DavisISBN 051759241X (0-517-59241-X)
Hardcover, Crown Publishing Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Poseidon's Gold'More editions of Poseidon's Gold:
-
Red Dragonby Thomas HarrisISBN 0525945563 (0-525-94556-3)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Red Dragon'Book summary:Lying on a cot in his cell with Alexandre Dumas's Le Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine open on his chest, Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter makes his debut in this legendary horror novel, which is even better than its sequel, The Silence of the Lambs. As in Silence, the pulse-pounding suspense plot involves a hypersensitive FBI sleuth who consults psycho psychiatrist Lecter for clues to catching a killer on the loose.
The sleuth, Will Graham, actually quit the FBI after nearly getting killed by Lecter while nabbing him, but fear isn't what bugs him about crime busting. It's just too creepy to get inside a killer's twisted mind. But he comes back to stop a madman who's been butchering entire families. The FBI needs Graham's insight, and Graham needs Lecter's genius. But Lecter is a clever fiend, and he manipulates both Graham and the killer at large from his cell.
That killer, Francis Dolarhyde, works in a film lab, where he picks his victims by studying their home movies. He's obsessed with William Blake's bizarre painting The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun, believing there's a red dragon within him, the personification of his demonic drives. Flashbacks to Dolarhyde's terrifying childhood and superb stream-of-consciousness prose get us right there inside his head. When Dolarhyde does weird things, we understand why. We sympathize when the voice of the cruel dead grandma who raised and crazed him urges him to mayhem--she's way scarier than that old bat in Psycho. When he falls in love with a blind girl at the lab, we hope he doesn't give in to Grandma's violent advice.
This book is awesomely detailed, ingeniously plotted, judiciously gory, and fantastically imagined. If you haven't read it, you've never had the creeps. --Tim Appelo [via]
More editions of Red Dragon:
Rest in Piecesby Sneaky Pie Brown, Rita Mae Brown, Wendy WrayISBN 0553077287 (0-553-07728-7)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Rest in Pieces'More editions of Rest in Pieces:
-
Restoreeby Anne McCaffreyISBN 0552101613 (0-552-10161-3)
Hardcover, Corgi
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Restoree'Book summary:Sara is walking in Central Park, when she is suddenly overcome by the smell of dead sea creatures, blackness and memories of excruciating pain, severed bodies and dismembered limbs. When she awakes she finds that she is no longer in her own body. She has become a Restoree. [via]
More editions of Restoree:
Selections from the Adventures of Sherlock Holmesby Arthur Conan DoyleISBN 0517637960 (0-517-63796-0)
Hardcover, Random House Value Pub
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Selections from the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'More editions of Selections from the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes:
Sherlock Holmes and the Golden Birdby Frank ThomasISBN 0523425104 (0-523-42510-4)
Softcover, St Martins Pr
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Sherlock Holmes and the Golden Bird'Book summary:Journey back in time with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they stalk the pagans of evil--from the decadent quarters of Soho to the exotic reaches of Constantinople, from the mysterious village of St. Aubrey to the familiar 221 B Baker Street. [via]
More editions of Sherlock Holmes and the Golden Bird:
Sherlock Holmes and the Sacred Swordby Frank ThomasISBN 0523425112 (0-523-42511-2)
Softcover, St Martins Pr
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Sherlock Holmes and the Sacred Sword'More editions of Sherlock Holmes and the Sacred Sword:
-
Sherlock Holmes Col S : Oxford World Classicsby Outlet Book Company Staff, Random House Value Publishing StaffISBN 051760616X (0-517-60616-X)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Sherlock Holmes Col S : Oxford World Classics'Book summary:Moisture damage and staining to edges of dust jacket and cover boards. Expect it with noted wear to cover and pages. Binding intact. All pages complete. Item in good condition. [via]
More editions of Sherlock Holmes Col S : Oxford World Classics:
-
The Silent Speakerby Rex StoutISBN 0553234978 (0-553-23497-8)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Silent Speaker'Book summary:When a powerful government official scheduled to speak to a group of millionaires turns up dead, the business world clamors for a solution, and Nero Wolfe takes the case. Reissue. NYT. [via]
More editions of The Silent Speaker:
-
Sir Arthur Conan Doyleby Arthur Conan Doyle, Random House Value Publishing StaffISBN 0517618346 (0-517-61834-6)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle'Book summary:Illustrated Sherlock Holmes Treasury [via]
More editions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
Some Lie and Some Dieby Ruth RendellISBN 0553137832 (0-553-13783-2)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Some Lie and Some Die'More editions of Some Lie and Some Die:
Someday the Rabbi Will Leaveby Harry KemelmanISBN 051762172X (0-517-62172-X)
Hardcover, Random House Value Pub
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Someday the Rabbi Will Leave'More editions of Someday the Rabbi Will Leave:
The Songcatcherby Sharyn McCrumbISBN 0525944885 (0-525-94488-5)
Hardcover, Penguin USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Songcatcher'More editions of The Songcatcher:
The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skullby John BellairsISBN 0553157264 (0-553-15726-4)
Softcover, Random House Children's Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull'More editions of The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull:
Stalking the Angelby Robert CraisISBN 0553057138 (0-553-05713-8)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Stalking the Angel'More editions of Stalking the Angel:
A Study in Scarletby Arthur Conan DoyleISBN 0543904008 (0-543-90400-8)
Softcover, Adamant Media
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Study in Scarlet'More editions of A Study in Scarlet:
-
Sweet Death, Kind Deathby Amanda CrossISBN 0525242414 (0-525-24241-4)
Hardcover, Penguin USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Sweet Death, Kind Death'Book summary:"If by some cruel oversight you haven't discovered Amanda Cross, you have an uncommon pleasure in store for you."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
When Clare College's resident eccentric Patrice Umphelby is found drowned in the campus lake, it's called a suicide. But the college president grows suspicious and calls in noted professor/detective Kate Fansler to research the matter. Ingratiating herself with her academic colleagues to learn more about Patrice's life, Kate digs up the evidence she needs to understand her death.... [via]More editions of Sweet Death, Kind Death:
-
Trio for Blunt Instrumentsby Rex StoutISBN 0553241915 (0-553-24191-5)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Trio for Blunt Instruments'Book summary:If Nero Wolfe and his sidekick, Archie, would ever admit to an Achilles' heel-which they wouldn't-it would be a weakness for damsels in distress. In these three charming chillers the duo answer the call of helpless heroines with nothing to lose-except their lives. First a beautiful young Aphrodite comes to Nero looking for a hero-and the answer to the mystery of her father's death....Then an old flame of Archie's reignites with a plan that may corner him into a lifetime commitment-behind bars....And finally a detective's work is never done, as a hot tip leads the team into the sizzling center of a sexy scandal that could leave them cold-dead cold. [via]
More editions of Trio for Blunt Instruments:
Triple Jeopardyby Rex StoutISBN 0553235915 (0-553-23591-5)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Triple Jeopardy'More editions of Triple Jeopardy:
-
Trouble in Triplicateby Rex Stout, Randy RussellISBN 0553242474 (0-553-24247-4)
Softcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Trouble in Triplicate'Book summary:Nero Wolfe investigates the murders of Dazy Perrit, an underworld kingpin, Ben Jensen, a well-connected publisher, and Eugene R. Poor, an inventor of novelties. Reissue. [via]
More editions of Trouble in Triplicate:
Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Redby Harry KemelmanISBN 0525630074 (0-525-63007-4)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red'More editions of Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red:
Valediction: A Spenser Novelby Robert B. ParkerISBN 0517645688 (0-517-64568-8)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Valediction: A Spenser Novel'More editions of Valediction: A Spenser Novel:
-
The West End Horrorby Nicholas MeyerISBN 0525231021 (0-525-23102-1)
Hardcover, Penguin USA
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The West End Horror'Book summary:"As authentically, irresistibly gripping as anything Conan Doyle ever wrote. . . . Don't miss it."Cosmopolitan
March 1895. London. A month of strange happenings in the West End. First there is the bizarre murder of theater critic Jonathan McCarthy. Then the lawsuit against the Marquess of Queensberry for libel; the public is scandalized. Next, the ingenue at the Savoy is discovered with her throat slashed. And a police surgeon disappears, taking two corpses with him.
Some of the theater district's most fashionable and creative luminaries have been involved: a penniless stage critic and writer named Bernard Shaw; Ellen Terry, the gifted and beautiful actress; a suspicious box office clerk named Bram Stoker; an aging matinee idol, Henry Irving; an unscrupulous publisher calling himself Frank Harris; and a controversial wit by the name of Oscar Wilde.
Scotland Yard is mystified by what appear to be unrelated cases, but to Sherlock Holmes the matter is elementary: a maniac is on the loose. His name is Jack.
[via]More editions of The West End Horror:
Wet Graveby Barbara HamblyISBN 0553109359 (0-553-10935-9)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Wet Grave'More editions of Wet Grave:
-
Wish You Were Hereby Rita Mae Brown, Wendy Wray, Sneaky Pie BrownISBN 0553058819 (0-553-05881-9)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Wish You Were Here'Book summary:Curiosity just might be the death of Mrs. Murphy--and her human companion, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen. Small towns are like families: Everyone lives very close together. . .and everyone keeps secrets. Crozet, Virginia, is a typical small town-until its secrets explode into murder. Crozet's thirty-something post-mistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, has a tiger cat (Mrs. Murphy) and a Welsh Corgi (Tucker), a pending divorce, and a bad habit of reading postcards not addressed to her. When Crozet's citizens start turning up murdered, Harry remembers that each received a card with a tombstone on the front and the message "Wish you were here" on the back. Intent on protecting their human friend, Mrs. Murphy and Tucker begin to scent out clues. Meanwhile, Harry is conducting her own investigation, unaware her pets are one step ahead of her. If only Mrs. Murphy could alert her somehow, Harry could uncover the culprit before the murder occurs--and before Harry finds herself on the killer's mailing list.
From the Paperback edition. [via]More editions of Wish You Were Here:
-
The Woman in Whiteby Wilkie CollinsISBN 055321263X (0-553-21263-X)
Softcover, Bantam Classic & Loveswept
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Woman in White'Book summary:There, in the middle of the broad, bright high-roadthere, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heavenstood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments.
Thus young Walter Hartright first meets the mysterious woman in white in what soon became one of the most popular novels of the nineteenth century. Secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain made this mystery thriller an instant success when it first appeared in 1860, and it has continued to enthrall readers ever since. From the heros foreboding before his arrival at Limmeridge House to the nefarious plot concerning the beautiful Laura, the breathtaking tension of Collinss narrative created a new literary genre of suspense fiction, which profoundly shaped the course of English popular writing.
Collinss other great mystery, The Moonstone, has been called the finest detective story ever written, but it was this work that so gripped the imagination of the world that Wilkie Collins had his own tombstone inscribed: Author of The Woman in White. [via]More editions of The Woman in White:
Wycliffe And The Tangled Webby William John BurleyISBN 0552142689 (0-552-14268-9)
Softcover, Trafalgar Square
Find This Book
› Find signed collectible books: 'Wycliffe And The Tangled Web'More editions of Wycliffe And The Tangled Web:
![[powered by Muze Inc.]](http://i.bookfinder.com/images/site/muze/powered_by_muze.gif){kind=small}