Murder in Burnt Orange

Murder in Burnt Orange
Author: Jeanne M. Dams
Publisher: SCB Distributors
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2011-08-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1564747514

Hilda Johansson, expecting her first child and miserable in the summer heat, turns to crime investigation to occupy her mind. It’s a heat wave in more ways than one in the summer of 1905, as strikes, arson, and train wrecks threaten the fabric of civilized society in South Bend, Indiana. In the tumultuous first years of the twentieth century, anarchy seems to rule, with the assassination of an American president and labor unrest like the Anthracite Coal Strike bringing misery to millions. From St. Petersburg, Russia, to Chicago, U.S.A., the army, police, and strike-breakers battle workers in the streets, resulting in many deaths. How can a Swedish immigrant like Hilda Johansson, formerly a housemaid, possibly affect these conditions? Making deductions worthy of Sherlock Holmes-and using her own “Baker Street Irregulars”-Hilda recognizes a pattern to the disturbing events. Even though confined to her home by pregnancy, she draws from the town’s varied social strata and enlists allies to try to put an end to disruption and find justice for all. “Absorbing. . . . Well-portrayed characters and a final surprise sure to please series fans make this a winner.” -Publishers Weekly

The Burnt Orange Heresy

The Burnt Orange Heresy
Author: Charles Willeford
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2020-03-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1683358015

A driven art critic’s plan to steal a painting leads to murder in this classic neo-noir novel by the author of the Hoke Moseley series. Fast-talking, backstabbing, womanizing, and fiercely ambitious art critic James Figueras will do anything—blackmail, burglary, and beyond—to make a name for himself. When an unscrupulous collector offers Figueras a career-making chance to interview Jacques Debierue, the greatest living—and most reclusive—artist, the critic must decide how far he will go to become the art-world celebrity he hungers to be. Will Figueras stop at the opportunity to skim some cream for himself or push beyond morality’s limits to a bigger payoff? Crossing the art world with the underworld, Willeford creates a novel of dark hue and high aesthetic polish. The Burnt Orange Heresy—the 1970s crime classic now back in print—has lost none of its savage delights as it re-creates the making of a murderer, calmly and with exquisite tension, while satirizing the workings of the art world as the ultimate con. Now a major motion picture starring Donald Sutherland and Mick Jagger Praise for The Burnt Orange Heresy “Stunning . . . A novel full of genuine fun that also manages to make a level statement about the art world and its hermetic credulities.” —New Yorker

Mr. Murder

Mr. Murder
Author: Dean Koontz
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 516
Release: 2006-07-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780425210758

#1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz delivers a gripping novel of a man accused of stealing not just someone’s identity, but his entire life... A big house. A beautiful wife. Two happy and healthy children. It’s a nice life that writer Martin Stillwater has made for himself. But he can’t shake this feeling of impending disaster. One bad moment on an otherwise fine day has put Marty on a collision course with a killer—a man with a mere shadow of an identity who is desperately searching for something more... Martin’s home. Martin’s family. Martin’s life.

The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder

The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder
Author: Sarah J. Harris
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2018-06-12
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1501187910

A boy with synesthesia—a condition that causes him to see colors when he hears sounds—tries to uncover what happened to his beautiful new neighbor—and if he was ultimately responsible in this “compelling and emotionally charged mystery that warrants comparisons to Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” (Library Journal). In this highly original “fantastic debut” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), thirteen-year-old Jasper Wishart lives in a world of dazzling color that no one else can see, least of all his dad. Words, numbers, days of the week, people’s voices—everything has its own unique shade. But recently Jasper has been haunted by a color he doesn’t like or understand: the color of murder. Convinced he’s done something terrible to his neighbor, Bee Larkham, Jasper revisits the events of the last few months to paint the story of their relationship from the very beginning. As he struggles to untangle the knot of untrustworthy memories and colors that will lead him to the truth, it seems that there’s someone else out there determined to stop him—at any cost. Full of page-turning suspense and heart-wrenching poignancy—as well as plenty of humor—The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder is “completely original and impossible to predict” (Benjamin Ludwig, author of Ginny Moon) with a unique hero who will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Burned

Burned
Author: Edward Humes
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2019-01-08
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1524742139

Was a monstrous killer brought to justice or an innocent mother condemned? On an April night in 1989, Jo Ann Parks survived a house fire that claimed the lives of her three small children. Though the fire at first seemed a tragic accident, investigators soon reported finding evidence proving that Parks had sabotaged wiring, set several fires herself, and even barricade her four-year-old son inside a closet to prevent his escape. Though she insisted she did nothing wrong, Jo Ann Parks received a life sentence without parole based on the power of forensic fire science that convincingly proved her guilt. But more than a quarter century later, a revolution in the science of fire has exposed many of the incontrovertible truths of 1989 as guesswork in disguise. The California Innocence Project is challenging Parks's conviction and the so-called science behind it, claiming that false assumptions and outright bias convicted an innocent mother of a crime that never actually happened. If Parks is exonerated, she could well be the "Patient Zero" in an epidemic of overturned guilty verdicts—but only if she wins. Can prosecutors dredge up enough evidence and roadblocks to make sure Jo Ann Parks dies in prison? No matter how her last-ditch effort for freedom turns out, the scenes of betrayal, ruin, and hope will leave readers longing for justice we can trust.

Deliberate Intent

Deliberate Intent
Author: Rodney A. Smolla
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Total Pages: 296
Release: 1999
Genre: Law
ISBN:

The riveting account of the landmark "Hit Man Case"--involving a man who hired a contract killer to execute his ex-wife, his severely brain-damaged son, and the boy's nurse--written by a noted First Amendment attorney who risked his reputation and career to take on the case.

Murder in the Dark

Murder in the Dark
Author: Margaret Atwood
Publisher: New Canadian Library
Total Pages: 92
Release: 2010-12-17
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1551995530

First published in 1983, Murder in the Dark is Margaret Atwood's seventh work of fiction or her tenth book of poetry, depending on how you slice it. These short prose forms range from fictionalized autobiography through prose-poetry, mini-romance, and mini–science fiction. A feast of comic entertainment, Murder in the Dark is Atwood at her wittiest, most thoughtful, and most provoking.

The Mysterious Romance of Murder

The Mysterious Romance of Murder
Author: David Lehman
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2022-05-15
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1501763644

From Sherlock Holmes to Sam Spade; Nick and Nora Charles to Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin; Harry Lime to Gilda, Madeleine Elster, and other femmes fatales—crime and crime solving in fiction and film captivate us. Why do we keep returning to Agatha Christie's ingenious puzzles and Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled murder mysteries? What do spy thrillers teach us, and what accounts for the renewed popularity of morally ambiguous noirs? In The Mysterious Romance of Murder, the poet and critic David Lehman explores a wide variety of outstanding books and movies—some famous (The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity), some known mainly to aficionados—with style, wit, and passion. Lehman revisits the smoke-filled jazz clubs from the classic noir films of the 1940s, the iconic set pieces that defined Hitchcock's America, the interwar intrigue of Eric Ambler's best fictions, and the intensity of attraction between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. He also considers the evocative elements of noir—cigarettes, cocktails, wisecracks, and jazz standards—and offers five original noir poems (including a pantoum inspired by the 1944 film Laura) and ironic astrological profiles of Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, and Graham Greene. Written by a connoisseur with an uncanny feel for the language and mood of mystery, espionage, and noir, The Mysterious Romance of Murder will delight fans of the genre and newcomers alike.

Foolproof

Foolproof
Author: Barbara D'Amato
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2013-10-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780765364425

A stunning global thriller, "Foolproof" exposes a terrorist plot intended to topple democracies worldwide. D'Amato's stories are hard-hitting, gritty, witty, and wise.--"Booklist."

Upstaged by Murder

Upstaged by Murder
Author: C.S. Challinor
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2018-07-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0738756687

"Challinor, who often modernizes and repurposes golden-age mystery ploys, this time takes the further step of recruiting the stars of those classic novels to help solve the case."—Kirkus Reviews "Fans—and there are many—will be shouting, 'Bravo!'"—Booklist A flawless murder is performed on stage, but it's no act Rex Graves and his new wife, Helen, attend the opening night of a play in which five famous literary sleuths of a bygone era are invited to Pinegrove Hall to solve the mystery of a missing heirloom. When the heroine meets with a sinister end, the audience applauds, unaware that the real drama has only just begun. As a Scottish barrister and private detective, Rex is called upon to help discover who among the cast and crew staged the death of the beautiful young actress. But this challenging mystery has unexpected complications waiting in the wings, and Rex must use all his skills to unmask the true culprit. Praise for the Rex Graves Mysteries: "Satisfying...Smooth prose will keep cozy fans turning the pages."—Publishers Weekly "Nicely mixes procedural detail and village charm and will appeal to fans of Deborah Crombie and Anne Cleeland."—Booklist "C.S. creates devilishly complex characters, keeping the reader on edge until the final page."—Suspense Magazine