Lethal in Old Lace

Lethal in Old Lace
Author: Duffy Brown
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2018-03-13
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1683315367

Before bride-to-be Reagan Summerside can tie the knot, she must first untangle a web of mysterious retirement home murders—and prove her neighbors are innocent There are two social functions in Savannah guaranteed to get people talking: weddings and funerals. And just as consignment shop owner Reagan Summerside agrees to marry the hunky Walker Boone, her neighbors, sisters Annie Fritz and Elsie Abbot, step up their business as professional mourners. They are so successful that the Sleepy Pines Retirement Center has hired them as a part of their retirement package. But the celebration over good business is cut short when the residents at Pines suddenly begin dying at an alarming rate. And the sisters are the first suspects. Reagan has her doubts, however, and begins to look into the strange phenomenon. But then something even stranger happens: a body winds up in the sisters’ pink Caddy. The evidence begins to pile up and the suspicious case of Willie Fishbine, who swindled the sisters out of a fortune and coincidentally died prior to the Pines case, is reopened. Not wanting Willie to be buried until they can find the killer responsible for the murders, Reagan must catch the culprit in time to walk down the aisle. Witty, fabulous, and full of charm, Lethal in Old Lace is perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Jenn McKinlay.

Iced Chiffon

Iced Chiffon
Author: Duffy Brown
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2012-10-02
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101611529

There’s always something to gossip about in Savannah, Georgia, and Reagan Summerside always seems to be in the middle of it. She’s busy enough running her consignment shop, The Prissy Fox, with her vivacious Auntie KiKi, but now the gossip—and the sales—are about to pick up after a gruesome discovery… Reagan’s messy divorce has left her with nothing but a run-down Victorian and a bunch of designer clothes. Strapped for cash, Reagan makes use of the two things she has left, turning the first floor of her home into a consignment shop and filling it with the remnants of her rich-wife wardrobe. Thanks to his cunning lawyer Walker Boone, her ex got everything else, including the Lexus—not to mention a young blond cupcake. When Reagan finds the cupcake dead in the Lexus, she’s determined to beat Boone to finding the murderer. As it turns out, the gossip fiends flooding Reagan’s shop will give her a lot more than just their unwanted clothes—they have information more precious than a vintage Louis Vuitton…

Lethal Leaf Peepers

Lethal Leaf Peepers
Author: Susan Solar
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2007-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0595456154

When good friends Wendy and Amie embark on a fall foliage tour of New England, they don't expect much excitement from their quirky, over-fifty group of tourists. However, the pair find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery that leads them to a most unexpected conclusion. When a member of Wendy and Amie's tour group suddenly dies, the two friends learn that when you always expect the unexpected, you will never be disappointed. With some amateur sleuthing and Wendy's deductive nosiness, she is able to put together the pieces of the puzzle and help solve the case. Part travelogue and part tongue-in-cheek commentary on the human condition, Lethal Leaf Peepers is the perfect tale for those who love an old-fashioned murder mystery.

A is for Arsenic

A is for Arsenic
Author: Kathryn Harkup
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2015
Genre: Medicine in literature
ISBN: 1472911318

Agatha Christie's detailed plotting is what makes her books so compelling. Christie used poison to kill her characters more often than any other murder method, with the poison itself being a central part of the novel, and her choice of deadly substances was far from random; the chemical and physiological characteristics of each poison provide vital clues to discovery of the murderer. With gunshots or stabbings the cause of death is obvious, but not so with poisons. How is it that some compounds prove so deadly, and in such tiny amounts?Christie demonstrated her extensive chemical knowledge (much of it gleaned from her working in a chemists during both world wars) in many of her novels, but this is rarely appreciated by the reader. A is for Arsenic celebrates the use of science in Christie's work. Written by Christie fan and research chemist Kathryn Harkup, each chapter takes a different novel and investigates the poison (or poisons) the murderer used. A is for Arsenic looks at why certain chemicals kill, how they interact with the body, and the feasibility of obtaining, administering and detecting these poisons, both at the time the novel was written and today. This book is published as part of the 125th anniversary celebration of Christie's birth.Fourteen novels. Fourteen poisons. Just because its fiction doesn't mean its all made-up ...

Pressed to Kill

Pressed to Kill
Author: Dolores Johnson
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2007-01-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780312347857

The young woman has a new but mysterious boyfriend she met at Dyer Cleaners' open house party. But when Ardith turns up dead a couple of days later, Mandy suspects the worst.

Filthy Rags

Filthy Rags
Author: Neil C. Parks
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 103
Release: 2011-10-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1465381511

Religion: The term religion is used by most to describe a person that seeks and strives to work their way into a state of worthiness and acceptance before a Holy God, with their goodness and efforts of works put forth as the offering. Sadly enough religion is not understood by most people and Christians as well. The natural mind will always rationalize its behavior in hopes it will convince the Creator, of the universe, to accept the goodness of deeds or overlook the pettiness of mistakes. If that is the case then there is no need for the New Testament Bible. Grace: Grace is un-merited favor, or in other words, the complete opposite of religion. Grace provides forgiveness, of every sin with the assurance of no recall. “Their sins and lawless deeds will be remembered no more”. Hebrews 10:17. Grace is what has already been done for mankind. The payment of the sin debt is too costly for mankind to consider paying. The shed Blood of Christ is the only reason we have the forgiveness of sin. Without the shedding of His Blood there is no hope!

Lethal

Lethal
Author: Sandra Brown
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2011-09-20
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1455501484

A young mother living on the Louisiana bayou and a man accused of murder must solve a corruption case while on the run from a dangerous manhunt. When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word. Coburn claims that her beloved late husband possessed something extremely valuable: a treasure that places Honor and her daughter in grave danger. He's there to retrieve it at any cost. Honor soon discovers that even her friends can't be trusted. From the FBI offices of Washington, D.C. to a rundown shrimp boat in coastal Louisiana, Coburn and Honor run for their lives from the very people sworn to protect them, and unravel a web of corruption and depravity that threatens to destroy them . . . and the fabric of society.

There's a Body in the Window Seat!

There's a Body in the Window Seat!
Author: Charles Dennis
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2022-11-01
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1493067869

There’s a Body in the Window Seat! is a detailed history of one of the most beloved American murder-mysteries and comedies, Arsenic and Old Lace. Actor, director, and playwright Charles Dennis investigates the mystery behind the play: how did a true-life crime in Connecticut turn into a comedy? And who are the real writers that deserve credit for its long-lasting success? Dennis brings an insider’s view to Joseph Kesselring’s attempts to write Arsenic and Old Lace and how producers had to step in to save the play from his heavy hand. He also follows the actors, both on the stage and on the screen, as they handle the demands of the roles and behind-the-scenes relationships. Why didn’t Boris Karloff recreate his stage role, even though Jean Adair and John Alexander did? Why did Cary Grant hate his performance in Arsenic—was it because Frank Capra deceived him or because of costume designer Orry Kelly? And why did the movie never receive Academy Award consideration? Learn the answers to these intriguing questions and more in There’s a Body in the Window Seat!

Lethal Performances

Lethal Performances
Author: Ottilie P. Klein
Publisher: Contributions to English and American Literary Studies (CEALS)
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2017
Genre: Drama
ISBN:

This book provides an in-depth analysis of representations of female murderers in modern American drama. Paying close attention to the plays' plot, form, and style, the study seeks to come to terms with the dramatic and cultural function of this phenomenon. Given the rarity of female murder in real life, the popularity and prevalence of this theme in culture is striking and unsettling at the same time. After all, a woman who kills not only violates against basic social rules, but also upsets gender norms. This potential to break with an ideology that rests on hierarchically structured gender binaries equips the figure of the female murderer with the power to symbolically 'kill' established views about gender and sexuality. It is this ideologically disruptive potential that makes the female murderer a fascinating object of study, as her cultural figuration may provide information about the meaning assigned to women at a certain historical moment.

Loot

Loot
Author: Joe Orton
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2014-05-01
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1472517520

A black farce masterpiece, Loot follows the fortunes of two young thieves, Hal and Dennis. Dennis is a hearse driver for an undertaker. They have robbed the bank next door to the funeral parlour and have returned to Hal's home to hide-out with the loot. Hal's mother has just died and the pair put the money in her coffin, hiding the body elsewhere in the house. With the arrival of Inspector Truscott, the thickened plot turns topsy-turvy. Playing with all the conventions of popular farce, Orton creates a world gone mad and examines in detail English attitudes at mid-century. The play has been called a Freudian nightmare, which sports with superstitions about death - and life. It is regularly produced in professional and amateur productions. First produced in London in 1966, Loot was hailed as "the most genuinely quick-witted, pungent and sprightly entertainment by a new, young British playwright for a decade" (Sunday Telegraph). The Student Edition offers a plot summary, full commentary, character notes and questions for study, besides a chronology and bibliography.