Collection: Mystery, Thrillers, & Crime

Eugéne Tarpon, the private-eye protagonist from Manchette's No Room at the Morgue, appears once more for a characteristically brisk and brutal story full of unexpected comedy and feeling.

Private eye Eugéne Tarpon is back to sleeping in his office, waiting for a paying job to turn up. Then he gets a call from a sometime contact in the police department. He's referring a nice old lady--a distant relative--to Tarpon; her daughter's gone missing and, the copy says, there's no finding her. There are no leads. She's gone. But the old lady's pigheaded. Do me a favor, he tells Tarpon. Humor her. Take her off our hands. Take her money, too. And, by the way, there's no need to investigate the actual business at all.

Tarpon may be down and out, but he's too much of a gentleman for that. Plus, fed an obviously fishy story, he doesn't have it in him to let well enough alone.

Once again, Tarpon is making a very big mistake.

Don't miss the JOE PICKETT series--now streaming on Paramount+

Joe Pickett investigates a murder that hits close to home in this thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

When Earl Alden is found dead, dangling from a wind turbine, his wife, Missy, is arrested. Unfortunately for Joe Pickett, Missy is his much-disliked mother-in-law, and he's not sure what to do--especially since it looks like Missy is guilty as sin.

But then things happen to make Joe wonder: Is Earl's death what it appears to be? Is Missy being set up? He has the county DA and sheriff on one side, his wife on the other, his estranged friend Nate on a lethal mission of his own, and some powerful interests breathing down his neck. Whichever way this goes, it's not going to be good...

"I would say that C. J. Box is at the top of his form, but the top just keeps moving ever upward...A nonstop thrill ride not to be missed!"--Bookpage

A charming and atmospheric debut mystery featuring a 25-year-old Indian police sergeant investigating a missing persons case in colonial Fiji

1914, Fiji: Akal Singh, 25, would rather be anywhere but this tropical paradise--or, as he calls it, "this godforsaken island." After a promising start to his police career in Hong Kong, Akal has been sent to Fiji as punishment for a humiliating professional mistake. Lonely and grumpy, Akal plods through his work and dreams of getting back to Hong Kong or his native India.

When an indentured Indian woman goes missing from a sugarcane plantation and Fiji's newspapers scream "kidnapping," the inspector-general reluctantly assigns Akal the case. Akal, eager to achieve redemption, agrees--but soon finds himself far more invested than he could have expected.

Now not only is he investigating a disappearance, but also confronting the brutal realities of the indentured workers' existence and the racism of the British colonizers in Fiji--along with his own thorny notions of personhood and caste. Early interrogations of the white plantation owners, Indian indentured laborers, and native Fijians yield only one conclusion: there is far more to this case than meets the eye.

Nilima Rao's sparkling debut mystery offers an unflinching look at the evils of colonialism, even as it brims with wit, vibrant characters, and fascinating historical detail.

Leroy Brown, aka Encyclopedia Brown, is Idaville neighborhood's ten-year-old star detective. With an uncanny knack for trivia, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids through his own detective agency. But his dad also happens to be the chief of the Idaville police department, and every night around the dinner table, Encyclopedia helps him solve his most baffling crimes. And with ten confounding mysteries in each book, not only does Encyclopedia have a chance to solve them, but the reader is given all the clues as well. Interactive and chock full of interesting bits of information--it's classic Encyclopedia Brown!

"A proper twisty thriller."--Sarah Pinborough

A stranger has infiltrated your family...and now he's taking over.

Paul's just here to help, or so he claims--sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen's daughter Connie, there's just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He's a little too kind, a little too involved...Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.

The last thing Connie wants is a stranger meddling in the safe routine she's built around Gwen. She loves being the one Gwen turns to for cooking, cleaning and company. But the more Paul visits, the more Gwen is relying on him. By the time he conveniently finds himself between homes and has no choice but to move in, Connie is certain he's trying to push her out completely.

It's her word against his, though, and as her attempts to unmask him become ever more desperate she's not the only one left wondering if she's lost her grip on reality. But when events start spiralling rapidly out of her control, should Connie wage all-out war on Paul and risk losing Gwen forever--or has that been his plan all along?

Edgar Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box delivers a thriller about a troubled cop trying to save his son from a killer in Yellowstone, now reissued with additional bonus content including an introduction from the author.

Cody Hoyt, although a brilliant cop, is an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety when his friend Hank Winters is found burned to death in a remote mountain cabin. At first it looks like the suicide of a man who's fallen off the wagon, but Cody knows Hank better than that. As Cody digs deeper into the case, all roads lead to foul play. After years of bad behavior with his department, Cody is in no position to be investigating a homicide, but he will stop at nothing to find Hank's killer.

When clues found at the scene link the murderer to an outfitter leading tourists on a multiday wilderness horseback trip into the remote corners of Yellowstone National Park--a pack trip that includes his son Justin--Cody is desperate to get on their trail and stop the killer before the group heads into the wild. In a fatal cat-and-mouse game, where it becomes apparent the murderer is somehow aware of Cody's every move, Cody treks into the wilderness to stop a killer hell-bent on destroying the only important thing left in his life.

*BONUS CONTENT: This edition of Back of Beyond includes a new introduction from the author and a discussion guide

Private Investigator Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz hightails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. She's fit to be tied when her brother-the chief of police-shuts her out of the investigation, so she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated. As more folks turn up dead in this small seaside town, Liz must use more than just her wits and charm to keep her family safe, chase down clues from the hereafter, and catch a psychopath before he catches her.

Something bad is brewing among a friendly group of book lovers: "A deliciously Agatha Christie-style mystery that sucks you in from the first page." -Sibel Hodge, bestselling author of Look Behind You

Imagine nine women meeting. Tea and cake are on the coffee table. They've come together to share their love of books. They are friends. They trust each other. It's a happy gathering. What could be more harmless?

Then scratch the surface and look closer. One is lonely. One is desperate. And one of them is a killer. When the body of a woman is discovered on a Cambridge common, DCI Barrett and DI Palmer are called in to investigate. But the motive behind the crime isn't clear-and it all leads back to a book club. As the lies, volatile friendships, and tension among the group rise to the surface, DCI Barrett and DI Palmer must work out the motive and track down a cold-blooded killer. But just when they think they're on the right track, a twist in the plot throws them off course . . .

"Will keep readers guessing till the very end!" -J.A. Baker, bestselling author of The Other Mother

"A deliciously devilish whodunit!" -Robert Bryndza, bestselling author of the Detective Erika Foster series

Are you ready for adventure? The first book in a new action-packed series from bestselling author Raj Haldar follows two best friends as they race to different parts of the world to solve mysteries and uncover lost treasures!

It's a Super Saturday sleepover! That means best friends Eddie and Molly-Jean (who prefers to be called MJ) are going to play outside, create obstacle courses for MJ's newts, and watch their favorite movies--and then they'll travel to India to solve a mystery and help save a school--all before bedtime!

This action-packed mystery story is perfect for anyone looking for:

• A wild adventure around the world that middle school kids will love!
• A story of two best friends solving mysteries with a little magic!
• Cool, new knowledge tucked inside an epic chapter book!
• A journey to India to learn the Hindi roots of the English language

Magically travel around the world along with two best friends who decipher clues and uncover mysterious secrets. Can you help them find the golden key?

"Reminiscent of Mary Pope Osborne's "Magic Tree House" series...contains the same mix of fantasy, adventure, and cultural discovery. Etymology is the distinctive feature here, and its importance is reflected in every part of the text."--School Library Journal, starred review

He's a criminal-who must become a prince to save the princess he loves. But will she have to become a criminal to save him?

In the heart-pounding conclusion to the epic Minnesota Marshalls series, Princess Imani finds herself once again in peril as she becomes the target of a deadly plot. She needs Creed - only problem is, he's facing charges in Lauchtenland. But he's not going to let that stop him from protecting her...even if he has to become a fugitive. But who is trying to kill her? Together, they race against time to unravel a web of deceit and conspiracy that seems to entrap the entire family. As their journey takes them from the palace to the high mountains, and finally back to Minnesota, Imani and Creed must discover the truth before tragedy destroys everything-and everyone-they love.

Read the thrilling finale of the Minnesota Marshalls series, where the fate of a family and destiny of a kingdom hang in the balance.

"If you've been looking for your newest horror obsession after The Haunting of Hill House, read this one next."--BuzzFeed

She didn't run from her dark past. She moved in.

For the lucky among us, life is what you make of it; but for Dixie Wheeler, the theme music for her story was chosen by another long ago, on the day her father butchered her mother and brothers and then slashed a knife across his own throat. Only one-year-old Dixie was spared, becoming infamously known as Baby Blue for the song left playing in the aftermath of the slaughter.

Twenty-five years later, Dixie is still desperate for a connection to the family she can't remember. So when her childhood home goes up for sale, Dixie sets aside all reason and moves in. But as the ghosts of her family seemingly begin to take up residence in the house that was once theirs, Dixie starts to question her sanity and wonders if the evil force menacing her is that of her father or a demon of her own making.

In order to make sense of her present, Dixie becomes determined to unravel the truth of her past and seeks out the detective who originally investigated the murders. But the more she learns, the more she opens up the uncomfortable possibility that the sins of her father may belong to another. As bodies begin to pile up around her, Dixie must find a way to expose the lunacy behind her family's massacre to save her few loved ones who are still alive--and whatever scrap of sanity she has left.

What if you could live again and again, until you got it right?

On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born to an English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in a variety of ways, while the young century marches on towards its second cataclysmic world war.

Does Ursula's apparently infinite number of lives give her the power to save the world from its inevitable destiny? And if she can -- will she?

Darkly comic, startlingly poignant, and utterly original: this is Kate Atkinson at her absolute best.

Can Wednesday and her service dog, Woof, sniff out Mrs. Winter's missing cat before her big trip? This is the first book of a fun full-color early chapter book series about the best detectives in the Midwest!

Detective Tip #1 Try not to jump to conclusions. Wednesday and her service dog, Woof, are the best detectives in the whole world--or at least their neighborhood. But can they find Mrs. Winters's missing cat before her big trip? Or will the case of the cat-napped kitty be their first unsolved mystery?

HarperChapters build confident readers one chapter at a time! With short, fast-paced books, art on every page, and milestone markers at the end of every chapter, they're the perfect next step for fans of I Can Read!

The perfect marriage. The perfect house. The perfect secret...

As I step through the cherry-red door of my new home, I know I should feel like the luckiest woman alive. I have a handsome husband, a beautiful daughter and now the house of my dreams. And to everyone else my life looks perfect...

When the neighbours stop by to welcome us, I tell them my name is Stephanie Hamlin and, under the watchful gaze of my husband Richard, I introduce him and our curly haired little girl Poppy. I smile as wide as I can and desperately hope I can fit in to this exclusive place with its pretty communal gardens. Because I've risked everything to be here.

Behind closed doors I try to relax, to unwind in the huge clawfoot bath and forget about my complicated past. It's hard being the new couple on the street when you've got secrets.

Because the truth is, my charming husband isn't really my husband.

And I'm not Stephanie Hamlin...

An absolutely gripping psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page. If you love Behind Closed Doors, My Lovely Wife and The Perfect Couple, you'll be hooked.

What readers are saying about Alison James:

'Oh my god! This had me on the edge of my seat, read it in one sitting... Fantastic... I was completely gripped... Absolutely loved it, totally deserves five stars.' Bonnie's Book Talk, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'WOW!! This book grabs you in from the first chapter and just doesn't let go. I stayed up until 2am just to finish it, it was that good. Five stars-a must read!!' NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Wow... I finished this in less than 24 hours, desperate to find out what happened!' Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Just brilliant, I loved every page and couldn't put it down... Brilliantly addictive... Left me wanting more... A very worthy five stars from me.' NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Totally gripping and addictive, this is definitely one of the best psychological thrillers I've ever read. Such a clever plot, and excellent characters, it will completely pull you in and not let you go until the end.' Sibzzreads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A MUST READ, this book is crying out to be made into a film. A very happy reader and definitely left me wanting more.' Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Absolutely brilliant!! So many twists and turns from the start. I was kept on the edge of my seat and enthralled throughout. A hair-raising family psychological thriller. I would highly recommend it.' Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For fans of Small Spaces and the Goosebumps series by R.L Stine comes a chilling ghost story about a girl living in the decrepit and creepy mansion, who discovers something in the woods is after her.

All Ginny Anderson wants from her summer is to sleep in, attend a mystery writing workshop, and spend time with her best friend. But when Ginny's father--a respected restoration expert in Chicago--surprises the family with a month-long trip to Michigan, everything changes. They aren't staying in a hotel like most families would. No, they're staying in a mansion. A twenty-six room, century-old building surrounded by dense forest. Woodmoor Manor.

But unfortunately, the mansion has more problems than a little peeling wallpaper. Locals claim the surrounding woods are inhabited by mutated creatures with glowing eyes. And some say campers routinely disappear in the woods, never to be seen again.

As terrifying as it sounds, Ginny can't shake the feeling that there's something darker . . . another story she hasn't been told. When the creaky floors and shadowy corners of the mansion seem to take on a life of their own, Ginny uncovers the wildest mystery of all: There's more than one legend roaming Saugatuck, Michigan, and they definitely aren't after campers.

It's after her.

"This is a teeth-chattering, eyes bulging, shuddering-and-shaking, chills-at-the-back-of-your-neck ghost story. I loved it!"--R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series on Scritch Scratch

Pick up What Lives in the Woods if you are looking for:

• A book for middle school students, 5th grade to 9th grade
• A story with a strong female protagonist that explores bravery, friendship, and family
• Mystery books for kids 9-12
• Chilling ghost stories and ghost books for kids (perfect for Halloween!)

Z was just the beginning! With A to Z Mysteries(R) Super Editions, chapter book readers keep on collecting clues and solving mysteries with Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. Now with over 8 million copies in print, this classic kid-favorite series is back with a bright new look!

Fireworks and dragons and . . . a missing girl? Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are in San Francisco, home of the biggest Chinatown outside Asia. They plan to watch the famous Chinese New Year parade and see Miss Chinatown ride by in a giant float. But during the parade, Miss Chinatown disappears, and so does her crown! Can the kids crack the case?

Look for hidden messages inside A to Z Mysteries(R) Super Editions!