Humorous Thriller

Dorothy Scarborough was an academic and author who had a particular interest in the supernatural. The following collection, first published in 1921, features stories that have a strong comical or satirical focus.

Bad news comes in . . . fours? For romance author and former pool shark Jessie Hewitt it does. She hasn't written a decent sex scene in months, she hasn't shot a decent game of eight ball all year, and don't even ask about her supposed love life. And just when Jessie thinks things can't get any worse, a body lands on her car. Uber-hunky and altogether infuriating cop Wilson Rye suggests she concentrate on solving her other problems and leave the murder investigation to the experts. But does Jessie agree? Take a guess.

It's chaos once more on the bridge of the Toxic Spew. But this time, the ship's problems are of a most human nature - they've run out of food! Mutiny, cannibalism and plain old theft are suggested as potential problem-solvers, but Captain Harvey politely requests that the crew think of something else. When the team arrive at the Interstellar Service Station, it's spookily deserted, and it's not long before Harvey suspects there's something fishy going on....

When his favorite television superhero, The Gecko, comes to town, Nolan not only befriends the star but helps him expose a sleazy tabloid reporter known as the Mole.

"Don't move a muscle!" shouts a strangely clad crook in the act of robbing a bank. But of course somebody does. That somebody is Dave Sanchez, and the crook is none other than the dastardly Damien Black, fresh out of prison and back to his villainous ways. But Dave and his gecko sidekick, Sticky, are on the case, and this time they have a trick up their sleeve - literally! It's an Aztec wristband that give its wearer powers like invisibility and flight. Asombroso, right?

Who could’ve hated Janice Wilkerson enough to kill her? She didn’t have many friends, and everyone who knew her admits that they never liked her much. But what other secrets are Janice’s acquaintances hiding? Meanwhile, Tiffany's friend, Ian, is forced to disguise himself as a woman, and Nanna insists she should help with the investigation....

When a much-despised politician is murdered, Tiffany Black and her friend, Ian, must uncover the truth about his death. But when the investigation keeps turning up dead ends, Nanna, who's visiting Las Vegas for a few days, insists on "helping" Tiffany and Ian, with surprising results. Meanwhile, Tiffany keeps searching for clues about Stone's past, and finally uncovers an important connection.

When Tiffany's friend, Stone, decides that he needs to disappear, Tiffany tries to track him down. In her attempt to find Stone, Tiffany runs into a self-proclaimed diva, Lana Fierst, who also happens to be a judge on a reality-TV show. Lana claims that her life is in danger - and when Tiffany and Ian agree to help her out, they soon find their lives endangered, too. Meanwhile, Karma's grandchildren drop by for a visit, and Tiffany decides to throw caution to the wind and learn to bake her own cupcakes.

When cupcake-loving croupier and private investigator Tiffany Black meets an adorable lost kitten, she never imagines it will lead her straight to a murder investigation. But when she is asked to investigate the death of architect-turned-poker-addict Max Langton, she stumbles upon a group of unpleasant neighbors, who also happen to be potential murderers. Meanwhile, Tiffany struggles to balance her love life when her friend, Stone, asks her for a small favor - a tiny task that leads Tiffany to doubt Stone’s past.

Special Agent Gabriel Stryker has a penchant for packing heat, thwarting his enemies, and dropping awful puns. And not necessarily in that order. When an international weapons dealer sets his sights on New York City on New Year's Eve, it's up to Stryker to get to the bottom of his nefarious plan before the clock strykes zero. With the help of his not-so-ex-girlfriend and intrepid, acid-tongued reporter, Vikki Phoenix, Stryker will need to call on every last bit of awesomeness - and the occasional spanking - to keep Vikki on the straight and narrow and out of harm's way.

Barker Mifflin never leaves home without his go bag, his army boots, and his trusty flyswatter. As the town of Nevermind’s resident eleven-year-old survivalist, Barker knows catastrophe can strike anytime, anywhere. But now that school is out for the summer, he might be able to let his guard down. After all, he and his friends all got jobs picking strawberries at McFadden Farm. What could possibly go wrong?

For Tad Spencer, only son of a fabulously wealthy businessman, every day is like Christmas. Until he makes the mistake of wishing he was someone else. The next morning he wakes up as Bob Snarby, trapped in a cruel and squalid funfair world inhabited by hopeless criminals, mysterious fortune tellers and – worst of all – the murderous Finn.

This is the nine-book series of comedy-mysteries featuring the tough and crass, wise-cracking private detective who happens to be a hugely successful ladies' man. In a series of tales involving murder, blackmail, and other assorted acts of violence and deceit, Brett learns the hard way that there's a steep price to be paid for being such an unscrupulous bastard. Not recommended for the politically-correct crowd.

A dust devil of mystery and mayhem pulls Claire into a storm full of rowdy sisters, ominous threats, relationship snafus, and a dangerous mine that could be a treasure trove of trouble. It's only a matter of time before this rumble turns into an all-out calamity!

Horrifying things are happening at Gloomsburg Castle. To begin with, the creepy place is crawling with Tiny Biting Ghosts (or "TIBIGS", in official ghosthunter code). And now it appears as if the murderous spirit of a brutal Baroness has taken hold of the landlady, infecting her with a killer case of hic-hic-hiccups!

Twelve-year-old Emma is excited to spend a weekend away at best friend Samantha's house for an epic sleepover with Sam and her out-of-town cousins. But things take a turn for the spooky when Emma's peculiar new book, Tales from the Scaremaster, shows it has a mind of its own - and weaves a story starring Emma and some cousins hiding a very creepy secret!

Aidan and Olivia live in a creaky old house on the edge of a dirty, swampy lake. Craving some excitement, they convince their parents to let them camp out by the lakeshore under a full moon, with only their dog for company. Aidan loves to scare his sister and has plenty of funny tricks up his sleeve for their campout. But the twins are about to find out that the creepy old book that washed ashore, Tales from the Scaremaster, has a mind of its own - and its mind is set on scares beyond Aidan's wildest dreams!

As an ex-star of a hit teen detective show, Maizie Albright gets the youth demographic, or so she thought. Now that she’s adulting, today’s kids make Maizie feel out of date. But at least the teen YouTube stars of Bigfoot Trackers want to hire her to look into the disappearance and possible murder of their producer, a murder the police find as likely as Bigfoot.

In continuing her career-makeover quest as a for-real detective, ex-teen and reality star Maizie Albright has a big learning curve to overcome. A sleuthing background starring in a TV show - Julia Pinkerton, Teen Detective - does not cut the real-life mustard. It doesn't even buy her lunch, let alone extra condiments. Her chosen mentor, Wyatt Nash of Nash Security Solutions, is not a willing teacher.

Hot on the success of her first case, British female sleuth Daisy Dunlop can count the offers of work on one finger. An empty bank account and the need to prove to her business partner, private investigator Solomon Liffey, that she is an asset, not a liability, calls for drastic measures. Terror has to be overcome as she answers a plea to find the one thing that gives her night sweats and flashbacks. An animal. A missing stud poodle, to be exact.