Love Mystery Thriller

Is magic real? That’s what Penny has to ask herself after a mysterious book reveals her destiny as a witch.... Welcome to Hillcrest, a small box-canyon town snuggled high in the mountains of Colorado. It’s been Penny’s home for her whole life, and she’s always thought of it as a peaceful - if boring - place to live. All of that changes when the elderly Claudine Terra is killed, and a mysterious mountain pass behind her mansion opens up to through traffic. Could the new visitors to town, including a handsome vampire, have something to do with Claudine’s murder?

Embark on a riveting journey through a web of deceit and danger as a desperate scheme to reclaim custody takes an unimaginable and chilling turn. Brace yourself for a plot that defies expectations and keeps you on the edge of your seat. This harrowing tale promises a rollercoaster of emotions, where every twist and turn adds layers of intensity to an already compelling story of overcoming adversity.

Poppy Rice is home in her D.C. apartment with very little furniture and a stack of boxes she still hasn't unpacked after five years. It's three AM and she's suffering from her usual insomnia, so she watches a tape of the CBS Evening News. Dan Rather is interviewing convicted ax-murderer Rona Leigh Glueck who, in 10 days, will be the first woman executed in Texas since the Civil War. Poppy pauses the tape on a close-up of Rona Leigh's delicate, child-like hands. So maybe it was a lightweight ax?

Chief Superintendent Strange's opinion was that too little progress had been made since the discovery of a corpse in a North Oxford flat. The victim had been killed by a single stab wound to the stomach. Yet the police had no weapon, no suspect, no motive.

The area surrounding Cashiers, North Carolina, is home to people of all kinds, but the world that Jacob McNeely lives in is crueler than most. His father runs a methodically organized meth ring, with local authorities on the dime to turn a blind eye to his dealings. Having dropped out of high school and cut himself off from his peers, Jacob has been working for this father for years, all on the promise that his payday will come eventually.

Kathryn Brooker is the headmaster's wife. While her husband spends his days disciplining unruly teenagers in the grand halls of Mountbriers Academy, Kathryn spends hers baking scones for her son's cricket match in a beautiful cottage in the manicured school grounds. Anyone who peered through the downstairs sash window at the four figures sat easily around their scrubbed-pine kitchen table would see a happy family without a care in the world. They would envy Kathryn her perfect life. But they would be wrong. Kathryn is trapped in a nightmare.

As the mother of an active toddler and the wife of an often absent husband, Kiki Lowenstein already has both hands full. But when the Lowensteins move into their new house on the same day the construction crew leaves, Kiki must learn to juggle boxes, baby, and big expectations. Her determination to be a good neighbor hits a roadblock when she angers the Nordstroms, the couple who live next door. Then things come to an ugly climax when Sven Nordstrom dies under mysterious circumstances. Sadly, Kiki becomes a suspect.

Unfortunately for Ike Krane, his parents had a wicked sense of humor. So, early on, he decided to embrace his challenges rather than run from them, which is how he become a ghost hunter and ended up visiting Redemption, Wisconsin. The problem—trouble seems to follow Ike just as it did his fictional predecessor.

Ray Shepard is a wealthy architect who has mystified his friends by marrying Evelyn, a woman who works at a nail salon. Evelyn, in turn, hides a secret past about her former life in the circus, her ex-husband's mysterious death, and the colorful tattoos she carefully conceals under her clothes. When Evelyn starts to cave under the pressure of living in Ray's rarified world, she suggests they take in Ingrid, a 16-year-old girl with blue hair, a pet iguana, and no place to stay for the summer.

After two years of seeing ghosts, Rosemary Woodmere has never encountered a spirit who has appeared so soon after they were murdered. But the ghost of Dominic Frost proves it’s possible, and he immediately begs her to help find his killer. Unfortunately, the local playboy left behind a long list of scorned lovers, with ample motives to kill. Even dead, the spirit spends more time flirting than helping Rosemary with the case. When Rosemary’s search for Asher’s killer leads her to his distant relative, the similarities are unmistakable, with one difference: He’s not a ghost.

Murder is nothing new for Sheridan Hendley, amateur sleuth, or her husband, Detective Brett McMann. Still, shots fired add a layer of tension to babysitting and being neighborly. This time the murder is too close for comfort. There are no witnesses and no verified identification of the victim, not to mention the car accident prompting Sheridan to be next door. Questions are raised about an investment company and business practices. Could a kitten have the key to the motive and killer? As more information is revealed, Sheridan is in danger.

Chris Copestakes’s young life ends in a second filled with twisting metal, shattering glass, and her own terrified cry. Against all odds, she wakes up in a hospital and discovers she’s been given a second chance. But there’s a catch. A big one. She’s been returned to Earth in the body of beautiful Hallie DiBarto, the soon-to-be-ex wife of a wealthy resort owner.

When Charlie accepts an invitation for a potluck Thanksgiving feast, she immediately decides to bring dessert. Homemade pies, of course. And they look so delicious that two of the guests decide to sneak a few bites before the meal. Which wouldn’t be an issue, except they both end up dead! Obviously, Charlie didn’t poison the pies, but that’s not how it appears. Can she solve the case in time to save the day?

Gloria Parker and Stanley Thomas have always been close, but now, a life they never thought possible is finally within their reach. Though tragedy threatens to take the one thing that Gloria is certain she cannot live without, she is holding on to the fleeting notion that love can conquer anything...even death.

Three French hens, two elves, and one Santa Claus make for merry mayhem for Charlie Kingsley and the gang. When Charlie and Pat see an injured Santa on the side of the road in the middle of a snowstorm, of course they had to stop and take him to the hospital. They assumed that would be the end of their good Samaritan duties, until a dead elf is discovered in the same area where they picked up Santa … and Santa has no memory of what happened.

Mr. Satterthwaite and Colonel Melrose are comfortably ensconced in the Colonel's study when the phone suddenly rings. Someone has been murdered, and, as the county chief constable, the Colonel lets Satterthwaite accompany him to the scene of the crime. The two of them have opposing opinions on why Sir James Dwighton has been bashed over the head with a blunt instrument. Rumor had it that red-haired beauty Laura Dwighton and her guest, the very attractive Mr. Paul Delangua, were engaged in an illicit affair, and Paul was thrown out by the disgruntled Sir James. But the facts of the murder all seem to add up too nicely....

Summer is coming to an end at the picturesque seaside town of Seacrest, and with it comes a food truck festival like they've never seen before. Even Margaret gets in on the fad, setting up her own tea truck. But business is hardly booming, and it's left her in poor spirits. But for the moment, Megan has bigger problems. Santiago calls from jail, requesting that she come visit. However, when she does, their conversation makes no sense at all. Why would he use up their precious few minutes speaking gibberish? As Megan begins piecing it all together, she realizes he's just given her a BIG clue.

Marie Fortune, 39 ans, toiletteuse de chiens prospère à Boston, quitte sa vie stressante et rejoint une petite ville côtière du Maine pour y démarrer une nouvelle vie. Elle a la ferme intention de rénover la vieille maison historique léguée par sa grand-tante, et de la faire revivre en tant que chambre d’hôte. Or il y a une chose qu’elle n’avait pas prévue : la maison est hantée. Deux choses, en fait : sa grand-tante lui a aussi laissé un chien – qui est loin d’être ordinaire.

When someone close to Lilah is murdered in what is clearly an assassination, Lilah finds herself looking to Ghost, one of the deadliest assassins in the world. But is Ghost a friend or an enemy? Lilah's about to find out. But Ghost isn't the only one close to Lilah who may well be an enemy. Apparently, the line between friendship and murder, is bloody thin.

Listeners know that few authors are able to create an atmosphere of unease and terror as well as Oates, a fact confirmed by the four novellas presented here. All the novellas in this collection revolve around the theme of love gone wrong - horribly, shockingly wrong.