New Mystery Thrillers

Previously uncollected and unpublished: new short stories from a master of psychological suspense. New and uncollected tales of murder, mischief, magic and madness. Ruth Rendell was an acknowledged master of psychological suspense: these are 10 (and a quarter) of her most chillingly compelling short stories, collected here together for the first time.

When Savanna Robinson showed up at Wicklow College to assume her new teaching position, she was somewhat curious about the abrupt departure of her predecessor. Then she discovered he had been murdered. No one knew who killed him, or why, but everyone had their theories and suspects. Even the police—arcane and mundane—didn't seem very eager to investigate too deeply. But Savanna discovered a possible connection with the murder of a broker of rare arcane books. Were there really spells that could change your luck?

In the New England university town of Elm Harbor, a murder begins to crack the veneer that has hidden the racial complications of the town's past, the secrets of a prominent family, and the most hidden bastions of African-American political influence. At the center is Lemaster Carlyle, the university president, and his wife, Julia Carlyle, a deputy dean at the divinity school - African Americans living in "the heart of whiteness".

Dave Robicheaux returns in another Bayou adventure, this one more gruesome and gut-wrenching than any that have come before. Hurricane Katrina has ravaged New Orleans, leaving the streets and buildings flooded and the city awash with opportunists, looters, and vicious criminals. There is no order, no law. Police are shooting randomly at innocent people, prison guards have abandoned their posts, and bodies float through the streets and hang from trees.

With sole custody of her brother, Kennedy has more to worry about than the antics of his favorite YouTube creators. But when one called Kidd launches an absurd challenge—with a large payday—to celebrate ten million subscribers, she winds up playing high-stakes hide-and-seek in the mall. After the game gets dangerous, she has to wonder: Is someone really out for the ultimate unsubscribe?

Caught between three vampire brothers and coveted for her bloodline, Eleira is swept into a world of supernatural magic where nothing is as it seems and betrayal lurks behind every corner. She must fight for her survival or risk being made prey for the very creatures who keep her there. But when she discovers a dark, twisted prophecy with her at its center, she is pulled deep into the heart of The Haven... and realizes that the vampires she seeks to escape might just be the key to her salvation.

Amy’s opening a pet salon with her grumpy grandmother, Granny, after a stressful stint in Pine Grove. But when Amy’s first and only customer is murdered, she realizes if she doesn't catch the killer, the grand opening of her pet salon could be ruined. Hotshot rookie cop Michael Fine thinks Amy committed the murder. Amy and Granny know he’s wrong, but they don’t have proof. There’s a killer on the loose in their little slice of heaven, and if the ladies don't solve the mystery, they could lose their business...or worse.

Welcome to Nightshade, California small town full of secrets. Its home to the psychic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case!

A stingy ex-husband, a teenage daughter, and a rusted-out Ford Escort have multiplied her troubles. Tripping over a dead body while on her morning jog seems like another incident for the minus column. But then her new editor at the newspaper gives her a regular column detailing the investigation. He's handsome, single, and just a bit mysterious. Suddenly, Colleen's life is on the plus side. Unfortunately, one dead algebra teacher plus two secret affairs plus four suspicious suspects quickly adds up to three perilous "accidents" for Colleen.

Sheridan Hendley is starting her new life as wife and step-mom, but is not employed, and has too much time on her hands. That is, until her step-daughter and friend are framed for theft and murder. Sheridan discovers the powerful family in her small town. Only she asks too many questions, and now is a target.

From the creator of Falco comes Falco: The New Generation, featuring her unforgettable heroine, Flavia Albia, in her third novel. In the blazing July heat of imperial Rome, Flavia Albia inspects a decomposing corpse. It has been discovered in lots to be auctioned by her family business, so she's determined to identify the dead man and learn how he met his gruesome end. The investigation will give her a chance to work with the magistrate, Manlius Faustus, the friend she sadly knows to be the last chaste man in Rome.

Flavia Albia's day-old marriage is in trouble - her new husband may be permanently disabled, and they have no funds. So when Palace officials ask her to help expose a plotter in their midst, she is obliged to accept their commission. The plot could not be bigger. Ever since he died in AD 68, apparently by his own hand, Rome has been haunted by reports that Emperor Nero is in fact very much alive and about to return to claim his throne.

Being an undercover poison taster for the rich and famous is hard enough without being dragged into clearing the name of your former nemesis.... Especially when you think he might be guilty. To make matters worse, Izzy and her elderly accomplice aren't the only ones digging into the murder case, and the other parties are a whole lot more dangerous. And if her old nemesis didn't do it, then the real killer won't appreciate their interference.

New Year's Eve has always been a special time for the small town, Holiday Junction, with its annual tradition, the Sparkle Ball, along with the town Merry Maker spreading joy and cheer to all its residents. But this year, the joy is short-lived when local nuisance and troublemaker, Hillary Stevens, is found murdered in holiday town’s mini-village.

Rachel is determined to be the perfect mother. She has a birth plan, with a playlist and a bag ready by the door. She’s chosen a lovely light cream paint for the nursery, and in wide-eyed, innocent Abbie she’s found the perfect person to help her with her baby. Because every mother needs a bit of help, don’t they? But Rachel needs a little more than most. She still makes sure her bedroom door is locked before she goes to sleep. She still checks the cameras that are dotted throughout the house.

Celia is a beauty consultant who loves making her clients look good and helping her friends get out of trouble. She also has a bad habit of poking her nose in some police investigations. She's delighted when her dear friend announces that she'll be opening a nail parlor in the heart of town. Still, she's a little bit concerned about her friend's lack of business experience and the characters who'll be helping her in this venture. Celia becomes a nervous wreck when she hears that there's been a death at the nail parlor and her friend is the prime suspect.

Ash Ayininkalbi has spent her whole life searching for who she is supposed to be. She doesn't know where she came from, why she can use magic, or why these two mega hot alien bear-shifters have suddenly kidnapped her. But, she does know one thing. Science. Her brains have gotten her out of worse situations than being stuck between two...aliens? Bears? Supermodels?

It's 1933, and Eric Campbell, the man who would be Australia's Fuehrer, is on a fascist tour of the continent seeking allegiances. Yet the Australian way of life is not undefended. The clandestine armies of the Establishment have mobilised to undermine Campbell's ambitions. But when the Establishment's man in Munich is killed, desperate measures are necessary. Rowland Sinclair must travel to Germany to defend Australian democracy from the relentless march of Fascism.

The letterbox clatters and sitting on the mat is a piece of paper, in black and white, with everything needed to blow Anna’s perfect life apart. A baby scan photo. Anna and Jon have been trying for a baby with no success, so after years of disappointment, this feels like a kick in the teeth. Who sent it? And why?

On December 30, Susan Stark was dropped off in front of her parents' house. She hasn't been heard from since. Not a good scenario, especially in New York. Former nun (now crime investigator) Christine Bennett fears the worst. Armed with only a few phone numbers and a photo of Susan, she steps into the missing girl's life - and meets a Susan that neither her parents nor her boyfriend knew existed…