Private Detective Fiction

In the stack of envelopes on top of Gideon's desk, one was curiously unlabeled, the same as any random piece of junk. He slid it open nonetheless. All the envelope contained was a simple leaf...dark green with serrated edges, finely divided and lacy. It was almost triangular, broad at the base with the tip tapering to an almost point. No sooner did he lay the envelope down on his desk, his phone rang. It was the Chief of Police requesting his service on another case.

Black Rock Cove, on the coastline of Oregon, has a unique and sinister charm. It is a quaint fishing village and charming resort for summertime visitors by day, but by night...well, that’s a different story. The murder of Oliver Bateman was purely the strangest of all crimes. A gunshot was heard as he fell dead in the courtyard, but bullet holes were missing from his body. Three deep knife wounds, however, covered his chest. Even stranger, Elizabeth Knight, daughter of famed Nobel Prize winner William Knight, was discovered in her locked bedroom on the brink of death.

Things were quiet in Nameless' San Francisco agency, and his partner, Tamara, was itching to get back to work. A deadbeat father needed to be found, and Tamara needed to do some fieldwork, so she took off for his last known address. When Tamara goes missing, Nameless feels a sinking in his gut: A few years ago he had been kidnapped and left to die in a cabin in the woods, and something about Tamara's disappearance echoes too loudly.

The police said it was an accident. The dead woman's sister said it was murder...and that she knew who did it. Nameless isn't certain, but the more he learns about Nancy Mathias' life, the more inclined he is to accept the possibility that her sister is right. Combine that with the situation Jake Runyan, one of the agency's partners, is facing as he searches for a young man who is either a murderer or a victim, and life at their San Francisco detective agency has everyone on edge.

Nameless wasn't supposed to come into the office on Mondays; he wasn't supposed to answer the phone. On this Monday, he did both. The call was from Barney Rivera - once a friend, now despised - at Great Western Insurance. Against his better judgment, Nameless agreed to meet with him.

The investigation was relatively simple: a multimillionaire rare books collector had reported the theft of eight volumes, worth a half million dollars. From a locked library. To which he has the only key.

Bill, the “Nameless Detective”, and his wife, Kerry, were in the Sierra foothills, just outside of Six Pines, falling in love with a cabin. It was all perfect, until Kerry went missing. They’d seen Balfour at breakfast at the diner and Kerry remembered his name… PR people are like that. Which was unfortunate, because when she ran into him along the trail on that sunny afternoon and called him by name, he panicked. And that’s when Bill’s nightmare began.

Before I can say café latte, Galloway’s dodging my calls, I’ve got a raccoon on my hands who’s decided mi casa es su casa, my ghostly best friend has a crush to die for, and local teenager Kira Melendez has turned up missing. So much for an easy day. I have a sneaking suspicion my life is about to become a whole new level of crazy.

Springtime on the Cornish coast and Porthpella’s artistic community are throwing open their doors, welcoming visitors to the annual Arts Trail. And this year, celebrity artist Harrison Loveday is the guest of honour. However, the light mood soon darkens when there’s a dramatic death at the opening-night party, and after threatening messages start appearing around the village, fear takes over. Before long, Porthpella is shocked by a second brutal murder, and whisperings of a ‘serial killer’ start to circulate.

After moving into the oldest beachfront home in Kitty Hawk, Senator Reginald Forsythe hires Detective Weston Wolf to watch over his wife. The senator fears his wife may be possessed by the ghost of a woman who built the house back in 1896, Wolf's assignment is to keep Rebecca Winston Forsythe safe and make sure nothing scandalous happens that would jeopardize Forsythe's political career. Wolf soon discovers the case is more problematic than he ever imagined.

Jess Thornton, private eye, is a young man from the small city of La Crosse, Wisconsin, who nevertheless manages to find himself in strange and often supernatural situations as he tries to solve crimes. From traveling through time to fighting witches, he could only survive with the help of his preternaturally gifted warrior friend, Alexander Blackdeer. The two of them together, in this box set of four tales, manage to meet Elvis, King Arthur, and even Nathan Hixon of early La Crosse historic fame. He attacks crime where he finds it, with Alexander the mighty warrior beside him.

Imagine if Sherlock Holmes was a bear! Alternative universe mysteries for adult animal lovers that relate the exploits of super-sleuth Octavius Bear and his cohorts. Just for fun, this series swaps anthropomorphic animals for humans in a world very similar to our own 21st century. Earth minus homo sapiens.

A half-naked woman dead in a ditch. A disappearing pathologist. A teenager run off the road. For a peaceful island, Anglesey is experiencing abnormal levels of crime. What's the connection? DS Dara Brennan has women problems. His boss, Amanda Gold, is embroiled in office politics, and his wife thinks he's a disappointment. And then there's DS Kelly Morgan. As missing-person cases become murder enquiries, Dara must put aside his personal life and focus on the killer's trail.

Everyone's mourning in the nameless detective's office, and he doesn't like it one bit. For his own part, Nameless is spending more and more time at the cemetery, and at home he's hit a brick wall in his relationship with his wife. He'd rather be managing his pulp magazine collection and battling his weight, but, unfortunately, life won't cut Nameless a break.

For each of the detectives at the agency, a betrayal becomes not only the driving force behind an investigation, but the source of the kind of resolve that cannot be derailed by threats. Tamara's case began as something personal explodes as an investigation of her former lover leads to a scam that bilks charities. For Nameless, trying to find out who is gaslighting an old woman only exposes the ugly side of family. We're told that there are seven deadly sins; not on the list is the deadliest of them all: betrayal.

When a popular high school senior is shot by police following a late-night robbery, chaos ensues. The actions of the officer are immediately called into question. Amid community protests, political grandstanding, department leaks, and reluctant witnesses, Byron and his team must work quickly to find the missing pieces. And when an attempt is made on the officer’s life, Byron shifts into overdrive, putting everything on the line. Was the attack merely retribution or something more sinister? The search for the truth may come at a price not even Byron can afford.

It is 1939 and the Second World War looms ever closer. Blind war veteran Frederick Rowlands travels to the neutral territory of Ireland at the behest of Celia Swift, whose husband, Edward Swift, Lord Castleford, has been receiving mysterious death threats. When a body is discovered, Castleford finds himself being accused of a murder he did not commit. As Castleford’s trial begins, Rowlands must fight to save his friend’s reputation — and his neck from the gallows. But will the Blind Detective identify the true killer in time, or will it be too late?

Thorpeness, 1973. Wrongly exiled from London, Judge Neville Hanmer sought solace and a quiet life on the Suffolk coast. But then a face from the past unexpectedly resurfaces and he turns to The Anglian Detective Agency for help. Laurel, Frank, and the rest of the team are busier than ever trying to solve the mysterious theft of rare plants from Yoxford Hall Gardens. But when Judge Hanmer doesn't show for their meeting, they find themselves embroiled in yet another case.

It’s December in Cornwall, and Mousehole harbour is illuminated with its famous Christmas lights. Ally Bright is among the crowd listening to the carol singers—and then to the piercing screams that rip through the darkness. A body has been found, brutally murdered and dumped in a fisherman’s boat.

There's no place like home for the holidays - or for having you darkest secrets revealed! Can Rafael Jones manage to find the missing girl, build on his romance with agent Clara Thomas, and still keep his parents thinking he's living a normal life instead of being living dead? And will working for the forces of Heaven strengthen Rafael's faith or shake it? Wizards, witches, angels, and pixie dust bring their own surprises for Rafael's Christmas.

PI Jarvis Mann was captivated by the sultry tones of his female client.... Emily White with girl next door looks and shimmering eyes that begged for help…. She is being stalked but isn’t certain by whom…and this wasn’t the first time.