Urban Mystery

PI by day, reluctant witch by necessity—Beatrix has a case to crack and a legacy to reclaim. I walked away from my magic, my past, and the home I was born to protect. For the last decade, I’ve been scraping by as a PI in the non-magical world, solving human problems and ignoring the legacy that should have been mine. My magic is barely worth mentioning—unless you count my ability to sense emotions, which is frequently about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Crishell "Shell" McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise. The former actress can now take over her late aunt's pet shop, the Purr N Bark, and do something she loves. While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt's Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit. She finds the prospect exciting - until a museum board member, who had a longstanding feud with Shell's aunt, votes against it.

Being a private investigator wasn’t supposed to be complicated. I expected cheating spouses and missing pets like BonBon, a kidnapped ‘pure-bred Schnoodle’ with a ruby-studded collar. What I didn’t expect was a desperate elf on my doorstep, begging for help to find her missing parents. Nor did I think that my search would drag me back into the magical world I’d tried so hard to leave behind.

Are you ready to be scared? Pennsylvania is filled with phenomena science cannot explain. Houses in which the floorboards creak and door open on their own, battlefields where fallen soldiers walk again, strange sounds coming from the forest, spooky lights in the sky, and much more. Renowned paranormalist Tony Urban has collected over 25 tales of the unexplained from one end of PA to the other.

How will you die? Dr. Atwell knows. He knows how everyone will die, even the ones he won't kill himself. He also knows about all your clones. You didn't really think you were the original, did you? He's even traveled back in time to bring his daughter back from the dead. Shadow on the Stairs is a collection of short thriller, horror, mystery, and suspense stories.

It’s not every day that a whistleblower shows up and drops a satchel full of damning documents in my lap. Photographs, audits, and reports, all showing willful wrongdoing by a major magical manufacturer; everything a journalist could ever want for a front page story. Then the whistleblower wound up dead, and my easy work week was shattered. Despite official reports, I knew he didn’t die in a workplace safety accident. What was less obvious, at least until I started digging, was how much fallout his death would leave behind.

Pet shop owner Shell McMillan is thrilled to see everyone in Fox Hollow flocking to the local animal shelter's fundraiser, where they can get their old keepsakes and collectibles appraised and maybe even sell them for a tidy sum. But the event has drawn some shady characters as well, including Pete Martin, who seems determined to get his hands on a beat-up old jewelry box at any cost. Then Martin is found murdered, and Shell has to go from fundraising to finding a killer.

New England is filled with phenomena science cannot explain. Houses in which the floorboards creak and doors open on their own, waters upon which ghost ships sail, spooky sounds coming from the forest, eerie lights in the sky, and much more.

Now that the dust has settled, the Chosen are on the verge of unleashing hell on Earth, and John Hunter still has no idea what he is. Unlucky for Jonny and his new allies, the family Grimm has a solution. Another hybrid exists. And they teach at the Godmother Academy.

Desperate to find a director for their annual production, the Fox Hollow Players have a stroke of luck when Shell McMillan's actress mother lands a prominent theater director for the job. He's more gruff and demanding than the small-town cast and crew are used to, but his soft side for animals quickly endears him to pet shop owner Shell. Persuading her to let him use a shed on her property where he can work in peace, Shell is horrified when she finds his dead body there. And with obvious signs of foul play, she can't help but investigate the murder.

With the grand re-opening of her Urban Tails Pet Shop just days away, Shell McMillan has her hands full planning entertainment for the festive event, including a fortune-telling parrot. But her jubilant mood is soon threatened by ominous rumors of the return of Johnny Draco, a former investment guru who swindled money from most of the residents of Fox Hollow and then vanished without a trace. And when the parrot predicts a dire future for Draco and his dead body is found just hours later, no one can say they're surprised—but no one will say who did it.

Trahaearn, the Arch Druid, longs for the simple times when a battle with vampires was his biggest worry. Now that humans can see the whole of the faerie world, he fears for the very survival of the magical folk. The last time humans saw the fae, it was genocide. This time, Trahaearn must find a way for the two worlds to live together, or both will die in a massacre that will spread like a plague over the globe.

On the brink of finally breaking the dwarven smuggler ring in Atlanta, Tallow Jones, Wizard of Mysteries, discovers a far more gruesome monster let loose on the streets. Was this killer brought to our world by the dwarves, or is it a homegrown terror? People are being killed by magic, and Tallow finds himself one step behind.

When Detective Douglas Jones' son goes missing under strange circumstances, everyone assumes he ran away. The first break in the case comes when a long-lost relative shows up with a new name and a strange tattoo on the palm of his left hand. His name is Tallow Jones. He is a private detective... and a wizard. A wizard is needed too, because in Atlanta, strange abductions are just the tip of the iceberg.

Agent Cèsar Hawke is in his element when he’s investigating magical crime. And with his boss out of town, Cèsar gets to pick which cases he works on. He’s bent on doing nothing involving demons, zombies, or fallen angels this time. Instead he’s going to find the witch who used magic to rob a bank.

It's the dead of night; you are fast asleep. Suddenly, you are wide awake but unable to move. Hunched over you in the shadows is an eight- or nine-foot-tall gaunt entity with spider-thin limbs, dressed in an old-style black suit, its pale face missing eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. You finally manage to cry out. The monstrous thing disappears as suddenly as it appeared. You just had a terrifying encounter with the Slenderman. Who - or what - is the Slenderman? His existence began on the Internet, but he didn't stay online.

Step into a world of spine-tingling excitement with the Brave Kids' Book of Scary Urban Legends: Humor & Mystery Unite. This thrilling collection invites brave young listeners to embark on a hair-raising adventure through eerie urban legends, haunted places, unexplained phenomena, supernatural objects, legendary creatures, and pop culture ghostly mischief. Brave kids will giggle and gasp as they face the Chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, the Loch Ness Monster, and Bigfoot with newfound courage.

Christian Greve is a photographer. He waves teddy bears at little children, arranges families like vases of flowers, and records graduations and dances for posterity. As a child, he was raised by a mother who thought he made a good mannequin to practice her makeup on... and a good plaything for her tricks.

"Tales and Trails: Unraveling Asia's Urban Myths" is a delightful voyage through Asia's strangeness. This excellent book explores China, Korea, and Japan's cultures. It vibrantly blends folklore, history, and the human spirit. See the terrifying Gumiho, brave Chollima, mysterious Jade Rabbit, and Forbidden City whispers. Climb Kuchisake-Onna's terrifying peak in the dark Aokigahara Forest. From Beijing's hectic streets to China's calm farms, Japan's intriguing forests to Korea's wild beaches, these stories take listeners to many places.

Ireland has a rich folklore. Everyone knows about the fairy folk and leprechauns and many have heard of the fearsome banshee. There are also the usual ghost stories found in every old land. The stranger side of the Emerald Isle goes much deeper than that, however, with tales of phantom armies marching through the sky, sea monsters swimming in the waters around the island, and stories of strange powers and dark magic.