Bücher veröffentlicht von Minotaur Books

Career-criminal Crissa Stone never works too close to home, or with the same crew, or rushes a job. These rules have kept her from doing any time. They're the rules her mentor and lover taught her, rules he didn't follow as closely as he should've. Now he's up for parole, and Crissa needs to come up with the money to help grease the wheels. Word is that there's an illegal card game set for less than a week from now. The take? Plenty. Desperate, Crissa slaps a plan together, but when one of her crew starts shooting, she catches the attention of Eddie the Saint. A hit man, Eddie is no less of a pro than Crissa, and he could use the work.One of the most talented writers working in crime fiction today, Wallace Stroby's Cold Shot to the Heart is a tight, propulsive story that will hold readers captive until well after all the crooks have fled the scene.

Caius Julius Caesar, now dictator of Rome, has decided to revise the Roman calendar, which has become out of sync with the seasons. As if this weren't already an unpopular move, Caesar has brought in astronomers and astrologers from abroad, including Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, and Persians. Decius is appointed to oversee this project, which he knows rankles the Roman public: "To be told by a pack of Chaldeans and Egyptians how to conduct their duties towards the gods was intolerable." Not long after the new calendar project begins, two of the foreigners are murdered. Decius begins his investigations, and, as the body count increases, it seems that an Indian fortune-teller popular with patrician Roman ladies is also involved. Decius figures out the fortune-teller's scam and also exposes the foreign astrologer who carried out these murders-almost losing his life in the process.This latest in the acclaimed series is sure to please historical mystery fans.

When Germanic troops in the service of the Empire begin to rebel, and a Roman general disappears, Emperor Vespasian turns to the one man he can trust: Marcus Didius Falco, a private informer whose rates are low enough that even the stingy Vespasian is willing to pay them. To Falco, an undercover tour of Germania is an assignment from Hades. On a journey that only a stoic could survive, Falco meets with disarray, torture, and murder. His one hope: in the northern forest lives a powerful Druid priestess who perhaps can be persuaded to cease her anti-Rome activities and work for peace. Which Falco is eagerly hoping for as, back in Rome, the Titus Caesar is busy trying to make time with Helena Justina, a senator's daughter and Falco's girlfriend.Lindsey Davis' historical mystery Iron Hand of Mars is a "Seamless blending of humor, history and adventure" (Publishers Weekly).

In A.D. 670 Fidelma of Cashel is asked to act as an advisor to the Irish delegation to a hostile church council. In an abbey in Burgundy, Bishop Leodegar of Autun has assembled church leaders from all over western Europe, intending to use the council to deliver a death blow to the Celtic Church. But his plans are threatened when one of the delgates is found murdered, his skull crushed. Fidelma and her husband, Brother Eadulf, are suddenly in the midst of a murder investigation involving some of the most powerful religious leaders. The duo soon find that between the autocratic Bishop Leodegar and the malignant abbess, Mother Audofleda, a web of sinister intrigue is spreading throughout the abbey. And murder is only the beginning. The theft of a priceless reliquary box, the disappearance of local women and children, and the concurrent rumors of a slave trade all combine to make this one of the most diabolical puzzles that Fidelma and Eadulf have ever faced.

Rebecca Robbins is a woman on a mission---to sell the roller rink she inherited from her mother and get back to Chicago. Fast. However, when she discovers the dead body of the town's handyman headfirst in a rink toilet, potential buyers are scared off. Now Rebecca is stuck in a small town where her former neighbors think she doesn't belong, living with her scarily frisky grandfather, Pop, and relying on a police department that's better at gardening than solving crimes.Eager to move forward with her life, Rebecca begins investigating the murder herself, reluctantly accepting help from Pop and his extensive social network, which includes a handsome veterinarian and a former circus camel named Elwood. Nevertheless, someone isn't happy she's looking into the case, and their threats will have her questioning whether playing sleuth was such a good idea after all.Joelle Charbonneau's debut is a sheer delight---a laugh-out-loud mystery with plenty of heart.

Thomas Kaufman is a winner of the PWA Best First Private Eye Novel Competition. His debut novel, Drink the Tea, which boasts an original PI and an engaging cast of characters, adds a fresh perspective to the genre.Willis Gidney is a born liar and rip-off artist, an expert at the scam. Growing up without parents or a home, by age twelve he is a successful young man, running his own small empire, until he meets Shadrack Davies. That's Captain Shadrack Davies, of the D.C. Police. Davies wants to reform Gidney and becomes his foster father. Though he tries not to, Gidney learns a small amount of ethics from Shad---just enough to bother a kid from the streets for the rest of his life.Now Gidney is a PI, walking those same streets. So it's no surprise that when his closest friend, jazz saxophonist Steps Jackson, asks Gidney to find his missing daughter, Gidney is compelled to say yes---even though she's been missing for twenty-five years. He finds a woman who may be the girl's mother--and within hours she turns up dead. The police accuse Gidney of the murder and throw him in jail.Maybe Gidney should quit while he's behind. But when his investigation puts him up against a ruthless multinational corporation, a two-faced congressman, and a young woman desperate to conceal her past, Gidney has no time left for second thoughts. In fact, he may have no time left at all.

In September 1925, Scotland Yard DCI Alec Fletcher inherits a large house on the outskirts of London, from a recently deceased great-uncle. Fortunately so, as he and his wife, the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher, are the recent proud parents of twins and their house is practically bursting at the seams. Though in need of a bit of work, this new, larger house seems a godsend- set in a small circle of houses, with a communal garden and Hamstead Heath nearby, the setting is idyllic.Idyllic, that is until a dead body shows up half-hidden under the bushes of the communal garden. Now rumors of bootleggers, American gangsters, and an international liquor smuggling operation via black ships have turned everything in their new neighborhood upside down. Alec is assigned by Scotland Yard to ferret out the truth behind the dastardly dead - but it's up to Daisy to find out who the dead man is, what his relationship to her new neighbors is, why he was murdered and who did him in!

Murder never takes a holiday!''Tis the season for tree trimming, mistletoe-dangling, and a cut-throat competition that has everyone in Caerphilly on edge. Whatever happened to the simple joys and magical spirits of Christmas? Meg Langslow''s own mother is among those participating in a holiday-themed design extravaganza in which each room in an untenanted show house is decorated for the public to view. All the proceeds go to charity-so why are all the contestants fighting tooth and nail to win first prize?"Intrigue...amusement...Andrews reliably delivers. She also manages to slip in profundities and sentiments that warm the heart."-New York Journal of BooksThat is the question Meg is trying to answer after Clay Spottiswood, the most haughty and hostile of the designers, turns up dead. With tempers flaring and fears on the rise, can Meg sort through the tinsel-strewn mayhem and solve a murder...before the killer strikes again? "Andrews does a spectacular job tying up all the loose ends into a big holiday bow!"-The Criminal Element

This time, Meg has got herself into a Holy mess!"A yuletide funfest."—Richmond Times-DispatchIn Duck the Halls, the brilliantly funny Donna Andrews delivers boughs of holly and barrels of laughs with Meg''s latest adventure in her award-winning, New York Times bestselling series. A few nights before Christmas, Meg Langslow is awakened when volunteer fireman Michael is summoned to the New Life Baptist Church, where someone has rigged a cage full of skunks in the choir loft. The lengthy process of de-skunking the church requires its annual pre-Christmas concert to relocate to Trinity Episcopal, where Mother insists the show must go on, despite the budget-related protests of Mr. Vess, an elderly vestryman. Meanwhile, when Meg helps her grandfather take the skunks to the zoo, they discover that his boa has been stolen. . .only to turn up later during the concert, slithering out from the ribbon-bedecked evergreens. The next morning is Sunday, and the congregation of St. Byblig''s, the local Catholic church, arrives to find it completely filled with several hundred ducks."Extravagantly funny." —Publishers WeeklyIt''s clear that some serious holiday pranksters are on the loose, and Meg is determined to find them. But before she can, a fire breaks out at Trinity, and Mr. Vess is found dead. Who would have murdered such a harmless—if slightly cranky—old man? Who has the time, during the busy holiday season, to herd all of these animals into the town''s churches? And will Meg ever be able to finish all of her shopping, wrapping, cooking, caroling, and decorating in time for Christmas Eve?"A quirky…humorous…holiday treat." —Booklist

Two side-splitting Christmas mysteries and an all-new short story from the Meg Langslow series, collected in one edition for fans of The New York Times bestselling author, Donna AndrewsFrom ducks to geese to nightingales, Donna Andrews knows her birds! And she''s channeled all her skill and winning humor into crafting these two Christmas mysteries with the perfect balance of comedy, suspense, and a dash of holiday cheer.This special collections starts with Six Geese A-Slaying, centered around the Caerphilly holiday parade. When the local curmudgeon playing Santa is murdered, it''s up to Meg and Chief Burke to tackle a two-fold mission: Solving the murder and saving Christmas…Next in Duck the Halls, an unknown prankster is setting skunks and ducks loose in the New Life Baptist Church, seemingly to derail the Christmas concert. Before they can find the culprit, though, an elderly vestryman is found dead. Who would have murdered such a harmless old man? And will Meg ever be able to finish all of her shopping, wrapping, cooking, and decorating in time for Christmas Eve?

Like everyone reading the newspapers these days, 10-year-old Barney Roberts knows the killer will strike again soon. The victim will be another boy, just like him. The body will be drained of blood, and left somewhere on a Thames beach. There will be no clues for London detectives Dana Tulloch and Mark Joesbury to find. There will be no warning about who will be next. There will be no real reason for Barney''s friend and neighbor, Lacey Flint, on leave from her job as a London police detective, to become involved…and no chance that she can stay away. With the clock ticking, the violence escalating, and young lives at stake, Lacey and Barney both know they can''t afford a single wrong step if they hope to make it through alive.S.J. Bolton, an award-winning author of five novels, delivers her most compelling novel to date, in which a fragile police detective and a courageous, lonely eleven-year-old boy must work together to unmask a killer. Lost provides all of the pulse-pounding suspense, beautifully drawn characters, and intricate plotting thriller fans could hope for—and more.Please note, this title is published in the UK as Like This For Ever.

In the Spring of 1926, the corpses of three men are found in shallow graves off the beaten path in Epping Forest outside of LondonΓÇöeach shot through the heart and bearing no identification. DCI Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard, the lead detective, is immediately given two urgent orders by his supervisor at the Yard: solve the murders quickly and keep his wife, the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher, away from the case! Thankfully, Daisy''s off visiting their daughter at school. But when a teacher is found dead, Daisy is once again in the thick of it. As Daisy tries to solve one murder, Alec discovers that the three victims in his case were in the same Army company during World War I, that their murders are likely related to specific events that unfolded during that tragic conflict, and that, unless the killer is revealed and stopped, those three might only be the beginning.

A compelling murder mystery set in seventeenth-century Japan, filled with finely drawn characters and suspenseful plot twists, Laura Joh Rowland's The Samurai's Wife is a novel as complex, vivid, and artful as the glorious, lost world it portrays. Far from the Shogun's court at Edo, Most Honorable Investigator Sano Ichiro begins the most challenging case of his career. Upon the insistence of his strong-willed and beautiful wife Reiko, Sano arrives with her at the emperor's palace to unmask the murderer--who possesses the secret of kiai, "the spirit city," a powerful scream that can kill instantly. A high Kyoto official is the victim. Treading carefully through a web of spies, political intrigue, forbidden passions, and intricate plots, Sano and Reiko must struggle to stay ahead of the palace storm--and outwit a cunning killer. But as they soon discover, solving the case means more than their survival. For if they fail, Japan could be consumed in the bloodiest war it has ever seen...

Publishers Weekly calls Laura Joh Rowland''s The Cloud Pavilion "One of the best mysteries of the year." In this next installment of the enthralling series, samurai hero Sano Ichiro must mend old family fissures, and bring a culprit who has disgraced his cousin to justice. Japan, 1701. A terrified woman is brutally attacked amid a swirling storm of clouds. Meanwhile, at Edo Castle, samurai detective turned chamberlain, Sano Ichiro, is suspicious of his old rival, Yanagisawa, who has been oddly cooperative since returning from exile. But just as Yanagisawa''s true motives begin to emerge, Sano''s estranged uncle comes to him for help: His daughter has disappeared, and he begs Sano and his wife, ReikoΓÇöwho once suffered through the kidnapping of their own sonΓÇöto find her before it is too late.

Be nice. Nice is good. Nice sets a standard. Then, when you get mean, the shock is strongest.Montgomery "Monty" Haaviko has done the crimes and has lived the criminal lifestyle. His trade secrets--could fill a book. Now all he wants to do is settle down with his wife and baby and work on building a straight life. But for a man who's never held down a legitimate job and who faces the daily temptation of returning to his past, it isn't going to be easy. When Monty foils a robbery in his new home, killing the intruders, he quickly finds there are those who don't want him ever to forget what he once was. Detective Sergeant Enzio Walsh knows all about Monty's history and is determined to use it to put Monty away for murder. A couple of drops of Krazy Glue on the tips of your fingers eliminate fingerprintsNot since Jack Reacher has there been such a quick-thinking, hard-edged anti-hero whom readers will root for against all odds. Monty imparts his hard-earned criminal knowledge via sharp asides straight out of the hit show Burn Notice or the bestselling Beat the Reaper, because he knows it's going to take all of the tricks he has to prove his innocence, protect his family and avoid the allure of the life he left behind. A dying man can do a lot of damage.

Following on the heels of Pintoff''s Edgar Award–winning debut, A Curtain Falls is a moody and evocative tale that follows Ziele as he scours the streets in search of a true fiend.The careers of New York City detective Simon Ziele and his former partner, Captain Declan Mulvaney, went in remarkably different directions after the tragic death of Ziele''s fiancée in the 1904 General Slocum ferry disaster. While earmarked for bigger things, Ziele moved north of the city to escape the violence, and Mulvaney dug in deeper, heading up the precinct in the most crime-ridden part of New York. Yet with all of the resources at Mulvaney''s disposal, a puzzling crime compels him to ask his former partner for help. A chorus girl has been found dead on a Broadway stage dressed as the lead. There is no sign of violence. The coroner would call it a suicide, but then she''d be the second actress to die that way in only days.

Meg and Michael's house is serving as the marshaling point for the annual Caerphilly Christmas parade. The theme is "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and it features twelve drummers from the school marching band, eleven bagpipers, and so on. As organizer, Meg's job is hard enough. But when her nephew Eric, wide eyed and ashen faced, whispers, "Meg, something's wrong with Santa," things take a tragic turn. The local curmudgeon, whose beard and belly made him a natural for the role, has been murdered. Now it's up to Meg and Chief Burke to tackle the two-fold mission of solving the murder and saving Christmas!This latest adventure from award-winning Donna Andrews is filled with outrageous Christmas spirit and malice.

In this dynamite series debut, Sharon Fiffer has introduced an engaging and enterprising heroine in Jane Wheel. Recently laid off from her advertising job, separated from her husband Charley, and colliding head-on with a midlife crisis, Jane is trying to make ends meet as an antique "picker" foraging for killer stuff at suburban Chicago''s estate sales and auctions, garage sales and flea markets.Before long she''s addicted to the hunt, spending her Friday nights with the classified ads and a street map, outlining her weekend plan of attack. Jane knows that finding the real treasures is all about being in the right place at the right time. But just as she''s settling in to her new routine, Jane finds herself in just the wrong place and at quite the wrong time: stumbling over her neighbor Sandy''s dead body. Soon she''s the prime suspect. After all, everyone on the block seems to have seen her kissing Sandy''s husband at a recent dinner party. Leaning on her best friend Tim, a flower shop owner and fellow junk hound, as well as Evanston police detective Bruce Oh, Jane has no choice but to hunt for the truth. Hopefully her knack for uncovering valuables in the least likely of places will extend to discovering clues as well. Like the vintage postcards, Bakelite buttons, and Fulper lamps that she dreams of finding, to Jane the truth just might be priceless.Sharon Fiffer''s mystery debut is a fabulously entertaining read and an intriguing puzzle featuring a heroine that''s a dynamic mix of Miss Marple, Kinsey Millhone, and Leigh and Leslie Keno.

Fresh on the heels of Killer Stuff, Sharon Fiffer''s auspicious debut, antique "picker" Jane Wheel is making a career out of going through old stuff; it seems she can''t get enough of the piles of vintage clothing, kitchen utensils, Bakelite buttons and post cards she finds at estate sales across the Chicago area. What this saloon keepers'' daughter loves, though, is not the items themselves but the stories they tell about the lives of their owners.So needless to say Jane''s delighted when a Saturday morning estate sale turns up a serendipitous find: a whole room packed full of 1950''s saloon ephemera. As luck would have it, she''s been planning to redecorate her parents'' pub, still run and recently purchased outright by her folks. Piles of Bakelite darts and dice, countless advertisements from long-defunct liquor suppliers, and, most exciting of all, a bunch of old bar games, employed by untold patrons intent on whiling away the tedious moments in between the sips of so long ago. She makes a deal to buy the whole room, and can''t wait to get the stuff back to her hometown.As she''s cataloging her find, however, Jane makes a gruesome discovery. Packed between the glassware and bowling trophies and old photographs she''s already fallen in love with, she uncovers one highly personal, unusual and creepy collectible that she is sure the saloon keeper would have preferred to have kept to himself. It sure sparks her curiosity about the saloon owners, and when Jane gets curious nothing''s going to stop her. Employing her friends Detective Bruce Oh and fellow junkhound Tim Lowry, as well as her erstwhile husband Charley, Jane sets out to lay bare the secrets of long ago, secrets that even people close to her would rather be kept quiet forever. Packed with as much intrigue and suspense as a long-buried chest in your grandmother''s attic, Dead Guy''s Stuff is a fantastic sophomore effort from acclaimed promising cozy writer Sharon Fiffer.