A Dead Giveaway

New York Times–Bestselling Author: A police detective comes home to Mississippi to make a new start—but soon finds herself pulled into an old mystery . . . Every town has its secrets—and Stillwater, Mississippi, has more than most. Starting with the disappearance of the Reverend Lee Barker nineteen years ago. The locals are convinced he was murdered by his stepson, Clay Montgomery. But only Clay—and his mother and sisters—can say for sure. They were the only ones there that fateful night, the only ones who know what really happened. And they’re not talking. Allie McCormick is a cold-case detective from Chicago. After a particularly difficult divorce, she’s returned to Stillwater with her six-year-old daughter to find the peace she once knew in her hometown, and to work for the local police force while she’s starting over. But when Clay’s powerful enemies join forces to put him behind bars, Allie feels duty bound to uncover the truth. Her instincts tell her he didn’t murder the Reverend Lee Barker. Clay may be a dark and brooding man, but he was just sixteen at the time. And he’s not a cold-blooded killer. At least, that’s what Allie believes—until she learns that behind the preacher’s pious demeanor lurked the heart of a monster. Then she has to ask herself whether justice has already been done . . . Praise for the Stillwater Trilogy “Strong characters bring the escalating suspense to life, and the mystery is skillfully played out. Novak’s smooth plotting makes for a great read.” —Publishers Weekly “A compelling new series . . . Novak expertly mixes her usual superior characterization with a chilling sense of evil.” —Booklist “A taut, spine-tingling story.” —Christine Feehan

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children's Book Review The bad news: Sammy's made a deadly mistake. The good news: No one knows she did it. The delicious dilemma: Everyone thinks her archenemy Heather is to blame. Now Heather is in a major jam, and in some ways it's only fair—Heather has pinned more than a few crimes on Sammy. Besides, there are distractions galore to keep Sammy from confessing. Like the end of the school year. And the Farewell Dance. Especially the dance, since she's going with Heather's (dreamy) brother Casey. But Sammy knows the truth has an uncanny way of resurfacing, and when it does, the stench can be more vile than the junior high cafeteria. The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it's the drama in Sammy's personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.

She's a Texas heiress and a brand-new P.I. specializing in adoption cases. But Abby Rose focuses more on what money can't buy-like answers in a case of a baby abandoned years ago and a present-day murder.

Dead Giveaway By Randall Garrett

The Reverend Lee Barker went missing nineteen years ago… And the people of Stillwater, Mississippi, believe they know why. They're convinced he was murdered—by his stepson, Clay Montgomery. But only Clay—and his mother and sisters—can say for sure. They were the only ones there that fateful night, the only ones who know what really happened. And they're not talking. Allie McCormick is a cold-case detective from Chicago. After a particularly difficult divorce, she's returned to Stillwater with her six-year-old daughter to find the peace she once knew in her hometown, and to work for the local police force while she's starting over. But when Clay's powerful enemies join forces to put him behind bars, Allie feels duty bound to uncover the truth. Her instincts tell her he didn't murder the Reverend Lee Barker. Maybe Clay's a dark and brooding man with more than his share of secrets, but he was just sixteen at the time. And he's not a cold-blooded killer. At least, that's what Allie believes—until she finds proof that behind the preacher's pious demeanor lurked the heart of a monster. Then she has to ask herself whether justice has already been done.…

Playwright Julia Sturgis detested her brother-in-law, Richard Newton. He had twice ruined her life: once by marrying money instead of her, and again, after she had found happiness with his brother, by withdrawing his investment in their small firm, thereby hastening his brother's death. Julia would have refused Richard and his wife's invitation to spend a weekend at their luxurious country home, but her lover, Tony, persuaded her to go. Suddenly Julia was at the heart of a drama more suspenseful than any she might has written--one involving kidnapping, murder and financial chicanery.