A Little Murder

London, early 1950s. Marcia Beasley is discovered dead, naked and covered with a coal scuttle. Sergeant Greenleaf has to solve the crime. The members of the deceased's social circle all, it seems, have secrets to hide and grudges to bear. A host of colourful and comic characters hurry to identify the murderer and unravel the mystery of Marcia's life.

Radio Broadwich decides to do a documentary on the small village of Twytching for international broadcast, and the townspeople divide between those who seek the patronage of Mrs. Deborah Withins, arbiter of taste and morals, and those determined to displace her in the cutthroat contest for media recognition. When a rash of poison-pen letters and a murder coincide, quiet inspector George Parrish begins to uncover secrets the leading citizens of Twytching had thought, and fervently hoped, were buried.

So you think you'd know a murderer if you saw one? Prepare yourself for a challenge. This book spans the century to provide a police lineup of some of the most devious death-dealers in all of crime fiction. Some leave an incriminating trail of bloody footprints; others are unrecognizable but for the hardware in their hands and the dark intent in their hearts.

When mystery bookstore owner Annie Laurance is invited to teach "The Three Great Ladies of the Mystery" class at Chastain Community College, the sometime sleuth discovers that all is not strictly academic in Chastain's hallowed halls of learning. And when a shocking scandal in the school newspaper erupts in a suicide and two violent deaths, Professor Laurance enlists the talents of her new hubby, private eye Max Darling, and dons her thinking cap to probe intrigue and vengeance among Chastain's faculty. A Dangerous Thing Max and Annie, with dubious help from three of their own great ladies of the mystery -- Annie's pixilated mother-in-law, a batty local dowager, and a Christie crime fanatic -- learn that just about everyone at the school had means, motive, and access to the murder weapons. From the secretly boozing professor of advertising to the muscle-bound campus cad who barters passing grades for a little extracurricular activity, anyone on the faculty is a possible killer -- waiting to strike again!

The 12th offering in the Little Book series two is by Bill Pronzini. A full-time professional writer since 1969, Bill Pronzini has published more than 80 novels, including seven in collaboration with his wife, Marcia Muller, and 46 in his popular “Nameless Detective” series, the longest running PI series still being published. He is also the author of four nonfiction books, 20 collections of short stories, and scores of uncollected articles, essays, and book reviews; and he has edited or coedited numerous anthologies. His work has been translated into eighteen languages and published in nearly thirty countries. Stories included in this collection: Night Freight Flood Snap Wishful Thinking The Monster Skeleton Rattle Your Mouldy Leg Lines

Society columnist Nora Blackbird is thrust into the world of celebrity tabloid gossip when a billionaire buys the farm…. Nora’s assigned to write a profile on billionaire fashion designer Swain Starr, who recently retired to build a high-tech organic farm with his new wife, Zephyr, a former supermodel. But before Nora can get the story, the mogul is murdered. And now her boss wants her to snap up an exclusive on who killed Starr before the cops do. But solving this murder won’t be easy with a family as colorful as Nora’s. Mick, her sort-of husband, is associating with unsavory characters from his past. Her sister Libby is transforming into a stage mom for her diabolical twins. And Emma, the youngest Blackbird, is mysteriously kicked out of the house by Mick. Nora’s home life may be hogging the spotlight, but there’s also a matter of Starr’s missing pig, which just might be the key to solving this mystery and the way Nora can bring home the bacon….

Rosy Gilchrist is sent to Venice to find a rare, signed translation of Horace's Odes by Dr Bodger. Rosy jumps at the chance to fit some sightseeing around work, but the holiday plans go on hold when she learns that there is a significant bounty prize for anyone who finds this valuable text. Finding herself in the midst of a cat-and-mouse chase, Rosy's rivals will stop at nothing, not even murder, to get their hands on the book.