Death Wears A Mask

Edgar Award-shortlisted author Ashley Weaver returns with Death Wears a Mask, the witty and stylish next installment in the delightful 1930s Amory Ames mystery series “Amory Ames and her rakish husband Milo might just be the new Nick and Nora Charles.” —Deborah Crombie It was amazing, really, what murder had done for my marriage . . . Following the murderous events at the Brightwell Hotel, Amory Ames is looking forward to a tranquil period of reconnecting with her reformed playboy husband, Milo. She hopes a quiet stay at their London flat will help mend their relationship. However, Amory soon finds herself drawn into another investigation when an old friend of her mother’s asks her to look into the disappearance of valuable jewelry snatched at a dinner party. Amory agrees to help lay a trap to catch the culprit at a lavish masked ball. But when one of the illustrious party guests is murdered, she is pulled back into the world of detection, caught up in both a mystery and a set of romantic entanglements where nothing is as it seems. Also out now in the Amory Ames mysteries: Murder at the Brightwell and A Most Novel Revenge

A collection of short stories by the "Queen of Suspense" features her first published short story, "Stowaway."

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death", Prince Prospero isolates himself and his wealthy guests to avoid a deadly plague. Despite his efforts to escape death, it invades his masked ball, proving that no one can escape fate.

Edgar Award-shortlisted author Ashley Weaver returns with the fifth installment in the Amory Ames mystery series. An Act of Villainy is an a gem, set in 1930s London and filled with style, banter, and twists that traditional mystery fans will positively relish. "So you've gotten yourself involved with another murder, have you?" Walking through London’s West End after a night at the theater, Amory Ames and her husband Milo run into wealthy investor and former actor Gerard Holloway. Holloway and his wife Georgina are old friends of theirs, and when Holloway invites them to the dress rehearsal of a new play he is directing, Amory readily accepts. However, Amory is shocked to learn that Holloway has cast his mistress, actress Flora Bell, in the lead role. Furthermore, the casual invitation is not what it seems—he admits to Amory and Milo that Flora has been receiving threatening letters, and he needs their help in finding the mysterious sender. Despite Amory’s conflicting feelings—not only does she feel loyalty to Georgina, but the disintegration of the Holloways’ perfect marriage seems to bode ill for her own sometimes delicate relationship—her curiosity gets the better of her, and she begins to make inquiries. It quickly becomes clear that each member of the cast has reason to resent Flora—and with a group so skilled in the art of deception, it isn’t easy to separate truth from illusion. When vague threats escalate, the scene is set for murder, and Amory and Milo must find the killer before the final curtain falls. Also out now in the Amory Ames mysteries: Murder at the Brightwell, Death Wears a Mask, A Most Novel Revenge, and The Essence of Malice.

Shortlisted for the Edgar Awards Ashley Weaver’s debut mystery, Murder at the Brightwell, is a delicious, stylish novel in which murder invades British polite society and romance springs in unexpected places, and a wonderful testament to the enduring delight of the traditional mystery. “An elegant Christie-esque 1930s romp.” —Deborah Crombie “If you love Downton Abbey, you'll adore Ashley Weaver’s charming debut.”—Susan Elia MacNeal “It’s more terrible than you think, Mrs. Ames. It appears that Mr. Howe was murdered.” Amory Ames, a wealthy young woman questioning her marriage to her notoriously charming playboy husband, Milo, is looking for a change. She accepts a request for help from her former fiancé, Gil Trent, not knowing that she’ll soon become embroiled in a murder investigation that will not only test her friendship with Gil, but also will upset the status quo with her husband. Amory accompanies Gil to the luxurious Brightwell Hotel in an attempt to circumvent the marriage of his sister, Emmeline, to Rupert Howe a disreputable ladies man. There is more than her happiness at stake, however, when Rupert is murdered and Gil is arrested for the crime. Matters are further complicated by Milo’s unexpected arrival, and as the line between friend and foe becomes less clear, Amory must decide where her heart lies and catch the killer before she, too, becomes a victim. *BONUS CONTENT: This edition of Murder at the Brightwell includes a new introduction from the author and a discussion guide Also out now in the Amory Ames mysteries: Death Wears a Mask, A Most Novel Revenge, The Essence of Malice, An Act of Villainy, and A Dangerous Engagement

The Dresden Files have taken the genre of paranormal mystery to a new level of action, excitement, and hard-hitting magical muscle. Now, in Death Masks, Jim Butcher’s smart-guy private eye may have taken on more than he can handle... Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But he also knows that whenever things are going good, the only way left for them to go is bad. Way bad. Such as: • A duel with the lethal champion of the Red Court, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards... • Professional hit men using Harry for target practice... • The missing Shroud of Turin—and the possible involvement of Chicago's most feared mob boss... • A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified... Not to mention the return of Harry’s ex-girlfriend Susan, who’s still struggling with her semi-vampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life. Some days, it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you’re charging.

The story of a man coming to terms with his homosexuality in traditional Japanese society has become a modern classic.

Death Wears a Mask, first published in 1935, is a ‘golden-age’ mystery. Set in the penthouse apartment of newly appointed police commissioner Samuel Mellon, actress Consuela Thorne is found murdered outside his door. Mellon investigates the crime with the help of his Chinese butler, assisted by Inspector Dolan of the Homicide Squad, and society sleuth Miss Livingston.