Maid For Murder

In New Orleans' historic Garden District, life is all about attending the right parties, impressing the right people, and making the right amount of money (a lot!) It's an attitude fifty-nine-year-old Charlotte La Rue has never really understood. She leads a quiet, simple, practical life--and it suits her just fine. Business is booming at her housecleaning service, Maid-for-a-Day--and in her down time, she loves reading mystery novels and hanging out with her parakeet, Sweety Boy. Everything's perfect. Well, almost everything. . . Charlotte doesn't mind polishing silver, scrubbing toilets, or dusting bookcases--but she can't stand dealing with her rich clients' dirty laundry. And when it comes to the much-talked-about Dubuisson family, there's an awful lot of it--especially since Jackson Dubuisson was found murdered in his study. Now this exclusive enclave is abuzz with all kinds of gossip--and some very sinister speculation. A chatty socialite keeps hinting that Jackson's extra-marital affair may have been the death of him. His mother-in-law--who's quite possibly senile--has revealed more of the Dubuisson family's secrets than Charlotte ever wanted to know. And then there's his widow, Jeanne. Charlotte refuses to desert her in her time of need--but suspects she may have something to hide. One thing is certain: someone wanted Jackson dead--and that someone is not coming clean. . . Surrounded by possible suspects and hounded by a tenacious police detective, Charlotte wishes she could stick to her own policy of staying out of clients' personal business. Problem is, she's never been able to walk away from a mess. And this is the biggest one she's ever seen. . .

A Globe and Mail Top 100 Book of the Year An Amazon Top 100 Book of the Year Shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize Longlisted for the BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction A scandalous crime, a sensational trial, a surprise verdict—the true story of Carrie Davies, the maid who shot a Massey In February 1915, a member of one of Canada’s wealthiest families was shot and killed on the front porch of his home in Toronto as he was returning from work. Carrie Davies, an 18-year-old domestic servant, quickly confessed. But who was the victim here? Charles “Bert” Massey, a scion of a famous family, or the frightened, perhaps mentally unstable Carrie, a penniless British immigrant? When the brilliant lawyer Hartley Dewart, QC, took on her case, his grudge against the powerful Masseys would fuel a dramatic trial that pitted the old order against the new, wealth and privilege against virtue and honest hard work. Set against a backdrop of the Great War in Europe and the changing face of a nation, this sensational crime is brought to vivid life for the first time. As in her previous bestselling book, Gold Diggers—which was made into a Discovery Channel miniseries entitled “Klondike”—multi-award-winning historian and biographer Charlotte Gray has created a captivating narrative rich in detail and brimming with larger-than-life personalities, as she shines a light on a central moment in our past.

As the saying goes, "No good deed goes unpunished." Charlotte LaRue knows she should take a broom and chase Joyce Thibodeaux off her front porch. Once married to Charlotte's tenant Louis Thibodeaux, Joyce is fresh out of detox and has no place to go. She pulls on Charlotte's heartstrings. . .and soon she's staying in Charlotte's guest room. Charlotte survived Hurricane Katrina, but Joyce proves to be an ill wind of a different kind. Charlotte knows she has to show Joyce the door, but she never gets the chance. Instead her beloved parakeet Sweety Boy vanishes, her living room gets trashed, and Joyce ends up in the middle of the mess. . .stone cold dead. Now Charlotte is on the list of murder suspects along with Louis, who's been out of town on business. . .or has he? Finding the answers means doing a little snooping herself. Grabbing her mop she's starting with the hospital where Joyce last stayed: a place with skeletons in its closets and a bucket full of clues that just might lead to a killer. . .

A gripping tragedy of crime and class, widely regarded as one of multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell's seminal masterworks and a crime fiction classic. Fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will not be disappointed. 'One of her masterpieces' -- Telegraph 'A classic' - The Times 'Quite possibly the best crime book I have ever read' -- ***** Reader review 'One hell of a book' -- ***** Reader review 'An altogether engrossing book' -- ***** Reader review 'A compelling and addictive read' -- ***** Reader review 'An absolute classic - can only be described in superlatives' -- ***** Reader review ********************************************************************************************** 'Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write.' Eunice, the Coverdales' housekeeper, guns down four of her employers in the space of fifteen minutes one Valentine's Day. None of them suspected anything. Her motive remained hidden. As the police investigate, Eunice schemes to escape the blame - desperate to preserve the terrible secret of her illiteracy. But Eunice's blindness to a crucial aspect of the world throws her plans into jeopardy...

"When Andrews attempted to understand why Dorothy Joudrie had tried to kill her husband, and to write Joudrie's story, she began to examine her own life, her own expectations - those she had of herself and those others had of her.

The Bram Stoker Award-winning author brings a legendary murder mystery to life in this “fascinating, mesmerizing [and] darkly atmospheric” thriller (Diana Gabaldon). In The Murderer’s Maid, acclaimed author Erika Mailman offering a fresh perspective on the Lizzie Borden murders through the stories of two women more than a century apart. In the 1890s, Irish immigrant Bridget Sullivan works as a maid in the Borden household. Trapped by her servitude, she fears for her own safety as she watches the family’s volatile tensions build toward an explosion of violence. In 2016, a Mexican-American woman works a menial job under an assumed name, all to stay one step ahead of the men who want to kill her. The danger Felicita faces is rooted in her family’s deadly past. But she has no idea how far back it truly goes...to a notorious 19th century crime. Winner of the IPPY Gold Medal Award and National Indie Excellence Award