Murder Along The Shore

"Roll over, Maigret. Commissaire Dupin has arrived."—M.C. Beaton Commissaire Georges Dupin, a cantankerous, Parisian-born caffeine junkie recently relocated from the glamour of Paris to the remote (if picturesque) Breton coast, is dragged from his morning croissant and coffee to the scene of a curious murder. The local village of Pont-Aven—a sleepy community by the sea where everyone knows one other and nothing much seems to happen—is in shock. The legendary ninety-one-year-old hotelier Pierre-Louis Pennec, owner of the Central Hotel, has been found dead. A picture-perfect seaside village that played host to Gaugin in the nineteenth century, Pont-Aven is at the height of its tourist season and is immediately thrown into uproar. As Dupin delves into the lives of the victim and the suspects, he uncovers a web of secrecy and silence that belies the village's quaint image. A delectable read, Jean-Luc Bannalec's Death in Brittany transports readers to the French coast, where you can practically smell the sea air and taste the perfectly cooked steak frites in an expertly crafted, page-turning mystery for fans of Martin Walker.

One misty autumn dawn in a quiet fishing port in northwest Spain, the body of a sailor washes up in the harbour. Detective Inspector Leo Caldas is called in from police headquarters in the nearby city of Vigo to sign off on what appears to be a suicide. But details soon come to light that turn this routine matter into a complex murder investigation. Finding out the truth is not easy when the villagers are so suspicious of outsiders. As Caldas delves into the maritime life of the village, he uncovers a disturbing decade-old case of a shipwreck and two mysterious disappearances. Death on a Galician Shore is a chilling story of violence, blackmail and revenge that has enthralled readers across Europe...

The beach is a place where people go to relax and forget about their worries. No one expects to die there. Diane Spencer begins targeting unsuspecting men along New York area beaches. After a series of bad relationships, the crazed school teacher seeks revenge on the male population. Her weapon isn't a gun or knife, but it's just as lethal to all who come into contact with it. Detectives John Napoli and Terry Franklin are assigned to the case. They become part of an undercover operation to apprehend the cunning killer. Detective Napoli also faces a health problem during the investigation, which brings extra anxiety to his life. Will Detectives Napoli and Franklin encounter Spencer on the beach and put an end to her murderous ways? Murder Along the Shore builds to a heart racing finish as the sexy serial killer plans a new life in a location where she can continue her murders all year long.

Ten miles off the coast of Brittany lie the fabled Glénan Islands. Boasting sparkling white sands and crystal-clear waters, they seem perfectly idyllic, until one day in May, three bodies wash up on shore. At first glance the deaths appear accidental, but as the identities of the victims come to light, Commissaire Dupin is pulled back into action for a case of what seems to be cold-blooded murder. Ever viewed as an outsider in a region full of myths and traditions, Dupin finds himself drawn deep into the history of the land. To get to the bottom of the case, he must tangle with treasure hunters, militant marine biologists, and dangerous divers. The investigation leads him further into the perilous, beautiful world of Glénan, as he discovers that there's more to the picturesque islands than meets the eye. Steeped in the enchanting atmosphere of Brittany and peppered with wry humor, Murder on Brittany Shores is a superbly plotted mystery that marks the return of Jean-Luc Bannalec's international bestselling series starring the cantankerous, coffee-swigging Commissaire Dupin.

A missing woman. A missing boy. Detective Erlendur returns - for the last time A young woman walks into the frozen fjords of Iceland, never to be seen again. But Matthildur leaves in her wake rumours of lies, betrayal and revenge. Decades later, somewhere in the same wilderness, Detective Erlendur is on the hunt. He is looking for Matthildur but also for a long-lost brother, whose disappearance in a snow-storm when they were children has coloured his entire life. He is looking for answers. Slowly, the past begins to surrender its secrets. But as Erlendur uncovers a story about the limits of human endurance, he realises that many people would prefer their crimes to stay buried.

If you're searching for the perfect light and funny Beach Read, what could be better than one that features mysteries actually on the beach? And with eight funny short stories, you can travel along with our cozy authors to a variety of shores: from the rocky coastlines of New England, to the white stretches of sand on the Atlantic, to the teal and emerald waters of the Gulf Coast, the surfing havens on the Pacific, and even the beaches in between. So take a trip with our authors as they show you that sharks aren't the only danger near the water. Stories by Ritter Ames, Karen Cantwell, Lucy Carol, Barb Goffman, Eleanor Cawood Jones, Shari Randall, Shawn Reilly Simmons, and Cathy Wiley.

From a former Maryland attorney comes the true crime story of accused murderer Orphan Jones—a case mired in the racism and politics of 1930s America. Euel Lee, alias Orphan Jones, was an African American accused of murdering his white employer and family over a single dollar. The tumultuous events and cast of characters surrounding the racially charged crime garnered national media attention and changed the course of Maryland history. With exacting research, former Maryland State’s Attorney Joseph E. Moore reconstructs the murders, the ensuing roller coast of a trial, and the eventual conviction and execution of Orphan Jones. Moore details all of this in the context of Jim Crow politics and American society during the Great Depression in this gripping true crime account. “The Euel Lee case as explored by Joe Moore is more than good, readable, local history. It is about the stresses and strains in American society in the Depression, from the radicalism of a young Communist lawyer to the conscious efforts of a rural community to contain violence, confront or at least deal with their prejudices and see that justice was served for a senseless murder in their midst. Moore sets a high standard of factual accountability and entertaining narrative based upon oral history and archival research. General readers and scholars alike will not be disappointed.” —Edward C. Papenfuse, PhD, Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents

Who killed Florence Nightingale Shore in 1920, and got away with murder? This is the true story of an unsolved crime that shocked post-War Britain Miss Shore was a nurse, like her god-mother Florence Nightingale, and had been decorated for her service in France in the First World War. Then, on a January afternoon, she was bludgeoned to death in a carriage on the Brighton line. Scotland Yard could not solve the crime, even with the help of famous criminal pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury. But now there are new suspects, and a shocking new theory about the murderer. About the author Rosemary Cook CBE is a former Director of the Queen's Nursing Institute and a member of the steering committee of the History of Nursing Society of the Royal College of Nursing in the UK. She lives in York. The Nightingale Shore Murder won first prize in the historical non-fiction category of the Indie Book Awards 2012.