Murder Most Familiar

Business titan Hugh Mason is poisoned on his 60th birthday weekend, and the evidence points to one of the family. Hugh was about to make a large political donation; was this the reason? But who amongs them would risk such a move, given that Hugh provided for everyone and his will was completely unknown?

Soon after a young witch has her first menses, tradition says that her magic begins to mature fully, and that part of this process is the arrival of her familiar. Except for Melody, that hasn't quite happened just yet. She always had thought of herself as a late bloomer, but her magical affirmation hasn't happened yet, and she thinks it might not happen for her at all. If only she could ask her mother, but her mother is passed and she has to rely on her quirky aunt to guide her through all of this. Despite this quandary, it's Melody’s favorite holiday, All Hallow's Eve, when the veil thins and the ghosts of lives passed can be seen. But when a tormented soul attaches himself to Melody, she might just need her magic to solve how he died. Hopefully it will come so she can help this poor guy to eternal peace. If that wasn't enough, her old high school crush, Colin MacAlister back in town. That's Detective MacAlister to Melody. He can only cast doubt when Melody is certain she knows who the murderer is. With a little bit of patience and the guidance of her aunt, Melody might just find her path to unlocking her magic. But until then, she's off exploring the strange and wonderful world of Hills Hollow with its secrets around every corner. Will her adventures lead her to unlock her own power or will she remain in the darkness? Will her familiar finally emerge? Only if she's Familiar with Murder.

The treatment of formal features is historical."--Jacket.

Glamorous young wife Alma Rattenbury takes her chauffeur as a lover and their scandalous relationship leads to a murder most foul. The 1935 murder of architect Francis Mawson Rattenbury, famous for his design of the iconic Parliament Buildings and Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, and the arrest and lurid trial of his 30-years-younger second wife, Alma, and the family chauffeur, George Percy Stoner, her lover, riveted people. Francis and Alma had moved to Bournemouth, England, after the City of Victoria had ostracized them for their scandalous, flagrant affair while Francis was married to his first wife. Their life in Bournemouth was tangled. Francis became an impotent lush. Deprived of sexual gratification, Alma seduced George, previously a virgin who was half her age. They conducted their affair in her upstairs bedroom with her and Francis’s six-year-old son in a nearby bed, “sleeping,” she said, and the near-deaf Francis in his armchair downstairs in a drunken stupor. The lovers were tried together for Francis’s murder at the Old Bailey Criminal Court in London, resulting in intense public interest and massive, frenzied media coverage. The trial became one of the 20th century’s most sensational cases, sparking widespread debate over sexual mores and social strata distinctions.

Dr. Weinkauf provides a complete overview of Ngaio Marsh's crime novels, from her beginnings in 1934 to her final book, "Light Thickens," published posthumously in 1982.

Life, it seems, couldn't be better for smooth TV presenter Johnny Debonair. He's at the top of the pile: Mr Saturday Night on prime time, with his recent memoir riding high in the best-sellers list. Over lunch at La Mirabelle with his editor Pip Hardback, he announces that next he'd like to write a novel.

'An excellent cosy mystery.' NetGalley Reviewer At Penkellis Hall, murder is just for entertainment... Kitty Cardew has been enjoying life in Port Trevan and her reoccurring role on a popular TV show, all is looking rosy, except for the very small issue of being broke. So when Kitty is asked to help out at a murder mystery weekend in a Gothic mansion on the coast, she jumps at the chance. Throwing her into the path of Ned Crowe, who might be good-looking, but definitely one of the most irritating men she's ever met! Just as the sparks start to fly, a body is discovered and this time the death is not part of the plan. Desperately in need of help to figure out which of their guests is the real killer, Kitty and Ned turn to Molly Higgins. She might be catering the weekend, but she is the only one who can help track down the murderer, before they strike again... The second book in the gripping new Molly Higgins Cozy Mystery series: Book 1 - Death Comes to Cornwall Book 2 - Murder Most Cornish Book 3 - Death on the Aisle