The Case Of The Missing Madonna

A dashing English PI pursues a missing masterpiece and buried wartime secrets across the French Riviera in a “slick thriller with . . . heart-stopping action” (The Crime Review). Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s Madonna is kept safe for the ages in the vaults of a monastery on the French island of St. Honorat—until the painting somehow disappears. Now the monastery has called upon British expat and professional fixer Patrick de Courvoisier to track an untraceable thief and recover the invaluable work of art. At the same time, an old enemy from Patrick’s past with Her Majesty’s service has arrived in Cannes to search for another stolen painting. As it becomes clear that the two investigations are linked, Patrick’s enquiries put him at odds with his former employers as he uncovers a shocking secret the British Royal family would prefer to keep hidden. “Full of fascinating history and lush descriptions of the French Riviera, this whodunit will snare readers from the opening page.” —Publishers Weekly

Sister Mary Helen is sinfully good at snooping through the San Francisco fog. Now a fellow OWL (Older Woman's League) member has disappeared. The police believe Erma Duran simply flew the coop, but Sister feels a Higher Authority pushing her to investigate. A gold medal entangled in Erma's bedsprings and a cryptic clue to a Byzantine madonna deepens the mystery. By the time Police Inspector Kate Murphy joins the hunt, Sister's good intentions have already paved her way straight to the Mission District--and a hellish encounter with sudden death.

The enormous explosion of crime fiction over the last decade means that more people are looking for a good mystery than ever before. This dictionary of fictional detectives helps readers learn about the series in which their favorite detectives are featured. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on roughly 150 fictional detectives, which provide information about the works in which the detective appears, the locales in which the detective operates, the detective's investigative methods, and other important information. Helpful bibliographical citations direct the reader to other interesting works. The volume closes with a selected, general bibliography; various appendices; and an extensive index. The enormous explosion of crime fiction over the last decade means that more people are looking for a good mystery than ever before. Many of the most popular mystery books appear in series, and these series feature carefully developed detectives.

Peter Macari is an Edinburgh private detective. One morning a beautiful woman walks into his office and asks him to find a stolen painting. This takes him all over Edinburgh, from expensive art galleries to dingy dockside pubs. He meets up with some competition and his troubles begin.

A fascinating account of childbirth rituals in the first half of the twentieth century from the initial diagnosis of pregnancy, though childbirth - who was present, and where it took place - to the definition of what constituted a normal birth.