Akron Public Library

March, 1588. With England in a state of high alert as King Philip of Spain amasses a vast fleet of warships ready to invade, Queen Elizabeth and her advisors seek a possible alliance with the Duke of Parma, Governor of the Netherlands. But their plans suffer a major setback when one of their most reliable spies is found murdered in the Hertfordshire countryside, shot dead by a crossbow bolt as he was transporting secret correspondence between the...

A young woman is moving dangerously close to the edge of the rock face, pushing a stroller with a child strapped in it towards the steep drop. She has blood on her clothes. Is she a victim or a would-be killer? Detective Inspector Joanna Piercy takes on the case when a walker discovers the pair, but the young woman is mute. Is she traumatized or unwilling to speak? Was she about to commit a terrible crime? As the questions mount, forensic psychiatrist...

What a bounty Katherine Hall Page gives her readers here. The Body in the Cast is as full of treasures as a Christmas stocking. First, of course, there's Page's lovely sleuth, the transplanted New York caterer Faith Fairchild, a minister's wife, gourmet cook, mother, and all-around charmer. There's the excitement that grips her little town of Aleford, Massachusetts, when a movie company arrives to shoot an arty, updated version of The Scarlet Letter....

"Hannah Ives and her husband are staying at their idyllic vacation cottage on Maryland's eastern shore when a young friend, Noel Sinclair, stops by for a visit. As Hannah shows Noel around the property, they notice some bald eagles in a neighboring cornfield who look seriously ill. Could these magnificent birds have been poisoned? Hannah's investigation soon clashes with powerful commercial agricultural interests. Meanwhile, Noel uncovers some shocking...

Sausages to kill for . . . The competition to go into business with Hernia's finest sausage makers is getting hotter than Magdalena Yoder's frying pan in this sizzling culinary cozy. Schmucker Brothers' Sausages are the talk of the town. The good folk of Hernia are obsessed with the delectable meaty treats, and the prospect of going into partnership with the brothers is proving equally irresistible to investors far and wide, including Magdalena Yoder's...

Working mother Kate Warner's life in suburban Pickard, Ill., is shattered when her eight-year-old daughter, Jenny, gets off the school bus one afternoon and disappears just steps away from home. To make matters worse, Kate's husband and Jenny's dad, Richard, becomes the prime suspect. Other suspects include Richard's business associate, a local physician and the anonymous caller who keeps taunting the Warners.

A few days after Carole and Jude go shopping at a shop called Gallimaufry, the shop burns and a body is discovered in the ashes.

"When literary caterer Letitia 'Tish' Tarragon's friend and star baker at Cookin' the Books cafe, Celestine Rufus, pulls out of the prestigious Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off, an anxious Tish reluctantly takes her place. Will her signature bake, a frangipane cherry pie, be up to the grade? As the bake-off gets underway, Tish's worries increase when she learns that two contestants from the previous two competitions also had cherry pies on their menus...

Spinster Miss Dido Kent travels to be by her niece Catherine's side after her fiancé breaks off their engagement and disappears, and decides to investigate the breakup while also looking into the murder of a woman whose body was found on the missing man's family estate.

"It's Christmastime in sleepy Snowcap, Colorado, and the town is up in arms. The venerable Goodwin Estate has been sold to enterprising out-of-towners and is getting a major makeover just in time for the holidays. Interior designers Erin Gilbert and Steve Sullivan walk smack into a storm of chaos: The estate's new owners, including one whose idea of holiday decor involves inflatable elves and a gingerbread facade, are battling among themselves. When...