Murder Made Casual


Book Description

The Roaring Twenties. A decade freed from the horrors of the Great War. A time of economic prosperity, technological advances, jazz music, wild youth, and Prohibition. A time where vast fortunes were made and a new sense of entitlement arose among the elite of society. And with that entitlement, a thirst for more power. A federal agent working for an agency tasked with investigating financial crimes has been found brutally murdered in a Washington. D.C. hotel. His mistake? Investigating the shady dealings of one of the most powerful men on Wall St. Alone. Fellow agents Charlie Postlethwaite and Gretchen Retrum have now been thrown headlong into an investigation they are ill-prepared for. Far from the world of bank ledgers and files, they’re now forced to get to the bottom of the mystery while avoiding the discovery of their secret agency and the associated problems of juggling their relationship. From the city streets of Washington D.C. and New York City, to the countrysides of upstate New York, and to a small town in Wisconsin, Charlie and Gretchen are in a desperate race to bring those responsible to justice before they become the next on the list to die.




Murder Made Political


Book Description

A popular businessman with a non-existent past. A secret society looking to change the American political landscape from within. Government agents Charlie and Gretchen Postlethwaite return for another adventure pitting them against those who have aligned themselves with the dark forces coming to power in 1930's Germany. Coupled with an old foe with a vendetta, they’ve got to figure out a way to stop them all without getting themselves killed. A real-life unsolved murder is woven into the plot of this thrilling third book of the Murder Made series.




Murder Made Necessary


Book Description

Germany is in chaos. The Weimar Republic instituted after the Great War has made things worse with several political parties now vying for control of the ineffective government. An opportunistic man from Germany's past takes it upon himself to change the course of history. U.S. State Department agents Charlie Postlethwaite and Gretchen Retrum find themselves caught up in the chase for a stolen German artifact which has the potential of plunging the world into war again. Traveling across the U.S. while deciding about marriage and dodging killers, they know that nothing will be easy. This book has the details of a real-life unsolved murder woven into the plot and is the second book in this thrilling new series.




Murder Made in Italy


Book Description

Looking at media coverage of three very prominent murder cases, Murder Made in Italy explores the cultural issues raised by the murders and how they reflect developments in Italian civil society over the past 20 years. Providing detailed descriptions of each murder, investigation, and court case, Ellen Nerenberg addresses the perception of lawlessness in Italy, the country's geography of crime, and the generalized fear for public safety among the Italian population. Nerenberg examines the fictional and nonfictional representations of these crimes through the lenses of moral panic, media spectacle, true crime writing, and the abject body. The worldwide publicity given the recent case of Amanda Knox, the American student tried for murder in a Perugia court, once more drew attention to crime and punishment in Italy and is the subject of the epilogue.




The Casual Vacancy


Book Description

A big novel about a small town... When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity, and unexpected revelations? A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling's first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.




Casual Conversations about Love and Murder


Book Description

What would you do if your best friend died? What if she'd betrayed you hours earlier?Emma's nights are haunted by the twisted sight of her friend's body in Stone Lake. Others in the sleepy town of Camber slap an accident label on the death and call it a day. Emma can't. It hurts too much to leave it alone.Proving the drowning was murder isn't easy. The sheriff stonewalls her, her friends want her to leave it alone, and her parents are too busy bickering to worry over much else.Cole's mistrust for corporations and government hasn't made him many friends in town, but his willingness to believe Emma makes him her strongest ally. Together they'll dig into the town's past-and their own-to get to the truth.Even if it brings more danger to their doorsteps.




No Murder Tonight


Book Description

"Finished the novel in three straight sittings which is quite rare for a reader like me. Simply because I found it unputdownable and was constantly curious to know how the story would unfold. -Rishi Kappor Gripping! More twists and turns than in a rollercoaster. -R. Mohan, Editor Deccan Chronicle A very fine book. The characters are believable, intriguing and smart. The narrative was from the wheels of Lewis Hamilton and the finish had the flourish of a James Bond film. -Suhasini Maniratnam Friday, October 17, 9pm. All forces are converging in Chennai. Santosh, a regular engineer turned political assassin. Maria, an aspiring pilot turned spy. Swapna, a medical student turned into the city’s highest-priced madam. Sandeep and Amit, CBI officers turned commandos. Shyam Agarwal, a respected industrialist turned conspirator. In the eye of the storm is the all-powerful, Power Minister, Salem Palaniswamy whose lust for power and money corrupts the lives and dreams of the innocent. With love, honour and revenge in the air, and a 1000 crores of unaccounted money at stake, the question is… will there be murder tonight? "




Practice Makes Murder


Book Description

In the fall of 1984, twenty-two-year-old Olivia Lawson is thrilled to receive her first high school teaching position. Finally, she can sever all ties with her father, whom she has avoided since adolescence. Shes free to start a new life and an exciting career, and she finds an immediate friend in fellow teacher, Marcy Dougan. Unfortunately, family grudges follow Olivia to her new job. Marcy worries about her new friend, especially when Livvy starts receiving threatening letters. It is apparent that the new teacher has a stalker, and she does all she can to keep herself safe. Soon, though, other women fall victim to heinous crimes that are inexplicably linked to her. Olivia fears for her life when the perpetrators chilling phrase practice makes perfect turns to a phrase even more terrifying; practice makes murder. Someone wants Olivia dead, but who and why? Only when she is at the brink of death does she finally fit the pieces together.




The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death


Book Description

The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death offers readers an extraordinary glimpse into the mind of a master criminal investigator. Frances Glessner Lee, a wealthy grandmother, founded the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard in 1936 and was later appointed captain in the New Hampshire police. In the 1940s and 1950s she built dollhouse crime scenes based on real cases in order to train detectives to assess visual evidence. Still used in forensic training today, the eighteen Nutshell dioramas, on a scale of 1:12, display an astounding level of detail: pencils write, window shades move, whistles blow, and clues to the crimes are revealed to those who study the scenes carefully. Corinne May Botz's lush color photographs lure viewers into every crevice of Frances Lee's models and breathe life into these deadly miniatures, which present the dark side of domestic life, unveiling tales of prostitution, alcoholism, and adultery. The accompanying line drawings, specially prepared for this volume, highlight the noteworthy forensic evidence in each case. Botz's introductory essay, which draws on archival research and interviews with Lee's family and police colleagues, presents a captivating portrait of Lee.




Murder in Minnesota


Book Description

This treasury of vintage crime offers a vivid picture of Minnesota from the time it achieved statehood in 1858 through 1917. It also traces the gradual changes in social attitudes from the days of frontier justice to the abolishment of capital punishment in 1911.