In a country mansion converted to adult educational courses, Mr Utamaro is lecturing on Zen Buddhism to a small and not entirely appreciative audience. But Zen questions and their seemingly quirkish answers predominate, until they are superseded by two of greater urgency: 'Who stole the wakizashi?' and 'Who killed Flaveen Mills?' H. R. F. Keating provides the solution in the same brilliantly humorous vein which won him so many admirers with his first novel, Death and the Visiting Firemen.

In a particularly difficult case of alleged child abuse, Trish knows that the jury’s decision hinges on the persuasive testimony of her friend and star witness, Kara Huggate. When Kara doesn’t appear at the trial, Trish realizes that something must have gone terribly wrong. She returns to her chambers after court to find the police waiting for her with some horrifying news: Kara has been brutally raped and murdered. At first it seems as though her attacker was the Kinsford Rapist – a serial rapist and killer who has managed to elude the police. Then several inexplicable clues indicate that the murderer may have been a copycat. Trish receives a letter from Kara, posted the night of her death, asking her to help a suspicious man named Blair Collons. Although Trish decides to help him out of loyalty and affection for her friend, she cannot understand why Kara cared so much for the paranoid and strangely obsessive Blair. Soon Trish finds herself mired in his unhappy story, with potentially devastating consequences.

"Going round the world" is an idea that has excited people ever since it was realized that the earth was a sphere. The appeal has something to do with encompassing all the known environment and exploring the unknown, not only on the surface of the planet but within the spirit of the explorer. The story of circumnavigation is thus a long saga of human adventure, travel and discovery. Beginning with the fateful day in 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan was speared to death on Mactan and Juan de Elcano took up the challenge of bringing his surviving companions home, the story continues through four centuries crammed with astonishing exploits by men and women of many nations. Some of the names that feature are well-known, others less so.

“The living haunt the dead . . .” These fifteen genre-bending stories are set against a backdrop of sudden violence and profound regret, populated by characters whose circumstances and longings drive them to the point of no return . . . and sometimes even further. A young girl takes a journey to see what is really hidden within the belly of an ancient water tower. A high school senior learns about defiance on a school bus and witnesses a tragedy that he won’t soon forget. Six survivors in an underground bunker discuss the possibility of Armageddon being an elaborate hoax. A man stumbles from bed to drive a bus down lonely roads, collecting passengers who’ve lost their way in the night-shrouded heartland of America. And in the title story, a former train conductor must confront the ghosts of his past while learning that it’s not the dead who haunt the living, but the other way around. Traversing the back roads of the south and beyond, these stories probe the boundaries of imagination, taking the reader to the fringes of a society where the world looks different, and once you visit, you won’t ever be the same.

By 1919 the Great War has ended, peace talks are under way in Paris, and the world has been forever changed. Delia Martin, apprentice practitioner of magical arts, and her husband, Police Captain Gabriel Ryan, face the greatest challenge of their lives when fragments from the war descend on San Francisco.As Delia prepares to meet friends at a St. Patrick's Day parade, the strange ghost of a European princess appears in her mirror. Her pleasant outing becomes a nightmare as the ghost reappears moments after a riot starts, warning her as a rooftop gunman begins shooting into the crowd. Delia rushes to get her friends to safety, and Gabe struggles to stop the killing-and to save himself.Delia and Gabe realize all the chaos and bloodshed had one purpose-to flush Alina from hiding, a young woman with no memory of anything but her name. As Delia works to discover how the princess ghost's secrets connect to this mysterious young woman, and Gabe tracks a ruthless...

First published in   Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine  No. 3 & 4 (No. 751 & 752), March/April 2004

Love… too late?A Stranger arrives…Micheal: He's being held in a secret compound. But he's less concerned for himself than for his friends. Max. Maria. Liz. Alex. And Isabel. He's got to get out, before he's forced to betray the Roswell residents that Sheriff Valenti is dieing to capture. And once Valenti has the information he wants, he won't be needing Micheal anymore.Isabel: She used to think of Micheal as a brother. But now that he's been captured, she seems to be the only one to hear his every thought, feel his every emotions, share his dreams. Could this special bond mean they're meant to be together? Time is running out for Isabel to know for sure…

Madeline Bull returns in this final instalment. This time Madeline faces her biggest challenges yet. The world is purposely charged with hatred and a new world war is on the horizon. Enter Madeline to thwart the dissenters and calm the world but there are far, far deeper concerns. For other reasons, the world is on the brink of obliteration, genocide is looming.

IN A CITY OF BEAUTY AND HISTORY, A LITTLE NIGHT MURDER IS BEING COMPOSED… For world-class musicians, Bath is no mecca. But to cellist Sara Selkirk it is home, now invaded by an unbearably sexy Czech composer and his unheralded protégée, who is scoring an opera for a local company. Between the notorious composer and his untried student, Sara does not expect great music. Nor, however, does she expect murder…. With Sara caught up in a stormy relationship with a music-loving and very married police officer, she is privy to the investigation into the first killing. The next victim she knows personally, and Sara is sure of a connection. Alas, someone has composed a perfect score for murder. And she who can detect its melody first—will be the next to die…. From the Paperback edition.

Some promises can never be forgotten.... The author of the bestselling Birthday Girls and Places by the Sea, Jean Stone is a gifted storyteller in the tradition of Barbara Delinsky.  In this deeply enthralling novel of friendship and family, a woman must face the secrets of the past before she can confront the future.... I am your baby--the one you gave up.  Isn't it time we met? The unsigned letter, postmarked Martha's Vineyard, arrives like a thunderbolt out of the blue, instantly sweeping Jessica Bates back thirty years.  It was 1968 when young Jess went to Larchwood Hall, a home for unwed mothers, and gave up her beautiful baby girl for adoption.  Jess's past still haunts her--especially since she learned that her daughter died in a tragic childhood accident. But now the letter has raised the fragile hope that there was a terrible mix-up, that Jess's daughter is still alive somewhere.  Hoping for answers, Jess makes a determined pilgrimage out to the Vineyard, out to those who know the truth about what really happened to her daughter.  There, surrounded by sand and sea and memories of lost love, she must make a choice that will change the course of her life forever.... From the Paperback edition.From Publishers WeeklyStone (Birthday Girls) shines up a familiar plot with mature characters, riveting narrative and some surprising twists. As a teen, Jessica Bates had been forced by her unforgiving father to put up her baby daughter for adoption. Now, 30 remorseful years later, Jess receives a message: "I am your baby?the one you gave up. Isn't it time we met?" Assisted by her old pal Ginny, with whom she shares a horrifying past, Jess begins a search for her daughter that takes her to a quaint hotel on Martha's Vineyard. The events that follow (family truths revealed, love ignited and re-ignited, personal healing) are the stuff of much women's fiction, but Stone's graceful prose, vivid imagery and compassionately drawn characters make this one a standout. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. ReviewJessica Bates Randall is a divorced seamstress trying to deal with her divorce, her husband's remarriage, her oldest son's distance, her relationship with her daughter and raising her eighteen year old son on her own. More then enough for most people. On top of all of this, she receives a letter from the child that she had given up for adoption when she was a teenager. Jess thought that her baby had died twenty-five years earlier when she had been hit by a car while riding a bike. Jessica's father had forced her to live at a home for unwed mothers before she was to give up her baby, so very few people knew what had happened to her in the past. Jess wants to find out who is sending her these cruel letters. She enlists the help of Ginny, one of the girls who was at the home at the same time as Jess. Ginny is also going through a crisis; her fourth husband has just passed away and she is not dealing with it well. She is reunited with the daughter that she gave away, who is a famous t.v star. Jess also contacts Philip Archambault, an attorney and the son of one of the other unwed mothers. Phillip met his birth mother P.J, who is now dead of breast cancer, with the help of Jess and therefore feels a lot of loyalty to her. This group begins the search and unearths a shady plot of babies switched at birth. Jess must make the journey to discover whom her child is, what happened and who is to blame. Tides of the Heart is an excellent novel. It is a sequel to Sins of Innocence, although this is a book that is easily read on it's own. Jean Stone has such a way with her characters. They are so multi-dimensional and real, that you feel as though you are listening into real lives that are going on around you. The adoption plot was well done. It had none of the melodrama often associated with this topic; rather it was understated and realistic. If you like Jean Stone you'll love this book. If you haven't read Jean Stone, here's a great place to start! Tides of the heart engrosses the reader from page one! An emotional who-done-it! Jean Stone creates characters you wish were your friends. Michelle Sawyer -- Copyright © 030199 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times Stone's graceful prose, vivid imagery and compassionately drawn characters make this one a standout -- Publishers Weekly, December 14, 1998

Two beautiful souls.Two seemingly innocent deceptions.Once they meet, Stevie and Ford explode into one another in a ball of lust, hotter than a July moon. Ford is assertive, dominate and in control, that is until Stevie brings him to his knees. He thinks she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever met both inside and out. Stevie thinks he’s sweet, and sort of goofy—of course it doesn’t hurt that he drips sex like honey. Stevie is starting to fall hard for Ford.And Ford is all in with Stevie.She wonders if he could ever forgive her for what she’s about to do.She wonders if she wants him to.They say love conquers all. But love never met two liars like Stevie and Ford. His lie cost her a few sleepless nights. Her lie will cost him everything.