Search:

Murder at Honeychurch Hall / by Dennison, Hannah.;
"Former TV celebrity host Kat Stanford is just days away from starting her dream antique business with her newly widowed mother Iris when she gets a huge shock. Iris has recklessly purchased a dilapidated carriage house, on an isolated country estate, Honeychurch Hall, several hundred miles from London. When Kat arrives at the house, she discovers that Iris has yet another surprise in store. Iris has been writing in secret for years and reluctantly reveals that she's actually Krystalle Storm, the famous bestselling author of steamy bodice-rippers. The gentry upstairs and those below stairs at Honeychurch Hall regard the newcomers with suspicion and distrust. When the nanny goes missing, the loyal housekeeper ends up dead, and Iris is accused of the murder, Kat realizes she hardly knows her mother at all and wonders if she is--indeed--guilty. Although the six hundred year old estate has endured wars, corruption and Royal favors, it's the scandals, secrets and lies of the last few decades that must remain buried at all costs. This is a delightful and traditional cozy mystery that will appeal to fans of Louise Penny and G.M. Malliet"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Detective and mystery stories.; Mystery fiction.; Manors; Mothers and daughters; Murder; Women authors;

Summer darlings / by Foster, Brooke Lea,author.;
Set during the splendid summer days of 1960s Martha's Vineyard, this page-turning debut novel pulls back the curtain on one mysterious and wealthy family as seen through the eyes of their nanny--a college student who, while falling in love on the elegant island, is also forced to reckon with the dark underbelly of privilege. In 1962, coed Heddy Winsome leaves her hardscrabble Irish Brooklyn neighborhood behind and ferries to glamorous Martha's Vineyard to nanny for one of the wealthiest families on the island. But as she grows enamored with the alluring and seemingly perfect young couple and chases after their two mischievous children, Heddy discovers that her academic scholarship at Wellesley has been revoked, putting her entire future at risk. Determined to find her place in the couple's wealthy social circles, Heddy nurtures a romance with the hip surfer down the beach while wondering if the better man for her might be a quiet, studious college boy instead. But no one she meets on the summer island--socialite, starlet, or housekeeper--is as picture-perfect as they seem, and she quickly learns that the right last name and a house in a tony zip-code may guarantee privilege, but that rarely equals happiness.
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Domestic fiction.; Nannies; Women college students; Rich people; Privilege (Social psychology); Classism;

Miss Julia happily ever after / by Ross, Ann B.,author.;
"The delightful final installment of the beloved and New York Times bsetselling Miss Julia series. Wedding fever hits Abbotsville and several of Miss Julia's friends have plans to tie the knot. But, as usual, nothing is so simple. Christy Hargrove suddenly gives up a lifelong dream and drops out of medical school to marry, Helen Stroud and Thurlow Jones decide to change their commercial arrangement into a marital one, and, to Miss Julia's consternation, Lillian, her housekeeper and closest companion, is considering a less-than-romantic offer to wed a local businessman who turns courting into a job interview. And then there's LuAnne who just wants to be married, and Janelle who doesn't. Miss Julia wants to properly celebrate each ceremony, insofar as anyone will let her. But Helen wants a private, even secretive, wedding; Christy's fiancé wants a destination wedding, and Lillian can't decide if she wants a wedding at all. In the middle of it all, a strange figure keeps showing up in town, streaking across lawns and vandalizing the gardens of Miss Julia's neighbors. Abbotsville's liveliest resident finds herself trying to solve it all---matters of the heart and petty crime alike---and once again save the day"--
Subjects: Humorous fiction.; Springer, Julia (Fictitious character); City and town life; Weddings; Vandalism;

The singularities / by Banville, John,author.;
"From the revered, Booker Prize-winning author comes a playful, multi-layered novel of nostalgia, life and death, and quantum theory, which opens with the return of one of his most celebrated characters-Freddie Montgomery from The Book of Evidence-as he is released from prison. A man with a borrowed name steps from a flashy red sportscar-also borrowed-onto the estate of his youth. But all is not as it seems. There is a new family living in the drafty old house: the Godleys, descendants of the late, world-famous scientist Adam Godley, whose theory of existence threw the universe into chaos. And this mystery man, who has just completed a prison sentence, feels as if time has stopped, or was torn, or was opened in new and strange ways. He must now vie with the dysfunctional Godley family, with their harried housekeeper who becomes his landlady, with the recently commissioned biographer of Godley Sr., and with a wealthy and beautiful woman from his past who comes bearing an unusual request. With sparkling intelligence and rapier wit, John Banville revisits some of his career's most memorable characters, in a novel as mischievous as it is brilliantly conceived. The Singularities occupies a singular space and will surely be one of his most admired works"--
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Ex-convicts; Families; Secrecy;

Apron strings : navigating food and family in France, Italy, and China / by Wong, Jan,author.;
"Jan Wong knows food is better when shared, so when she set out to write a book about home cooking in France, Italy, and China, she asked her 22-year-old son, Sam, to join her. While he wasn't keen on spending excessive time with his mom, he dreamed of becoming a chef. Ultimately, it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. On their journey, Jan and Sam live and cook with locals, seeing how globalization is changing food, families, and cultures. In southeast France, they move in with a family sheltering undocumented migrants. From Bernadette, the housekeeper, they learn classic French family fare such as blanquette de veau. In a hamlet in the heart of Italy's Slow Food country, the locals teach them how to make authentic spaghetti alle vongole and a proper risotto with leeks. In Shanghai, they cook firecracker chicken and scallion pancakes with the nouveaux riches and their migrant maids, who are part of the biggest demographic shift in world history. Along the way, mother and son explore their sometimes-fraught relationship, uniting--and occasionally clashing--over their mutual love of cooking. A memoir about family, an exploration of the globalization of food cultures, and a meditation on the complicated relationships between mothers and sons, Apron Strings is complex, unpredictable, and unexpectedly hilarious."--
Subjects: Wong, Jan; Food; International cooking.; Globalization.; Families.;

Miss Julia weathers the storm / by Ross, Ann B.,author.;
"In the latest installment of Ann B. Ross's New York Times bestselling series, Miss Julia takes a trip to the beach, only to confront a hurricane roiling off the coast--and all the trouble it washes ashore. Miss Julia's sweet and generous husband, Sam, has decided to take a big group trip to the beach, inviting family and friends. While Miss Julia prepares for the big trip, her longtime friend LuAnne comes to her with a horrifying discovery--her husband may be cheating on her. Julia invites LuAnne along to the beach to get away and clear her head--and to keep from doing anything rash. Everyone settles into the rental house and six-year-old Latisha, their beloved housekeeper Lillian's great-grandaughter, is having a blast searching for seashells when she discovers some much more valuable treasures that have washed up from a strong storm off the coast. As the storm nears, the crew packs up to head back to Abbotsville, and it appears that the three strangers they met on the beach--who seemed a bit too interested in little Latisha's treasures--have followed them back to their sleepy town. In Miss Julia weathers the storm, another highly entertaining and delightful installment in the series by Ann B. Ross, Miss Julia must rely on her quick wit and strong will to protect Latisha, get to the bottom of LuAnne's predicament, and once again save the day"--
Subjects: Humorous fiction.; Springer, Julia (Fictitious character); Women; Beaches; Money; Hurricanes;

Too close to home : a novel / by Grant, Andrew,1968-author.;
"As an intelligence agent-turned-courthouse janitor, Paul McGrath notices everything and everyone--but no one notices him. It's the perfect cover for the justice he seeks for both his father and the people who've been wronged by a corrupt system. Now McGrath has discovered a missing file on Alex Pardew--the man who defrauded and likely murdered his father but avoided conviction, thanks in large part to the loss of this very file. And what lies behind its disappearance is even worse than McGrath had feared. Meanwhile, at the courthouse, McGrath stumbles onto the case of Len Hendrie, a small businessman who's been accused of torching a venture capitalist's mansion in Westchester. Hendrie admits to starting the fire, but then McGrath learns how the investor has preyed on average Joes to benefit himself--and his extensive wine collection. McGrath can't resist looking deeper into this financial predator, and he soon finds himself in a grey area between his avenging moral compass and the limits of the law. Then, just as the Hendrie case is heating up, McGrath receives word of the death of his father's former housekeeper, sending him back to his family home to confront unfinished business from his past. And he's about to find some unwelcome truths about the mother he lost as a child--and the father who hid even more secrets than he realized"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Janitors; Undercover operations; Fathers and sons; Secrecy; Corruption;

One by one / by Ware, Ruth,author.;
"The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark Dark Wood returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain"--"Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn't sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there's a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers--each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide. When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn't made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit. As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further ... one by one"--Book flap.
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Management retreats; Avalanches; Murder;

A trace of poison / by Cambridge, Colleen,author.;
In England's stately manor houses, murder is not generally a topic for polite conversation. Mallowan Hall, home to Agatha Christie and her husband, Max, is the exception. And housekeeper Phyllida Bright delights in discussing gory plot details with her friend and employer ... The neighboring village of Listleigh has also become a hub of grisly goings-on, thanks to a Murder Fête organized to benefit a local orphanage. Members of The Detection Club-a group of celebrated authors such as G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Agatha herself-will congregate for charitable events, including a writing contest for aspiring authors. The winner gets an international publishing contract, and entrants have gathered for a cocktail party - managed by the inimitable Phyllida - when murder strikes too close even for her comfort. It seems the victim imbibed a poisoned cocktail intended for Alastair Whittlesby, president of the local writers' club. The insufferable Whittlesby is thought to be a shoo-in for the prize, and ambition is certainly a worthy motive. But narrowing down these suspects could leave even Phyllida's favorite fictional detective, M. Poirot, twirling his mustache in frustration. It's a mystery too intriguing for Phyllida to resist, but one fraught with duplicity and danger, for every guest is an expert in murder - and how to get away with it.
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Historical fiction.; Recipes.; Novels.; Christie, Agatha, 1890-1976; Mallowan, M. E. L. (Max Edgar Lucien); Household employees; Murder; Poisoning;

One by one [sound recording] / by Ware, Ruth,author.; Church, Imogen,narrator.; Simon & Schuster Audio (Firm),publisher.;
Read by Imogen Church."Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn't sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there's a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers--each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide. When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn't made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit. As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further ... one by one"--Book flap."The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark Dark Wood returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Audiobooks.; Avalanches; Management retreats; Murder;