Murder - it's one of the staples of mystery fiction. One of the unwritten rules of the mystery novel is to start your murder in the first chapter...and on the first page, if possible! Collected here are 22 tales of murder. Some are fiendish. ("The Doorbell" is especially chilling.) Some are exotic. (Egyptian mummy murder? You bet!) Some take place in far-off locations. (The Canadian woods? At sea? In foreign countries? Why not!) What they all have...

Simon Hannaford is in need of some fast money, and murder seems the obvious solution. Specifically, a 1930s Murder Mystery Weekend, to be held at Madingley Grange, his aunt's superbly hideous gothic mansion. Simon and his sister are meant to be housesitting, but surely Aunt Maude would not begrudge them the chance to earn a few nearly honest shekels. As the guests arrive-each one dottier than the last-Simon's grand plans quickly go awry. Meanwhile,...

When a murderer crashes a masquerade ball, it's up to Liz to unmask the killer... It's been quite a year for novelist Liz Holt. She's overcome a lot and is finally feeling at peace with her new life at her family's hotel, the Indialantic by the Sea, on the beautiful barrier island of Melbourne Beach, Florida. She's exactly where she needs to be to ring in the New Year at the Florida Writes Literary Masquerade Ball. But when her ex-boyfriend surprises...

In this "marvelously entertaining" mystery, a hard-boiled Hollywood private eye investigates a murdered Munchkin on the set of The Wizard of Oz (Newsday). A year after The Wizard of Oz's smash success, the yellow brick road is crumbling. The famous sets have been left standing on a soundstage in the depths of the MGM back lot in case the studio greenlights a sequel. But that doesn't explain what Judy Garland is doing there-or why she finds a...

When a land developer is found floating face down in a water hazard on the golf course of an exclusive Long Island country club, local homicide detective Karl Kanopka is called in to investigate.

Eighteen-year-old aspiring chemist Elinor Dashwood and her younger sister Marianne, a budding detective, work together to solve the mystery of their father's murder. Includes author's note.

A Murder is Announced in a small-town newspaper advertisement-and Miss Marple must unravel the fiendish puzzle when a crime does indeed occur. The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn are agog with curiosity when the Gazette advertises "A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p. M." A childish practical joke? Or a spiteful hoax? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, the locals arrive at Little...

Bakery owner and sleuth Hannah Swensen is on the case when Connie Mac, the pompous host of a cable TV cooking show who has been chosen to bake this year's official Winter Carnival cake, is murdered while eating one of Hannah's famous blueberry muffins.