I’ve often thought that once I retire, I might return to school and audit some classes, but I’ll think twice after reading The Pawful Truth and learning what happened to Charlie Harris when he did that.

Susan Wittig Albert earned her place among the world’s best mystery writers several years ago. As the author who pens the Darling Dahlia series, the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and, with her husband, Bill Albert, a series of Victorian-Edwardian mysteries under the pseudonym Robin Paige,…

With the publication of The Body in the Wake, the Faith Fairchild mystery series reached a milestone. The Body in the Wake is the twenty-fifth installment featuring amateur sleuth and professional chef/caterer Faith Faithchild.

For some time now, Rita Mae Brown’s Mrs. Murphy novels have followed a structure featuring two distinct stories, one set in 18th century Virginia at the time of the American Revolution and the other in modern times. Brown’s newest work, Whiskers in the Dark continues the same pattern.

One of the most charming mystery series of today’s generation is that featuring Aunt Dimity. Penned by Nancy Atherton, they feature American-born Lori Shepherd, now a resident of Finch, a village in the beautiful Cotswolds section of England.

We first met Kate Shackleton, the indomitable sleuth featured in the Frances Brody mystery series, several years ago and have watched her grow into a successful private detective with a highly admirable record of bringing killers to justice.

Charles Finch introduced readers to London detective Charles Lenox several years ago in the series’ debut novel A Beautiful Blue Death. At the time, Lenox was already established in his work and was considered, by many, an oddity.

Dianne Freeman introduced mystery lovers to Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh in A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder, debut novel in a new series.

Laura Childs has once again turned out a riveting mystery set in Charleston, South Carolina, one of my favorite cities, adding to her Tea Shop Mystery series her newest work Broken Bone China.

Carlene O’Connor is a wonderful storyteller and traces her talents to a great-grandmother who emigrated from Ireland bringing with her tales of the old country.

Eva Gates’s Lighthouse Library Mystery series is a winner.

We first met Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid Eva Huntford several years ago. Leading characters in a series penned by Alyssa Maxwell, Lady Phoebe and Eva are an odd pair, whose friendship between the “upstairs and downstairs” worlds of aritistocratic England is increasingly enhanced …

Getting to read the first book in a new mystery series brings me great pleasure, and recently I had that opportunity.

Elizabeth Miles learned early that, contrary to the popular adage, honesty is not always the best policy, at least when it comes to finding justice.

Mystery lovers have Shelley Noble, bestselling author of Lighthouse Beach, The Beach at Painter’s Cove, and Whisper Beach, to thank for introducing us to Lady Philomena Dunbridge, Countess of Dunbridge, leading character in Ask Me No Questions, first in a new series.

One of the most powerful books to come my way recently is D-Day Girls by Sarah Rose.

Carola Dunn’s mystery series introduced readers to Lady Daisy Dalrymple several years ago. The Honourable Miss Dalrymple has never been obedient to her aristocratic background, and her marriage a few years ago to Alec Fletcher, a policeman and a widower with a daughter of his own, sealed the…

Many are we who enjoy Rhys Bowen’s mystery novels.

It’s autumn in 1888, the midst of America’s Gilded Age, and the world is agog at the shocking killings in London attributed to Jack the Ripper.

Ann B. Ross just made my reading schedule better with the release of her latest work Miss Julia Takes the Wheel.

A current popular mystery series penned by Carlene O’Connor features Siobhan O’Sullivan, one of several children orphaned when their parents were killed in a car crash by a drunk driver. Since then, Siobhan, the eldest daughter has tried her hardest to mother the brood, run the family’s bist…

Mariah Fredericks is the author of several young adult novels and has now graduated to a new genre.

We’ve all heard the opening line, “It was a dark and stormy night,” as Snoopy begins typing his soon-to-be best seller.

In a New York Times book review, the writer said, “History comes alive when a character you think of as a friend is in the thick of the action. That’s how Jacqueline Winspear keeps her Maisie Dobbs series so fresh.”

In August of 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden, were brutally hacked to death in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

We’ve all uttered the words “when the best laid plans” to summarize a situation when all our carefully made arrangements for a special occasion go awry and instead of enjoying a stress free vacation or a delightful family reunion we find ourselves dealing with total chaos.

It seems as though each passing day brings news of war horrors somewhere in the world. We are overwhelmed with news broadcasts filled with on-the-scene reporting, complete with film footage of the suffering men, women, and children caught in the tragedies.

Gardeners lead the numbers of readers devoted to Susan Wittig Albert’s character China Bayles, whose quiet life as owner of Thyme and Seasons, an herb shop in the small Texas town of Pecan Springs, is periodically interrupted by murder and mayhem.

Established author Sheila Connolly recently introduced a new series with the publication of Murder at the Mansion featuring Katherine Hamilton, a recently fired supervisor of a high-end boutique hotel in Baltimore.

Death by suicide is horrible: for the victim, the deceased’s family, and for those friends and acquaintances left behind. I know. One of my dearest aunts chose to end her life in 1976 after a period of troubles stemming from, I believe, an undiagnosed bipolar condition. But, whatever the cau…

The older I get, the more I love the South.

Heather Redmond has arrived on the scene of mystery writers with the publication of her debut novel, A Tale of Two Murders.

In the late 1890s, society functions often included a tableau vivant, an elaborate staging by live models wearing elaborate costumes posed to represent a living picture. For example participants might recreate the paintings The Last Supper or Washington Crossing the Delaware. While the model…

Kate Morton established herself as a premier writer of fiction several years ago with the publication of The House at Riverton.

In 1808, the United States, following the action of Great Britain a year earlier, outlawed trans-Atlantic slave trade.

America’s keen interest in the mysterious disappearance of the Lost Colonists of Roanoke continues to intrigue us today.

It seems almost bizarre today to think that a marriage between a young man and woman might be “arranged” by their parents and that prior to the wedding, they might never have met one another.

This may come as a surprise to you, but Amelia Earhart was not the only female flyer in the early days of aviation.

M.C. Beaton, whose true name is Marion (McChesney) Gibbons, has delighted readers for nearly 40 years with her mystery novels featuring Scottish policeman Hamish MacBeth and Cotswolds detective Agatha Raisin. She’s also penned a couple of dozen romance novels under various names and several …

The mysterious disappearance of the Lost Colonists of Roanoke continues to intrigue us today.

Author Catherine Lloyd’s acclaimed Kurland St. Mary mystery series features Sir Robert Kurland and his wife Lady Lucy Kurland, a wealthy couple in early 19th century England.

We met Maggie Hope, American-born spy and code-breaker extraordinaire, several years ago in Susan Elia MacNeal’s first novel, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary.

Charleston, South Carolina, aka The Holy City because of its multitude of churches, is one of the most beautiful, historical, and intriguing cities in the world. From its first-hand experiences in pre-Revolutionary War days down to the present, it offers something for everyone.

During the 1920s, the term “bright young things” was coined by the tabloid press to name a collection of bohemian young aristocrats and socialites, whose hedonistic lifestyles included elaborate fancy dress parties, elaborate treasure hunts, much drinking, and some drug use.

Rita Mae Brown’s books featuring ‘Sister’ Jane Arnold has proven to be one of the best mystery series in modern fiction.

True lovers of mysteries, for the most part, adore the works of Agatha Christie, whose writing career spanned half a century at the time of her death in 1976. The English writer’s works include mystery novels, traditional novels, short stories, and plays. She created such memorable character…

One of the most beloved stories, read, reread, told, retold, and portrayed on the stage each holiday season, is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Donna Andrews’ series featuring blacksmith Meg Langslow of Caerphilly, Virginia captured my attention several years ago with the first book installment Murder with Peacocks. Following have been twenty-one more books, each featuring the name of a bird or something bird-related in their titles…