On vacation in the Big Potato Mountains, Qwilleran stumbles

into a mystery involving the

murder of J. J. Hawkinfield, the

developer who was pushed off

a mountain years before after

announcing his plans to develop the region.

The Great Food Explo is

scheduled to open in Pickax

with a bang, introducing new

restaurants, country inns and

food speciality shops.

Unfortunately the 'bang' takes the form of a bomb which

wrecks a hotel, killing the

housekeeper and causing

extensive damage. Enter Qwill

and his Siamese cats, Koko and

Yum Yum, whose instincts tell them that the murderous bomb

was meant as something

stronger than a warning to

someone. While Qwill searches for clues, a

possible witness to the

bombing surfaces - who is shot

to death before he can be

questioned. But Qwill, Koko and

Yum Yum are on the case...

In this delightful new novel

featuring Jim Qwilleran and his

lovable cats, Koko and Yum

Yum, the rites of spring are

celebrated with the fine art of

birdcalling....and a fateful act of murder. It seems that this

spring, a cat's fancy may turn to

crime-solving...

UFOs in Mooseville? Rumors

abound that a missing

backpacker has been abducted,

and it looks like Jim Qwilleran's

sedate summer may be

interrupted by an investigation -- with the help of his own little

aliens, Koko and Yum Yum. And

when the backpacker's body

turns up -- and transplanted

Floridian Owen Bowen is found

dead soon afterward -- the search for intelligent life turns

into a close encounter with a

killer...

The way Jim Qwilleran sees it,

there's nothing worse than

being left high and dry. But

that's exactly where he's been

ever since a record-breaking

drought hit Moose County. He's bedraggled. Beleaguered. And,

following a rash of fires at local

historic mine sites, deeply

bewildered. Some blame the

blazes on bad weather

conditions, but Qwill's thinking arson. And when a mysterious

explosion is followed by a

blood-chilling murder, he starts

seriously praying for snow--and

answers. Good thing Koko can

smell trouble a mile away...

Living in the peaceful city of

Pickax may be restful, but it

certainly isn't dull. At least not

for one of the most eligible

bachelors in town, veteran

newspaperman Jim Qwilleran. Having inherited millions,

Qwilleran and his two feline

companions, Koko and Yum

Yum, are preparing to settle

down into a life of purrfect

luxury. That is, until the son of a rich banker and his wife are

found murdered.

To the police, it looks like a

robbery gone awry. But then

Koko develops an odd appetite

for glue. Qwilleran doesn't spot the clue until his beloved

Siamese's taste for paste tangles

them in a web of love, danger,

and their stickiest case yet!

In this latest installment,

prizewinning reporter Jim

Qwilleran—along with his

lovable Siamese cats Koko and

Yum Yum—solve a mystery that

arises when a local banker dies under suspicious circumstances,

leaving behind a flashy young

widow, an unfinished house-

restoration project, and a trail of

clues as elusive as a cat burglar

in the night . . .

The good people of Moose

County are in a fever of

excitement. It's almost time for

the gala groundbreaking of the

Pickax bookstore - and the

town of Brrr is preparing for its bicentennial celebration. All the

festivities, however; are spoiled

by the discovery of a man's

body on James Qwilleran's

property. Could it be the work

of a killer who used the same MO in northern Michigan? To

solve the case, Qwill and his

feline pals, Koko and Yum Yum,

will have to prick up their ears

and determine who committed

this fowl deed.

Qwill's on his way to Scotland -

and on his way to solving

another purr-plexing mystery.

But this time Koko's nowhere

the scene of the crime. He and

Yum Yum are back in Pickax being coddled by a

catsitter...but Koko won't sit still

once Qwill's traveling party

returns--minus one member.

He's behaving oddly, and Qwill

knows what that means: Koko may have been miles away

from the murder scene, but he's

just a whisker away from

cracking the case!

Qwill’s moved into the old Gage

mansion—and the cats are on a

treasure hunt. The house’s fifty

closets are crammed with

several generations of junk, and

while Qwill investigates two recent deaths—those of the

mansion’s former occupant and

a local potato farmer—Koko

investigates the contents of the

closets. Qwill and the cats wind

up unearthing some surprising skeletons—and bringing long-

buried secrets to light...

Jim Qwilleran packs up his old

kit bag and his two Siamese

cats, Koko and Yum Yum, for a

sun-and-fun summer at his log

cabin in Moose County. Their

vacation starts out ominously with the disappearance of a

handyman hired to patch up

Qwilleran's cabin. But the felines

really start throwing catfits

when they come across a dead

body or two...A serial killer may be right under Koko's nose, and

now this ingenious Siamese

must dig deeper to clear poor

Qwilleran of suspicion--and dig

up the motive for a catastrophic

crime.

Pickax's favorite columnist,

James Qwilleran, is enjoying a

brief holiday in the nearby town

of Black Creek - but his two

Siamese, who prefer the

spaciousness of their home, beg to differ. The blissful tranquility

is soon interrupted by the

discovery of a body floating

down the creek. And a possible

motive for his murder is

suggested when several gold nuggets are found in his

possession. Might he have been

illegally prospecting for gold? If

so, it seems he wasn't the only

one in search of an easy fortune.

And his competitor is far more determined to strike it rich...

Lee Fontana - 1, 2

Cat quilter Jillian Hart finds a gorgeous stray cat belonging to the fabulously wealthy Ritaestelle Longworth, who believes she's being drugged. Before Jillian can get to those charges, a body turns up in the lake-and her cat Chablis finds Ritaestelle nearby. Can Jillian's cats aid her in solving a mystery with decades old roots?

Between her kitty quilt-making business and her three beloved cats, Jill has her hands full. That doesn't stop her from wanting to solve the mystery of the milk cow that's gone missing from her friend's farm. But imagine her surprise when a stolen cow leads to the discovery of fifty stray cats and one dead body-a victim of cold-blooded murder…

Sweeney (Pick Your Poison) launches the Cats in Trouble mystery series with a meandering whodunit. Jillian Hart is content making and selling cat quilts and living quietly in Mercy, S.C., with her three cats, Syrah, Chablis and Merlot. When Syrah is catnapped, Jillian finds not only the thief-thanks to a state-of-the-art alarm system installed by charming PI Tom Stewart-but also a murder mystery to solve. The cats are entertaining four-legged assistants, with traits like Chablis's human allergy and Merlot's ninja-style defensive tactics. Jillian's quirky neighbors also liven up the thin plot, particularly Tom, whose knack with alarms and computers comes in handy, and flamboyant deputy coroner Lydia Monk. Kitty-lovers will enjoy the feline trivia, but readers looking for a complex mystery will chafe at the slow pace and last-minute revelations.

Sweeney (Pick Your Poison) launches the Cats in Trouble mystery series with a meandering whodunit. Jillian Hart is content making and selling cat quilts and living quietly in Mercy, S.C., with her three cats, Syrah, Chablis and Merlot. When Syrah is catnapped, Jillian finds not only the thief-thanks to a state-of-the-art alarm system installed by charming PI Tom Stewart-but also a murder mystery to solve. The cats are entertaining four-legged assistants, with traits like Chablis's human allergy and Merlot's ninja-style defensive tactics. Jillian's quirky neighbors also liven up the thin plot, particularly Tom, whose knack with alarms and computers comes in handy, and flamboyant deputy coroner Lydia Monk. Kitty-lovers will enjoy the feline trivia, but readers looking for a complex mystery will chafe at the slow pace and last-minute revelations.

When quilter Jillian Hart returns to her lake house in Mercy, South Carolina, she discovered her friend, Tom, is missing-and his estranged half-brother has moved into Tom's house. Jillian doesn't trust the guy, especially since he allowed Tom's diabetic cat to escape. When police officers find Tom's wrecked car with a dead stranger inside, Jillian is determined to find out what happened to Tom-before someone else turns up dead.

The third mystery in the hugely compelling, bestselling international crime series from Norway's answer to Agatha Christie, Hans Olav Lahlum, The Catalyst Killing will have you guessing to the final clue. The first murder was only the spark… 1970: Inspector Kolbjorn Kristiansen, known as K2, witnesses a young woman desperately trying to board a train only to have the doors close before her face. The next time he sees her, she is dead… As K2 investigates, with the help of his precocious young assistant Patricia, he discovers that the story behind Marie Morgenstierne's murder really began two years ago, when a group of politically active young people set out on a walking tour in the mountains. There, one night, the party's charismatic leader – and Marie's boyfriend – Falko Reinhardt vanished without a trace. But were the relationships between this group of friends and comrades all they appeared to be? What did Marie see, that made her run for her life that day? And could both mysteries be linked to Falko's research into a cell of Norwegian Nazis he suspected may still be active? It soon becomes clear that Marie's death is not only a complex case in its own right, but will act as a catalyst in a dark set of events which will leave K2 and Patricia confronting their most dangerous and explosive investigation yet. And as the pair works hard to unravel the clues before Marie's killer can strike again, the detective fails to notice that his young assistant has her own problems to face.

Bill Pronzini, famed for his “Nameless” detective series, displays his darker side, along with his remarkable breadth, in this stunning collection of 19 stories.

We meet an array of characters fit for nightmares.

A hapless store clerk who only wants to “look” at a beautiful, naked young neighbor...

A woman trapped with a killer who just happened to wash ashore...

A good Samaritan who gives a lift to a madman...

A tormented husband who dreams of a little room of his own...

Stretching across five decades, here is a collection that demonstrates again Bill Pronzini’s mastery of popular fiction.