Maybe a woman's place was in the home in 1949 -- but then again, maybe it wasn't for a woman sheriff! A classic mystery by Fredric Brown, ripped from the pages of the Summer, 1949 issue of Mystery Book Magazine.

THE STORY: Lesley Paul, young wife of a prosperous London bookmaker (gambler), lives, quite literally, like a bird in a gilded cage. Home is a posh maisonette in a small section of London, her husband is adoring and attentive, and there is money

"My guiltiest pleasure is Harry Stephen Keeler. He may been the greatest bad writer America has ever produced. Or perhaps the worst great writer. I do not know. There are few faults you can accuse him of that he is not guilty of. But I love him." -- Neil Gaiman It all began with a mysterious black satchel stitched closed with silver wire. Mrs. Matilda Hunter, Jerry Evans’ landlady, finds the satchel and leaves it in his room -- and then is heinously murdered. Before long, Jerry finds out about the contents of the satchel -- a device known as the Michaux Death Ray -- and he's off on an odyssey!

Based on the life of Princess Caroline Matilda.

‘Gory, brutal, devastating, utterly addictive and yet so finely written. This deserves to be huge – and I think it will be. His best yet’ Louise Beech They were the perfect family. It was the perfect crime.

‘DCI Matilda Darke is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths ‘Matilda Darke is an excellent character’ BA Paris

A “bittersweet romance” of family secrets, forbidden love, and the true price of wealth among Hollywood elites—“a charming and well-crafted read” (Library Journal, starred review). When young journalist Thomas Cleary is sent to dig up quotes for the obituary of a legendary film producer, he gains access to the exclusive upper echelons of Hollywood society. Entering a world of private jets and sprawling mansions, his life and career take off beyond his wildest dreams. Then he meets Matilda Duplaine . . . Beautiful and mysterious, Matilda has spent her entire life within the walls of her powerful father’s Bel-Air estate. Thomas is entranced, and the two begin a secret love affair. But the more he learns about the mysterious woman’s identity, the more he realizes that privilege always comes with a price.