Murder has a long and distinguished history in San Francisco. The city and its Bay Area can stand proudly with Paris, London, and New York in the splendour of its misdeeds -- murders that have suspense, horror, audacity, and flair. The homicides chronicled in Murder by the Bay have been selected because a convergence of personality, circumstance, character, and geography makes them peculiarly San Franciscan. Each of these crimes illustrates an historic importance, each has impacted its times -- either in the course or application of the law or in the manner in which the affair revealed a shortcoming in society. They range from the Montgomery Street killing of James King of William, editor of the Daily Evening Bulletin, in 1856 to the sensational trial of early movie comedian Fatty Arbuckle who was accused of killing a showgirl at a party in the St. Francis Hotel to the shocking "City Hall Murders" in which former city supervisor Dan White killed Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Most were solved, some were not. They are murders that fascinated the city and frequently the country, sometimes for weeks, often for years and even decades.

No one noticed anything suspicious about the death of a wounded soldier at the height of the Civil War—not, that is, until almost a hundred years later. In 1957, young Washington, D.C., police sergeant Ben Carey heads up a team of officers in a dilapidated house three blocks from the Capitol. Though Carey’s career is on the rise, his marriage is circling the drain, and as he spends more time at the office, he discovers there is something not quite right about this decaying old home. It harbors some dark secrets—connecting him to the long-dead soldier and others in ways he can't understand. With his personal life in shambles, and forces from within the house vying for his attention, Carey casts reason aside and begins an investigation to uncover the truth about what happened in this haunted place. As he peels back the layers of history, he finds courage and love, but also deception, greed, jealousy, and murder. Twisting through time—between an America torn by Civil War and the prosperous 1950s—Murder Bay is a mystery that spans eras and the gulf dividing what can and cannot be explained. “The impressive first in a historical series, which effortlessly alternates between Washington, D.C., in 1862 and the same city 95 years later...this debut shows definite promise.” —Publishers Weekly “Very nicely done....Recommended.” —Library Journal “An involving, period-perfect story. The action is fast-paced and convincing...the characters are expertly drawn.” —ForeWord

In the 1980s, the San Francisco Bay Area was heaven for hardcore headbangers. Shunning Hollywood hairspray and image in favor of a more dangerous street appeal, the Bay Area thrash metal scene was home toExodus,Metallica,Testament,Possessed,Death Angel,Heathen,Vio-Lence,Attitude Adjustment, Forbidden, andBlind Illusion -- and served as a second home to like-minded similar bands likeSlayer,Mercyful Fate,Anthrax,Megadeth, and more. Beginning as teenagers taking snapshots of visiting heavy metal bands during the 1970s, Brian "Umlaut" Lew and Harald "O." Oimoen documented the birth and growth of the local metal scene. Featuring hundreds of unseen live and candid color and black-and-white photographs,Murder in the Front Row captures the wild-eyed zeal and drive that madeMetallica,Slayer, andMegadeth into legends, with over 100 million combined records sold.

In the small coastal town of Oyster Bay, North Carolina, you'll find plenty of characters, ne'er-do-wells, and even a few celebs trying to duck the paparazzi. But when murder joins this curious community, the Bayside Book Writers are there to get the story... Olivia Limoges is the subject of constant gossip. Ever since she came back to town-a return as mysterious as her departure-Olivia has kept to herself, her dog, and her unfinished novel. With a little cajoling from the eminently charming writer Camden Ford, she agrees to join the Bayside Book Writers, break her writer's block, and even make a few friends... But when townspeople start turning up dead with haiku poems left by the bodies, anyone with a flair for language is suddenly suspect. And it's up to Olivia to catch the killer before she meets her own surprise ending. Watch a Video

A storm-struck island. A blood-soaked bed. A missing man. In this captivating mystery that's perfect for fans of Knives Out, Senior Investigator Shana Merchant discovers that murder is a family affair. Thirteen months ago, former NYPD detective Shana Merchant barely survived being abducted by a serial killer. Now hoping to leave grisly murder cases behind, she's taken a job in her fiancé's sleepy hometown in the Thousand Islands region of Upstate New York. But as a nor'easter bears down on her new territory, Shana and fellow investigator Tim Wellington receive a call about a man missing on a private island. Shana and Tim travel to the isolated island owned by the wealthy Sinclair family to question the witnesses. They arrive to find blood on the scene and a house full of Sinclair family and friends on edge. While Tim guesses they're dealing with a runaway case, Shana is convinced that they have a murder on their hands. As the gale intensifies outside, she starts conducting interviews and discovers the Sinclairs and their guests are crawling with dark and dangerous secrets. Trapped on the island by the raging storm with only Tim whose reliability is thrown into question, the increasingly restless suspects, and her own trauma-fueled flashbacks for company, Shana will have to trust the one person her abduction destroyed her faith in--herself. But time is ticking down, because if Shana's right, a killer is in their midst and as the pressure mounts, so do the odds that they'll strike again.

Real estate rule #1: A dead body creates buzz. A dead body in a house for sale is never the buzz you want.It isn't the first time real estate agent Helen Morrisey has found someone naked in bed while showing a house to a potential buyer. But this one is different. One glance at the bluish cast around his lips and the vacant, staring eyes, and Helen knows big-time developer Al Capelli is never going to sign another sales agreement. His death is big news for a small, top of the Chesapeake water town where a family empire is built around secrets and their brash money style is resented by locals. Within days, his lover, her old friend, begs Helen to find the killer before she's arrested for murder. With her fight for the underdog style, Helen jumps in. She quickly realizes that solving a murder mystery in real life is a lot more dangerous than reading one. Helen decides to create her own Detection Club of expert sleuths-Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher, Nora Charles, Agatha Raisin, and, yes, Nancy Drew to help unearth the truth.Detective Joe McAlister recognizes the value of Helen's insight into back-office real estate deals and local players. And for the first time since her husband's death, Helen meets a man who might be able to return zingers as quick as she can toss them out. Mystery lovers hungry for a smart gutsy woman, a fast-moving plot, and an insider's look into a business everyone talks about, but few understand, will devour this first in a series Murder in the Master.

Murder in Horseshoe Bay Book 1 in the Whodunnit Series Murder Mystery The Horseshoe Bay Country Club was closed for five days due to a snowstorm that was fast approaching the community of Marble Falls. Only one day after Jordan McGuire closed the facility he was returning to his house from the home of Ariella Russell, his betrothed wife, and saw smoke coming out of one the chimneys. Jordan drove his '57 'Vette down the hill after crossing the Colorado River and stopped at the front door of the clubhouse at the end of the eighteenth fairway. There was no reason there should be any smoke coming from the chimney. He went inside to investigate. After hearing a loud noise from upstairs, he backed into the shadows at the base of the stairwell and noticed the sister of his betrothed wife, Megan Russell, rushing down the stairs. Unknown to all, Megan and Jordan were secretly in love with each other. The brightness of the full moon shone through the windows and reflected off the tears of the young woman as she raced out the door. Jordan listened and heard a key turn in the lock. He was frightened by what he saw and wasted no time racing upstairs. It was there where he found Ariella Russell lying dead on a sofa near the fireplace. Numerous pillows covered her body. She appeared to have been poisoned, but purple blotches found on her neck slowly turned black showing that she had been strangled to death. Since the case involved Ariella Russell, a leading socialite of Marble Falls and Jordan McGuire, the President of Horseshoe Bay Country Club, the DA and County Coroner, a would-be detective, got became involved in the case. Soon they found that they were over their heads in "whodunnit." They called in a famed veteran detective from Dallas, Texas, Vince James Gideon. Follow the clues of the missing bottles of Remy Martin Louis XIII from the clubhouse vault. Or, the missing diamond engagement ring… or flour prints on a wide brim hat… or, who was driving the Porsche 917 or the '72 Lemans Convertible from the Russell estate late at night. This first book in the Whodunnit Series will kick start Sidney St. James' mystery and intrigue series.