Tenderness: it's all Lori Cranston really wants. She's running away from the sordid sexual interest of greasy middle-aged shop-keepers and her mother's boyfriends. Maybe Eric Poole can give her what she needs. He is a face from her past. He is a murderer, a psychopath, but he seems so gentle, so tender, and his attraction for Lori is irresistible.

A classic collection of mystery greats from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to Agatha Christie and beyond. How can a barber outwit the fugitive murderer in his chair without endangering himself? Can a group of school kids get away with murder? Can an ancient Egyptian curse really kill off the crew of an archaeological dig? All this and more awaits you in this fine assortment of adventures and puzzles.

"He does not see, hear or feel the bullet
That explodes his brain like a star-burst rocket.
He is dead before he hits the ground,
Instant blackness covering all."

Mr. Chippendale is a teacher, was a teacher - until someone shot him. Who would want to kill him? He was a great teacher, wasn't he, the kind who actually inspired his students? Everyone's sorry he's gone. And they'll always remember him, won't they?

Bodie Tureen is sure that his boss, Henry Siler, has murdered his wife. But where is Mrs. Siler's body? Our valiant young detective is determined to discover her. He follows many leads, with hilarious results - but no incriminating evidence to show for it. Will this teen-aged crime-fighter triumph? Read on and find out!

John Fell has just been offered the deal of a lifetime: if he will impersonate wealthy Woodrow Pingree's son at an exclusive private school for the next two years, he will be paid twenty thousand dollars. For a guy with ambitions as a restauranteur, the impoverished son of a deceased detective and a frustrated caterer, it's impossible to turn down. Does Pingree have an ulterior motive? What if his wife finds out? This sarcastic and suspenseful series continues with Fell Down and Fell Back.

Peter Flosnick fell off a cliff. Or was he pushed? Chloe is shocked. After all, Peter just wasn't the sort to kill himself, or to be killed. He just wasn't that interesting. But Chloe didn't really know him at all. He wasn't a friend. Just a lonely, star-gazing science geek on the periphery of Chloe's high school existence. But now that he's gone, Chloe can't get him out of her mind. Who was Peter Flosnick, anyway? Mystery fans won't want to miss McClintock's other suspenseful titles, Password: Murder and Sins of the Father.

When a valuable computer goes missing in a Catholic retirement centre, amateur sleuth Father Dowling is hot on the trail. He is ably assisted by Janet and Gerry, two waifs and strays he has hired to work at St. Hilary's Community Centre. Readers can catch up with Janet, Gerry and Father Dowling again in The Case of the Dead Winner. While these titles have been written specifically for a young adult audience, Father Dowling appears in a number of other titles in the adult mystery section.

Ellis is fresh out of school - a little too fresh. Ellis is looking for a little trouble, a little danger, a bit of experience to wipe the innocence from his soul. And he finds it. He allows himself to be drawn into the marginal world of Jackie Cattle and the Land-of-Smiles Motel. But after an exhilarating night of drunken freedom, Ellis awakens to a crisis - a baby has been kidnapped and somehow, he has to help get her back. These are twenty-four hours Ellis will never forget.

What if you woke up and found that your world was gone? Stacy emerges from a four-year coma to discover that her mother has been shot and killed by the same intruder who put her in the hospital. The four years between thirteen and seventeen are a lifetime. Stacy's friends have grown up and moved on without her; even her own body has left her behind. But Stacy has a more serious problem: the killer is still out there, and now that she's awake, Stacy is a threat he cannot allow to exist. Time is running out for "Sleeping Beauty."

Jennifer knows her friend Bobbie is not a murderer. But Bobbie's mother is dead, Bobbie has vanished and the police are sure she's guilty. They aren't looking for another suspect, but someone is out there all the same. Jennifer is desperate to find her friend - before someone else does...

Fans of Victorian mysteries rejoice! This is a suspenseful and often hilarious spoof on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Pullman's "Holmes" is an intrepid female detective by the name of Sally Lockhart. The adventures of Sally Lockhart and co. continue in The Shadow in the North and The Tiger in the Well. The Tin Princess is a companion volume featuring some characters from the series. By the author of The Golden Compass.

Two people have been murdered. Barrie Dupre knew them both. The only connection between them seems to be her mother's hair salon. And what a connection it is - the staff of the salon all happen to convicted murderers who met in a prison vocational school. As suspicion falls on her nearest and dearest, Barrie retreats into her writing, but she cannot hide from her own fears...

Is Dora really part of the family, or just a scheming opportunist? She shows up on the doorstep, pregnant, claiming to be Ricky's widow. Ricky's mother opens her home and heart to this stranger, but Teddi isn't so sure. Is there room enough for them all? Newly orphaned and uncertain of her own place in the household, Teddi watches Dora with suspicion...

Buck and Tunes have been friends forever. It never bothered anyone that Tunes was poor, black, and a girl - not until they turned thirteen. And then they found the body. Jorge Rodriguez was caught in the weeds of the riverbed with a huge hole in his head. It couldn't possibly have been an accident. But who did it? The events that follow will change Buck and Tunes friendship forever and reveal that racism is alive and well in Chesapeake Bay, even now.

Nola's life has always been dangerous. The authorities will burn her and her mother if they are discovered as witches. So the two move constantly, staying one jump ahead of the witch-hunters. Unfortunately, life gets a lot more precarious when Nola witnesses a murder using her magical abilities and the killer sets out to frame her for the crime.

A quick trip to the grocery store - that's what Suzie Quinn had in mind. But three incompetent robbers changed a brief errand into an endless nightmare. They didn't intend to take a hostage. But they panicked. Now Suzie will need every ounce of courage to stay alive - and to get free.

Lucy is on the run. She's changed her name, her looks - but she doesn't know why. Since her mother's death, Lucy's father has been acting more and more strangely. Finally he hands her a suitcase full of money, gives her cryptic instructions to contact him through newspaper advertisements, and tells her to run as far and as fast as she can - and to trust no one...