Double Long Murder- Exclusive Excerpt     Chapter 14 Harry Houdini The witch had ruined my life. Again. I gave the large pot blocking my entrance to my kingdom one more shove, my fur rubbing against the textured clay. Nothing. My teeth chattered as the delicious scent of ripe berries and plump carrots rose in the air. How dare she prevent me from entering her House of Green in such a rude manner? It was unbecoming of her. This wasn’t the first time she had come up with ways to stop me from eating what was rightfully mine, and it was beginning to frustrate me to no small extent. Maybe it was time to move on. Go somewhere where I was appreciated. I squeezed around the side of the small house in the witch’s backyard, my butt knocking over another planter. I glanced back, whiskers wiggling. Good. Slowly, I made my way out of the garden and out of the witch’s life. Another scent caught my attention and my paws buried deep into the earth stopped me. Nose in the air, I sniffed for the abysmal intrusion. The smell was familiar enough, but I couldn’t quite put a paw on…

Rose had decided to be asleep when Tom got back to the cottage. Easier said than done, even though she was running on fumes. Her brain felt like it was downloading a decade’s worth of software updates on one bar of cell service. When Tom came in, his steps more confident than when he’d left, Rose shut her eyes to a crack and positioned a pillow over her head. Avoidance was not a healthier coping mechanism than smoking, but with lungs like hers, it was the one she had. Tom climbed the ladder to the loft without unnecessary noise and peered into the bed nook. Rose held her position, curled in the center of the bed, pretending to be asleep. He must have bought it, because he slid back down the ladder and went to check the water heater with a hand on the tank. Apparently satisfied with the temperature, he began to strip. Off went the black waffle-knit T-shirt, tossed to the couch. Off went the blue jeans, discarded in a puddle on the floor. Rose wanted to be a good person. She paid her taxes to the penny. She volunteered. She donated. She generally tried to treat people…

I turned my back to the crowd to hide the mess on my dress until I could muster the energy to battle my way back through the crowd to the ladies’ room to clean myself up. Gripping the railing, I looked out over the beach, rethinking my recent life choices. A small group of partiers danced barefoot in the sand, some grinning, some laughing, some singing along with the music—all happy, it seemed. Several couples walked hand in hand along the shoreline, mere silhouettes against the vast expanse of bay across which a sprinkling of lights dotted the barrier island that stood between Moriches Bay and the mighty Atlantic. A couple stood in the shadows with the lights from the outdoor dance floor giving off just enough illumination for me to make out an incredibly beautiful woman with generous curves and a ton of blonde waves cascading over tanned shoulders bared by her slinky black halter dress. She wore a stunning pair of black arch killers with rhinestones cascading from the ankle straps. At least, I thought they were rhinestones. Considering the diamonds dripping from her neck and wrists reflecting a dazzling rainbow of sparkles, was it possible the ankle…

It was the second time Nasser had asked after her health, and Anisa couldn’t be annoyed, not after he’d saved her from being plowed over by that reckless motorbike driver. To think she’d been a heartbeat away from becoming one big stain on the pavement— She squeezed her eyes at the horrid image that last thought conjured. If Nasser hadn’t been there… She still felt his arms around her, his hands poised at her back, holding her to him while the imminent danger passed them by. Because of his quick actions, he’d rescued her from grave injury. Possibly death. A shudder raked through her. Now that the adrenaline had ebbed from her system, residual fear left her shaken up, and anxiety pressed down on her chest. Her next few breaths sawed out fast and almost painfully. They were walking together, Nasser placing himself between her and the street. And yet every car passing had her nearly jumping out of her bones. Funny. She’d thought she was doing fine enough, but it seemed that the initial shock had held her real fright at bay. Suddenly she couldn’t think of anything else except that she’d almost just died. Ears ringing and heart…

Exclusive Excerpt   “Are we going on a ghost tour?” “Indeed. I hear Hollywood is full of haunted shit, huh?” Hayden’s boots scuff beside me, and he buries his hands deeper into his pockets. “Are you trying to woo me into doing your show?” “Is it working? Are you wooed?” “I said I’d think about it.” His voice is terse, but he offers a soft laugh that sends a shiver down my spine. We pause as we reach the tour kiosk. When we halt, our eyes lock. I reach deep into the part of my brain that’s watched a lot of interrogations on cop shows. I narrow my eyes. “I need you to think about it faster. I need to have something by Friday morning. A pitch deck, episode plans, something.” “I’m thinking about it—” The tour guide — a chirpy, middle-aged man named Gary — interrupts and leads us through the cavernous back halls of the Chinese theater to a gaudy, topless van painted to look like a hearse, which does not, in fact, look like a hearse. A couple in matching Ghost Adventures shirts funnel into the back seat. Another two pairs take the middle, leaving Hayden and…

From How to Fall for a Scoundrel by Kate Bateman. Copyright © 2024 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.   Chapter Seventeen   Harry closed the door, and together they hurried to the top of the stairs. A peek over the bannisters confirmed there were no guests below, so he took her hand again and drew her down the steps. Her skirts clung to her legs, and the book bumped against her thigh with every step. Ellie was sure her face was pink with guilt, but she followed Harry’s lead as they turned the corner. Another couple were there, clearly sneaking off for a little amour; the woman’s giggles and the man’s staggering gait indicated neither were particularly sober. They disappeared into a side room just as a larger group could be heard approaching. Ellie panicked; she pulled on Harry’s hand and tugged him into an alcove partly hidden by an enormous flower arrangement. His big body followed hers, and she let out a wheeze as his solid chest came into contact with her own. He ducked his head, enclosing her with his body, shielding her from view, and Ellie inhaled the magical scent…

Extract from Chapter One of THE REISTANCE SISTERS   Hana pressed her face against the tram window, unable to believe what she was seeing outside. She and her sisters were striving to look calm as they made their way to their AK stations for training, but it was hard for there was a curious panic in Warsaw’s air. German soldiers were marching up Jerusalem Avenue, but they were like no Germans she’d ever seen before. They were shuffling their muddy jackboots and keeping their eyes trained on the pavement of the city they’d arrogantly marched into five years ago. Their uniforms were torn and skewed and permeated with an air of defeat. She grabbed Zuzi and Orla and nodded at the astonishing sight beyond the window. Zuzi beamed. ‘Look at them, crawling in the dirt where they belong!’ ‘Zuzi, hush!’ Hana looked nervously around, aware, as always, of her duty as the eldest sister to keep the other two safe. They were in the Polish carriage, the only one of the three that made up the tram, with the front two reserved as Nur fur Deutsche – only for Germans – but you never knew who might be listening. No…

Exclusive Excerpt from DEATH AND THE VISITORS Copyright 2024 Heather Redmond   My vision swayed. Had the Russians returned to retrieve the ring I’d stolen? I dumped out the wildflowers I’d placed in my listening glass, then took the glass to the door, ignoring the pain in my midsection. “You have nothing to worry about.” I heard Papa’s rumble loud and clear. My fingers convulsed around the glass as I thought about how to sneak the ring downstairs to the sofa. I’d better do it now, while Mamma’s and Mary’s watchful gazes were safely outside. “You owe me a great deal,” said an English voice. “How can I possibly have nothing to worry about?” After a moment’s confusion, I recognized the voice. The moneylender John Cannon, who had been treated to a nice meal and the presence of the entire family about once a month since Papa had borrowed a thousand pounds from him late last year. He called regularly, which was a source of great stress on the household. “We had a visit from part of the Russian delegation,” Papa said. “What does that have to do with our arrangement?” John Cannon said in a steely tone. “Pavel Naryshkin,…

SCANDALOUS WOMEN excerpt   It’s 1969 and Jackie Collins is in Manhattan promoting her first novel—and finding out that writing a book with sex scenes in it comes with consequences.   Jackie’s promotional trip was exhausting. She wasn’t in the city long enough to adjust to East Coast time, so she kept wakening at four in the morning and felt tired by seven in the evening. Melanie accompanied her in taxis from one event to the next, and each time she had to dig out her snappiest repartee and widest smile. Jacqueline Susann seemed to revel in being a public persona, but Jackie found it draining and yearned to get home and curl up on the sofa with her girls. She vowed she wouldn’t set foot outside the front door for at least a week. On the final night, Melanie took her across town to a radio station, where she was to be interviewed by a presenter called Long John Nebel. “What’s he like?” Jackie asked. “Will it be a hostile interview?” “You’ll be fine if you’re as honest and funny as you have been with everyone else,” Melanie said. “Just be your amazing self.” Jackie thought that was all…

Chapter 9 – Ruby   “Let’s stay calm, yes?” Julien sets a hand on my shoulder. He must feel me shaking – my legs are trembling uncontrollably as my heart tries to pulverize my rib cage. “We should rest in that alcove we passed. Get our bearings” “No,” I cry. “We have to keep going.” “Actually, he’s right,” Olivia says between ragged breaths, wiping her cheeks with the backs of her hands. “I go hiking with my dad a lot, and he always says if you ever get lost, you should stop in your tracks. If you panic and keep going for the sake of it, you’ll get even more lost.” “We’ve already reached peak lostness,” I say. “Could we really get more lost?” “We’ll be fine,” Julien says. “I’m sure your friend is fine, too. We just need to stop and calm down for a moment.” “Okay,” says Val. I bite my lip, discordant, desperate to find that crumbly staircase, but I’ve already been outvoted. A few minutes later, we’re stooping through a low entryway into a small alcove. Barely an inch of it isn’t coated in graffiti, which would be reassuring – at least if people were here,…