Individual Titles
Judging from a Distance
Description
1973. Letters written from one spy to another during World War II and long considered buried have surfaced and are now threatening their author, a highly respected judge and war hero with voracious ambition. 1975. To Alice Doyle, the discovery of a packet of letters while clearing out her attic is just a sad reminder of her failed marriage to Oscar, a dealer in antique documents. She can’t just return them to Oscar—he was killed during a break-in at the home of his second wife, Pam. The letters are in French, and Alice, unable to read them and unsure of their value, seeks the help of Leo Reynaud, a local teacher from Quebec. He realizes the letters, written from an American based in England to a woman in Switzerland and which first appear to be distasteful lust letters, might be coded spy letters. Pam persuades Alice and Leo to dig deeper, even if it means traveling to Europe, to answer one question: did the letters have anything to do with Oscar’s death? Alice is looking forward to moving out of a money-draining house with her twelve-year old twins. Leo is looking forward to starting on his master’s degree. Judge Marcus Brown is looking forward to an appointment he’s worked toward his entire life. Tanya Koch is looking forward to meeting her father for the first time. It is an accident waiting to happen when their world’s come together at the end of summer.
Stealing Thunder
Description
Rysbeck Abbey, an estate now in the hands of the not-for-profit charity Antiquity England provides the background for this novel of theft, murder—and trespassing. The action begins and ends in England, but a church in Germany, the Prague Christmas Market, a suburban home in Denmark, and a ferry ride on the North Sea all provide settings for the action in this story of loss and gain. Rysbeck is full of antiques, but Thunder is very special. It’s a curious name for a Qing dynasty jade figure of a reclining horse. While it was worth over a million pounds on any market, it is practically priceless to the billionaire from whose family it was taken in the late 1800’s. When Thunder surfaces for sale, the wealthy Chinese man will stop at nothing to get his hands on it. Lewis Oakes is a 60-year-old widowed electrician with just one goal—he wants to move to Canada to be near his son. He’s hoping Rysbeck Abbey will help him get there. Elise Fairmont is 58 years old and has lost everything, including her home, thanks to her devious husband. She now works at the Abbey. With all its many bedrooms, what could be the harm in using just one? Candice Vendicombe is 48 and figured when she married Baron Vendicombe’s only son she would someday be a Baroness with Rysbeck Abbey her stately home. A drastic change in circumstances has left her living off the generosity of Antiquity England. Her plans to drastically change her status include reclaiming what she considers to be rightfully hers. Dottie Wilson is 81 and a dedicated and protective volunteer at the Abbey. She is about to get much more than she bargained for when she signed on to guide folks around the Abbey’s antique-filled rooms.
Those Who Wait
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Description
Gabrielle Shaw was very content with her life. It wasn’t perfect, but she enjoyed her position teaching drama at an all-girls grade school in Oregon. When the financially-troubled school hires a hip new director, Adam Hawkins, who excels at fund-raising, Gaby finds herself out of a job and soon after discovers her home has been left to the school as well. In an unfortunate accident, Gaby destroys the rare antique vehicle that is Hawkins’ pride and joy and at the same time becomes a witness to a murder that could send her to her grave. With no job, no home, and fearful of Hawkins’ revenge, Gaby heads across the country to the Finger Lakes area of New York State, child-home of her grandfather, looking for potential relatives who might lend her a hand. Adam Hawkins and his girlfriend, Monica, head east to track her down—Adam, because Gaby knows too much about the recent death of a local philanthropist; Monica, because she believes Gaby holds the key to the location of four lost paintings by French artist Camille Pissarro. Gaby lands in Otter Cove and quickly and has made a few trusted friends—a busy widower named Nancy who hires Gaby to work in her cafe, elderly twins Jim and Joe Johnson, and an enigmatic musician named Hobart Jones. But it is now the beginning of November. Winter is coming. Gaby knows Hawkins hasn’t given up looking for her. It’s also time for her to move out of her three-season cabin and look for a proper job and place to live. At the last minute, another acquaintance, Erick, offers her temporary accommodation in an historic lakeside inn while he prepares it for winter. But after a ‘cold night in hell’, Gaby finds herself teamed with Erick in a chase which takes them on a winding journey across the country. Gaby soon discovers the lure of millions of dollars has created a caravan—several members of which will use any means to get what they want—no matter how hot it gets. Those Who Wait is an adventure story; its characters kept pt on the move throughout the USA in pursuit of art, money, revenge, and answers.
Running from the Moon
Description
On her 16th birthday, a good witch living in New England is given a precious gift. On her 336th birthday she loses it. Three middle-school aged cousins are getting up to a bit of mischief when they make a late-night visit to their grandparent’s barn. The barn is strictly off limits, but the kids never get an opportunity to run their grandparents massive display of miniature Christmas villages and model railroads. Of course the kids don’t anticipate meeting a centuries-old witch. She blames them for the loss of her gift and insists they find it. Throw into the mix a Persian cat with a bad attitude, a couple of unsuspecting visitors, including their grandfather, recruited to help with the search, and some volatile miniature figures, and suddenly the barn is brim full of misadventures and mayhem. The kids and the witch are soon running against the harvest moon as it crosses the October sky. This is a thrilling adventure for a range of readers from of all ages. It’s a tale of fantasy, reflection, excitement, and fun!
Winter Pursuit
Description
Norah Loring is a single 32-year-old English woman playing it safe. She lives with her mother, teaches at a local university, and is engaged in a long-term relationship going nowhere. When her mother suddenly dies, new information comes to light which quickly derails Norah’s quiet life. She discovers her father, long thought to have been killed at the end of World War II, may still be alive and living in Russia. Against the wintry background of three continents, Norah sets off in pursuit of the truth about her father. At cross purposes with her quest is the lure of a fortune in Nazi gold and the two men, one American and one Russian, who will stop at nothing—not even murder— to possess it. But perhaps the most dangerous aspect of Norah’s journey is when she is swept off her feet by a man who unwittingly becomes involved in her journey, entering her life just when she least expects—or welcomes—the attention.
As Clear as Glass
Description
American Renata Candeloro’s work as a stained glass restorer has taken her to St. Anne’s Church in Little Wyecross, Derbyshire in England. She knew restoring the frail 14th century windows would not be easy, but she never dreamt she’d wind up confronting murder and mayhem, not to mention the true spirit of St. Anne’s. Renata’s love of working with the beauty and art of stained glass has come to fill the void in her life after her husband leaves her for a younger woman and her son heads off to university. She’s good at her job and just wants to get on with it. But the vicar at St. Anne’s has big plans for the church which have nothing to do with worship and everything to do with relieving the local gentry of valuable works of art. Renata is getting in his way. Renata’s troubles begin to multiply and she seeks help from the UK charitable trust charged with the oversight of her work. She’s foisted onto director Perry Winquelles, who actually lives in Little Wyecross. Perry is a single father with a 13 year old daughter and has enough of his own problems trying to make ends meet at his high maintenance ancestral home, Rushley Hall, without getting involved in a spat between an arrogant vicar and a middle-aged nuisance. Unwittingly, Renata’s troubles soon become Perry’s. While all England prepares for the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, Perry and Renata must put aside their differences and work together to solve their problems – and save their lives.
For a Rainy Day
Description
Rose Saxby, mid-thirty, single, and finally hitting her stride as a wedding photographer in Norfolk, Virginia has worked hard to get where she is, overcoming a childhood where she and her brother Rye were frequently left to fend for themselves by parents too restless to settle. It’s a shocking surprise when Rose learns she has inherited an estate in another Norfolk—a county in England. But as Rose and Rye quickly discover, Saxby Hall comes with a lot of baggage. They are ill-prepared for the grave consequences they will face as they become acquainted with their new home and with their distant cousin Leon, who will stop at nothing to permanently remove Rose, Rye, and Saxby Hall's quirky residents to further his greedy plans. Holding secrets of their own are a wooden bear, a Russian necklace worth a fortune, and a peach orchard. All roads eventually lead to a frozen lake in Sweden, where truths—and lies—will be revealed, and to a crossroads where Rose and Rye must ultimately decide whether to accept a different definition of home and family.
Storm in a Port
Description
At the turn of the 20th century, a princess and her lover escape from a small principality in Eastern Europe with two satchels packed with gold and jewels setting off lies, deceit, and murder decades later on South Chop Island, Maine. When the owners of a farm on South Chop Island die the islanders assume the property would be bequeathed to them as promised for several municipal projects. But the owners never made a will. A man from Texas, at the urging of his island-resident mother, has located a descendant of the property and offers to purchase the land with the intention of developing it into a resort. The islanders, alarmed at this idea, dust off an ancient code to prevent this from happening. The descendant has been offered good money for the land and he agrees to sit out the terms of the code. However, all is not as it appears. The developers seem more interested in searching the property than obtaining plans and permits for a resort. Following an altercation at an Island Council meeting, the descendant, who happens to be a doctor, and one of the island’s residents, an herbalist, are ordered by the court to work together as a coroner and his assistant. Suddenly this quarrelsome couple have their hands full as the search for valises of treasure heats up during what is becoming a hot Maine summer.