Sparks fly in

Something Blue

, a clever, character-driven mystery where romance and suspense seamlessly intertwine. The third book in the

Lord & Lady Hetheridge Mystery Series

delivers crisp dialogue, irresistible romance, and characters you'll fall in love with.Lord Anthony Hetheridge, a chief superintendent at Scotland Yard, is about to tie the knot with DS Kate Wakefield. But the murder of a powerful CEO at the luxurious Hotel Nonpareil threatens to upend the special day. Everyone hated the dead man: his son, his scorned wife, his fiancée, and his secret lover. More ominously, Sir Duncan Godington, longtime nemesis of Lord Hetheridge and DS Deepal Bhar, hated the dead man, too.As pressure mounts from all sides, including 10 Downing Street, Hetheridge, Kate, and Bhar must solve the case in record time. But can they untangle the truth before the killer strikes again?Return to the world of

Ice Blue

and

Blue Murder

in

Something Blue

, the third Lord & Lady Hetheridge book, and dive into a whirlwind of suspense, romance, and wit sharper than cupid's arrow.

POE MEETS PUZO – THE WORLD’SFIRST LOCKED-ROOM MOB MYSTERY!

Hard-hitting veteran reporter Deuce Mora is awakened in the pre-dawn hours and called to the scene of a gruesome hanging to identify the body of a dear friend, an FBI agent on the verge of taking down one of Chicago’s biggest Mob operations. Deuce knows it’s murder, but the authorities have no choice but to call it a suicide – the death scene was triple-locked from the inside.

And with that, author Heller, a former journalist and frequent Pulitzer nominee, takes her place with Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the great Edgar Allan Poe himself as one of the few authors ever to pull off a locked-room murder. In this one, half the fun is trying to figure out the locked-room puzzle. And the delight of finding one in a contemporary mob mystery.

The other half of course, is the tenacious Deuce herself, the tough, hard-boiled, and ever-human reporter who goes places the cops don’t even know about. And Heller’s intricate, action-packed mystery story.

The ill wind sweeping the Windy City has also whipped up two more unexplainable deaths – of perfectly healthy, able-bodied young mobsters,key witnesses about to flip on the top leaders of the Mob operation. Neither the Chicago police nor the FBI can come up with a cause of death – and they’ve looked at every kind of toxin – but our meticulous investigator, whose stock-in-trade is death-defying leaps of logic, fits together a couple of impossible puzzle pieces. The downside is that the bad guys figure out where their greatest exposure lies – and Deuce quickly becomes their new target.

Enter a Washington reporter who has been following the organized crime investigation for months at its source, in D.C. He and Deuce share a dark secret and he knows exactly where to apply pressure on her demons to keep her on the trail of her friend’s murderers. But as the Windy City begins to look more and more like the Chicago of Al Capone days, with bodies turning up in the river and shoot-outs in public places, Deuce discovers she couldn’t walk away even if she wanted to. Whoever is at the top – and this is Chicago, so the top is always way up – will stop at nothing to shut down this investigation.

WHO WILL LIKE IT: First of all, fans of puzzle mysteries and locked rooms! Followed closely by admirers of get-the-story-or-die reporters like Hank Philippi Ryan’s Jane Ryland and Kelly Lange’s Maxi Poole, Chicago private investigators VI Warshawski and Libby Fischer Hellman’s Georgia Davis, kickass female detective protagonists like Marcia Muller’s Sharon McCone and Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan; and anyone who admires tough-minded women sleuths who’re good in a fight.

????? “

What a twisty plot!

Kind of like if

Agatha Christie

was alive and writing mysteries in the present.” Karen????? “Blackmail, crime, murder, revenge, obsession, deception, lies and secrets . . .

this book has it all!

” Linda S.????? “One to read slowly, and savour like a fine wine.” MyShelfOriginally published as

Tongued with Fire

.____________________

Delivering twist after brilliant twist, this clever whodunnit is sure to keep you guessing until the final page.

Welcome to Oldminster, a quaint little town where there’s always a mystery to be solved.

Frank Renfield, Baron of Renfield Hall, will stop at nothing to save himself from ruin. Even if that means marrying his daughter off to a rich American.Unfortunately for him, she is already in love with a penniless nobody named Alan Lavender — to the glee of Alan’s greedy uncle Guy.He’s been nosing into the Renfields’ murky past, and he says he’s uncovered a secret. Something so shocking it casts a shadow over Frank’s entire legacy.Tensions run high at the hall, until Guy Lavender turns up dead.A convenient coincidence for Frank?Detectives French and Edwards are on the case. But in a town full of secrets, the truth can be hard to find.And Guy’s won’t be the only body to fall before their work is done . . .

Who will be next to die under the Renfields’ roof?

____________________

Perfect for fans of

Midsomer Murders

, Agatha Christie, Frances Lloyd, Catherine Moloney, Anthony Horowitz, or Ann Cleeves.

What everyone is saying:

????? “Crime, murder, debt, revenge, family, image, obsession, past impacting the present . . . so many emotions and motivations in this book!” Cathy????? “With a plot containing blackmail, several murders, secondary characters who are more rounded than in many other novels, good pacing, and good style, this is a novel that I relished to the end.” Michael????? “This is a quality modern-day murder mystery but with an old-fashioned feel. Well written and entertaining with excellent characterization throughout, plenty of plot twists and turns . . . certainly more than enough for this reader at any rate. Authentic and engaging from first to last page. Highly recommended.” John????? “A fantastic mystery that is well written and has great characters. I loved this book and want to read more from this author.” Cristie

THE SETTING

Oldminster is a city with a past and an ancient cathedral at its heart. Visit the twisty maze-like streets of the old quarter, and prepare to fall in love. But cross over the river — to the seamy side of town — and you’ll discover a secret side to this picture-perfect little place. Oldminster might seem like a place for summer rain and golden sunsets, but like Miss Marple’s village, it’s cram-full of wickedness.

THE DETECTIVES

DS Glyn Edwards

Thirty-something DS Edwards lives with his wife Sandra, but his home life is anything but blissful. Is his career about to cost him his marriage? Or can he find a way to reconcile the two? Either way, Glyn is a very hands-on detective who never gives up on a case. He works hand-in-glove with his superior officer . . .

DI French

Redoubtable Detective French has always been a stickler for order, detail and procedure — until the arrival of his baby daughter late in his marriage to Moira turned his orderly world upside down. Still, he doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and is more than a match for certain prickly, well-to-do residents of Oldminster.

ALSO BY NORMAN RUSSELLTHE OLDMINSTER MYSTERIES

Book 1: AN INVITATION TO MURDERBook 2: AN ANTIQUE MURDERBook 3: THE SECRET OF BAGNETT HALLBook 4: NO CHOICE BUT MURDERBook 5: DEATH AT THE ALTAR