A mislaid corpse strikes terror in the hearts of Boston's strangest familyLike many old New England families, the Kellings live to die. Although their family vault is spacious and comfortable, for Sarah Kelling's Great-Uncle Frederick it will not do. In his will, he demands to be buried inside the ancient family tomb at Boston Common, which hasn't admitted a new member in over a century. But when the Kellings crack the old vault's door, they find a recently built brick wall. And behind it lays a surprisingly fresh corpse—a skeleton with rubies in its teeth.Her name was Ruby Redd, and many years ago she was the toast of Boston's burlesque scene. Her murder case is ice cold, but when Sarah begins investigating it, she finds that the burning passions behind this beauty's death still burn white hot. With the help of art-fraud investigator Max Bittersohn, she will solve the stripper's murder, or take her own place in the family vault.

A young woman must escape family conflict—and find her own identity—in order to track down a thief in this novel by an acclaimed mystery writer. Persis Green's existence has been overshadowed by the looming prospect of her older sister's wedding. Her family was once normal—boring, but normal. Then the engagement was announced and all hell broke loose. Now, Persis's father acts like a zombie at dinner parties, her mother goes from zero to shrieking in seconds, and her sister is utterly self-absorbed. When Persis wins a statewide piano competition and a scholarship to a prestigious music conservatory, her big news is pushed aside. In addition to the general chaos of the impending nuptials, one of her sister's wedding gifts, a wildly expensive piece of jewelry, has disappeared. Feeling like the only sane member of the family, Persis commits her cool head to solving the mystery. But there are other surprises she'll discover...

A young woman investigates the death of her wealthy, estranged father in a small Rhode Island town in this novel by the author of the Peter Shandy Mysteries. Murder can happen anywhere, even in sleepy Meldrum, Rhode Island. And while the town's old-money families may prefer to sweep such unseemliness under their Oriental rugs, its newest resident can think of nothing else. Nineteen-year-old Jenny Cirak has moved into the house her father, a once-famous movie producer, willed to her. She's also using an assumed name, just like he did when he lived—and died—in Meldrum. But why did he leave a fortune to the child he abandoned . . . and what really killed him? Hoping to make sense of the father she never knew, Jenny must get to know his neighbors and expose their secrets and feuds. Somewhere among this cast of characters, which includes a retired corporate accountant from Baltimore who shows up on her doorstep with a clue, is a person who knows...