As Minnesota housewives race to meet the deadline for the Times Register's meat loaf contest, an unsavory small-towner named Kirby Runbeck is blown to smithereens by a car bomb. Days later, the town's former mayor, John Washburn, near death from a stroke, confesses to the killing. His wife and two children vehemently deny it, but when Sophie Greenway, food maven and friend of the family, happens upon an old snapshot, a bundle of letters, and a tattoo...

Loon Lake, Wisconsin, has seen more than its share of murders lately. Still, that doesn't stop diehard fishermen like Doc Osborne - especially when he can drop a line with the prettiest of his fishing buddies, police chief Lewellyn Ferris. But when syndicated advice columnist Hope McDonald is found murdered in her home, Doc and Lew will have to use the perfect bait to catch a cold-blooded killer.

Sir George Braxton was found lying face down in a frozen fountain with the back of his skull bashed to bits. The case is complicated by a distinct lack of holiday cheer in the victim's three argumentative middle-ageddaughters-and their sullen houseguests. Even the cranky cat hates everyone. To top it all off, the Home Secretary has called in Inspector Witherspoon over the heads of some touchy local lads, making matters stickier than a plum pudding....

Charlotte LaRue is back on the job when she begins working for notorious crime boss Robert Rossi and his high-society family. As family heirlooms disappear and family feuds flame, the big man himself winds up dead at his own party. The case seems cut-and-dry to everyone but Charlotte.

She keeps house for Inspector Witherspoon . . . and keeps him on his toes. Everyone's awed by his Scotland Yard successes-but they don't know about his secret weapon. No matter how messy the murder or how dirty the deed, Mrs. Jeffries's polished detection skills are up to the task . . . proving that behind every great man there's a woman-and that a crime solver's work is never done. Michael Provost lived a quiet life, yet this successful owner of...