Beastly Murders in the Shady Hollow (Secrets of the Shady Hollow #1)
Welcome to Shady Hollow – a lovely town nestled among endless forests and picturesque mountains. Here you can enjoy the most aromatic coffee and the most delicious cupcakes at the café "A Cup with Joe" or visit the cozy little bookstore "The Die is Cast".
For many years, nothing worse than petty thefts happened in this quiet place. Until one day, the peaceful life of the townsfolk was disrupted by a truly horrific crime: the grumpy toad Otto Zumpf – the local eccentric hermit – was murdered.
The crafty journalist fox Vera Vixen has a nose for all sorts of news and gossip. She manages to arrive at the crime scene before the police and discovers an important clue. Not trusting the detective skills of two rather incompetent bears, Vixen takes the case into her own paws. And then a second attack occurs… Could it be that a real serial killer has emerged in the quiet and peaceful Shady Hollow?
Strange House
In my line of work, I often encounter various mysterious incidents related to houses. But this story is unlike any other…
When an old friend asked me to take a look at an unusual house plan he was about to buy, my attention was drawn to a mysterious empty space on the first floor. So, I wrote to a familiar architect, Kurihara. He immediately became interested in the unconventional layout, noting several peculiarities: a windowless children's room, the suspicious arrangement of rooms, and a secret passage… Kurihara proposed a crazy theory, which would have remained just that if not for the later discovery of a dismembered corpse without a left hand near the house.
Below, I present the entire story in chronological order. Some details are concealed for confidentiality purposes.
Murders and Cupcakes. Detective Agency "Charity Shop" (#1)
Fiona, Sue, and Daisy – three charming retired ladies who work in a small charity shop. One day, the regular rhythm of their lives with coffee Tuesdays and strolls through the lovely streets of Southbourne is interrupted by the brutal murder of their beloved customer, Sarah Brown.
Unwilling to tolerate such injustice, they decide to take the investigation into their own hands. Especially since a new body appears, and the police can't make any headway. Armed with their knowledge of detective stories and, of course, tea with excellent cupcakes, the three dear elderly ladies set out to take active action. Thus, the Detective Agency "Charity Shop" was born.
The Snow Trap of Mr. Quinn
London. 1927. Snowy December. Exactly a year ago, Marius Quinn wrote his first detective novel, which brought him great success. Now, the banks are chasing him, the publisher is fuming, and he is plagued by a writer's worst fear – loss of inspiration. Wanting to unwind, Marius accepts an invitation from his longtime friend, Lady Isabella, to celebrate New Year at the estate of a famous actor.
Taking his beloved dog Percy with him, Marius heads to the luxurious mansion. Only at the party, instead of festive fireworks, the guests hear gunshots… and soon discover the host murdered. The roads are snowed in, and the police cannot reach, so Marius is appointed as the detective. And it is here that he realizes he must hurry, as the killer is certainly hiding somewhere in the house. Perhaps he is one of the guests. And possibly, he is already preparing to strike again.