A VERY CONTEMPORARY WOMAN DISCOVERS A RICH PAST -- AND AN EXCITING FUTURE...

The dreary days of Pat Montella's life come to a screeching halt when she's summoned to the history-laden estate of Bell Run, Virginia, where she's to inherit its old farmhouse and lovely, spacious woodlands. Ninety-one-year-old Miss Magnolia Shelby reveals the surprising reason she has chosen Pat to be her heir. Energetic Miss Maggie's passion is the Civil War, and through uncanny visions, Pat soon discovers that history can indeed come alive: in the pungent scent of roasting pork and coffee...the sudden fearsome...

In DAME AGATHA'S SHORTS, mystery author Elena Santangelo guides you through the short works of one of mystery's most famous writers, AGATHA CHRISTIE.
Find out:
- what was the most exciting event in Christie's life outside of dining with the Queen.
- who Miss Lemon, detective Hercule Poirot's secretary, listed as a former employer on her resume.
- which three short stories inspired the novel Evil Under The Sun.
- what was Ariadne Oliver's sideline before she became a famous novelist.
- what inspired Christie's first story, and possibly her whole writing career.
-...

When Pat Montella hears of the death of her Great Uncle Rocco, she heads back to her hometown for the funeral. Her ninety-one year-old mentor, historian Miss Maggie Shelby, decides to tag along, not only for the promise of all the Italian food she can eat (which would have been enough), but to make a pilgrimage to historic Montgomery Cemetery, where five Civil War generals are buried.

Pat and Miss Maggie are barely done with their first helping of Aunt Sophie's baked rigatoni when they discover that Rocco's granddaughter Beatrice can't locate his money. No one in the family doubts that...

Gen Ziegler left her home in tiny Mount Ebal, Pennsylvania right after college, to get as far away from her mirror-image twin, Sara, and their dysfunctional relationship as possible. Now, five years later, Dr. Ziegler teaches at the University of Arizona and assists the Tucson Police as a forensic psychologist. Yet, all her life Gen's had clairvoyant flashes, telling her when Sara was in danger. One new vision is so vivid, Gen flies home to find that her sister is the primary witness and suspect in a grisly stabbing death. The last person Sara wants around is Gen, but if the real killer isn't...

Todd MacBride, a geeky undergrad psych major at the University of Arizona, imagines himself as Dr. Watson. His Holmes is Gen Ziegler, a prof and criminal psychologist who assists the Tucson police. Todd decides that Dr. Ziegler needs a faithful sidekick to chronicle her cases, even if she's determined to work alone. Together they solve robberies, assaults, murders and other mysterious goings-on while Todd tries to crack the ultimate enigma, Dr. Ziegler herself. This is the 2nd book in the Twins Mystery Series.

Take a short cut. Where will it lead? To the Jersey Shore, where perhaps you'll find a nosy Italian landlady or ghosts at Cape May Point? To a small college town in Pennsylvania, where identical twins teach psychology and solve crimes? To Philadelphia's Academy of Music or a small chocolate shop in Center City? To the modern day Wild West or Valley Forge during the War for Independence? The 16 short stories in Short Cuts to Mayhem will lead you to places of mystery and malice, haunting and humor.

Cactus for Christmas? Forensic psychologist Gen Ziegler needs to move from Tucson to Pennsylvania during the winter semester break. She and her twin sister, Sara, decide to use the move as an excuse for a much-needed vacation. They plan to drive across the country, seeing the sights while getting reacquainted after years of not speaking to each other. Still, jumping back into a family relationship isn't easy. To make matters worse, they're stranded in a tiny West Texas town only four days before Christmas. Sure, the scenery's gorgeous, the Tex-Mex food is delicious, and the residents are...

Pat Montella should have loved the idea of spending Christmas with her boyfriend Hugh Lee in a romantic place like Colonial Williamsburg. But the trip also means meeting Hugh's mother and his siblings, and his moody teenaged daughter will be tagging along. On the bright side, Miss Maggie, Pat's best friend and surrogate grandmother, will be coming, too, and she knows all the words to every holiday song ever written. Still, Pat hasn't been feeling well lately, plus she'll be missing two big Italian feasts with her family back home, which could make anyone melancholy. Add to that a determined...