Parnell Hall

Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady, is stunned when Benny Southstreet, a two-bit gambler, accuses her of stealing a crossword puzzle, a case that is further complicated when her own attorney files a plagiarism suit against her and the police arrest her for murder.

When nerdy cruciverbalist Harvey Beerbaum throws a birthday bash for Cora Felton at the Bakerhaven Library, it's no surprise that the centerpiece, a huge cake decorated like a crossword puzzle, is a complete bust—until a corpse thrown from the second floor stacks hits it dead center and fills in 14 down. Cora may hate birthdays almost as much as she hates crossword puzzles—but when it comes to solving crimes, no one can hold a candle to the Puzzle...

The Chicago Sun-Times crowns Parnell Hall’s Puzzle Lady mysteries “a joy for lovers of both crosswords and frothy crime detection...Cora Felton is a lovable and unique sleuth.” Now the crime-solving powers of the inimitable Cora and her clever niece, Sherry Carter, are put to the ultimate test as they square off against a yuletide killer who hides within the white-and-black shadows of an acrostic....
A Puzzle In A Pear...

The latest in the beloved Stanley Hastings series—the unlikeliest private eye in New York City, who doesn't even carry a gun   Poor Stanley Hastings. After getting hired by a hitman and nearly getting shot, the put-upon PI needed some fun, so when a gorgeous damsel in distress walks through his office door she seems just what the doctor ordered.   Wrong again.   The fair maiden turns out to be a married mom who wants Stanley to find out

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Two people are murdered in Connecticut and in each case the only clues are notations from a crossword puzzle. The police ask the help of sleuth Cora Felton, known as the Puzzle Lady because of her syndicated puzzles.

Chief Harper comes to Cora Felton, asking her to solve a crossword puzzle found on the body of old man Overmeyer. Small problem. Cora's niece, Sherry, who is off on her honeymoon, actually writes Cora's crossword puzzle column for her. So Cora pokes into Overmeyer's death, hoping to prove he died of natural causes. But she soon learns that the cranky hermit was the sole surviving member of a stock pooling agreement - and now the town is full of heirs....

"Ever a man of mystery and intrigue, Teddy Fay has donned a new disguise-- that of Mark Weldon, a stuntman and actor starring in Centurion Pictures' newest film. When the picture's leading lady begins receiving blackmail threats, Teddy is in the perfect position to investigate, and it soon becomes clear that the villains have more in their sights than just money. Money they've got. What they need is prestige, the cache of a respected studio to lend...

Stumbling over a murder scene while making a blackmail payment for a young attorney, Cora Felton's efforts to solve the crime put her in the path of a killer who may be targeting her niece and her niece's new baby.

"Teddy Fay is back in Hollywood and caught in two tricky situations. First, a rising star at Centurion becomes the target of malicious gossip, and Teddy must find and neutralize the source before the situation gets out of hand - or becomes violent. At the same time, Teddy finds himself targeted by a criminal thug bearing a grudge. It's a lot of knives to juggle, even for a former-CIA-operative-turned-movie-producer accustomed to hazardous working...

"In the newest nonstop adventure from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Stuart Woods, the protege will become the hero: now is the time of Herbie Fisher. Under the tutelage of Stone Barrington, Herbie Fisher has transformed from a bumbling sad sack into a capable man about town and the youngest partner at the white shoe law firm Woodman & Weld. Now all of his training will be put to the test as he finds himself embroiled in his most daring adventure...