"The idea of mystery in fiction is a subject as elusive as 'a whispered invitation, a siren song, a flickering light in the distance.' Maud Casey reaches beyond the usual tool kit of fictional elements in pursuit of the ethereal and uncanny to ask: Where does mystery reside in a work of fiction? From Shirley Jackson to Paul Yoon, from spirit photography to the radical nature of empathy. Casey looks at how mystery is created and, in space of uncertainty...

When Hannah Swensen hears that the Cinnamon Roll Six jazz band will be playing at a festival in Lake Eden, Minnesota, she bakes up a supply of their namesake confections to welcome them. But tragedy strikes when their tour bus overturns on its way into town. And keyboard player Buddy Neiman's minor injuries turn deadly serious when someone plunges surgical scissors into his chest...Turns out, Buddy Neiman isn't the victim's real name. In fact, no...

A boy goes missing and is found dead in an arroyo, apparently killed in an ATV accident. But the discovery he made moments before he was killed is puzzling... and takes deputies back to a five year old killing and has them looking for a murderer too close to home.

With summer just weeks away, Chief of Police Jesse Stone is pretty tense--and not just because Paradise, MA, is gearing up for the tourists. Stone finds himself dealing with car thefts, then murder, then someone who's come to town to remind him of his not-so-happy past as an L.A. cop. Fans mourning Parker's death will be happy to see that Brandman, who has written and produced numerous TV movies based on Parker's novels, has picked up where the best-selling...

A woman named Maria Gomez is murdered in Miami, apparently by her husband - who'd been presumed dead, slain by a crime boss. FBI agent Brett Cody can't believe it; dead or alive, the man had loved his wife. Brett also can't help feeling guilty, since he was responsible for protecting Miguel and Maria Gomez. A few miles away, Lara Mayhew has just begun working at a dolphin research facility. She loves her new job - until a dolphin brings her something...

Even though Agatha Raisin loathes amateur dramatics, her friend, the vicar's wife, has persuaded her to support the local pantomime. Stifling a yawn at the production of "Babes in the Woods," Agatha watches the baker playing an ogre strut and threaten on the stage, until a trapdoor opens and the Ogre disappears in an impressive puff of smoke. Only he doesn't re-appear at the final curtain. Surely this isn't the way the scene was rehearsed.