A Houston reporter-turned-mixologist mixes it up with murder in this “clever, page-turning mystery” series debut—for fans of Diane Mott Davidson and Lee Hollis (Darci Hannah, author of Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop). Bad news for Samantha Warren: The plucky Houston, Texas, reporter lost her job and her fiancé in rapid succession. But Sam has a way of making lemonade out of the bitterest of lemons. At a meeting of the local historical-homes council, she serves up the homemade bitters that she made as gifts for her wedding party. She intends to use that as her “in” to become an in-demand party mixologist. But the party’s over for one of the council members, who keels over dead soon after he sips the bereft bride’s bitter brew. It turns out that the victim, Mark, was poisoned—his drink spiked with oleander. Since Sam mixed the drink that Mark imbibed right before his demise, she finds herself at the front of the suspect line. Now, she’ll have to use all of her reporter’s wisdom and wiles to clear her name. Who could have wanted Mark dead? His wife, Gabby? His girlfriend, Darcy? Someone who wanted his seat on the council? Or another citizen of this sweet Texas town that holds some seedy secrets? Job hunting, building her mixology business, and fending off late-night phone calls from her nearly betrothed don’t leave much time for sleuthing. But if Sam can’t “pour” over the clues to find the killer, it may soon be last call for her.

Food for thought: seasoning with these berries results in a dash of murder. It's been a quiet autumn so far in the small town of Bradley, North Carolina. Or, as Myrtle would put it, a boring one. The slow pace and lingering post-summer heat are making life in Bradley very slow-paced, indeed. That all changes when a local resident is poisoned by what looks like a scrumptious pie. The victim is a boorish man who has plenty of enemies in Bradley. Despite this, suspicion falls heavily on Myrtle and Miles's friend—a botanist who grows the deadly nightshade the man was poisoned with. Can Myrtle and Miles solve the case and help their friend before the killer strikes again?

The Quilliam sisters of Hemlock Falls Inn are in a slump, until Helena Houndswood, who has her own TV show about stylish living, checks in. But when one of the winners of a design contest sponsored by Helena's show winds up dead, the Quilliam sisters wonder how far she will go to make a statement on style.

Insulted by the heir to the Prussian throne, he knocked the bully flat -- and had to fake his own death to avoid public disgrace. And that's when his troubles began . . . A rousing historical tale by the author of ""By Right of Sword.""

Peter Ustinov was revered as one of the world's truly legendary entertainers. As an actor, producer, director, novelist, playwright, and columnist, his body of work was not only vast and thoroughly impressive, but enduring. Add a Dash of Pity, a superb collection of short stories, shows Sir Peter at his narrative, perceptive best.Ustinov possessed the uncommon ability to amuse and touch readers simultaneously, a talent which has nowhere been better displayed than in this fascinating array of short stories, which includes: The Man Who Took It Easy, The Wingless Icarus, The Man in the Moon, A Place in the Shade, A Word in the World's Ear, There Are 43,200 Seconds in a Day, The Aftertaste, and the title piece, Add a Dash of Pity.[Ustinov] has the rarest of the satirist's gifts that of using mockery to build character and to express compassion. . . . His sympathy goes to weak, likeable people struggling to keep in step with the demands of social convention; it is against these . . . that he directs his most savage comedy. -The Times Literary Supplement[The title story is] superb, moving, intriguing. Ustinov, with perfect timing and detail, has here written a great short story, and from this point his book does not falter. -The Daily ExpressUstinov writes with great wit and fills these memorable tales with clever, parenthetical insights along with a clear moral thrust. -Publishers Weekly. . . sprightly, brightly written stories. Ustinov has a pleasantly light touch, both with his graceful, comma-sprinkled sentences and his characterization. . .It's almost surprising that Ustinov isn't a staple in creative writing classes; these carefully conceived slices of life are models of the 20th-century short story. -Sacramento News & Review. . . intelligent, philosophical and satirical. The characters are astonishingly vivid and dynamically presented. . . The writing is intensely detailed, journalistic, and yet Ustinov lets dialogue do what it should doshow rather than tell the unilluminated facts about characters and situations. -Small Press Magazine