Parnell Hall Mystery Collection

Parnell Hall Books

Puzzle & Testament by Parnell Hall

Amazon.com
Cora Felton is the kind of dame your father might have called "a Last firecracker": a not-so-upstanding lady of a certain age who drinks her martinis by the shaker and delights in scandalizing not only the staid denizens of her cozy Connecticut village but also her niece Sherry, who's the private "ghost" behind Cora's public image as the Puzzle Lady. Even People Magazine, which has lined up an interview with Cora, believes the brazen old broad is the brains behind her phenomenally successful syndicated crossword puzzle column. Only Sherry and the ambitious young newspaper reporter who loves her know that Cora hasn't got a clue. Certainly, Emma Hurley didn't, which may explain why she left Cora in charge of sorting out her will, a puzzle wrapped in a 40-year-old enigma whose solution will earn one of Emma's heirs a vast fortune. The relatives are a motley lot, greedy and unappealing, but would any of them stoop to murder? When the bodies start piling up, it certainly looks that way, especially to Cora, who's better at judging human nature than word contests. While the answers to the crossword lead everyone else to the wrong conclusions, they point Cora and Sherry to the right ones and target a murderer in the process. The pace rollicks along nicely, the crossword's deceptively transparent, and this is a slight but charming little treat for the puzzle mavens on your Christmas list, especially those who've encountered Cora and Sherry in their first adventure, (A Clue for the Puzzle Lady).

A Clue for the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall

Amazon.com
The versatile Hall is already responsible for two series: under his own name he has written the Stanley Hastings mysteries, a lighthearted series set in Manhattan and featuring a smalltime private eye, while as J.P. Hailey, he's penned the Steve Winslow courtroom mysteries.
Now he's switching course again, this time presenting what can only be termed a disreputable Jessica Fletcher: Miss Cora Felton, famed from coast to coast for her popular crossword puzzle column syndicated in many newspapers. Closer to home, however, Cora's as well known for her hard-drinking, chain-smoking ways. When one starts to look more closely, there's a real possibility that she doesn't even write her own puzzles and that she may be something entirely different from the public's perception of her.
But one will have to read A Clue for the Puzzle Lady to learn the whole truth. In the meantime, readers will also enjoy the small-town Connecticut ambiance and the challenge of trying to figure out what the two female murder victims have in common, aside from the fact that both have been found in the town's cemetery (where the bodies usually come in coffins) and that on their person are what appear to be crossword clues.
What are known in the trade as "cozies" generally are not my cup of tea, as it were, but I'm on record as being a longtime admirer of the author--as well as not being averse to a little-old-lady sleuth with a highball, instead of knitting, in her hand.
Book Description
Cruciverbalists, rejoice! Pick up a pencil and get ready to solve a puzzling murder-and an actual crossword puzzle-in this sparkling debut of a unique amateur detective: Miss Cora Felton, an eccentric old lady with a syndicated puzzle column, an irresistible urge to poke into unsettling events, and a niece who's determined to keep her out of trouble.
When the body of an unknown teenage girl turns up in the cemetery in the quiet town of Bakerhaven, Police Chief Dale Harper finds himself investigating his first homicide. A baffling clue leads him to consult Bakerhaven's resident puzzle expert-his first big mistake. Soon Cora's meddling, mischief-making behavior drives Chief Harper to distraction and inspires many cross words from her long-suffering niece, Sherry. But when another body turns up in a murder that hits much closer to home, Cora must find a killer-before she winds up in a wooden box three feet across...and six down.
Synopsis
Bakerhaven Police Chief Dale Harper is perplexed by a piece of evidence in his first murder investigation--an apparent crossword puzzle clue found on the body of a teenage girl--so he recruits the town's famed "Puzzle Lady," the eccentric author of a weekly syndicated crossword puzzle column.

Cozy: A Stanley Hastings Mystery by Parnell Hall

In this new Stanley Hastings mystery novel, the put-upon New York private investigator is vacationing at the Blue Frog Ponds Inn, a trendy New England bed-and-breakfast, with his wife, Alice. The cheerless room with its paper-thin walls, no TV, and a blue cartoon frog on the door does nothing for Stanley's spirits or his libido. Besides all that, someone has started bumping off the guests. Worse still, the first murder happened right under Stanley's nose, so he finds himself a key witness if not a prime suspect. Back home in New York City Stanley could call upon his friends on the police force to help him solve the crime, but not at Blue Frog Ponds. Here he has only his wits, his wife, and a cat -- all of which he'll need if he's to catch a killer before the culprit strikes very close to home.

Puzzled to Death by Parnell Hall

Murder by Parnell Hall

Stanley Hastings, the NY Private Investigator, is back in the swing of investigation. Playing it safe and toning down his investigations, however, doesn't work for him because he seems to be a trouble magnet. He becomes involved with an apparently innocent housewife/call-girl named Pamela Berringer. Stanley needs to help Pamela get out of the prostitution ring and retrieve an illicit video of her that is being held hostage by her pimp. Unfortunately, Stanley seems to be cursed and walks into the pimp's apartment while a slaughter is in progress. To make matters worse, Stanley is the number one suspect! Oh, what to do in this world of money, sex, and MURDER!
This is Hall`s 2nd novel and second in the series with protagonist Stanley Hastings, a down-on-his-luck writer who moonlights as a detective, as does the author. Stanley Hastings, hero, answers the call of chivalry and locks horns with street toughs and pimps. A murder suspect desperately seeks the real killer in a world of sex for sale, where money can buy anything-even sudden death.

Detective by Parnell Hall

This debut entry in the author`s mystery series features actor-turned private investigator Stanley Hastings.
Poor Stanley! In a word, his pursuits end in FAILURE. So when Martin Albrecht comes to him with a case for a real detective, Stanley turns him away. Unfortunately, Stanley's damned path leads to his finding Albrecht dead. Well now he's been challenged, so he has to take the case; maybe Stanley will finally prove that he's a real detective. To solve this case Stanley must descend into the modern-day inferno that consists of drugs and mob operations. Will he come out of it alive…
A first novel from Parnell Hall, playwright and screenwriter, and actor, introduces erstwhile detective Stanley Hastings who, while engaged in phony detective work in aid of an insurance swindle, stumbles into his first real case.
This is the author`s first novel and the initial book in his now lengthy series featuring this Manhattan-based detective, a most unusual private eye. When an almost client turns up dead, this PI goes into an underworld of coke and kicks among the Big Boys of Miami and New York, taking the kind of risks that can get a guy real dead - real fast.

OxfordBooks.com / Oxford, MS

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