A death in a locked room and a house full of suspects….
New York, 1925
Penelope “Pen” Banks has a knack for puzzling things out and the uncanny ability to remember everything she sees. Two talents that have helped her make ends meet playing cards in clubs and speakeasies. Now, they might just help her discover the true cause of death for a dear old family friend.
Agnes Sterling, has been found dead in her Long Island home. The official cause of death is ruled a suicide. After all, she was found in her locked bedroom with both the bottle of poison and a final handwritten note on the bed next to her.
Penelope is certain Agnes Sterling’s death was not by her own hand. She’s been summoned to Long Island for the reading of the will along with the other beneficiaries. While there, she plans on doing a little sleuthing to discover what really happened to Agnes.
The surprising terms of the will and a secret letter have Pen all the more certain that foul play was at hand.
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Could a missing white cat be the key to solving this case?
New York, 1925
“My husband should be dead, but he isn’t.”
Penelope “Pen” Banks finally has what appears to be an interesting case for her fledgling investigative business. What she thought was a simple, tragic case of a wife abandonment has a rather daunting twist:
Jane Peterson’s husband isn’t where he’s supposed to be—dead in Wilmington.
Pen soon discovers that Frank Peterson isn’t the only missing resident from Winchester Court Apartments. Lady, the white-haired Persian cat of the Peterson’s neighbor—an ever-partying flapper—has also disappeared.
There are strange goings on at Winchester Court, which leads Penelope to believe the two are connected to something even bigger and more dangerous.
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A murder at a young ladies’ luncheon…and no shortage of suspects.
1925 New York
Penelope “Pen” Banks and Constance Gilmore have a notoriously sordid history. Thus, when Constance dies from poisoning at a luncheon for the Young Ladies Historical Preservation Society, Penelope becomes the prime suspect.
In order to clear her name, Penelope must wade through the dirt of New York’s most elite families, all of whom have nothing on the gangsters and card sharps she once consorted with when it comes to being unscrupulous.
Along New York City’s most famous avenue, secrets, lies, and scandals battle with political ambitions in Penelope’s determination to find the true murderer before she finds herself accused of the crime.
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You are cordially invited to the grand opening of the Japanese Tea Gardens on the rooftop of the Grand Opal Hotel…
New York 1925
To celebrate its official opening, the Grand Opal Hotel is hosting an exclusive party for the crème de la crème of New York society, to be held in its newly completed rooftop Japanese Tea Gardens.
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Jiro Ishida, the gardens’ designer is l'homme du moment. Everyone is clamoring for his services to recreate the latest trend in garden aesthetic.
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Which is why it’s a surprise when he turns up dead in the koi pond.
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Once again, Penelope “Pen” Banks is on the case, if only to solve a murder the owner of the hotel and several of its wealthy guests would rather see buried beneath the bonsai trees.
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A little late-night mischief reveals a body…that promptly vanishes.
New York, 1925
Penelope “Pen” Banks and a few other zozzled young friends have decided to do something rather daring: break into the Washington Square Park Arch in an attempt to recreate the infamous affair of 1917.
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Their impromptu party at the top is cut short by a violent thunderstorm. But not before Penelope glimpses, in a single flash of lightning, the body of a woman next to the fountain below.
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By the time the partiers make it back down, the body has vanished.
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In a case centered around Washington Square Park—where the students of New York University, patrons of the infamous Black and Tan saloons, bohemian artists of Greenwich Village, and entrenched old money collide—Penelope, now working even more closely with Detective Prescott and her usual set of friends, plans on finding exactly what happened that night.
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A glitzy party to end the summer with a bang…that ends with an even bigger bang.
New York 1925
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It’s Penelope “Pen” Banks’s twenty-fifth birthday and she is throwing a summer party that would leave even Gatsby himself in awe.
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Upon arriving early to the Long Island mansion where it’s to be held, she discovers a young, handsome artist has taken up residence in one of the cottages on the property. There are secrets and suspicions surrounding James Gaston’s arrival, including the nearby murder of a maid from another estate across the bay.
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Still, there’s something about the young man that encourages Pen to help him in his endeavor to win back his long-lost love, most notably his mysterious relationship with the original owner of the Long Island home, Agnes Sterling.
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Amid love triangles, bitter rivalries, class warfare, and cryptic relationships, another murder occurs the night of Pen’s party. Now, with the help of Detective Richard Prescott, she must discover the true motives behind each murder in order to find justice for the dead.
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What’s a private investigator to do when her client is already dead?
1925 New York
Penelope “Pen” Banks has just been hired by one Winston Waterstone…who has been dead for almost two months. This, according to his wife, who is still very much alive.
Helen Waterstone’s husband has been haunting their home for almost a full month now. As such, she has hired the services of the world-renowned Madame LaFleur to perform one of her infamous seances to help discover who may have murdered him.
Penelope has little use for crystal balls and ouija boards. But it doesn’t take magic or mysticism to realize that someone very much still alive has been tormenting the widow with wicked pranks.
When the “commune with the beyond” results in a murder, Pen is determined to discover who the killer was. Not an easy thing to do when everyone in attendance had something to hide.
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And nearly impossible when the murder victim is as puzzling as the method of murder.
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A very merry mission ends in a very un-merry murder…on 34th Street.
New York 1925
The holidays are here and spirits are bright. Penelope “Pen” Banks and Cousin Cordelia have decided to go to Herald Square to watch the second annual “Macy’s Christmas Parade” ending at 34th Street.
But an even bigger event awaits her the next day. Pen is finally meeting Detective Richard Prescott’s family, and is hosting them all for Thanksgiving dinner. As such, she has decided to get a present for Richard’s young nephew.
After the parade, the quaint toy store across the street from the city’s largest department store catches her eye. While there, she manages to get her hands on what she’s been told is the most desired toy of the season for young boys.
Unfortunately, a body is found in the back room of the toy store soon after she makes her purchase. While the police are satisfied they’ve caught their suspect, Pen isn’t so sure.
Still, she wisely considers Richard’s advice to let it go…until she realizes the crime has followed her home.
Nothing brings a family together during the holidays like a good mystery. Now, much to both Richard’s and Penelope’s surprise, both sides of the family have decided the holiday dinner is the perfect time to join in on playing detective with the couple.
At least until the festivities become potentially fatal…
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