There’s never been a serious crime in the Keweenaw Peninsula—that anyone can remember. That is until Larry the Basset and Lydia the Poodle discover a fresh body below the lighthouse. The victim, a wealthy landowner recently returned from California, has been at odds with the community over a lighthouse slated to become a retirement home for local seniors.

When Sheriff Horace A. Clump has no intention of giving up his Sunday brunch of pannukakku to pursue an investigation, Hatti Lehtinen, manager of The Bait and Stitch—a combination bait and knitting shop—is determined to find the killer herself. After all, she’s an Agatha Christie fan and besides, she’s desperate to protect her friends and relatives from false accusations. But as more bodies turn up and lies are uncovered, it becomes clear that not everybody in Hatti’s circle is innocent, after all.

Hard Luck, Alaska — a Town that Needs Women!

Location: 50 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Population: 150 (mostly men)—but growing! Because the O’Halloran brothers, who run a bush-plane charter service called Midnight Sons, are heading a campaign to bring women to Hard Luck!

Sawyer O’Halloran— He’s the middle brother. Pilot and part owner of Midnight Sons. And, if the truth be told, he’s not entirely in favor of this scheme. But he considers himself immune to the charms of any woman—he’s adamantly against marriage and he’s not too sure about love!

Abbey Sutherland— Single mother of two adorable kids. Veteran of one bad marriage. Wants a new beginning—not a new romance. She responds to the Midnight Sons ad and is delighted to accept their offer. But there’s a complication—or two. She hasn’t told the O’Hallorans she’s arriving with children!

The Cater Street Hangman: In the series debut, Inspector Thomas Pitt seeks an elusive strangler among upper-class British society, with the help of the outspoken Miss Charlotte Ellison, whose maid fell prey to the killer. As their relationship shifts from antagonistic sparring to romantic sparks, the socially mismatched pair must solve the mystery before the hangman strikes again.

Callander Square: As her husband investigates the discovery of two dead infants found buried in an elegant square in London, a pregnant Charlotte uses her social status to gain access to the parlors and inner chambers of the fashionable neighborhood. With the help of Charlotte’s sister, Emily, Lady Ashworth, who lives on Callander Square, the sleuthing couple attempts to unearth secrets a seemingly upright aristocrat would kill to keep.

With war looming dangerously close, Ilse’s school days soon turn to lessons of survival. In the harshness of winter, her family must join the largest exodus in human history to survive. As battle lines are drawn and East Prussia’s borders vanish beneath them, they leave their farm and all they know behind for an uncertain future.

But Ilse also has Janusz, her family’s young Polish laborer, by her side. As they flee from the Soviet army, his enchanting folktales keep her mind off the cold, the hunger, and the horrors unfolding around them. He tells her of a besieged kingdom in the Baltic Sea from which spill the amber tears of a heartbroken queen.

Neither of them realizes his stories will prove crucial and prophetic.