Parnell Hall

Teddy Fay returns to La-La Land, in the latest thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Stuart Woods. Teddy Fay is back in Hollywood and caught in two tricky situations. First, a rising star at Centurion becomes the target of malicious gossip, and Teddy must find and neutralize the source before the situation gets out of hand--or becomes violent. At the same time, Teddy finds himself targeted by a criminal thug bearing a grudge. It's a lot of knives to juggle, even for a former CIA-operative-turned-movie-producer accustomed to hazardous working conditions. This time Teddy will need to leverage every bit of his undercover skills and fearless daring to stay one step ahead of his foes . . . or he'll find himself one foot in the grave.

The new novel in the ever-popular mystery series finds the Puzzle Lady on the set of a movie about her own life—and when the first dead body shows up on set, it comes with a crossword puzzle.It’s murder on the movie set! It’s no surprise when Cora Felton’s ex-husband’s sensational tell-all memoir, Confessions of a Trophy Husband: My Life with the Puzzle Lady, is optioned for the movies, but it certainly raises eyebrows when the Puzzle Lady herself signed on as an associate producer. Cora explains gamely that she hoped to have some control over the project. The truth is that she needs the money. Now Cora is filming her life story on location in New York City, and things couldn’t be worse. She doesn’t like the script, she doesn’t like the director, and she absolutely hates the actress who is playing her in the movie. It’s almost a relief when the first dead body shows up on the set. If only it didn’t come with a crossword puzzle . . .

It’s murder on the movie set! It’s no surprise when Cora Felton’s ex-husband’s sensational tell-all memoir, Confessions of a Trophy Husband: My Life with the Puzzle Lady, is optioned for the movies, but it certainly raises eyebrows when the Puzzle Lady herself signed on as an associate producer. Cora explains gamely that she hoped to have some control over the project. The truth is that she needs the money. Now Cora is filming her life story on location in New York City, and things couldn’t be worse. She doesn’t like the script, she doesn’t like the director, and she absolutely hates the actress who is playing her in the movie. It’s almost a relief when the first dead body shows up on the set. If only it didn’t come with a crossword puzzle . . .

In this exhilarating adventure from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Stuart Woods, Teddy Fay races to stop a scheme of extortion and a hostile takeover. Ever a man of mystery and intrigue, Teddy Fay has donned a new disguise--that of Mark Weldon, a stuntman and actor starring in Centurion Pictures' newest film. When the picture's leading lady begins receiving blackmail threats, Teddy is in the perfect position to investigate, and it soon becomes clear that the villains have more in their sights than just money. Money they've got. What they need is prestige, the cache of a respected studio to lend authority and legitimacy to their artistic endeavors...and a little bit of vengeance in the bargain. From the seedy hidden corners of Los Angeles to the glamorous Hollywood hills, it will take every ounce of Teddy's cunning to save an actress's career, protect the studio, and finish filming Centurion's next big hit.

It's murder on the movie set It's no surprise when Cora Felton's ex-husband's sensational tell-all memoir, Confessions of a Trophy Husband: My Life with the Puzzle Lady, is optioned for the movies, but it certainly raises eyebrows when the Puzzle Lady herself signed on as an associate producer. Cora explains gamely that she hoped to have some control over the project. The truth is that she needs the money. Now Cora is filming her life story on location in New York City, and things couldn't be worse. She doesn't like the script, she doesn't like the director, and she absolutely hates the actress who is playing her in the movie. It's almost a relief when the first dead body shows up on the set. If only it didn't come with a crossword puzzle . . .

Teddy Fay returns to his roots in espionage, in the latest thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Stuart Woods. When Teddy Fay receives a freelance assignment from a gentleman he can't refuse, he jets off to Paris on the hunt for a treasonous criminal. But as Teddy unearths more information that just doesn't seem to connect, his straightforward mission becomes far bigger--and stranger--than he could imagine. The trail of bread crumbs leads to secrets hidden within secrets, evildoers trading in money and power, and a global threat on an unprecedented scale. Under the beautiful veneer of the City of Lights, true villainy lurks in the shadows...and Teddy Fay alone can prevent the impending disaster.

In this exhilarating adventure from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Stuart Woods, Teddy Fay races to stop a scheme of extortion and a hostile takeover. Ever a man of mystery and intrigue, Teddy Fay has donned a new disguise--that of Mark Weldon, a stuntman and actor starring in Centurion Pictures' newest film. When the picture's leading lady begins receiving blackmail threats, Teddy is in the perfect position to investigate, and it soon becomes clear that the villains have more in their sights than just money. Money they've got. What they need is prestige, the cache of a respected studio to lend authority and legitimacy to their artistic endeavors...and a little bit of vengeance in the bargain. From the seedy hidden corners of Los Angeles to the glamorous Hollywood hills, it will take every ounce of Teddy's cunning to save an actress's career, protect the studio, and finish filming Centurion's next big hit.

In this exhilarating adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author Stuart Woods, Teddy Fay races to stop a scheme of extortion and a hostile takeover. Ever a man of mystery and intrigue, Teddy Fay has donned a new disguise--that of Mark Weldon, a stuntman and actor starring in Centurion Pictures' newest film. When the picture's leading lady begins receiving blackmail threats, Teddy is in the perfect position to investigate, and it soon becomes clear that the villains have more in their sights than just money. Money they've got. What they need is prestige, the cache of a respected studio to lend authority and legitimacy to their artistic endeavors . . . and a little bit of vengeance in the bargain. From the seedy hidden corners of Los Angeles to the glamorous Hollywood hills, it will take every ounce of Teddy's cunning to save an actresses' career, protect the studio, and finish filming Centurion's next big hit.

Amateur sleuth and crossword impresario Cora Felton is asked to solve a puzzle, only to find it's been stolen ― and a murder weapon left in its place.

In this nonstop thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stone Barrington series, the prot g will become the hero as Herbie Fisher gets caught in a web of deceit, corruption, and greed. Under the tutelage of Stone Barrington, Herbie Fisher has transformed from a bumbling sad sack into the youngest partner at the white-shoe law firm Woodman & Weld, and a man whose company is in high demand both because of his professional acumen and his savoir faire. But even his newly won composure and finely honed skills can't prepare him for the strange escapade he's unwittingly pulled into, and which--unbeknownst to him--has put him at the center of a bull's-eye. In the city that never sleeps there are always devious schemes afoot, and Herbie will have to be quick on his feet to stay one step ahead of his enemies...and they're closing in.

From #1 bestselling author Stuart Woods comes an extraordinary new series starring an old fan favorite: Teddy Fay. When President Kate Lee calls Stone Barrington to Washington on an urgent matter, it's soon clear that a potentially disastrous situation requires the kind of help more delicate than even he can provide . . . and he knows just the right man for the job. Teddy Fay: ex-CIA, master of disguise, and a gentleman not known for abiding by legal niceties in the pursuit of his own brand of justice.

Stanley Hastings on safari? I don’t think so. Neither did Stanley, until Alice’s small inheritance—coupled with scrimping on a few luxuries like food and rent—allowed them to book a group trip to Zambia. Now the New York PI is hiking with lions, canoeing with hippos, and having close encounters with elephants and giraffes. The leader is a reckless, gung-ho, great white hunter who delights in leaping from the jeep with a hearty “Come on, gang, let’s see where this lion is going!” And a series of bizarre accidents quickly dwindles the group’s numbers. Why was the guide’s young spotter foolish enough to walk under a sausage fruit tree—just as one of the huge sausage fruits fell? How did the leaves of a poisonous plant wind up in a tourist’s salad? Are these really accidents? A stabbing tips the scale. It’s murder, and the only policeman in a hundred miles is a park ranger (whose only murder case was that of an ivory poacher shot dead in plain sight). It’s up to Stanley to crack the case . . . if he can just avoid being eaten by a lion.

When an elderly boarder at a Bakerhaven bed-and-breakfast drops dead during afternoon tea, there's nothing particularly suspicious about it - except for the Sudoku in his jacket pocket. But when a second body turns up in the window seat and an autopsy shows both men were poisoned with elderberry wine, the Puzzle Lady suspects she's dealing with a cold-blooded killer who for some reason is copying the Cary Grant movie Arsenic and Old Lace, in which two old ladies who run a boarding house poison elderly widowers and bury them in the basement. More murders, more puzzles, and a grave dug in the cellar seem to cement the theory. Ordinarily, Cora would eat a case like this for breakfast, but for once she can't figure it out. And she's not sure if the clues don't add up, or if the much-married Puzzle Lady is just distracted by being involved in her first romantic entanglement in years.

When Benny Southstreet, a small-time hustler with a big-time gift for constructing crosswords, accuses Cora of stealing one of his creations, it's clearly a case of mistaken identity...until Cora's own attorney files a plagiarism suit against her. To add to the enigma, when Benny is found dead, the police charge Cora with his murder At the heart of the matter is the not-so-little white lie Cora has been living for years: assuming the grandmotherly public face of her publicity-shy niece Sherry, who designs crossword puzzles and publishes them under Cora's name--aka the Puzzle Lady. It turns out that Sherry's and Benny's cruciverbalist paths had recently crossed, resulting in the current incriminating conundrum. As if Sherry's wedding engagement jitters and a nasty battle over missing antique chairs weren't enough to deal with, now Cora has to solve the ultimate mystery: how to keep the secret of her identity without losing her life. Because not only does all evidence point to Cora, but someone seems to want her dead. It looks like a riddle with no answer. Luckily for Cora and Sherry, that's their favorite kind

When nerdy cruciverbalist Harvey Beerbaum throws a birthday bash for Cora Felton at the Bakerhaven Library, it's no surprise that the centerpiece, a huge cake decorated like a crossword puzzle, is a complete bust--until a corpse thrown from the second floor stacks hits it dead center and fills in 14 down. Cora may hate birthdays almost as much as she hates crossword puzzles--but when it comes to solving crimes, no one can hold a candle to the Puzzle Lady.

Crime, cryptograms, and killer conundrums abound for the Puzzle Lady in the fourth installment of the series USA Today raves is "a fun series for mystery fans and cruciverbalists " It looks like wedding bells again for the much-married Cora Felton when distinguished widower Raymond Harstein III moves into town and makes a play for the Puzzle Lady. That is, it does until the mail brings puzzling cryptograms, which, when deciphered, warn Cora off the match. Or do they? As the puzzles keep coming, a killer's game must be played in earnest, and it's up to the Puzzle Lady to solve the riddle--if anyone is going to live to make it to the altar

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. "Heaven for crossword puzzle fans!"--Kirkus ReviewsSome puzzles are real killers...."devious and delightful!"-Chicago Sun-Times"Complex and satisfying...A fun series for mystery fans and cruciverbalists!"--USA Today"In addition to his trademark zippy, witty dialogue, Hall provides a dandy puzzle, congenial secondary characters, plenty of laughs, and a true original in Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady."--Publishers Weekly"A Clue for the Puzzle Lady is fresh, funny, and ingeniously devised. It kept me guessing right down to the end-just like a good crossword!"--Will Shortz, crossword editor, The New York Times