A Bethancourt & Gibbons mystery short story.Bethancourt & Gibbons mysteries are a series of traditional British cozies in a modern setting. Phillip Bethancourt is a wealthy man-about town and amateur sleuth. His best friend is Detective Sergeant Jack Gibbons, a rising star at Scotland Yard. Together they can suss out even the most complex cases.Bethancourt & Gibbons mysteries are a series of traditional British cozies in a modern setting. Phillip Bethancourt is a wealthy man-about town and amateur sleuth. His best friend is Detective Sergeant Jack Gibbons, a rising star at Scotland Yard. Together they can suss out even the most complex cases. The Dressing Table Murder is the first short story in the series, originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. There are also four novels published by St. Martin’s Minotaur.“Literate and charming mysteries.” —Booklist“An enjoyable outing into Dorothy Sayers territory.” —Publishers Weekly“The author tells a tale that is part crime story, part family drama, part buddy flick, and part love story---a combination that makes for enjoyable reading.”—School Library Journal

Scotland Yard Detective Sergeant Jack Gibbons has been shot twice, and even after the surgery he isn't out of the woods and may still be in danger because he can't remember how it all happened. While his colleagues dig into his personal life, his best friend, Phillip Bethancourt, focuses on his last case, the robbery of a collection of antique jewelry valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds. Although Phillip is a man of leisure---handsome, charismatic, and fantastically well off---he makes a point of tagging along on Jack's more interesting cases.But this time it's different. Not only is it personal, but Phillip will have to fill in the blanks without Jack, and retracing his friend's steps may put him in the same line of fire.Trick of the Mind, Cassandra Chan's third clever outing for these best friends, written in the classic tradition with a delightfully modern voice all its own, is a charming story that mystery lovers are sure to enjoy.

A CHARMING WIDOW WITH A TROUBLING HISTORYAs if by magic, Annette Berowne seems capable of dazzling men from the moment she meets them. But when Annette becomes the primary suspect in her husband's poisoning death, she arouses entirely different feelings. Now some men feel sorry for her while others are convinced she's guilty. PROVIDES TWO DETECTIVES WITH A MYSTERY OF SEDUCTION AND MURDER.Jack Gibbons is a by-the-book, rising star at Scotland Yard. His friend Phillip Bethancourt is a smart, devil-may-care type with a good heart and a razor-sharp sense of people. When they reach the Berowne manor in Surrey, with its colorful coterie of staff and family, Bethancourt is strangely immune to Annette's charms. As the two men delve into the case, Gibbons is sure Annette is an innocent damsel in distress. But Bethancourt is only certain of this: his earnest friend is falling in love-with a woman whose lovers keep finding ways to die.In The Yougn...

Best friends Phillip Bethancourt, a wealthy man-about-town, and Scotland Yard Detective Sergeant Jack Gibbons are each on their way to Yorkshire over Christmas, though not together, and neither of them are looking forward to their respective trips. While Phillip is returning to his family's estate to spend the holiday with relatives---a dreaded task---Jack must determine whether a particular murder is the work of a serial killer. It looks like it most likely is. As it turns out, Jack isn't on the case for more than a day before the understaffed locals ask him to look in to another.Jodie Farrady, a former bookshop employee who disappeared about a year ago, is found strangled in that same shop Christmas morning. The modus operandi is similar to the serial killer's, but not exactly the same. It could be a copycat. It could be a coincidence. Either way, Jack could certainly use his good friend's help as he investigates the citizens of a Yorkshire that has suddenly...