Traveling to Idaho to look at rare first-edition books, private investigator Cliff Janeway is disturbed by a horse owner's untimely death, a case that brings Janeway to the California Races at Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita Park.

The arrival of his lowlife cousin, Ulysses S. "Useless" Grant, spells trouble for Paris Minton and his friend, Fearless Jones, as they become embroiled in a bizarre case involving mysterious women, desperate blackmail victims, cheating business partners, and murder.

Three deaths are linked to Broward's Rock Island's youth recreation center, and its director. When she asks Max to help clear her name, Annie is right there with her husband to help.

Entreated by partner Erin D'Angelo to help in the case of a friend, who has been accused of murdering her husband, avid book collector Cliff Janeway investigates and discovers that the victim possessed a valuable collection of books.

Refusing to believe that a local death was a suicide, mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling investigates a series of clues including a hidden towel, a lack of fingerprints on a crystal mug, and a lovers' tryst.

"Nothing will stop Madeline Moore from taking over her family?s independent bookstore after college. Nothing, that is?until a chain bookstore called Prologue opens across the street and threatens to shut them down. Madeline sets out to demolish the competition, but the guy who works over at Prologue seems intent on ruining her life. Not only is he taking her customers, he has the unbelievable audacity to be?extremely cute. But that doesn?t matter....

"Jack Susko is enjoying a quiet life as the owner of a secondhand bookstore when Hammon Kasprowicz, a wealthy collector, offers him some easy money he can't turn down. After all, what problem could there be in locating as many copies as possible of the works of an obscure poet? And who cares what he wants them for? As far as Jack is concerned, Mr. Kasprowicz could light a fire with them--which is exactly what he does. But very soon, poetry books aren't...