by Philip Eliot | Dec 4, 2025 | Thriller & Suspense |
Welcome to Murders Under the Sun, a podcast that takes a trip to the dark side of sunny Southern California. I’m Molly Shure, your host.Our journey begins on the stunning cliffs of Laguna Beach, the bright sun shining on the turquoise water below. But this idyllic setting quickly becomes a nightmare for real estate agent Gwen Bishop.She has just landed her dream listing, a multimillion-dollar beachfront property. The home has a dark past, however. Three months ago, another agent was found dead in one of the upstairs bedrooms.Gwen believes the unsolved murder was random. When unsettling things occur, she tells herself the menace she feels is her imagination. When even stranger things happen—things that throw a wrench in her plans to get the home on the market—she brushes off the icy dread creeping through her.The house itself couldn’t be evil…could it?Gwen’s story is the first of seven linked by an almost invisible thread across five years. A thread I noticed while working as a crime journalist. In Season One, I pull that thread to see what unravels. Travel with me to The Cliff House to learn what lay beyond its door.**Portions of this story previously appeared in A Margin of Lust by Greta Boris**
by Philip Eliot | Dec 4, 2025 | Science Fiction |
The New York Times–bestselling author imagines a modern Europe under centuries of Ottoman rule in this time travelling “what if” thriller.Istanbul, 1683: Mehmed IV, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, is preparing to lay siege to Vienna, capital of the Holy Roman Empire, when a mysterious visitor arrives in his bedroom—naked, covered in strange tattoos—to deliver a dangerous, world-changing message.Paris, 2017: Ottoman flags have been flying over the great city for three hundred years, ever since its fall—along with all of Europe—to the empire’s all-conquering army. Notre Dame has been renamed the Faith Mosque. Public spaces are segregated by gender. And Kamal Arslan Agha, a feted officer in the sultan’s secret police, is starting to question his orders.Rumors of an impending war with the Christian Republic of America, attacks by violent extremists, and economic collapse have heightened surveillance and arrests across the empire. Tasked with surveying potential threats, Kamal has a heavy caseload—and conscience. Then a mysterious stranger—naked, covered in strange tattoos—appears on the banks of the Seine, and Kamal is called in to investigate. “The best what-if thriller for a long, long time—makes you think, makes you sweat, and makes you choose, between what is and what might have been.” —Lee ChildEmpire of Lies is also published as The Ottoman Secret in the UK.
by Philip Eliot | Dec 4, 2025 | Crime Fiction |
“Wholly satisfying . . . mystery, archaeology, shamanism, and humor blended into an entertaining page-turner.” —Albuquerque JournalNathan McFain has discovered something astonishing buried beneath his foundering Colorado dude ranch: the bones of a gargantuan beast from a prehistoric age. It’s a find of enormous scientific importance that attracts the attention of a variety of individuals: paleontologist Moses Silver and his archaeologist daughter; esteemed scientists Robert Newton and Cordell York; an Arkansas sharpie named Flye; an overly interested local antiques dealer . . . and Charlie Moon of the Southern Ute Police Department. Moon is at the McFain spread primarily to keep an eye on the disreputable Flye, but he’s also curious about the strange old bones ….and wary as well, for things this ancient and rare have been known to inspire evils in the past, including avarice, mendacity, and murder. And when one of the players in this drama vanishes, Charlie worries that his greatest fears have been realized. But while Charlie investigates the disappearance—and a suspicious death that soon follows—using rational and accepted police methods, his aunt Daisy, the aged shaman, is being drawn by forces preternatural into a grimly related mystery. For craven murder is not the exclusive domain of contemporary Man—and a cry for justice from the past has reached Daisy Perika and two extraordinary young girls in her care, ensnaring them all in something old, dark, and dangerous. . . . “Doss dazzles with his trademark blend of Native-American folklore, science, satire and suspense.” —Publishers Weekly”Thought-provoking insights about modern and ancient life in the American West, and a quirky, effective mix of humor and melancholy.” —Booklist”A hybrid of Tony Hillerman and Carl Hiaasen.” —The Denver Post
by Philip Eliot | Dec 4, 2025 | Crime Fiction |
A brand new police mystery novel set on the shores of Lake Erie, Pennsylvania. Perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, LJ Ross and Louise Penny.***‘Worth a bit of lost sleep… the raveled edges knit into a most satisfying conclusion’ ?????‘An unforgettable cast’ USA Today Bestseller Carissa Ann Lynch“Two bodies. One male, approximately fifty years old. One female, mid-twenties. Both shot execution-style, with one bullet to the back of the head.”When a murderous ghost from Erie City Police Detective Matthias Honeywell’s past appears unexpectedly, his investigation into a double homicide in a quiet residential neighborhood gets increasingly complicated, and puts everything and everyone he cares about at risk – including photographer Emma Anderson.Emma’s first day as the crime beat photographer for ErieLIVE wasn’t meant to see her photographing the scene of her predecessor’s murder, and with ties to the victim as well as a deadly fire that follows in the wake of the crime, she fears she may also be in the killer’s sightlines.To solve the case and catch the killer, Matthias and Emma will have to face their own demons. But what happens when the devil himself comes calling?Praise for Annette Dashofy‘A superb police procedural. Fantastic, fast-paced and tension-filled’ ?????‘Couldn’t stop reading… gritty’ ?????‘An outstanding grab-you-by-the-throat series… addictive’ ?????‘Lots of twists and turns’ ????‘An innovative mystery… a captivating story’ ????‘Gripping, fast-paced, well-written and realistic, I highly recommend’ ?????‘A mystery that every mystery lover will enjoy’ ?????
by Philip Eliot | Dec 4, 2025 | Romantic Comedy |
Now a festive feelgood movie starring Charlie Brooks available on all good streaming platforms for Christmas 2025! A name drawn from a hatSomeone you barely knowA Christmas you’ll never forgetThis December, Jolene can’t wait for the office Secret Santa moment — the festive present-swapping exercise made up of unlikely pairings and inappropriate gifts.But this year, her colleagues are in need of more than a novelty wine glass and a box of Celebrations to get their tinsel twinkling.So Jolene’s a woman on a mission, and she’s hatched a secret plan to make this their best Christmas ever…Winner of the 2025 RNA Festive Holiday Romantic Novel Award!*READERS LOVE THE SECRET SANTA PROJECT*’The most perfect Christmas read, so easy to cosy up to’ ?????’I devoured this…a Christmas cracker!’ ?????’This book was SO good…like a hug in a mug’ ?????’An extremely funny, festive and feel-good story’ ?????’It made me laugh and cry, just perfect!’ ?????’There are no words to describe how much I absolutely loved this book’ ?????’Full of moments that make you laugh out loud and warm your soul’ ?????’It will leave you smiling long after the last page!’ ?????’A wonderfully warm novel, filled with Tracy’s trademark warmth and humour’ ?????
