The Scargill Cove Case Files: An Arcane Society Story (A Penguin Special from Jove)

By Jayne Ann Krentz

Chilling paranormal suspense in a small California town—by the New York Times bestselling author of the Arcane Society novels!

As the director at Jones & Jones, a psychical investigation agency, Fallon Jones solves crimes of a different nature. Jones’s latest case involves a body found in the basement vault of a local bookstore, and scratchings on the inside of the door that seem to be a coded message, in this novella by Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author of In Too Deep and the Arcane Society novels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Dec 6, 2011
• ISBN: 9781101538807

Jayne Ann Krentz

The author of over fifty consecutive New York Times bestsellers, Jayne Ann Krentz writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick), and futuristic/paranormal (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print. She earned a BA in history from the University of California, Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Master’s degree in library science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries. She is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington. Jayne loves to hear from her readers and can be found at Facebook.com/JayneAnnKrentz.

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Case # 1 - Death in a Bookstore

Epilogue

Teaser for Secret Sisters

Teaser for Trust No One

Titles by Jayne Ann Krentz

Copper Beach

In Too Deep

Fired Up

Running Hot

Sizzle and Burn

White Lies

All Night Long

Falling Awake

Truth or Dare

Light in Shadow

Summer in Eclipse Bay

Together in Eclipse Bay

Smoke in Mirrors

Lost & Found

Dawn in Eclipse Bay

Soft Focus

Eclipse Bay

Eye of the Beholder

Flash

Sharp Edges

Deep Waters

Absolutely, Positively

Trust Me

Grand Passion

Hidden Talents

Wildest Hearts

Family Man

Perfect Partners

Sweet Fortune

Silver Linings

The Golden Chance

Titles by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Amanda Quick

Quicksilver

Burning Lamp

The Perfect Poison

The Third Circle

The River Knows

Second Sight

Lie By Moonlight

The Paid Companion

Wait Until Midnight

Late for the Wedding

Don’t Look Back

Slightly Shady

Wicked Widow

I Thee Wed

With This Ring

Affair

Mischief

Mystique

Mistress

Deception

Desire

Dangerous

Reckless

Ravished

Rendezvous

Scandal

Surrender

Seduction

Titles by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle

Canyons of Night

Midnight Crystal

Obsidian Prey

Dark Light

Silver Master

Ghost Hunter

After Glow

Harmony

After Dark

Amaryllis

Zinnia

Orchid

Penguin Specials

The Scargill Cove Case Files

Anthologies

Charmed

(with Julie Beard, Lori Foster, and Eileen Wilks)

Titles written by Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle

No Going Back

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

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(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

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Penguin Books Ltd.,

Reviews for The Scargill Cove Case Files

[bettesbooks · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I have read other books in this series and have enjoyed them. But, if I read this short story as an introduction to the series I doubt I would read further.

[jfe16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review of eBookPsychic investigator Fallon Jones, director of Jones and Jones, finds himself involved in the investigation of a bookstore at the request of its new owner, Fitch. He believes something bad happened in the bookstore . . . a murder, perhaps . . . and wants the psychic detective to investigate.At the same time, bodies keep turning up; the J&J agent says a rogue is responsible. Fallon worries about spending time on the bookstore case when he feels he should be focusing on Nightshade and the rogue. Nevertheless, he heads for the bookstore.While the rogue continues to strike, Fallon vacillates between needing coffee and visiting the bookstore. No one seems to know anything about the former owner, Hooker, and his sudden departure from Scargill Cove, but that doesn’t stop Fallon from his investigation.When he checks out the basement, Fallon finds an old vault . . . locked with a new, high-tech lock. What is in the vault? And will it help Fallon find the answers to Hooker’s mysterious disappearance?=========Written as if it were case notes in a series of journal entries, this short story prequel to “In Too Deep,” an Arcane Society story. For readers familiar with the author’s series featuring the Society, this short introduction to the next book in the series will be a special treat. For those new to the series, it’s an invitation to explore the workings of the Society.Scargill Cove provides readers with a sense of place for the story; the brevity of the story limits the full development of the characters, but there is sufficient information here for readers to understand each of them and to see how they fit into the telling of the tale. There’s sufficient plot for the short prequel; the denouement is sure to satisfy readers.The running joke about running out of coffee and needing to visit the Sunshine Café keeps readers smiling, especially those who appreciate their coffee as much as Fallon.Also included in this eBook are teasers for “Secret Sisters” and “Trust No One.”Recommended.

[momsterbookworm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Short (free) Kindle story. For a fast lunch break read, I liked the 'choppy' couple-of-words sentences, and short paragraphs. Plot development was alright, but the ending seemed too abrupt. If its intended purpose was merely to be a teaser for the 'Arcane Society' series, then it might have accomplished that purpose (at least for me).

[catya77 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A killer is loose in Scargill Cove. The new bookstore owner senses some bad vibes in his store. Our psychic PI is asked to investigate.With a diary/journal type format, this narrative has a crisp, quick, almost authoritative feel.Characters are authentic for their reality and interesting. Perhaps with a longer tale, there would be more development.Overall, an enjoyable read.

[abby_k. · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story was previously told by the author through twitter and the format has stayed the same.