Margins
Zebra Mystery Puzzler Series by Marjorie J. Grove book cover 1
Zebra Mystery Puzzler Series by Marjorie J. Grove book cover 2
Zebra Mystery Puzzler Series by Marjorie J. Grove book cover 3
Zebra Mystery Puzzler Series by Marjorie J. Grove
Series · 26
books · 1978-1980

Books in series

You'll Die When You Hear This book cover
#1

You'll Die When You Hear This

1978

The California Sun was shining while the sounds of rock 'n roll oldies poured out of the tape deck of Max Reynolds baby-blue Mercedes. Suddenly, the music stopped and Max, Hollywood's #1gossip columnist, got the biggest scoop of her career- tomorrow's 'mourning' news. The man's voice was unfamiliar, but the taped message was very clear- Phillip Marvell, famous screen writer, would be dead by the next morning. Shock turned to disbelief as Max replayed the tape. Should she disregard the message as the work of some prankster out for a laugh? Or go to the police? The fiery redhead did the only thing a reporter with a story like could do. She printed it. And then the prediction came true. Max was already in too deep to get out. Dead bodies began piling up. First a screen writer, then the leading lady, next the director... the Max got the biggest scoop of all- she would be the next victim! It was a race against time to find the mad killer before Max, herself, became the star of her last deadly column!
The Final Ring book cover
#2

The Final Ring

1978

Vintage paperback
Is This Coffin Taken? book cover
#4

Is This Coffin Taken?

1978

It was fabulous living in Hawaii - the beautiful beaches and peaceful scenery - Ellen Tracy, freelance photographer, felt certain that life couldn't be better. And then her sister Rosemary arrived seeking refuge from what she believed to be her unfaithful husband. To lighten the mood, Ellen took her to Hilo where she was on assignment to photograph a volcano eruption. But disaster erupted as well when Rosemary suddenly disappeared. After searching the area and finding no trace of her sister, Ellen begins to worry. Rosemary may be in danger - might even be dead. How could she have just vanished. . . and where . . . and why? Did Rosemary plan this disappearance or has she been kidnapped? Ellen begins playing detective and discovers some murderous clues. And as soon as she starts following the leads - someone starts following her. It looks as if Ellen will be seeing her sister before long - and it's not a pretty picture! Can you solve the crime by finding the clues in the story, on the cover, and in the illustrations - before you cut open the final sealed chapter?
You'll Die Laughing book cover
#5

You'll Die Laughing

1978

When one of Britain's most beloved comedians is found dead - his throat slit from ear to ear - Maxine Reynolds, famous gossip columnist and Hollywood's answer to Scotland Yard, is sent to London to get the scoop and find the murderer. But when the clues lead her into the heart of an international spy ring, it's no laughing matter! In too deep for her own good and not knowing who she can trust, Max walks a deadly tightrope of suspense. With the killer at her heels and time running out, it surely looks as though Max will be tomorrow's headline story!
The Curse of the Golden Skull book cover
#7

The Curse of the Golden Skull

1978

Terry Spring, on a voodoo cruise, goes to Traynor castle on a clue to a murder. As the mystery unravels so do more dead bodies and she may be next!
Murder in the Act book cover
#8

Murder in the Act

1978

(The first book in the Marilyn Ambers Mystery series) The Die Is Cast The Poconos were beautiful in the summer—lush greenery, peace and quiet, far away from The Big Apple's sweltering heat and hustling crowds. Marilyn Ambers couldn't have been happier. She was starting a new phase in her theatrical career—directing her first play at a resort dinner theater. Rehearsals were going well and Marilyn was anticipating a successful opening night when the black curtain of death fell: Silas Bishop, the show's producer, was murdered! Who would want Silas dead? Practically everyone who knew him—and that included his wife, who was the star of the play. So with every actor a suspect, and every suspect with a motive and an alibi, Marilyn turns sleuth to solve the mystery and save the show—before the killer makes her the final act.
You'll Die Tomorrow book cover
#9

You'll Die Tomorrow

1978

The Final Pose book cover
#10

The Final Pose

1978

EPITAPH FOR EMILY book cover
#13

EPITAPH FOR EMILY

1979

Can you solve the crime by finding the clues in the story, on the cover, and in the illustrations - before you cut open the final sealed chapter?
Time to Kill book cover
#15

Time to Kill

1979

LAST MILL AND TESTAMENT. For free lance artist Carol Gates, it began as another money-making assignment. She would illustrate a book of true crime stories written by literary Henry Marston, who lived in a peaceful old mill in Vermont. Not long after arriving at the mill, Carol finds Marston's body mangled in a river bank—with the mill-race open, the wheel turning. The sheriff insists it's an accident. But after hearing about land scandals, burglaries and family feuds among the village people, Carol is positive that Marston was murdered. She sketches a portrait of hate that is rooted in the past, and the final strokes are more dangerous than anyone would have suspected.
The Final Appointment book cover
#17

The Final Appointment

1979

Death in a Small World book cover
#23

Death in a Small World

1979

Murder By Degrees book cover
#30

Murder By Degrees

1979

Murder by Degrees concerns the murder of an unpopular English professor at a small southern college. Each of the other professors is a potential suspect. Zebra's mysteries have an unusual feature in that there are clues not only in the text, but also in the cover art and in the drawings inside the book. (There are six drawings inside Murder by Degrees). Pearson deftly handles the small-college setting as she paints a picture of Mississippi's fictional Jernigan State and the surrounding community. To southerners, the elements of the setting will "ring true." (Pearson hits the major institutions of small-town southern life: the college, the churches, the beauty salons, the fading homes, and the watering holes). The characters are, if anything, even better than the setting. As the story progresses, the reader learns about the mysteries in each professor's life. The story focuses on Maggie, a young professor who discovers her boss' corpse at the beginning of the book. Though Pearson tells most of the story from Maggie's perspective, Murder by Degrees also uses the viewpoints of a local police officer and another professor at Jernigan State. Pearson deftly disperses the clues in a way that keeps the story moving toward its conclusion. There are also some great quotes (generally from classic literature) at the beginning of each chapter. This adds something to the book; it always seems a waste when authors label their chapters only with numbers.
Death on the Circuit book cover
#31

Death on the Circuit

1979

Murder at Willow Run book cover
#32

Murder at Willow Run

1979

Murder on Canvas Gallery director Megan Marshall thought she had pulled off a real coup. The world famous art critic Garrett Winters had come to the quiet little upstate New York art colony to review Megan's new show. But now Winters was dead. And it looked like Megan's boyfriend, artist Evan Townsend, was the killer. Had Evan succumbed to his fear that Winters' bad review would destroy his career? Or were other, hidden forces at work - forces that had hounded Winters down the corridor of time, to strike a long overdue blow for a vengeful justice? In her first case, Megan rushes in where even brave men fear to trad, and soon finds that the passion to create may become twisted into murderous drive to destroy.
#40

The Final Target

1979

#41

The Shark Bait Affair

1979

Deadly Advice book cover
#43

Deadly Advice

1979

Book by Ericson, Liz
The Witch's Tower Mystery book cover
#44

The Witch's Tower Mystery

1979

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000Q794U4 (Zebra Mystery Puzzler #44) Can you solve the crime by finding the clues in the story, on the cover, and in the illustrations - before you cut open the final sealed chapter?
Trek or Treat book cover
#50

Trek or Treat

1980

(The third book in the Marilyn Ambers Mystery series) YOU BE THE DETECTIVE! Can you solve the crime by finding the clues in the story, on the cover, and in the illustrations—before you cut open the final, sealed chapter?
#52

Cat Got Your Tongue?

1980

You be the detective! Can you solve the crime by finding the clues in the story, on the cover, and in the illustrations-before you cut open the final, sealed chapter?
High-Strung book cover
#53

High-Strung

1980

The Match Game Rumor had it that Eleanor Waltham was depressed and high-strung, so no one was very surprised when she was found hanging by her neck from a rafter in her room. A simple case of suicide, everyone said. But Adrienne Bishop, the recreation director of Greentree, West Virginia's elegant resort for the rich, thinks otherwise. And after solving one earlier match with murder, she's ready to play the detective game once again. Her fiancé Bart, the manager of Greentree, can't imagine why anyone would want to murder Eleanor, especially so soon after the death of her beloved father. But Adrienne finds enough suspects: an ex-tennis champion with the convenient alibi; a friendly tennis pro; a jealous girlfriend; and the grieving mother. Adrienne must volley her thoughts before murder comes to court again!
#54

Long Distance

1980

Break a Leg book cover
#55

Break a Leg

1980

Book by Dubrevil, L.
The Laughing Dragon Mystery book cover
#58

The Laughing Dragon Mystery

1980

Long-running (in quantity, if not in years) series of "guess-the-ending" mysteries featured a couple of distinguishing characteristics: the cover illustrations included clues that helped the reader solve the mystery, and the final solution was bound together so that it could only be read by cutting part of the book open, preventing accidental peeks. The basic formula was revived years later (aimed at a younger audience) in the You-Solve-It Mysteries series.
The Lady Killer Affair book cover
#60

The Lady Killer Affair

1980

Murder on Tour College professor, Clayton Rosmer is a lady killer in the old-fashion sense of the term - his charm attracts most women like a magnet. Attorney Kate Graham, however, is more interested in the scenery of the deluxe bus tour they are on, an exotic journey from Madrid to all the major towns in Spain. Kate even gets a special souvenir delivered to her door: a magnificent Moorish dagger. Several nights before leaving for home, Clayton is discovered with Kate's dagger buried in his chest. Her only excuse is that the dagger must have been stolen. In order to avoid a permanent vacation in a Spanish jail cell, Kate investigates everyone on the tour. The killer of the Lady killer is willing to continue his murderous reign in Spain - unless Kate reveals him mainly on the plain!

Authors

I. McMahan
Author · 1 books

IAN McMAHAN has followed two simultaneous career paths. As a developmental psychologist, he has written in major academic journals about his research on children’s achievement. He won the James McKeen Cattell Prize, awarded by the New York Academy of Sciences, and is now Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Brooklyn College, City University of New York. As an author, he has written fiction and nonfiction for both adults and children. His books range from children’s mysteries to historical novels, and include Get it Done!, a guide to improving motivation and personal efficiency, and a history of Ancient Egypt, Secrets of the Pharaohs. His dual careers came together recently with the university-level textbook, Adolescence, published by Allyn & Bacon. McMahan is the co-author, with Michael Terman of Columbia University Medical Center, of the newly-published CHRONOTHERAPY: Resetting Your Inner Clock to Boost Mood, Alertness, and Quality Sleep. This book gives readers a clear, authoritative, and scientifically grounded account of chronobiology, the science that explores the role of light and the circadian clock in our daily lives. Beyond that, it shows how understanding this science, and acting on our understanding, can change our lives for the better by helping us improve our mood, energy level, and sleeping pattern. It lays out what we know about the particular circadian problems that may affect children, adolescents, and the aged, and puts forth specific ways these problems can be dealt with. People with depression, bipolar and sleep disorders, shift work problems, or jet lag recount their experiences with chronotherapy in their own words. Stepping into the future, this book suggests how the insights of chronobiology can help shape tomorrow's work schedules, education systems, and architectural practices to better our lives.

Miriam Lynch
Author · 3 books

Miriam Lynch wrote several Gothic novels and some nurse/doctor romances and some hybrids which have all of the above in them. Pseudonyms Include: Dolores Craig Moira Lord Miriam Lynch Claire Vincent Mary Wallace

Ron Goulart
Ron Goulart
Author · 72 books

Pseudonyms: Howard Lee; Frank S Shawn; Kenneth Robeson; Con Steffanson; Josephine Kains; Joseph Silva; William Shatner. Ron Goulart is a cultural historian and novelist. Besides writing extensively about pulp fiction—including the seminal Cheap Thrills: An Informal History of Pulp Magazines (1972)—Goulart has written for the pulps since 1952, when the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction published his first story, a sci-fi parody of letters to the editor. Since then he has written dozens of novels and countless short stories, spanning genres and using a variety of pennames, including Kenneth Robeson, Joseph Silva, and Con Steffanson. In the 1990s, he became the ghostwriter for William Shatner’s popular TekWar novels. Goulart’s After Things Fell Apart (1970) is the only science-fiction novel to ever win an Edgar Award. In the 1970s Goulart wrote novels starring series characters like Flash Gordon and the Phantom, and in 1980 he published Hail Hibbler, a comic sci-fi novel that began the Odd Jobs, Inc. series. Goulart has also written several comic mystery series, including six books starring Groucho Marx. Having written for comic books, Goulart produced several histories of the art form, including the Comic Book Encyclopedia (2004).

Jean Francis Webb
Author · 5 books
AKA Dick Morland, Ethel Hamill, Roberta Morrison, and Lee Davis Willoughby
548 Market St PMB 65688, San Francisco California 94104-5401 USA
© 2025 Paratext Inc. All rights reserved