CLUES UNLIMITED
A
mystery bookstore
Located in
(520) 326-8533 (voice)
• (520) 326-9001 (fax)
Books we particularly recommend are in red
June/July
2009
New and Forthcoming in
Hardcover
Abbott, Jeff. Trust Me (Dut, 25.95) July. When a
man who works undercover on the Internet monitoring home-grown terror networks
is kidnapped and beaten, he escapes but with a deadly, well-organized group of
terrorists on his heels in a fast-moving novel of suspense.
Andrews, Mary
Kay. The
Fixer Upper (HC, 25.95) July. When a fledgling lobbyist is left
jobless after her boss at a high-powered Washington public relations firm is
caught in a political scandal, she returns home to Georgia to fix up the old
family homeplace recently inherited by her father, a job that requires a lot
more than just a little paint—including removing a driveway full of junk
cars and a murderously grumpy distant relation.
Axinn, Donald
Everett. Allan,
Burning (LB, 25.00) June. An architect
who is a family man and amateur aviator crash lands in the
Balmaseda, Liz. Sweet Mary (SS,
24.95) July. A Cuban-American Miami realtor is arrested after she
is mistaken for another
Beckett, Simon. Whispers of the Dead (BDD,
24.00) May. Dr. David Hunter journeys from
Block,
Lawrence. Step by Step (HC,
24.95) June. A humorous memoir of an aging racewalker who
also happens to be a famous mystery novelist.
Box, C. J. Below Zero (Put, 24.95) June. Joe Pickett and
his family are horrified when their daughter gets a phone call allegedly from
Pickett’s foster daughter who was killed during a murder spree six years
earlier and he discovers that a young girl has been seen traveling with an
older man.
Bunn, Davis. Gold of Kings (SS,
24.00) June. The first of a new adventure
series featuring an art historian and an ex-con who join forces to uncover a
conspiracy that led to the death of an old treasure hunter in a smooth blend of
archaeology, romance, and murder mystery.
Burke, James
Lee. Rain
Gods (SS, 24.95) July. I have absolutely no information
on this because the catalogues got lost in transit, but I will have signed
copies.
Carey, Mike. Dead Men’s Boots (LB,
25.99) July. Felix Castor, a freelance exorcist, must solve the
mystery when a killing in London’s King’s Cross bears all the
hallmarks of an American serial killer supposedly dead for forty years. Spooky fun.
Casey, Kathryn.
Blood
Lines (STM, 24.95) July. In a new thriller
featuring Texas Ranger Sarah Armstrong she is working on two cases at the same
time: a suicide that just might be a murder and the protection of a teenaged
pop star who has been receiving escalating threats before a scheduled concert
in
Castillo, Linda. Sworn to Silence (STM,
24.95) June. A series debut set in the Ohio Amish country about a
woman who returns to the community as the chief of police, hiding a terrible
secret—that she had killed a serial killer in self-defense years
before—but when someone begins an orgy of violent copycat killings, she
must discover who is behind the new murders and how he is connected to her
past.
Clemans, Judy. Embrace the Grim Reaper (PP,
24.95) May. The first in a new series featuring a woman
grieving the loss of her loved ones in a car accident and accompanied by the
Grim Reaper who investigates the death of a young mother who supposedly committed
suicide.
Cole, Martina.
Faces (LB,
24.99) July. Another gritty crime novel set in
Connolly,
John. The Lovers (SS, 26.00) June.
Having had his PI license revoked, Charlie Parker takes a job as bartender in
Portland, but in the meantime he decides to look into the death of his father
who apparently committed suicide after shooting two unarmed teenagers, and what
he discovers makes him question everything he believed about his parents. Signed copies.
Cook,
Thomas H. The Fate of Katherine Carr (HMH, 25.00) June.
A travel writer who still grieves for his murdered son meets a retired missing-persons
detective who interests him in the 20-year-old unsolved disappearance of a
local woman in a compelling novel of guilt and redemption by an award-winning
mystery writer.
Cottam, F.G. The House of Lost Souls (STM,
24.95) July. A debut novel of `mystery and horror about a man who
must save his sister from the madness that has afflicted her since she entered
a derelict house, but his only clue is a secret journal from the 1920’s
that reveals the hideous crime that has haunted the house for decades.
Coulter,
Catherine. Knockout (Put,
26.95) June. FBI agent Dillon Savich rushes to
Crosby, Ellen. The Riesling Retribution (SS,
25.00) Aug. In the latest in the series set in
Crouch, Blake. Abandon (STM,
24.95) July. A history professor and his journalist daughter put
together an expedition in the
Cussler, Clive
with Paul Kemprecos. Medusa (Put, 27.95) June. The NUMA team faces not
only an ambitious Chinese criminal organization, but also a secret new virus
that could set off a worldwide pandemic.
Daheim, Mary. Alpine Uproar (BDD,
24.00) June. Random occurrences are all connected when former
newspaper editor Emma Lord investigates an altercation at a local tavern that
left one person dead and the other in jail in the small
_____. Loco Motive (HC, 23.95) July. Judith
and Renie, taking a train trip cross-country to Boston, are stranded in a small
Montana town after the train hits a truck, but their tedium turns to terror
when an annoying fellow guest is found murdered.
Deaver, Jeffrey.
Roadside
Crosses (SS, 26.95) June. The third mystery to feature
Kathryn Dance, an agent with the California Bureau of Investigation who investigates
when a teenaged driver responsible for the deaths of two other teens in an
accident is smeared in a popular blog, the bloggers are viciously attacked.
Del Toro,
Guillermo and Chuck Hogan. The Strain (HC, 26.95) June. The first
in a trilogy, this thriller is an epic battle between humans and vampires that
reaches from
Deutermann, P.T. Nightwalkers (STM,
24.95) June. PI Cam Richter buys a rundown
Dolan,
Harry. Bad
Things Happen (Put, 24.95) July. When a college professor with
a violent past befriends the publisher of a mystery magazine, he begins an
affair with the publisher’s wife, but when the publisher is found
murdered, he joins forces with a homicide detective from the Ann Arbor Police
Department and they discover that this murder and the ones that follow eerily
echo stories from the magazine. A tightly-plotted, highly
readable noir debut.
Duns,
Jeremy. Free Agent (Vik, 25.95) July.
A debut spy thriller featuring a man who is suspected of being a British double
agent after a KGB officer in
Evanovich, Janet. Finger Lickin’
Fifteen (STM, 27.95) June 23rd. The
newest Stephanie Plum filled with complications, cliffhangers, and donuts, for
fifteen years the only way to usher in summer.
Evans, Mary
Anna. Floodgates (PP,
24.95) July. Archaeologist Faye Longchamp and her team are
excavating a plantation site outside of
Flynn, Gillian.
Dark Places (RH,
24.00) May. When a woman who witnessed the murder of her mother and two older
sisters as a child, and whose testimony sent her brother to jail for the crime,
is hard-up for money years later, she agrees to meet with members of a club of
true crime enthusiasts whose belief in her brother’s innocence causes her
to re-examine what she really saw the night of the tragedy.
Ford,
Gardiner, Meg. The Memory Collector (Dut,
25.95) June. Forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett is called in to
examine a passenger arriving in
Gardner, Lisa. The Neighbor (BDD,
25.00) June. When a teacher disappears, leaving her purse and
keys, with her beloved four-year-old daughter sleeping upstairs, suspicion
falls on her husband because he appears to have destroyed evidence in a inventive thriller by a master of the shocking ending.
George,
Kathleen. The
Odds (STM, 24.95) June. Colleen Greer of the
Goldberg, Lee. Mr. Monk and the Dirty
Cop (NAL, 22.95) July. After the
Goldstein, Jan. The Bride Will Keep her Name (RH,
24.00) June. A young woman who works in a
Grabenstein, Chris. Mind Scrambler (STM,
24.95) June. Ceepak and Boyle visit
Graham,
Mitchell. Dead
Docket (STM, 24.95) July. When
Grant, Andrew. Even (STM,
24.95) June. A debut thriller by the younger brother of Lee
Child, this is a fast moving story of a Royal Intelligence agent who finds
himself set-up and facing a murder charge in New York only to discover that as
far as the British Consulate is concerned he’s on his own as he
penetrates a deadly international conspiracy in an attempt to vindicate
himself.
Green, George
Daws. Ravens (LB, 24.99) July. After a family wins the lottery,
they become the victims of two men who hold them hostage in order to get half
the winnings in a novel of psychological suspense by an Edgar-winning author.
Haines, Carolyn.
Greedy
Bones (STM, 24.95) July. Sarah Booth Delaney
returns home to
Hayman, James. The Cutting (STM,
24.95) July. A debut thriller about a policeman who moves from
New York City to the slower pace of Portland, Maine, only to face a horrific
killer who mutilates his victims with surgical precision.
Hilton, Matt. Dead Men’s Dust (HC,
24.95) June. A series debut featuring an ex-military officer and
former CIA agent looking for his missing brother, who made the seriously bad
mistake of stealing from a professional killer as the three men engage in a
high-octane, cross-country chase.
Howe,
Katherine. The
Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (Hyp, 25.95) June. When a
graduate student goes to
Howell, Dorothy.
Purses
and Poison (Kens, 22.00) July. Accessory-obsessed Haley
Randolph is working at a fashionable department store when she discovers a
fashion model dead in the restroom, poisoned by fruit from a gift basket from
Haley’s mother’s store, so to eliminate her mother as a suspect she
investigates.
Hughes, Declan. All the Dead Voices (HC,
24.95) July. Dublin PI Ed Loy accepts the case of a revenue
inspector killed fifteen years ago whose daughter believes was murdered by IRA
members that he had testified against in a case where the Celtic Tiger and
Ireland’s bloody past are intertwined.
Hunt, James
Patrick. The
Assailant (STM, 24.95) June. St. Louis Police Lt.
George Hastings receives a call about a strangled call girl, but has few leads
and little to go on when the body of another woman is found with the same M.O.
Hurley, Graham. The Price of Darkness (IPG,
22.95) May. In the latest in this
Hurwitz, Gregg. Trust No One (STM,
24.95) June. A gripping novel of suspense about a man who is forced to deal
with a nuclear-armed terrorist by the DHS because of a connection between them
from the past—a past that must be confronted to save his life and the
lives of those he loves.
Iles,
Greg. The Devil’s Punchbowl (SS, 26.95) July.
This was announced a while ago, but will finally be coming out this summer.
Penn Cage returns in a case involving illegal dog fighting and sexual abuse
connected to a floating casino outside of
Jance, J.A. Fire and Ice (HC,
25.95) July. Beaumont and Brady team up again in a thriller set
in
Jardine, Quintin.
Inhuman Remains (IPG,
24.95) May. When her elderly aunt needs her help finding her missing son,
Primavera Blackstone must travel all over
Johansen, Iris and
Roy Johansen. Storm
Cycle (STM, 26.95) July. A computer genius with a chronically-ill
sister is contacted by an Egyptologist who has made a discovery that has
implications for a cure for her sister, but a dangerous web of deceit and
murder entangles her as she seeks to help the Egyptologist unravel the ancient
mystery.
Johnson,
Craig. The Dark Horse (Vik, 24.95) June.
When a woman confesses to the murder of her husband after he burned her horses
alive, Absaroka County Sheriff Walt Longmire has a feeling that something
isn’t quite right, so he goes undercover and discovers that there are
many people who wanted the victim dead. Signed copies.
Joven, Enrique.
The
Book of God and Physics (HC, 25.95) July. A young
Jesuit science teacher discovers a possible key to breaking the code of the
Voynich manuscript, a mysterious book written in an unknown language that
surfaced four hundred years ago, hidden in his church, but powerful forces
conspire to keep the manuscript from being decoded in an ingenious debut filled
with ideas pulled from philosophy and science.
Kelly,
Jim. Death Wore
White (STM, 24.95) June. CWA Dagger winner Kelly has
written a superb police procedural set in Norfolk featuring a rookie detective
paired with a hard-bitten veteran who find themselves stuck in a blizzard with
a line of other cars blocked by a fallen tree, during which someone kills the
driver of the first car and manages to escape without leaving any tracks in the
snow.
Klein, Zoë. Drawing in the Dust (Pkt,
25.00) July. A debut thriller about an American archaeologist who
is persuaded by an Arab couple to excavate under their house just outside of
Knox, Tom. The Genesis Secret (Vik,
26.95) June. A series of murders in
Konrath, J.A. Cherry Bomb (Hyp,
25.95) July. Jack Daniels is attending the funeral of a loved one, when the
maniacal killer calls her, taunting her into a twisted game of cat and mouse.
Has Jack met her match in this female serial killer?
Kramer, Julie. Missing Mark (BDD,
23.95) July. Minneapolis TV reporter Riley Spartz is intrigued
when she sees a for-sale ad for a never-worn wedding dress, and further inquiry
reveals that comedian left his wealthy bride at the altar and disappeared, and
when the missing bridegroom’s mother commits suicide, the mystery
deepens. I loved the first in this series.
Lange,
Richard. This
Wicked World (LB, 23.99) June. A debut novel set in Southern
California about an ex-con trying to go straight who agrees to help a buddy and
look into a young Guatemalan immigrant’s death, but his investigation
plunges him into a world of drug dealers, dog-fighting, and counterfeit money,
all on the dark margins of Los Angeles.
Lawson, Mike. House Secrets (Atl,
22.00) July. Joe DeMarco is assigned by the Speaker of the House
to check into the death of a
Lescroart, John. A Plague of Secrets (Dut,
26.95) July. Dismas Hardy investigates when the owner of a San
Francisco coffee shop is murdered and it becomes apparent that he was selling
marijuana along with coffee beans, but a further murder makes it clear that the
dead man’s celebrity-studded customer list, a list that includes both
politicians and law enforcement officials may be part of a cover-up conspiracy.
Locke,
Margolin, Phillip.
Fugitive (HC,
26.95) June.
Martini, Steve. Guardian of Lies (HC,
26.99) July. Attorney Paul Madriani helps a Costa Rican beauty on
the run in a fast-paced suspense thriller that involves Guantánamo prisoners, a
Colombian rebel base, and a Mexican drug cartel.
McAdam, Colin. Fall (Png,
25.95) June. A beautifully-written literary mystery set at a
prestigious Canadian boarding school, where the girlfriend of a popular athlete
at the school disappears.
McMahon,
Jennifer. Dismantled (HC,
24.95) June. A gripping debut about a group of college friends who find that a
terrible secret will not stay buried a decade after one of them is killed in
the
Moore, Laurie. Woman Strangled—News at Ten (5Star,
25.95) June. First in a funny new series features a newly-minted
journalism-school grad who lands a plum job on a television news show, where
her colleague refers to her as “Investigative Reporter Barbie,” but
when she comes upon a strangled corpse while researching the disappearance of a
university student, she learns quickly that she has to be tough and smart to
save herself.
Morrell, David. The Shimmer (Vngd,
25.95) July. When a Santa Fe police officer realizes that his
wife has disappeared, he discovers that she has gone to a remote town in Texas
where unexplained nighttime phenomena compel people to
come from all over to witness, and when one of the witnesses shoots into the
crowd, the whole thing turns from creepy to deadly.
Nadelson, Reggie. Londongrad (STM,
25.00) June. NYPD detective Artie Cohen, first generation
Russian-American, flies to
Ocean, T. Lynn.
Southern
Peril (STM, 24.95) July. Another funny southern
mystery featuring Jersey Barnes who gets called in when a state supreme judge
asks her to investigate his brother, which turns into a major DEA investigation
with ties to a twenty-year-old mystery.
Pearson, Ridley. Killer Summer (Put,
24.95) June.
Persons, Terri. Blind Sight (BDD,
24.95) May. FBI agent Bernadette St. Clair who has the ability to see through
the eyes of killers is faced with a case that may involve witchcraft when a
pregnant teenager is found butchered in the woods with a red pentagram marked
on her head, a case similar to a murder in
Phillips, Christi.
The Devlin Diary (Pkt,
25.00) May. A skillfully-written combination of a present-day academic whodunit
set at
Raichev, R.T. The Little Victim (
Ramsay,
Robertson, Michael.
The
Rosenberg, Nancy
Taylor. The
Cheater (STM, 24.95) June. When Lily Forrester’s
husband calls and says he has been arrested in
Schwegel, Theresa. Last Known Address (STM, 24.95) July.
Sefton, Maggie. Dropped Dead Stitch (Brk,
24.95) June. When a friend of Kelly’s is attacked by a
stranger, the knitting group takes her under their wing at a ranch retreat in
the mountains, but when the ranch owner turns out to be the girl’s
attacker, and then is found dead, they must pick up the stitches to find a
killer.
Silva, Daniel. The Defector (Put,
26.95) July. Gabriel Allon returns to
Simms,
Christopher. Hell’s
Fire (Pegasus, 25.00) June. Manchester DI Jon Spicer is called
in when an arson fire of a church reveals a charred corpse and satanic symbols
and the members of a horrific religious underworld prepared to kill again.
Sims,
Sokoloff,
Alexandra. The Unseen (STM, 24.95) June.
A terrifying novel based on the
Strohmeyer,
Sarah. The Penny Pinchers Club (Dut, 24.95)
July. A suburban
Tanenbaum, Robert K. Capture
(Pkt, 26.00) June. NY DA Butch Karp and his wife Marlene Ciampi
must fight against an array of villains as Butch prosecutes a perverted
Broadway producer who killed a beautiful actress.
Tesh,
Jane. A Little Learning (PP, 24.95) June.
North Carolina PI Madeline Maclin is hard at work trying to solve a case that
would mean a large inheritance for a client, but she can’t resist
guest-teaching art at a local school where the murder of a universally loathed
teacher takes place.
Thomas,
Steven M. Criminal Karma (Ball, 25.00) July. Southern California
crook Robert Rivers returns in the second in the entertaining series, looking
to steal a $250,000 diamond necklace belonging to a socialite who has become a
follower of a charismatic guru, but someone else has his eye on the necklace
and Rivers must move quickly and intelligently to gain the prize.
Thurlo, Aimée
and David. Bad Samaritan (STM, 24.95) June. Sister
Agatha must bring her sleuthing skills to bear when the Bernalillo sheriff is
the main suspect in the brutal murder of his rival in the upcoming election.
Unger, Lisa. Die for You (RH,
24.00) June. A bestselling novelist begins an investigation when her husband
disappears only to discover that he is not the man she thinks he is—he stole
another man’s identity years before—but she insists on finding him
nonetheless.
Vasquez,
Ian. Lonesome Point (STM, 24.95) June.
Two brothers, one a
Ward,
Robert. Total Immunity (HMH, 26.00) July.
Two Los Angeles FBI agents are in the sights of a killer when they arrest a
diamond smuggler who is able to achieve his vengeance from behind prison bars,
and, when he is released and given immunity by the Department of Homeland
Security, he is even more dangerous.
Westlake,
Donald. Get Real (LB, 23.99) July. Dortmunder and the gang return
in their final outing, having been persuaded to appear in a reality television
show as robbers by a quick-talking producer who is willing to pay them to
steal. A very funny finale to a very funny series.
New and Forthcoming in Paperback
Reprint
Abbott,
Jeff. Collision (NAL, 7.99) July.
Alexander,
Lawence. Rubicon (HC, 7.99) July.
Andrews,
Donna. Cockatiels at Seven (STM, 6.99) July.
Battles,
Brett. The Deceived (BDD, 6.99) July.
Black,
Lisa. Takeover (HC, 7.99) July.
Block,
Lawrence. Hit and Run (HC, 7.99) July.
Brockmann,
Suzanne. Dark of Night (BDD, 7.99) July.
Burke,
Alafair. Angel’s Tip (HC, 7.99) June.
Burke,
James Lee.
Cannell,
Stephen J. At First Sight (Vngd, 9.99) June.
Carey,
Mike. Vicious Circle (GC, 7.99) July.
Cole,
Martina. Close (GC, 7.99) June.
Cornwell,
Patricia. The Front (Brk, 7.99) June.
Coulter,
Catherine. Tail Spin (Brk, 7.99) July.
Crombie,
Deborah. Where Memories Lie (HC, 7.99) July.
Douglas,
Carole Nelson. Cat in a Sapphire Slipper (STM,
7.99) July.
Evanovich,
Janet. Fearless Fourteen (STM, 7.99) July.
Ford,
Galenorn,
Yasmine. Murder under a Mystic Moon (Brk, 7.99)
July.
Gardiner,
Meg. The Dirty Secrets Club (NAL, 7.99) June.
Gardner,
Lisa. Say Goodbye (BDD, 7.99) June.
Haines,
Carolyn. Wishbones (STM, 6.99) June.
Harris,
Charlaine. Poppy Done to Death (Brk, 7.99)
July.
Higgins,
Jack. Rough Justice (Brk, 9.99) July.
Jance,
J.A. Damage Control (HC, 9.99) July.
Johansen,
Iris. The Killing Game (BDD, 7.99) July.
Reissue.
Judson,
Daniel. The Water’s Edge (STM, 7.99)
July.
Konrath, J.A. Fuzzy Navel
(Hyp, 7.99) June.
Kramer,
Julie. Stalking Susan (BDD, 7.99) July.
Lawson, Mike. House Rules (Atl, 7.99) July.
Lescroart, John. Sunburn (NAL, 9.99) June. Reissue.
Maron,
Margaret. Death’s Half Acre (GC, 7.99) July.
Meltzer,
Brad. The Book of Lies (GC, 7.99) June.
Neville,
Katherine. The Fire (BDD, 7.99) June.
Ocean,
T. Lynn. Southern Poison (STM, 6.99) June.
Pearson,
Ridley. Killer View (Brk, 9.99) July.
Perry,
Thomas. Silence (Vngd, 7.99) June.
Reissue.
Reich,
Christopher. Rules of Deception (BDD, 7.99)
June.
Reichs,
Kathy. Devil’s Bones (Pkt, 7.99) July.
Robb, J.D. Salvation in
Death (Brk, 7.99) June.
Rose,
Karen. Kill for Me (GC, 6.99) July.
Sefton,
Maggie. Dyer Consequences (Brk, 7.99) June.
Shuman,
George. Lost Girls (Pkt, 7.99) July.
Silva,
Daniel.
Slaughter,
Karin. Fractured (BDD, 7.99) July.
Smiley,
Patricia. Cool Cache (NAL, 7.99) June.
New and Forthcoming in Paperback Original
Alt, Madelyn. Where
There’s a Witch (Brk, 7.99) July. When a construction worker is
suspected of killing a young woman at a carnival, Maggie and the N.I.G.H.T.S.
ghost-hunting team go to work to uncover the negative spiritual energy leaking into
their town.
Barant, D.D. Dying Bites
(STM, 6.99) July. The first in a new series
featuring an FBI profiler who teams up with a member of the vampire elite to
stop a series of gruesome murders that are tearing up the streets of D.C.
Blackwell,
Juliet. Secondhand Spirits (NAL, 6.99) July.
When a witch sets up shop selling vintage clothing in San Francisco, she hopes
to finally have a way to conceal her witchiness and to outfit her customers
both spiritually and stylistically, but when a customer is murdered and
children begin to disappear, she knows that she may have to come out of the
closet to stop some very bad phantoms in the first in an enchanting new series.
Brady,
Kate. One Scream Away (GC, 6.99) July.
An antiques expert who was responsible for putting a killer behind bars begins
receiving antique dolls in the mail, each showing
marks of violence, and realizes that the recently-paroled killer may be coming
after her in a debut novel of romantic suspense.
Brennan,
Alison. Fatal Secrets (BDD, 7.99) June.
The second in the trilogy that began with Playing Dead.
Brown,
Robert Gregory. Kill Her Again (STM, 7.99) July. A disgraced FBI
agent battles disturbing nightmares that lead her to a psychotic killer in a
thriller that combines suspense and the supernatural.
Carter,
Sammi. Sucker Punch (Brk, 6.99) June.
Candy shop owner Abby Shaw has a sweet life until her friend is suspected of
killing an actor, but Abby is no marshmallow when it comes to finding out how
the truth has been fudged.
Causey, Toni
Mcgee. Girls Just Wanna Have Guns
(STM, 6.99) July. The second in the saga of Bobbie Faye Sumrall, the Cajun girl
who has to help her crazy cousin, find the missing family diamonds, and deal
with a sexy undercover FBI agent. The first in the series has been retitled Charmed
and Dangerous (STM, 6.99) and is appearing in mass market
in June. This is a funny series—think Stephanie
Plum in the bayou.
Christofferson,
April. Alpha Female (STM, 7.99) July. A
recently-divorced judge moves to
Connolly,
Sheila. Rotten to the Core (Brk, 6.99) July.
In the second in this cozy series, orchard owner Meg Corey must clear her name
after a body is discovered in her springhouse—poisoned by pesticide.
Davidson,
Eileen. Dial Emmy for Murder (NAL, 6.99) June. The second in the
series featuring daytime soap opera star Alexis Peterson who must discover who
wanted to kill her co-presenter at the Daytime Emmy Awards, before the show
must go on.
Davis,
Krista. The Diva Takes the Cake (Brk, 6.99) June. The Domestic
Diva’s wedding advice to her soon-to-be-married sister is to keep the
cake and lose the groom, especially after his ex-wife is found murdered.
Davis,
Goldberg,
Lee. Mr. Monk is Miserable (NAL, 7.99) June. In
Hechtman,
Betty. By Hook or By Crook (Brk, 6.99) June.
Molly Pink’s crochet group finds a new mystery when they discover a
series of clues leading to a murdered crocheter done in by a box of poisoned
candy.
Hewson,
David. The Promised Land (IPG, 8.95) May. Inexplicably released
just hours before his execution for the murder of his wife and child, a former
policeman with amnesia who has spent 23 years in prison teams up with a
beautiful young woman to find out what actually happened to his family.
Jardine,
Quintin. Aftershock (IPG, 8.95) May. Edinburgh DCC Bob Skinner
finds that the discovery of a woman’s body on a golf course shows all the
earmarks of a serial killer case, and, worse, the trail leads to an
investigation of the son of a Tory MP creating a political firestorm.
Kuzneski,
Chris. The
Mariotte, Jeffrey J. Cold
Black Hearts (Brk, 7.99) June. In a new
southwestern mystery, a murder investigation brings a former police detective
in contact with the supernatural forces that destroyed a town nearly 100 years
earlier. Mariotte writes great supernatural suspense.
Mathews, Francine. Death in
the Off-Season (BDD, 7.99) July. A reissue of the first in a
series set in
McGee,
Chaz. Desolate Angel (Brk, 6.99) July.
The first in a new series featuring a cop who was killed in a drug-bust gone
bad and who has been a lost soul in limbo until he comes across a dead victim
whose murder he thought he’d solved, but when the victim points out
another, fresh victim he realizes that he put away the wrong man.
Morgan,
Kaye. Killer Sudoku (Brk, 6.99) July.
It’s only natural that the contestants at the West Coast Sudoku Summit
would be eliminated—but not by dropping dead—so Sudoku maven Liza
Kelly must figure out the murderer’s pattern before she’s the next
one down.
Myers,
Tamar. Poison Ivory (HC, 7.99) June. A
new cozy mystery of antiques and murder set in the South.
Olson,
Karen E. The Missing Ink (NAL, 6.99) July.
The first in a new series featuring a tattoo artist in
Parsons,
Julie. I Saw You (IPG, 8.95) May. A retired Dublin policeman
agrees to help a woman whose young daughter was found drowned in a lake under
suspicious circumstances that remind him of a murder case he had years ago in a
compelling novel of revenge and atonement.
Pratt,
Scott. In Good Faith (NAL, 7.99) June. A
Rayne,
Sarah. Roots of Evil (IPG, 9.95) May. A woman whose glamorous
grandmother was murdered at a
_____.
Reece,
Christy. Return to Me (BDD, 6.99) June. An organization that
hunts missing teenaged girls tangles with an online predator in the second thriller
to feature the Last Chance Rescue group. In July, the third in the series, Run
to Me (BDD, 6.99) will feature a former LCR operative who
must return to action when his ex-partner—and former lover--is kidnapped
and programmed to kill.
Russell,
Leigh. Cut Short (IPG, 9.95) May. DS Geraldine Steel expects the
quiet
Stanton,
Mary. Angel’s Advocate (Brk, 7.99) June.
Southern attorney Bree Beaufort decides to turn the haunted legal firm she
inherited from her family toward some paying clients, but when she accepts the
case of a spoiled girl accused of stealing Girl Scout cookie money, she
discovers that her client’s departed grandfather needs her help too. An inventive paranormal mystery series.
Starr,
Jason. Fake I.D. (Hard Case, 6.99) June.
When a
Twining, James. The Gilded Seal (HC, 7.99) June. Tom Kirk
discovers a secret that dates back to the Napoleonic Wars and is plunged into
the dark world of fine art dealers, thieves, and counterfeiters.
Webb,
Debra. Everywhere She Turns (STM, 7.99) July.
When a physician returns to her
New and Forthcoming in Quality
Paperback
Bajo,
David. The 351 Books of Irma Arcuri (Png,
15.00) June. A man follows the disappearance of the woman he has loved
all of his life by reading the 351 books that she leaves him when she vanishes
in a mysterious love story.
Cleeves,
Ann. White Nights (STM, 13.95) June. Inspector Jimmy Perez of the
Davis,
Kyra. Lust, Loathing, and a little Lip Gloss
(Mira, 13.95) June.
Dickinson,
Peter. Sleep and his Brother (F&M, 14.95)
July. Jimmy Pibble, newly laid off from Scotland Yard, visits a
charitable institution for children with a rare metabolic disorder, but his
detective instincts kick in and he senses that something is wrong.
Dicks,
Matthew. Something Missing (BDD, 14.00) July.
An expert thief who concentrates on stealing only what his victims won’t
notice, accidentally finds himself breaking in to people’s houses to
improve their lives, but the crook with a heart of gold is at risk of being
caught in this debut crime novel.
Dorst,
Doug. Alive in Necropolis (NAL, 16.00) July.
A darkly funny debut that is a police procedural with ghosts as a rookie
policeman in the “cemetery city” of
Estep,
Maggie. Alice Fantastic (Akashic, 15.95) May. A professional
gambler in
French,
Tana. The Likeness (Png, 15.00) June.
Goddard,
Robert. Name to a Face (RH, 12.00) June. When a man is asked by a
wealthy friend to go to
Grabenstein, Chris. Hell Hole
(13.95) June. Ceepak and his partner investigate the alleged suicide of a
soldier recently returned from
Greeley, Andrew M. Thy
Brother’s Wife (STM, 14.95) June. A reissue of a classic tale of two brothers—one a priest and
one a politician—who love the same woman.
Harrison,
Colin. The Finder (STM, 14.00) June. A
tale of avarice and financial corruption about a man who must find his former
lover, a Chinese woman on the run after two of her coworkers are murdered when
a pharmaceutical company discovers that she has been trading insider
information.
Hughes,
Declan. The Price of Blood (13.95) June.
Ed Loy is hired by a priest to find a missing racehorse trainer in a case that
ends in a double murder right before Ireland’s most anticipated sporting
events, the four-day Leopardstown Racecourse Christmas Festival.
Hutchins, J.C. and Jordan
Weisman. Personal Effects: Dark Art (STM,
24.95) June. An interactive detective story where the reader
becomes the detective as he follows the extensive notes of a therapist who is
investigating the life of a serial killer who claims to have foreseen, but not
caused, his victims’ deaths.
Jenkins,
Emyl. The Big Steal (Algonquin, 13.95) July.
Antiques expert Sterling Glass investigates the aftermath of a museum robbery
in a small private museum in
Johnson, Craig. Another
Man’s Moccasins (Png, 14.00) June. Walt Longmire
investigates when the body of a Vietnamese woman is found alongside the
Kane,
Cornelius. The Unscratchables (SS, 14.00) July.
A hard-boiled satire filled with bestial behavior and political chicanery as DI
Max McNash a bull terrier in the slaughter unit of the San Bernardo police dog
force must reluctantly join forces with special agent Cassius Lap a Siamese
from the Feline Bureau of Investigation when the fur begins to fly as two
rottweilers are torn apart, and later movie star Jack Russell Crowe becomes a
victim.
Klavan,
Andrew. Empire of Lies (HMH, 13.95) July.
When he receives a call from a woman from his past, a man who
has built a solid and stable life in the
LaPlante,
Linda. Deadly Intent (SS, 15.00) July.
DI Anna Travis goes after a drug kingpin newly returned to
Levien,
David. Where the Dead Lay (BDD, 24.95) July.
Indianapolis PI Frank Behr is asked by a high-powered PI firm to track down two
missing investigators who disappeared in the middle of a case involving the use
of derelict properties for gambling dens.
Lewis,
Robert. The Last Llanelli Train
(Serpent’s Tail, 14.95) June. A darkly funny, very noir private
eye tale set in
Loehfelm,
Bill. Fresh Kills (Brk, 15.00) July A
debut mystery about a man who, despite anger at his father for a lifetime of
abuse, becomes obsessed with finding his killer and wreaking revenge.
Lovesey,
Peter. The Headhunters (
Mack,
David. The Calling (Pkt, 15.00) July. A
man with telepathic ability receives a cry for help from a kidnapped
11-year-old girl and rushes to
MacKenzie,
Ian. City of
O’Hehir,
Diana. Dark Aura (Brk, 14.00) June.
Deputy Sheriff Carla Day turns to her father, an elderly Egyptologist when a
missing “indigo baby”—super intelligent children with a
distinctive blue aura--falls off a hillside to her death
Perry, Thomas. Fidelity
(HMH, 14.95) June. When her husband is killed a woman is left with an
empty bank account and a lot of questions in a well-plotted, suspenseful
thriller.
Rendell,
Ruth. Not in the Flesh (RH, 15.00) June. Wexford investigates
when a human hand is discovered in the woods by a truffle hound in a case that
leads to the discovery of yet another body from the past in an area where
feuding land-owners may hold the key to the puzzle.
Sansom,
Ian. The Bad Book Affair (HC, 13.95) July.
Mobile librarian Israel Armstrong finds himself forced to find a missing
teenaged daughter of a local politician from the north coast of
Slan,
Joanna Campbell. Cut, Crop & Die (MidInk, 14.95) June.
Scrapbooker Kiki Lowenstein investigates when a very nasty woman dies from an
allergy to the icing on her scone, and must fight anti-Semitic threats to the
store and her growing attraction to the dreamy detective in the second in this
crafty series.
Wellen,
Alex. Lovesick (RH, 13.95) July. A funny debut novel about a young college dropout who moves back to
his hometown and falls in love with his boss’ daughter, but things become
complicated when he stumbles upon an illicit senior citizen drug ring.
Willett, Jincy. The Writing
Class (STM, 14.00) June. A funny and elegant
literary mystery about a university extension writing workshop where
threatening calls and obscene threats to the instructor lead to a murder where
everyone in the class is suspect. Highly recommended.
Wilson,
F. Paul. The Touch (STM, 14.95) July. A
family physician discovers that he has the ability to cure any illness through
the touch of his hand, but his power comes with a great price as he soon
discovers in this gripping medical thriller.
Wright,
L. R. A Chill Rain in January (F&M, 14.95)
July. The second in the series set in western Canada finds Staff
Sergeant Karl Alberg faced with problems both personal and professional when
his lover Cassandra Mitchell disappears and a woman in a nearby village
explodes in angry violence.
New and Forthcoming in International Mysteries
Baantjer, A.
C. DeKok
and the Mask of Death (Speck, 24.00) July.
Blundy,
Anna. Breaking Faith (STM, 24.95) July.
War correspondent Faith Zanetti is sent to investigate a bombing of an airliner
over a small village in
_____. Vodka
Neat (F&M, 14.95) July. Foreign correspondent Faith Zanetti
returns to
Brownlee, Nick. Bait (STM,
24.95) July. A debut set in
Cataldo,
Giancarlo de. The Father and the Foreigner (Europa, 15.00) June. A man who
works in the ministry of Justice in Rome becomes friends with a mysterious
Middle Eastern man whose nocturnal odysseys point to sinister
dealings—international crime? terrorism? espionage?--that threaten them both.
Eriksson, Kjell. The Demon of
Faletti, Giorgio.
I Kill (MC,
16.50) June. A widowed FBI special agent visiting his friend in
Florato, Marina. The Glassblower of Murano (STM,
13.95) June. An enjoyable mixture of intrigue and European
history set in contemporary Venice, but reaching back to the
seventeenth-century, as centuries-old jealousies lead to contemporary betrayals
when an English artist is hired as an apprentice glass blower.
Florian, Filip. Little Fingers (HMH,
24.00) July. A brilliant debut novel set in
Frimansson, Inger. Island of the Naked Women (SPD,
18.00) May. A Hitchcockian tale of suspense by an award-winning Swedish crime
writer about a man who commits a murder while visiting his family’s farm.
Gabbay, Tom. The
Garcia-Roza, Luiz
Alfredo. Alone in the Crowd (HH, 23.00) July. When an
elderly lady dies after unsuccessfully waiting to speak to Inspector Espinosa,
he investigates the death and discovers a suspect with whom he has an
unsettling link from the past in the latest in this first-rate series set in
the Copacabana section of
_____. Blackout (STM, 14.00) July. DCI
Espinosa of
Genelin, Michael.
Dark
Dreams (
_____. Siren of the Waters (
Gilling, Tom. Seven Mile Beach (Grove,
14.00) June. A former reporter in Sydney agrees to claim
responsibility for speeding down the street on New Year’s Eve, taking the
fall for a millionaire’s son, but little does he know that he will be
plunged into a dangerous world of drugs, corruption, and murder from which he
cannot extricate himself even by changing his identity.
Hall, Tarquin.
The Case of the Missing
Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri,
Hallinan, Timothy.
The
Fourth Watcher (HC, 13.95) July. American ex-pat Poke Rafferty
decides to settle down in
Larsson,
Stieg. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (BDD, 14.95) June. The first in a Swedish trilogy that is a
spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga, and financial intrigue.
Manotti,
Dominique.
Nabb,
Magdalen. The
Nadel,
Barbara. Arabesk (F&M, 14.95) July.
Noort,
Saskia. Back to the Coast (BL, 14.95) June.
After she has an abortion a woman begins to receive threatening letters, and
even after she goes into hiding the threats continue, causing her to fear for
both her life and her sanity in a masterpiece of psychological suspense and
clever plotting by the Dutch thriller writer.
Padura,
Leonardo.
Pattison,
Eliot. The Lord of Death (
Quartey,
Kwei. Wife of the Gods (RH, 24.00) July.
The first in an award-winning police procedural series set in
Ruiz Zafón,
Carlos. The Angel’s Game (BDD, 26.95)
June. A writer of sensationalist novels, who lives in an old house in
Barcelona where the previous owner died mysteriously is offered a fortune by a reclusive
French editor to write a novel that will change “hearts and minds”,
and as he begins to write he finds that the history of his house is coloring
the novel he is writing in an atmospheric, gothic mystery about books.
Stanley,
Michael. The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu
(HC, 24.95) June.
Steiner, Peter. L’Assassin (STM,
13.95) July. A former American intelligence agent living in
Suter,
Martin. A Deal with the Devil (IPG, 14.95) May. A divorced woman who
suffers from synaesthesia moves to an Alpine village to find peace, but a
series of unusual happenings—happenings that parallel local folklore
tales of the supernatural—force her to confront a deepening mystery in a
German mystery shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger Award.
Swarup,
Vikas. Six Suspects (STM, 24.99) July.
When a
Vargas, Fred. The Chalk Circle Man
(Png, 15.00) July. The first novel in the series (but not the first to
be translated) introducing Comissaire Adamsberg who becomes uneasy when blue
chalk circles begin to appear in neighborhoods around Paris, filled with
bizarre objects—trombones, a pigeon’s foot, a doll’s
head—and when a woman’s body is found in a chalk circle, he knows
that he must find a cruel killer who has only just begun.
Wilson,
Robert. The Ignorance of Blood (HMH, 27.00)
June. The final in the four police procedurals set in
April/May
2009
Albert,
Susan Wittig. Wormwood (Brk, 24.95) Apr. Looking for a chance to
rest and relax, China goes to a Kentucky Shaker village to give a series of
herbal workshops, but the tension that she senses beneath the serene exterior
erupts in murder, a murder with ties to past sins.
Baldacci,
David. First Family (GC, 27.99) Apr. After a daring kidnapping at
a children’s birthday party at Camp David, the First Lady turns to Sean
King and Michelle Maxwell to help release the hostage in another unstoppable
thriller.
Barcomb,
Wayne. The Hunted (STM, 24.95) Apr. A fast-paced police
procedural about a child whose testimony puts her mother’s killer behind
bars, and who years later becomes the target of the newly-released killer
vowing revenge.
Barr,
Nevada. Borderline (Putnam, 25.95) Apr. Anna Pigeon and her new
husband go to Texas’ Big Bend National Park for a much-needed
vacation, but the discovery of the body of a pregnant woman finds them
investigating murder and intrigue that leads from the desert of Chihuahua to
the Texas Governor’s Mansion.
Barnard, Robert. The Killings at Jubilee
Terrace (SS, 24.00) May. DI Charlie Peace is called in when one of the
actors on a long-running daytime television show has died under suspicious
circumstances and finds that ferreting out a killer among trained actors in an
environment where fact and fiction blur is no easy task. Vintage Barnard.
Blunt, Giles. No Such Creature (Holt,
25.00) May. A pair of gentleman thieves, a Shakespearean actor and his young
ward, who travel the country during the summers pulling off elaborate heists
find that they have attracted the attention of a gang of thieves who prey on
other thieves in a suspenseful, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable caper novel.
Briant,
Shane. Worst Nightmares (Vngd, 22.95) May. An award-winning
writer who is suffering from writer’s block receives an anonymous
manuscript about a man who snares his victims via his website, inducing them to
reveal their worst nightmares and then killing them in the manner of their
nightmares, and when he investigates further, he discovers that the novel may
not be entirely fiction.
Bruen,
Ken. Sanctuary (STM, 24.95) May. Irish PI Jack Taylor receives a
letter containing a list of victims, including the name of a child forcing him
on a hunt for a killer who is much closer than he realizes in the latest in
this darkly funny noir series.
Caldwell,
Joseph. The Pig Comes to Dinner (HC, 22.99) May. The second
whimsical Irish tale is a ghost story, as newly-married Kitty McCloud and
Kieran Sweeney stave off specters at Castle Kissane, but when the lord of the
castle returns after his family’s two-century absence to reclaim the
castle, it is the pig whose ramblings and rootings help to save the day. Sophie
finds the eponymous pig an especially well-rounded character.
Cannell,
Dorothy. She Shoots to Conquer (STM, 24.95) Apr. Ellie Haskell
finds herself stranded at a delightfully Gothic estate on the Yorkshire moors
where Mrs. Malloy has joined a TV reality show in which the prize is matrimony
with the impecunious lord of the manor, but when a potential bride is shot
during an archery contest, things become less delightful and more lethal.
Child,
Lee. Gone Tomorrow (BDD, 27.00) May. Jack Reacher sees a woman on
the New York subway who looks like a suicide bomber,
and the deadly confrontation puts him on the trail that leads back to the
Soviet war in Afghanistan and the war on terrorism today.
Clark,
Carol Higgins. Cursed (SS, 25.00) Apr. Regan Reilly returns to
Los Angeles where Regan had worked as a PI to help out a former neighbor who is
sure her former boyfriend is out to get her, but when she begins to investigate
she makes some startling discoveries about her neighbor as well as the creepy
ex-boyfriend.
Clark,
Mary Higgins. Just Take my Heart (SS, 25.95) Apr. With two of her
childhood friends near death—one from an accident and the other needing a
heart transplant—a Boston college professor discovers that the accident
was no accident in a suspenseful thriller.
Cleland,
Jane K. Killer Keepsakes (STM, 24.95) Apr. When her assistant
fails to show up for work, and a dead body is found in her house, antiques
dealer Josie Prescott realizes that she knows very little about her, but
nonetheless she vows to find the killer and bring her assistant home safely.
Connelly,
Michael. The Scarecrow (LB, 27.99) May. Newspaperman Jack McEvoy,
who appeared in The Poet, returns and while he is working on a story
about a sixteen-year-old drug dealer in jail for a brutal murder, he comes to
believe that the confession was bogus and that another killer is operating
under the police radar—with perfect knowledge of any move against him.
Davidson,
Diane Mott. Fatally Flaky ( HC, 25.95) Apr. Colorado caterer
Goldy Sculz has a run-in with Bridezilla that leads to murder in the latest in
this delicious series.
Dugoni, Robert. Wrongful Death (SS,
25.00) Apr. Attorney David Sloane is hired by a woman whose husband was killed
in Iraq due to faulty body armor, a case that may be impossible to bring due to
a fifty-year-old law called the Feres doctrine, but while he is looking for a
loophole to the law, he uncovers evidence of a dangerous enemy who will commit
murder to keep the case out of the courts. This is a fast-paced legal thriller
that combines interesting legal theory with white-knuckle suspense. Highly
recommended.
Duncan,
Elizabeth J. The Cold Light of Mourning (STM, 24.95) May. When an
unpopular bride goes missing on her wedding day in a picturesque Welsh market
town, the last person to have seen her is manicurist Penny Brannigan who
investigates when she discovers that the woman who came in to her salon was an
imposter in a prize-winning cozy debut.
Egan,
K.J. Where it Lies (STM, 24.95) May. A debut mystery set in a
golf club where the assistant pro decides to investigate after she finds the
body of a groundskeeper hanging in the cart barn.
Eglin,
Anthony. The Trail of the Wild Rose (STM, 24.95) Apr. In the
latest in this English gardening series, Kingston finds himself at the center
of a murder case when the search for an ancient Chinese rose turns deadly. For fans of John Sherwood.
Eisler, Barry. Fault Line (Ball,
25.00) Apr. A stand-alone thriller set in the San Francisco area featuring two
estranged brothers—one a high-powered Silicon Valley attorney and the
other a US government special-ops agent—who join together when the
attorney’s client is murdered and he is attacked by someone who’ll
go to any lengths to stop a new encryption application. I loved this for the
character development and the suspenseful plotting. It is a tribute to
Eisler’s skill as a novelist that even a techno-idiot like me could
understand the high-tech elements.
Emery,
Anne. Cecilian Vespers (IPG, 24.95) May. Lawyer and bluesman
Monty Collins investigates the murder of a controversial German theologian at a
choir school in Nova Scotia dedicated to preserving the traditional music of
the Roman Catholic Church in a case that sends him to the Vatican searching for
answers in the latest by the Arthur Ellis Award-winning author.
Fielding,
Joy. Still Life (SS, 25.00) Apr. A very creepy novel of suspense
about a successful woman who is comatose after a car accident, but who can hear
everything, even though she cannot speak, and realizes that nothing in her life
is what she thought—including the accident that may have been no accident
at all…. Fielding is a favorite because she accomplishes the difficult
task of writing very edgy cozies.
Fletcher,
Jessica and Donald Bain. Murder She Wrote: Madison Avenue Shoot (NAL,
21.95) Apr. At the behest of her nephew, Jessica goes to New York to appear in
a commercial, but when one of the creative directors is killed, Jessica must
turn to sleuthing to find the killer.
Freeman,
Brian. In the Dark (STM, 24.95) Apr. The reopening of a brutal
unsolved murder from his past, has Minnesota police
officer Jonathan Stride questioning his entire past even as he works to solve
the murder of a young girl and to investigate the suicide of a witness to the
past crime.
Freveletti,
Jamie. Running from the Devil (HC, 24.95) May. A debut thriller
that begins with a plane crashing in the jungles of Colombia and leads to a
high octane pursuit as an elite military contractor, guerillas, an undercover
spy, and a beautiful villain pursue one another and a volatile biological
weapon set to be auctioned to the highest bidder.
George,
Elizabeth, ed. Two of the Deadliest (HC,
25.95) Apr. A collection of new short stories written by outstanding women of mystery,
concentrated on the two deadly sins of lust and greed.
Gilman,
Keith. Father’s Day (STM, 24.95) May. A PI follows a
runaway teenager to Philadelphia where he finds himself in the middle of a
Chinese drug operation in this prizewinning debut.
Goldenbaum,
Sally. Patterns in the Sand (NAL, 23.95) May. When a gallery
owner is killed in a seaside village in Massachusetts and leaves his entire
estate to a newly-arrived fiber artist, the Seaside knitters discover that both
the owner and the artist have been keeping some very dark secrets indeed. `
Green,
Tim. Above the Law (GC, 24.99) Mar. Casey Jordan has left her
high-powered law firm and has opened a legal aid clinic, and when she accepts
the case of an illegal Mexican immigrant shot by a Texas senator who claims it
was a hunting accident despite damning evidence from the wife of the immigrant,
she discovers that some powerful people believe that they can get away with
murder.
Greenwood,
Kerry. Devil’s Food (PP, 24.95) May. Australian baker
Corinna Chapman returns to sleuth once more when her hippie mother arrives on
her doorstep announcing that her father has disappeared during a midlife
crisis, but things are complicated when two of her employees are poisoned by a
toxic tea in two cases that are tied together by a sinister cult.
Grippando,
James. Intent to Kill (HC, 25.95) May. A stand-alone thriller
about a grief-stricken husband who suddenly discovers that the hit-and-run that
killed his wife was no accident.
Gunn,
Elizabeth. New River Blues (SH, 28.95) Apr. TPD officer Sarah
Burke is called to a horrific double murder in a wealthy Tucson neighborhood
that reveals the tragic destiny of a troubled family while at the same time,
she must deal with her own dysfunctional family in the second in this excellent
Tucson-based series.
Haddam,
Jane. Living Witness (STM, 25.95) Apr. Former FBI agent Gregor
Demarkian is asked by the police chief of a small Pennsylvania town to
investigate when an elderly school-board member is seriously wounded in an
attack after joining in a lawsuit against the teaching of “intelligent
design.”
Hall,
Parnell. Dead Man’s Puzzle (STM, 24.95) Apr. Puzzle Lady
Cora Felton is in over her head when the local police chief asks for her help to
solve a crossword puzzle found on a dead man, but she starts snooping around
anyway and discovers a portfolio of reasons to kill the old man.
Harris,
Charlaine. Dead and Gone (Brk, 25.95) May. Sookie Stackhouse
investigates when the corpse of a were-panther is found near the bar where she
works in Bon Temps, Louisiana, and discovers that an inhuman conspiracy is at
work.
Harris,
Paul. The Secret Keeper (Png, 24.95) Apr. A journalist who was a
war correspondent in Sierra Leone receives a letter from a beautiful American
woman he knew there years ago only to discover that she has been murdered in
Freetown, and when he returns to find out what happened, he uncovers secrets
that could destroy those now in power.
Hart,
Carolyn. Dare to Die (HC, 23.95) Apr. When Annie and Max Darling
invite a beautiful young woman who has newly returned to Broward’s Rock
to a party, they never expect her to arrive accompanied by Death, in a case
that has them under attack from one of their friends.
Hart, John. The Last Child (STM, 24.95) May. In another suspenseful
thriller with an emotional force and depth of characterization that one expects
from literary fiction, two people in a North Carolina town—a
thirteen-year-old boy and a police detective—search for a missing teenaged girl in a
quest that reveals the dark secrets of their hometown.
Hayes,
J. M. Server Down (PP, 24.95) May. While Sheriff English is in
Benteen County, Kansas investigating the bombing of Mad Dog’s house, Mad
Dog is in Tucson attending the Yaqui Easter ceremonies in Tucson, and framed
for the murder of a policeman.
Henry,
Sue. The End of the Road (NAL, 23.95) Apr. Maxie and Stretch are
back in Alaska, but the quiet of their hometown is shattered by a murder, and
the two—elderly woman and mini-dachshund—vow to find the killer.
Herron,
Mick. Smoke & Whispers (Soho, 25.00) Apr. Publisher Sarah
Tucker heads to Newcastle when a PI friend is found dead in the Tyne, an
apparent suicide, but she is doubtful because her friend had been investigating
a killer whose modus operandi was to murder in ways that suggested suicide or
accident. Intricate plotting with lots of surprises is Herron’s forte.
Hoffman,
Jilliane. Plea of Insanity (Vngd, 25.95) Apr. A Miami prosecutor
is assigned to the case of a successful surgeon charged with killing his wife
and young children who is pleading Guilty by Reason of Insanity, claiming that
paranoid delusions caused by schizophrenia drove him to murder his family, but
she finds that the case has personal ramifications as it brings up her own past
Housewright,
David. Jelly’s Gold (STM, 24.95) May. When two graduate
students ask unofficial St Paul PI Rushmore McKenzie to help them find $8
million in gold missing since the 1930’s, he doesn’t realize that
some of the other treasure hunters are murderously determined to get the gold
first.
Jackson,
Lisa. Malice (Ken, 25.00) Apr. When he recovers consciousness
after a serious accident, a New Orleans detective sees his first wife standing
in the doorway of his hospital room—but she died in a car wreck twelve
years ago—so soon he is following a trail that leads him to Los Angeles
and a series of murders committed by someone who wants him to suffer for what
happened.
Johansen,
Iris. Deadlock (STM, 26.95) Apr. A woman whose job is to protect
archaeological treasures in war zones is kidnapped along with her team, but
when the mercenary who’s called in by the CIA to rescue her finds her, he
discovers that she is bent on revenge against her captors.
Johnson,
Denis. Nobody Move (FSG, 22.00) May. A provocative thriller set
in the American West, the story of an assortment of low-lifes and their
cat-and-mouse game over $2.3 million. Darkly, outrageously
funny homage to Hammett and Chandler.
Jonge, Peter de. Shadows
Still Remain (HC, 25.95) May. An NYC Detective becomes obsessed with
the case of a missing NYU student whose body is later found encased in plastic,
and even after the case is assigned to a legendary Homicide detective, she
continues to investigate secretly in a world of cold-blooded depravity.
Karp,
Marshall. Flipping Out (STM, 24.95) Apr. When the wife of a
fellow cop is murdered, LAPD detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs investigate
a house-flipping group whose success is tied to the participation of a
best-selling mystery novelist whose series features a murder in the renovated
houses. This is a funny series with very clever plotting.
Kellerman,
Jonathan. True Detectives (Ball, 27.00) Apr. Two brothers, one a
PI and one an LAPD detective, take center stage when the disappearance of a
young girl with ties to the movie industry finds them pursuing the same leads.
Koslow,
Sally. The Late, Lamented Molly Marx (Ball, 23.00) May. Narrating
the novel from an afterworld limbo, Molly follows the investigation into her
death as the police check out a plethora of suspects, from her philandering
husband, her controlling mother-in-law, her lover, to the many wifely hopefuls
wanting to fill her place in a poignantly funny debut.
Land,
Jon. Strong Enough to Die (STM, 24.95) May.
A fifth-generation Texas Ranger questions her calling after a deadly shoot-out,
but she discovers a terrifying plot against the U.S., and her only hope for
survival is to team up with an outlaw who holds the key to the truth.
Leonard,
Elmore. Road Dogs (HC, 26.95) May. Jack Foley from Out of Sight
returns in a new caper novel by the master of the fast-paced comic mystery.
Leonard,
Peter. Trust Me (STM, 24.95) Apr. A caper novel set in Detroit
and Chicago about a woman who mistakenly entrusts $300,000 to her bookmaker boyfriend
only to find herself–and the money—the target of thieves, hit men,
and her now-ex-boyfriend.
Leroy,
Margaret. Yes, My Darling Daughter (FSG, 25.00) Apr. An
old-fashioned, atmospheric gothic tale of betrayal and death that begins when a
child begins behaving oddly and aggressively and her mother, at her wit’s
end but believing that her child is exhibiting past-life experiences, takes her
to a university professor who specializes in the paranormal only to discover a disturbing murder mystery.
Levine,
Laura. Killer Cruise (Ken, 22.00) May. Freelance writer Jaine
Austen is conducting a writing workshop on a cruise from LA to Mexico when she
finds that her cat Prozac has stowed away in the luggage, leading to her being
blackmailed into editing the 900-page thriller written by the room steward to
keep her secret, but little does she know that she’ll have a non-literary
use for the weighty tome when a gold-digging “gentleman escort” is
found murdered and she discovers the killer.
Lindsay,
Frederick. My Life as a Man (STM, 24.95) Apr.
One of the best of the Scottish mystery writers is finally available in an
American edition with this dark thriller about a young man who impulsively
steals his former boss’ car with his boss’ older wife inside, setting off an unlikely
romance and a chilling chase that becomes increasingly sinister.
Listfield,
Emily. Best Intentions (SS, 26.00) May. A Manhattan woman begins
to have doubts about her husband’s fidelity, suspecting that he may be
having an affair with a close friend from college, and when the friend is found
murdered, she begins to wonder if he isn’t a murderer as well.
Loomis, Jon. Mating Season (STM,
24.95) May. The second in the series set in Provincetown featuring Detective
Frank Coffin is a delight—laugh-out-loud comedy is mixed with suspenseful
plotting when Coffin investigates the murder of a beautiful heiress who slept
with most of the local men, married or not. Highly recommended.
Lowe,
Tom. A False Dawn (STM, 24.95) Apr. A burnt-out
Miami cop who has retired to a small town in central Florida stumbles across a
young woman who has been beaten and raped, plunging him into the nightmare
world of human trafficking and sexual slavery in a powerful debut.
Lowry,
Elizabeth. The Bellini Madonna (FSG, 25.00) May. A debut literary
thriller about a an over-the-hill art historian who believes that a lost
masterpiece by Bellini is hidden in a crumbling English manor house, and while
attempting to gull the eccentric women who live there out of the painting, he
comes across a Victorian diary that may provide the key to the whereabouts of
the painting.
Marshall,
Michael. Bad Things (HC, 24.95) May. A man whose young son
disappeared four years ago is contacted by a man who claims to know the truth,
but when he decides to return he unleashes a terrifying sequence of events in a
psychological thriller.
Martinez,
A. Lee. Monster (GC, 19.99) May. A funny tale
of a pest control expert whose job is removing mythological creatures from
suburbia and who finds himself in over his head when a supermarket clerk calls
him to remove a Yeti from the frozen food aisle where it’s eating all the
rocky road ice cream. (If you ever wondered, Yetis loathe vanilla).
Masters,
Priscilla. Buried in Clay (A&B, 29.95) Mar. When an antiques dealer
bids for an eighteenth-century clay jug at auction, she becomes involved in a
mystery that has its roots in the past and the dark history of an ancestral
manor house.
Meier,
Leslie. Mother’s Day Murder (Ken, 22.00) Apr. Two feuding
mothers team up to host an after-prom party for their teenaged daughters, but
afterwards one is found dead, leading Lucy Stone to investigate a killer who
has a lot to learn about motherly love.
Moerk,
Christian. Darling Jim (Holt, 25.00) Apr. A modern Irish gothic
novel where a murdered woman’s diary provides the clues to her death and
the beguiling stranger that she and her sisters fall in love with.
Mostert,
Natasha. Keeper of Light and Dark (Png, 25.95) Apr. A supernatural thriller blending science, magic, and martial arts,
featuring a martial artist in South London who must protect herself and her
lover from a martial artist who is a vampire, a brilliant scientist who uses
the secrets in an ancient Chinese medical text to drain others of their chi.
Neme,
Laurel. Animal Investigators (SS, 25.00) Apr. The true-life story
of the first forensics lab dedicated to solving animal cases in a combination
of science, mystery, and wildlife conservation. Fascinating reading.
Patterson,
James and Maxine Paetro. The 8th Confession (LB,
27.99) Apr. The murder of a popular minister who preached a message of hope to
the homeless and the mysterious death of a wealthy couple are the two cases
that bring the Women’s Murder Club together to unravel the dark secrets
that lie behind the killings.
Pennie,
Ross. Tainted (IPG, 24.95) Apr. A debut
featuring an Ontario public health officer and former chef who must race to
find the truth behind three mysterious deaths from mad cow disease without
provoking a panic. Canadian Pennie is an infectious disease specialist.
Preston, Douglas and Lincoln
Child. Cemetery Dance (GC, 26.99) May.
Agent Pendergast undertakes a private quest for the truth when a New York Times
reporter and an archaeologist are brutally attacked and witnesses say that the
assailant was a neighbor who had died two weeks before, in a case that leads
him to a Manhattan enclave and a cult of Zombi.
Pronzini,
Bill. Schemers (STM, 24.95) Apr. Nameless Detective takes on the
puzzling case of the theft of rare books from a multimillionaire collector who
left them in a locked room.
Riggs,
Cynthia. Death and Honesty (STM, 24.95) May. An entertaining
mystery set on Martha’s Vineyard featuring ninety-two-year-old
poet/sleuth Victoria Turnbull who discovers three bodies in a case that’s
tied to the town assessor’s office, where the three assessors have been
skimming off tax money to fund their retirement.
Rosett,
Sara. Magnolias, Moonlight, and Murder (Ken, 22.00) Apr.
Stationed in Georgia with her military husband, Ellie Avery investigates the
year-old murder of a journalist whose notebooks contain nasty secrets about
everyone in town.
Ross,
Ann B. Miss Julia Delivers the Goods (Vik, 24.95) Apr. Miss Julia
hires J.D. Pickens PI not only because she knows that he’s the only one
who can solve the crime when a heist takes place in Abbottsville, but also
because he is the father of the twins that Hazel Marie is expecting. If you
like your mystery very cozy and as southern as sweet tea, you’ll love
this series.
Sandford,
John. Wicked Prey (Putnam, 26.95) May. Lucas Davenport is beset
with problems with the Republican party arriving in
St. Paul for their convention, but the most serious is personal—a psycho
with a grudge is planning to get his revenge against Davenport by attacking his
fourteen-year-old daughter.
Scottoline,
Lisa. Look Again (STM, 26.95) Apr. A stand-alone thriller about a
journalist who sees a missing child flyer with a photographic that looks
suspiciously like her adopted son, and when she investigates she risks losing
both her son and her life.
Siegel,
Sheldon. Perfect Alibi (McAdam, 26.00) May. Attorney Mike Daley
and Rosie, his ex-wife law partner are appalled to learn that their teenaged
daughter’s boyfriend has been arrested for killing his father, and that
she is his alibi, in a case that leads them to a sex scandal among San
Francisco’s most powerful families.
Simon,
Clea. Probable Claws (PP, 24.95) Apr. When cats at a shelter
begin getting sick and the shelter owner claims the kibble was poisoned, journalist
Theda Krakow investigates and discovers that shelter politics is a cat-fight
with different groups scratching and clawing for power, and when a murderer
pounces, she knows that she must work fast to save herself and her cat Musetta.
Tafoya,
Dennis. Dope Thief (STM, 24.95) May. A hard-boiled debut about
two friends who specialize in scamming small-time drug dealers, posing as DEA
agents to confiscate their money and drugs, a perfect sting that works
beautifully until they choose the wrong target—someone who will kill to
get back his hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Talton,
Jon. The Pain Nurse (PP, 24.95) Apr. A former homicide detective
and a nurse at a large Cincinnati hospital join forces when a doctor is
murdered in a case that has all the marks of a serial killer case that had
supposedly been solved years before.
Tope,
Rebecca. Slaughter in the Cotswolds (A&B, 29.95) May. Thea is
housesitting in Lower Slaughter following her father’s death, but when
her sister shows up after witnessing a horrific murder, it appears that the
village is living up to its name.
Trow,
M.J. Maxwell’s Revenge (A&B, 29.95) May. Schoolmaster
Peter Maxwell is thrust into an investigation when a party for the new head
teacher sends the faculty to the hospital, and he and his policewoman fiancée
must unravel the mystery.
Ure, Louise. Liars Anonymous (STM.
25.95) Apr. Publisher’s Weekly gave this Tucson-based thriller a starred
review for its suspenseful plotting and brilliant characterization of roadside
assistance operator Jessie Dancing, a woman with dark secrets and a violent
past, who thinks she hears a man being killed while he’s on the phone
with her, but when she visits his wife, she claims that he’s alive and
well. Highly recommended.
Viets,
Elaine. Killer Cuts (NAL, 22.95) May. Helen’s latest
dead-end job is at an elegant hair salon and when a celebrity client is
murdered, her boss is the prime suspect, so she must find the murderer to keep
her job.
Waiwaiole,
Lono. Dark Paradise (Dennis McMillan, 35.00) Apr. Set on Hawaii’s
Big Island this fast-moving stand-alone thriller focuses on the battles between
those who want to control the island’s lucrative drug trade from locals
to Japanese suppliers to ambitious Mexican dealers, while criminal investigator
Geronimo Souza struggles to keep the carnage to a mini
Wall,
Kathryn R. Covenant Hall (STM, 24.95) May. When South Carolina PI
Bay Tanner agrees to help a desperate woman who is looking for her estranged
family when her daughter needs a bone-marrow transplant, little does she
realize that an old murder and a woman from her own past may hold the key to
the mystery.
Wells,
Shirley. Where Petals Fall (Soho, 25.00) May.
When a woman’s body is found in a quarry, the murder points to a series
of murders that occurred five years ago, but Forensic psychologist Jill Kennedy
and DCI Trentham know that the killer is dead…or is he?
Wiehl, Liz and April Henry. Face
of Betrayal (Thomas Nelson, 24.99) Apr. Wiehl, a Fox News commentator
has teamed up with Henry on a political thriller with a twisty plot about three
friends, an FBI agent, a crime reporter, and a federal prosecutor, who team up
to find out what happened to a teenaged Senate page who has disappeared from
her home.
Woods,
Stuart. Loitering with Intent (Putnam, 25.95) Apr. Stone
Barrington is hired to locate the missing son of a wealthy man, who has
disappeared in the Florida keys, but the job is not as
easy as it first appears when it becomes evident that the young man may not
want to be found.
New and Forthcoming in Paperback
Reprint
Abrahams,
Peter. Delusion (HC, 7.99) Apr.
Albert,
Susan Wittig. Nightshade (Brk, 7.99) Apr.
Barr,
Nevada. Winter Study (Brk, 9.99) Apr.
Booth,
Stephen. Scared to Live (BDD, 7.50) May.
Box,
C.J. Blood Trail (Brk, 7.99) May.
Braver, Gary. Skin Deep (STM, 7.99) Apr.
Child,
Lee. Nothing to Lose (BDD, 7.99) Apr.
Clark,
Mary Higgins. Where Are You Now (Pkt, 7.99) Apr.
Crais,
Robert. Chasing Darkness (Pkt, 9.99) Apr.
Daheim,
Mary. Alpine Traitor (BDD, 6.99) Apr.
Deaver,
Jeffery. The Broken Window (Pkt, 9.99) May.
Deutermann,
P.T. The Moonpool (STM, 7.99) May.
Galenorn,
Yasmine. Legend of the Jade Dragon (Brk, 7.99) May. Reissue of
the second Chintz ‘n China mystery.
George,
Elizabeth. Careless in Red (HC, 7.99) May.
Gerritsen,
Tess. The Sinner (BDD, 7.99) May. Reissue.
Greenlaw,
Linda. Fisherman’s Bend (HC, 7.99) May.
Haddam,
Jane. Cheating at Solitaire (STM, 7.99) Apr.
Harris,
Charlaine. From Dead to Worse (Brk, 7.99) Apr.
_____. Last Scene Alive (Brk, 7.99)
May. Reissue.
Hart,
Carolyn. Death Walked In (HC, 7.99) Apr.
Henry,
Sue. Degrees of Separation (NAL, 6.99) Apr.
Hess,
Joan. Busy Bodies (STM, 6.99) May. Reissue.
Howard,
Linda. Death Angel (BDD, 7.99) May.
Isaacs,
Susan. Past Perfect (Pkt, 7.99) May.
Johansen, Iris. Dark Summer (STM,
7.99) May.
Logan, Chuck. South of
Shiloh (HC, 7.99) Apr.
Lowell, Elizabeth. Blue
Smoke and Murder (HC, 7.99) Apr.
Margolin, Phillip. Executive Privilege
(HC, 9.99) May.
Martini, Steve. Shadow of Power (HC,
7.99) Apr.
Page,
Katherine Hall. The Body in the Gallery (HC, 7.99) May.
Parker,
Barbara. The Dark of Day (Vngd, 7.99) May.
Parsons,
Terri. Blind Rage (Brk, 7.99) Apr.
Patterson,
James with Howard Roughan. Sail (GC, 9.99) May.
Robards,
Karen. Guilty (NAL, 7.99) Apr.
Robbins,
David L. The Betrayal Game (BDD, 7.50) Apr.
Sandford,
John. Phantom Prey (Brk, 9.99) May.
Sims,
Elizabeth. The Actress (STM, 6.99) Apr.
Spencer-Fleming,
Julia. I Shall Not Want (STM, 7.99) May.
Terrell,
Heather. The Map Thief (BDD, 7.99) May.
Thomas,
Steven M. Criminal Paradise (BDD, 7.99) Apr.
Unger,
Lisa. Black Out (BDD, 7.99) May.
Viets,
Elaine. Clubbed to Death (NAL, 6.99) May.
White,
Randy Wayne, writing as Randy Striker. Grand Cayman
Slam (NAL, 6.99) Apr. Reissue.
Woods,
Stuart. Hot Mahogany (NAL, 9.99) May.
New and Forthcoming in Paperback
Original
Baxter,
Cynthia. Too Rich and too Dead (BDD, 6.99) Apr. Travel writer and
inadvertent amateur sleuth Mallory Marlowe must find a killer on the slopes of
Aspen in the second in this cozy series.
Benedict,
Lyn. Sins & Shadows (Brk, 7.99) May. First in a new
fantasy/mystery series featuring a PI specializing in cases in a world where
magic is real and she is forced by the God of Justice to find his missing lover
despite her desire to close up shop after an employee is murdered.
Cohen,
Jeffrey. A Night at the Operation (Brk, 7.99) Apr. Theater-owner
Elliott Freed turns his focus on murder when his ex-wife disappears, accused of
murdering her patient in the third in this funny cozy series.
Cutler,
Judith. Still Waters (A&B, 15.95) May. DCS Fran Horman is
facing personal problems when she is handed the case of a man who falls from a
fifth floor of a hotel in Hythe. It’s unlikely he jumped because if he
wanted to commit suicide, he had a perfectly good balcony at home.
Harlin,
Christina. My Boss is a Serial Killer (Sourcebks, 6.99) Apr. A
funny, romantic mystery debut featuring a legal secretary in Kansas City who
adores her boss, only to begin to suspect him when a handsome police detective
investigating the suspicious death of one of his female clients uncovers
evidence that a number of his female clients have died under mysterious
circumstances.
Johnston,
Linda O. Never Say Sty (Brk, 7.99) Apr. L.A. attorney and
pet-sitter Kendra takes on a job masterminding a new reality show for animals,
which turns messier that a herd of potbellied pigs when the producer is
suspected of murder. Naturally she goes hog-wild rooting out clues.
Kelner,
Toni L.P. Curse of the Kissing Cousins (Brk, 6.99) May. Agatha
Award-winning author Kelner with a new series featuring a Boston freelance
reporter who specializes in articles about former stage and screen stars and
what they’re doing now, but when someone starts murdering the cast from a
television show, she turns her investigative skills to sleuthing.
Kendall,
Karen. Take Me Two Times (NAL, 6.99) Apr. The second in the
romantic-suspense series featuring art recovery agent Gwen Davies who goes to
Venice to recover a solid-gold Carnival mask that has been stolen.
Lavene, Joyce and Jim. A
Corpse for Yew (Brk, 7.99) May. Garden shop owner Peggy Lee joins her
mother on an expedition with the local historical society and discovers a
fellow volunteer dead.
Maffini,
Mary Jane. Death Loves a Messy Desk (Brk, 6.99) May. Professional
organizer Charlotte Adams is hired to organize a coworker’s cluttered
desk and must dig through the mess to find the missing owner.
Marsella,
Celeste. Perfectly Criminal (BDD, 6.99) Apr. The second in this
fine series featuring a Rhode Island assistant attorney general and her two
friends find the three jeopardizing their careers to help one of their own in
series that successfully melds Janet Evanovich’s east-coast urban milieu
with smart, competent female characters.
Mulgray
Twins. Under Suspicion (A&B, 15.95)
Mar. Customs and Revenue Officer DJ Smith goes undercover to trap a businessman
in charge of a massive money-laundering scheme and her greatest asset is her
moth-eaten Persian cat Gorgonzola in another comic mystery.
Price,
Suzanne. Notoriously Neat (NAL, 6.99) Apr. When professional
cleaner Sky Taylor’s date is interrupted by a stampede of pets let loose
from the local veterinarian’s clinic, she must sweep for clues after
discovering the veterinarian has been murdered.
Sandom,
J.G. The God Machine (BDD, 7.50) May. A tale of secret societies,
ancient cover-ups, and non-stop action about a man who discovers Benjamin
Franklin’s coded diaries setting him on a quest for the legendary Gospel
of Judas.
Solomon,
Annie. One Deadly Sin (GC, 6.99) May. A young woman returns to
her hometown to avenge her father’s death, so when the townspeople who
receive a miniature black angel begin to die, the county sheriff assumes that
she is responsible—or is someone else setting her up?
Stewart,
Mariah. Death Angel (BDD, 6.99) May. The second in the trilogy
featuring a crime-scene investigator and a forensic psychologist hunting a
vanished coed.
Swanson,
Denise. Murder of a Royal Pain (NAL, 6.99) Apr. When Scumble
River school psychologist Skye Denison stumbles over the body of a pushy
“promfest” mother at the Halloween fundraiser, she is horrified to
discover that they are wearing the same witch costume. So which witch is the
intended victim?
Sweeney,
Leann. The Cat, the Quilt, and the Corpse (NAL, 6.99) May. The
first in a new series for cat-lovers, featuring a woman whose search for her
missing Abyssinian cat leads to the discovery of a dead body and a dangerous
catnapping ring.
New and Forthcoming in Quality
Paperback
Argula,
Anne. Krapp’s Last Cassette (RH, 14.00) Apr. Seattle
detective Quinn is summoned to Hollywood by a screenwriter with an unusual
request: to help prove the existence of a teenaged abuse victim whose memoir is
being turned into a television program and whose existence has been called into
question by a reporter.
Bruen,
Ken. Cross (SSTM, 13.95) Apr. Jack Taylor reluctantly agrees to
investigate when a boy has been crucified in Galway City, but when the
boy’s sister is burned to death, he decides that justice demands he track
down the killer.
Buffett,
Jimmy. Swine Not? (LB, 14.99) May. The funny story that asks the
question “Can a pot-bellied pig find happiness living in a fancy
four-star hotel in NYC?” Fun for adults and appropriate for middle-grade
readers.
Canadeo,
Anne. While My Pretty One Knits (Pkt, 14.00) May. The first in a
charming new cozy series featuring a group of knitters who join together when
their teacher becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a rival knitting shop
owner, and the important clue is found in the stomach of one of the victim’s
dogs.
Craig,
Daniel Edward. Murder at Graverly Manor (Mid Ink, 15.95) Apr.
Hotelier Trevor Lambert returns to his family in Vancouver, Canada, and buys an
inn that he plans to turn into a B&B, but the inn is haunted by the ghost
of its former owner, and Trevor must deal with strange sounds, awful smells,
and a demonic cat in the third in this funny series.
Fairstein,
Linda. The Prosecution Rests (LB, 15.99) Apr. A collection of
short stories written by some of the best legal thriller writers today all
dealing with legal showdowns and courtroom dramas.
Fowler, Karen Joy. Wit’s End
(Png, 15.00) May. After the deaths of her father and brother, a young woman
comes to the house of her godmother, a famous mystery novelist, a house filled
with eccentric characters and dollhouses that are crime scene replicas. A
delightful book that subverts the whodunit.
Goldenbaum,
Sally. Death by Cashmere (NAL, 14.00) Apr.
The first in a new series set in a seaside village in Massassachusetts, where a
group of knitters at a yarn shop investigate when the girl who rents the
apartment above the shop is found dead in the harbor and sinister incidents
occur in the apartment. A cozy yarn.
Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia. Orchestrated
Death (F&M, 14.95) May. The first in the police procedural series
finds London police inspector Bill Slider investigating the death of a
mysterious violinist. This was originally announced for last winter.
Harwood,
Seth. Jack Wakes Up (RH, 13.95) May. First in a new series
featuring a former actor whose career was derailed by an arrest for domestic
violence, who turns investigator when a friend who had set up a drug buy for
some Czech visitors is found dead in his Jacuzzi.
Hill,
Reginald. An April Shroud (F&M, 14.95) May. With Peter Pascoe
on his honeymoon, Dalziel is on his own investigating a murder at a crumbing
country manor in the fourth in this excellent series.
Hogg,
Nicholas. Show Me the Sky (Canongate, 15.00) Apr. A rogue London
policeman refuses to give up on his search for a missing self-destructive rock
star, and journeys to Australia and Kenya based on the only clue he has—a
nineteenth-century missionary’s journal that the rock star was reading
when he disappeared.
Killian,
Diana. Docketful of Poesy (Pers, 14.95) Apr. A series of mishaps
during the filming of her memoir in England’s Lake District turn literary
scholar Grace Hollister into a sleuth, especially after the screenwriter is
killed in a hit-and-run accident.
Krueger,
William Kent. Red Knife (SS, 15.00) May. Minnesota PI Cork
Corcoran is caught in the middle of a tense showdown between local gang members
and a gang from the Ojibwe Reservation in the latest in this atmospheric series
set in the Northwoods.
Lewis,
Pam. Perfect Family (SS, 15.00) Apr. The death of his sister
plunges a young man from a wealthy Connecticut family into an investigation
that reveals the dark secrets that are hidden by the façade of perfection.
Lippman,
Laura. What the Dead Know (HC, 14.95) Feb. When a woman appears
claiming to be one of two sisters who disappeared from a shopping mall thirty
years ago, the police can find nothing to support her story in a riveting story
of crime and vengeance.
McCarry,
Charles. Second Sight (Png, 14.95) Apr. CIA operative Paul
Christopher is retired, but he is called in when throughout the Arab world
agents are being kidnapped and forced to reveal their knowledge after
they’re given a diabolical new drug.
McRae,
Cricket. Spin a Wicked Web (Mid Ink, 14.95) Mar. Sophie Mae
Reynolds has discovered a new-found passion for spinning, but when a fellow
co-op member is found strangled with her first skein of yarn, Sophie Mae must
unravel the truth in the third of this crafty series.
Molloy,
Mary. The Wandering Heart (Con, 14.95) Apr. A supernatural
thriller debut about an American history professor who is asked by a British
aristocrat to look at some family artifacts collected during the third voyage
of Captain Cook only to discover she may be related to the family that suffers
from a suicidal “curse” on the women.
Patterson,
James and Maxine Paetro. 7th Heaven (GC, 14.99) Apr.
The Women’s Murder club get together when two high-profile cases are
overwhelming SFPD Detective Lindsay Boxer—the death of a wealthy couple
from a fire at their home and the disappearance of the son of
California’s ex-governor.
Pollero,
Rhonda. Fat Chance (Pkt, 14.00) Mar. Palm Beach paralegal Finley
Tanner is stunned when her mother insists on selling her the beachfront house
that she shared with her late husband, and even more stunned when she finds a
skeleton in the closet—the remains of a girl clutching a medallion that
Finley had given to her stepfather when she was a girl.
Ross,
Ann B. Miss Julia Paints the Town (Png, 14.00) Apr. Miss Julia
knows the secrets that people have in the sleepy town of Abbotsville, and saves
the day when several of the husbands appear to have flown the coop, while at
the same time saving the old courthouse from being replaced by luxury condos.
Shreve,
Anita. Testimony (LB, 14.99) May. A sex scandal at a New England boarding
school unleashes tragedy as the faculty and students involved bear witness to
the events of one fateful night.
Siegel,
Sheldon. Judgment Day (McAdam, 15.00) Apr. The
latest to feature odd-couple San Francisco attorneys Mike Daley and his ex-wife
Rosie.
Sims,
Michael. The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime (Png, 15.00) Apr. A
collection of short stories featuring rogues and scoundrels written at the time
of Sherlock Holmes.
Slan,
Joanna Campbell. Paper, Scissor, Death (Mid Ink, 14.95) Feb. The first in a scrapbooking and craft series featuring St. Louis
shop-owner Kiki Lowenstein who must find out who killed her husband when she
becomes the prime suspect.
Stanley,
J.B. The Battered Body (Mid Ink, 14.95) Mar.
A group of dieters in a small town join together for a supper club called the
“Flab Five,” and find that solving murders is a great distraction
from caloric temptations, so when the “Diva of Dough,” a rude
creator of sweet confections is found dead, covered in batter, the group
quickly finds itself full to the brim with suspects.
Talton,
Jon. Camelback Falls (PP, 14.95) Apr. David Mapstone is appointed
sheriff after his friend Peralta is shot, and finds that a cryptic note Peralta
left before the shooting points directly to Mapstone’s past in the second
of the excellent series that combines Phoenix history and mystery.
_____. Dry Heat (PP, 14.95) Apr.
Fifty years after the shooting of an FBI agent in Phoenix his missing badge is
found on the body of a transient, and Mapstone is called in to work on the cold
case, but the murder of three members of a task force show that the case is
heating up fast.
Thayer,
Terri. Ocean Waves (Mid Ink, 14.95) Apr. Dewey’s plans to
mix business and pleasure at a needlework symposium at a California beach
resort, but when she sees a woman disappear into the sea, she must work to find
a killer.
White,
Karen. The Lost Hours (NAL, 14.00) Apr. For those of us who loved
The House on Tradd Street, here’s something to read while
we’re waiting for the next in the series, a lyrical novel about a young
equestrienne recovering from a near-fatal accident at the house she inherited
from her grandparents who comes across a scrapbook, a charm necklace, and a
newspaper clipping from 1929 about the body of an infant found in the Savannah
River, and discovers the secrets from her grandmother’s past.
Wolfe, Inger Ash. The Calling (HMH,
13.95) May. A police procedural set in a small town in Ontario featuring a
sixty-ish DI who must stop a terrifying serial killer who targets the
terminally ill while her bickering staff, her unsupportive superiors, and the
town’s rumor mill conspire to make her job impossible. A
first-rate debut.
New and Forthcoming in International Mysteries
Agarwal,
Shilpa. Haunting Bombay (Soho, 24.95) Apr.
A young girl who has been raised by her grandmother after her mother’s
death accidentally unleashes family secrets and hidden shame when she opens a
mysteriously bolted door during a monsoon in an award-winning debut novel set
in the Malabar Heights of Bombay.
Brophy,
Grace. A Deadly Paradise (Soho, 13.00) May. Commissario Cenni has
a case with its roots in WWII Venice and the forgery of millions of British
pounds when an elderly woman is found murdered in a small Umbrian village.
Byrnes,
Michael. The Sacred Blood (HC, 24.95) Apr. When an American
geneticist discovers that the DNA in the bones that she believes are those of
Jesus Christ has miraculous healing powers, she becomes the target of a shadowy
group after the relics, and must turn to Israeli archaeologist Amit Mizrachi
and Egyptologist Julie LeRoux for help in an action-packed sequel to The
Sacred Bones.
Cameron,
Peter. Andorra (STM, 14.00) May. An American who has moved to
Andorra after a personal tragedy finds the people he meets charmingly eccentric
until a dead body is found in the harbor and everyone comes under
suspicion—including the narrator.
Dahl, K.O. The Man in the Window (STM, 25.95) Apr. When
an antiques dealer is killed in Oslo, Inspector Frolich and DCI Gunnarstranda
find that the murder has its roots in the dark atrocities of the Nazi
occupation in the second police procedural by the award-winning Norwegian
mystery writer.
Disher, Garry. Blood Moon (Soho, 24.00) Apr. When the
chaplain of a prestigious boarding school is beaten, Di Challis and DS Destry
are called in, only to discover that the chaplain was head of a fundamentalist
church preaching racism in a case with ties to a local politician in the latest
in this excellent Australian police procedural series.
Ewan,
Chris. The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam (STM, 13.95)
May. A writer who is also a thief—stealing for a very discreet clientele
on commission—is offered twenty thousand Euros to steal two small monkey
figurines, but the jobs becomes more complicated when the American who hired
him is found beaten nearly to death and he finds himself caught up in a
dangerous caper involving menacing characters and a beautiful damsel in
distress.
Freely, Maureen. Enlightenment
(Png, 14.95) May. A convoluted tale of political intrigue, intelligence operatives, teenaged Turkish radicals,
grisly murder, and dismembered bodies set in Istanbul written by the translator
of the novels of Nobel Prize-winning Turkish writer Othan Pamuk.
Hall,
Tarquin. Case of the Missing Servant (SS, 24.00) May. Vish Puri
is the best PI in India, specializing primarily in background checks on
prospective brides and grooms, but a more sensational case comes his way
sending him deep into India’s divergent communities from the gated
colonies of South Delhi to the uranium mines of Jharkhand.
Jeffries,
Roderic. Sun, Sea, and Murder (Sev, 27.95) Apr. Mallorcan Insp.
Enrique Alvarez must take a break from leisurely enjoying good food and drink
when the English authorities ask him to check on the whereabouts of a suspected
hit-and-run driver.
Kaminsky,
Stuart M. People who Walk in Darkness (STM, 13.95) May. Porfiry
petrovich Rostnikov travels to Siberia to investigate a murder at a diamond
mind, but the trail leads him to Kiev and a vast conspiracy involving guest
workers and stolen diamonds.
Leon,
Donna. About Face (AtM, 24.00) Apr. Brunetti finds himself
involved in an investigation of murder and corruption in Venice that is dirtier
than anything he’s seen before—and not only because the case begins
when a colleague asks him to look into a case of illegal garbage hauling.
_____. The Girl of His Dreams (Png,
14.00) Apr. Venetian inspector Brunetti delves into the secretive world of the
Romani people who live on the fringes of society in the latest in this
acclaimed series.
McCall
Smith, Alexander. Tea Time for the Traditionally
Built (RH, 23.95) Apr. Precious Ramotswe is dealing with the demise of
her little white van when she accepts the job of finding the traitor
deliberately sabotaging the games for the football team, the Kalahari Swoopers,
in the tenth of the series.
Mankell,
Henning. Italian Shoes (New Press, 26.95) Apr. A former surgeon
who has retired to a remote island with his dog and cat finds his routine
shattered when a former lover arrives to share a secret with him from their
relationship forty years ago, forcing him to reconnect emotionally with people
once again.
Nesser,
Håkan. Woman with Birthmark (RH, 23.95) Apr. DCI Van Veeteren
must find a young woman bent on a ruthless course of vengeance in a case where
meticulous police work produces a tenuous link among the victims, but no link
between the killer and the victims in an award-winning Swedish police
procedural.
Recacoechea,
Juan de. Andean Express (Akashic, 15.95) Apr. Set in Bolivia in
1952 during a train trip across the Antiplano from La Paz to the Chilean
seaport of Arica, where a high-stakes card game, a quick sexual encounter, and
a murder take place amidst a cross section of Bolivia’s population.
Roncagliolo,
Santiago. Red April (RH, 24.95) Apr. A
puzzling whodunit that shows the brutality of Peruvian society under the
Fujimori regime featuring a district prosecutor who is posted to the provinces
and who clashes with his superiors when a charred and mutilated corpse is found
and the police resist all efforts to solve the crime.
Sepeda,
Toni. Brunetti’s Venice (AtM, 16.95) Apr.
A guidebook to Venice featuring a dozen walks that highlight
churches, bars, and palazzos following in the footsteps of Donna Leon’s
beloved Commissario.
Sigurdardóttir,
Yrsa. Last Rituals (HC,
13.95) Apr. Reykjavik attorney is asked to investigate when a German student is
found murdered after becoming involved with a mysterious group of Icelanders
fascinated by Iceland’s dark past of witchcraft.
_____. My Soul to Take (HC, 24.95)
Apr. When the body of a young woman is found at a new-age health resort in a
possibly haunted renovated farmhouse, the chief suspect, the resort’s new
owner, hires attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir to investigate, in the second in the
Icelandic series.
Stanley,
Michael. A Carrion Death (HC, 14.95) Apr. The first in a new
series set in Botswana featuring a police officer who must investigate the
murder of a man whose body was found near a waterhole considered magical by the
local bush people in a case involving corrupt politicians and superstition.
Stone,
David. The Venetian Judgment (Putnam, 25.95) Apr. CIA
“cleaner” Micah Stone is in Venice when he receives a message that
there is a possible mole in the CIA, sending him to Santorini and to Istanbul
where he must prevent a plot to paralyze America’s most critical
intelligence operations around the world. Fast-paced plotting and an authentic
voice make this series a standout.
February/March
2009
Atherton, Nancy. Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon (Png, 24.95) Feb. Lori
Shepherd, with the ghostly help of her Aunt Dimity must fight to save her
village’s tranquility when a nearby Renaissance Faire turns sinister.
Atkinson, Deborah Turrell. Pleasing the Dead (PP, 24.95) Feb. Honolulu attorney Storm
Kayama discovers that the Yakuza—the Japanese organized crime
group—has a stranglehold on local business, real estate, and politics
when she becomes involved in a murder investigation in Kahului.
Ault, Sandi. Wild Sorrow (Brk, 23.95) Mar. Forced
by a blizzard to take refuge in an abandoned Indian school, BLM agent Jamaica
Wild finds the frozen body of an elderly Anglo woman in a case where she
becomes the target for a killer.
Banks, Ray. Sucker Punch (HM, 25.00) Feb. PI Cal
Innes is asked to accompany a boxer to Los Angeles for a boxing tournament, but
the boxer’s temper and his codeine habit lead to problems for Cal in the
second in this noir series.
Barnes, Jonathan. Domino Men (HC, 24.95) Feb.
An eccentric spy thriller where a young filing clerk gets pulled into the
Directorate’s secret war against the House of Windsor—Queen
Victoria, it seems, made a Faustian pact with a nefarious entity that has come
to collect all the souls of London and strange things are happening in the
cellar beneath 10 Downing Street.
Bass, Jefferson. Bones of Betrayal (HC, 24.95) Feb. When the
body of an elderly man who died of radiation poisoning is found, the Body
Farm’s Director must solve a crime that has its roots in the Manhattan
Project in 1945 with the help of an elderly lady who drifts between lucidity
and dementia.
Berenson, Alex. The Silent Man (Put, 24.95) Feb. A
high-octane spy thriller that begins with an attack on Washington that sends
CIA agent John Wells to Russia on the trail of determined killers.
Berry, Jedediah. The Manual of
Detection
(Png, 25.95) Feb. A tightly-plotted debut novel that features a clerk in a large
detective agency who must investigate when his
supervisor is murdered, armed only with an umbrella and a detective handbook.
This is a magical mystery that will remind you of Ruiz Zafon’s Shadow of the
Wind.
Burke, Jan. The Messenger (SS, 25.00) Jan. A
supernatural thriller from the author of the Irene Kelly mysteries about a
woman who falls for her mysterious neighbor, a man who has lived for two
hundred years in exchange for being a Messenger, who delivers the last thoughts
of dying people to their loved ones.
Charles, Kate. Deep Waters (PP, 24.95) Mar. London
curate Callie Anson becomes involved when the child of a celebrity couple in
her parish dies, and she and police family liaison officer Mark Lombardi
investigate together when another death occurs.
Childs, Laura. Oolong Dead (Brk, 23.95) Mar. While riding in a cross-country race through the
South Carolina Low Country, Theodosia finds the body of her arch-nemesis dead
in a thicket in a case that leads her from the saddle to the opera seat as she
hunts for the murderer.
Cole, Meredith S. Posed for Murder (STM, 24.95) Feb. A New
York photographer who specializes in photographing models in the poses of past
murder victims has her one-woman gallery show closed down by the police when
one of her models is murdered.
Conant-Park, Jessica and Susan Conant. Fed Up (Brk, 23.95) Feb. Boston
student Chloe Carter interrupts her wedding planning and investigates when a
woman who appears on her boyfriend’s cooking television show drops dead.
Crider, Bill. Murder in Four Parts (STM, 24.95) Feb. Sheriff
Dan Rhodes is asked to join the Clearview Barbershop Chorus and before long
he’s sorting through clues as well as melodies with some eccentric local
characters.
Cussler, Clive. Corsair (Put, 26.95) Mar. When the US Secretary of State’s plane crashes
en route to a conference in Libya, Juan Cabrillo is hired to search for her in
a case that involves centuries-old Islamic scrolls and terrorists who will do
anything to find them.
Dahler, Don. A Tight Lie (STM, 24.95) Mar. A
professional golfer in Southern California who is also a licensed PI takes on
the case of a rising football star accused of killing a stripper in a debut
mystery set in the world of sleazy topless bars and high stakes sports
agenting. I liked the protagonist, the black humor, and the fast-paced plot,
but I was blown away by the fact that the author makes golf an interesting
sport.
D’Amato, Brian. In the Courts
of the Sun (Dutton, 28.95) Mar. A math prodigy who is a descendent of the ancient
Maya is persuaded to travel back to 664 AD to discover the secrets of a newly
discovered Mayan codex before the end of the world on December 21, 2012. This
fantasy adventure got a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly.
Delany, Vicki. Valley of the Lost (PP, 24.95) Feb. British
Columbia police officers Molly Smith and DS John Winters investigate the case
of a young, unidentified woman found dead of a heroin overdose with a
three-month-old baby by her side when it appears that the death may not have
been accidental.
Depp, Daniel. Loser’s
Town (SS, 25.00) Mar. The first in a new series featuring a former
Hollywood stuntman turned PI who is hired to protect a hot new film star from a
Mafia chief who’s using blackmail to have him produce a movie script. I
liked this for the insider detail and the appealing protagonist, who has the
values of an Arizona cowboy in a world where money and sleaze rule.
Dorsey, Tim. Nuclear Jellyfish (HC, 24.95) Feb. Psychopathic Florida historian Serge A. Storms returns
in another adventure.
Dunn, Carola. Manna from Hades (STM, 24.95) Mar.
A pleasantly old-fashioned contemporary cozy set in Cornwall where a widow who
runs a charity shop in a small fishing village discovers that there is a dead
body in the storeroom and that some donated jewelry is part of the haul from a
violent robbery in London, leading her to call on her niece, a
recently-promoted Detective Sergeant in the police to help solve the crime.
Ellis, Robert. The
Lost Witness (STM, 25.95) Feb.
Los Angeles Robbery-Homicide Detective Lena Gamble is assigned a no-win
case—the body of an unidentified woman chopped up and left in a dumpster,
with no witnesses, no leads, and lots of media attention. The first in this
series was great.
Emley, Diane. The
Deepest Cut (Ball, 24.00) Mar. The third police procedural to feature Pasadena
homicide detective Nan Vining, recovering from a brutal attack, who, while on
the case of a murdered ex-con in a clown suit sees a graffiti tag that reveals
that her attacker is still at large and still after her. I love this series for
its sympathetic protagonist, its strong sense of place, and its tight plotting.
Fluke, Joanne. Cream
Puff Murder (Kens, 22.00) Mar. When Hannah goes to Lake Eden’s new health
club, she discovers the body of a fitness instructor floating in the jacuzzi with a plate of cream puffs garnishing the scene.
Fowler, Earlene. Love Mercy (Brk, 24.95) Mar. A widowed woman in
French, Nicci. Until It’s Over (STM, 25.95) Mar. A creepy psychological
thriller about a group of roommates in London who find two bodies outside of
their house in less than a week, leading them to wonder who will be next, told
first from the point of view of a woman who appears to be linked to the deaths
and.in the second part, from the point of view of the decidedly unpleasant
murderer.
Gaynor, Tim.
Greeley, Andrew M.
Irish
Grisham, John. The Associate (BDD, 27.95) Feb.
A young attorney with a stellar law school record, but with a secret in his
past is blackmailed into accepting a job with a large law firm where he is
expected to lie, steal, and take part in a deadly scheme involving two powerful
defense contractors.
Gross, Andrew. Don’t Look Twice (HC, 25.95) Mar. Detective Ty Hauck is
caught in a deadly maze of cover-up and corruption when a drive-by shooting in
Connecticut leaves a federal prosecutor dead and others wounded and the gunman
is killed before telling authorities who the intended victim was in the latest
thriller by a master of suspense.
Harris, Rosemary. The Big Dirt Nap (STM, 24.95) Feb. Gardener Paula Holliday
tags along on an all-expense paid junket to a fancy hotel where she plans to
write an article about a rare flower on display, but when her friend’s
would-be suitor is found dead under suspicious circumstances, she has to dig up
clues to clear her friend’s name.
Harrison, Kim. White Witch, Black Curse (HC, 24.95) Mar. Bounty Hunter
Rachel Morgan returns in a new supernatural adventure. Unfortunately this
series has gotten so popular that the catalogue just mentions how well it sells
and not what the book is about.
Higgins, Jack. A Darker Place (Put, 26.95) Feb. A Russian
writer who wants to “disappear” into the West is helped by Sean
Dillon to do so, but it appears that his plan is to infiltrate British and
American intelligence at the highest levels.
Kozak, Harley Jane. A Date You Can’t Refuse (RH, 24.95) Mar. Wollie Shelley goes undercover for the FBI in a media
training company with dangerous Middle Eastern political connections, where her
job as a social coach ad dating surrogate for clients is more dangerous than
she had realized. This is a funny series with a nice balance of laughs and
chills.
Lakeman, Thomas. Broken Wing (STM, 25.95) Mar. FBI
agent Mike Yeager is asked to infiltrate a New Orleans group that kidnapped a
couple in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, murdered the husband, and is now set
to sell the wife.
Lashner, William. Blood and Bone (HC, 24.95) Feb. When his
father’s former law partner is killed, a
Levine, Paul.
Illegal (BDD, 22.00) Mar. A funny crime thriller with a serious underpinning featuring a
Levinson, Barbara. Fatal February (Midpt, 22.95) Feb. A
funny legal thriller about a Miami attorney who takes the case of a woman
accused of stabbing her philandering husband to death after she is fired by her
boss—who is also her fiancé—having sex in the office with a sexy
Cuban real estate developer.
Lippman, Laura. Life Sentences (HC, 24.95) Mar. A
stand-alone mystery that raises difficult questions about the reliability of
memory when a writer begins to research a book about a grade school classmate
who was accused of killing her infant son.
Lutz, Lisa. Revenge
of the Spellmans (SS, 25.00) Mar. San Francisco PI Izzy Spellman is
in court-ordered therapy and working on the case of an errant wife, while Rae
is in trouble after getting a phenomenal score on the PSATs, and David, the
supposedly-sane Spellman, is behaving in very mysterious and inexplicable ways.
McDermid, Val. A
Darker Domain (HC, 24.95) Feb. A Scottish DI in charge of the Cold Case
Review team is handed two cases from 1985—the disappearance of a
strikebreaking mine worker and the kidnapping and murder of an heiress and her
son—in a stand-alone thriller that intertwines past and present.
Moore, Christopher. Fool
(HC, 25.95) Feb. The funniest and most inventive writer today returns with a
new book.
Mosley, Walter. The Long Fall (Png, 25.95) Mar. The
first in a new series featuring a PI in New York, a former boxer, who is not
above cutting a few corners in a case that proves that even seemingly harmless
information can be dangerous, when he is hired by an Albany politician to track
down four men known only by their youthful street names.
Murphy, Shirley Rousseau. Cat Playing
Cupid
(HC, 16.95) Feb. Joe, feline PI, along with Dulcie, and Kit try to keep a newly
unearthed corpse from ruining
Myers, Tamar. Batter off Dead (NAL, 22.95) Feb. When a woman known for her prodigious appetite falls dead after
eating a mountain of pancakes at a church breakfast, the police chief calls on
Palmer, Michael. The Second Opinion (STM, 25.95) Feb. When her
father, a celebrated internal medicine specialist, is critically injured in a
hit-and-run accident, a young doctor fights to keep him alive since he is the
only witness to what may not have been an accident.
Parker, Robert B. Night and Day (Put, 25.95) Feb. Jesse
Stone is faced with a voyeur who has moved on to forcing his victims to strip
at gunpoint and who’s threatening to go beyond that in a case that shows
the dark side of Paradise.
Parker, T. Jefferson. The
Renegades (Dutton, 26.95)
Feb. When his partner is shot dead, Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff Charlie Hood has
to discover who would want to kill an officer known as “Mr.
Wonderful,” and his first discovery is that the victim didn’t live
up to his nickname. Parker gets better with every book.
Patterson, James and Michael Ledwidge. Run for your
Life
(LB, 27.99) Feb. NYPD detective Mike Bennett is faced with a case of a murderer
who targets rude people, who has made it his mission to teach people
manners—or else.
Pickens, Cathy. Can’t Never Tell (STM, 24.95) Feb. Small-town attorney Avery Andrews finds life getting
pretty exciting when a body is found in the local carnival’s fright house
and later a faculty wife dies on a picnic during the Fourth of July weekend in
the latest in this funny Southern cozy series.
Picoult, Jodi. Handle with Care (SS, 27.95) Mar. A couple
whose child is born with serious medical problems must confront the questions
that arise had they known about her condition before she was born in a
heart-wrenching novel of parental love.
Quinn, Spencer. Dog
On It (SS, 24.00) Feb. It’s time for Koko, Yum-Yum, and Mrs. Murphy to
move over—the newest animal detective is canine! Chet may have flunked
out of police school, but he’s now the detective partner to a PI in a
southwestern town, and when they get a case of a missing teenager, he sniffs
out the clues that lead to a crooked developer and the Russian Mob. This debut
is a delight—Chet, who narrates the mystery, has an authentic, slightly
hard-boiled, doggy voice, and the plotting and characterization are first-rate.
Rivers, Joan with Jerrilyn Farmer. Murder at the
Academy Awards (Pkt, 25.00) Feb. Daniel and I almost came to blows when the reading
copy of this arrived at the store—he because he loves Joan Rivers and I
because I love Jerrilyn Farmer, but I was happy to prevail because this is a
fun and funny roman á clef that combines a well-plotted mystery with
Rivers’ celebrity dish, when a young bad-girl actress dies on the red
carpet and celebrity interviewer Max Taylor must find out the truth by going to
fancy post-awards parties and checking herself into a rehab center. I’d
forgotten that Rivers was a comedienne before becoming a talk-show hostess.
Robards, Karen. Pursuit (Put, 24.95) Mar. When a
young attorney is asked by the senior partner of the law firm where she works
to meet with the First Lady she is plunged into a deadly conspiracy that
results in the death of the First Lady that she barely survives.
Robb, J.D. Promises in Death (Put, 26.95) Feb. When an officer newly transferred to the NYPD from
Atlanta is gunned down in front of her apartment, Eve Dallas investigates and
finds disturbing connections to her own past.
Robotham, Michael. Shatter (BDD, 24.95) Mar. An
award-winning mystery featuring psychologist Joe O’Laughlin who calls on
a retired police detective to investigate a killer who uses psychological
techniques to destroy people.
Roman, A.E. Chinatown Angel (STM, 24.95) Mar. A debut
mystery set in New York, featuring PI Chico Santana who is hired by an actor to
track down his missing cousin, but the case becomes more complicated when the
actor’s Brazilian lover takes a fatal fall of the rooftop of her
apartment.
Rotenberg, Robert. Old City Hall (FSG, 26.00) Mar. A debut novel set in
Toronto about a talk-show host who claims to have killed his wife, but the case
is far from open-and-shut, when the police detectives find strange fingerprints
in the apartment.
Rozan, S.J. Shanghai Moon (STM, 24.95) Feb. Lydia
Chin and Bill Smith return in a mystery set in Shanghai, where a cache of
jewelry dating back to WWII when Shanghai was a safe haven for Jewish refugees
has been discovered, only to be stolen again by a Chinese official.
Saknussemm, Kris. Private
Midnight
(Viking, 24.95) Mar. A seductive noir mystery with a bite of vampirism featuring a PI who
becomes involved with a mysterious woman whose business is shadows, in a foray
into mystery writing by a noted science fiction writer.
Schechter, Peter. Pipeline (HC, 24.95) Mar. A n
international thriller of oil, greed, and power as Peruvian politician who
joins forces with two Americans to take action when California is brought to
chaos by statewide blackouts.
Stabenow, Dana. Whisper to the Blood (STM, 24.95) Feb. Aleut PI
Kate Shugak has her hands full when the celebrity spokeswoman for a gold-mining
company and a long-standing mine opponent are both found murdered in small-town
Nimiltna, surrounded by Alaska’s largest national park.
Stahl, Jerry. Pain
Killers (HC, 24.95) Mar. A PI is hired to go undercover in a California prison
to determine if the elderly prisoner there is really who he claims to
be—the Nazi Angel of Death, Joseph Mengele in a tour de force of deranged
characters and the nature of identity.
Sundstrand, David. Shadows of
Death
(STM, 24.95) Mar. When an eco-terrorist kills two poachers in the Mojave Desert
for shooting wild burros, FBI agent Frank Flynn is assigned the case—a
difficult assignment because he is sympathetic to the man’s beliefs.
Vine, Barbara. The Birthday Present (RH, 25.00) Mar. When a
wealthy Conservative member of Parliament decides to concoct a kinky present
for his married mistress--a mock kidnapping--events spiral out of control and
the result is a mixup of identities and murder. Vintage Vine, filled with
complexityand psychological insight.
White, Randy Wayne. Dead Silence (Put, 25.95) Mar. When a
US senator is kidnapped right in front of him, Doc Ford must travel to the
Florida Keys in an effort to rescue her from a captor who has buried her alive.
Willig, Lauren. The Temptation of the Night Jasmine (Dutton, 25.95) Feb. A new
spy appears in the Pink Carnation series, Robert, duke of Dovedale, who returns
to England from India to infiltrate the notorious Hellfire Club in order to
avenge the murder of his mentor and finds that the young lady who is his
perfect partner in crime may also be his perfect partner in life. This series
is a combination
of contemporary novel with historical romance and suspense.
Wiprud, Brian. Feelers (STM, 24.95)
Mar. A Brooklyn man who specializes in cleaning out the contents of homes after
the owners have died discovers $800,000.00 hidden in a coffee can in a
house he’s cleaning, but before he can retire to a Mexican seaside
village he has to fend off others who want the loot including a paroled
murderer. Funny and fast-moving.
Wood, Lee. Kingdom of
Silence
(STM, 24.95) Feb. In the second in this police procedural series set in Essex, DS Keen
Dunliffe must hunt for the killer of a US Marshall and the prisoner he had
brought to the UK to testify in the case against members of a radical animal
rights group, while the countryside is in chaos due to an outbreak of foot and
mouth disease.
New and Forthcoming in Paperback
Reprint
Atherton, Nancy. Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter
(Png, 7.99) Feb.
Ault, Sandi. Wild Inferno (Brk, 7.99) Mar.
Baldacci, David. The Whole Truth (GC, 9.99) Mar.
Bass, Jefferson. The Devil’s Bones
(HC, 7.99) Feb.
Berenson, Alex. The Ghost War (Brk, 9.99) Feb.
Brown, Rita Mae. The Purrfect Murder (BDD,
7.50) Feb.
Cannell, Dorothy. Goodbye, Ms. Chips (STM,
6.99) Mar.
Childs, Laura. The Silver Needle Murder (Brk,
7.99) Mar.
Clark, Carol Higgins. Zapped (Pkt, 7.99) Feb.
Coben, Harlan. Hold Tight (NAL, 9.99) Mar.
Conant, Susan and Jessica Conant-Park, Turn Up the
Heat (Brk, 7.99) Feb.
Connolly, John. The Reapers (Pkt, 9.99) Mar.
Cussler, Clive with Jack Du Brul. Plague Ship
(Brk, 9.99) Mar.
Fairstein, Linda. Killer Heat (BDD, 7.99) Feb.
Ferrigno, Robert. Sins of the Assassin (Pkt,
7.99) Feb.
Fielding, Joy. Charley’s Web (Pkt, 7.99)
Feb.
Fletcher, Jessica and Donald Bain. Murder She Wrote:
Murder on Parade (NAL, 7.50) Mar.
Fluke, Joanne. Carrot Cake Murder (Kens,
6.99) Feb.
Ford, G.M. Nameless Night (HC, 7.99) Feb.
French, Nicci. Losing You (STM, 7.99) Mar.
Frey, Stephen. The Fourth Order (BDD, 7.99)
Feb.
Gibson, William. Spook Country (Brk, 9.99)
Mar.
Greeley, Andrew M. Irish Tiger (STM, 7.99) Feb.
Gross, Andrew. The Dark Tide (HC, 7.99) Feb.
Hall, James W. Hell’s Bay (STM, 7.99)
Mar.
Harris, Rosemary. Pushing up Daisies (STM,
6.99) Feb.
Hess, Joan. Mummy Dearest (STM, 6.99) Feb.
Kellerman, Jonathan. Bones (BDD, 9.99) Mar.
Leonard, Peter. Quiver (STM, 7.99) Mar.
Levien, David. City of the Sun (BDD,
7.99) Mar.
Lutz, Lisa. The Spellman Files
(Pkt, 7.99) Feb.
Meier, Leslie. Tippy Toe Murder (Kens, 6.99)
Feb. Reissue.
Navarro, Julia. The Bible of Clay (BDD, 7.50)
Feb.
Parker, Robert B. Stranger in Paradise (Brk,
9.99) Feb.
Parker, T.
Jefferson. L.A. Outlaws (NAL, 9.99) Feb.
Patterson, James. The Final Warning (GC, 7.99)
Feb.
Rusch, Sheldon. Separated at Death (Brk,
7.99) Mar.
Sakey, Marcus. At the City’s Edge (STM,
7.99) Mar.
Scott, Manda. The Crystal Skull
(BDD, 7.50) Mar.
Stabenow, Dana. Prepared for Rage (STM, 7.99)
Feb.
Stewart, Mariah. Mercy Street (BDD, 6.99) Mar.
Tanenbaum, Robert K. Escape (Pkt, 9.99) Mar.
White, Kate. Lethally Blond (GC, 7.99) Mar.
White, Randy Wayne. Black Widow (Brk, 9.99)
Mar.
New and Forthcoming
in Paperback Original
Anderson, Louise. Perception of Death (BDD,
6.99) Mar. A suspenseful mystery set in Glasgow featuring a young lawyer who
must uncover a terrifying family secret in order to solve the murder of an old
friend.
Barrett, Lorna. Bookmarked for Death (Brk,
6.99) Feb. A mystery bookseller must turn sleuth when a bestselling author is
found dead in the washroom in this series that focusses on a different
specialty bookstore.
Carlisle Kate. Homicide in Hardcover (NAL, 6.99) Feb. First in a new series featuring a San Francisco rare book expert
who discovers her mentor lying in a pool of blood, with a priceless copy of Faust
in his hand and a cryptic message on his dying lips.
Collins, Kate. Evil in Carnations (NAL, 6.99)
Feb. When Abby’s roommate becomes the main suspect after a date with a
man known for his cheating ways, she enlists the help of her boyfriend to find
the real killer.
Connor, Beverly. Scattered Graves (NAL, 7.99)
Feb. Forensic investigator Diane Fallon is called in when the newly-elected
mayor and the police chief he has appointed are shot in the small Georgia town
where she works.
Crandall, Susan. Seeing Red (GC, 6.99) Feb. A
young woman who saw the face of the man who killed her cousin is in danger when
he is paroled, but her cousin’s former boyfriend returns to protect her.
Dare, Jordan. Evil Without
a Face (HC, 7.99) Feb. When Internet imposters lure a deluded teenager
from her Alaskan home, two unlikely heroes enter the dangerous race to find her
in a fast-moving novel of mystery and suspense.
Dennison, Hannah. Scoop! (Brk, 6.99) Mar.
Obituary writer Vicky Hill investigates when a champion hedge cutter is
accidentally killed when he slices through a power cable in the second of this
funny, cozy series set in an English village.
Grace, Margaret. Malice in Miniature (Brk,
6.99) Feb. Geraldine’s nephew enlists her help in finding out who
murdered a miniature artist’s boyfriend in the third in this crafty
series.
Harris, Charlaine. A Fool and his Honey (Brk,
7.99) Feb. Aurora Teagarden has her hands full when her husband’s niece
shows up with a new baby and a dead husband in this reissue of the sixth in the
series.
Hughes, Charlotte. Nutcase (Brk, 7.99) Mar.
Psychologist Kate Holly is considering sharing space with her ex-boyfriend
after she’s evicted from her office, but her eccentric secretary,
meddling mother, and difficult patients—not to mention a string of
suspicious fires—leave her wondering if she shouldn’t reconsider.
Laurie, Victoria. Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun
(NAL, 6.99) Mar. The third in the series featuring medium M.J. Holliday who
encounters a knife that releases a demon, a demon who decides to check in to
the haunted hotel where she lives.
Lyons, CJ. Warning Signs (Brk, 7.99) Feb. A
medical student on rotation at a Pittsburgh hospital uncovers a murder that she
must solve before she becomes the next victim. A smart
medical thriller with an interesting protagonist.
Marberg, Peg. Fatal Flip (Brk, 7.99) Mar.
Interior designer Jean Hastings’ restoration of a Victorian mansion is to
die for, and unfortunately somebody does just that when a body is found during
the open house.
McCoy, Judi. Hounding the Pavement (NAL,
6.99) Mar. The first in a new series featuring a Manhattan dog-walker with a
psychic connection to her canine clientele, so when a dog’s owner turns
up dead, she’s on the scent of a murderer.
Piccinilli, Tom. The Coldest Mile (BDD, 6.99) Mar.
After losing his wife a man takes a job working for the mob, only to become
embroiled in a family coup in an edgy crime novel.
Richards, Emilie. A Lie for a Lie (Brk, 7.99)
Feb. Minister’s wife Aggie Sloan-Wilcox may need divine inspiration when
she tries to clear the name of a celebrity charged with his wife’s murder
in the fourth of this cozy series.
Scott, Michele. Corked by Cabernet (Brk,
6.99) Feb. When the devotee of a guru is killed on the famous Napa Valley Wine
Train, vineyard manager Nikki Sands must find the killer in the latest in the
series that pairs wine tips with murder.
Wells, Melinda. Death Takes the Cake (Brk,
7.99) Feb. In the second in this tasty series, television cooking show host
Della Carmichael finds a detested college classmate drowned in a mixing bowl of
cake batter, and realizes that she must serve the killer his just desserts.
New and Forthcoming in
Quality Paperback
Acevedo, Mario. Jailbait Zombie (Rayo, 14.95)
Mar. Latino vampire detective Felix Gomez battles with zombies, gangsters, and a
precocious vampire wannabe in the latest in this funny series.
Alcorn, Alfred. Murder in the Museum
of Man (RH, 14.95) Jan. When a university dean sent to
investigate the finances at the neighboring Museum of Man is found murdered,
unlikely sleuth Norman de Ratour, the Museum’s recording secretary sets
out to find the killer in a funny romp of a mystery filled with academic
satire, murder, cannibalism, political posturing, and high camp.
_____. The
Love Potion Murders in the Museum of Man (RH, 14.95) Feb. When
two professors are found together in mortal embrace, Norman de Ratour knows
that murder once again stalks the halls of the museum, and to his horror, he
discovers that a powerful aphrodisiac developed by the Genetics Lab is being
used as the murder weapon. The second in the funny series.
Allingham, Margery. Black Plumes (F&M, 14.95)
Mar. Albert Campion is called in when a series of malicious attacks on an art
gallery escalates to murder.
Anaya, Rudolfo. Shaman Winter (UNM, 17.95)
Feb. The four mysteries featuring Albuquerque PI Sonny Baca have been reprinted
and are again available for those who like their mystery with a southwestern
flavor.
Andrews, Mary Kay. Deep Dish (HC,
13.95) Mar. A delicious romp of a story about the hostess of a television
cooking show who is forced into competition with the macho host of a
man’s cooking show in a “survivor” situation to see whose
show will be renewed. Great fun.
Atkinson, Deborah Turrell. Fire Prayer (PP,
14.95) Feb. Honolulu attorney Storm Kayama agrees to check on a friend’s
diabetic son during her vacation, but discovers the child’s mother dead
and the boy missing.
Banks, Ray. Saturday’s Child (Hm,
13.95) Feb. An ex-con trying to make it as a private investigator is asked to
track down a rogue casino dealer who’s stolen
money from a local crime lord in a gritty debut set in Manchester and
Newcastle.
Burke, James Lee. The Convict and Other Stories
(Pkt, 15.00) Mar. A collection of stories first published in 1985 set in
Louisiana.
Cramer, Rebecca. Mission to Sonora
(Imago, 15.00) Feb. The first in a series set in Tucson and the Tohono
O’odham reservation that has been out of print for years is now available
again. When her teenaged son stumbles on a dead body while hiking in Ventana
Canyon, a teacher at the San Xavier mission school becomes involved with crime
and a criminal who wants her to stick to teaching.
Craven, Michael. Body Copy (HC,
13.95) Feb. First in a new series featuring an ex-surfer
private investigator in Malibu who agrees to accept a cold-case investigation
into the murder of an advertising executive at the behest of his niece.
I enjoyed this debut for the characters and tight mystery plotting.
Crispin, Edmund. Buried for Pleasure (F&M,
14.95) Mar. Gervase Fen has declared himself a candidate for Parliament, but he
must cope with a murdered policeman, an escaped lunatic, and a love-struck pig.
Daly, Elizabeth. Arrow Pointing
Nowhere (F&M, 14.95) Mar. A classic English country house
murder set in a New York mansion where Henry Gamadge investigates a fiendish
murder.
Dove, Angela. No Room for Doubt (Brk, 14.00)
Mar. A young woman’s story about the repercussions of a murder that took
place in 1988 and the effects it had on her family—her grandmother became
a prominent victim’s rights advocate and her father became an alcoholic
after being a suspect in the crime.
Estleman,
Loren. Gas City (STM, 13.95) Mar. When a
serial killer terrorizes a city, a power struggle between a police chief who
has looked the other way for too long and a Mafia boss who holds the
city’s vices in his grasp becomes a desperate fight for survival in a
novel of urban corruption.
Favorite,
Eileen. The Heroines (SS, 14.00) Feb. A quirky literary fantasy about
a teenager whose mother runs a bed-and-breakfast where literary heroines seek
respite when bad things happen in their books—for example Emma Bovary is
resting after being abandoned by Rudolphe and Scarlett O’Hara keeps
trying to steal the drapes—who decides that she needs to be the heroine
in her own tale.
Ford,
Jeffrey. The Shadow Year (HC, 14.95) Mar. Disappearances, deaths,
and spectral sightings began to occur in a Long Island town in the 1960’s
as a little girl begins to make changes to the scale-model replica town that
two boys have made in their basement. Spooky.
Gottlieb,
Eli. Now You See Him (HC, 13.95) Feb. When his best friend and
his girlfriend are killed, his childhood friend discovers a series of
sensational revelations that cause him to re-evaluate his own life.
Grimes,
Martha. Dakota (NAL, 15.00) Feb. The young girl from Biting
the Moon searches the western plains for the man who holds the
secret of her past, but when she takes a job at a pig-farming operation, she uncovers
dark secrets about modern agribusiness.
Gruber, Michael. The Forgery of Venus (HC, 14.95)
Mar. When a penurious painter accepts a commission to “restore” an
antique fresco in a European castle, the job is closer to recreation than
restoration and leads him into the murky world of forgery. A look inside the
world of expensive art collecting with a fantasy twist.
Gruley,
Bryan. Starvation Lake (SS, 14.00) Mar.
A debut mystery set in a northern Michigan town where the pieces of a
snowmobile are found in a half-frozen lake ten years after the beloved youth
hockey coach had died, but things don’t quite add up, so the local
newspaper editor decides to investigate.
Haig, Matt. The Labrador Pact (Png, 15.00) Mar. A black
Labrador who takes seriously his duty to protect his family gives his all even
though they are their own worst enemies in a poignant novel based on
Shakespeare’s Henry V.
Harris,
Charlaine and Toni L.P Kelner, eds. Many Bloody Returns (Brk,
15.00) Feb. Thirteen vampire stories with a birthday theme by a baker’s
dozen of mystery and fantasy writers.
Holden,
Craig. Matala (SS, 14.00) Feb. An American student on vacation in
Italy runs into two shady drifters who convince her to abandon her guided tour
and help them to smuggle a mysterious package into Greece, but her thirst for
adventure takes them by surprise, and they are all plunged into danger.
Jackson,
Joshilyn. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (Hach, 13.99) Feb. A
woman with a perfect suburban family and life finds everything thrown into
doubt and disorder when her young neighbor is found dead in the pool.
Joss, Morag.
The Night Following (BDD, 13.00) Feb. A woman who is distraught
having just discovered her husband’s affair accidentally kills a woman on
a bicycle with her car in a mystery of psychological suspense.
Lansdale, Joe R. Mucho Mojo (RH,
13.95) and Savage Season (RH, 13.95) Feb. The reissue of the first two mysteries featuring Hap, a
Texas white boy and Leonard, his gay, black Vietnam-vet friend, in a series
that combines humor, violence, and suspense. I love these.
Lutz, Lisa. Curse of the Spellmans (SS, 14.00) Feb. San
Francisco’s dysfunctional family of PIs returns in a case where Izzy is
sure that the neighbor is engaged in nefarious activities, and her elderly
lawyer is working overtime to keep her out of jail. I love this series for its
absurdity.
Maitland,
Barry. The Marx Sisters (F&M, 14.95) Mar. The first in a
wonderful police procedural series set in London, where Detective Kathy Kolla
is joined by DI Brock in a case where an elderly relative of Karl Marx is found
dead in an area known as Jerusalem Lane.
McNamara, Mary. Oscar Season (SS, 14.00) Jan. The
publicity director for a fancy Hollywood hotel is overwhelmed by the Academy
Awards season, and especially so when a very famous body is found in the hotel
pool while a powerful leading man is secretly holed up in the Presidential
Suite.
Morton,
Kate. The House at Riverton (SS, 15.00) Mar. An elderly woman who
was a chambermaid at a country estate in 1924 recalls the events that led to
the suicide of a young aristocrat during a house party in an atmospheric
mystery.
O’Connell, Catherine. Well-Read and Dead
(HC, 13.95) Feb. Chicago socialite Pauline Cook returns from a European jaunt
to find that her best friend is missing—along with her cat—and her
efforts to find them both lead her to Southeast Asia and a stew of corporate
intrigue. I love this series for its sly wit and wonderfully clueless protagonist.
Peace,
David. Nineteen Seventy-four (RH, 13.95) Feb. The
first in a reissue of the Red Riding Quartet with a young crime correspondent
at a Yorkshire newspaper who sees a relationship between the brutal murder of a
young girl and a series of past murders in a case that is a nightmare of
corruption, violence, blackmail, and obsession.
Rankin, Ian.
Strip Jack (STM, 13.95) and Tooth and Nail (STM,
13.95) Feb. The first two in the Inspector Rebus police procedural novels set
in Edinburgh, now in print in a new format.
Reah, Danuta. Night Angels (Bywater, 14.95)
Feb. DI Lynne Jordan is working on a case involving the trafficking of women in
Hull, but the discovery of a woman’s body changes her investigation.
Rice, Christopher. Blind Fall (Pkt, 15.00) Feb.
A macho Marine veteran of the Iraq War pays a visit to his captain, who had
saved him from an IED, only to discover that the captain has been murdered, and
he joins forces with the captain’s male lover to find the murderer.
Simmons, Kelly. Standing Still (SS, 15.00) Feb.
A novel of psychological suspense about a suburban woman who is kidnapped by an
intruder and is forced to confront her deepest fears as she is tied up in a
room with her kidnapper.
Smith, April. Judas Horse (RH, 13.95) Mar.
FBI agent Ana Grey goes undercover to infiltrate an eco-terrorist group in the
Pacific Northwest after another agent is killed, and discovers that the
charismatic leader is planning an act of terrorism to create destruction on a
cataclysmic scale.
_____. North of Montana (RH, 13.95) Feb. The first in
the series featuring FBI agent Ana Grey is one of my favorite mysteries with an
interesting protagonist and a strong sense of southern California as Ana
investigates a high-profile case of a Hollywood star and a load of prescription
drugs.
Templeton, Aline. Lamb to the Slaughter (IPG, 16.95) Mar. Scottish
DI Marjory Fleming returns with two murders in the small town of Kirkluce that
appear to be related to the plan to open a superstore that threatens local
businesses.
Tremblay, Paul. The Little Sleep (Holt, 14.00)
Mar. A South Boston PI who suffers from narcolepsy and hallucinations is
visited by the daughter of the powerful local DA who claims that someone has
stolen her fingers, and when he wakes he decides it was a dream—until he
sees an envelope of risqué photos of the girl on his desk in the first in a new
series with a fresh new twist.
Tyler, L.C. The Herring-Seller’s Apprentice
(F&M, 14.95) Mar. A failed mystery writer whose ex-wife has been murdered
is hounded by his agent to investigate in order to boost the sales of his
novels in a comic mystery.
Ure, Louise. The Fault Tree (STM, 13.95)
Mar. Set in Tucson, a blind woman is the only witness to the murder of her
elderly neighbor and is stalked by the killer in a thriller of suspense and
courage. Highly recommended.
Walters, Minette. The Chameleon’s Shadow
(RH, 14.95) Mar. An Iraq War veteran suffering from psychological damage comes
under suspicion when three women are found dead in his London neighborhood.
New and Forthcoming in International
Mysteries
Becker, James. The First Apostle (NAL, 7.99)
Mar. A debut thriller by a new British author, set in
Rome where a man joins up with his ex-wife, an antiquities expert, after his
friend’s wife is murdered and he discovers a strange Latin inscription by
her body.
Black, Cara. Murder in the Latin Quarter
(Soho, 24.00) Mar. Aimée is thrilled when a Haitian woman arrives at the
detective agency claiming to be her father’s illegitimate daughter, but her
partner is suspicious, and Aimée soon finds herself embroiled in murderous
Haitian politics.
_____. Murder in the
Rue de Paradis (Soho, 13.00) Mar. Aimée becomes involved in Turkish and
Kurdish politics after her fiancé is murdered the night that they become
engaged.
Cain, Tom. The Accident Man (Png, 14.00)
Feb. A thriller that explores the secret of Princess Diana’s death, with
a hired assassin who is himself set-up after he arranges her death. This is an
exciting, tightly-plotted, very enjoyable thriller.
_____.
No Survivors (Png,
25.95) Mar. Assassin for hire Carver returns and, while tracking down his
lover, a Russian spy, discovers a chilling plot by a Texas billionaire to
reactivate stolen Soviet suitcase nukes to spark a global holy war that will
bring about the final Rapture.
Camilleri, Andrea. August Heat (Png,
14.00) Mar. Inspector Montalbano is forced to spend the hot Sicilian summer in
Vigata where he discovers a sinister crime while rescuing a young boy from a
narrow shaft hidden under a beach rental. The latest in a
deservedly-bestselling Italian series.
Calvo, Javier. Wonderful World (HC, 27.95)
Mar. The son of a Barcelona antiques dealer who was imprisoned thirty years ago
for shady dealings immerses himself in the underworld to discover who ruined
his father leading him to a mob enforcer obsessed with comic books and a crime
lord with a penchant for women’s coats.
Dahl, K.O. The Fourth Man (STM, 13.95) Mar.
A modern twist to the classic story of the femme fatale in a dark novel of
psychological suspense by Norway’s best selling crime writer.
Fitzek, Sebastian. Therapy (STM, 24.95) Mar. A
Berlin psychotherapist whose daughter vanished under mysterious circumstances
four years ago has a new patient who is tortured by visions of a little girl
who has vanished, and her sessions become more and more terrifying as her
visions may represent what really happened to the child. An
intricately-plotted literary thriller.
Hewson, David. Dante’s Numbers (BDD.
24.00) Mar. Nic Costa, along with other members of the Roman Questura and the
carbinieri are in San Francisco for the premiere of a new film by an aging
Italian director based on Dante’s Inferno, guarding priceless
Dante artifacts sent especially for the premiere, but a series of bizarre
incidents including theft, the kidnapping of one of the film’s stars, and
finally murder find them working with the SFPD to find a killer. A standout
entry in a brilliant series, with nicely sinister connections to
Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
_____. The Garden of
Evil (BDD, 6.99) Mar. Rome police
detective Nic Costa has a case of murder that is tied to a painting by
Caravaggio in the latest in this excellent series.
Hyland, Adrian. Moonlight Downs
(Soho, 13.00) Feb. A brilliant debut mystery set in the Australian outback,
where a half aboriginal woman returns to see friends, but the reunion is marred
by the murder of the tribe’s elderly leader.
Kertesz, Imre. Detective Story (RH, 14.95) Mar.
A compelling story told by an imprisoned torturer in a Latin American country
who narrates the story of his destruction of a dissident father and son in an
attempt to rationalize the evil he has committed.
May, Peter. The Fourth Sacrifice (PP,
14.95) Feb. The U.S. ambassador asks American forensic pathologist Margaret
Campbell to work once again with Beijing police inspector Li Yan when four men
are killed in what looks like ritual sacrifice.
_____. Snakehead
(PP, 24.95) Feb. Forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell and Beijing detective
Li Yan are asked to investigate when a truckload of Chinese immigrants are
found dead in Texas in a case involving millions of dollars in human
trafficking.
McInerny, Ralph. The Third Revelation (Brk,
7.99) Mar. A retired CIA operative who has worked undercover in Rome is asked
to investigate when the Vatican’s Secretary of State is brutally
murdered.
Mosse, Kate. Sepulchre (Brk, 16.00) Mar. An
American graduate student arrives in southwest France to do research on Claude
Debussy, but the hotel where she is staying is built on the site of a
supposedly haunted family estate, and she finds a mystery filled with
supernatural intrigue.
Piñol, Albert Sánchez. Pandora in
the Congo (Canongate, 15.95) Mar. A rollicking adventure story
set in the Belgian Congo in 1914 where a pulp fiction ghostwriter is hired to
tell the tale of two brothers on a mining expedition are killed leaving only
their manservant to tell the awful tale of unearthly forces and immeasurable
brutality in the jungle.
Read, Piers Paul. The Villa Golitsyn (Png,
23.95) Feb. An elegant thriller of treason and sexual intrigue first published
in 1981 set in the south of France, where a Foreign Office agent is sent to
solve the mystery of a ten-year-old betrayal of British mercenaries in
Indonesia by investigating a former Cambridge classmate.
Rees, Matt Beynon. The Collaborator of
Bethlehem (HM, 13.95) The first of a series
set in Israel’s West Bank featuring an elderly Palestinian teacher seeks
to solve a brutal murder while maintaining his integrity.
_____. A Grave in Gaza
(HM, 13.95) Feb. Palestinian teacher Omar Yussef and his boss travel to Gaza
for a routine inspection of the UN schools in the refugee camps, but they find
that one of the teachers has been imprisoned for spying and in trying to
release him they are pulled into a confrontation with the various warring
political factions.
_____. The
Samaritan’s Secret (Soho, 24.00) Feb. Palestinian teacher Omar
Yussef must work quickly when a member of the tiny Samaritan community is
murdered leaving millions of dollars in aid money that must be distributed
Palestinian community.
Rollins, David. The Death Trust (BDD, 7.50) Feb. A
Special Agent is sent to Baghdad after a high-ranking American army officer is
killed in Germany in a suspenseful mystery centering on an explosive military
scandal. I enjoyed this thriller written by a best-selling Australian writer.
_____. A Knife Edge (BDD, 25.00) Mar.
Now assigned to Department of Defense as an investigator, Vin Cooper is
assigned to the case of a Japanese researcher killed in a suspicious shark
attack after he discovered a new bacterium.
Smith,
Roger. Mixed Blood (Holt, 25.00) Feb. In this brilliant debut, an
American bank robber hiding out in Cape Town, South Africa after a $3 million
heist finds that he cannot escape his past when a gangland assault puts him in
the sights of a corrupt Afrikaner cop and a Zulu detective with a score to
settle.
Solana,
Teresa. A Not So Perfect Crime (Bitter Lemon, 14.95) Mar. A slimy
Barcelona politician hires twin private investigators who specialize in
discreet services for the wealthy to check his wife’s fidelity, but when
she’s found poisoned by a box of chocolates things become more
complicated.
Steinhauer, Olen. Tourist (STM, 24.95) Mar. A CIA
operative who has left undercover work to become a mid-level manager in New
York is plunged back into the world of undercover espionage in Europe when an
investigation begins into one of his oldest colleagues in a first-rate novel of
betrayal and manipulation.
Wahloo, Per
and Maj Sjowall. The Laughing Policeman (RH, 13.95) and The
Man on the Balcony (RH, 14.95) Mar. Two more reissues in the Martin
Beck police procedural series set in Stockholm.
Walker,
Martin. Bruno, Chief of Police (RH, 23.95) Mar. A cozy police
procedural set in the Périgord area of France where the brutal murder of an
Algerian immigrant forces the local police chief to cast a suspicious eye on
his community.
Walters,
Michael. The Adversary (Brk, 14.00) Mar. The head of the Serious
Crimes Unit in Ulan Bataar and his protégé are forced to look inside the police
when the trial of a wealthy crime lord begins to fall apart. An interesting
look at Mongolian life and culture.
Wei Liang, Diane. Eye of Jade (SS, 15.00) Mar. A private
detective in Beijing is hired to track down a priceless artifact that was
stolen during the Cultural Revolution in a case that leads her to discover the
secrets of her nation’s culture and her family’s past. A fresh and authentic voice for those who love the mysteries of Qui
Xiaolong.
_____. Paper Butterfly (SS, 24.00) Apr.
Mei Wang, Beijing private investigator, has the case of a Chinese pop star
whose disappearance leads her to a case with its roots in the labor camps of
the Cultural Revolution.
Xiaolong, Qui. The Mao Case (STM, 24.95) Mar.
Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is asked to take a
politically-sensitive case of the granddaughter of Mao’s mistress who may
have inherited something that would explain her sudden life of luxury, but that
could prove embarrassing to the memory of the former chairman of the Party.
_____.
Red Mandarin Dress (STM, 13.95) Feb. Shanghai Chief Inspector
Chen Cao is under pressure to find a serial killer stalking young women in the
city even though he is on leave studying for an advanced degree.
December
2008/January 2009
New in Hardcover
Barbieri, Maggie. Quick Study (STM, 24.95)
Dec. College English professor Alison Bergeron agrees to help an undocumented
worker find his missing nephew and becomes involved in a case of forgery,
construction kick-backs, and murder much to her NYPD boyfriend’s chagrin.
A funny, cozy series with a great combination of romance and suspense. Highly
recommended.
Bazell, Josh. Beat the Reaper (GC, 24.99) Jan.
A fresh and funny debut thriller featuring an emergency-room physician whose
day begins very badly with an attempted mugging and goes downhill when he sees
a patient who knows him from his past life, a life before the Witness
Protection Program. I loved this.
Belzer, Richard. I am not a Cop! (SS, 24.00) Oct. The actor who plays
Detective John Munch on television’s Law
& Order has written a funny debut
novel where the actor and the character actually meet and must solve the
mysterious disappearance of a friend.
Berry,
Steve. The Charlemagne Pursuit (Ball, 26.00) Dec. Cotton Malone discovers that
his father died on a submarine under Antarctica on a secret mission looking for
a mysterious manuscript unearthed from the tomb of Charlemagne in an
international adventure that moves from Europe to Antarctica.
Box,
C.J. Three Weeks to Say Goodbye (STM, 24.95) Jan. A couple with an adopted
daughter must fight to save her and their family when the teenaged birth father
and his powerful father come after her in a fast-paced thriller.
Brogan, Jan. Teaser (STM, 24.95) Dec. Rhode Island reporter Hallie Ahearn
gets a lead on a story about teenaged girls using webcams to make porno videos,
but when the girls begin dying, she is torn between her duty as a reporter and
a concerned citizen. A well-plotted series with an interestingly flawed
protagonist.
Bruce,
Alison. Cambridge Blue (Soho, 25.00) Jan. The
first in a new police procedural series, with a young homicide detective who
investigates a series of murders involving an eccentric Cambridge family.
Cannell, Stephen J. On the Grind (STM, 25.95) Jan. LAPD Detective Shane
Scully is accused of evidence-tampering and forced to resign, so he takes a job
in the small city near downtown LA, known for its corruption, and soon is up to
his neck in hot water, needing his estranged wife to help him out—but will
she?
Chiaverini, Jennifer. The Quilter’s Kitchen (SS, 19.95) Oct. A
wonderful book for gift-giving, this is a novel with recipes inspired by Elm
Creek celebrations.
Clement, Blaize. Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof (STM, 24.95) Jan. When her
new friend begins to receive threats, Florida pet sitter Dixie Hemingway is
sure it is her abusive ex-husband, but when things turn deadly it becomes clear
that her friend is not who or what she seems.
Connelly, Michael, ed. In the Shadow of the Master (HC, 24.95) Jan. A collection
of stories and essays by MWA members in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe.
Deaver, Jeffrey. The Bodies Left Behind (SS, 26.95) Nov. A suspenseful stand-alone thriller featuring an
off-duty sheriff’s deputy who must flee into the Wisconsin woods with a
terrified woman after she is called to a secluded vacation house that is the
scene of a horrific murder.
Emmins, Alan. Mop Men (STM, 24.95) Jan. A fascinating look at the
company that cleans up after CSI finishes, filled with gruesome details such as
the life cycle of different kinds of flies and how to empty a bath after
someone has been dissolved in it. I thought it was difficult cleaning up after
pot-bellied pigs!
Ephron, Hallie. Never Tell a Lie (HC, 24.95) Jan. A page-turning thriller
about a couple reconnecting with a woman they knew in high school whose
behavior becomes increasingly odd and menacing, plunging the pregnant wife into
a nightmare of deceit and betrayal.
Evanovich, Janet. Plum Spooky (STM, 27.95) Jan 6th. The latest between-the-numbers
Stephanie Plum novel is more substantial than the previous, with Stephanie on a
case for Diesel, camping out in the Pine Barrens with Lula, and possibly
sighting the Jersey Devil.
Ferris, Monica. Thai Die (Brk, 23.95) Dec. Needlepoint shop-owner Betsy
Devonshire weaves together the suspicious threads when one of her regulars
becomes involved in the deadly delivery of exotic antiquities.
Frederickson, Jack. Honestly Dearest, You’re Dead (STM, 24.95) Jan. Chicago
PI Dek Elstrom returns in a case where he is asked to execute a will for a
quick $400.00, but nothing is ever easy and he finds himself on the track of a
killer. A funny medium-boiled series.
Goldberg, Lee. Mr. Monk is Miserable (NAL, 21.95) Dec. The
highpoint of Mr. Monk’s trip to Paris is a visit to the sewer system, but
in the catacombs, he finds a suspiciously fresh skull and a murder.
Green,
Norman. The Last Gig (STM, 25.95) Jan. First in
a new series featuring a
Grippando, James. Born to Run (HC, 25.95) Dec. Jack Swytek follows his father to
Hart,
Ellen. Sweet Poison (STM, 24.95) Dec. Jane Lawless must find the killer when one of the
volunteers on her father’s gubernatorial campaign is murdered in a case of
political intrigue.
Havill, Steven. The Fourth Time is Murder (STM, 24.95) Dec. Posadas
County New Mexico Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman is called to the scene of
an accident involving a police officer only to discover that someone was at the
scene after the accident, but left mysteriously before help arrived.
Hoag,
Tami. Deeper than the Dead (BDD, 26.00) Jan. Special Agent Tony Mendez must
hunt for a serial killer after two young boys find a woman’s body in an
idyllic California town, and the hunt is complicated by his suspicion that the
boys may hold the key to the killer’s identity.
Holton, Hugh. Revenge (STM, 24.95) Jan. Holton’s last police
procedural featuring
Hunter, Stephen. Night of Thunder (SS, 26.00) Oct. Bob Lee Swagger must fight
against a diabolical villain in a case of corruption, meth labs, and deranged
evangelicals, set against the backdrop of a weeklong NASCAR event.
Iles,
Greg. The Devil’s Punchbowl (SS, 26.95) Dec. A Southern gothic mix of murder,
racial tension, illicit sex, and betrayal with Penn Cage, the protagonist of Turning Angel,
set in
James, P.D. The Private Patient (RH, 25.95) Nov.
Dalgleish is sent to a plastic surgery clinic to investigate the murder of a
patient in what may be the final mystery in the series.
Jance,
J.A. Cruel Intent (SS, 25.95) Dec. In the latest in the Ali Reynolds series set in
Sedona, she decides to help when her contractor’s wife is killed in her
front yard and he becomes the main suspect, but she has problems of her
own—she is being stalked by a cybernet serial killer.
Kaminsky, Stuart M. Bright Futures (STM, 23.95) Jan. Florida PI Lew Fonseca
returns in a case where he is hired by a gifted
student to help prove his innocence when a curmudgeonly school board
member is murdered.
Maleeny, Tim. Greasing the Piñata (PP, 24.95) Dec. PI Cape
Weathers has the case of a murdered
McGarrity, Michael. Dead or Alive (Png, 24.95) Jan. Kevin Kerney returns to
New Mexico from London when his partner in his horse-training business is
murdered, the first in a series of murders committed by an escaped prisoner,
sending Kerney and his half-Apache son on the trail of a psychotic murderer
with a growing appetite for blood.
McKevett, G A. A Body to Die For (Ken, 22.00) Jan. A
popular exercise guru finds her dirty secrets unraveling when her husband is
found murdered, and plus-size PI Savannah Reid must find the killer in a big,
fat murder case.
Morris, Bob. A Deadly
O’Connell, Carol. Bone by Bone (Put, 24.95) Jan. An ex-investigator for
the Army CID returns to his northern
Patterson, Richard North. Eclipse
(HH,
26.00) Jan. An American lawyer agrees to take the case of an African freedom fighter
who is charged with murder by his corrupt government in a case that shows the
human cost of the global lust for oil.
Penny, Louise. A Rule Against Murder (STM, 24.95)
Jan. Inspector Gamache and his wife are celebrating their wedding anniversary
at the luxurious Manoir Bellechasse, but the only other guests, part of a
family reunion, have enough dark secrets and resentments to poison the
atmosphere and cause a murder in another excellent, psychologically acute cozy.
Highly recommended.
Perry, Thomas. Runner (HM, 26.00) Jan. Jane Whitefield returns
to guide a young pregnant woman out of danger when she arrives with a group of hired killers who
have followed her across the country. A suspenseful, intelligent series with a
fascinating protagonist.
Ramirez, Misa. Living the Vida Lola (STM, 24.95)
Jan. A funny debut featuring a PI in
Reynolds, Sheri. Running on a Falling Tide (RH, 23.00) Dec. A young
woman whose father is in prison is living with his girlfriend and finds herself
becoming obsessed with the murder of a college girl in the house next door in a
desperate attempt to find her place in the world.
Robinson, Peter. All the Colors of Darkness (HC, 24.95) Jan. A new
Inspector Banks police procedural set in
Smith,
Susan. Out at Night (STM, 25.95) Jan. Crime scene tech Grace Descanso is called in when a
murdered scientist is found with her number on his phone, even though she has
no idea who he is or why he would contact her.
Spindler, Erica. Breakneck (STM, 23.95) Jan. In industrial
Stone, Nick. The King of Swords (HC, 24.95) Dec.
Miami PD homicide detective Max Mingus has a case of serial murder involving a
sinister Haitian fortuneteller and her criminal son as a web of black magic,
voodoo, and police corruption encircles him. Highly recommended.
Tyler, L.C. The Herring-Seller’s Apprentice (F&M,
24.95) Jan. Short-listed for the “Last Laugh” award, this
humorous mystery features a mediocre
mystery writer whose gorgeous ex-wife turns up murdered, much to the delight of
his agent, who sees a mystery to solve and then to write about.
Vachss, Andrew. Another Life (RH, 24.95) Dec. The final act in the story
of Burke and his outlaw family who must take on the search for the abducted
two-year-old son of a Saudi prince in exchange for saving the life of
“the Prof,” who is barely clinging to life in a coma, but the
initial search comes up empty, leading Burke to an investigation of his own
past in order to save the child.
Webb,
Betty. The Anteater of Death (PP, 24.95) Dec. The first in a cozier series for
the
Wilson, John Morgan. Spider Season (STM, 24.95) Dec. Journalist Benjamin
Justice publishes a memoir detailing the events that led to the loss of his job
and his reputation, and in so doing unleashes murderous forces from his past.
This is one of my favorite series for the strong characterization of Justice
and the great sense of the
New and Forthcoming in Paperback
Reprint
Beaton, M.C. Death
of a Gentle Lady (GC, 6.99) Jan.
Becka, Elizabeth. Unknown Means (Hyp, 7.99) Jan.
Bernhardt, William. Capitol
Conspiracy (BDD, 7.99) Jan.
_____. Strip Search
(BDD, 7.99) Dec.
Berry, Steve. The
Venetian Betrayal (BDD, 9.99) Dec.
Born, James O. Burn
Zone (Brk, 7.99) Jan.
Box, C.J. Blue
Heaven (STM, 7.99) Dec.
Campbell, Gordon. Missing
Witness (HC, 7.99) Jan.
Chiaverini, Jennifer. The
Christmas Quilt/The New Year’s
Quilt(Pkt, 7.99) Nov.
Clement, Blaize. Even
Catsitters Get the Blues (STM,
7.99) Dec.
Colley, Barbara.
Dorsey, Tim. Atomic
Lobster (HC, 7.99) Jan.
Emley, Diane. The First Cut (BDD, 6.99) Dec.
Evanovich, Janet. Plum
Lucky (STM, 6.99) Jan.
Freeman, Brian. Stalked (STM, 7.99) Jan.
Goldberg, Lee. Mr. Monk Goes to
Grafton, Sue. T
is for Trespass (Brk, 7.99) Dec.
Graves, Sarah. The
Book of Old Houses (BDD, 6.99)
Dec.
Green, Tim. American
Outrage (GC, 7.99) Jan.
Grippando, James. Last
Call (HC, 7.99) Dec.
Grisham, John. The
Appeal (BDD, 7.99) Dec.
Harrison, Kim. The
Outlaw Demon Wails (HC, 7.99) Dec.
Jance, J.A. Hand
of Evil (SS, 7.99) Nov.
Kalian, Cady. A
Few Good Murders (STM, 6.99) Dec.
Kalla, Daniel. Cold
Plague (STM, 7.99) Dec.
Lescroart, John. Betrayal (NAL, 9.99) Jan.
Martin,
McGarrity, Michael. Death
Song (NAL, 7.99) Dec.
McKevett, G. A. Poisoned
Tarts (Ken, 6.99) Jan.
Myers, Tamar. As
the World Churns (NAL, 6.99) Jan.
Palmer, Michal. The
First Patient (STM, 9.99) Jan.
Patterson, James and Maxine Paetro. The Sixth Target (GC, 7.99) Dec.
Penny, Louise. The
Cruelest Month (STM, 6.99) Jan.
Preston, Douglas. Blasphemy (STM, 9.99) Jan.
_____.
Robinson, Peter. Friend
of the Devil (HC, 7.99) Jan.
Rose, Karen. Scream
for Me (GC, 6.99) Jan.
Rucka, Greg. Patriot Acts (BDD, 6.99) Dec.
Saums, Mary. Mighty
Old Bones (STM, 6.99) Jan.
Schwegel, Theresa. Person
of Interest (STM, 7.99) Jan.
Scottoline, Lisa. Lady
Killer (HC, 7.99) Jan.
Simmons, Dan. The Terror (GC, 7.99) Jan.
Sokoloff, Alexandra. The Price (STM, 7.99) Dec.
Starr, Jason. The
Follower (STM, 7.99) Dec.
Thurlo, Aimee and David. False Witness (STM, 7.99) Dec.
Wilson, F. Paul. Bloodline (STM, 7.99) Dec.
Woods, Stuart.
New and
Forthcoming in Paperback Original
Baker, Deb. Ding Dong Dead (Brk, 6.99) Dec.
Doll restorer Gretchen Birch and the other Phoenix Dollars are setting up their
doll museum, but the opening has to be postponed when an out-of-town doll-maker
is murdered.
Blair, Annette. A Veiled Deception (Brk,
6.99) Jan. First in a new series featuring a woman who opens a vintage clothing
store, and must investigate when the most active guest in her sister’s
wedding party is Murder.
Bliss, Miranda. Dying for Dinner (Brk, 6.99) Dec.
When Annie leaves the safety of her bank job to become manager of her
boyfriend’s restaurant, she discovers that she is risking more than her
economic wellbeing with a killer in the kitchen.
Burcell, Robin. Face of a Killer (HC, 7.99)
Dec. An FBI forensic artist uncovers a top-secret government cover-up when she
investigates her father’s past, twenty years after he was murdered. This
is also available in a hardcover edition from Poisoned Pen Press (24.95).
Childs, Laura. Eggs in Purgatory (Brk, 6.99)
Dec. The first in a new series featuring three newly-single women who open a
café, but when a lawyer dies with a secret on his lips and egg on his face,
they must discover the relationship between the murder and a religious cult
that threatens one of them.
Damsgaard, Shirley. The Witch’s Grave (HC,
6.99) Jan. A reluctant psychic and her grandmother, a good witch, must solve
another mystery in the sixth install ment of this cozy series.
Daniels, Casey. Night of the Loving Dead (Brk,
6.99) Jan. The ghost of a medical assistant needs the help of Pepper Martin, a
cemetery tour guide who sees dead people, to protect a doctor who’s in
danger. A funny, cozy series.
Emley, Diane. Cut to the Quick
(BDD, 7.99) Jan. The second in a trilogy featuring
Evans, Jimmie Ruth. Leftover Dead (Brk, 7.99)
Jan. The fifth in the Trailer Park series finds waitress Wanda Nell Culpepper
and her new husband digging into a thirty-year-old murder.
Hartley, A.J. What Time Devours (Brk, 7.99)
Jan. Thomas Knight returns in a quest for a long-lost Shakespeare play after a
woman is murdered who may have had the play in her possession.
Hechtman, Betty. Dead Men Don’t Crochet
(Brk, 6.99) Dec. Molly and her crochet group must find a killer when a group
member is accused of murder in the second of a new series that will hook you.
Holt, Hazel. Mrs. Malory and a Time to Die
(NAL, 6.99) Dec. Sheila Mallory is on the case when a riding school owner is
found dead in the stables in the latest in this cozy English series.
Hyzy, Julie. Hail to the Chef (Brk, 7.99)
Dec. White House executive chef Ollie Paras has to put other interests on the
back burner when the First Lady’s nephew dies of an apparent suicide 24
hours after cleaning shrimp with her in the second in this presidential series
filled with recipes and juicy details.
Kimberly,
Lakin, Rita. Getting Old is a Disaster (BDD,
6.99) Jan. The fourth in the series featuring Gladdy Gold,
O’Brien, Kevin. Final Breath (Ken, 6.99) Jan.
Television reporter Sydney Johnson receives macabre souvenirs from a series of
seemingly random deaths all over the country and realizes that she is the focus
of a twisted killer.
Potter, Patricia. Behind the Shadows (Brk,
7.99) Dec. A woman discovers that she was switched at birth, and that she is in
a race against death to find her birth mother and save her life.
Rickman, Phil. The Fabric of Sin (TSP, 9.95)
Jan. Merrily Watkins, deliverance consultant for the Diocese of Hereford is
called in to investigate an allegedly haunted house that has royal connections
as well as connections to an ancient Templar church.
Roberts, Wendy. Devil May Ride (NAL, 6.99) Dec.
Sadie Novak has a cleaning service for crime scenes, which sometimes cleans up
psychic residue as well, and in the second in the series she stumbles upon
evidence of chilling cult ritual in an abandoned meth lab. A fascinating
combination of CSI and Ghostbusters.
Roy, Allyson. Babydoll (Brk, 7.99) Jan.
After three
Stanton, Mary. Defending Angels (Brk, 7.99)
Dec. The first in a new series featuring a
Webb, Debra. Find Me (STM, 7.99) Jan. Reporter
Sarah Newton goes to Maine where she encounters a series of deadly events that
cause her to examine her past to keep from being the next murder victim in a
fast-moving novel of romantic suspense.
New
and Forthcoming in Quality Paperback
Berkowitz, Ira. Old Flame (RH, 12.95) Jan. A NYPD
homicide detective, retired after receiving a bullet to the lung, agrees to
help when his ex-wife’s new flame is beaten to death and discovers that
his former colleagues are strangely reluctant to investigate the death that may
be tied to millions of dollars in construction contracts. A gritty debut.
Block, Lawrence. One Night Stands and Lost Weekends
(HC, 14.95) Dec. A collection of the early short stories and novellas by the
master of the mystery.
Castrique, Mark de. Blackman’s Coffin (PP,
14.95) Jan. An Iraq War veteran is challenged by a fellow amputee to do some
investigative work for her, but before he can begin, she is found drowned and
her death may be related to an old journal found in her apartment.
Chiaverini, Jennifer. The Quilter’s Apprentice
(SS, 14.00) Nov. A reissue of the first novel in the quilting series.
_____. The
Daly,
Evans, Mary
Anna. Findings (PP, 14.95) Jan. When a friend is murdered, Faye
Longchamp is surprised that nothing of value was taken—only her field
notes from the excavation she is working on.
Guttridge, Peter. Once and Future Con (Speck, 14.00)
Dec. Journalist Nick Madrid is assigned to a story about an archaeological find
that may be the body of King Arthur, but the owner of the land has dreams of a
Camelot theme park in another very funny mystery. If you are looking for a funny series,
you’ll be pleased to know that the early books in the series have been
reissued.
Holms,
Joyce. Bad Vibes (Cons, 14.95) Jan. When an elderly German
tourist is found dead in the
Kaminsky,
Stuart M., ed. On a Raven’s Wing (HC, 14.95) Jan. A
collection of short stories by contemporary mystery writers written in honor of
the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the master, Edgar Allan Poe.
LaPlante,
Lynda. Clean Cut (SS, 15.00) Oct. A fast-moving police procedural
featuring DCI James Langton who is investigating a group of illegal immigrants
suspected of murdering a prostitute, and DI Anna Travis, whose case of the
seemingly motiveless murder of a proper middle-class woman turns out to have
ties with the immigrant group. This is the third in a good, gritty British
police procedural series by the author of Prime Suspect.
Littell,
Robert. The Debriefing (Png, 14.00) Dec. The reissue of a Cold
War spy thriller about a CIA agent who specializes in debriefing Soviet
defectors only to find that the truth he uncovers upsets his own world.
Masson,
Aurélien.
Mortimer,
John. Rumpole Misbehaves (Png, 14.00) Dec. Rumpole fights for
justice when a Timson child is slapped with an Anti-Social Behavior Order for
playing soccer in the streets of a posh neighborhood.
Mosley,
Walter. Diablerie (STM, 15.00) Jan. A darkly erotic novel.
Phillips, Marie. Gods Behaving Badly (Hach, 13.99)
Dec. A funny romp of a novel about the Olympian gods who now are living in
Rickman, Phil. To Dream of the Dead (TSP,
24.95) Nov. The Reverend Merrily Watkins is facing a difficult Christmas with
flood waters rising around Ledwardine, an archaeological dig that threatens to
unearth secrets that some would prefer to leave buried, and the wife of an
aggressively atheist writer who is strangely agitated. I really like this
series for the complex characters, the location on the Welsh border, and the
spooky plotting.
Sallis, James. What You Have Left (
Simon, Michael. The Last Jew Standing (Png,
14.00) Dec. The final installment in the series featuring
Stabenow, Dana, ed. Unusual Suspects (Brk,
14.00) Dec. The second genre-bending collection mixing fantasy and mystery
contains short stories by Charlaine Harris, Laurie King, John Straley, and
others.
Taylor, Andrew. The Four Last Things (Hyp,
15.95) Jan. A reissue of the first of the Roth Trilogy, featuring a clergywoman
and her police detective husband whose daughter is kidnapped by a pedophile and
a female serial killer with strong maternal instincts.
Vachss, Andrew. Terminal (RH, 13.95) Dec.
Burke agrees to help a terminally-ill prison-gang leader who claims to know the
truth about an unsolved rape-murder of a teenaged girl in a case that offers
his two favorite things—money and revenge.
Way, Camilla. The Dead of Summer (HM,
13.95) Jan. A debut novel of psychological suspense about a
teenager who witnessed the murder of three other children in the historic
tourist town of
Weisberg, Joseph. An Ordinary Spy (STM, 14.00)
Jan. A dramatic portrait of modern espionage with a compelling protagonist who
is set down in a foreign country, filled with suspense, intrigue, and betrayal.
Highly recommended.
Willig, Lauren. The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
(NAL, 15.00) Jan. Graduate student Eloise Kelly is digging into