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| Murder in Bel-Air by Cara BlackStarring: Fashionable Paris PI and single mom Aimée Leduc, whose American mother has worked with both the CIA and 1970s radicals.
What happens: It's 1999, and Aimée's mother (who was supposed to be with Aimée's daughter at a playgroup) disappears. A murder near the play area has Aimée desperately seeking her mom while dealing with neighborhood secrets, spycraft, and Cote d’Ivore politics.
Who it's for: This 19th Aimée Leduc novel (which works for readers who know Aimée and those who don't) will please those who enjoy character-driven mystery novels with international settings. |
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| Almost Midnight by Paul DoironWhat it's about: A corrections officer is killed in a Maine state prison, and a prisoner, the best friend of game warden Mike Bowditch, is injured trying to help -- but it's all related to bigger crimes outside the pen.
Series alert: Newcomers can start with this 10th Mike Bowditch novel, but to follow him from his rookie year, pick up The Poacher's Son.
For fans of: C.J. Box, Nevada Barr, and William Kent Kruger's well-plotted mysteries featuring the great outdoors. |
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| The Cutting Room by Ashley DyerWhat it's about: Detectives Ruth Lake and Greg Carver, who are both still healing from their last traumatic case, work to stop a serial killer who fancies himself an artist and has a large social media following.
Is it for you? If you like gritty British police procedurals like Mo Hayder's, you'll enjoy this chilling, suspenseful sequel to Splinter in the Blood.
About the author: Ashley Dyer is the pseudonym of novelist Margaret Murphy and forensic expert Helen Pepper (who has consulted for British TV's Vera, Shetland, and Bancroft). |
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| A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder by Dianne FreemanWhat it is: a lighthearted, cozy Victorian mystery with a touch of romance; the sequel to the Agatha Award-winning A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder.
Starring: The Countess Harleigh, an adventurous American whose recently deceased husband only married her for her money.
What happens: When a woman she'd hoped would marry her cousin is murdered, Lady Harleigh plays sleuth, which has her unearthing all kinds of upper-crust gossip and possibly a blackmail plot. |
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| The Darwin Affair by Tim MasonStarring: Chief Detective Inspector Charles Field, who was a real person and the inspiration for Charles Dickens' Bleak House's Inspector Bucket.
What happens: In 1860 London, the connection between an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria and the murder of a petty thief leads Field to body snatchers, a conspiracy related to Darwin's On the Origin of Species, and a diabolical criminal.
For fans of: Louis Bayard, Charles Finch, Heather Redmond's Dickens of a Crime series, and E.S. Thomson's Jem Flockhart novels. |
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If You Like: Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow novels
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My Heart May Be Broken, but My Hair Still Looks Great by Dixie CashWhat happens: Hair stylists and private detectives Debbie Sue Overstreet and Edwina team up with the rich and spoiled Paige McBride in a madcap caper involving horse thieves and a cheating husband who are spreading mayhem throughout the small town of Saltlick, Texas. Series Alert: This is book number two in the domestic equalizers series. Why might like it: A cozy humorous mystery with a love story and friendship entwined.
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Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah GravesWhat happens: Opening a chocolate-themed bakery in a coastal Maine village, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree and her friend Ellie have their launch hindered by a hurricane and the murder of a health inspector.
Series alert: Jake also stars in Sarah Graves' Home Repair is Homicide series, but this is the 1st Death by Chocolate novel (recipes included). The follow-up, Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake, arrives this month.
Why you will like it: A Cozy mystery Andrews' fans will love.
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| Bones to Pick by Carolyn HainesWhat happens: The well-to-do 23-year-old author of a tell-all book about her hometown is found dead in a cotton field. The main suspect's upper-crust brother hires southern belle and intrepid PI Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner Tinkie to find the real killer -- and they quickly unearth some "accidental" deaths that might be related.
Series alert: This is the 6th in a humorous cozy series which now has 20 books (the latest, Game of Bones, was recently published).
Why Donna Andrews fans might like it: the witty humor, the zany characters, and the Southern small-town setting. |
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| Birthday Party Murder: A Lucy Stone Mystery by Leslie MeierWhat happens: Part-time reporter and mom of four Lucy Stone helps plan a party for Tinker's Cover, Maine's oldest resident, Miss Tilley. But when a local attorney suspiciously dies and Miss Tilley's long-lost niece unexpectedly appears and moves in, Lucy has more things to worry about than parties, gray hairs, and her teen's coed sleepover.
Series alert: This is the lighthearted 9th Lucy Stone book; the 26th, Invitation Only Murder, hits shelves in November.
Why Donna Andrews fans might like it: the details of family life, Lucy's civic engagement, and the entertaining townspeople. |
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| The Body in the Birches by Katherine Hall PageFeaturing: Caterer Faith Fairchild, her minister husband, and their kids, who live with a friend while renovating their Maine vacation cottage.
What happens: A murder occurs at the next-door neighbor's coastal estate, where relatives have gathered to hear the elderly owner's decision of who will inherit the coveted home.
Why Donna Andrews fans might like it: The pleasing mix of crime, beloved characters, and domestic life found in this 22nd Faith Fairchild mystery (which is fine for newcomers) and all the Faith books (the 25th and most recent novel is The Body in the Wake). |
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Contract your librarian for more great books!
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