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| Loch of the Dead by Oscar de MurielWhat happens: In 1889, Detective McGray and Inspector Frey go to the Scottish Highlands to protect the 16-year-old heir to an estate whose life has been threatened. McGray also wants a cure for his mentally ill sister, which might be found in a local well's mysterious healing water.
Series alert: Released in the U.K. last year, this well-plotted, banter-filled 4th Frey and McGray novel is now out in the U.S.
Read this next: For other mysteries that often include the strange and supernatural, try Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May books or M.R.C. Kasasian's (more gruesome) Gower Street Detective novels. |
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| The Stone Circle by Elly GriffithsWhat happens: Forensic anthropologist Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson receive threatening letters and find the bones of a girl missing since 1981, while Harry's wife gives birth (but is it his child?).
Series alert: With the threats reminiscent of letters that first brought Harry and Ruth together, this compelling 11th Ruth Galloway mystery harkens back to the 1st in the series, The Crossing Places (which is where newcomers can start to see complex relationships develop).
Read this next: If you can't get enough of good detectives and their messy marital lives, try Julia Spencer-Fleming's Reverend Clare Fergusson mysteries, which are set in New York State. |
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| The Scent of Murder by Kylie LoganIntroducing: Jazz Ramsey, a 35-year-old administrative assistant at a girls' Catholic high school in Cleveland, Ohio, who trains cadaver dogs in her spare time.
What happens: While practicing with a new dog in an urban construction area, Jazz finds a body...and realizes she knows the victim. Jazz's handsome ex, Detective Nick Kolesov, works the case, but Jazz can't help but nose around too.
Readers should know: Though author Kylie Logan is known for her cozy mysteries, this book starts a more serious series. |
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| A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry ShamesThe cop: dry-witted, easygoing Chief of Police Samuel Craddock of Jarrett Creek, Texas, who's retired once already.
The missing person: Craddock's good friend, Loretta, an elderly member of the Baptist church who'd recently joined an online dating site.
The fans: Those who like Bill Crider's Texas sheriff Dan Rhodes should try this evocative 8th book in a small-town mystery series. |
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| The Satapur Moonstone by Sujata MasseyStarring: independent-minded, Oxford-educated Perveen Mistry, who, in 1922, is Bombay's only female lawyer.
What happens: Perveen travels to the fictional principality of Satapur to help two royal widows agree on where the ten-year-old prince should be educated and finds herself dealing with palace power plays, ancient vendettas, attempted poisonings, and suspicious deaths.
Series alert: This is the atmospheric follow-up to last year's highly acclaimed The Widows of Malabar Hill. |
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| The Unquiet Heart by Kaite WelshEdinburgh, 1893: Aspiring physician Sarah Gilchrist finishes her first semester at medical school even as her mother matches her with a dull fiancé she doesn't want -- but when he's arrested for murder, Sarah feels compelled to investigate.
Series alert: This is the richly detailed 2nd book in the Sarah Gilchrist mysteries, which began with The Wages of Sin.
For fans of: historical mysteries featuring intelligent women, especially ones who work in medicine, such as Ariana Franklin's Adelia Aguilar series (the 1st is Mistress of the Art of Death) and E.S. Thomson's Jem Flockhart novels (which starts with Beloved Poison). |
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A Dream of Death by Connie BerryWhat it's about: On a remote Scottish island, American antique dealer Kate Hamilton sleuths a killing that eerily replicates a murder still unsolved after 200 years. Recommended for: readers of Paige Shelton's 'Scottish Bookshop' series and Jane Cleland's antiques mysteries. Reviewers say: "Newcomer Berry turns in a well-written, intriguing debut mystery that combines history, an unforgettable setting, and mature, relatable characters in a story that blends an old island legend with a contemporary whodunit." -- Library Journal starred review, Debut of the Month
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Felicity Carrol and the Perilous Pursuit by Patricia Santos MarcantonioWhat happens: Amidst the heraldry of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, a string of robberies involving King Arthur relics and a series brutal murders plaque Britain’s aristocracy and Felicity Carrol takes it upon herself to investigate, uncovering a nefarious plot that puts her own life in danger. Reviewers say: "This new series is off to a good start with a strong, intelligent main character who struggles to overcome the cultural structures of her time. For fans of cozy Victorian mysteries and admirers of Elizabeth Peters and Deanna Raybourn." -- Library Journal
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Murder from Scratch by Leslie KarstThe scenaro: Restaurateur Sally Solari's cousin Evelyn may be blind, but she can see all too clearly that her chef mother's death wasn't an accidental overdose--she was murdered. What happens: The cousins' sleuthing takes Sally and Evelyn into the world of macho commercial kitchens, and the cutthroat competitiveness that can flame up between chefs. In Leslie Karst's scrumptious fourth Sally Solari mystery, Sally will have to chop a long list of suspects down to size or end up getting burned. Reviewers say: "Highly recommend reading...There is so much to love and tasty recipes at the end of the book to try." -- Cozy Mystery Book Reviews
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Sweeney on the Rocks by Allen Morris JonesWhat it is: a comedic story of a New York mobster in the witness protection program who finds his past coming for him. What happens: Todd Sweeney's small-town Montana life is upended when he comes home to find a corpse in his recliner and his past as a wiseguy catching up with him. Rave review: "Think Goodfellas with a screenplay by Donald E. Westlake, set in the landscape of A River Runs through It--a unique and tasty treat for crime-fiction fans."--Booklist (starred review)
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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