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| Tea & Treachery by Vicki DelanyIntroducing: Lily Roberts, a former Manhattan pastry chef who has opened a charming tea shop near her grandmother's beautiful Cape Cod bed-and-breakfast.
What happens: A real estate developer planning to build a hotel right next door is found murdered near the B&B's staircase to the beach.
Who it's for: With a pleasing setting, clever plotting, tea facts, and yummy recipes, this delightful 1st in a new series should please fans of well-wrought cozy mysteries. |
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| Dead West by Matt GoldmanWhat happens: Minneapolis PI Nils Shapiro heads to Hollywood on a supposedly easy job: make sure that wealthy Beverly Mayer's grieving grandson, whose fiancée recently died in a tragic accident, isn't wasting all of his money trying to start a film studio. What Nils finds is a smart man surrounded by users and that the "accident" was actually murder.
Series alert: Though this is the 4th Nils Shapiro novel readers new to the series can easily start here (but grab Gone to Dust to start at book 1).
Read this next: For more Hollywood-set novels, try Elmore Leonard's darkly humorous Get Shorty or Kellye Garret's more lighthearted Detective by Day mysteries. |
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| The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa HartIntroducing: plant collector Lady Cecily Kay, who's just returned to England after a row with her husband, the British consul to Smyrna; Meacan Barlow, Cecily's childhood friend, now working as an illustrator.
1703 London: Cecily and Meacan are two of renowned collector Sir Barnaby Mayne's house guests when he is fatally stabbed. After a confession that can't possibly be true, the ladies hunt for the real killer.
For fans of: Deanna Raybourn; richly detailed historical mysteries with smart storylines and strong, unorthodox female characters. |
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| Once You Go This Far by Kristen LepionkaWhat happens: After Columbus, Ohio, PI Roxane Weary helps a fatally injured woman on a hiking trail, the woman's grieving daughter hires her, believing the fall was no accident. This draws Roxane into a complex situation that has her going back and forth to Canada for answers.
Series alert: Fans of this award-winning series will be interested in this 4th entry's developments, but newcomers can start here, too.
Read this next: Kathleen Dent's Detective Betty books or Tracy Clark's Chicago mysteries. |
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| A Royal Affair by Allison MontclairStarring: the proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau: up-for-anything Iris, a spy during the war, and aristocratic widow Gwen, who lives with her young son in her wealthy in-laws' Kensington mansion.
What it's about: In 1946 London, the women are hired to covertly investigate the complex past of the dashing Greek prince who has captured 20-year-old Princess Elizabeth's heart.
Series alert: This 2nd in a charming series offers engaging lead characters, an intriguing look at post-World War II England, and fascinating details about the British Royal family during that time. |
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| The Eighth Detective by Alex PavesiStarring: Grant McAllister, a mathematician who, some 20 years ago, wrote a paper about the rules of whodunits as well as seven short stories demonstrating them (which are all included within this novel); Julia Hart, a book editor who wants to re-edit and publish Grant's work.
What happens: Julia travels to Grant's remote Mediterranean island home to work with him -- and discovers that the books have strange errors and may hide even greater mysteries than she first thought.
Who it's for: Those who like creative storytelling and mystery novels' puzzle aspects will best enjoy this fresh, intricately plotted debut. |
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If You Like: Louise Penny
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| A Killing in the Hills by Julia KellerThe setup: In tiny Acker's Gap, West Virginia, a "shabby afterthought of a town," 17-year-old Carla Elkins witnesses the efficient shooting of three elderly men by an unknown person in a diner on a Saturday morning.
The aftermath: As Carla gradually recalls details about the shooter, her estranged mom, obsessively driven county prosecutor Bell Elkins, works to solve the case.
Why Louise Penny fans might like it: This award-winning debut novel by a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist features lyrical writing and a complex investigator working in a vividly depicted small town. |
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| Wicked Autumn by G.M. MallietIntroducing: Max Tudor, the handsome new vicar in Nether Monkslip, who's also a former MI5 officer.
What happens: The quiet village's most overbearing woman dies in suspicious circumstances at the Harvest Fayre, leading Max to suspect foul play and wonder if one of his new parishioners is a killer.
Why Louise Penny fans might like it: Though more lighthearted than Penny's novels, this 1st in a series provides a modern village setting, charming characters, and a clever whodunit. |
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| A Test of Wills by Charles ToddIntroducing: shell-shocked World War I veteran Ian Rutledge, who's secretly tormented by a dead Scottish soldier's voice and has just returned to duty as a Scotland Yard Inspector in 1919.
What happens: A jealous colleague has Ian assigned to a hot-potato case that could push him over the edge. In the village of Warwickshire, a retired colonel has been murdered and the prime suspect is a decorated war hero, who's also a friend of the Prince of Wales.
Why Louise Penny fans might like it: In this layered 1st in a series, the introspective Rutledge must maneuver his way through several figurative minefields in order to solve the complex case and hold on to his sanity. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Winchester Public Library 80 Washington St. Winchester, Massachusetts 01890 781-721-7171www.winpublib.org/ |
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