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| Vicious Circle: A Joe Pickett Novel by C.J. BoxMystery. Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett has some deadly enemies in the violent Cates family, especially former rodeo champ Dallas (who once assaulted Joe's daughter) and his quadriplegic mother, who's doing quite well for herself even though she's serving time. When a newly-out-of-prison Dallas returns to town and a murder occurs, Joe realizes that the Cates are targeting those close to him. Teaming up with his friend Nate, who's no stranger to killing, honorable Joe fights back. With so much back story in this fast-paced 17th series entry (and with characters aging over the course of the novels), newcomers may want to start with an earlier book. For those who are already fans and looking for other suspenseful, outdoors-flavored mysteries, try Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire mysteries, Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon mysteries, or Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch novels. |
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| A Death in the Dales: A Kate Shackleton Mystery by Frances BrodyHistorical Cozy. When private detective Kate Shackleton's 14-year-old niece Harriet needs time to recover from an illness, the pair head to a small village in Yorkshire, staying in a cabin that Kate's beau, Lucian, recently inherited from his aunt. While Kate hopes to rest, she discovers that Lucian's aunt claimed to be the solitary witness to a murder a decade earlier, a case where she said the wrong man was convicted. But that's not all going on in the quaint town: there's blackmail, a missing boy, and another suspicious death. Set in the 1920s and featuring an independent-minded female detective, this richly detailed series (Death in the Dales is book 7) might prove a good fit for fans of Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs or Charles Todd's Bess Crawford. |
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Conviction
by Julia Dahl
In the summer of 1992, a year after riots exploded between black and Jewish neighbors in Crown Heights, a black family is brutally murdered in their Brooklyn home. A teenager is quickly convicted, and the justice system moves on. Twenty-two years later, journalist Rebekah Roberts gets a letter: I didn't do it. Frustrated with her work at the city’s sleaziest tabloid, Rebekah starts to dig. But witnesses are missing, memories faded, and almost no one wants to talk about that grim, violent time in New York City—not even Saul Katz, a former cop and her source in Brooklyn’s insular Hasidic community. So she goes it alone. And as she gets closer to the truth of that night, Rebekah finds herself in the path of a killer with two decades of secrets to protect.
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| The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes by Lyndsay FayeShort Stories. In this superb collection, Edgar Award-nominated Lyndsay Faye presents a collection of 15 Sherlock Holmes stories, including two new works (such as the clever "The Adventure of the Thames Tunnel") as well as tales that were previously published. Though Sherlock Holmes pastiches abound, not very many place him in his prime on Baker Street as Lyndsay Faye often does here. Can't get enough of Faye's Holmes? Pick up her novel Dust and Shadow, which pits him against Jack the Ripper. Want other authors' takes on the great detective? Try Anthony Horowitz's Sherlock Holmes novels or Laurie R. King's Mary Russell series (King, together with Leslie Klinger, has also edited several Sherlock anthologies). Read and enjoy, Sherlockians! |
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The Secrets of Gaslight Lane
by M. R. C. Kasasian
London, 1883. All is quiet at 125 Gower Street. Private detective Sidney Grice is studying up on the anatomical structure of human hair whilst his ward, March Middleton, sneaks upstairs for her eighth secret cigarette of the day. The household is, perhaps, too quiet.So, when a beautiful young woman turns up at the door, imploring London's foremost private detective to solve the mystery of her father's murder, Grice can barely disguise his glee. Mr. Nathan Garstang was found slaughtered in his bed, but there is no trace of a weapon or intruder. A classic locked-room case. But what piques Grice's interest is the crime's link to one of London's most notorious unsolved murders. Ten years ago, Nathan's uncle aunt and servants were murdered in their sleep in the very same house.Now, it seems, the Garstang murderer is back.
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| Cruel Mercy by David MarkPolice Procedural. Going to New York City, Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy of Humberside, England meets up with dedicated Detective Ronald Alto of the 7th precinct. The men work together to sort out who shot and killed a promising young Irish boxer and left his legendary coach in a coma -- but the case is complex, and it has a family connection for Aector. Meanwhile, the cops also deal with various Mafias (Russian, Italian, and more), a date rapist, and a serial killer. With all of McAvoy's previous dark, compelling outings taking place in the U.K., fans of Manhattan-set crime novels may want to start with this 6th novel; Kirkus Reviews says it's "beautifully crafted, filled with flashbacks, horror, angst, and chilling detail." |
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A Twist in Time
by Julie Mcelwain
Former FBI agent Kendra Donovan’s attempts to return to the twenty-first century have failed, leaving her stuck at Aldridge Castle in 1815. And her problems have just begun: in London, the Duke of Aldridge’s nephew Alec—Kendra’s confidante and lover—has come under suspicion for murdering his former mistress, Lady Dover, who was found viciously stabbed with a stiletto, her face carved up in a bizarre and brutal way.Lady Dover had plenty of secrets, and her past wasn’t quite what she’d made it out to be. Nor is it entirely in the past—which becomes frighteningly clear when a crime lord emerges from London’s seamy underbelly to threaten Alec. Joining forces with Bow Street Runner Sam Kelly, Kendra must navigate the treacherous nineteenth century while she picks through the strands of Lady Dover’s life.As the noose tightens around Alec’s neck, Kendra will do anything to save him, including following every twist and turn through London’s glittering ballrooms, where deception is the norm—and any attempt to uncover the truth will get someone killed.
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Death in a Darkening Mist
by Iona Whishaw
Canadian. On a snowy day in December 1946, Lane Winslow—a former British intelligence agent who’s escaped to the rural Canadian community of King’s Cove in pursuit of a tranquil life—is introduced to the local hot springs. While immersed in the therapeutic waters, she is astonished to overhear nearby patrons speaking Russian. When one of the speakers is found dead Lane’s linguistic and intelligence experience is of immeasurable value to the local police force in solving the murder. The investigation points to the Soviet Union, where Stalin’s purges are eliminating enemies, and the reach of Stalin’s agent snakes all the way into a harmless Doukhobor community where a discredited Soviet journalist has been hiding out. Soon, Lane’s hard-won peaceful life is once again threatened. Along with the investigators, she discovers that the assassin has been right under their noses the whole time. He kidnaps Lane out of desperation to please his Soviet handler, setting out on a frantic and perilous nighttime journey along treacherous snow-covered roads that lead to his death, and very nearly hers.
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| Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron: Being a Jane Austen Mystery by Stephanie BarronHistorical Mystery. Mystery writer Stephanie Barron has been authentically capturing Jane Austen as a character for years -- and in this 10th book, she pits Austen against one of 19th-century England's most famous poets. In Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron, Austen encounters Lord Byron, who's known for being mad, bad, and dangerous to know -- but is the poetic lady killer an actual killer of ladies? Austen isn't so sure and investigates after a pastor's teenage daughter is found dead in the infamous rake's bed. For another look at Austen and crime, pick up Lynn Shepherd's debut novel, Murder at Mansfield Park. |
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| The Cruelest Month: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise PennyMystery. Death by fear? That's what it looks like when a woman dies during an Easter séance at the notorious Hadley House in the quaint small town of Three Pines. Intelligent and kind Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec investigates the death of the well-liked villager while dealing with internal police politics that threaten his career and reputation. Fans of traditional mysteries will enjoy the charming village setting as well as the delightfully eccentric characters (poetry fans will particularly like curmudgeonly author Ruth Zardo). Though this is the 3rd book in a consistently award-winning series, newcomers can start here. |
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| Above the Waterfall by Ron RashCrime Fiction. In a rural county in the mountains of North Carolina, Les is the local sheriff who’s three weeks away from retirement, and Becky is a troubled park ranger; both are loners fascinated by the area’s natural beauty. In this evocative novel, they find their odd relationship on edge when Becky’s other good friend, elderly Gerald, who’s lived in the mountains all of his life, is accused of trespassing onto a resort’s land and poisoning their trout stream. As Les tries to keep peace in the county by busting up a meth lab and sorting out what happened at the resort, Becky waxes poetic about the natural world (chapters narrated by her are poem-like) and tries to keep cantankerous Gerald out of trouble. Combining nature, poetry, and crime, this lyrical tale by poet and fiction writer Ron Rash should please many. |
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