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"It doesn't matter how much preparation you put into a spot before you go in. Unless you can see through walls, you never know what you're going to find." ~ from David Swanson's The Second Girl
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| City of the Lost by Kelley ArmstrongMystery. Even though she killed a man when she was 18 (there were extenuating circumstances), Casey Duncan wasn't found out and was able to pursue her dream of becoming a police detective. But there's only so much she can do to protect herself: the guy she killed was the grandson of a mobster. Meanwhile, Casey's best friend, Diana, has a psycho ex-husband who knows just how to terrorize his ex-wife without stepping over the line (he's a lawyer, after all). So when things escalate, both women head to a super-secretive off-the-grid community, a place for people who need to hide. But their safe place isn't so safe, since someone just killed one of the town's 200 residents. Casey's a cop to her core and, together with the small town's sheriff, tries to find the killer hiding among them. |
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| The Singer from Memphis by Gary CorbyHistorical Mystery. You may know Herodotus as the "father of history," but in The Singer from Memphis, he's a 20-something wannabe writer living in Ancient Athens. He needs to do research in Egypt, which is at war with Persia, so he asks private agent Nicolaos to escort him there. Nicolaos agrees, partially because his wife Diotima likes to travel, and partially because Pericles, the most powerful man in Athens, wants him to (Pericles needs someone to keep an eye on Herodotus, who he thinks may be an enemy agent, as well as to take part in some other spy work). Kirkus Reviews calls this 6th Athenian mystery "brisk, cheeky, and full of well researched historical tidbits." If you'd like to explore the ancient world via other clever mysteries, pick up books by Ruth Downie, Steven Saylor, P.C. Doherty, or Lindsey Davis. |
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| Dying for a Taste by Leslie KarstCozy Mystery. Leaving her corporate lawyer position in order to help her father run his Italian restaurant in beautiful Santa Cruz, California, Sally Solari deftly handles unhappy customers and mishandled food orders. But when her Aunt Letta is found stabbed to death at her own nearby restaurant, an upset Sally might be in over her head. Nevertheless, she scrambles to clear the name of her aunt's trusted chef and serve up the real killer -- but secrets in her aunt's past may have devastating consequences. Fans of food-centric mysteries will enjoy this tasty debut -- and the included recipes. |
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| Murder at the 42nd Street Library: A Mystery by Con LehaneMystery. Biographer James Donnelly was followed when he entered the iconic New York Public Library building at 42nd Street -- and then shot from behind. Library crime fiction curator Ray Ambler helps his friend, NYPD detective Mike Cosgrove, and gets a bit of help himself from bartending sleuth Brian McNulty (Con Lehane fans will remember him from a previous series). As Ray searches for answers, he uncovers disturbing relationships between the subject of Donnelly's latest book (a celebrated mystery writer), a rival biographer, various family members, and some of his own colleagues. Readers who enjoy large casts of characters will like this 1st novel featuring Ray, who's a "promising newcomer in the talented-amateur ranks" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| The Second Girl by David SwinsonCrime Novel. Retired Washington, D.C. narcotics cop Frank Marr works as a P.I. -- and since he's a secret, high-functioning, and unrepentant drug addict, he also uses his police know-how to burgle empty drug houses. But things get messy when he finds a gagged and bound teenage girl at his latest target. This complicates his life considerably, and leads to the search for another missing suburban Virginia teen, which is when even crazier things go down. Dark, atmospheric, and peopled with tough but realistic characters, The Second Girl will please George Pelecanos fans who enjoy stories that perfectly capture the gritty side of D.C. (author David Swinson was himself a D.C. cop for many years). |
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| A Front Page Affair: A Kitty Weeks Mystery by Radha VatsalHistorical Mystery. Capability "Kitty" Weeks lives with her wealthy widower father in 1915 New York while war rages in Europe, where she was raised. Though a society reporter, she longs to cover hard news (a job reserved for men), so she can't help but snoop when someone kills a guest at the fancy Fourth of July party she's covering. Even though resulting events lead to her firing, she won't give up the search for truth...even if her own father is involved. This delightful debut novel will please readers who like mysteries set in old New York featuring intelligent female detectives, such as Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy mysteries or Victoria Thompson's Gaslight mysteries. |
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Summer Time and the Living is Deadly
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| Aunt Dimity and the Summer King by Nancy AthertonCozy Mystery. In the charming English Cotswold village of Finch, warm weather arrives, and American-in-England Lori Shepherd meets an eccentric gentleman genius called the Summer King. He fixes the pram carrying her new baby girl, Bess, but when Lori asks around town about him, everyone agrees his family is part of a long-standing feud with a neighboring town...and it may have something to do with a developer's plans for Finch! Meanwhile, Lori's beloved father-in-law's wedding day approaches, and his Boston Brahmin sisters -- who do not approve of working-class Lori -- are coming to Finch for three weeks. Once again, Lori gets help from a deceased friend via a special notebook in this 20th entry in a popular series. For other cozy mysteries with supernatural elements, try Sue Ann Jaffarian's Ghost of Granny Apple mysteries or Carolyn Hart's Bailey Ruth mysteries. |
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| Summer of the Dead by Julia KellerMystery. Someone bashed in an old man's head in his driveway, setting the small town of Acker's Gap, West Virginia on edge. When another death occurs, things get even tenser. County prosecutor Bell Elkins and Sheriff Nick Fogelsong are doing everything they can, but find the case complicated by a coal miner's secretive daughter and their own personal lives: Bell's ex-husband has alternative plans for their daughter's summer vacation, her 46-year-old sister uneasily adjusts to life outside of prison, and Nick's schizophrenic wife needs help. With deft characterization and an "especially vexing mystery" (Kirkus Reviews), this 3rd in the compelling Bell Elkins mysteries will please fans and newcomers alike. Want more Bell? The 5th entry, Sorrow Road, comes out in August. |
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| A Drink Before the War by Dennis LehaneMystery. It's summer in Boston when three prominent politicians ask Dorchester-raised PI Patrick Kenzie to find an African American cleaning lady who supposedly stole important documents. Patrick and his tough-as-nails partner Angela Gennaro find the woman, and with her, information that puts the politicians' motives and morals into question. To clear things up as best they can, the two end up dealing with a gang turf war, political corruption, child abuse, blackmail, and murder. Filled with witty narration and wise-cracking banter that lighten the grittiness, this compelling book is bestselling author Dennis Lehane's debut and the 1st book in a series that numbers six. |
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| A Fine Summer's Day: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles ToddHistorical Mystery. The many fans of Charles Todd, a mother-and-son writing team, will be surprised to find Hamish MacLeod alive and making a cameo appearance in this prequel, the 17th Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery. (In all of the previous entries, set after World War I, Hamish is dead, and a shellshocked Rutledge hears his voice in his head). A Fine Summer's Day begins on June 28, 1914, the day Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, starting the war; it shows a young Inspector Rutledge getting engaged to a girl whom his friends and family don't approve of, while trying to solve a series of seemingly unrelated murders. This atmospheric novel is a must-read for series fans and a good place to start for newcomers looking for poignant, character-driven historical mysteries. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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