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Random Road
by Thomas Kies
It's a crime scene worthy of Hieronymus Bosch, so shocking and so senseless it challenges the local law and intrigues veteran reporter Geneva Chase whose career may be dying alongside that of her small town newspaper. The Sheffield Post headline shouts, "Cops Call Murder Scene 'Slaughterhouse." On the scene, Genie spurs the Deputy Police Chief to tell her quietly, "Six bodies…all nude…hacked to pieces." Even tough Geneva shivers. How could such a slaughter happen on Connecticut's moneyed Gold Coast? To privileged couples inside a historic 1898 Queen Anne mansion on the shoreline of Long Island Sound? Where is the protection afforded by the gated community and the security technology in place? For Geneva, battling alcoholism and bad choices, writing this story is the last chance to redeem herself. She's lost every other major news job she's had. Working at her hometown newspaper is the end of the line-there will be nowhere else to go. But ink still flows thick in her veins. Her story on Sheffield's unlikely killing field is the Post's lead, soon picked up by metro papers, and she keeps it, exposing the turbulence beneath the rich and entitleds' secrets, their ability to buy off embarrassments. She's also tracking community connections, watching a hit-and-run case disappear through a large donation, interviewing dangerous suspects, visiting a swingers club, joining cops for a burglary bust, and taking a guided tour to spot history's underwater ghost. All this despite the distractions of the married man she can't quite ditch and the sweet if shaky love affair she starts with an old high school sweetheart. Can she keep her drinking under control and do her job well enough to keep from getting fired, finish the story, not further screw up her life? And not get killed? First book in new Geneva Chase Mystery series.
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The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes
by David Handler
Once upon a time, Hoagy had it all: a hugely successful debut novel, a gorgeous celebrity wife, the glamorous world of New York City at his feet. These days, he scrapes by as a celebrity ghostwriter. A celebrity ghostwriter who finds himself investigating murders more often than he'd like. And once upon a time, Richard Aintree was the most famous writer in America -- high school students across the country read his one and only novel, a modern classic on par with The Catcher in the Rye. But after his wife's death, Richard went into mourning... and then into hiding. No one has heard from him in twenty years. Until now. Richard Aintree — or someone pretending to be Richard Aintree — has at last reached out to his two estranged daughters. Monette is a lifestyle queen à la Martha Stewart whose empire is crumbling; and once upon a time, Reggie was the love of Hoagy's life. Both sisters have received mysterious typewritten letters from their father. Hoagy is already on the case, having been hired to ghostwrite a tell-all book about the troubled Aintree family. But no sooner does he set up shop in the pool house of Monette's Los Angeles mansion than murder strikes. With Lulu at his side — or more often cowering in his shadow — it's up to Hoagy to unravel the mystery, catch the killer, and pour himself that perfect single-malt Scotch... before it's too late.
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| Conviction by Julia DahlAmbitious Rebekah Roberts writes for a New York City tabloid, but longs for a more prestigious byline. So when she learns of an inmate who claims that his murder confession -- given as a teen -- was coerced, it could be a career-making story. As she digs deeper, she realizes she knows one of the original cops and that the case's prosecutor is set to be the new hotshot D.A. But no one wants to talk about the 1992 Brooklyn crime, which happened amid simmering racial tensions between Jewish and black neighbors. Featuring neat plotting, well-done characterization, and a fascinating look at tight-knit communities, this stellar 3rd in a series can be read on its own; if you want Rebekah's background details, start with the 1st book, Invisible City. |
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Not a Sound
by Heather Gudenkauf
Losing her hearing in a tragic accident, nurse Amelia Winn suffers through two years of depression before rebuilding her life with the help of an assistance dog, only to find herself enmeshed in a fellow nurse's suspicious death. By the New York Times best-selling author of The Weight of Silence.
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Cat shining bright
by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
The stakes are higher and more personal than ever for feline investigator Joe Grey when death comes to his beloved coastal California town in this twentieth installment of the enchanting cat mystery series. While new father Joe Grey is overjoyed to teach his three young kittens about the world, he misses his cop work -- secretly helping solve crimes alongside his human friends at Molena Point P. D. But when beautician Barbara Conley and one of her customers are found dead in the salon, Joe makes an exception, he heads for the crime scene. He has no idea that the kittens are following him, or how they will complicate the investigation. But this is not the only danger to the kittens. A stranger is lurking around the home of Joe's tabby lady, Dulcie, where the kittens were born. Both parents' backs are up and their claws out, ready to protect their babies and to protect Wilma Getz, Dulcie's human housemate. As the death of the beautician becomes entangled with a gang of thieves working the village, Joe, Dulcie, Kit and Pan are all into the investigation; and they are led to unexpected connections, to the building of the new cat shelter and to a neighbor who becomes suddenly an unexpected part of the tangle.
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The state counsellor : a Fandorin mystery
by B. Akunin
When the new governor-general of 1891 Siberia is secreted away on a train to Moscow only to be assassinated by a man pretending to be State Counsellor Erast Fandorin, the real Fandorin must navigate government corruption and the activities of an unknown enemy in order to find the real killer and clear his own name.
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| A Fever of the Blood by Oscar de MurielAn inmate, Lord Ardglass, escapes from Edinburgh's lunatic asylum, leaving a behind a fatally injured nurse before heading to town and attacking his elderly mother. Tracking down the escapee are eccentric Scot Adolphus "Nine-Nails" McGray and London dandy Ian Frey. The two mismatched investigators venture through the worst blizzard in memory while examining links between the Ardglass family and rumors of witches and black magic. A Fever of the Blood, the atmospheric follow-up to The Strings of Murder, is a "mad romp" (New York Times). Fans of Alex Grecian's Murder Squad books who've been looking for a gritty new Victorian mystery series peopled with fascinating characters will want to try these books. |
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The Color of Fear
by Marcia Muller
A knock on the door in the middle of the night. It can only be bad news, and it is: Sharon's father Elwood has been the victim of a vicious, racially-motivated attack. A nationally recognized Shoshone Indian artist, he'd been visiting Sharon for the holidays, browsing for gifts in San Francisco's exclusive Marina district when he was set upon by a mob of angry young men. Now, Elwood lies in a coma, hovering between life and death. With little progress on the investigation from the overworked, short-handed police, Sharon resolves to track down Elwood's attackers and bring them to justice herself. But when Sharon starts receiving hate-filled, racist threats, it's clear that Elwood's attackers aren't planning to come quietly...
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| Blue Light Yokohama by Nicolás ObregónThis notable debut novel by a British-Spanish writer introduces insomniac Tokyo police Inspector Iwata. Freshly reinstated as a cop, Iwata's new to the city and to its homicide department, where he's partnered with Sakai, a no-nonsense female officer who previously worked missing persons. A pair of outcasts, they are given a hot-potato of a case: a Korean family has been brutally murdered, with the father's heart removed and a strange black sun symbol left on a ceiling. Oh, and the experienced cop who was in charge of the case committed suicide four days earlier. With dark humor and atmosphere to spare, this slow-burning, gritty, layered whodunit should appeal to hard-boiled readers and fans of Keigo Higashino's Detective Galileo. |
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Without Fear or Favor
by Robert K. Tanenbaum
In the twenty-ninth novel in the New York Times bestselling Karp-Ciampi series, Butch Karp and his wife Marlene Ciampi must stop a radical organization of armed militants bent on the cold-blooded murder of uniformed on-duty police officers. When a cop shoots down the son of a respected inner-city Baptist preacher, the community rises up in anger and demands to have the officer prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But there’s something more than a call for justice at work here: a plot to bring down the city’s police force through a conspiracy so vast and malicious only Butch Karp and his band of truth-seekers can untangle it.
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Lethal Waves
by Pauline Rowson
A smartly dressed, affluent woman is found dead in her cabin on the ferry from Portsmouth to Guernsey. There are no suspicious circumstances. DI Horton is called to the scene where a vagrant’s body has been murdered. Troubled by unanswered questions surrounding both deaths, Horton must solve a case where dark secrets led to destruction.
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Dead, to Begin With
by Bill Crider
Life is never easy for Texas Sheriff Dan Rhodes. When he is called in the middle of the night to investigate gunshots at a haunted house, Rhodes finds the body of meth dealer Neil Foshee. Recently released from jail, Foshee has his fair share of potential murderers, including former girlfriend Vicki, her new boyfriend, the nephew of Clearview's mayor, and Foshee's criminal cousins Earl and Louie. Complicating matters is Seepy Benton, the community college math professor who has a new summer job. He's founded Clearview Paranormal Investigations and wants to solve the murder by communing with Foshee's ghost. But when he connects with something else instead and a second body is found, Rhodes is left with more questions than ever. Who's the dead person? How long has the body been hidden? Is Benton really able to communicate with ghosts? And most importantly: What, if anything, does the body have to do with Neil Foshee's death?
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| The Violated by Bill PronziniUsing multiple points of view, this "masterly stand-alone novel" (Library Journal) by veteran author Bill Pronzini tells what happens to a small town when a registered sex offender -- thought to be responsible for four recent rapes -- is murdered. Though Martin Torrey had no prior assaults on his record, and no evidence linked him directly to the rapes, the police in Santa Rita, California thought he was their guy. Now, in addition to officially solving the rapes, police chief Griffin Kells (whom the power-hungry mayor is actively trying to get rid of) and brusque detective Robert Ortiz need to solve a murder, too -- but that's hampered when their tangled case grows even more complex in this fast-paced story that thoughtfully examines how crime impacts everyone it touches. |
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The rat catchers' olympics
by Colin Cotterill
1980: The Democratic People's Republic of Laos is proud to be competing in its first-ever Olympics. Of course, half the world is boycotting the Moscow Summer Olympic Games to protest Russia's recent invasion of Afghanistan, but that has made room for athletes from countries that are usually too small or underfunded to be competitive--countries like Laos. Ex-national coroner of Laos Dr. Siri Paiboun may be retired, but he and his wife, Madame Daeng, would do just about anything to have a chance to visit Moscow, so Siri finagles them the job of medical oversight for the Olympians. Most of the athletes are young and innocent village people who have never worn shoes, never mind imagined anything as marvelous as the Moscow Olympic Village. As the competitionheats up, however, Siri begins to suspect that one of the athletes is not who he says he is. Fearing a conspiracy, Siri and his friends investigate, liaising in secret with Inspector Phosy back home in Laos to see if the man might be an assassin. But Siri's progress is derailed when another Lao Olympian is accused of murder. Now in the midst of a murky international incident, Dr. Siri must navigate not one but two paranoid and secretive government machines to make sure justice is done.
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Kill Devil Falls
by Brian Klingborg
Tasked with collecting a fugitive bank robber from a remote town in the Sierra Nevadas called Kill Devil Falls, U.S. Marshal Helen Morrissey soon discovers that she is in real trouble as she becomes trapped in this place rife with secrets worth killing for.
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If You Like: Nancy Atherton
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| The Tale of Holly How: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter by Susan Wittig AlbertHistorical Cozy. In July 1906, Beatrix Potter lives in England's bucolic Lake District and works on getting Hill Top Farm, which she purchased a year earlier, up and running again. In The Tale of Holly How, the 2nd in a series, she also must make time to solve the murder of a well-liked local shepherd, who's found dead in a field. Nancy Atherton fans will find much to like here -- The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter offer a delightful blend of the supernatural (it features charming animals who talk among themselves), richly described settings, small-town intrigues, and a chaste but developing romance between Potter and her solicitor Will Heelis. |
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| The Real Macaw by Donna AndrewsHumorous Mystery. What the mother of infant twins needs is sleep, not a living room full of stolen animals -- but that's what Virginia blacksmith Meg Langslow finds after a 2 a.m. feeding! And along with cats, dogs, hamsters, etc., she finds her animal-loving father, zoologist grandfather, helpful brother, and the local veterinarian. They've liberated the animals from the local shelter, which has repealed its no-kill policy -- but the fifth gang member, the one who was supposed to take custody of the critters, didn't show up. They're upset with him...until the chief of police shows up wondering why they've been calling the cell phone of his newest murder victim for hours. The Real Macaw is the 13th in this entertaining series, and Aunt Dimity fans will enjoy the family-centric tales and small town charm. |
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| Death of a Gentle Lady by M.C. BeatonCozy Mystery. What's in a name? In Mrs. Gentle's case, it's an apt description of how the lady presents herself, but that's it. Scottish policeman Hamish MacBeth tries to tell his friends and neighbors this, but they think Lochdubh's newest resident is quite agreeable. However, Ayesha, Mrs. Gentle's Russian maid, knows the truth, since she's being threatened with deportation by her boss. Swayed by Ayesha's beauty and plight, perpetual bachelor Hamish asks her to marry him -- but before the nuptials can occur, Ayesha disappears...and Mrs. Gentle is murdered. Death of a Gentle Lady, the 24th in M.C. Beaton's popular series, includes a delightful look at village life as well as likable characters. |
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| Ghost in Trouble by Carolyn HartCozy Mystery. Heaven -- in the ghostly form of Department of Good Intentions emissary (and rule-breaker) Bailey Ruth Raeburn -- must help headstrong Kay Clark stay alive. After years away, Kay's former boyfriend has come home to Adelaide, Oklahoma and died in what appeared to be an accident. But did someone push him down the long stairway at his family's mansion? Kay thinks so -- and now she's in danger. Readers who enjoy Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity series may want to try this funny and heartwarming supernatural series that's set in a small town. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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