| What You Break by Reed Farrel ColemanIn a part of Long Island far removed from the Hamptons, ex-cop Gus Murphy lives at a motel and works as its late-night van driver/bouncer/house detective. Still adjusting after the death of his son, divorced Gus does a favor for a friend and investigates why someone killed a rich businessman's adult granddaughter (the cops have the killer, but no motive). Gus also learns that a co-worker, bellman Salva, isn't who he seems and has a darker past than Gus'd imagined. Navigating a minefield of secrets, street gangs, and Russians with ties to heinous crimes committed decades earlier, this follow-up to Where It Hurts provides a dark, twisty tale for those who like their mysteries hardboiled. |
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The breakdown
by B. A. Paris
If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust? Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside--the woman who was killed. She's been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done,really? It's a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she'd broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she'd stopped. But since then, she's been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn't have a baby. The only thing she can't forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt. Or the silent calls she's receiving, or the feeling that someone's watching her. By the bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors.
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Fractured families
by Charlotte Hinger
Lottie Albright's regional crime center becomes embroiled in conflict when an investigation into two dead bodies brings together local and KFI authorities.
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Police at the station and they don't look friendly : a Detective Sean Duffy novel
by Adrian McKinty
In 1988 Belfast, a man is killed with a crossbow in front of his own house, and uncovering who is responsible for the murder will take Detective Sean Duffy down his most dangerous road yet, a road that leads to a lonely clearing on a high bog where three masked gunmen will force Duffy to dig his own grave.
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The Case of the Curious Cook : A Cozy Mystery
by Cathy Ace
Henry Devereaux Twyst, eighteenth Duke of Chellingworth, is terribly worried about some water damage to the priceless books in his lower library, so retains the services of a local book restorer to tackle much-needed repairs. The antiquarian also runs the Crooks and Cooks bookshop with his daughter – local TV celebrity chef, The Curious Cook. When the book restorer mentions some strange shenanigans going on at the book shop, Dowager Duchess Althea brings the case to her colleagues at the WISE Enquiries Agency. As the WISE women try to unravel one puzzle from their base at stately Chellingworth Hall, they then get embroiled in another when they come across a valuable book of miniatures which seems to be the work of a local famous artist, murdered by her own brother. Are the cases linked and why do both mysteries lead to a nearby old folks’ home? The WISE women are on the case – and nothing will get in their way . . . Or will it?
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| Snowblind by Ragnar JonassonDespite his live-in girlfriend's wishes, Ari Thor Arason, who previously studied philosophy and theology, accepts his first police job: a posting in a remote village in Northern Iceland near the Arctic Circle. Accessible by tunnel, it's also completely cut off part of the year. His boss informs him that things are done differently here -- you try to avoid giving people tickets and such. But when a suspicious injury and a murder occur, Ari Thor starts to examine everything, including small town secrets. Everyone from Agatha Christie fans to Arnaldur Indridason readers will want to try this debut novel, which was a bestseller in Europe and is the stunning 1st in the Dark Iceland series. |
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Threads of suspicion
by Dee Henderson
Evie Blackwell's reputation as a top investigator for the Illinois State Police has landed her an appointment to the governor's new Missing Persons Task Force. This elite investigative team is launched with plenty of public fanfare. The governor has made this initiative a high priority, so they will have to produce results--and quickly. Evie and her new partner, David Marshal, are assigned to a pair of unrelated cases in suburban Chicago, and while both involve persons now missing for several years, the cases couldn't be more different. While Evie opens old wounds in a close-knit neighborhood to find a missing college student, David searches for a private investigator working for a high-powered client. With a deep conviction that "justice for all" truly matters, Evie and David are unrelenting in their search for the truth. But Evie must also find answers to the questions that lie just beneath the surface in her personal life.
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The fifth element
by Jørgen Brekke
Imprisoned on an island off the coast of Norway, Police Inspector Odd Singsaker wakes up with a gun in his hand next to a dead body and tries to reconstruct what happened and how it may be related to his estranged wife, a corrupt Oslo cop, a drug-stealing college student and a hit man. By the author of Where Monsters Dwell.
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Crime Song
by David Swinson
Working as a private investigator for a defense attorney, a retired D. C. police detective with a secret drug addiction and dwindling cocaine supplies scams a college student in an upscale nightclub in the hopes of stealing a fix before discovering that his home has been burglarized and that the student he targeted has been murdered.
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| The Dime by Kathleen KentWhen Betty "Riz" Rhyzyk, a tough, red-haired, nearly six-foot-tall police detective, relocates from Brooklyn to Dallas, Texas with her long-term girlfriend, she doesn't expect to fit in with the locals. Working in narcotics, Betty does find a friend in her partner Seth; after an operation goes south, the two of them realize the case is bigger than a drug bust and try to sort out what's going on...and if it's related to Biz's stalker and an older case. Gritty and violent but leavened with humor, this scorching 1st in a new series is perfect for readers who like strong female protagonists, realistic characters, and tight plotting. |
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Murderous mayhem at Honeychurch Hall : a Honeychurch Hall mystery
by Hannah Dennison
When the only copy of Ravished, Iris Stanford's new manuscript, never arrives at her London publisher's office, her daughter Kat investigates the tiny local village post office, where it appears the package never left the building. Iris is on tenterhooks--not only is her novel gone with the wind, but she's deathly afraid that Muriel Jarvis, the postmistress and notorious busybody, will expose her secret identity as the bestselling romance writer Krystalle Storm. Meanwhile, Muriel has her own problems with the sudden death of her husband Fred, which has left her heavily in debt. In the spine-tingling climax, both past and present collide as Kat fights for her life and those she holds most dear, dancing once again with the dark forces lurking behind the grandeur of Honeychurch Hall.
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| The Ripper's Shadow: A Victorian Mystery by Laura Joh RowlandIn 1888 London, times are certainly tough, and photographer Sarah Bain has started (illegally) taking "boudoir pictures" of prostitutes and splitting the earnings from their sale with her subjects. After the recent murders of two of the women she's photographed, Sarah and a motley crew of friends (including a Lord, a Jewish immigrant couple, and a street urchin) investigate the Jack the Ripper killings to see if they are connected to Sarah, even if it means drawing the attention of the killer and getting into hot water with the cops. Debuting this 1st in a new series, veteran author Laura Joh Rowland leaves 18th-century Japan but retains atmospheric writing and fine character development. |
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Of books and bagpipes : A Scottish Bookshop Mystery
by Paige Shelton
Thriving in her new home in Edinburgh, historical book seller Delaney Nichols pursues a rare manuscript, only to stumble upon the murdered body of her contact, a crime that she links to a complicated plot. By the author of The Cracked Spine.
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Edited Out : A Mysterious Detective Mystery
by E. J. Copperman
Mystery author Rachel Goldman is getting used to the idea that her fictional creation Duffy Madison has somehow taken flesh-and-blood form and is investigating missing person cases not far from where Rachel lives. Wait. No. She’s not getting used to it at all, and the presence of this real-life Duffy is making her current manuscript—what’s the word?—lousy. So she doesn’t want to see Duffy—the living one—at all. To make matters worse, when he shows up at her door and insists on talking to her, it’s about the one thing she doesn’t want to do: Find a missing person. But the man Duffy seeks this time around might be able to solve Rachel’s problem. He might just be the man Duffy was before he became Duffy five years ago. The only problem is she could be letting Duffy lead her into danger yet again… Entertaining and witty, the second in E.J. Copperman's Mysterious Detective Mystery series Edited Outwill delight his fans, both new and old.
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| An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry ShamesCirca the early 1980s, on the outskirts of Jarrett Creek, Texas, a fire in "Darktown" leaves five African Americans dead, including four young people. A racist highway patrolman in charge of the case arrests African American Truly Bennett, even though inexperienced police chief Samuel Craddock believes Truly's innocent. Craddock, an honorable hometown boy, must also sort out a troublesome drug problem at the local high school. This timely 6th in an atmospheric series is a prequel that examines race and crime; it also provides a fascinating look at a young Craddock and offers a good entry point for newcomers. |
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A Twist in Time
by Julie Mcelwain
A follow-up to A Murder in Time finds former FBI agent Kendra Donovan failing to return to the 21st century and enlisted by the 18th-century Duke of Aldridge to save his nephew, who has been wrongly accused of murder.
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The Scientology Murders : A Dead Detective Novel
by William Heffernan
While investigating a murder that has also left his much-loved adoptive father seriously wounded, Harry Doyle, known to his peers as the Dead Detective, finds himself faced with what many consider the most powerful and secretive cult in the country—Scientology. Clearwater, Florida, is the spiritual center of Scientology, which is run by a fanatical group of true believers who insist that members remain pure and true to their faith. One senior leader has a young man in his employ, a twisted soul who will stop at nothing to make sure the rules are followed. But Harry Doyle, his partner Vicky Stanopolis, and Clearwater Sergeant Max Abrams are in hot pursuit, forcing the killer to run for cover. The Scientologists have places to hide in every part of the globe, and Harry finds himself pursuing the killer to the far reaches of Alaska. In a shocking denouement where everyone's life hangs in the balance, Harry and Vicky come face-to-face with death in a form they never expected.
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If You Like: Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs
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| Murder in the Afternoon: A Kate Shackleton Mystery by Frances BrodyCozy Historical. When a young girl and her little brother sneak away from home to visit their stonemason dad at work, they find his corpse. They tell an adult, but when the authorities arrive, the body is gone. Their worried mother, Mary Jane, calls on PI Kate Shackleton and asks for help...and tells Kate that they are sisters. Adoptee Kate sets aside news about her biological family and investigates, but soon has a growing suspicion that Mary Jane is harboring a dangerous secret. Fans of post-World War I mysteries set in the United Kingdom and featuring complex characters, such as those by Jacqueline Winspear, will want to try the Kate Shackleton series. This 3rd entry was chosen by Library Journal as one of its five best mysteries for 2014; the 7th in the series, A Death in the Dales, was released in the U.S. last month. |
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| The Moor: A Mary Russell Novel by Laurie R. KingHistorical Mystery. In Dartmoor, 20 years after Sherlock Holmes' famous Baskerville case, a ghostly carriage and dog have been seen by more than one person...and a murder has occurred. Called to investigate by his ill, elderly friend Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould, Holmes and his redoubtable young wife Mary Russell stay at Baring-Gould's fascinating house, tramp over the moors, talk with locals, and meet the new owner of Baskerville Hall as they puzzle out the complicated truth. Highly intelligent, courageous, and working during and after World War I, Mary Russell has much in common with Maisie Dobbs; also, like Maisie, Mary was apprenticed to an older and more experienced detective who taught her his methods. The Moor is the 4th in an excellent series; readers who haven't read the 1st, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, may want to start there. |
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| A Deadly Measure of Brimstone: A Dandy Gilver Mystery by Catriona McPhersonHistorical Mystery. In September 1929, Dandy Gilver's family is already sick with complications from the flu when scarlet fever arrives in their Scottish village. Decamping to a health spa, Dandy hopes to ensure the convalescence of her teenage sons and husband Hugh, while investigating, along with her close friend police detective Alec Osborne, the suspicious death of an elderly widow and ghost-like figures in the Turkish baths. This is the 8th entry in an Agatha Award-winning series; Maisie Dobbs readers who enjoy smart, spirited heroines, 1920s and '30s U.K. settings, and leisurely pacing will want to meet Dandy. |
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| An Impartial Witness: A Bess Crawford Mystery by Charles ToddHistorical Mystery. In the summer of 1917, British nurse Bess Crawford accompanies a group of badly wounded soldiers home from the battlefields in France. She recognizes the wife of one of them (he always kept her photo pinned to his tunic) at a London train station -- but she's clinging closely to another soldier. When the woman is murdered, Bess finds herself hunting a killer, especially once the police arrest a soldier she believes to be innocent. An Impartial Witness is the atmospheric 2nd in a series. Those who appreciate strong, independent nurses living during World War I should enjoy spending time with Bess. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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