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| Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding: A Royal Spyness Mystery by Rhys BowenStarring: penniless Georgiana "Georgie" Rannoch, who was 35th in line for the British throne before she withdrew from her position to marry Darcy O'Mara, an Irishman with a secretive government job.
What happens: Georgie plans her summer 1935 wedding (the king and queen are attending) and takes over the running of her godfather's country house...only to find that the servants might be trying to kill her.
Series alert: This is the charming 12th in the Royal Spyness mysteries, but newcomers can start here. |
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| Sweet Little Lies by Caz FrearIntroducing: Cat Kinsella, a too-empathetic (according to her boss) 26-year-old London detective constable estranged from her family.
What happens: A cold case from Cat's childhood is related to a new murder investigation -- and her pub-owner dad may have connections to both.
Who it's for: This compelling British police procedural debut has fascinating characters (especially Cat) and a twisty plot that will appeal to fans of Tana French, Ann Cleeves, and Susie Steiner. |
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The mystery of three quarters : the new Hercule Poirot mystery
by Sophie Hannah
What it's about: Hercule Poirot returns home after an agreeable luncheon to find an angry woman waiting to berate him outside his front door. Her name is Sylvia Rule, and she demands to know why Poirot has accused her of the murder of Barnabas Pandy, a man she has neither heard of nor ever met. She is furious to be so accused, and deeply shocked. Poirot is equally shocked, because he too has never heard of any Barnabas Pandy, and he certainly did not send the letter in question. He cannot convince Sylvia Rule of his innocence, however, and she marches away in a rage. Shaken, Poirot goes inside, only to find that he has a visitor waiting for him--a man called John McCrodden who claims also to have received a letter from Poirot that morning, accusing him of the murder of Barnabas Pandy... Poirot wonders how many more letters of this sort have been sent in his name. Who sent them, and why?More importantly, who is Barnabas Pandy, is he dead, and, if so, was he murdered? And can Poirot find out the answers without putting more lives in danger?"
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Sunrise Highway
by Peter Blauner
What it's about: A young Latina detective in the NYPD tracks a serial killer who has been operating for 40 years and who may have been enabled by the chief of police himself. By the New York Times best-selling author of Proving Ground
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| A Tale of Two Murders: A Dickens of a Crime by Heather RedmondWhat happens: On Epiphany in January 1835, young London journalist Charles Dickens falls for Kate Hogarth, the daughter of his editor; the two investigate the poisoning of Kate's 17-year-old neighbor, a death that's similar to another young lady's demise exactly one year earlier.
Is it for you? With a complex plot unfurled in an unhurried manner, this 1st in a series will be fun for Charles Dickens fans as well as those who enjoy lighthearted historical mysteries with a hint of romance. |
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| The Silkworm by Robert GalbraithWhat it's about: London P.I. Cormoran Strike, a veteran and amputee, and his young assistant Robin investigate the brutal murder of a writer whose latest novel exposed other people's secrets; Robin also plans her wedding, but her fiancé disapproves of both her work and her boss.
Series alert: This is the cleverly plotted 2nd in a series by J.K. Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith (the 4th, Lethal White, just came out).
Media buzz: These compelling books have been adapted for TV; in the U.K., the show's title is Strike, and in the U.S., it's C.B. Strike. |
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| Plaid and Plagiarism by Molly MacRaeWhat happens: Four women -- American librarian Janet; her Scottish friend Christine; Janet's 38-year-old daughter, Tallie; and Tallie's reporter friend, Summer -- buy a bookshop in Scotland. But before they can settle in, a body is found at Janet's vandalized home; now, while preparing for the town's literary festival, the ladies also investigate a murder.
Read it for: the cozy small-town setting and the eccentric characters.
Series alert: This is the 1st in the Highland Bookshop Mystery series; the 2nd, Scones and Scoundrels, came out earlier this year. |
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| The Last Dickens by Matthew PearlWhat happens: After his clerk is murdered while picking up a copy of Charles Dickens' final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, American publisher James Osgood and the dead man's sister leave Boston for London in search of the manuscript and a killer.
Read this next: Pick up Dan Simmons' Drood, which is spooky, critically acclaimed, and covers Dickens' troubled last years (mystery writer Wilkie Collins, who's jealous of Dickens, is the narrator); or to see what all of the fuss is about, pick up The Mystery of Edwin Drood and read Dickens' own words. |
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| Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew SullivanStarring: Lydia Smith, a Denver bookstore clerk who, as a child, was the only survivor of a still-unsolved triple murder.
What happens: Lydia investigates when one of her regular customers hangs himself at the store (with a picture of ten-year-old Lydia in his pocket)...and leaves her his meager belongings, including books that contain coded clues.
Reviewers say: This debut is "an intriguingly dark, twisty story" (Kirkus Reviews), and it "will have particular appeal for puzzle solvers and booklovers" (Booklist). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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