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Robert B. Parker's little white lies
by Ace Atkins
Mystery. Boston private eye Spenser and his sidekick, Hawk, follow a con man's schemes on cable news shows and within police precincts in the wake of an elaborate double cross that has victimized a smitten woman as well as a cache of investors, cops and paramilitary contractors.
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The burial hour : a Lincoln Rhyme novel
by Jeffery Deaver
Mystery. A businessman snatched from an Upper East Side street in broad daylight. A miniature hangman's noose left at the scene. A nine-year-old girl, the only witness to the crime. With a crime scene this puzzling, forensic expertise of the highest order is absolutely essential. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are called in to investigate. Soon the case takes a stranger turn: a recording surfaces of the victim being slowly hanged, his desperate gasps the backdrop to an eerie piece of music. The video is marked as the work of The Composer. Despite their best efforts, the suspect gets away. So when a similar kidnapping occurs on a dusty road outside Naples, Italy, Rhyme and Sachs don't hesitate to rejoin the hunt. But the search is now a complex case of international cooperation--and not all those involved may be who they seem. Sachs and Rhyme find themselves playing a dangerous game, with lives all across the globe hanging in the balance.
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Where the dead lie
by C. S Harris
Historical mysteries. When a homeless child is killed in 1813 London, Sebastian St. Cyr uncovers a disturbing pattern of missing children and is drawn into a sadistic underworld operation with links to the writings of the debauched Marquis de Sade, the city's most notorious brothels and a predator in society's upper echelon.
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The Last Chance Olive Ranch
by Susan Wittig Albert
Mystery. Max Mantel, the killer McQuaid put away years ago, has busted out of the Huntsville prison and appears to be headed for Pecan Springs. McQuaid knows there's only one way to stop the vengeful convict--set a trap with himself as bait. China wants to stay by her husband's side and keep him from harm. But McQuaid insists that she get out of town and go to the Last Chance Olive Ranch, where she's agreed to teach a workshop on herbs. When China and her best friend arrive at the ranch, she learns the owner, Maddie Haskell, has her own troubles. She inherited the ranch and olive oil business from the late matriarch, Eliza Butler, but Eliza's nephew is contesting the will. While China throws herself into helping Maddie, McQuaid's plan backfires when Mantel executes a countermove he never saw coming. Now McQuaid's life is not the only one at stake--and this time may really be his last chance.
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| The Violated by Bill PronziniMystery. Using 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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A twist in time : a novel
by Julie McElwain
Historical mysteries. 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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| 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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