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Nighttown
by Timothy Hallinan
"Los Angeles burglar Junior Bender has a rule about never taking a job that pays too well--in the criminal underworld, if someone is offering you more money than a job is worth, someone is going to end up dead. But he's bending his rule this one time because he and his girlfriend, Ronnie, are in desperate need of cash so they can hire a top-notch kidnapper to snatch Ronnie's two-year-old son back from her evil ex. The whole thing is pretty complicated, and has Junior on edge. The parameters of his too-well-paying job do nothing to calm his nerves. A nameless woman in an orange wig has offered Junior fifty grand--twenty-five up front--to break into the abandoned house of a recently deceased 97-year-old recluse, Daisy Horton, and steal a doll from the woman's collection. Junior knows no doll is worth $50k, so he figures there must be something hidden inside the doll that can get him in a heap of trouble. It takes Junior less time than he would have hoped to realize he's not the only person looking for the doll. When an old friend ends up murdered, Junior decides he will stop at nothing to figure out who the woman in the orange wig is, and why she wants the doll so bad she's leaving a trail of bodies in her wake"
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| The Vanishing Man: A Charles Lenox Mystery by Charles FinchFeaturing: Charles Lenox, a 26-year-old sleuth and Oxford grad in 1853 London; his butler Graham, who assists with cases; his clever neighbor, Lady Jane Grey; and Lancelot, his mischievous 12-year-old cousin.
What happens: The theft of a duke's painting finds Lenox contemplating Shakespeare, visiting a Tower of London prisoner, seeing his own name dragged through the mud, and sussing out a killer.
Series alert: This is the 2nd prequel in the Charles Lenox series and the 12th book overall. |
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The killer in me : a novel
by Olivia Kiernan
"Death is no stranger to Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan, but she isn't the only one from her small, coastal suburb to be intimately acquainted with it. Years ago, teenager Sean Hennessey shocked the tight-knit community when he was convicted of the brutal murder of his parents and attempted slaying of his sister, though he always maintained his innocence. Now, Sean finally being released from prison--but when his newfound freedom coincides with the discovery of two bodies, the alleged connection between the cases only serves to pull Frankie further from answers even as it draws her closer to her town's hidden darkness. With a television documentary revisiting Sean sentence pushing the public's sympathies into conflict on a weekly basis, arabid media pressuring the police like never before, and a rising body count, Frankie will need all of her resources if she is not only to catch a killer, but put to rest what really happened all those years ago. A dark, irresistible cocktail of secrets,murder, and family, Olivia Kiernan's latest is an impossible-to-put-down triumph"
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| In the Dark by Cara HunterThe set up: An Oxford, England, home renovation creates an opening in a basement wall belonging to a weak, dementia-afflicted professor -- and exposes a room containing a traumatized woman and a two-year-old boy.
What happens: In his engrossing 2nd outing, Thames Valley Police DI Adam Fawley finds the facts don't add up as he unearths a link to a cold case...and then things get even more complex.
Reviewers say: "This slow-burning procedural builds with tension as the narrative moves through several cunning twists" (Library Journal). |
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A Cast of Vultures
by Judith Flanders
Mystery. London book editor Sam Clair sets off to do her Saturday morning trip to the farmers' market and finds herself in the middle of a neighborhood mystery. Her elderly friend Viv's upstairs neighbor has disappeared, and feisty Viv wants help finding out what happened to him (a little breaking and entering might be involved). Then a series of arsons grows closer when a nearby house inhabited by squatters is torched and a body is found inside. With some help from her police detective boyfriend Jake, Sam tries to unravel what's going on. Third in a series, A Cast of Vultures features a sassy, relatable heroine, eccentric secondary characters, and a lively look at modern London and book publishing.
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| Hunting Game by Helene TurstenIntroducing: Embla Nyström, a 28-year-old Swedish Detective Inspector with anxiety, which she battles by boxing (and she's a champ).
What it's about: Embla goes on her annual moose hunting trip with her uncle and friends, but several strange things happen and someone drowns in suspicious circumstances. Embla seeks answers and delves into the pasts of her fellow hunters, including an enigmatic outsider.
For fans of: closed-circle mysteries; the author's Inspector Irene Huss series (Nyström even appears briefly in The Treacherous Net) and other moody Scandinavian mysteries with strong female leads. |
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| What Angels Fear: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. HarrisWhat it's about: At the dawn of the Regency period in 1811 London, the prime suspect in the brutal rape and murder of a woman is young Sebastian St. Cyr, a war veteran and heir to an earldom. Turning fugitive, St. Cyr, a master of disguise, seeks to clear his name.
Why Anne Perry fans might like it: it's part of a long-running series, has fascinating historical details, and includes a bit of romance.
Series alert: This is the atmospheric 1st entry in the St. Cyr mysteries; the 14th, Who Slays the Wicked, comes out this month. |
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| Fatal Enquiry by Will ThomasStarring: enigmatic private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker, whose nemesis is back in London; and Barker's clever assistant, Thomas Llewelyn.
Series alert: This is the 6th book in the acclaimed Barker and Llewelyn Victorian mysteries (the 1st is Some Danger Involved).
Who it's for: Highly developed characters, an authentic Victorian setting, and a look at social issues will please fans of Anne Perry and Alex Grecian; a tour through London bolt holes, the detective-assistant relationship, and Llewelyn's narration will please Sherlockians. |
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| Murder in Murray Hill: A Gaslight Mystery by Victoria ThompsonStarring: Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy, a single father who recently inherited a lot of money, and his intrepid fiancée, midwife Sarah Brandt.
What happens: In late-19th-century New York, wealthy men aren't welcome to work as cops, so on his last police case, Frank looks for a missing spinster who'd responded to a “lonely hearts” newspaper ad.
Series alert: This intense 16th Gaslight Mysteries is fine for newcomers; the 22nd series entry, Murder on Trinity Place, was just published.
Anne Perry fans might like: the compelling story, vibrant Victorian setting, and well-drawn relationship between a male police detective and his female companion. |
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| The Gate Keeper by Charles ToddStarring: Scotland Yard's Inspector Ian Rutledge, a shell-shocked World War I veteran who often hears the voice of Hamish, a dead soldier.
What happens: A nighttime encounter with a woman standing over a body on a lonely Suffolk road leads Rutledge to a tricky case in his 20th outing (the 21st entry, The Black Ascot, came out earlier this year).
Anne Perry fans might like: the vivid English setting; the intelligent, tightly woven plot; and the nuanced characters. This series will especially appeal to fans of Perry's World War I series. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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