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| Loch of the Dead by Oscar de MurielWhat happens: In 1889, Detective McGray and Inspector Frey go to the Scottish Highlands to protect the 16-year-old heir to an estate whose life has been threatened. McGray also wants a cure for his mentally ill sister, which might be found in a local well's mysterious healing water.
Series alert: Released in the U.K. last year, this well-plotted, banter-filled 4th Frey and McGray novel is now out in the U.S.
Read this next: For other mysteries that often include the strange and supernatural, try Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May books or M.R.C. Kasasian's (more gruesome) Gower Street Detective novels. |
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| The Stone Circle by Elly GriffithsWhat happens: Forensic anthropologist Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson receive threatening letters and find the bones of a girl missing since 1981, while Harry's wife gives birth (but is it his child?).
Series alert: With the threats reminiscent of letters that first brought Harry and Ruth together, this compelling 11th Ruth Galloway mystery harkens back to the 1st in the series, The Crossing Places (which is where newcomers can start to see complex relationships develop).
Read this next: If you can't get enough of good detectives and their messy marital lives, try Julia Spencer-Fleming's Reverend Clare Fergusson mysteries, which are set in New York State. |
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| The Scent of Murder by Kylie LoganIntroducing: Jazz Ramsey, a 35-year-old administrative assistant at a girls' Catholic high school in Cleveland, Ohio, who trains cadaver dogs in her spare time.
What happens: While practicing with a new dog in an urban construction area, Jazz finds a body...and realizes she knows the victim. Jazz's handsome ex, Detective Nick Kolesov, works the case, but Jazz can't help but nose around too.
Readers should know: Though author Kylie Logan is known for her cozy mysteries, this book starts a more serious series. |
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A Plain Vanilla Murder
by Susan Wittig Albert
What it's about: China Wilcox teams up with pregnant police chief Sheila Dawson to investigate the death of a botany professor, a case that is complicated by an extinct orchid and an innocent child. By the best-selling author of Queen Anne's Lace
Series alert: This is the 27th title in the China Bayles series, to start at the beginning pick up a copy of Thyme of Death.
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Whiskers In The Dark
by Rita Mae Brown
What it's about: A massive nor'easter on the eve of an annual National Beagle Club benefit finds Harry Harristeen and her crime-solving kitties linking the murder of a foreign services officer to an unsolved killing from the 18th century.
Series alert: This is the latest title (#28) in the Mrs. Murphy series, catch the beginning with Wish You Were Here
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Unsolved
by James Patterson
What it's about: Baffled by an outbreak of suspicious fatal accidents, FBI agent Emmy Dockery finds her investigation complicated by her vindictive ex and a plotting stranger. By the authors of The Murder House.
Series alert: This is the second in the Invisible series from James Patterson & David Ellis, the first shares a title with the series name.
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If You Like: Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie
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| In the Woods by Tana FrenchWhat happens: Twenty years after his two childhood best friends vanished in the woods of their small Dublin suburb, police detective Rob Ryan works with his partner and pal Cassie Maddox to investigate a new, similar murder in the same forest.
Awards info: In 2008, this debut and 1st in the Dublin Murder Squad series won an Edgar, an Anthony, and a Macavity.
Why Kate Atkinson fans might like it: it mixes elegant writing and richly drawn characters with a compelling, original story. |
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Career of Evil
by Robert Galbraith
What it's about: When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman's severed leg, and Cormoran Strike must look to his past to determine who is behind the horrid parcel. By a #1 best-selling author of The Cuckoo's Calling.
Why Kate Atkinson fans might like it: intricate plotting; dark humor; and a troubled PI who uses classic detective skills to solve crimes.
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Big Little Lies
by Liane Moriarty
What it's about: An annual school Trivia Night ends in a disastrous riot leaving one parent dead in what appears to be a tragic accident, but evidence shows it might have been premeditated.
Why Kate Atkinson fans might like it: it's a compelling mystery with a character driven plot.
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| Missing, Presumed: A Novel by Susie SteinerIntroducing: smart, single (but lonely and looking) DS Manon Bradshaw.
What it's about: Using multiple narrators, this intricate police procedural and 1st in a series follows the high-profile case of a missing Cambridge graduate student. Meanwhile, the appealing Manon also looks into the death of a black teen and tries to help his young brother.
Why Kate Atkinson fans might like it: the Cambridge setting, authentic characters, engaging story, and the interplay of the personal and professional. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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