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| Guilt at the Garage by Simon BrettWhat it's about: In the coastal village of Fethering, West Sussex, straitlaced 50-something Carole and her more free-spirited neighbor Jude investigate after Carole's car is vandalized and a suspicious death occurs at the repair shop.
Why you might like it: This wryly humorous 20th Fethering novel offers a pleasing English locale, intricate plotting, and inheritance drama.
For fans of: M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin mysteries. |
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| Smoke by Joe IdeStarring: Isaiah "IQ" Quintabe, of East Long Beach, California, who's got a Sherlock-esque brain that he uses as an unlicensed detective.
What happens: Due to PTSD and threats on his life, IQ heads to a small Northern California town to lay low -- but he's soon pulled into a hunt for a serial killer. Back home, IQ's hustler friend Dodson accepts an advertising internship in his effort to go straight.
Series alert: Smoke is the entertaining 5th in a darkly humorous series; those who want to start with the 1st entry should pick up the award-winning IQ. |
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| The Stills by Jess MontgomeryOhio 1927: Sheriff Lily Ross tries to find out how a batch of her friend Marvena's moonshine was tainted, almost killing a local teen. But another bootlegger, his pregnant wife, and Lily's prohibition agent brother-in-law complicate matters -- and then there's a murder.
Series alert: This is the compelling 3rd Kinship novel after The Widows and The Hollows.
For fans of: Amy Stewart's Kopp sisters novels, which also have strong characters inspired by real women; Julia Keller's Bell Elkins mysteries, which have vivid characters and an evocative contemporary Appalachian setting. |
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| The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O'DonnellWhat it is: an inventive Gothic-tinged mystery with supernatural elements set in 1893 London that was published to much acclaim in the U.K. in 2018.
What happens: A Cambridge student, a Scotland Yard detective, and a wealthy woman journalist work together to solve several disappearances and a suspicious suicide.
Read this next: Lynn Shepherd's The Solitary House, Jess Kidd's Things in Jars, or Oscar De Muriel's Frey and McGray novels. |
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| Sleep Well, My Lady by Kwei QuarteyThe set up: In a locked house in a gated community in Accra, Ghana, talented fashion designer Lady Araba is horrifically murdered.
What happens: A year later the woman's chauffeur has been convicted of the crime, but her beloved aunt believes he's not the killer and hires a detective agency. Emma Djan, a former cop who's now a dedicated young PI, goes undercover and finds ugly secrets and powerful people.
Why you might like it: This sequel to The Missing American moves back and forth in time covering Araba's early life and career and offers a vividly described Ghana, intriguing characters, and tight plotting. |
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| Sacred Games by Vikram ChandraWhat it is: an epic crime novel set in a gritty Mumbai that focuses on world-weary Sikh cop Sartaj Singh and violently ambitious Hindu gangster Ganesh Gaitonde, as well as the people who swirl around them, including a Bollywood starlet, a madam, a maid, and more.
Who it's for: those who love complex, sprawling stories, atmospheric, noirish looks at a single city, vivid prose, and richly drawn characters.
On the screen: A 2018-2019 Hindi-language TV series of the same name was based on this 2006 book -- and the program was the first Netflix Original from India (English subtitles are available). |
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| The Crow Trap by Ann CleevesWhat it's about: Three very different women work to complete an environmental survey about the impact of a quarry in Northumberland. Then an odd suicide and a second death bring unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope to town to sort it all out.
Series alert: First published in 1998, The Crow Trap is Vera's 1st outing; the 9th and most recent book, The Darkest Evening, came out last year.
On the screen: The Vera Stanhope books inspired the popular British TV series Vera. But that isn't Cleeves' only screen adaptation -- her Shetland Island books were dramatized as Shetland and her new Matthew Venn series is set to receive similar treatment. |
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| Coconut Layer Cake Murder by Joanne FlukeWhat happens: Hannah Swensen is stressed. So much so that her doctor prescribes a vacation. But she cuts short her Los Angeles trip when her sister’s cop boyfriend is implicated in the murder of a former classmate and can't recall what happened.
Read this next: If you like this 25th in the cozy culinary mystery series, try Katherine Hall Page's Faith Fairchild novels or Sarah Graves' Death by Chocolate mysteries (recipes included in all three series).
On the screen: Hallmark made five Murder, She Baked movies based on the Hannah Swensen mysteries; TV host and actress Alison Sweeney played the crime-solving Minnesota baker in all of them. |
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| Next to Last Stand by Craig JohnsonWhat happens: After an elderly man dies at the Veterans' Home of Wyoming, artwork and a million dollars is found in his room, leading Sheriff Walt Longmire to a case connected to Russians, General George Custer, and a famous work of art long thought destroyed.
Series alert: Though recent outings have been harrowing for Longmire, this 16th book is a bit lighter. Look for the 17th entry, Daughter of the Morning Star, in September.
On the screen: The well-received TV series Longmire featured Australian actor Robert Taylor in the title role and ran for six seasons between 2012 and 2017. |
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| The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall SmithWhat happens: Precious Ramotswe details becoming Botswana's only lady private detective and investigating several intriguing cases, including a missing boy, the suspicious return of a long-gone father, and a clinic doctor behaving strangely.
Series alert: This is the charming 1st in the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Out in October is the 22nd book, The Joy and Light Bus Company.
On the screen: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books inspired a TV movie (2008) and a six-episode series (2009), both starring multi-talented Jill Scott as Precious. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Plymouth Public Library 201 N. Center St. Plymouth, Indiana 46563 574-936-2324 www.MyPlymouthLibrary.org
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