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"His clothing marked him as Italian. The cadence of his speech announced that he was Venetian. His eyes were all policeman." ~ from Donna Leon's Death at La Fenice
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| Jane and the Waterloo Map by Stephanie BarronHistorical Mystery. In London to negotiate the publication of Emma, Jane Austen witnesses a hero from the Battle of Waterloo die from poisoning...inside the Prince Regent's town residence. The dying colonel's enigmatic final words spark Jane's hunt for a murderer and a map that powerful people will kill for. "Barron deftly imitates Austen’s voice, wit, and occasional melancholy" (Library Journal) in this excellent 13th Jane Austen mystery. For another delightful series set in Regency England, pick up Anna Dean's Dido Kent mysteries; Bellfield Hall is the 1st entry. |
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| Where it Hurts: A Gus Murphy Novel by Reed Farrel ColemanMystery. Everything fell apart for Long Island cop Gus Murphy when his son unexpectedly died due two years ago -- now, he's divorced, estranged from his daughter, and living in a rundown hotel (he works as its van driver and sometime detective). Then Tommy, a criminal he'd arrested a few times, asks him for help; Tommy's son was murdered and no one cares. Gus doesn't want to get involved, but when he's warned off the case by everyone from cops to crooks, he digs in. This excellent, atmospheric 1st in what we hope is a new series by the award-winning author of the Moe Prager novels will no doubt please readers who like their mysteries gritty and their characters troubled. |
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| Unreasonable Doubt by Vicki DelanyMystery. Convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering a woman 25 years ago, Walter Desmond is exonerated and released after it's revealed the police withheld evidence. Heading to Trafalgar City, British Columbia, Walter -- who's always proclaimed his innocence -- hopes to learn why he was set up, but his mere presence causes trouble...and then more assaults occur. Investigating the old case and checking into the new ones, Constable Molly Smith and Sergeant John Winters struggle to find the truth amid the turmoil even as dragon boat training brings newcomers to town and cops harass Desmond in this compelling 8th Molly Smith mystery. |
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| Shoot by Loren D. EstlemanMystery. Though they are elderly now, back in the day Red Montana and Dixie Day were known as the King and Queen of the West. But before she was a wholesome film star, the now terminally ill Dixie Day secretly starred in a blue film -- and someone is threatening to release it unless a payoff occurs. Red wants Dixie to die in peace, and asks archivist and part-time detective Valentino to get the film, but there's a bit of blackmail involved here, too: if Val gets the movie, Red will give him the only surviving copy of Sixgun Sonata, his and Dixie's "lost" first film; if the archivist fails, Red destroys the priceless western. This 4th Valentino mystery will surely please fans of either old Hollywood or Westerns. |
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| The Girls She Left Behind: A Lizzie Snow Novel by Sarah GravesMystery. In rural Maine, 14-year-old Tara Wylie is missing. She's run away before, but this time seems different, and Aroostook County Sheriff's deputy Lizzy Snow has a gut feeling that something very bad has happened. When it turns out that a kidnapper who'd held other girls captive for over a decade has escaped, Lizzie talks with Janie, one of his former captives. Told from the point of view of various characters, including Tara, Lizzie, and Janie, this compelling tale will please those who like complex, suspenseful stories. Readers who know Sarah Graves' work from her Home Repair Is Homicide mysteries should know that the Lizzy Snow series, of which this is the 2nd entry, is darker in tone. |
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| A Midsummer's Equation: A Detective Galileo Novel by Keigo HigashinoMystery. A group from a small coastal Japanese town attempts to keep their pristine harbor from being the site of a large corporation's undersea mining operation -- but a weekend conference to address the issue ends in murder. Characters include a likable 5th-grade boy (who's been pawned off on his aunt and uncle for a week or so), his older cousin (a dedicated environmentalist), and a speaker at the event, physicist Manabu Yukawa (aka Detective Galileo). Using his investigatory abilities once again (this is his 3rd outing), Galileo cleverly unearths who killed a retired Tokyo homicide detective. Publishers Weekly says that "superb fair cluing and a nicely enigmatic lead will appeal to golden age fans." |
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Donna Leon's popular series featuring Venice, Italy, police Commissario Guido Brunetti appeals to readers who enjoy nuanced, elegant mysteries with a sense of justice, accurate depictions of Venetian life, fascinatingly complex characters, and tales that unravel at a deliberate pace. Those who haven't started the series may want to begin with the 1st book, Death at La Fenice; longtime fans can enjoy the 25th entry, The Waters of Eternal Youth, which is out this month.
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| The Shape of Water by Andrea CamilleriPolice Procedural. Inspector Salvo Montalbano of the Sicilian police force is assigned to investigate the high-profile, scandalous death of a local politician (he died with his pants around his knees in "the pasture," home to the rural area's prostitutes). Most everyone wants Montalbano to accept the ruling of death by natural causes, but of course, he can't. Like Brunetti, Montalbano is a gourmand policeman battling governmental corruption in a complex Italian milieu and isn't above breaking the rules in order to serve up justice. This is the 1st book in the internationally bestselling mystery series. |
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| A Share in Death by Deborah CrombiePolice Procedural. A Share in Death, Crombie's debut novel, introduces readers to Scotland Yard's Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James. Kincaid, who is on vacation in the north of England, must set aside his leisure plans in order to solve several disparate murders that have occurred at his vacation complex. Since Kincaid and James' professional partnership develops with each outing, it's best to start with this 1st book in the series, which Booklist calls a "thoroughly entertaining mystery." Just as Donna Leon does, author Deborah Crombie writes elegant mysteries with cleverly constructed plots and intricately detailed settings. |
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| Ratking by Michael DibdinPolice Procedural. Police Commissioner Aurelio Zen of Rome becomes involved in the months-old kidnapping of wealthy industrialist Ruggiero Miletti, a case that takes him to Perugia in the Umbria region of Italy. It also plummets him into a morass of family troubles and police politics as not everyone in Miletti's family seems to want him rescued and the local police resent Zen's presence. This Gold Dagger Award-winning novel, the 1st in an excellent series, is a good pick for Donna Leon fans who'd like a wider view of Italy, because not only does Zen share many similarities with Brunetti, he also travels throughout the country solving cases. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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