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"One had to face the fact: St. Mary Mead was not the place it had been." ~ Agatha Christie (1890-1976), The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side
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New and Recently Released!
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| Bryant & May and the Bleeding Heart: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery by Christopher FowlerMystery. Something odd is going on in London...again. Luckily, the Peculiar Crimes Unit is on the case! Police detectives Arthur Bryant and John May investigate the death of a star-gazing teen, who had claimed the day before he died that he'd seen a reanimated corpse in a small city cemetery. Meanwhile, seven Tower of London ravens are missing, which according to legend means that England is in danger. The octogenarian cops and their team must solve the cases in order to save the day and their department from budget cuts; this darkly humorous 11th in the Peculiar Crimes series will please fans and newcomers alike. |
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| Malice: A Mystery by Keigo HigashinoMystery. It's 1996, and a bestselling Japanese novelist is found dead in a locked room by his wife and a friend. Who murdered him? Though police detective Kyochiro Kaga decides he knows who did it before the book is halfway through, he has no idea what the motive might be. As he digs deeper, twists upon twists come his way in this book that is narrated by both Kaga and his main suspect. If you'd like a fresh, sophisticated take on the traditional mystery novel, you might want to try Keigo Higashino's work; he "combines Dostoyevskian psychological realism with classic detective-story puzzles reminiscent of Agatha Christie" (Wall Street Journal). |
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| The Final Silence by Stuart NevilleNoir Fiction. Some inheritances are better than others. Thirty-four-year old Rea Carlisle thinks her uncle's Belfast house is a pretty good one...until she discovers a homemade book that documents several murders, complete with hair and nail samples from the victims. Though her politician father wants her to keep things hush-hush, she calls her ex-lover, Detective Inspector Jack Lennon to investigate. In his 4th appearance, Jack is recovering from a shooting in addition to juggling several other problems, including taking too many pains pills and being assigned to a new boss, who’s out to get him. And that’s before a second murder takes place. For another gritty take on policing in Northern Ireland, pick up Adrian McKinty's elegantly written Sean Duffy Novels (The Cold, Cold Ground is the 1st). |
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| Truth Be Told: A Jane Ryland Novel by Hank Phillippi RyanMystery. The housing bust left some bankers richer and some families homeless. Reporting on the crisis in her 3rd outing, Jane Ryland follows leads and is soon covering murders and stunning financial corruption. But while digging up facts, she faces some powerful people, who will stop at nothing, including murder, to keep their plans a secret. Meanwhile, her police detective boyfriend has someone walk in off the street and confess to a 20-year-old cold case -- the only problem is, everyone believes the guy but him. Full of suspense with a touch of romance, this well-plotted tale by an Emmy-winning journalist was recently named one of Library Journal's Best Books of 2014. |
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| Dead Broke in Jarrett Creek: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry ShamesMystery. The rural west Texas town of Jarrett Creek is can't-afford-to-pay-our-employees broke. When someone murders the shady son of the local banker, the town needs someone other than its two part-time cops to investigate. So retired former sheriff Samuel Craddock, bad knee and all, heads back into the field and uncovers a series of illicit flirtations, bad investments, and kickbacks that add up to numerous suspects. Third in a fresh new series, Dead Broke in Jarrett Creek should please readers who enjoy mysteries featuring realistic characters set in small towns, such as those by Bill Crider and William Kent Krueger. |
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| The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side: A Miss Marple Mystery by Agatha ChristieMystery. The quaint village of St. Mary Mead has changed over the years, partially due to a new housing development and the newcomers it has brought. Though Miss Jane Marple still lives in her cozy home, her old friend Dolly Bantry (you may remember her from previous books in the series) has moved to a smaller place and sold Gossington Hall to American film actress Marina Gregg. During a party there, a woman dies after being poisoned when she drinks from the cup intended for Marina. Though she's older and physically unable to work in her garden anymore, Miss Marple still knows how to suss out a murderer. A 1980 movie, The Mirror Crack'd, that was based on this book starred Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, and Tony Curtis. |
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| A Puzzle in a Pear Tree: A Puzzle Lady Mystery by Parnell HallCozy Mystery. Bakerhaven, Connecticut is preparing for Christmas. Curmudgeonly puzzle lady Cora Felton has been roped into playing one of the eight maids a-milking in the small town's pageant, which is being helmed by a fussy Broadway director. There's also a live nativity, whose parts are shared by many locals, including Cora's clever niece, Sherry Carter, who's playing the Virgin Mary. Things take a Grinch-like turn when someone steals the play's partridge from the pear tree and leaves an acrostic puzzle threatening an actress -- and then one of the women playing Mary is found dead. Cora has her hands full trying to find the real killer as a visiting Scotland Yard detective aids the investigation and thinks Sherry did it. This is the 4th book in a series that always features clever word play; the 16th, Puzzled Indemnity, comes out in January. |
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| The Beekeeper's Apprentice: Or, On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie R. KingHistorical Mystery. When 15-year-old orphan Mary Russell runs into Sherlock Holmes, she isn't aware that the Sussex beekeeper is the famous, retired detective. She soon learns the truth, and the chance encounter proves pivotal as Holmes, impressed with Mary's intellect, becomes her mentor and teacher -- and eventually something more -- as the two solve crimes together. The Beekeeper's Apprentice is the 1st in Laurie R. King's popular continuation of the Sherlock Holmes oeuvre. If you like well-researched stories and intelligent characters, be sure to check out this intricately plotted series that now numbers 12 books (the 13th, Dreaming Spies, is due out in February). |
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| The Impersonator by Mary MileyHistorical Mystery. In her debut novel, author Mary Miley introduces a young 1920s vaudeville actress, Leah Randall, who has traveled all over the United States, but who loses her job and desperately needs money. When a man tells Leah she looks just like his niece -- the sole heiress to a vast fortune who disappeared seven years earlier -- she reluctantly agrees to impersonate the missing girl, and secretly resolves to learn the heiress' true fate. Silent Murders, the 2nd book in this new series, was recently published. Readers who enjoy the 1920s look at the United Kingdom provided by Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple mysteries, Catriona McPherson's Dandy Gilver books, and Jacqueline Winspear Maisie Dobbs series and don't mind hopping over the pond will want to check out Mary Miley's work. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Prince George's County Memorial Library System 6532 Adelphi Rd. Hyattsville, Maryland 20782 301-699-3500http://www.pgcmls.info/ |
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