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"We don't appreciate the value of humor sometimes. You can get through very serious and sometimes horrible and sometimes embarrassing and very awkward situations with humor. It gives us a way out." ~ Janet Evanovich, mystery writer
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| Mycroft Holmes: A Novel by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna WaterhouseHistorical Mystery. Sherlock Holmes' older, smarter brother, Mycroft, has just finished studying at Cambridge in 1870 and is looking forward to marrying English rose Georgiana. But when Georgiana hears about a series of strange deaths in Trinidad, her birthplace, she heads home. Mycroft and his Trinidadian friend Cyrus Douglas follow her, and soon find themselves dealing with murder, a missing persons case, supernatural stories, racism, and very evil people. Likely the 1st in a new series, this "slam-dunk" (Library Journal) of a debut mystery was written by NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who has been a fan of Holmes for decades) and screenwriter Anna Waterhouse. |
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| The Zig Zag Girl by Elly GriffithsHistorical Mystery. In 1950s Brighton, England, Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens investigates a strange murder: a beautiful woman has been sliced into three parts. Realizing a famous magic trick inspired the killing, Stephens reconnects with an illusionist friend he served with in a World War II special ops group known as the Magic Men -- and it soon becomes clear that the killings are somehow related to their shared past. This is the 1st in a new series by Elly Griffiths (the 2nd, Smoke and Mirrors, comes out in the UK this month). Though this is a departure from her contemporary novels featuring forensic anthropologist Ruth Galloway, fans will still find a complex mystery, fleshed out characters, and an atmospheric setting. |
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| The Scribe: A Novel by Matthew GuinnHistorical Mystery. Former Atlanta police detective Thomas Canby is called back to town to find a serial killer before the 1881 International Cotton Exposition. Someone is mutilating and murdering prominent African American businessmen, and Canby needs to track down the killer with help from Cyrus Underwood, the city's first African American police officer. In a case marked by fierce racial, political, personal, and moral tensions, Canby and Underwood face danger from all sides. With a fascinating, well-researched post-Reconstruction setting, history fans who don't mind a few gruesome details will particularly enjoy this well-written 2nd novel by Matthew Guinn. |
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| The Child Garden: A Novel by Catriona McPhersonMystery. Twenty-eight years ago, Eden was a newly opened alternative school -- but it was quickly forced to close when a pupil drowned on the grounds. Reinvented as a care home, it now houses Gloria Harkness' 15-year-old son, who's in a vegetative state. Divorcée Gloria is the home's nearest neighbor in the remote Scottish countryside -- but she soon has company when she decides to help an old primary school friend, Stig, who attended Eden in its heyday and believes the drowning may have been murder. Kirkus Reviews calls Catriona McPherson's latest twisty standalone a "stunning combination of creepy thriller and classic mystery." |
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| Shanghai Redemption: An Inspector Chen Novel by Qiu XiaolongMystery. With modern China as a backdrop, this excellent 9th entry in a fine series sees honorable, poetry-loving Chief Inspector Chen Cao unexpectedly given a promotion...but in name only. Trying to sort out exactly why he's been stripped of his police duties and his Communist Party position, he wonders if he's being set up for an even bigger fall. He also helps former colleagues investigate both a murder and a corrupt Party leader. Xizolong Qiu, who was born and raised in Shanghai but now lives in Missouri, provides a fascinating insider's look at a complex country. |
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| Death Wears a Mask: An Amory Ames Mystery by Ashley WeaverHistorical Mystery. "It was amazing, really, what murder had done for my marriage." So begins Death Wears a Mask, the 2nd in the Amory Ames mysteries, which finds our heroine reconciling with her playboy husband...or maybe not. As rumors swirl that Milo is once again spending time with a beautiful woman who's not his wife (a French actress this time), Amory tries to sort out her feelings even as she's asked by a family friend to catch a jewel thief...and then a murder occurs. With a nicely evoked 1930s London setting and droll humor, this stylish book should please fans of Golden Age writers. Readers who'd like a similarly toned book set in the 1880s can try Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey mysteries. |
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If You Like: Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum
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Stephanie Plum is the Jersey-girl bounty hunter heroine of Janet Evanovich's mega-bestselling novels. Stephanie's not so much skilled as lucky (though she is a great liar). Filled with humor and romance, these novels are pure pleasure for readers who like their stories populated with unforgettable, wise-cracking characters (such as gun-toting Grandma Mazur). Of course, there's no one quite like Stephanie, but until you've bagged Tricky Twenty-Two, which was recently published, check out some of the books below.
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| Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah CoontsMystery. What happens in author Deborah Coonts' frothy fictional Vegas doesn't stay there -- thank goodness! -- otherwise, we wouldn't have this amusing debut novel and the 1st in a series. In Wanna Get Lucky?, a young woman falls to her death from the Babylon Hotel's sightseeing helicopter -- which means the hotel's customer relations "fixer," Lucky O'Toole, has a bit of work to do...and a murder to solve. While this "deliciously raunchy" (Kirkus Reviews) novel isn't for everyone, we bet it'll be a big hit with those who love laughs and Vegas. |
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| Dead Witch Walking by Kim HarrisonUrban Fantasy. Witch Rachel Morgan works as a runner (i.e. a bounty hunter) in Cincinnati, where she rounds up lawbreaking werewolves, leprechauns, and the like. In this 1st in a series, she's tired of her job and wants to quit -- but the last person who did paid with their life. Not one to shy away from danger, Rachel leaves anyway. If you enjoy the supernatural aspects in Janet Evanovich's Between-the-Numbers adventures (Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin', etc.), give this series a try; just like Stephanie, Rachel is sassy, witty, and a creative thinker...especially when she's in danger. And if you like the combination of mystery and fantasy found here, check out Jim Butcher's books about wizard detective Harry Dresden. |
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| The Spellman Files by Lisa LutzMystery. In San Francisco, 28-year-old private investigator Isabelle "Izzy" Spellman works for her parents' detective agency, as does her 14-year-old sister Rae (their brother, the perfect and non-nosey one in the family, is a lawyer) -- but Izzy wants out. Her parents agree -- if she solves an ice-cold missing persons case first. The fact that the Spellmans are outlandishly dysfunctional, have trouble with boundaries, and are prejudiced against dentists (including the one Izzy starts dating) adds to the over-the-top fun. This "hilarious debut" (Kirkus Reviews), the 1st in a series, will especially appeal to those Janet Evanovich fans who like zany humor and unusual families. |
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| Faces of the Gone by Brad ParksMystery. Even in crime-plagued Newark, New Jersey, when four bodies are found in a vacant lot, each with one bullet to the head, it's news -- and that means investigative reporter Carter Ross writes the story. When Carter thinks the police are on the wrong path, he gets even more involved and sets out to solve the crimes himself. Recruiting some colorful friends to help him, Ross discovers new leads, making the killers want to put him out of print forever. Library Journal calls Faces of the Gone, the 1st in a series, "the most hilariously funny and deadly serious mystery debut since Janet Evanovich's One for the Money." It also won the 2010 Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel. |
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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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