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"I thought it was time for a tough, smart, likable female private investigator, and that’s how V.I. came to life." ~ Sara Paretsky, American author
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| The Storm Murders by John FarrowCrime Novel. How did the killer escape? That's what the cops wonder when they discover the still-warm bodies of a middle-aged couple and two Sûreté du Québec officers at an isolated, snowbound farm house -- but there's no murder weapon, no killer, and no tracks in the snow. Similar unsolved murders have occurred in New Orleans and Alabama; stumped, an FBI agent and a Montreal sergeant-detective ask recently retired cop Émile Cinq-Mars, the Hercule Poirot of Canada, for help. Combining elements of a police procedural with those of a thriller, this 1st in a new trilogy by John Farrow (the pen name of talented Canadian author Trevor Ferguson) is actually the 4th book to feature quick-witted Émile. |
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| The Fatal Flame by Lyndsay FayeHistorical Mystery. In 1848 New York City, "copper star" (police officer) Timothy Wilder searches for an arsonist targeting buildings owned by morally corrupt Tammany Hall politician Robert Symmes. While Timothy's no fan of Symmes, he hates fire (it killed his parents and left him with severe facial scars). Meanwhile, disgusted by Symmes' treatment of young Irish immigrant girls, Timothy's brother, Val, runs against him in an upcoming election, and Timothy's long-lost love appears...which may not be a good thing. Though it can be read on its own, The Fatal Flame marks the finale of the Timothy Wilder trilogy. Readers who appreciate the atmospheric writing and period slang here may also want to try Emma Donoghue's Frog Music, set in 1870s San Francisco. |
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| The Devil's Making by Seán HaldaneHistorical Mystery. Chad Hobbes, the Oxford-educated, Darwin-reading son of an English parson, arrives in the colony of British Columbia in autumn 1868. With little money in his pocket, he takes a job as a constable in the burgeoning city of Victoria, where he deals with drunks and petty brawls. But when an American alienist of questionable practices is murdered in grisly fashion, he needs to uncover a killer. Winner of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for best novel, The Devil's Making adroitly explores the relationships between the diverse groups calling B.C. home (Canadian, Native American, U.S. American, British, Black, Chinese) and provides a fascinating, atmospheric look at colonial Canada. |
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| The Governor's Wife by Michael HarveyCrime Novel. After being sentenced to 37 years in prison for fraud and racketeering, Illinois Governor Raymond Perry leaves the courtroom, gets into an elevator alone...and disappears. Two years later, Chicago PI Michael Kelly gets an anonymous email asking him to track down Perry, something that seems impossible given the lack of success by everyone else who's tried. But Michael accepts the challenge (and the $100,000 paycheck), focusing on the governor's devoted wife in hopes of locating him. "Bafflingly complex and ingeniously resolved," says Publishers Weekly. The Governor's Wife is the 5th book in the Michael Kelly mysteries, but is a fine entry place for newcomers. |
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| Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins by James RuncieHistorical Cozy. In 1964 Grantchester, Cambridgeshire, Anglican vicar Sydney Chambers balances being a man of the cloth with "almost officially" being a part-time detective. In his 4th outing, he helps a man who seeks sanctuary in his church. With no memory of the night before, the man awoke in his hotel room to find his wife's bloody body and assumed he killed her -- but when Sydney investigates, the room is clean and the body is gone. Later, a man is crushed by a piano, but it may not have been an accident, and Sydney is wrongly accused of theft. Viewers of the first season of the new TV series Grantchester, which is loosely based on the 1st book in the series (Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death), will notice that the novels are cozier than the TV program. |
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If You Like: Sara Paretsky
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Readers who love hardboiled crime novels should try Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski mysteries. These gritty books helped usher in the tough, urban, female P.I. with a strong social conscience. Set in Chicago's mean streets, they pit V.I. against desperate, dangerous, and powerful opponents while also sharing stories of secondary characters, and the brutal history of corruption in the city. The 1st in the series, Indemnity Only, was originally published in 1982; the 17th, Brush Back, comes out this month. If you're waiting for the latest, try some of the following books, which have similar appeal.
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| Burn by Nevada BarrMystery. On administrative leave to help her recover from recent traumas, National Park Service ranger Anna Pigeon visits her friend Geneva, who works at the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park. But trouble finds Anna in the form of a possible curse, a rough neighbor who isn't what he seems, and a fugitive mother from Seattle accused of killing her family. Like Sara Paretsky, whose richly detailed depictions put readers in Chicago neighborhoods, Nevada Barr writes descriptions that make you feel like you're wherever she is. Also, like Paretsky's detective, Anna is a loner who doesn't give up. Though Burn is the 16th Anna Pigeon mystery, it's a good choice for Paretsky fans since it's grittier and has an urban setting. |
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| B is for Burglar by Sue GraftonMystery. Hired to find a well-to-do woman's missing sister, California PI Kinsey Millhone discovers there's more to the case than meets the eye. Before long, she's investigating an arson and a murder in a book that has "unflagging suspense, a plot that convinces, crisp pacing, and characters that vibrate with life" (Kirkus Reviews). Like Sara Paretsky, Sue Grafton was one of the first women to break down the gender barrier and enter the previously all-male world of hardboiled private eye mysteries, and like V.I., Kinsey has been investigating crime since 1982. Good news, Sue Grafton fans: her latest book, simply called X, is due in late August! |
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| 1222: A Hanne Wilhelmsen Novel by Anne HoltMystery. After a train crash, anti-social, wheelchair-bound, 50-something retired police inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen is trapped along with over 200 others at a snowbound Norway hotel, located 1,222 meters above sea level. While the accident itself only killed one, there's a murderer among the group who's claiming more victims. Anne Holt's 1222, something of an homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, is the fast-paced 8th book featuring Hanne (though only three others are currently available in English). Fans of Sara Paretsky will appreciate the compelling case, the uncompromising female detective, and the strong sense of place. |
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| Baltimore Blues: The First Tess Monaghan Novel by Laura LippmanMystery. After her newspaper closed and she wasn't hired by the other one in town, journalist Tess Monaghan still couldn't leave her beloved Baltimore. Needing money, she agrees to help her friend Rock after he becomes suspicious of his fiancée's strange behavior. Tess uncovers what the woman's doing quickly enough -- but when the woman’s secret lover is murdered and Rock is arrested for the crime, Tess suddenly has new case: clear him and find the real killer. While Sara Paretsky covers the dark side of Chicago, Laura Lippman does the same for Baltimore. Though Lippman's work is lighter in tone than Paretsky's and Tess isn't much of a loner, both series are full of complex characters and tight plotting. |
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| The Night Searchers: A Sharon McCone Mystery by Marcia MullerMystery. San Francisco private detective Sharon McCone is more than a bit skeptical when a client tells her she saw devil worshippers sacrificing a baby in her posh neighborhood. Nevertheless, Sharon goes undercover in a treasure hunting group called the Night Searchers to find the truth. Featuring a detective concerned with social causes, a vividly drawn city setting, provocative cases, and a well-developed cast of interesting characters, the Sharon McCone mysteries provide much for Sara Paretsky fans to enjoy. The Night Searchers is the 31st entry in this series that began in 1977; the most recent, Someone Always Knows, publishes this month. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Durham County Library
300 N. Roxboro Street
Durham, North Carolina 27701
919-560-0100
durhamcountylibrary.org
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