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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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| 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 Girl Who Died
by Ragnar Jónasson
What it's about: A new teacher in a remote Icelandic village investigates after she is plagued by nightmares of a white-clad little girl in her rented attic apartment that happens to be the site of a local legendary haunting.
Reads like: The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen, Wonderland by Zoje Stage, or The Broken Girls by Simone St. James.
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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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Murder in the Cookbook Nook
by Ellery Adams
What it is: When murder is on the menu during the Bookish Cook-Off competition, a blend of the literary and culinary, Jane Steward, the owner of Storyton Hall, must page through the clues to catch a killer.
Series alert: This is the 7th book in the Book Retreat mysteries series.
Reads like: Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay
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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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The Stranger
by Harlan Coben
What it's about: Parents Adam and Hannah confront the shocking secret on which their marriage was built, leaving Adam to wonder whether he ever truly knew his wife at all.
Reads like: Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris, The Widow by Fiona Barton, The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher.
On the screen: The eight-part mini-series based on the book is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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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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Warren County Library 2 Shotwell Drive Belvidere, New Jersey 07823 908-818-1280www.warrenlib.org |
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