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"I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma." ~ Eartha Kitt (1927-2008), American singer and actress
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| Death in Brittany: A Mystery by Jean-Luc BannalecMystery. Quelle horreur -- a brutal killing disrupts an idyllic Breton village! Police Commissaire Georges Dupin, who was transferred from happening Paris to sleepy northern France nearly three years ago, must sort things out, but the murder shocks him and the villagers of Pont-Aven, an arts town where everyone knows everyone else. Who would fatally stab the legendary 91-year-old owner of a historic hotel that once hosted the likes of Paul Gauguin? And why do it just as tourist season begins? Persistent, curmudgeonly Dupin is determined to find out. Those who adore Georges Simenon's mysteries and have longed for a modern-day Maigret will appreciate this evocative debut that's already an international bestseller. |
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| Badlands: A Novel by C.J. BoxMystery. Thanks to a massive oil discovery, once-dying Grimstad, North Dakota has been transformed into a sprawling boom town full of newcomers and new houses -- as well as drugs, gangs, and violence. Early one morning, 12-year-old paperboy Kyle Westergaard, who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome, witnesses a vehicle fatally force another car off the road -- but the police say it's a single-car accident. Complicating things is Kyle's decision to take a bag that fell out of the crashed car -- a bag that lots of people want. Narrated by both Kyle and deputy sheriff Cassie Dewell (readers of The Highway will remember her), this atmospheric novel brims with suspense and action. For another compelling mystery that deals with fracking, murder, and a rapidly changing community, try Tom Bouman's Dry Bones in the Valley. |
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| After the Storm: A Kate Burkholder Novel by Linda CastilloPolice Procedural. When a tornado plows through rural Painters Mill, Ohio, it leaves death and devastation in its wake. In the aftermath, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder tries to save an infant in a trailer park, but ends up with disgruntled parents blaming her for the death. The storm also uncovers 30-year-old human remains that'd been hidden in an Amish barn. When forensics shows that the person had been gruesomely murdered, Kate, who was raised Amish, must use her insider knowledge to sort out long-hidden secrets even as she struggles with her own life-changing event. No cozy, this 7th in the Kate Burkholder thrillers doesn't shy away from violence. |
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| The Precipice: A Novel by Paul DoironMystery. Two young women hiking the most remote part of the Appalachian Trail, Maine's Hundred-Mile Wilderness, haven't been heard from in days. Game warden Mike Bowditch and his girlfriend, wildlife biologist Stacey Stevens, aid in the desperate search. While many folks think the women were probably attacked by coyotes (they had written about the animals in several trail log books), Mike and Stacey believe something more sinister may have happened. Readers who appreciate evocative mysteries set in the great outdoors, like those by C.J. Box and Nevada Barr, will find much to like in this 6th in a series. |
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| Down Among the Dead Men by Peter LoveseyPolice Procedural. When his irritating boss, Assistant Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore, tells him the two of them are off to Sussex to investigate a fellow cop over a possible ethics violation, Detective Peter Diamond isn't pleased. He's even more unhappy when he learns that his friend, Senior Investigating Officer Henrietta "Hen" Mallin (whom readers may remember from The House Sitter, The Circle, and The Headhunters), is the accused. Add in a missing art teacher from a posh girls' school (whom no one much misses) and a stolen BMW (that turns out to have a dead body in the trunk), and Diamond has his hands full in his richly detailed 15th outing, which is "ideal for those who prefer cerebral rather than graphic whodunits" (Library Journal). |
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| The A.B.C. Murders: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha ChristieClassic Mystery. Though he tried to retire years ago, Hercule Poirot keeps getting involved in murder cases; as he says, "like the Prima Donna who makes always one more appearance." But his mastery of detective skills is taunted and tested by a mysterious correspondent who predicts and then executes alphabetical murders (Alice Ascher in Andover, Betty Barnard in Bexhill, etc.). With the help of his friend Captain Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, Poirot tracks down the clever criminal. First published in 1936, this is the 11th Hercule Poirot mystery. |
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| "A" is for Alibi: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery by Sue GraftonMystery. Tough California PI Kinsey Millhone's 1st outing finds her working a cold case for Nikki Fife, the wife of a murdered (and philandering) divorce lawyer. Having served years in prison for the killing, Nikki's learned of some new evidence and wants Kinsey to find out who really killed her husband. For other fast-paced, well-plotted stories featuring strong heroines, try Dana Stabenow's Alaska-set Kate Shugak mysteries or Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan mysteries, which take place in Baltimore. Already a Kinsey fan? Then you probably know that her 24th novel, X, will be published at the end of the month (and that it's gotten great reviews!). |
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| The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo HigashinoCrime Novel. Ishigami is a lonely genius, a math teacher infatuated with his next-door neighbor Yasuko, a lovely single mother of a teenage daughter. But when Yasuko's ex-husband tries to extort money from her and threatens her daughter, he ends up dead. Ishigami, having heard the commotion, shows up and takes over, disposing of the body and devising a clever cover story when the police investigate. But problems build as the involvement of an old colleague threatens to destabilize both Ishigami's ability to counter every police move and his plans for himself and Yasuko, who begins to break down -- and pull away. A bestseller and prize-winner in Japan, this is Keigo Higashino's first novel to be translated into English; the second is Salvation of a Saint. |
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Dial M for Mischief
by Kasey Michaels
Meet the Sunshine girls-three mischievous sisters out to clear their father's name...and maybe get a little romance on the side. When her father is murdered, Hollywood darling Jolie Sunshine, determined to stop the gossip once and for all, turns to millionaire Sam Becket for help in finding the truth surrounding her father's death, a partnership that leads them both down a path of temptation.
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| The Man in 3B by Carl WeberMystery. The new guy in apartment 3B seems to have it all -- handsome and charismatic Daryl Graham has charmed all the ladies while their male counterparts view his swagger with more than a little bit of jealousy. So, of course, he ends up dead! Gossip runs rampant, but when the cops say it's murder, the Jamaica, Queens apartment building buzzes even more than usual -- especially since they are all suspects. Mixing mystery, suspense, and all the complexities that bestselling urban fiction author Carl Weber is known for, The Man in 3B is undeniably compelling; a movie version will be in theaters this fall. |
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| The Death and Life of Bobby Z by Don WinslowCrime Novel. At the center of this story is imprisoned screw-up Tim Kearney, who is offered a way out of prison (he's doing life) if he agrees to impersonate legendary drug dealer Bobby Z. It's all part of a DEA scheme to rescue a federal agent, but it's a case of out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire for Tim when the deal goes bad. Soon, he's on the run from the cops, ex-girlfriends, Hell's Angels, drug dealers, and more -- with Bobby Z's six-year-old son in tow. Both Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen fans should appreciated this "frantic and funny" (The New York Times Book Review) novel. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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