Celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May |
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A Death in Tokyo
by Keigo Higashino
A strange death: Tokyo Police Detective Kyoichiro Kaga investigates the murder of a businessman who, after being fatally stabbed, went to the historic Nihonbashi bridge to die. The obvious suspect is a young man who fled from the police and was found with the victim's wallet, but Kaga thinks there's more to the story.
Series alert: A Death in Tokyo is the intricately plotted 3rd Kyoichiro Kaga mystery, following Malice and Newcomer, though readers can start here.
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| Now You See Us by Balli Kaur JaswalAll for one: When one of their own is arrested for murdering her wealthy employer, three Filipina domestic workers in Singapore, who vary greatly in age and personality, team up to prove the woman's innocence.
Why you might like it: Combining humor, heart, and timely social issues, Now You See Us has memorable characters and an intricate plot.
Read this next: If you'd like a cozier novel set in the island nation, pick up Ovidia Yu's Singaporean mysteries; or, while it's more literary fiction than mystery, try Christy Lefteri's Songbirds, which movingly depicts amateur sleuths searching for a missing domestic worker in Cyprus. |
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Portrait of a Thief
by Grace D. Li
What happens: A Chinese American art history major at Harvard, Will Chen is offered a (very illegal) chance to reclaim five priceless treasures China lost centuries ago and assembles a team of fellow students, chosen for their skills and loyalty, to help him on his mission and make history.
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Death Doesn't Forget
by Ed Lin
What happens: Jing-nan, who runs a popular Taipei night market food stand, has become famous for helping people, so he agrees to recover stolen lottery winnings for his girlfriend's mom. But when the thief is murdered, Jing-nan is blamed, and there's a surprising second murder.
Series alert: This entertaining 4th outing for Jing-nan vividly depicts modern-day Taiwan and thoughtfully addresses issues facing Indigenous people.
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Blackmail and Bibingka
by Mia P. Manansala
What happens: With her trouble-magnet cousin returning to Shady Palms for Christmas, cafe owner Lila Macapagal isnt surprised when she has to clear his name after being accused of murder.
Series note: 3rd in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen mystery series.
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Take No Names
by Daniel Nieh
The plot: While breaking into storage units to steal the possessions of the recently deported, Victor Li finds a rare and valuable gem that sends him across the U.S./Mexico border where he quickly realizes it is wrapped up in a much larger scheme involving shadowy international interests jockeying for power.
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Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Reading between the tea leaves: When she discovers a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, Vera Wong, a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands, calls the police but not before swiping the flash drive from the body, setting a trap for the killer that becomes complicated by unexpected friendships with her customers.
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| The Golden Spoon by Jessa MaxwellBake week: At the Vermont estate of "America's Grandmother" Betsy Martin (a cookbook author who's maybe not as sweet as she appears), a 10th annual televised baking contest begins, complete with white tent, six contestants, and a young new male co-host.
Sabotage and more: Someone substitutes ingredients, leaves a fridge door open, etc., and then adds murder to the menu.
Is it for you? If a traditional country house mystery mixed with The Great British Bake Off makes you salivate, you'll love this fun concoction. |
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| The Raven Thief by Gigi PandianStarring: Tempest Raj, a former stage magician who helps her dad run Secret Staircase Construction in their charming California hometown.
What happens: A client has a mock seance to symbolically rid her house of her ex-husband -- but then his body mysteriously appears during the event and the cops suspect Tempest's beloved grandfather of murder.
Who it's for: This 2nd in the Secret Staircase series will entertain fans of classic author John Dickson Carr with its impossible crime plot as well as readers of Mia P. Manansala's Tita Rosie's Kitchen mysteries, who'll enjoy the close-knit family and small-town setting found here. |
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| Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa AnapparaStarring: Jai, a nine-year-old fan of crime shows who turns detective when his classmate disappears from their unnamed Indian slum, plus the two friends he charms into helping him, Pari and Faiz.
Why you might like it: Main narrator Jai is cheeky and endearing and the other characters are engagingly complex; their poverty-stricken neighborhood is full of life; even though the book deals with tough social issues, the writing is witty, descriptive, and warm. |
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Spirits and Sourdough
by Bailey Cates
(Mass Market Paperback Original)
Series Alert: the 10th Magical Bakery Mystery.
What happens: While investigating the recent murder of a woman whose ghost has been following her, baker Katie Lightfoot, under pressure from the living and the dead, must employ her magical skills to discover why her new husband’s guardian spirit has gone missing.
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Hot and Sour Suspects
by Vivien Chien
(Mass Market Paperback Original)
The plot: When a speed-dating contest at Ho-Lee Noodle House results in the murder of a participant, Lana Lee, piecing together the events of that night, delves into the past of this man who has too many scorned lovers and mistreated colleagues to count.
Series note: the 8th Noodle Shop Mystery
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Crimes and Covers
by Amanda Flower
What happens: At her wedding reception, Charming Books proprietor Violet Waverly recognizes a dead body in the Niagara River as a recent customer with a rare copy of Walden.
Series alert: the 5th entry in the Magical bookshop mystery series
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Cheddar Late Than Dead
by Linda Reilly
(Mass Market Paperback Original)
The plot: While catering the extravagant bridal shower of Klarissa Taddeo, a former classmate, grilled cheese shop owner Carly finds murder on the menu when the groom-to-be is poisoned and must find the real killer to save Klarissa from getting burned by false accusations.
Series note: the 3rd title in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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