Mystery
August 2022
Recent Releases
Harlem Sunset
by Nekesa Afia

1927 Harlem: Louise Lloyd happily works at a club owned by her girlfriend Rosa's brother. But when the three awaken after a party to find Rosa covered in blood and a body nearby, Louise turns sleuth again in this atmospheric sequel to Dead Dead Girls.

Reviewers say: "A vivid crime story and an engrossing depiction of an era" (Kirkus Reviews).

Also available in eAudiobook on Libby
Death and Hard Cider
by Barbara Hambly

Starring: Benjamin January, a free Black musician in 1840 New Orleans who trained as a surgeon and occasionally works as a detective.

What happens: During a political campaign party featuring Henry Clay, violence breaks out over a young woman, who is later murdered. To clear a friend's name, January battles racism and powerful men.

Also available in eBook on Hoopla
Vera Kelly Lost and Found
by Rosalie Knecht

Family problems: In 1971, Brooklyn PI Vera Kelly and her girlfriend Max are asked to visit Los Angeles and Max's wealthy family, who disowned Max for being gay several years earlier. When Max disappears not long after their arrival, Vera goes undercover to find her.

Series alert: Following Who Is Vera Kelly? and Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery, this 3rd book once again offers a stylish, well-plotted novel.

 
Death and the Conjuror
by Tom Mead

What happens: Joseph Spector, a magician in 1936 London, helps his friend, Scotland Yard Inspector George Flint, after a psychotherapist is found brutally murdered in his locked office.

For fans of: Acclaimed debut novels; Golden Age mysteries; impossible crime mysteries; John Dickson Carr.

Also available in eAudiobook on Hoopla
If you like: Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries
Laura Child's popular Tea Shop cozy mysteries feature appealing characters, tidy plotting, and vividly described settings, usually around Charleston, South Carolina. Plus, recipes and information about tea are included. While you're waiting to read the 24th and latest Tea Shop mystery, A Dark and Stormy Tea, try these books:
 
A Deadly Inside Scoop
by Abby Collette

Introducing: Bronwyn "Win" Crewse, a 20-something MBA grad who's returned to small-town Ohio to reopen her family's traditional ice cream parlor.

What happens: A con artist with a connection to Win's family shows up, and after Win discovers his body in the snow, the cops suspect her dad. So it's up to Win, her grandfather, and her friends to clear his name.

Why you might like it: This appealing cozy mystery series opener features a warm relationship between Win and her family, plus ice cream-making details and recipes.
 
Also available in eAudiobook on Libby
Also available in eAudiobook on Hoopla
Tea & Treachery
by Vicki Delany

Introducing: Lily Roberts, a former Manhattan pastry chef who has opened a small tea shop near her grandmother's beautiful Cape Cod bed-and-breakfast. 

What happens: A real estate developer planning to build a huge hotel next door is found murdered near the B&B's steep staircase to the beach.

Why you might like it: Combining a coastal setting, clever plotting, tea facts, and yummy recipes, this 1st in a series should delight Laura Childs fans who love all things tea related.
 
Also available in eBook & eAudiobook on Hoopla
The Pawful Truth
by Miranda James

Starring: Widowed grandfather and kindly college librarian Charlie Harris, whose Maine Coon cat, Diesel, goes with him almost everywhere.

What happens: After Charlie enrolls in a history course at his Mississippi college, another older student is found dead. With the help of friends, Charlie investigates in this 11th Cat in the Stacks series entry. 

Also available in eAudiobook on Hoopla
Mango, Mambo, and Murder
by Raquel V. Reyes

Introducing: Food anthropologist Miriam QuiƱones-Smith, who moves from New York with her preschooler and husband to his hometown of Coral Shores, which is near Miami, where Miriam grew up.

What happens: Miriam deals with her disapproving mother-in-law and gets a job cooking on a Spanish-language morning TV show. Then, a murder occurs, and Miriam investigates to clear her best friend's name.

Also available in eBook & eAudiobook on Hoopla
Also available in eBook on CloudLibrary
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