Prepub Mystery

By Ann Kim -- Library Journal, 1/15/2007

Booth, Stephen. The Dead Place. Bantam. May 2007. 400p. ISBN 0-385-33906-2 [ISBN 978-0-385-33906-3]. $25.
Odd-couple detectives Constable Ben Cooper and Sgt. Diane Fry unravel a possible hoax in the British countryside. Booth lives in England.

Box, C.J. Free Fire: A Joe Pickett Novel. Putnam. May 2007. 288p. ISBN 0-399-15427-2 [ISBN 978-0-399-15427-0]. $24.95.
The recently fired Wyoming game warden checks out the wilds (and crimes) of Yellowstone National Park. Box lives in Wyoming. National tour.

Bryan, Bill. Keep It Real. Bleak House. May 2007. 310p. ISBN 978-1-932557-22-0. $35; pap. ISBN 978-1-932557-31-2. $13.95.
Gangsta shenanigans pique the interest of investigative reporter–turned–reality TV show producer Ted in this debut by a former writer and producer for Night Court and Coach.

Child, Lee. Bad Luck and Trouble. Delacorte. May 2007. 304p. ISBN 0-385-34055-9 [ISBN 978-0-385-34055-7]. $26.
You know what to expect when loner Jack Reacher helps out his old army unit in his 11th case.

Coleman, Reed Farrell. Soul Patch: A Moe Praeger Mystery. Bleak House. May 2007. 300p. ISBN 1-932557-26-1 [ISBN 978-1-932557-26-8]. $40; pap. ISBN 1-932557-35-0 [ISBN 978-1-932557-35-0]. $14.95.
The apparent suicide of an old friend has P.I. Moe Prager pounding the Coney Island boardwalk in his fourth title. Coleman lives on Long Island, NY.

Davis, Lindsey. Saturnalia: A Marcus Didius Falco Novel. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. May 2007. 320p. ISBN 0-312-36129-7 [ISBN 978-0-312-36129-7]. $23.95.
Falco races against a rival to find a fugitive during the riotous festival in 76 C.E. Rome in his 18th historical. Four-city tour.

Eriksson, Kjell. The Cruel Stars of the Night. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. May 2007. 320p. ISBN 0-312-36667-1 [ISBN 978-0-312-36667-4]. $23.95.
A killer with a grudge against elderly men plagues Police Inspector Ann Lindell in this follow-up to Best Swedish Crime Novel winner The Princess of Burundi.

Gross, Andrew. The Blue Zone. Morrow. May 2007. 384p. ISBN 0-06-114340-5 [ISBN 978-0-06-114340-3]. $25.95.
Young Kate Raab must find her father when he goes missing from the Witness Protection Program in this solo debut by the James Patterson coauthor.

Hamiton, Denise, ed. Los Angeles Noir. Akashic. May 2007. 318p. ISBN 978-1-933354-22-4. pap. $14.95.
Michael Connelly, Janet Fitch, Susan Straight, and others give voice to the birthplace of noir.

Lindsay, Frederic. Tremor of Demons. Allison & Busby, dist. by International Pubs. Marketing. May 2007. 288p. ISBN 0-7490-8143-0. $25.95.
A clinically mutilated corpse and an unraveling personal life has Edinburgh detective Jim Meldrum on the edge in his seventh procedural.

Miller, Raymond. The Scent of Blood. Toby. May 2007. 250p. ISBN 1-59264-184-9 [ISBN 978-1-59264-167-3]. pap. $14.95.
Poet and P.I. Nathaniel Singer takes on the Manhattan hit-and-run death of an embryonic stem cell researcher in this series debut. Miller is the pen name of a New York City–based author.

Mills, Mark. The Savage Garden. Putnam. May 2007. 304p. ISBN 0-399-15353-5 [ISBN 978-0-399-15353-2]. $24.95.
Scholar Adam Banting discovers the ties that bind two murders, committed 400 years apart in the Tuscan hills. The second novel (following Amagansett) by Crime Writers Association Award winner Mills, who lives in Oxford.

Penny, Louise. A Fatal Grace: An Armand Gamarche Mystery. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. May 2007. 304p. ISBN 0-312-35256-5 [ISBN 978-0-312-35256-1]. $23.95.
In this second of the series by Dagger and Arthur Ellis Award winner Penny (Still Life), the Quebec inspector finds an entire village suspect. Penny lives in Montreal. Five-city tour.

Pringle, Peter. Day of the Dandelion: An Arthur Hemmings Mystery. S. & S. May 2007. 320p. ISBN 1-4165-4075-X [ISBN 978-1-4165-4075-5]. $25.
The world’s food supply is at stake for handsome scientist–adventurer–British spy Arthur Hemming in this botanical thriller by Pringle, who lives in New York City.

Rosenfelt, David. Play Dead. Warner. May 2007. 320p. ISBN 0-89296-003-5 [ISBN 978-0-89296-003-3]. $24.99.
New Jersey defense attorney Andy Carpenter reopens a five-year-old case when he discovers a witness—a golden retriever. The sixth in the series by Edgar Award finalist Rosenfelt.

Santogrossi, Stephen. A Stranger Lies There. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. May 2007. 304p. ISBN 0-312-36441-5 [ISBN 978-0-312-36441-0]. $24.95.
For Tim Ryder and wife in Southern California, a corpse on their lawn may be a warning from an ex-con. A St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel winner.

Talton, Jon. Cactus Heart. Poisoned Pen. May 2007. 236p. ISBN 1-59058-352-3 [ISBN 978-1-59058-352-4]. $24.95.
It’s 1999, and history professor David Mapstone investigates a Depression–era kidnapping in this prequel addition to the series. Talton lives in Phoenix.

Victor, Marilyn & Michael Allan Mallory. Death Roll. Five Star: Gale. May 2007. 355p. ISBN 1-59414-544-X [ISBN 978-1-59414-544-5]. $25.95.
Zookeeper Lavender “Snake” Jotanes tries to defend a friend when the director of the Minnesota Valley Zoo ends up as a crocodile snack in this debut. The authors live in Minnesota.

Wagner, Jan Costin. Ice Moon. Harcourt. May 2007. 288p. tr. from German by John Brownjohn. ISBN 978-0-15-101269-5. $25.
Finnish detective Kimmo Joentaa, a recent widower, becomes obsessed with the quiet machinations of a serial killer. Wagner lives in Germany and Finland.

White, Kate. Lethally Blond. Warner. May 2007. 384p. ISBN 0-446-57795-2 [ISBN 978-0-446-57795-3]. $24.99.
An ex-flame and actor has celebrity journalist Bailey Wiggins investigating a disappearance on the set of a hot new TV show. The fifth in the series by Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief White.