Prepub Mystery

By Ann Kim -- Library Journal, 2/1/2007

Abbott, Megan. Queenpin. S. & S. Jun. 2007. 192p. ISBN 1-4165-3428-8 [ISBN 978-1-4165-3428-0]. pap. $13. A feminine twist brings heat to this hardboiler when a young woman grifter is taken under the wing of mob luminary Gloria Denton. Edgar nominee Abbott (Die a Little) lives in New York City.

Buchanan, Edna. Love Kills: A Britt Montero Novel. S. & S. Jun. 2007. 368p. ISBN 0-7432-9476-9 [ISBN 978-0-7432-9476-8]. $25. Recovering from tragedy, reporter Britt Montero tracks down one killer and teams up with the Miami Cold Case Squad to catch another on a Caribbean island in her eighth outing. Crime writer extraordinaire Buchanan lives in Miami.

Clark, Mary Jane. When Day Breaks: A Sunrise Suspense Society Novel. Morrow. Jun. 2007. 288p. ISBN 0-06-128607-9 [ISBN 978-0-06-128607-0]. $24.95. Clark’s talented media quartet unravels the death of a controversial costar of KEY News’s top-ranking morning news program in this Morrow debut (prior titles in the series were published by St. Martin’s). Clark lives in New Jersey.

Cleeves, Ann. Raven Black. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Jun. 2007. 384p. ISBN 0-312-35966-7 [ISBN 978-0-312-35966-9]. $24.95. In a remote Sheltland Islands hamlet, New Year’s Eve rings in a dead body for Inspector Jimmy Perez in this 2006 Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award winner. Cleeves lives in Yorkshire, England. A Minotaur First Edition Selection.

Cousins, Caroline. Way Down Dead in Dixie. Blair Pub. Jun. 2007. 208p. ISBN 0-89587-335-4 [ISBN 978-0-89587-335-4]. $22.95; pap. ISBN 0-89587-336-2 [ISBN 978-0-89587-336-1]. $16.95. A detective trio stumbles upon a cold case in the South Carolina heat in this third take on Southern manners and mystery. Cousins is a pen name for sisters Meg Herndon and Gail Greer and their one-and-a-half first cousin, Nancy Pate.

Damsgaard, Shirley. Witch Hunt: An Ophelia and Abby Mystery. Avon. Jun. 2007. 304p. ISBN 0-06-114711-7 [ISBN 978-0-06-114711-1]. pap. $6.99. A library assistant in need of help leans on friends, the witch Ophelia Jensen and her gifted foster daughter, who use their powers for good in their fourth Magickal mystery. Damsgaard lives in Iowa.

Deaver, Jeffery. The Sleeping Doll. S. & S. Jun. 2007. 400p. ISBN 0-7432-6094-5 [ISBN 978-0-7432-6094-7]. $26.95. A Charles Manson–esque killer escapes prison, and special agent Kathryn Dance must enlist the help of three women and a young girl from his past. The popular Deaver lives in North Carolina and California. A 12-city tour.

Elkins, Aaron. Little Tiny Teeth. Berkley Prime Crime. Jun. 2007. 304p. ISBN 0-425-21530-X [ISBN 978-0-425-21530-2]. $23.95. For forensics professor Gideon Oliver, on an Amazon riverboat expedition in his 13th case, humans may prove to be more dangerous than a jungle full of predators. From Edgar Award winner Elkins (Unnatural Selection). Elkins lives in Washington.

Ellis, Robert. City of Fire. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Jun. 2007. 352p. ISBN 0-312-36613-2 [ISBN 978-0-312-36613-1]. $24.95. Detective Lena Gamble investigates a serial killer with a grudge against beautiful women in gritty and glamorous Los Angeles. The third novel by Ellis, who lives in Connecticut. Author tour.

Fowler, Christopher. White Corridor: A Bryant and May Mystery. Bantam. Jun. 2007. 352p. 0-553-80450-2 [ISBN 978-0-553-80450-8]. $24. The odd couple of London’s Peculiar Crimes Unit, cranky old Arthur Bryant and John May, find themselves stranded on a highway with motorists and a notorious killer in the third of the series. Fowler (Full Dark House) lives in London.

Kandel, Susan. Christietown: A Cece Caruso Mystery. Morrow. Jun. 2007. 304p. ISBN 0-06-088369-3 [ISBN 978-0-06-088369-0]. $23.95. Among myriad personal issues, amateur sleuth Caruso investigates two suspicious deaths while promoting a new mystery-themed housing tract on the edge of the Mojave Desert in the fourth of the series. Former Los Angeles Times art critic Kandel lives in West Hollywood.

Kilgore, Evan. Who Is Shayla Hacker. Bleak House. Jun. 2007. 320p. ISBN 978-1-932557-36-7. $24.95; pap. ISBN 978-1-932557-30-5. $12.95. In this dark debut, a group of strangers leave their lives behind on a quest to find a woman in a photograph. Kilgore lives in Los Angeles. Author tour.

Murray, Sabina. Forgery. Grove. Jun. 2007. 304p. ISBN 0-8021-1844-5 [ISBN 978-0-8021-1844-8]. $24. Antiquities, forgeries, and lost love await American Rupert Brigg in 1960s Greece in the latest by the PEN/Faulkner Award winner (The Caprices).

Quinlan, Patrick. The Takedown. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Jun. 2007. 256p. ISBN 0-312-34982-3 [ISBN 978-0-312-34982-0]. $21.95. The shady former lovers and business partners of a murdered sexy real estate agent are gunning for each other in this second title (following Smoked) by Quinlan, who lives in Brooklyn, NY. A Minotaur First Edition Selection.

Ramsay, Caro. Absolution. Pegasus. Jun. 2007. 336p. ISBN 1-933648-41-4 [ISBN 978-1-933648-41-5]. $24. Police Detective Alan McAlpine faces the consequences of a haunting 20-year-old cold case in Patrickhill, Glasgow, in this debut by Glasgow resident Ramsay.

Smith, Martin Cruz. Stalin’s Ghost. S. & S. Jun. 2007. 352p. ISBN 978-0-7432-7672-6. $26.95. Detective Arkady Renko returns to Moscow to thwart efforts to establish a new dictatorship. Smith lives in California. Seven-city tour.

Thompson, Victoria. Murder in Chinatown: A Gaslight Mystery. Berkley Prime Crime. Jun. 2007. 320p. ISBN 0-425-21531-8 [ISBN 978-0-425-21531-9]. $23.95. When a half-Chinese, half-Irish girl goes missing in turn-of-the-century New York Chinatown, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Malloy have plenty of suspects on both sides of Canal Street. Thomson lives in Fayetteville, PA.

Waites, Martyn. Little Triggers. Pegasus. Jun. 2007. 224p. ISBN 1-933648-55-4 [ISBN 978-1-933648-55-2]. pap. $13.95. Journalist Stephen Larkin hopes to collar a child abuser with important friends in this “neo-noir” sequel to Mary’s Prayer. Waites lives in London.