Mystery

Crime fiction sleuths are often surrounded by a well-conceived supporting cast who provide depth and substance to the mystery. These characters come in all shapes and sizes and have different lifestyles, attitudes, and sensibilities. C.R. Corwin's latest Morgue Mama romp (The Unraveling of Violeta Bell) depicts newspaper employees doing their jobs, each making an impact on the entire operation. Jane Haddam always stocks her Gregor Demarkian mysteries with beautifully conceived supporting players, and her lastest (Cheating at Solitaire) explores the world of celebrity through a movie set crew and paparazzi who have invaded a small island resort. And the Botswana of Michael Stanley's series debut (A Carrion Death) is inhabited by a people caught between traditional tribal cultures and the modern world.

It's tough being a female PI in New York City in 1902, but Molly Murphy, through sheer persistence, is making it work. In this seventh addition to Bowen's Agatha Award—winning series (after In Dublin's Fair City), Molly and her police captain beau, Daniel Sullivan, find a young woman lying unconscious in the snow. Bowen keeps the story moving as Molly's efforts to find out how the victim ended up that way take her from Broadway's theaters to the flophouses of lower Manhattan. There is never a simple answer to questions in Bowen's fiction, and this engaging novel is no exception. A great series for those who like stories about women who face impossible odds but make their lives work, à la mysteries by Jacqueline Winspear and Kathy Lynn Emerson. [Library marketing campaign planned.—Ed.]

In her latest adventure (after Dig), Maddy Sprowls—feisty, bright, zany, middle-aged head librarian for the Hannawa Herald-Union (a knockoff of Ohio's Akron Beacon Journal; author Corwin is a former newspaper reporter living there)—comes through once again. Her nose for detail spurs the newspaper's interest in four elderly ladies who hit the garage-sale circuit every week. When one of those women, retired antiques dealer Violeta Bell, is murdered, Maddy gets the investigation moving in the right direction. Frothing with humor, Corwin's narrative exhibits his sharp ability to depict human relationships. For readers with a taste for Janet Evanovich—like witty dialog and laugh-aloud situations.

Two men are dead in what the police are calling a murder-suicide, and attorney Monty Collins is looking for evidence that can be used against the detox facility that may have prematurely released the killer. While investigating the case, Collins must simultaneously face the reality that his estranged wife may be pregnant with another man's child. Arthur Ellis Award—winning author Emery, whose two earlier novels, Sign of the Cross and Obit, also feature Collins and his friend Father Brennan Burke, is a master at creating a sense of place (in this case, her hometown of Halifax, N.S.) and developing characters—talents that place her in the same rarified circle as Margaret Maron, Marcia Muller, and Sara Paretsky. If Emery dwells too much on Collins's marital woes, she makes up for it with a smashing ending that ties up all the loose ends. Highly recommended.

When the outrageous behavior of a movie crew filming on Margaret's Harbor (a fictionalized Martha's Vineyard) results in the death of a crew member, the island's one-person police department requests the assistance of former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian. Moving slowly through the landscape of her story, Haddam turns the island and its ambiance into a vividly visual experience for readers. Brilliantly introspective, intellectual ruminations and multiple narrators—who fully convey the craziness of the paparazzi and the cutthroat attitudes of those with power—intersperse with Haddam's own unique and frequently unexpected conclusions. Haddam is at her best in this 23rd entry in the series (after Glass Houses), presenting a glimpse into the celebrity world readers will not easily forget. Highly recommended. Haddam lives in Connecticut.

The award-winning author of the Ellie Foreman series (An Image of Death) here introduces Chicago cop-turned-PI Georgia Davis. A female high school student is found bludgeoned to death in a wooded area where a notorious hazing incident once took place. While many in the affluent suburb of North Shore are quick to suspect the mentally ill man found at the scene, the victim's sister isn't convinced and hires Georgia to look into the incident. Hellmann brings to life the reality of hazing and bullying among teenage girls in a story with enough twists and turns to keep you reading to the end. Highly recommended.

Ned Parker is a hansom cab driver in 1870 London. When one of his fares turns up murdered, he is brought in for questioning. It seems there is more to Parker than meets the eye: soon he is spying for the police, starting a drivers' union, working for two rival criminal gangs, and conducting research at the British Museum. King (the Gourmet Detective series) is at the top of his game in this mystery adventure, which may appeal to readers liking period mysteries akin to those found in Andrew Martin's Jim Stringer series. Highly recommended.

After 16 adventures, one would think caterer Faith Fairchild would know better than to snoop around a New England art gallery where paintings are being replaced by forgeries and murder is just around the corner. In Agatha Award winner Page's latest entry in her culinary mystery series, Faith spends almost as much time with her minister husband dealing with their petulant teenage son as she does snooping around and getting involved in the police investigation. Read Joan Hess for a more insightful rendering of the amateur sleuth—meets—mystery novel. Following The Body in the Ivy, this one is a letdown; recommended only where there is interest. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 1/08.]

A skeleton is found in the Kalahari Desert in modern-day Africa. It is unclothed, one of its arms is missing, and its teeth have been knocked out, making identification difficult. It falls to Det. David Bengu (aka Kubu) of the Botswana police to figure out what happened; in the meantime, more deaths follow. This well-plotted debut introduces a new mystery series and will enthrall readers, who should be aware that the author's detailing of the cultural and social background of the Botswana people shares equal footing with the solving of the murders. Stanley is the writing duo of South Africans Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip, who have shared adventures in the Kalahari. For readers who enjoy crime novels with African settings, such as those by Richard Kunzmann and Deon Meyer.

German author von Ditfurth's English-language debut is the first novel in a projected series featuring history professor Josef Stachelmann. After a wealthy Hamburg realtor's third family member is murdered, it becomes apparent the realtor is being targeted. When it looks as though revenge leading back to the Nazi era may be at play, Stachelmann, an expert on Hitler's Germany, is brought in to help. His research leads him to the roots of the SS and the gestapo in the Hamburg region and their involvement in the destruction of the Jews. Von Ditfurth brilliantly personifies the humiliation and shame felt by a generation newly discovering the lengths to which their parents went in order to survive. Readers will not soon forget this foray into the past.

Bruce Kohler wakes up on Christmas Day in a detox facility on the Bowery. There, he befriends a wealthy alcoholic with an affinity for trouble who soon dies. Kohler wants to know what the man's life was like and why he was estranged from his family. Aided by his best friends, he begins an investigation into the matter that keeps him sober throughout the story. Author Zelvin is a psychotherapist with an expertise in the treatment of alcohol abuse. Her smooth prose and outstanding storytelling ability override any mediocrity regarding the murderer's identity, making this a remarkable and strongly recommended first novel. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 12/07.]

Juggling an 1863 death with strange goings-on in a Victorian mansion serving as the substation for the Washington, DC, police in the 1950s, Horwitz leads his Sgt. Ben Carey through the complexities of solving a 90-year-old murder in what may be a haunted house. Very nicely done. Horwitz died in 2004. The manuscripts he left behind will become the Ben Carey series. Recommended.

The Program, a New York City weight-loss clinic, guarantees an immediately svelte body for anyone with $5000 and a few hours of time. Karen Sumner, a young and overweight reporter, gets a chance to prove her journalistic worth by going undercover when it becomes apparent that there's something seriously wrong with The Program. A lively first novel. Highly recommended.

After one witness in a capital murder case against the leader of a violent fundamentalist group is killed, the second witness goes into hiding. This sequel to The Commission reunites Sam Kincaid, a cop with the Utah Department of Corrections, with Lt. Kate McConnell of the Salt Lake City Police. Not as tightly written or plotted as its predecessor; for libraries owning The Commission.

When movie agent Jerry Makos dies, his brother, seeking the killer, literally steps into Jerry's shoes. Told in Hollywood speak and quick takes, this is a fast read that will thrill those who love insider peaks into the movie industry. Novak is a 15-year veteran of the William Morris Agency and knows his way around. Recommended.

In this second novel in Scott's series, Tony is asked to find an old U.S. Navy buddy who has apparently walked out on his life, leaving his wife behind. Tony and Panzer, his giant bomb-sniffing schnauzer, soon find that the Pacific Northwest is full of ecoterrorists and that the federal government has a strong presence in this particular case. Scott feeds the reader bits and pieces of the plot, keeping interest high. Not as technical and certainly shorter than Tom Clancy's books but can be read in lieu of them. [Visit the author online at www.trevorscott.com.—Ed.]

Best-selling mystery novelist Katherine March's death could be either suicide or murder. Looking to find out, her criminology professor daughter, Molly, reads Katherine's last manuscript, which might be about the earlier death of Molly's father and her dysfunctional family. Stuyck, author of four previous novels, has enough plot lines going to keep readers guessing.

Not a typical mystery, but typical Cook, this is a morality study, a tale of how one's good deed can have unintended consequences. In 1954, Jack Branch returns to his Mississippi Delta hometown to teach high school English, as his father had. Eddie, a student in his class on historical evil, is the son of a convicted murderer, and Jack encourages him to write about his father as a means of dealing with the pain. Eddie's classmates respond to his project in sometimes violent ways, and the lives of those around Jack and Eddie are burdened with tragedy even while Eddie uncovers his father's guilt. Through flashbacks and later trial excerpts, as Jack tells the story, Cook's formal, rather 19th-century style of writing gradually reveals how good intentions can reverberate even into evil. Cook won an Edgar Award for Best Novel (The Chatham School Affair) and has seven times been nominated for the award. His eloquent prose well conveys the stifling atmosphere of an insular, rural, Southern town in the 1950s. For public libraries' mystery and general fiction collections alike. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/08.]—Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale