Mystery

June is busting out with an excellent selection of intriguing first novels and new series. In Nicola Upson's audacious debut, An Expert in Murder, her protagonist is none other than classic crime author Josephine Tey. The Streets of Babylon, Carina Burman's first entry in a new trilogy about a Swedish crime-solving writer, is remarkable in its early Victorian setting and strong female characters.

A genealogist plays an investigative role in Dan Waddell's series launch, The Blood Detective. Evan Marshall introduces Anna Winthrop, a New York City sanitation supervisor, in Death Is Disposable, and Slovakian Police Commander Jana Matinova makes her crime fiction debut in Michael Genelin's Siren of the Waters, sure to be one of the best police procedurals of the year.

When the body of a mason is found in the library of current Princeps (first citizen) Domitian, Pliny the Younger is asked by his mother to find the killer. At the same time, Domitian orders Pliny and his friend Tacitus to find out if there is a real heir to the throne. Their exploits in Syria (All Roads Lead to Murder) have reached the ears of all in Rome, and they now have the reputation of being competent detectives. Readers will delight in the duo's tracing of Caesar's blood line; walking with Pliny through his daily routine is entertaining, too. Outstandingly researched and laden with suspense, this journey into ancient Rome by history professor Bell could be one of the masterpieces of the historical mystery genre. Lindsey Davis and Steven Saylor will hold readers over until the third casebook of Pliny the Younger publishes. Highly recommended for all collections.

One of Houston's wealthiest businessmen is found in a very compromising position in his beach house. The problem is that he and his girlfriend are dead. The Houston detective assigned to the case thinks that the man's wife hired a hit man to rid her of an unwanted embarrassment—her husband. Profiler Sarah Armstrong, one of the few female Texas Rangers, disagrees and with assistance of her FBI equivalent sets out to find the truth. This well-written debut begins a promising premise that falls into predictability by the end. Readers should not be deterred, however, from discovering what may well develop into an outstanding new series with an original sleuth. Casey is the author of four well-received true-crime books. For larger mystery collections. [Library marketing campaign.]

Called in to verify that St. Matthew's, an exclusive private school in New Hampshire, is handling the alleged stalking of one of its 16-year-old students correctly, crisis specialist Thea Kozak finds denial, failure to follow procedures, failure to notify the police of a possible crime, and a school administration unwilling to protect its students. Like Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone and Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone, Thea in her seventh outing (after Liberty or Death) has all of the tools to be good at her job and be her own woman in all situations. Readers who like tough female sleuths and who have read all of Muller and Grafton will enjoy getting to know Thea. Flora is also the author of the Joe Burgess series (Playing God).

A van crash on the outskirts of the Slovakian capital of Bratislava reveals the mangled bodies of a man and six women. The man has two passports—one Albanian, the other Ukranian—which places Slovakian Police Commander Jana Matinova on the trail of an accomplished assassin. As the main story moves from Strasbourg, Ukraine, and then to Nice, Genelin, who worked for the U.S. Department of Justice in central Europe, introduces the heartbreaking tale of Matinova, who lost almost everything in her life under the old Communist regime except her job. There is plenty of misdirection and suspense here, not to mention details of how people lived in the Soviet bloc after World War II. In the end, we must acknowledge that we have been held spellbound by a master storyteller. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 3/1/08.]

When pseudobiographer Perry Dillon begins an unauthorized biography of the British rock group Blacklight, JP Kinkaid, who is the band's guitarist, fears that all of his and life partner Bree Godwin's secrets will be exposed. Then, during the opening of their American tour at Madison Square Garden, Dillon is murdered in Kinkaid's dressing room, and Bree becomes the first person of interest. While illustrating the behind-the-scenes business of a rock band in this series opener, musician/writer/cook Grabien, who also pens the "Haunted Ballad" series (Cruel Sister), offers a window into the life and health of a person with multiple sclerosis (read: Kinkaid). Even better, the author shows the humanity, team work, and loyalty that keep a supermusical phenomenon together. For all mystery readers who love rock'n'roll.

As Queen of the Flowers, Phryne Fisher (The Castlemaine Murders) is knee deep in preparations for St. Kilda's inaugral Flower Parade when one of her young flower maidens disappears. She is hired to find the girl, but then Phryne's adopted daughter vanishes. Phryne, never one to sit back and take it, swings into high gear, searching the red light district of St. Kilda with the aid of her friends. Although as sophisticated, wealthy, and modern as ever, Greenwood's series protagonist still demonstrates her decency, kindness, and willingness to fight against the sinister elements in her Australian community. For series fans. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 3/1/08.]

When a tramp is burned to death in an abandoned building in Whitebridge, Det. Chief Insp. Charlie Woodend faces one of the most difficult cases of his career. Finding no clues or motive, he and his team soon suspect that a power-hungry Hitler wannabe who spews hatred for foreigners and tramps is behind the murder. As in all of her books, Spencer here creates a case of confusion and suspense leading up to a wholly unexpected ending. This one is guaranteed to shock readers. For all collections.

If last year's All Mortal Flesh was a shocker, this time Agatha and Anthony Award winner Spencer-Fleming has prepared a feast for fans of action-packed crime fiction. Investigating the murders of several Hispanic migrant workers, Russ Van Alstyne, the police chief of Millers Kill, NY, uses every resource he has to find the killer. This means turning to his two newest hires and his old lover, Episcopal minister Clare Ferguson, who has been involved with the migrant community. A bruised Clare must also work through her emotions regarding Van Alstyne. Another suspenseful and involving mystery from an outstanding writer. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 2/1/08.]

Some books just grab readers and never let go. Using classic mystery author Josephine Tey (The Daughter of Time; The Franchise Affair) as her detective protagonist, debut novelist Upson has written an original mystery as finely plotted as any of Tey's works. Set in 1934 London, when Tey was enjoying success as a playwright, the novel opens as she is traveling by train from Scotland to London for the final week of her hit play Richard of Bordeaux. But the murder of a young woman Tey meets on the train leads her into danger. Upson changed the names of the cast for her novel but interviewed the actual actors who performed (inclucing the late Sir John Gielgud), which gives her novel an authenticity that allows readers to wander through the streets of London and feel close to those who lived there. We can only hope that the next adventure of Miss Tey will be out soon. Fans of Tey, Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and other writers of mystery's "Golden Age" (1919–39) will put this on their reserve lists. Highly recommended for all mystery collections.

The numbers carved into the mutilated body of a man found in a London graveyard lead Det. Chief Insp. Grant Foster to hire genealogist Nigel Barnes to do further research. It seems the numbers refer to a file in the city archives that contain birth and death certificates and marriage licenses. This series launch by a British journalist divides the investigative work between the West London Murder Command and Barnes, who knows how to ferret out information in the Family Records Center and the National Newspaper Library. This first novel introducing an unusual sleuth will warm the hearts of many reference librarians and all those who love a good hunt through library materials. For most collections where British mysteries are popular.

Best-selling Swedish author Euthanasia Bondeson and her companion are in London to have her latest book translated and published, plus see the Great Exhibition of 1851. When the companion vanishes, Euthanasia plunges into London's dangerous back streets, digging into prostitution, white slavery, and S&M establishments that scare even the bravest of the police. In this first volume of an engaging new historical trilogy, Burman, a well-known Swedish historian and author, reveals her knowledge of early Victorian England.

Barrister Antony Shelley is struck down by a motorcycle, and Queen's Counsel Trish Maguire reluctantly takes over the case of a toxic waste containment company being sued for damages after an exploding tank killed a farmer. Cooper is a master at witty crime novels that inform, delight, and fool unsuspecting readers. Patrons who enjoy Lisa Scottoline and Perri O'Shaughnessy might want to try this British author.

In Maine on a training program, Florida deputy sheriff Perci Piper discovers the corpse of the local college president tied to a tree and is ordered to investigate. But small-town politics and secrets people are trying to keep hidden may be more than Piper can handle.

Stood up by a date one time too many, Mira James quits her job at the Battle Lake Library and gets set to move back to Minneapolis. But the murder of a high school cheerleader puts her plans on hold and places her in danger once again. Despite Mira's grating enfant terrible persona, her fourth adventure (after Knee High by the Fourth of July) is entertaining. For larger collections.

Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire (Kindness Goes Unpunished) flashes back to his Vietnam War experiences when a photograph of him is found in the purse of a murdered young Vietnamese woman. Johnson's engrossing tale offers a sympathetic view of young Americans in a foreign environment trying to do their jobs under difficult circumstances.

When New York City sanitation garage supervisor Anna Winthrop finds the homeless man she befriended murdered, she wants to get the person responsible. Launching a new "Hidden Manhattan" series that uses the city in all of its multifaceted glory, Marshall sets Anna on a hunt from upscale galleries to back street alleys where anything can happen. Marshall is also the author of the Jane Stuart and Winky series (Toasting Tina, Icing Ivy). [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 2/1/08.]

Los Angeles business consultant Tucker Sinclair (Cover Your Assets), while trying to find ways to make a chocolate shop more solvent, finds that murder leads to danger. She must also solve the business problems of her ex-boyfriend's sister. A nice alternative for patrons waiting for the next Janet Evanovich mystery.

Jackson Donne, stripped of his PI license and office, is working as a security guard. Worse, his Alzheimer's-stricken mother is dying, his brother-in-law's restaurant is destroyed, and his aunt and uncle are murdered. What do these events have to do with long-buried family secrets? Intricate plotting and nonstop action make this a nail-biting read from start to finish. White, winner of the Derringer Award for When One Man Dies, is a writer to watch.

Renowned journalist John Glass, known for his "passionately fashioned jeremiads" on Rwanda and Tiananmen Square, has lost his muse. In the ultimate midlife sellout, he's agreed to write the authorized biography of his father-in-law, "Big Bill" Mulholland, a former CIA operative—turned—corporate tycoon who trusts Glass "to leave certain, overly heavy stones unturned." As Glass's last act of defiance, he hires a professional researcher to dig up the facts, "even, or especially, the inconvenient ones." Then the researcher, a dodgy computer whiz who resembles a lemur, is found with a bullet hole through his head, and Glass's number is the last one listed on his caller ID. The race is on—for Glass to discover what secrets the Lemur had unearthed and who might kill to keep them buried. Originally published serially in the New York Times Magazine, this slim stand-alone ends abruptly and lacks the character development of Black's earlier successes, the Edgar Award-nominated Christine Falls and its follow-up, The Silver Swan. Glass is an unsympathetic character, and the plot lacks a twist or two to make it truly surprising. Still, it's an entertaining two hours. For larger collections.—Christine Perkins, Bellingham P.L., Washington

Obstetrician Tora Hamilton has just moved with her husband to the Shetland Islands. While digging in the yard of her new home, she uncovers the body of a woman whose heart was cut out shortly after she had given birth. As Tora's curiosity draws her into the ensuing murder investigation, she finds some bizarre connections between the unidentified woman's death and a local folktale involving "Kunal trows"—supernatural males who steal and impregnate women who then give birth to sons and die. Of course, Tora knows that trows don't really exist. But if she isn't on to something, then why is someone trying to kill her? And is her increasingly distant husband somehow involved in whatever is happening on the islands? Bolton's debut thriller starts out promisingly with an exotic setting, a bright, engaging heroine, and an intriguing folktale brought to life and turned sinister. Unfortunately, the author is unable to deliver fully on her fascinating premise, and the plot feels contrived and lacks plausibility. Recommended with reservations for larger mystery collections. [Library marketing campaign.]—Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ. Lib., ND

Jack is back but unfortunately for the Chicago police lieutenant and everyone dear to her, so is psychopath Alexis Kork. As if that weren't enough, there is a trio of sniper wannabes who have Jack in their sights as well. Most of Konrath's latest novel (after Dirty Martini) takes place at night in and around the house that Jack shares with her mother. Alex is inside, as are Jack; her mother; her beau, Latham; her current partner, Herb; and her erstwhile partner—turned—private eye, Harry. Alex has the upper hand, and she gleefully doles out the duct tape and the pain until the snipers hunting Jack surround the house and Jack's friend, small-time hood Phin, arrives to join the party. This gripping novel is an adrenaline rush in print with plenty of nonstop action. Konrath's humor is less evident, but the author still manages to sketch some interesting characters, villains as much as heroes. Don't be surprised if this one hits the big screen. For all mystery collections.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Lib., Wisconsin Rapids

Treason can hide behind even the most innocent of masks. In Melikan's (John Scott, Lord Eldon, 1751–1838: The Duty of Loyalty) first novel in a Napoleonic Wars trilogy, orphaned schoolmistress Mary Finch is plucked out of her hemisphere by an invitation to visit her bitterly estranged, wealthy, and sick uncle. Mary is soon swept up in series of extraordinary events that finally lead to her discovery of smuggled coded messages. These messages are being used by traitors and spies to send crucial information to France on England's munitions defense. Who is the traitor? Mary is surrounded by new friends and acquaintances, but who can Mary really trust? The intrepid, rugged artillery expert Captain Holland? The cultured and charming Mr. Déprez? Mary must figure out a way to decode the cryptic messages before critical information is leaked to France. Melkian has crafted an atmospheric, pleasing novel complete with a plucky, clever heroine, an intriguing conundrum, and a romantic dilemma. For all historical mystery collections.—Susan O. Moritz, Montgomery Cty. P.L.s, MD

Following Wash This Blood Clean from My Hands, two-time International Dagger Award winner Vargas adds to her usual quirky cast of characters in Paris's Serious Crime Squad: a rookie detective, Lt. Louis Veyrenck, out to get Commissaire Adamsberg for a childhood attack in which the commissaire played a leading role. Veyrenc works with Adamsberg to solve an unusual murder in which the killer, according to forensic pathologist Ariane Lagarde, is a woman. This woman is quickly identified as being an elderly nurse/recent prison escapee who is seeking the ingredients to a potion for eternal life described in a book of relics. Before the commissaire unmasks the real killer (whose identity will shock readers), he will encounter grave diggers, ghostly apparitions, a cat able to track down a missing cop, a vicious animal killer, and other strange creatures. Though Vargas describes the potion's recipe in obfuscatory language, perspicacious readers will figure out significant elements long before Adamsberg and his squad do. Still, the literary touches, the bizarre turns, and the intriguing characters will please Vargas's fans. Recommended. [Fred Vargas is the pseudonym of Frédérique Audoin-Rouzeau; this is her fourth Commissaire Adamsberg mystery to be published in the United States.—Ed.]—Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tuscon