Mystery

Mystery buffs are in for a treat this month with a plethora of excellent crime fiction. Let's begin with successful follow-ups to outstanding series launches by Linda Greenlaw (Fisherman's Bend), Susan Dunlap (Hungry Ghosts), and Richard Yancey (The Highly Effective Detective Goes to the Dogs). Tour Victorian England with Ann Granger (A Mortal Curiosity) and Will Thomas (The Black Hand), and visit Lake Tahoe with Todd Borg (Tahoe Avalanche), Virginia with Frederick Ramsay (Stranger Room), and Gibraltar with Aaron Elkins (Uneasy Relations).

Hired to find a young man who has been buried in an avalanche, Owen McKenna looks for help to his friend who trains search-and-rescue dogs, and they find more than they expected to—the body of a young woman. There simply is no trail to follow, no clues to investigate, so Owen digs into the lives of the two victims. Soon, he is in grave danger. As in Borg's five previous Owen McKenna mysteries, the plotting and motivation for crime here are complex. Not as heart-stopping as last year's Tahoe Silence, this book is still worthy of recognition. For most mystery collections.

The arrival of a young man at Fever Devilin's house in Blue Mountain, GA, upsets the folklorist's quiet life. The stranger ends up dead, but Fever is convinced that the deceased man is not the one who visited him. Investigating this puzzle leads Fever to unraveling the secrets held by a reclusive but influential family in the area and the possibility that the stranger is really a time traveler come back to murder again. As in his other outstanding mysteries (e.g., The Widow's Curse), DePoy's latest concocts a delicious brew of Southern culture laced with a dollop of the supernatural, topped by unexpected denouements leaving readers wanting more. Sure to appeal to patrons who enjoy Sharon McCrumb's Appalachian mysteries, this is highly recommended.

Juggling three plot lines from different times in Nik Kane's life and moving from the 1960s to the 1980s to the present, Doogan fleshes out Kane's family history, his working the still-unsolved murder of a fellow officer, and the aftermath of the shocking events of Capital Offense. Doogan does not disappoint. He shows that there is new terrain to be staked in this genre and that some authors can provide a slam-dunk ending in an understated, unique fashion only achieved by such masters as Bill Pronzini and Jeremiah Healey. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 4/1/08.]

Following her outstanding debut in A Single Eye, stunt double Darcy Lott has returned to San Francisco to perform complicated stunts for a film and work as an assistant in a Zen center when she spots someone who looks like her long-vanished brother. Darcy gets caught in a dangerous game that uncovers secrets her siblings have kept from her for years and that leads to murder. Dunlap, winner of the Anthony and the Macavity Awards, knows how to construct a suspenseful tale. Though not as detailed as the first Darcy Lott mystery, this sequel fleshes out Darcy's life story and makes readers want to learn more. Strongly recommended for all mystery collections.

When eight-year-old Charley Spencer finds her mother's brutally murdered body, Lt. Lucinda Pierce catches the case. Pierce has been damaged both physically and emotionally by events in her life but has survived to become a stellar homicide detective, as she demonstrates in pursuing vicious killers. Fanning (Bite the Moon) provides plenty of forensic details, plot twists, and suspense. Though this near-perfect police procedural is not for the faint of heart, readers who like Kate Flora and Alex Kava will put it on their reserve lists. Highly recommended.

In this follow-up to The Companion, Lizzie Martin needs some space from her begrudging aunt-in-law, with whom she lives, and Scotland Yard detective Ben Ross, who is going to propose marriage a tad too soon. Lizzie willingly accepts the position of companion to a young wife who has lost her baby but will not acknowledge the child's death. Lizzie, in her intelligent and calm manner, begins to assess the situation at Shore House in Hampshire, but then the itinerant rat catcher is murdered in the garden, and Ben is sent down from London to lead the investigation. This is a perfect read for those who crave Victorian mysteries in the tradition of Anne Perry's Thomas Pitt novels. For collections where historicals circulate.

The "stranger room"—a separate room in a private home used by 19th-century travelers when the local inn was full—in Jonathan Lydell's Virginia antebellum house is no stranger to locked-room murder. The first killing, which was never solved, occurred in 1864, and now Sheriff Ike Schwartz (Buffalo Mountain) and FBI agent Karl Hedrick must determine how a new crime, identical to the first, was committed and why. This is for fans of puzzle mysteries and of John Dickson Carr and Ellery Queen, the masters of the locked-room mystery. Featuring great characters, snippets of Southern culture and history, and snappy dialog, this is too good to miss. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 4/1/08.]

At their 40th reunion, one of the graduates of Cleveland's St. Clair High School becomes a suspect when another classmate, now a leading cardiologist, is found shot to death. In his 14th adventure, former cop Milan Jacovich (The Dutch) begins to regret taking on this case when it leads to some ugly truths about his oldest friends. In the latest series entry, Milan has matured into a man who is sensitive to women (he has previously botched a number of relationships), who has learned to handle grief (he believes that his best friend is dead because of him), and who extends his hand in friendship to his two enemies—the head of the Cleveland Mafia and the homicide lieutenant who hates him. The mystery is here, but read this one for the ambiance of Cleveland and Roberts's ability to craft fully formed characters.

It is difficult to picture a serial killer running rampant in Mongolia, but in Walters's superb debut, someone is murdering men in Ulan Baatar, hacking off their heads and hands, then posing the body parts where all can see them. When a British businessman becomes the next victim, Detective Chief Inspector Drew McLeish is sent to the Mongolian capital to aid Nergui, once head of the Serious Crimes Squad and now part of the Ministry of Justice and Internal Affairs of Mongolia. Walters gives us a glimpse into a little-known country where superpowers vie for mineral rights and businesses see an untapped market ripe for plundering. Careful plotting and meticulously drawn characters make this a sure winner for all collections.

Private investigator Teddy Ruzak (The Highly Effective Detective) loses his business when he is shut down for practicing without a license. His troubles increase after he finds the body of a homeless man outside his office and his old nemesis, Eunice Shriver, decides to write a book about him. Along the way, Teddy finds a dog and a girlfriend at the local animal shelter. It is difficult to top an outstanding series debut, but Yancey does so here with great aplomb. For readers who enjoy humorous mysteries with quirky detectives in the tradition of Janet Evanovich.

Boston's newest private investigator, Macy Adams, is hired to delve into the life of an AIDS expert whose body was found in the Charles River and whose wife stands accused of his murder. Barrasso's approach to the PI genre might be considered a softer version of Sue Grafton, but her touch is as deft. For most collections.

In his third outing, Texas judge Jackson Crain (Death Splits a Hair) must bring the murderer of a real estate tycoon to justice while raising his teenage daughter and finding that what he once considered his life path has now changed forever. For small-town cozy fans.

In this sequel to The Black Widow Agency, the ladies are trying to keep a best-selling but controversial author alive long enough to get her current manuscript to her publisher. Recommend this to patrons who are looking for a gentle mystery without a murder but featuring a few heart-wrenching scenes and brimful of dry humor.

The Rock of Gibraltar serves as the exotic site where anthropologist Gideon Oliver will be giving a talk on what might be the greatest paleontological hoax of all time. But two murders put Gideon into jeopardy. Mostly using a gentle tone and highly instructional when dealing with history, archaeology, and paleontology, Elkins (Edgar Award winner for Little Tiny Teeth) delivers a solid mystery.

In her second outing (after Slip Knot), ex-Miami detective-turned-Maine insurance investigator Jane Bunker checks out the vandalized equipment of a company insured by her employer. This leads her to an abandoned boat and a corpse. Jane's culture shock and career adjustment are brilliantly portrayed.

Some women love shoes, and others are handbag addicts. Haley Randolph will do anything for a Louis Vuitton or a Kate Spade and has. Now she has taken a second job in a department store to pay off her credit card debt. When she finds the body of the despised assistant store manager, she begins an incredibly inept investigation. Readers of Elaine Viets and Susan Kandel will like this.

In an attempt to take over London's criminal underworld, the Sicilian Mafia murders an Italian assassin and continues killing until Barker and Llewelyn (Some Danger Involved) are hired to stop them. Full of Victorian ambience, this will appeal to discerning patrons who want plenty of historical detail, nonstop action, and engaging characters.

Just months after the trauma of Operation Vestal—the murder investigation at the center of French's 2007 blockbuster debut and Edgar Award-winning In the Woods—Det. Cassie Maddox is drawn from her relatively tranquil job in Domestic Violence into a case that comes to threaten her very being. A woman, a literal dead ringer for Cassie, is killed in a village near Dublin. The victim's name is Lexie Madison, an identity created specifically for Cassie in an earlier undercover operation. Police conceal the death, positing a coma and recovery, and Cassie—serving as bait as she seeks the murderer—once again becomes Lexie, joining four fellow grad students living in a stately old mansion and sharing an intensely close, near-magical relationship. Acting with the reluctant approval of her boyfriend, Det. Sam O'Neill, who heads the investigation, Cassie grows to have as many questions about how Lexie lived as how she died as she sinks into her double's seductively appealing life in a search for the truth. French creates remarkably complex characters while gradually unpeeling the layers of her story in this rich and insightful psychological thriller. A stunner. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/08.]—Michele Leber, Arlington, VA

After a couple of stand-alone novels (e.g., Pig Island; The Devil of Nanking), Hayder has brought DI Jack Caffery back in her latest moody thriller. Jack has recently transferred from London to the Bristol police department for personal reasons. His first case involves the discovery of a hand in the Bristol harbor. When police diver Phoebe "Flea" Marley suggests that the hand was severed premortem and that the hand may have been used in a muti ritual (involving African witchcraft), Jack finds his investigation following an increasingly horrific and terrifying path. Hayder has learned the power of suggested horror rather then describing it in the overly graphic scenes that were problematic in her first Caffery novel (The Birdman). And the introduction of Flea Marley, who is coming to terms with her own tragedy, balances Jack's personal journey nicely. This one will appeal to fans of Stephen Booth and the BBC series Wire in the Blood. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/08.]—Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI

First-time author Kramer uses her insider knowledge as a freelance news producer for the Today Show and Dateline to take the reader into the competitive world of the Minneapolis local television news scene. Reporter Riley Spartz isn't sure she's ready to return to work after a personal tragedy, but when a source (literally) drops an investigation into her lap, she decides now may be the time. The cold case involves the murder of two different women named Susan. Both were strangled on the same date, one year apart. As Riley delves further, she finds there are other Susans who have been killed in other years. Upping the ante is the approach of the anniversary; adding to the pressure for Riley is the sweeps drive for ratings at her station and a news director who thinks a story about the fraudulent disposal of dead dogs will be more interesting than a far-fetched story about murdered Susans. Though the climax of the mystery stretched credulity a bit, this is a fast-paced and nicely characterized debut that will appeal to fans of Linda Fairstein and Laura Lippman. Recommended for all public libraries.—Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI

Although it is spring in Tamarack County, MN, a darkness looms over the townspeople of Aurora and the Ojibwe of the Iron Lake Reservation. Kristi Reinhardt is dead, and the blame falls on Lonnie Thunder, a young Ojibwe man known to deal both drugs and child pornography. Former sheriff Cork O'Connor, now working as a part-time PI, is called to a meeting with Alex Kingbird, leader of the Red Boyz, an Ojibwe gang rumored to be part of the local drug trade. Alex wants to offer Kristi's father justice to avert further violence, and he has called on part-Ojibwe Cork to set up a meeting. But then Alex and his wife are executed outside their home. Krueger's eighth O'Connor installment (after Thunder Bay) involves several mysteries as more violence and deaths occur. Cork tries to find answers while keeping his family safe and doing right by both his former law enforcement colleagues and the Ojibwe people. While this tale of small-town racial tensions and drug trafficking by Native Americans is drawn from the pages of the newspaper, Krueger puts a very human face on these issues. For most mystery collections; recommend to patrons who enjoy atmospheric outdoor mysteries by C.J. Box and Steve Hamilton.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Lib., Wisconsin Rapids, WI

In Vicky Bliss's final adventure, the art historian is reunited with her reformed art-thief boyfriend, John Tregarth, on a mission to Egypt to help her old friend Feisal out of a jam. Imagine the ramifications of the most iconic symbol of your homeland going missing on your watch. Feisal finds himself in just this situation, and it necessitates intervention by Bliss, her boss at Munich's National Museum, and Tregarth. In addition to mystery and intrigue, the characters embroil themselves in a philosophical/legal discourse-turned-fracas on the repatriation of Egyptian artifacts held by foreign museums. Armchair travelers and amateur Egyptologists alike will enjoy Peters's expert narration, which, while never approaching the pedantic, brings ancient Egypt to life and makes modern Egypt accessible. And those still wondering whether the Vicky Bliss series is connected to the Amelia Peabody series will at last find the answer here. Although this series' entries can be enjoyed in any order, enthusiasts will find it rewarding to reread the books from the start, beginning with Borrower of the Night. Highly recommended for all popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/08.—Ed.]—Laura A.B. Cifelli, Lee Cty. P.L., Fort Myers, FL

The life of a medicus—healer—in first-century Londinium could be a dreary round of minor complaints and bad weather. Unless, of course, that healer happens to be a half-Roman, half-British doctor to Agricola, the governor of Britannia. Arcturus is more than a healer, of course—he also solves "problems"—in this case, quite a large and labyrinthine problem. A beautiful woman brings him tidings of a messenger from the emperor who is bringing bad news to Agricola. That messenger—a corpulent Syrian—is soon found dead, his body desecrating a temple to Mithras, the Roman soldier's god, and his message nowhere to be found. Arcturus is under orders from Agricola to find the culprit—fast! If he fails, the result may be full-scale rebellion and the removal of Agricola from power. The novel starts a bit slowly, but the pace soon picks up. The author, with her background in classics and archaeology, has a good sense of time and place. The staccato movement of the narrative is very reminiscent of the hard-boiled detective genre she is trying to reinvent as "Roman noir," but the story itself doesn't come off quite as tough and gritty as such a novel should. Readers who like Roman-era mysteries, like those by Steven Saylor or Ruth Downie (Medicus), may enjoy this. As the series continues, the author may fully realize her vision of Roman noir. Recommended for libraries with large mystery collections, especially those where early-era historical mysteries are popular.—Pamela O'Sullivan, SUNY Brockport