Last-Minute Mystery

Black, the pen name chosen by Irish novelist John Banville, aptly describes the third (after The Silver Swan) darker-than-night 1950s crime novel featuring Dublin pathologist Quirke. Shaky and newly released from a drying-out facility, lifelong alcoholic Quirke is attempting to start anew when his daughter, Phoebe, calls for his help, convinced that best friend April is missing and has met a bad end. April, a junior doctor, has a reputation for promiscuity, and her own family members immediately distance themselves from the situation. Quirke joins forces with DI Hackett, and each in his own unconventional way works to get to the bottom of April's disappearance. VERDICT As with Black's previous novels, Quirke wanders the seedy city streets, uncovering racism, Catholic hypocrisy, and grim family secrets. Quirke and Phoebe are wounded, tortured individuals bound by a fierce if unspoken love. Black's latest reads more like a fascinating father-daughter character study than a whodunit; new readers may want to start with Black's first, Christine Falls, for Quirke's complete backstory.—Christine Perkins, Bellingham PL, WA

In her second mystery (after Sworn to Silence), Castillo brings back Police Chief Kate Burkholder in the town of Painters Mill, OH. Barely recovered from the serial killings of the previous year, the town and its small police department are once again rocked by the unthinkable. Someone has killed an entire Amish family of seven. Horrible as the crime is, what scares Kate is the lack of motive. With the help of her small but capable team and her on again/off again love interest, John Tomasetti, Kate works by trial and error until she finds a key piece of evidence that opens new possibilities. VERDICT Though the violence level is high, the brutality is offset by Kate's and her team's very capable police procedure and investigation. Another solid effort that will appeal to fans of Karin Slaughter and Tami Hoag. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 2/1/09; library marketing; 150,000-copy first printing.]—Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L, WI

In Harris's third horticultural mystery (after Pushing Daisies and The Big Dirt Nap), Paula Holliday's small gardening business in Springfield, CT, is experiencing a slowdown owing to the poor economy. Then it's discovered that the friendliest of the local "Main Street Soccer Moms" has a hidden past and may be a fugitive from the law. Having not much else to keep her occupied, Paula is on the case, investigating suspects in a crime that happened 25 years ago. Paula does more detecting than gardening this time out, and one wonders whether she is thinking of changing professions. Harris develops her characters well, and her plot keeps readers guessing. VERDICT This cute and offbeat mystery in the style of Earlene Fowler's quilting mysteries will appeal to cozy fans. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 1/10; read about Harris's Chalula Library Project in Tanzania at rosemaryharris.com/chalula.htm.—Ed.]—Susan Hayes, Chattahoochee Valley Libs., GA

When Londoners Ruth and Simon Pierce's ten-year-old daughter Heather dies in an apparent fall while on a camping trip with a friend's family on the Cornish coast, they are devastated. Divorced, Ruth moves to Cambridge, remarries, and has another daughter, Beatrice, who at the age of ten disappears on the way home from a class. Meanwhile, a convicted pedophile is released in Cambridgeshire, and DI Will Grayson is convinced that he may have committed other crimes and even be threatening Will's own children. DS Helen Walker goes to Cornwall to investigate the death of Ruth's first daughter, while Will pulls out all stops in trying to find Beatrice. Harvey skillfully weaves these threads together to reach a wrenching conclusion that fully illustrates again his complete mastery of plot and character. Grayson and Walker first appeared in Gone to Ground, but Harvey's reputation was built on his Charlie Resnick series. VERDICT Any reader seeking an excellent author with a long track record of the very best of contemporary mystery fiction must become familiar with Harvey's considerable body of work. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 2/1/09.]—Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

Richmond, VA, is a city of contrasts. Steeped in history—as the capital of the Confederacy and a center of slave trade—the city has become known for state politics, commerce, culture, and crime as it has become increasingly diverse, while still symbolizing Southern gentility. Although each of these 15 stories reveals a side of Richmond, its contrasts are shown most vividly in Dennis Danvers's "Texas Beach," in which a man finds the body of an immigrant killed accidentally while illegally felling trees so that a prominent white politician would have a better view of the James River from his mansion. Murder, scattered through these entries, is most chilling when it is imminent, as in Tom De Haven's "Playing with DaBlonde," in which a laid-off ad exec who's into porn sees premonitions coming true. VERDICT A lovingly compiled entry in Akashic's strong regional noir series, this could have appeal beyond the Commonwealth and its capital. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 11/1/09.]—Michele Leber, Arlington, VA

In the second book of this tame feline series, Harvard doctoral student Dulcie Schwartz tries to adapt to a new kitten while still missing her dead cat. Frisky and uncommunicative, the new kitten is the opposite of her beloved Mr. Grey, whose ghostly visits have been scarce recently. It isn't until Dulcie stumbles over the bloody body of a fellow graduate that Mr. Grey begins to make his presence felt. After being questioned by the police, Dulcie goes back to juggling her teaching and research work but is distracted by the goings-on in her adviser's home office. When another colleague is arrested in connection with the murder, the clueless Dulcie—guided by the spirit of Mr. Grey, her psychic mother, and her own strange dreams—is transformed into a heroine. VERDICT The murder mystery in this leisurely paced follow-up to Shades of Grey takes a backseat to Dulcie's academic investigations. For fans of feline and paranormal cozies and those who enjoy mysteries set in academia.—Suzie Remilien, New York