|
|
|
Deceptions
by Anna Porter
The set up: Former Budapest cop Attila Feher would really like to see art expert Helena Marsh again, so he arranges a contract for her to determine whether a painting is a copy of a famous Artemisia Gentileschi canvas or the real thing. A simple appraisal becomes a dangerous assignment when usual eastern European gangsters show up and people start dying.
Read it for: A savvy art world thriller with a strong, independent heroine and the seething corruption that underlies the lost promise of post-Soviet Hungary.
|
|
|
Every last fear
by Alex Finlay
What it's about: Still reeling from the deaths of neatly his entire family, Matt must also deal with his older brother, Danny, who, in prison for the murder of his teenage girlfriend, is the subject of a virtual true crime documentary proving his innocence – although Matt knows better.
Reviewers say: Readers who sympathize with a character who just can’t get it right will enjoy the flashbacks to Evan Pine’s desperate, ill-fated efforts to reassemble his family, and fans of a good chase scene won’t be disappointed, either (Booklist)
|
|
|
The survivors
by Jane Harper
The premise: Haunted by guilt for a reckless and consequential mistake in his youth, Kieran returns to his coastal hometown and his struggling fishing-industry parents, before the discovery of a body on the beach reveals long-held secrets.
For fans of: Tana French's The Witch Elm, Louise Penny's The Long Way Home, and Chris Bohjalian's The Sleepwalker.
Read it for: An intricately plotted novel with complex and flawed characters.
|
|
|
The sanatorium
by Sarah Pearse
What it's about: Accompanying family members to an isolated Swiss Alps hotel a detective uncovers the fates of long-ago tuberculosis patients who went missing from the property years earlier when it operated as a sanatorium.
Starring: Elin Warner, an English police detective on extended leave after a traumatizing case, who finds herself in the role of lead investigator.
Reviewers say: Pearse not only creates believably fallible characters, she also vividly portrays the frigid landscape and a chilling epilogue cries out for a sequel.
|
|
| Sleep Well, My Lady by Kwei QuarteyThe set up: In a locked house in a gated community in Accra, Ghana, talented fashion designer Lady Araba is horrifically murdered.
What happens: A year later the woman's chauffeur has been convicted of the crime, but her beloved aunt believes he's not the killer and hires a detective agency. Emma Djan, a former cop who's now a dedicated young PI, goes undercover and finds ugly secrets and powerful people.
Why you might like it: This sequel to The Missing American moves back and forth in time covering Araba's early life and career and offers a vividly described Ghana, intriguing characters, and tight plotting. |
|
| Sacred Games by Vikram ChandraWhat it is: an epic crime novel set in a gritty Mumbai that focuses on world-weary Sikh cop Sartaj Singh and violently ambitious Hindu gangster Ganesh Gaitonde, as well as the people who swirl around them, including a Bollywood starlet, a madam, a maid, and more.
Who it's for: those who love complex, sprawling stories, atmospheric, noirish looks at a single city, vivid prose, and richly drawn characters.
On the screen: A 2018-2019 Hindi-language TV series of the same name was based on this 2006 book -- and the program was the first Netflix Original from India (English subtitles are available). |
|
| The Crow Trap by Ann CleevesWhat it's about: Three very different women work to complete an environmental survey about the impact of a quarry in Northumberland. Then an odd suicide and a second death bring unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope to town to sort it all out.
Series alert: First published in 1998, The Crow Trap is Vera's 1st outing; the 9th and most recent book, The Darkest Evening, came out last year.
On the screen: The Vera Stanhope books inspired the popular British TV series Vera. But that isn't Cleeves' only screen adaptation -- her Shetland Island books were dramatized as Shetland and her new Matthew Venn series is set to receive similar treatment. |
|
| Coconut Layer Cake Murder by Joanne FlukeWhat happens: Hannah Swensen is stressed. So much so that her doctor prescribes a vacation. But she cuts short her Los Angeles trip when her sister’s cop boyfriend is implicated in the murder of a former classmate and can't recall what happened.
Read this next: If you like this 25th in the cozy culinary mystery series, try Katherine Hall Page's Faith Fairchild novels or Sarah Graves' Death by Chocolate mysteries (recipes included in all three series).
On the screen: Hallmark made five Murder, She Baked movies based on the Hannah Swensen mysteries; TV host and actress Alison Sweeney played the crime-solving Minnesota baker in all of them. |
|
| Next to Last Stand by Craig JohnsonWhat happens: After an elderly man dies at the Veterans' Home of Wyoming, artwork and a million dollars is found in his room, leading Sheriff Walt Longmire to a case connected to Russians, General George Custer, and a famous work of art long thought destroyed.
Series alert: Though recent outings have been harrowing for Longmire, this 16th book is a bit lighter. Look for the 17th entry, Daughter of the Morning Star, in September.
On the screen: The well-received TV series Longmire featured Australian actor Robert Taylor in the title role and ran for six seasons between 2012 and 2017. |
|
| The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall SmithWhat happens: Precious Ramotswe details becoming Botswana's only lady private detective and investigating several intriguing cases, including a missing boy, the suspicious return of a long-gone father, and a clinic doctor behaving strangely.
Series alert: This is the charming 1st in the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Out in October is the 22nd book, The Joy and Light Bus Company.
On the screen: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books inspired a TV movie (2008) and a six-episode series (2009), both starring multi-talented Jill Scott as Precious. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|