|
|
|
|
| Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. BreedloveSince she hasn't heard from her godmother Sue in years, Willow Stone is surprised by a letter asking her to visit her Maine island home. When Willow arrives, she learns from locals that Sue recently inherited a historic mansion and had a fatal fall there. When another death connected to the house occurs, Sue investigates, getting a bit of ghostly help. For fans of: award-winning debuts; cozyish mysteries with paranormal elements, like Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity series or Olivia Blacke's Ruby and Cordelia mysteries. |
|
| The Pie & Mash Detective Agency by J.D. BrinkworthOut-of-work Jane Pye wrangles her boyfriend Simon Mash into taking a private detective class, and they're assigned a mysterious case: every ten years, a young woman named Nellie Thorne is reported missing around Kent, England, but officially the woman never seems to exist. While some think it's a joke, to Dev Hooper, whose girlfriend Nellie has just disappeared, it's reality. Luckily, Jane and Simon are determined to help. Read-alike: Sarah Fox's Definitely Maybe Not a Detective. |
|
| The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn ClarkeSix struggling authors are invited to the private Scottish island of bestselling novelist Arthur Fletch, a recluse known for his fiendish plot twists. Upon arrival, they are told Fletch has died and left an unfinished manuscript. It's up to one of them to write the best ending in 72 hours, and whoever wins gets money and publicity. But then a real murder occurs. For fans of: the Knives Out films; Ande Pliego's You Are Fatally Invited. |
|
| The Widow Hamilton by Mollie Ann CoxIn December 1805, a young woman is found dead in a bad part of Manhattan, and then the friend who went searching for her disappears. The police aren't interested in the case, but Eliza, the widow of Alexander Hamilton, feels compelled to investigate since the women had ties to Pearl Street House, a home for widows. Read-alikes: Amanda Flower's Emily Dickinson mysteries; Lauren Willig's The Girl from Greenwich Street. |
|
| Guilt by Keigo Higashino; translated by Giles MurrayAfter a lawyer is killed, the police talk to a man named Tatsuro Kuraki, who quickly confesses to this murder and a decades-old one, too. Tokyo detective Godai arrests Kuraki, but doubts remain for him as well as the confessed killer's son and the victim's daughter, leading them to separately investigate. This twisty complex standalone tale studies guilt in all its guises. For fans of: suspenseful Japanese mysteries; Arnaldur Indridason's The Quiet Mother. |
|
| Dirty Metal by Allison LamotheIn 1992 New York, pill-addicted journalist Parker Snow messed up a story and was bumped from reporting on street crime to covering organized crime. While writing about the new influx of Russian gangsters, she can't help but also investigate the deaths of two women found in different parts of the city and wonder if a serial killer is at work. For fans of: atmospheric 1990s New York settings; gritty noirish debuts. |
|
| The Best Little Motel in Texas by Lyla LaneLibrarian Cordelia West never planned on returning to the hometown she last saw as a ten-year-old, but then she inherits the Chickadee Motel. To her shock, she discovers the motel is actually a brothel and home to three "chicks," 60-somethings Daisy, Arline, and Belinda Sue. When an elderly pastor is fatally poisoned and dies in Daisy's bed, hijinks ensue as Cordelia investigates and clashes with the pastor's handsome FBI agent son. Try this next: Jo Nichols' The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective. |
|
| The Star from Calcutta by Sujata MasseyPerveen Mistry, the only woman lawyer in 1922 Bombay, agrees to help famous actress Rochana in a contract dispute after she leaves her old studio for one owned by her new husband. But at an advance screening party, murder enters the picture and Rochana disappears from the scene. Though this is the atmospheric 5th in the Perveen Mistry novels, readers can start here. Read-alikes: Kate Khavari's Saffron Everleigh mysteries; Harini Nagendra's Bangalore Detectives Club books. |
|
| Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob PhillipsAfter being laid off from his crime reporting job, new dad Charlie Shaw becomes a rookie PI. While on a stakeout trying to catch a cheating spouse, he meets 16-year-old Friday, who's hoping to avoid foster care by finding her estranged father. Charlie agrees to look for her dad and he and his wife give her a place to stay, but Friday's situation is more dangerous than Charlie ever imagined. For fans of: fun debut novels; Kat Ailes' The Expectant Detective mysteries; Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan novels. |
|
| Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief by Benjamin StevensonWriter and amateur sleuth Ernest Cunningham has gone to the bank hoping to get a loan to bankroll a new PI business. When Ernest and everyone else inside is taken hostage, he manages to nose around, learning that more than one person planned to rob the bank that day. Then a murder occurs. Kirkus Reviews raves, "nobody from Agatha Christie to Anthony Horowitz beats Stevenson for cleverness." This is the 4th in a delightful series by Australian author Benjamin Stevenson. For fans of: Richard Osman.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
| Huntington Beach Public Library
Central Library
7111 Talbert Avenue
Huntington Beach, California 92648
714.842.4481
www.hbpl.org |
|
|
|