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| Loch of the Dead by Oscar de MurielWhat happens: In 1889, Detective McGray and Inspector Frey go to the Scottish Highlands to protect the 16-year-old heir to an estate whose life has been threatened. McGray also wants a cure for his mentally ill sister, which might be found in a local well's mysterious healing water.
Series alert: Released in the U.K. last year, this well-plotted, banter-filled 4th Frey and McGray novel is now out in the U.S.
Read this next: For other mysteries that often include the strange and supernatural, try Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May books or M.R.C. Kasasian's (more gruesome) Gower Street Detective novels. |
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| The Stone Circle by Elly GriffithsWhat happens: Forensic anthropologist Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson receive threatening letters and find the bones of a girl missing since 1981, while Harry's wife gives birth (but is it his child?).
Series alert: With the threats reminiscent of letters that first brought Harry and Ruth together, this compelling 11th Ruth Galloway mystery harkens back to the 1st in the series, The Crossing Places (which is where newcomers can start to see complex relationships develop).
Read this next: If you can't get enough of good detectives and their messy marital lives, try Julia Spencer-Fleming's Reverend Clare Fergusson mysteries, which are set in New York State. |
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Death in Kew Gardens
by Jennifer Ashley
"In return for a random act of kindness, scholar Li Bai Chang presents young cook Kat Holloway with a rare and precious gift--a box of tea. Kat thinks no more of her unusual visitor until two days later when the kitchen erupts with the news that Lady Cynthia's next-door neighbor has been murdered. Known about London as an "Old China Hand," the victim claimed to be an expert in the language and customs of China, acting as intermediary for merchants and government officials. But Sir Jacob's dealings were not what they seemed, and when the authorities accuse Mr. Li of the crime, Kat and Daniel find themselves embroiled in a world of deadly secrets that reach from the gilded homes of Mayfair to the beautiful wonder of Kew Gardens"
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| The Satapur Moonstone by Sujata MasseyStarring: independent-minded, Oxford-educated Perveen Mistry, who, in 1922, is Bombay's only female lawyer.
What happens: Perveen travels to the fictional principality of Satapur to help two royal widows agree on where the ten-year-old prince should be educated and finds herself dealing with palace power plays, ancient vendettas, attempted poisonings, and suspicious deaths.
Series alert: This is the atmospheric follow-up to last year's highly acclaimed The Widows of Malabar Hill. |
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A Snapshot of Murder
by Frances Brody
Quickly: Seven keen amateur photographers gather for the most popular openings in a decade. Only six will return.
Sense of Place: Yorkshire, 1928.
Want more?: This is book 10 in the Kate Shackleton mystery series. You should start at the beginning and read straight through.
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The Sentence is Death
by Anthony Horowitz
Summary: Detective Daniel Hawthorne and his literary sidekick risk their lives to expose dangerous secrets while investigating the murder of a celebrity divorce lawyer and teetotaler who was bludgeoned to death with an expensive bottle of wine.
Follow-up: This is second to The Word is Murder.
Fun twist: The author is a character in the novel.
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If You Like: Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie
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| In the Woods by Tana FrenchWhat happens: Twenty years after his two childhood best friends vanished in the woods of their small Dublin suburb, police detective Rob Ryan works with his partner and pal Cassie Maddox to investigate a new, similar murder in the same forest.
Awards info: In 2008, this debut and 1st in the Dublin Murder Squad series won an Edgar, an Anthony, and a Macavity.
Why Kate Atkinson fans might like it: it mixes elegant writing and richly drawn characters with a compelling, original story. |
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| The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert GalbraithThe opening: PI Cormoran Strike, a 35-year-old Army vet who lost a leg in Afghanistan, has spent the night in his bare-bones London office after a relationship-ending fight with his girlfriend when Robin, the new temp secretary he can't afford, arrives.
What happens next: Robin proves herself quite useful as the two investigate the suspicious death of a famous model in this 1st mystery by Robert Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling.
Why Kate Atkinson fans might like it: intricate plotting; dark humor; and a troubled PI who uses classic detective skills to solve crimes. |
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| The Various Haunts of Men: A Simon Serrailler Mystery by Susan HillWhat happens: Recently divorced police Sgt. Freya Graffham moves to a small cathedral town and falls for her enigmatic DCI, Simon Serrailler.
The crimes: A middle-aged woman goes missing, and then a young girl, and then still others. The only thing uniting the victims seems to be trips to the Hill, a local area known for its tranquility.
Why Kate Atkinson fans might like it: This novel has a slow burning plot, skillful writing, and fascinating insights into the characters' private lives. |
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| Missing, Presumed: A Novel by Susie SteinerIntroducing: smart, single (but lonely and looking) DS Manon Bradshaw.
What it's about: Using multiple narrators, this intricate police procedural and 1st in a series follows the high-profile case of a missing Cambridge graduate student. Meanwhile, the appealing Manon also looks into the death of a black teen and tries to help his young brother.
Why Kate Atkinson fans might like it: the Cambridge setting, authentic characters, engaging story, and the interplay of the personal and professional. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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