|
|
|
Celebrate Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month Sept. 15 - Oct. 15
|
|
|
|
Hear the Dead
by Ann Dávila Cardinal
One woman. A string of unsolved murders. Only she can hear the victims. For more than forty years, Elena Altieri has been hiding from the tragedies of her New York City punk rock youth. Tragedies that left her best friend, Sin, dead, and other women in their orbit missing. Now, the past is catching up with her in more ways than one. Not only is she hearing strange noises under the hum of her tinnitus, but the photographs she took of a recently deceased musician are going viral, thrusting her back into a world she hoped would remain locked away forever. When Elena begins to hear the screams of a woman ringing in her ears, she becomes convinced that she's somehow hearing Sin's murder. Desperate for answers, she has no choice but to revisit her past, and what she'll uncover will not only force her to reckon with her own fractured memories, but might prove that Sin, and other innocent women from their youth, were the victims of an unspeakable crime that only she can solve. Old punks never die, and Elena's going to prove that.Edgy, mysterious, and full of heart, Hear the Dead is at once an inventive and biting story following one aging woman desperate to solve crimes from her past, and a thought-provoking meditation on friendship, justice, and what it means to remember who we are.
|
|
|
|
The Novel Detective
by Teresa Dovalpage
In 2020, New Mexico mystery writer Teresa gets a call from her free-spirited childhood friend, Estrella, leading her to return to Cuba to investigate two deaths. In 1980, when the girls are 14, bookish Teresa notices their English teacher pays far too much attention to a classmate. After the teacher and the favored girl both supposedly die by suicide, neither Teresa nor Estrella share everything with the police. For fans of: dual-timeline literary mysteries with strong settings.
|
|
|
|
A Punishing Breed
by DC Frost
A Punishing Breed, the first in a series of novels featuring Detective DJ Arias, is a murder mystery that takes place on a small Los Angeles liberal arts campus, rife with jealousy, racial and sexual tensions, and a hierarchy as real and destructive as a medieval fortress.
|
|
|
|
Death Takes Me
by Cristina Rivera Garza
When a professor named Cristina Rivera Garza stumbles upon the corpse of a man in a dark alley, she finds a stark warning scrawled on the brick wall beside the body, written in coral nail polish: 'Beware of me, my love / beware of the silent woman in the desert.' After reporting the crime to the police, the professor becomes the lead informant of the case, led by a detective with a newfound obsession with poetry and a long list of failures on her back. But what has the professor really seen? As more bodies of men are found across the city, the detective tries to decipher the meaning of the poems, and if they are facing a darker stream of violence spreading throughout the city.
|
|
|
|
Reverse
by Steven F. Havill
Recovering from a near-death collision with a giant elk, Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman is back to finish her last month at the Posadas County sheriff's office. It's supposed to be a quiet road to retirement, until a body is found at the bottom of a water-filled quarry. The barely alive figure of the grandson of the wealthiest man in town also lies further down the ravine. Figuring out what really happened is going to take everything that Estelle and her understaffed, overworked team have. Especially when there's a vandal on the loose targeting the local airfield and the department has its own internal issues wreaking havoc. Plunged into another tricky investigation, one Estelle hopes will be her last, she can't help but think her retirement can't come soon enough.
|
|
|
|
The Intrigue
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Handsome con artist Ulises has long charmed lonely women via letters in order to steal their money, but money is hard to come by in 1940s Mexico. Ulises knows his looks won't last forever, and he's desperate to get his hands on a real fortune. He thinks he's found it when he captivates his newest correspondent, Perla, the owner of a small-town boardinghouse in picturesque Veracruz. But when he meets her, he finds something he didn't expect. The woman has a niece, Inés, who is as observant as she is desperate to escape her aunt's household. When Inés discovers Ulises's true intentions, she wants in on the scheme. They'll convince her aunt that Ulises is a great catch, Perla will marry him, and her money will vanish. Easy, fast, and clean. But Perla is not the desperate, silly spinster Ulises imagines. She harbors secrets. And although Ulises does not believe in true romance, Inés is more alluring than he bargained for. Suddenly, a simple plan may become perilously complicated. Venture into the streets of a small town where a patina of convention and good manners conceals a cauldron of avarice and lust.
|
|
|
|
Dominoes, danzón, and death
by Raquel V. Reyes
It's been three years since food anthropologist and cooking show star Miriam Quiänones-Smith had her last brush with death. Her Spanglish culinary show, Abuela Approved, is topping the charts. Her parents are back in Miami and her kids are great. But when bones start popping up in unexpected places, Miriam's idyllic life is threatened. Her husband Robert's much-delayed hotel project screeches to a halt when human bones are unearthed. Tribal representatives, forensic archaeologists, and a pompous professor rain down on the possibly ancient site. Then a fake skeleton with the name "Smith" etched into it is found floating in the bay with an ominous note. Is it a threat to Miriam's husband or her in-laws? And when Miriam's boss Delvis is seen going off on a tour guide who marched through the crew-only area on set and is later found dead, Delvis is declared the main suspect. To protect her family and friends, Miriam must dig up the truth that has been hiding in plain sight.
|
|
|
| Our Marriage Is Murder by Carol GoodmanAt a mystery conference in a haunted hotel in Italy, married writing duo Fred and Thea return to the location where they fell in love and plotted their first novel. No one knows they are secretly separated and that after 20 books and 20 years, each has plans to end their marriage and writing partnership at this event. But then very real murders occur that mimic the ones in their debut, so they reunite to investigate. |
|
| The Silent Appeal by Janice HallettThe Fairway Players of Lower Lockwood are back! Tensions are high as they prepare to put on an Agatha Christie play, and that's before they find themselves embroiled in murder. Again. Later, intrepid young lawyers Femi and Charlotte dig into emails, text messages, and more to figure out what really happened and who's really guilty in this fun, intricately plotted epistolary whodunit. |
|
| Crescendo by Robert J. HarrisIn 1950s Hollywood, Alfred Hitchcock hires mystery writer Bobby Burgoyne to rework a script based on an old dime novel about a missing heiress who eventually returns home with amnesia. But with violent acts of sabotage on set, Bobby soon teams up with his ex, reporter Tess Donovan, to investigate what's really going on. |
|
| Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils by Sandra Jackson-OpokuCafé owner Savvy Summers caters a lunch for a friend's business on Chicago's South Side, putting a soul food spin on Creole classics. But when someone poisons a po'boy, leading to a body in the conference room, Savvy and her trusty sous chef, Penny Lopés, investigate to find the killer and save the café's reputation. This fun 2nd in a cozy series includes recipes. |
|
| How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah LotzAfter the unexpected death of her bestselling crime novelist mother, insecure Niamh moves into her mom's English country cottage. But things get weird when her mom's super-competent fictional heroine appears in the kitchen claiming her creator was murdered. Though no one else can see the woman, Niamh teams up with her to find the killer in this fair-play mystery that also explores grief. |
|
| The Masala Chai Mystery Club by MJ SoniAt loose ends after being forced to retire early, librarian Neeti Shah finds herself curious after her New England neighbor, whom she has known since childhood, dies in a suspicious fall. Many people wanted the unpleasant man dead, leading Neeti to think this was murder, so she teams up with her niece and her mystery-loving friends to investigate. |
|
| City of Promises by Victoria Thompson with Ellen ThompsonFrank and Sarah Malloy's besotted daughter plans to marry a dubious man she just met. Convinced he's a fraudster, they visit lawyer Gideon Bates, only to discover no legal recourse. But Gideon's wife, Elizabeth, who was raised by a confidence artist, develops a plan to con the con man. This 8th Counterfeit Lady novel also stars characters from the author's Gaslight mysteries. Author Victoria Thompson sadly died in 2024; this novel was completed by her daughter Ellen. |
|
| The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate WestburyIn 1951 Oxford, England, Gin Bishop is a clever student with no plans to marry the well-to-do man her aristocratic father has selected, while Sidney Braithwaite, a veteran and former spy, studies Latin and Greek. hough Gin and Sidney have little in common, the British Security Service is keen to unite her charm with his espionage experience: there's a Soviet spy at the university, and the agent tracking them down was poisoned. MI5 wants Gin and Sidney to pick up the trail and identify the informant before more sensitive information is compromised. As a team, the pair of undergraduates clash in personality, upbringing, and taste--but have a connection neither can deny. Gin and Sidney must unite their respective talents to follow the clues before they're caught in the traitor's crosshairs if the sparks flying between them don't blow up the operation first. |
|
|
Recent Cozy Mystery Releases
|
|
|
|
And Then There Were Bun
by Vivien Chien
Mass Market Paperback Original
Birthday surprise Things get spicy when Megan throws a surprise birthday party for Lana at Ho-Lee Noodle House that ends in disaster. With the help of Lana's parents and close friends, Megan packs the family restaurant with a guest list that includes friends--both old and new--to help celebrate her best gal's birthday. But when one of their guests brings an unsavory plus one that Lana just happened to date back in her college days, tensions build between her old beau and her current boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau. After a heated exchange of words between the two men, the evening returns to the smooth and enjoyable party that Megan had originally hoped for. But relief is short lived when Lana's ex is found in the dumpster outside of Asia Village. As if the circumstances and tragedy taking place on Lana's birthday aren't enough, the gang gets an even bigger surprise when Adam is the main suspect under scrutiny. Not only are there several witnesses confirming the verbal confrontation between the two men earlier in the evening, but it's also reported that Adam disappeared from the party for a considerable amount of time. With Adam in the hot seat, his own partner, Matthew Higgins, must investigate the crime. As Adam struggles with the dynamic shifts in his personal life, being on suspension and shut out from his resources at the police department, he must rely solely on his skills as a detective and the ingenuity of Lana's amateur sleuthing capabilities to solve the case and clear his name definitively.
Series alert: 13th title in the Noodle Shop mystery series
|
|
|
|
Death at a Scottish Halloween: A Scottish Isle Mystery
by Lucy Connelly
When Dr. Emilia McRoy stumbles upon a dead body in a haunted house, she resolves to find the killer before another body can fall. Halloween isn't the only cause for fright.It's the week of Halloween--or as they say in Scotland, All Hallows' Eve--and the town of Sea Isle is full of spooky celebrations. Dr. Emilia McRoy loves being part of her new community and is eager to help out in any way she can. But the festivities are interrupted when she and her assistant, Abigail, find a dead body in a haunted house. A real one. They're too late to save the victim, but they'll do whatever it takes to find his killer. There's just one problem: There are too many suspects. Constable Ewan would prefer the good doctor and her friends stay out of the investigations, but that isn't how Dr. Em rolls. As she and her gang investigate, they realize the killer is searching for something--and has no problem murdering anyone who gets in the way of finding it. Dr. Em must stay one step ahead if she's to survive this Halloween season alive--either that or she might just end up the next victim.
Series alert: Scottish Isle mystery #5
|
|
|
|
Bubble, Bubble, Tea and Trouble
by Vicki Delany
When Cape Cod tearoom owner Lily Roberts finds a group conducting a s ance in her grandmother's Victorian B&B, she has no idea the trouble that's about to be conjured up . . . When Lily stumbles across five middle-aged women gathered in a dark corner of the tearoom for a book club, she firmly reminds them that the inn's no-smoking policy also applies to their oddly ritualistic candles. As they head outside, Lily overhears them chalking their bad luck up to the absence of their leader, Katya. Whatever they're doing, it certainly isn't reading--and their cover is starting to sound like weak tea . . .While they enjoy Lily's homemade banana bread the next morning, they make their intentions clear--grilling Lily about any past paranormal activity in the cliffside mansion. Their attempts to contact spirits have been falling flat, it seems, and the mysterious Katya is catching the heat. Levelheaded Lily thinks the real reason is that there's no such thing as ghosts. But Lily's pal Bernie has found another explanation: the half-baked spirit-seekers have the wrong house. The haunted reputation belongs to the place next door--where Lily's gardener boyfriend is currently staying. But before they can inform the luckless ladies, the missing medium shows up--dead on the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. Now, Lily has two jobs: serving afternoon tea, and solving a murder before someone else gets sent to the great beyond.
Series note: Tea by the sea mystery #7
|
|
|
|
A Murder at the Mansion
by Ellie Alexander
In the charming town of Redwood Grove, even the grandest estates have something to hide...When reclusive heiress Bernadette Garst vanishes from her sprawling mansion, bookshop owner and investigator Annie Murray is summoned to the scene. Arriving at the legendary Garst property, Annie and her partner Fletcher discover a household riddled with secrets, bitter family rivalries, and suspicious staff members. When Bernadette's lawyer also goes missing, it's clear the case is escalating into something far more dangerous.With her keen eye for detail and a little help from her friends, Annie must piece together the clues hidden within the opulent estate grounds. Can she solve the puzzle before it's too late?
Series note: Novel detectives #3
|
|
|
|
Apple Pies and Poisoned Lies at the Cider Falls Festival
by Traci Hall
First in a new series. In the foothills of Washington's Cascade mountains, the Smith family's Cider Falls Orchard is at its busiest amid the bustling autumn season--but when murder enters the mix, one bad apple may have spoiled the whole barrel . . . If you care for the land, the land will care for you. For generations, that's been the Smith family's motto. Between hayrides, apple picking, bonfires, and tasty apple treats, their Cider Falls Orchard provides an autumn bounty that draws locals and tourists alike. And now, Mcintosh Macki Smith--named after an apple variety, just like her siblings--is home too, after a bad breakup. Macki is glad to be on hand when her parents are sidelined by an accident, and she's even been persuaded to enter the Cider Falls Festival's prestigious baking competition with her famous double crust apple pie. But someone has taken the contest to deadly serious levels . . . It seems there are plenty of surprising motives for murder, especially after Macki learns that a crooked developer wants to buy and demolish the orchard--which makes her parents' accident increasingly suspicious. But serving up the real killer will put her in unexpected danger, because someone in this picture-perfect town finds murder as easy as pie.
|
|
|
|
Mrs. Morris and the Day of the Dead
by Traci Wilton
Charlene and her spectral companion, Dr. Jack Strathmore, are moved by crystal healer Isabella Perez's story about her missing sister, Marisol, a talented psychic of uncommon natural gifts. The spooky season is the ideal time to contact the departed for some answers; could someone from the other side reveal the truth about her disappearance . . . and the location of the priceless bejeweled statue she took with her?
Series note: Salem B&B mystery #10
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
Dakota County Library
|
|
|
|
|