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A Murder in Hollywood
by Michael Crichton
Originally written in 1973 by Crichton but never before published, a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. In the glitz and decadence of 1970s Hollywood, an era when sex and drugs were readily available on any movie set, the writer of the next Western blockbuster, Bloodrock, has just been found dead in his motel bathtub. Now publicist Harvey Jason is desperately trying to keep the project on track while the famed Harlow Perkins, a brilliant and ruthless investigator, begins to unravel the mystery and hunt the killer down. From scorching-hot desert locations to sleazy motel bars, the members of the cast and crew--each one with a very dark secret of their own--will send this case deeper and deeper into a maze of confusion and shadows until the shocking truth is revealed. Will the murderer be found? Or will the true identity of the killer turn out to be just another Hollywood illusion?
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| The Kindness of Strangers by Emma GarmanIn a shabby genteel Victorian house in 1953 London, literary free spirit Honor Wilson takes in lodgers, including a writer, a teen girl sleuth, a model/debutante, and an elderly refugee who barely survived the war. Each has secrets, and when Jimmy Sullivan shows up, he seems to threaten them all. Then he's murdered. |
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| The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield by Claudia GrayDespite Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney's success solving murders together, his parents believe it's too dangerous and want him to stop. Furthermore, Juliet is now a young lady of ruined reputation. But when there's a death at Netherfield Park, Jonathan and Juliet are called upon to find the culprit. While newcomers can start with their 5th outing, those who want to see relationships develop should pick up the 1st book, The Murder of Mr. Wickham. For fans of: Jane Austen-inspired mysteries, like those by Stephanie Barron, and Vanessa Kelly. |
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| The Butler by Clare MackintoshHired to work at a French villa rented by Alec Prescott for a week, skilled professional butler Baxter ends up investigating a murder. The guests are: Alec's only child, Carter, who's celebrating his 21st birthday; Carter's girlfriend; Alec's girlfriend; Alec's ex-wife; and a Hollywood couple in town for the Cannes Film Festival. Things heat up, ending with a body in the pool, but with help from a young pickpocket and others, indomitable Baxter sets things to rights in this fun, fast-paced read. For fans of: Sian Gilbert's I Did Warn Her. |
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| Heather by Caitlin MullenCallie Hauser moves back to her New Jersey Pine Barrens hometown to be the police chief and to help her best friend, who's recovering from a hit-and-run. She's quickly pulled into a 30-year-old cold case connected to her estranged mother that also involves the death of an infant and long-missing 16-year-old twin sisters. For fans of: twisty mysteries with multiple narrators; Liz Moore’s Long Bright River; HBO's Mare of Easttown. |
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| Murder Most Delicious by Danielle Postel-VinayAfter COVID stole her sense of taste, American sommelier Olivia Beech lost her job. Doing better, she's hoping to work in Paris, but the beloved chef she's interviewing with dies in front of her after drinking poisoned wine. Teaming up with an eccentric group of locals led by agoraphobic detective Augusta Dupin, Olivia makes new friends and helps find the killer in this witty tale. For fans of: mysteries combining France and food, such as Colleen Cambridge's American in Paris Mysteries. |
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| Broken Truths by Alessandro Robecchi; translated by Gregory ContiAfter becoming disillusioned, acclaimed Italian director Manlio Parrini left the film industry decades ago. Now in his 70s, he's back and determined to make a film about Augusto De Angelis, a (real) pioneer of Italian crime fiction who was targeted by fascists and murdered in 1944. While writing and working to get his film financed, Manlio also investigates the killing of the elderly widow next door. Translated from Italian, this thoughtful mystery ponders artistry, censorship, freedom, and more. |
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| Missing in Soho by Holly StarsDrag queen Misty Divine loves being the glamorous hostess of Lady's Bar in London, but she also likes a good mystery. So after a private detective gasps out a warning and dies, Misty investigates her 2nd case, which involves a televangelist, big business, and the future of Lady's Bar. For fans of: timely, campy, and moving cozies; The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev AC Rosen. |
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| The Body in the Kitchen Garden by Paula SuttonEx-Londoners Daphne Brewster and her family have settled into the charming Norfolk village of Pudding Corner, even after dealing with a killing in The Potting Shed Murder. Now in her 2nd outing, vintage furnishings expert Daphne is asked to help when Lord Darlington returns to his abandoned ancestral home after years away. But amidst the overgrown greenery, Daphne finds a dead body. For fans of: Richard Osman; Robert Thorogood. |
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Recent Cozy Mystery Releases
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Death on the Lanai
by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
When the Girls accept a very strange invitation to a lavish party on a remote island estate, they find that murder has a way of ruining even the most glamorous of evenings. Blanche Devereaux's passionate dalliances are as plentiful as hot Southern nights, and surely one can't be expected to remember all of one's suitors. But when the Girls disembark the party's ferry at a small Biscayne Bay island and meet their secretive host, the memories come flooding back: she a Radio City Rockette in her twenties, he the poor artist who could offer her nothing but his love. Fate drove them apart, but Declan, now a famous artist El Toro, professes that Blanche has always been his muse. But looking around at a party filled with those who have made their livings off the artist's fame--his assistant, his art dealer, his greatest critic, and more--Dorothy isn't so sure they're welcome on the island after all. When a tropical storm knocks power out across the island, an optimistic Blanche proclaims that everyone looks better by candlelight anyway. But when Declan is found dead the next morning, all eyes are on her, his supposed muse of thirty-plus years. Trapped at the estate with the other guests--suspects all--the Girls must band together to find the true killer and get back to pleasant evenings of card games and cheesecake.
Series note: Golden Girls Cozy Mystery #2
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Whose Body in the Library: A Lighthouse Library Mystery
by Eva Gates
While Lucy McNeil is enjoying her new job as the mother of twin boys and library director, new librarian Nichelle Gilchrest has just arrived at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, reporting for duty. But life throws a wrench on Nichelle's first day when she finds a body on the steps--a body that bears a startling resemblance to her father, who disappeared on a fishing trip to the Outer Banks thirty-eight years ago. Fingerprints confirm the dead body is indeed Nichelle's father, now living in Nags Head under the name Brian Saunders. Brian had been befriending older lonely women in exchange for money, but was he working alone? Detective Rhonda Thomas is on the case, and the suspect list is only getting longer. Sorting through the wronged women and their relatives, Detective Thomas discovers Nichelle's own brother, Brad, had been in Nags Head a few days before the murder happened and has been lying about his whereabouts. Hoping to clear her brother's name, Nichelle decides to investigate what happened. With seasoned sleuth Lucy's gentle encouragement for the amateur, Nichelle is in for an exciting and dangerous first week at the library.
Series note: Lighthouse Library mysteries, #13
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Murder at the Campfire Cookout
by Darci Hannah
Mass market paperback original
When Lindsey Bakewell leaves behind her lighthouse bakeshop, her boyfriend, Rory, and her Newfoundland dog, Wellington, for a glamping trip with her mother in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the bears leave them alone—but a killer doesn’t...
Series note: Beacon bakeshop mystery, #7
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Three Hitmen and a Baby
by Rob Hart
When Valencia, a member of Assassins Anonymous (a recovery group for reformed killers), faces an out-of-town family emergency, she can't bring her baby daughter Lucia. Three fellow AA members--Mark, Astrid, and Booker--volunteer to babysit, confident that, as some of the deadliest people on the planet, they can handle one toddler. Then Lucia gets a fever and needs to go to the ER. There's a problem: none of her sitters knows her last name, thanks to AA's anonymity policy. Suspicious that they're witnessing a kidnapping, hospital staff alert the authorities, forcing Mark, Astrid, and Booker to flee. The situation escalates when Russian mob boss Zmeya calls in a favor. She is demanding that Mark turn Astrid over to her (probably to be killed, definitely to be tortured). When Mark refuses, Zmeya threatens his ex and his young son, forcing Mark, Astrid, and Booker, and their resourceful friends, to protect Lucia while navigating deadly criminal entanglements--all while staying "clean."
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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