Celebrate Middle Eastern and North African (MENA)/Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) Heritage Month in April |
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The Gates of Paradise
by Taleb Alrefai
This suspenseful and captivating novel--a true immersion in the daily life of an ultra-rich Kuwaiti family--questions desire, painful family dynamics, and the preoccupations with jihadism. Through the doubts of this patriarchal figure brought to review his life and his choices through the prism of unforeseen upheavals, it is the picture of a very current society that the author paints, in which generations and visions of the world are opposed.
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Divine Ruin
by Margot Douaihy
New Orleans punk rock nun-detective Sister Holiday plunges into a hellish underworld of drug trafficking, addiction, and her own dark past in a journey that is both riveting and sacred. It's a steamy, restless end of the school year in New Orleans. Sister Holiday is finishing her music classes and preparing for her permanent vow ceremony, a pivotal moment in her journey of faith. But when one of her favorite students is found dead of a fentanyl overdose, Sister Holiday and her partner-in-PI, Magnolia Riveaux, are determined to track down the drug dealers. As students continue to fall prey tothis sinister drug, Sister Holiday becomes more desperate to stop the epidemic--while facing her own past with addiction, a demon that is never too far. With Douaihy's signature mix of grit, heart, and faith, Divine Ruin tests the limits of Sister Holiday's devotion in her darkest and most shocking case yet.
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Summerhouse
by Yigit Karaahmet
Fehmi and Sener have been together for forty years-no small feat for any pair, but especially admirable for a gay couple in Turkey. Behind closed closet doors, their life on Bèuyèukada, an idyllic island near Istanbul, is like a powder keg that only needs one spark to make it blow. That spark soon comes in the form of Deniz, the wildly handsome and troubled teenager next door, who immediately catches Fehmi's eye. This harmless crush raises Sener's hackles: he is horrified to see his husband made unrecognizable by his lecherous desires, and Deniz represents a sinister threat to everything Sener holds dear. Little do Deniz and Fehmi know that Sener will stop at nothing to protect his family, and if all three of them make it to the end of summer alive, it'll be a miracle. Dishy, emotional, and suspenseful, Yigit Karaahmet's debut makes a fierce political statement about gay rights in Turkey, while also introducing a shockingly lovable pair of antiheroes who could be Tom Ripley's grandfathers.
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The Matchmaker
by Aisha Saeed
In Atlanta, third-generation matchmaker Nura Khan thrives in her career while navigating her complicated feelings for her pretend fiancé, Azar, but her success is jeopardized when a couple's wedding falls apart, leading to a series of suspicious and threatening events that challenge her safety and her business.
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The Salvage
by Anbara Salam
Goodreads Editor's Pick * Town & Country Best Book of Fall * Ms. Magazine Best Book * Most Anticipated: Autostraddle & Literary Hub A favorite read of the year. The Salvage is a journey both eerie and inspiring to embark on. --Chicago Review of Books
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Six Truths and a Lie
by Ream Shukairy
Told in their separate voices, six Muslim teens are falsely accused of an alleged attack on a Los Angeles beach and must trust or turn their backs on each other to prove their innocence.
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The Human Scale
by Lawrence Wright
FBI agent Tony Malik travels to Gaza for a family wedding but becomes entangled in a complex murder investigation with an Israeli officer, navigating deeply rooted tensions, personal discoveries, and a volatile political landscape as they work together to uncover the truth amidst corruption and violence.
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| I'm Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus CraigFresh out of prison after 35 years, 75-year-old serial killer Carol Quinn moves into a North London retirement home. While she once targeted people she thought deserved it, she's (probably) done with murder. When a resident is killed and she's blamed, she looks for the real killer. Meanwhile, three other residents also investigate. For fans of: Robert Thorogood's Marlow Murder Club books; Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club novels; Helene Tursten's An Elderly Lady stories. |
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| What Happened That Night by Nicci FrenchTyler Green spent 27 years in an English prison for the 1993 murder of his best mate, but he's always denied the charge. Freed, he reunites with the eight university friends present the night of the killing, which leads to another death. DI Maud O'Connor works the case, and despite what others think, she doubts Tyler's guilt. This slow-burn, locked-room mystery is the suspenseful 3rd in the Maud O'Connor series. Try this next: Jane Casey's Maeve Kerrigan novels. |
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| A Gift Before Dying by Malcolm KemptThis atmospheric debut follows divorced cop Elderick Cole, who's been exiled to a troubled small town in the Canadian Arctic after mishandling a missing child case. When a young Inuit woman is found dead by hanging, Cole realizes she didn't get there on her own in this haunting, immersive story. For fans of: Peter Høeg's Smilla's Sense of Snow. |
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| The Murder at World's End by Ross MontgomeryOn a Cornish tidal island in 1910, 19-year-old Stephen Pike is the new footman at Tithe Hall, where Viscount Stockingham-Welt believes Halley's Comet will destroy the earth. That doesn't happen, but someone does kill the viscount in his locked study. When ex-con Stephen is suspected, the viscount's elderly, scientific-minded aunt teams up with him to prove his innocence in this delightful series starter. For fans of: atmospheric Edwardian mysteries; witty, unlikely detective duos. |
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| Wolf Hour by Jo NesbøIn 2022, a Norwegian true crime writer visits Minneapolis, Minnesota, to research a set of 2016 serial killings. Back in 2016, everything starts with the sniper shooting of a gun dealer known for not asking questions. Divorced cop Bob Oz becomes obsessed with the case, working it even after he's suspended from the force, believing a taxidermist may hold the key to it all in this twisty dual-timeline standalone. Try this next: Stephen Mack Jones' August Snow series; Christoffer Carlsson's Blaze Me a Sun. |
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| The Final Problem by Arturo Pérez-ReverteAfter bad weather cuts off an idyllic Greek island in 1960, a dead British tourist is found inside a locked cabana. Aging actor Ormond Basil, who played Sherlock Holmes in 15 films, finds himself tasked with investigating while a Spanish mystery writer acts as his Watson. Also on the island are an Italian film producer, a former opera star, and others. For fans of: locked-room mysteries; Sherlock Holmes; Anthony Horowitz; Knives Out. |
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| Ruby Falls by Gin PhillipsTo drum up publicity and attract tourists during the Great Depression, the proprietors of Ruby Falls, a massive waterfall inside a Tennessee cave, have a psychic attempt to find a hatpin hidden inside. In case of emergency, the psychic and his group of five are secretly shadowed by Ada, a friend of the owners who knows the caves well, and Quinton, a cavern guide. Then a shocking murder occurs deep underground. For fans of: suspenseful impossible crime stories; well-researched historical novels. |
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Recent Cozy Mystery Releases
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The Tattered Cover
by Ellery Adams
As the residents of Miracle Springs, North Carolina, select their costumes, plan parties, and get excited for a night of tricks or treats, Nora joins in on the festivities by hosting medium memoirist Lara Luz at the bookstore. Charismatic and compelling, Lara mesmerizes the audience with her life story. Struck by a bolt of lightning as a child, she was pronounced dead only to be resurrected with the ability to connect with those on the other side. Lara performs a reading for a select group of bookstore patrons when the encroaching storm knocks out the power. In the sudden darkness, howling cold winds intensify, and Lara clutches her heart, collapsing dead without warning. But Nora doesn't believe she died of natural causes.
Series note: this is the 8th title of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society mysteries.
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Death at a Firefly Tea
by Laura Childs
As fireflies dazzle like tiny glowing lanterns, tea maven Theodosia hosts an elegant evening tea on the patio of the Tangled Rose B and B. But in this gentle darkness an intruder has made their way in and slipped deadly drugs into the baked Alaska of Mrs. Van Courtland, one of Charleston's local grande dames. Shocked by this brazen act, urged on by Mrs. V's grieving son, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation. Soon, she finds herself at odds with a greedy developer, the questionable residents of Honey Badger House, a vengeful ex- daughter-in-law, ne'er do well relatives, and a housekeeper who knows all the secrets. As Theodosia hosts a Moulin Rouge Tea and a Queen Victoria Tea, her tea sommelier Drayton is assaulted by a masked stranger and the fiance of Mrs. V's son is kidnapped. It's only at the Starry Starry Night black tie ball that Theodosia stumbles upon the killer and gets pulled into a dramatic life and death chase.
Series note: 30th title in the Tea Shop mystery series.
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The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor
by Lucy Connelly
A new job can be killer in this series debut mystery set in Wales, perfect for fans of Sheila Connolly and Paige Shelton. After crossing the pond, Dr. Gwen Griffith finds herself in the quirky place she fell in love with, Dillynaidd, Wales. A former managing editor for a Texan newspaper, Gwen is ready for the next stage in her life as the head of the journalism department at the local university in town. With her best friend, Carolyn Sparks-who is also the university's dean-at her side, Dillynaidd feels like a dream, until murder comes knocking at her doorstep. Gwen had only just met the victim, Dr. Alice Rice, at a faculty party, but that doesn't stop police detective Gareth Jones from suspecting her of foul play-after all, the victim was found on her doorstep. With her journalism background, Gwen decides that it's up to her to clear her own name. But she'll need all the help she can get when her idyllic small-town life is turned upside down in order to stay one step ahead of the killer. This brand-new series by Lucy Connelly, author of the Scottish Isle mysteries, will charm cozy mystery readers everywhere.
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Buried in Shamrocks
by Lisa Q. Mathews
Kate Buckley returns to her Irish-themed hometown for the summer, but when her ex becomes the prime suspect in his fiance's murder, she must clear his name for the sake of their daughters, perfect for fans of Elle Cosimano and Carlene O'Connor. Kate and her daughters, Maeve and Bliz, are back in Shamrock, Massachusetts, and Kate faces a big decision: Should they move back to their hometown for good? As she contemplates the idea, all the businesses in town, including her family's B&B, the Buckley House, are busy preparing for the annual Great Shamrock Fair in hopes of luring back tourists after a murder during St. Patrick's Week. But when Kate's ex, Ian, arrives in town from Ireland to perform with his band at the festival and his new fiance, Fallon, is found dead at the fairgrounds, any chance of a fun and peaceful family summer goes up in green smoke. Much as she wants nothing to do with her ex, Kate knows Ian is innocent. Amid the swirl of activity in town and her sister Colleen's determination to keep the annual Miss Shamrock contests alive, Kate enlists her devastated eldest daughter and her father, the former Shamrock police chief, to help her unwind the trail of evidence. With clues--and danger--piling up, can Kate find Fallon's true killer and save her ex, before the Great Shamrock Fair and the town's chances for a summer full of green go bust?
Series note: This is the 2nd book in the Irish Bed & Breakfast Mystery series.
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Murder at an Irish Session
by Carlene O'Connor
As pregnant Siobhán O'Sullivan awaits bringing her new life into the world, she's bringing new life to her village of Kilbane in County Cork, Ireland, with a music and matchmaking festival. But one matchmaker is about to find out that Cupid's arrow can be fatal in the latest Irish Village Mystery from USA Today bestselling author Carlene O'Connor. Siobhán loves to see the joy playing trad music brings to her brother Ciaran, but his concern that he'll never find a mate pulls at her heartstrings. So she proposes that Kilbane host a music and matchmaking festival to draw single trad musicians. While renowned matchmaker Liam Noone plays Cupid with his Lucky Book, music--and hopefully love--will fill the pubs and the autumn air. Turning over his precious Lucky Book to Siobhán for safekeeping, Liam takes the stage to introduce matched musician couples who will kick off the festival in the town square. Suddenly all goes black. When the lights come back on, the matchmaker has met his maker, impaled through the heart with an arrow made from the sharpened bow of a bass. Was it the fiddle player, the flute player, the drummer, the piper, the squeeze box player, or the bass player who struck a sour note? Garda Siobhán and her husband Macdara must pick up the tempo to make whoever committed this crime of passion face the music.
Series note: this is the 12th title in the Irish village mystery series.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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