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| Headlong by Cynthia Harrod-EaglesWhat happens: DCI Bill Slider and his team investigate when a famous literary agent dies -- and even though his superiors want it to be an accidental death and not suicide, Slider realizes it's actually a murder.
Series alert: Though this is the 21st entry in this witty London-set police procedural featuring delightful dialogue (complete with British slang) and appealingly believable characters, newcomers can still start here.
You might also like: John Harvey's Charlie Resnik mysteries (which are grittier) or Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May mysteries (which are quirkier). |
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| A Murderous Marriage: A Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery by Alyssa MaxwellWhat happens: In 1920, on the Isle of Wight, 20-year-old Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady's maid, Eva, try to catch a killer after the cops suspect Phoebe's sister Julia of murder (her much older, much richer husband was found dead the morning after their love-less wedding).
For fans of: Downton Abbey, Jessica Fellowes' Mitford mysteries, or Tessa Arlen's Lady Monfort mysteries.
Series alert: This is the cleverly plotted 4th entry in a cozy series. |
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| The Widows by Jess MontgomeryStarring: Lily Ross, a pregnant mother of two whose Ohio sheriff husband was recently murdered; Marvena Whitcomb, a coal miner's widow, a labor organizer, and the mother of a missing teenage girl.
What it's about: In this debut novel, it's 1924, and Lily and Marvena team up to find the sheriff's killer and Marvena's daughter.
Did you know? Lily and Marvena are based on Ohio's first female sheriff Maude Collins and labor organizer Mary Harris "Mother" Jones.
For fans of: Amy Stewart's Kopp sisters novels. |
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| The Reckoning by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir; translated by Victoria CribbWhat happens: Newly demoted Reykjavik police detective Huldar teams up a second time with child psychologist Freyja (see The Legacy for their 1st outing). After a school's time capsule is opened, an anonymous letter inside indicates several people, identified only by initials, will be killed -- and then the first victim is found.
Read it for: the Icelandic setting; the clever, fast-paced plot; vivid characters; and tons of atmosphere.
For fans of: Scandinavian crime novels, Tana French, and Ragnar Jonasson. |
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| Trigger by David SwinsonWhat happens: Retired DC cop and recovering drug addict Frank Marr, now a PI, tries to prove his ex-partner's innocence after he shoots and kills an African American teen while on the job. Marr knows there are bad cops, but he also knows Al Luna isn't one of them, so what happened?
Why you should read it: This 3rd (and possibly final) book in the Frank Marr crime series features realistically flawed characters, an atmospheric look at the seedy side of DC, and wonderfully crisp dialogue.
Enjoy: the reappearance of a memorable character from the 1st book in the series, The Second Girl, who plays a large role here. |
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No mercy
by Joanna Schaffhausen
A follow-up to The Vanishing Season finds police officer Ellery Hathaway and FBI profiler Reed Markham tackling two difficult cases involving a brutally elusive rapist and a support-group member who may have helped convict an innocent man
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The reign of the Kingfisher : a novel
by T. J. Martinson
"Somewhere in Chicago, a roomful of people have been taken hostage. The hostages will be killed one by one, the masked gunman says on-screen, unless the police will admit that they faked the death of the legendary superhero called the Kingfisher and helped him to give up his defense of the city thirty years ago. Retired reporter Marcus Waters made his name as a journalist covering the enigmatic superhero’s five years of cleaning up Chicago’s streets. Then the Kingfisher died, Chicago resumed its violent turmoil, and Marcus slid back into obscurity. But did the Kingfisher really die? And who would take hostages connected to the Kingfisher's past attempts to clean up the streets? With the help of disgraced police officer Lucinda Tillman and a young hacktivist named Wren, Marcus will explore the city's violence, corruption, and chaos to figure out if the vigilante hero died tragically, or gave up hope and abandoned the city―and for the hostages, the clock is ticking."
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The gardener of Eden : a novel
by David Downie
Returning after a four-decade absence to his coastal bluff childhood home, James takes a job at a seaside motel before a gruesome discovery forces him to reckon with the ghosts of his past and the dangers of the present.
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The Case of the Careless Kitten
by Erle Stanley Gardner
"Helen Kendal's woes begin when she receives a phone call from her vanished uncle Franklin, long presumed dead, who urges her to make contact with criminal defense attorney Perry Mason; soon after, she finds herself the main suspect in the murder of an unfamiliar man. Her kitten has just survived a poisoning attempt, as has her aunt Matilda, the woman who always maintained that Franklin was alive in spite of his disappearance. Lucky that Helen took her uncle's advice and contacted Perry Mason--he immediately takes her as a client. But while it's clear that all the occurrences are connected, and that their connection will prove her innocence, the links in the case are too obscure to be recognized even by the attorney's brilliantly deductive mind. Risking disbarment for his unorthodox methods, he endeavors to outwit the police and solve the puzzle himself, enlisting the help of his secretary Della Street, his private eye Paul Drake, and the unlikely but invaluable aid of a careless but very clever kitten in the process. Reprinted for the first time in over twenty years, The Case of the Careless Kitten is one of the most highly praised cases in the iconic Perry Mason series, which need not be read in any particular order."
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Dead as a door knocker
by Diane Kelly
When a dead body is found on the property of the house she wants to buy, real estate agent Whitney Whitaker launches her own investigation to solve this mystery before she loses her investment—and her life. Original.
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I, Witness
by Niki Mackay
Kate Reynolds knows she didn't kill her best friend. So why did she plead guilty?
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| In Farleigh Field: A Novel by Rhys BowenWhat it's about: World War II reaches British shores, changing life at the Kent estate of Lord Westerham, when one of his daughters secretly works at Bletchley Park. Then, a paratrooper, possibly a German spy, fatally lands at the home -- MI5 operative and family friend Ben Cresswell covertly investigates and tries to learn if someone was aiding him.
Winner of: an Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel and a Macavity Historical Mystery Award.
For fans of: Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope mysteries, Charles Todd's books, and Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs novels. |
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| Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica LockeWhat it's about: In a rural East Texas town, the body of a black lawyer from Chicago is found in a bayou, followed several days later by that of a white woman. African American Texas Ranger Darren Mathews investigates and finds a complex case of love and hate.
Why you should read it: With fully realized characters and a timely look at race relations in the U.S., this powerful book by Attica Locke (who's written and produced for TV's Empire) is the 1st in a planned series.
Winner of: both an Edgar and an Anthony Award for Best Novel as well as a Dagger Award. |
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| Sleeping in the Ground: An Inspector Banks Novel by Peter RobinsonWhat happens: A wedding at a picturesque Yorkshire church is interrupted by gunfire, leaving five dead. DS Alan Banks and his team work with Banks' ex, profiler Jenny Fuller, to unravel the killer's identity and figure out a motive.
Series alert: This well-plotted 24th Inspector Alan Banks mystery slowly builds tension until the surprising conclusion. The 25th entry in the series, Careless Love, was recently released.
Winner of: an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel. |
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Under a dark sky : a novel
by Lori Rader-Day
A widow discovers her husband's reservation at a dark-sky park and decides to go, only to become a suspect in a murder. By the Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author of Little Pretty Things. Original. 75,000 first printing
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Patchogue-Medford Library 54-60 East Main Street Patchogue, New York 11772 (631) 654-4700www.pmlib.org/ |
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