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| Jackal by Erin E. AdamsHomecoming: Liz Rocher, a Black woman who grew up in a small, predominantly white Pennsylvania town, returns for her best friend's wedding. When the bride's daughter disappears from the reception, Liz investigates, uncovering a pattern of Black girls going missing.
For fans of: atmospheric crime-horror combos that examine social issues like class and race and don't shy away from violence.
Reviewers say: "masterful and emotionally wrenching" (Publishers Weekly); "chilling and memorable" (Library Journal). |
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| Secrets of the Nile by Tasha AlexanderDeath beside the Nile: In 1904, Lady Emily and her family enjoy a lavish cruise up the Nile. Stopping at Luxor, they visit the home of British collector Lord Deely, who's soon dead, poisoned at dinner.
Don't miss: the chapters starring an Ancient Egyptian sculptor, who has her own mystery to solve and whose creations play a role in the modern story.
Read this next: If you like this 16th Lady Emily mystery, try other historical tales set in Egypt, like Elizabeth Peter's modern classic Amelia Peabody novels or Erica Ruth Neubauer's Murder at the Mena House. |
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A death in Door County
by Annelise Ryan
A Wisconsin bookstore owner and hobbyist cryptozoologist agrees to help the local police chief after several bodies show up on the shores of Lake Michigan with giant bites from an unknown animal, in the first novel of a new series.
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Light on Bone by Kathryn LaskyFeaturing famous artist Georgia O'Keefe as an amateur sleuth, this mystery is set in 1930's New Mexico on Ghost Ranch. As O'Keefe is painting and recuperating in her desert retreat, she comes across the body of a slain priest.
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Secret lives
by Mark De Castrique
"Everybody has something to hide At 75-years-old, Ethel Fiona Crestwater is used to being underestimated. She looks like someone's grandma, though she's never married or had children; petite and a bit frail, she's not a threat to anyone. Or is she...? Ethel runs a boarding house for government agents, and when someone murders one of her boarders, she springs into action-much to the surprise of her distant cousin Jesse, who has recently come to stay with her while he attends university. As he watches her photograph the crime scene, conceal evidence, and speed-dial the Secret Service Director, Jesse realizes that there's much more to Ethel than appearances suggest. But when Jesse is assaulted and the gym bag full of cash Ethel had hidden is stolen from the basement, the pair decides it's time to launch their own unofficial investigation. With no one to trust but each other, these double-first-cousins-twice-removed form an unlikely bond, and learn that the only thing truly worth risking your life for is family"
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| Steeped to Death by Gretchen RueIntroducing: Phoebe Winchester, who's left a bad marriage in Seattle and moved to Raven Creek, Washington, after inheriting her aunt Eudora's Victorian mansion, her book and tea stop, and her cat.
What happens: A bullying realtor tries to buy her out, but Phoebe's determined to stay, even after she finds a dead body at her shop.
She decides to investigate the murder...and to uncover if her aunt really was, as rumor says, a witch.
For fans of: Jennifer Hawkins' Chatty Corgi mysteries, which feature a tea-shop owning amateur sleuth who understands her pet corgi's barks. |
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If you like: Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch
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| The Big Sleep by Raymond ChandlerWhat it's about: Elderly General Sternwood is dealing with a blackmailer...again. To sort it out and get his daughter Carmen out of yet another jam, he hires California PI Philip Marlowe.
What happens: Before Marlowe can do much of anything, things get wildly worse in a complex case filled with murders on top of sex, drugs, pornography, and more.
Why Michael Connelly fans might like it: Readers who enjoy Connelly's snappy dialogue will find Raymond Chandler serves that up in spades. Also, this classic 1939 novel, the 1st featuring iconic PI Philip Marlowe, is a favorite of Connelly's. |
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| Lost Hills by Lee GoldbergIntroducing: Eve Ronin, a young Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detective, who's received an unprecedented promotion after a video of her taking down an abusive Hollywood action star went viral.
What happens: With resentful colleagues beside her, Eve navigates a confusing, high-profile case: a blood-filled house with no bodies and three missing occupants, a single mother and her two kids.
Why Michael Connelly fans might like it: Lost Hills, the 1st Eve Ronin police procedural, features an evocative Los Angeles setting, twisty plotting, and tight writing. |
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| Charcoal Joe by Walter MosleyLos Angeles, 1968: Now part owner of a detective agency, PI Easy Rawlins is thinking about marrying his girlfriend. He also agrees to help a Black Stanford graduate student with criminal connections who's been arrested after finding the bodies of two white men in Malibu.
Series alert: Though Charcoal Joe can be enjoyed on its own, those who want to start with the 1st book can pick up Devil in a Blue Dress (which was made into a 1995 film starring Denzel Washington).
Why Michael Connelly fans might like it: The acclaimed Easy Rawlins mysteries, of which this is the 14th entry, offer an atmospheric look at 1960s Los Angeles, unforgettable characters, and compelling dialogue. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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L.E. Smoot Memorial Library
9533 Kings Hwy
King George, Virginia 22485
(540) 775-2147www.smoot.org |
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