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Robert B. Parker's old black magic : a Spencer novel
by Ace Atkins
"Iconic, tough-but-tender Boston PI Spenser delves into the black market art scene to investigate a decades-long unsolved crime of dangerous proportions. The heist was legendary, still talked about twenty years after the priceless paintings disappeared from one of Boston's premier art museums. Most thought the art was lost forever, buried deep, sold off overseas, or, worse, destroyed as incriminating evidence. But when paint chips from the most valuable piece stolen, Gentlemen in Black by a Spanish master, arrives at the desk of a Boston journalist, the museum finds hope and enlists Spenser's help. Soon the cold art case thrusts Spenser into the shady world of black market art dealers, aged Mafia bosses, and old vendettas. A five-million-dollar-reward bythe museum's top benefactor, an aged, unlikable Boston socialite, sets Spenser and pals Vinnie Morris and Hawk onto a trail of hidden secrets, jailhouse confessions, and decades-old murders. Set against the high-society art scene and the low-life back alleys of Boston, this is classic Spenser doing what he does best"
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| The Glass Room: A Vera Stanhope Mystery by Ann CleevesWhen DI Vera Stanhope's neighbor Joanna goes missing, Vera finds her at a country house writers' retreat -- but a man's been murdered and Joanna's discovered standing over the body, holding a knife.
Is it for you? Yes, if you'd like a modern take on the traditional English mystery and appreciate fully realized (and realistically flawed) characters.
Media buzz: This is the 5th entry in the consistently satisfying, atmospheric series that's the basis for the popular British crime show Vera. |
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| Antique Blues: A Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery by Jane K. ClelandAntiques expert and bride-to-be Josie Prescott agrees to appraise two pieces for her friend Mo: her dad's vintage guitar and a Japanese woodblock print Mo bought from her sister's unpleasant boyfriend. When it seems like at least one of these is a fake and a murderer strikes, amateur sleuth Josie investigates.
This is the 12th in an engaging cozy series that features sympathetic characters, intriguing details about antiques, and a charming coastal New Hampshire setting. |
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| Memento Mori: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth DownieThe eighth gripping novel in the bestselling Medicus series, in which Ruso and Tilla investigate the death of the wife of Ruso's friend in the sacred hot spring of Aquae Sulis. A scandal is threatening to engulf the popular spa town of Aquae Sulis (modern-day Bath). The wife of Ruso's best friend, Valens, has been found dead in the sacred hot spring, stabbed through the heart. Fearing the wrath of the goddess and the ruin of the tourist trade, the temple officials are keen to cover up what's happened. But the dead woman's father is demanding justice, and he's accusing Valens of murder. If Valens turns up to face trial, he will risk execution. If he doesn't, he'll lose his children. Ruso and Tilla do their best to help but it's difficult to get anyone--even Valens himself--to reveal what really happened. Could Ruso's friend really be guilty as charged?
For fans of: Steven Saylor, Lyndsay Davis, and entertaining, well-researched historical mysteries. |
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How It Happened
by Michael Koryta
After a troubled teen, no stranger to the law, admits to her involvement in a brutal murder, Rob Barrett, an FBI investigator and interrogator stakes his reputation on her confession only to have the information she provided prove false.
HOW IT HAPPENED is a frightening, tension-filled ride into the dark heart of rural American from a writer Stephen King has called "a master" and the New York Times has deemed "impossible to resist.
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Murder on Union Square
by Victoria Thompson
When a murder hits close to home, Frank finds himself in an unusual position--the prime suspect in the latest installment of the national bestselling Gaslight Mystery series... Frank and Sarah Malloy are enjoying married life and looking to make their family official by adopting Catherine, the child Sarah rescued and has been raising as her daughter. The newlyweds soon discover, Parnell Vaughn, an actor and Catherine's legal father, is looking to fatten his pockets by insisting on a financial settlement to relinquish his parental rights. Even though exchanging money for a child is illegal, Frank and Sarah's love for Catherine drives them to take a chance. When Frank returns with the money and finds Vaughn beaten to death, all evidence points to Frank as the culprit. A relatively unsuccessful actor with no money and little promise, Vaughn seems at first to be an unlikely candidate for murder--particularly such a violent crime of passion--but Frank soon uncovers backstage intrigue as dramatic as any that appears on stage. Sarah and Frank must use all of their resources to investigate Vaughn's death as Frank's own life hangs in the balance.
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The Devil May Care: A McKenzie Novel
by David Housewright
Mystery. Independently wealthy former cop Rushmore McKenzie doesn't have to work and isn't a licensed PI, but he does occasionally investigate as a favor. When the young granddaughter of powerful billionaire Walter Muehlenhaus has nowhere else to turn, she asks McKenzie to find her missing boyfriend, Juan Carlos Navarre, of whom her family doesn't approve. A reluctant McKenzie (he's tangled with Muehlenhaus before) discovers that the missing man had heavily misrepresented himself, that others are looking for him, and that a violent criminal is targeting those close to Navarre. This is the "exceptional" (Publishers Weekly) 11th book in the McKenzie series by Edgar Award-winning author David Housewright.
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The Legacy
by Yrsa Sigurdardottir; translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb
A seven-year-old girl witnesses her mom's murder. Protecting the traumatized child, Huldar and Freyja navigate around each other (they recently had a one-night stand) while trying to discover what the girl knows...and then the killer strikes again.
Fans of complex characters, atmospheric settings, and Nordic police procedurals will like this 1st in a series.
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| Bryant & May and the Bleeding Heart: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery by Christopher FowlerSomething odd is going on in London...again. The Peculiar Crimes Unit's octogenarian police detectives Arthur Bryant and John May investigate the disappearance of seven Tower of London ravens and the death of a teen who'd claimed he'd seen a reanimated corpse. And then there are the budget cuts they have to deal with.
This cleverly plotted, darkly humorous 11th in the Peculiar Crimes series will please fans and newcomers alike. |
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The Art of Murder: A Dead-End Job Mystery
by Elaine Viets
While touring a gorgeous mansion-turned-museum in Fort Lauderdale, PI Helen Hawthorne and her friend Margery meet Annabel, an up-and-coming artist...and witness her death. Hired to find out how Annabel's tea was poisoned and by whom, Helen goes undercover once again in her 15th outing, which provides a colorful look at the art world. Meanwhile, Helen's PI husband tries to sort out who the "Gold Ghost" is as numerous gold coins and valuables disappear from exclusive high-rise apartments. Readers looking for humor and Florida sunshine in a lighthearted package will want to check out The Art of Murder. For more cozy Florida fun, try Blaize Clement's Dixie Hemingway mysteries.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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