Mystery
February 2021
Recent Releases
Hidden Treasure
by Jane K. Cleland

What happens: Everything is going right for Josie Prescott -- her TV show about antiques has been renewed and she's just bought the New Hampshire house of her dreams with her new husband.

The problem: She finds a missing treasure that others want, and then her new coastal home's elderly former owner suddenly disappears.

Who it's for: This 13th Josie Prescott mystery should work for fans of Barbara Allan's Trash 'n' Treasures cozy mysteries or Miranda James' Cat in the Stacks series (which also features a Maine Coon cat). 
Bryant & May: Oranges and Lemons
by Christopher Fowler

What happens: Someone burns down a London bookstore and then a high-profile politician is almost killed by a crate of falling oranges and lemons. With an odd nursery rhyme connection and powerful leaders wanting answers, the Peculiar Crimes unit is reinstated, with eccentric senior detectives Arthur Bryant and John May on the case.

Series alert: This is the delightful 18th outing for the amusing duo.

Want a taste? "Every act of recollection alters a narrative. Stories are strange fruits that ripen and mutate."
Germania: A Novel of Nazi Berlin
by Harald Gilbers

What happens: In 1944 Berlin, Jewish former police detective Richard Oppenheimer, who's alive because his wife is Aryan, is forced to investigate a serial killer murdering women connected to powerful Nazis.

Series alert: This 1st Richard Oppenheimer novel is an international bestseller and the only entry so far to be translated into English.

Read it for: the well-researched historical details; the atmospheric portrayal of Berlin at the end of the war.
An Extravagant Death : A Charles Lenox Mystery
by Charles Finch

Sir Charles Lenox leaves Scotland Yard and travels to 1878 Newport where he investigates the supposed suicide of a beautiful debutante who threw herself off a cliff, in the fourteenth novel of the series following The Last Passenger.
Blood Grove
by Walter Mosley

After being approached by a shell-shocked Vietnam War veteran who claims to have gotten into a fight protecting a white woman from a black man, Easy embarks on an investigation that takes him from mountaintops to the desert, through South Central and into sex clubs and the homes of the fabulously wealthy, facing hippies, the mob, and old friends perhaps more dangerous than anyone else.
Watch Her
by Edwin Hill

What happens: Harvard research librarian Hester Thursby and her friend, Boston sergeant detective Angela White, attend a for-profit art school's open house and are soon investigating a suspicious burglary, financial transgressions, a decades-old tragedy, and murder.

Series alert: This is the 3rd outing for Hester; she made her 1st appearance in Little Comfort. 

Reviewers say: "Complex characterization and a masterly mystery make this a superior read" (Kirkus Reviews).
If You Like: Deanna Raybourn
Author Deanna Raybourn offers smart historical mysteries with strong romantic elements featuring unconventional female sleuths, well-developed characters, and evocative English settings. If you're waiting for An Unexpected Peril, the 6th outing for Veronica Speedwell that comes out in March, try one of the books below:
 
And Only to Deceive
by Tasha Alexander

What it's about: Tired of her overbearing mother, Emily marries a viscount and is widowed before she even gets to know him. Meeting his associates, including his handsome best friend, she learns he may have been involved in illegal activities -- and could even still be alive.

Series alert: This lively book introduces Lady Emily Ashton, whose 15th outing, The Dark Heart of Florence, comes out in March. 

Why Deanna Raybourn fans might like it: Both Lady Emily and Lady Julia Grey star in lighthearted romantic Victorian mysteries featuring widows who first investigate by delving into their husbands' deaths.
The Woman in the Water
by Charles Finch

Starring: Charles Lenox, a 23-year-old aristocrat in 1850 London, who's beginning to formally pursue his interest in detection -- an interest that is considered unseemly for someone of his station -- with his loyal valet Graham always ready to assist.

Series alert: Since this is a prequel, new readers can easily start with this 11th Charles Lenox mystery. The latest Lenox book, An Extravagant Death, comes out this month. 

Why Deanna Raybourn fans might like it: Though the main character is male, he's a witty, charming sleuth in an atmospheric Victorian London, and the books have character-driven plots and a bit of romance.
The Deeds of the Disturber
by Elizabeth Peters

Starring: Amelia Peabody Emerson, a feminist archaeologist married to an eccentric Egyptologist and the mother of a precocious son.

What it's about: In 1896 England, Amelia takes care of her brother's two insufferable children for the summer and gets caught up in a mystery at the British Museum that involves a curse, a cure, and murder. 

Why Deanna Raybourn fans might like it: First published in 1988, this fun 5th entry in a beloved series offers adventure-filled plots, fully realized characters, sparkling writing, and vivid settings.
A Conspiracy in Belgravia
by Sherry Thomas

What it's about: After her social ruination, extraordinarily clever Charlotte Holmes created the alter ego male detective Sherlock. Now, amid other cases, she helps a woman find a missing former love...who turns out to be Charlotte's own illegitimate half-brother.

Series alert: Though this is the 2nd Lady Sherlock book, it's fine for newcomers. If you like first things first, pick up A Study in Scarlet Women. Want the latest? Murder on Cold Street came out in October.

Why Deanna Raybourn fans might like it: Charlotte is an intelligent and convention-defying character in a vividly depicted England.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Plainfield, Illinois 60544
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