"From long experience she knew that she wore her loneliness like armor. Very few people ever recognized it for what it was. To the casual observer it looked very much like arrogance. Sometimes it was."
~ from Nevada Barr's Track of the Cat |
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New and Recently Released!
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| The Last Dead Girl: A Novel by Harry DolanMystery. When we meet 26-year-old David Malone, he's in a tiled police interview room. The cops think he's murdered law student Jana Fletcher, a woman he has known and been sleeping with for only ten days. But he proclaims his innocence and says that Jana not only had a facial bruise she wouldn't explain but that she'd claimed someone had been watching her. As David tries to clear his name, he learns that Jana was working on an Innocence Project case involving a local school teacher convicted of murder. Could her death be related to that? If you appreciate the suspenseful, twisty plot, and crisp dialogue in this prequel to two earlier novels (Bad Things Happen and Very Bad Men), try Chris Knopf's Sam Acquillo mysteries. |
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| North of Boston: A Novel by Elisabeth EloMystery. Somehow surviving four hours alone in frigid water after the small lobster boat she's working on is rammed by a freighter, tough-as-nails Pirio Kasparov (who's also a perfume heiress) becomes convinced that someone intended to kill the owner and captain of the boat, Ned. Pirio does her best to deal with survivor's guilt and make life easier for ten-year-old genius Noah, the son of Ned and Pirio's long-time best friend (who is currently losing her battle with alcoholism). Teaming up with a curious journalist, Pirio digs into the chilling murder mystery that involves the whaling grounds off Baffin Island. In this outstanding debut novel, readers will find a great heroine, believable characters, and tons of suspense. |
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| NYPD Puzzle: A Puzzle Lady Mystery by Parnell HallMystery. Grandmotherly Cora Felton is not what she appears. Not only is she not a grandmother, she's a hard drinker who's a bit promiscuous. She's also a nationally syndicated puzzle columnist who hates crosswords (her niece, who prefers to remain anonymous, is actually the master crossword creator). In this 15th entry, Cora goes to Manhattan with lawyer Becky Baldwin, who has an appointment with a mysterious client. When they arrive at the man's apartment, they find him dead -- with a puzzle resting on his body -- and a prowler still inside. After the intruder flees and the women call the cops, the NYPD needs convincing that gun-toting Cora isn't the murderer, which means she needs to put some clues together herself. Crossword fans will relish this series, which features puzzles by New York Times crossword creator Will Shortz. |
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| After I'm Gone by Laura LippmanMystery. In March 2012, 63-year-old Baltimore police consultant Roberto "Sandy" Sanchez, a retired cop, looks into a cold case from years earlier that involves convicted felon Felix Brewer and the women in his life. On July 4, 1976, Felix disappeared in order to avoid prison, leaving behind his beloved wife, Bambi, three adored daughters, and a young mistress, Julie Saxony. Sandy wants to solve the murder of Julie, who disappeared in 1986 and whose body was found in a park near Bambi's childhood home years later. But to get at the truth, he must unravel a tangled web of bitterness, jealousy, and greed that spans decades. Laura Lippman fans who'd like to branch out might like Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander mysteries; like Lippman's work, this Scandinavian series is compelling and character-driven. |
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| Dead to Me by Cath StaincliffePolice Procedural. Forced to work together, two very different female detectives on the Murder Investigation Team in Manchester, England must find the person responsible for stabbing a teenage girl to death. But that's easier said than done as 25-year veteran Janet Scott is having family troubles, and ambitious youngster Rachel Bailey is determined to make a name for herself, no matter the cost. Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2012, this prequel to British television's Scott & Bailey series will please fans of that show as well as those who loved Cagney & Lacey. Readers who appreciate the feminine duo in Tess Gerritsen's Boston-set Rizzoli & Iles books (and/or the TV series of the same name) and don't mind heading to England, will want to check out this series, too. |
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If You Like: Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon
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Nevada Barr writes richly detailed, atmospheric mysteries revolving around independent-minded park ranger Anna Pigeon. Strong yet personable, Anna can be vulnerable and has a self-deprecatory sense of humor, which adds a touch of levity to tense situations. Newcomers to the books can pick a location they are interested in (peripatetic Anna's been everywhere from Colorado to Key West to New York City) or start with the 1st outing, Track of the Cat (set in Texas). The 18th entry, Destroyer Angel, which takes place in Minnesota, will land on shelves in April; try one of the books below while you wait on it.
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| Wild Indigo by Sandi AultMystery. Murder by buffalo? The FBI and the Native American tribe the man belonged to think a recent death was suicide, but Jamaica Wild, a Bureau of Land Management agent who witnessed the trampling, isn't so sure -- the soon-to-be-dead man had had a decidedly drugged-up look about him. When Jamaica checks into this theory, she is accused of causing a buffalo herd to stampede, banned from New Mexico Pueblo tribal land, and suspended from her job; someone also poisons her wolf pup, Mountain. To solve the confusing case, Jamaica learns about the mystical ways of the tribe from the victim's mother. Fans of Nevada Barr who want to read about another tenacious woman who makes her living patrolling the great outdoors should track down this debut, the 1st in a series of four. |
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| The Poacher's Son by Paul DoironMystery. The poacher's son of the title is -- get this for irony -- also a rookie game warden. Mike Bowditch and his hard-drinking, womanizing father were never close, but that doesn't mean that Mike won't risk his new career in order to prove that while his father is many things, a cold-blooded cop killer isn't one of them. With the help of an old friend, Mike journeys deep into the Maine wilderness to find his fugitive kin -- and the real killer. Readers who like Nevada Barr's early Anna Pigeon novels when Anna was still a bit new to the job will appreciate seeing Mike, who's also capable yet self-doubting, learn the ropes. This beautifully written first novel by Paul Doiron starts a series that now numbers four. |
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| Iron Lake: A Novel by William Kent KruegerMystery. In the little lake town of Aurora, Minnesota, former Chicago cop Cork O'Conner owns a restaurant and gift shop. Cork, who's part Irish and part Native American, also used to be sheriff of his hometown, but wasn't reelected in the last election. Still, he's got a cop's curiosity. So, when -- in the middle of a blizzard -- an old judge supposedly shoots himself, and then the elderly man's newspaper boy, a conscientious Native American middle-schooler, goes missing, Cork can't help but wonder what's going on. Iron Lake is the 1st book in a fine series that now numbers 13. Nevada Barr fans will want to check out William Kent Krueger's work as his wilderness settings are just as dangerous and compelling as hers. |
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| Gone by Randy Wayne WhiteMystery. Along Florida's Gulf Coast, fishing guide Hannah Smith makes ends meet by taking out the fishermen clients she inherited from her recently deceased Uncle Jake. Thanks to him, she also has her P.I. license (she helped him out in that side business, too). So, when one of his old clients asks for Hannah's help, she puts her resourcefulness, keen sense of justice, and unorthodox methods to work in order to track down a missing heiress in a case that pits her against an adversary who takes advantage of vulnerable women. This is the 1st book of two, so far, that feature capable Hannah. Like the Anna Pigeon novels, these books by the author of the popular Doc Ford series have a strong heroine and a strong sense of place (note: for a cameo appearance by Hannah, check out the Doc Ford novel Night Moves). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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