Mystery. Twelve-year-old Eugene "Huge" Smalls may be small for his age, but that doesn't mean he's not tough and fearless. In 1980s suburban New Jersey, he reads hardboiled detective novels (Chandler is a favorite) and rides around on his trusty bike (complete with banana seat). When the entrance sign at his grandmother's nursing home is vandalized, potty-mouthed Huge is furious. Inspired by his books and motivated by his grandmother's offer to pay him, Huge investigates--and he grows up a little bit, too. If you like character-driven stories with a great sense of place, you'll love Huge, James Fuerst's "engrossing" (Booklist) debut novel.

Mystery. In Delhi, India, 51-year-old family man Vish Puri runs Most Private Investigators. He and his operatives (nicknamed Tubelight, Flush, and Facecream) spend most of their time checking out prospective brides and grooms before arranged marriages occur. But when a lawyer hires Vish to find a missing maid, he ends up dealing with a murder and traveling across the country. Closer to home, Vish's mother, Mummy-ji, starts her own investigation after someone takes potshots at her darling Vish. Tarquin Hall's debut novel "offers penetrating insights into the new India" (The New York Times) and should prove good reading for those who enjoyed the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

Police Procedural. In this "superb whodunit" (Publishers Weekly), young DI Peter Shaw and his partner, hard-as-nails DS George Valentine (who was Peter's late father's partner), must solve an unbelievable murder. On a Norfolk coastal road, a man who was stuck in his car thanks to a snowstorm has been killed. Other motorists are also stranded nearby--but how could any of them have committed the murder without leaving footprints in the snow? Death Wore White is the well-done 1st in a new series by CWA Dagger-winning Jim Kelly. If you like the cars-in-a-blizzard aspect of this mystery, check out Christopher Fowler's White Corridor.

Mystery. Tibet is a land of beauty...and danger. Now living there, exiled Shan Tao Yun, a former Beijing police inspector, is ferrying a corpse across the slopes of Everest in order to keep a promise. But his perilous journey is made even more harrowing when he comes across a dead Chinese woman and a dying American. The 6th book in a fascinating series, The Lord of Death "engages, enlightens, and entertains" (Booklist). Though newcomers can enjoy this book on its own, those who want to start at the beginning should pick up The Skull Mantra, Pattison's Edgar-winning 1st mystery.

Mystery. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote so convincingly about Sherlock Holmes that some readers have believed that the fictional detective existed and lived at 221B Baker Street, London--and, even today, people write to him. Lawyers and brothers Reggie and Nigel Heath find out about the modern missives when they rent a new office on Baker Street; as part of a lease stipulation, they must answer every letter. The two men find themselves dealing with a murder and taking a trip to L.A. after Nigel reads a 20-year-old letter written by a little girl whose father is missing and decides he must help them. If you like this "lively and inventive" (Kirkus Reviews) debut, look for Sherlock himself in Laurie R. King's Mary Russell mysteries.

Mystery. A murder investigation is always more complicated when the newly dead person is already supposed to be dead. In northern Botswana, someone has killed Goodluck Tinubu, but it's learned that he was listed as a Rhodesian civil war casualty almost 30 years ago. Who murdered Tinubu (if that's who he really was) and one other victim at a bush camp? That's what Detective David "Kubu" Bengu is called in to find out. There's no sophomore slump for Detective Kubu--Library Journal says his 2nd outing is "an even better tale" than his much-lauded 1st, A Carrion Death. If you like Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, try Michael Stanley's similarly charming novels, which are also set in Africa.

Comic Caper. John Dortmunder, a reality TV star? That's right! In Get Real, the criminal genius and his gang are breaking and entering for the cameras (their faces will be blocked out and they've been promised legal protection). While the reality show will provide a nice salary, Dortmunder and his gang aren't satisfied, so they plot a more lucrative payout...by robbing the shady TV production company itself. This is the 14th and final novel in this criminally funny series--Donald E. Westlake, who used numerous pseudonyms and was an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, died on New Year's Eve, 2008. Want to hang out with more funny fellows? Try Carl Hiaasen's novels.

Cozy Mystery. Though still mourning her recently deceased husband, Benni Harper tries to make a fresh start of things when she takes a job as curator of the Josiah Sinclair Folk Art Museum in San Celina, California--but her new beginning includes more death. Just as she's facing a deadline for a new quilt exhibit, a potter is found murdered inside the museum. To add to her troubles, Benni sees her cousin Rita leaving the scene of the crime...and then the 21-year-old disappears. Ignoring the warnings of the attractive local sheriff, Benni investigates. Fool's Puzzle is the 1st book in a long-running series that currently numbers 13.

Cozy Mystery. Mathematician and puzzle-solver extraordinaire Katie McDonald takes a leave of absence from her job at a government think tank in order to help her mentor, Professor P.T. Avondale, save his puzzle museum in her New Hampshire hometown. But before she can help him solve his financial problems, he's killed...and Katie is the main suspect. Taking over as curator, now she not only has to save the museum on her own, but also figure out who really killed the professor, all the while staying out of jail. This "captivating series debut" (Library Journal, starred review) should please fans of other puzzle mysteries, such as those by Parnell Hall.

Suspense. The Crispin Museum is a small, private Boston institution that needs as many ticket sales as possible in order to survive. So when a mummy is found in their storage area, the curators couldn't be happier. Until they learn that, although the outer wrapping carbon dates at 2,000 years old, the body inside is quite new. In her 7th outing, homicide detective Jane Rizzoli again joins forces with medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. But before they can wrap up the case, more bodies are found and a troubled young archaeologist disappears. If you enjoy the complex storylines and escalating tension in Tess Gerritsen's novels, check out Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan series.

Mystery. In The Murder Room, Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team investigate the homicide of Neville Dupayne, an unpopular trustee at a small, family-owned London museum that's dedicated to the inter-war years, 1919-1938. Neville's murder mimics one of the exhibits in the establishment's famous Murder Room, which showcases items having to do with homicides. With so many ideas to choose from, is it any wonder that the killer strikes again? This is the 12th novel featuring cerebral poet-detective Dalgliesh--if you haven't met him before and want to start at the beginning, pick up Cover Her Face, which was first published in 1962.

Historical Mystery. In Victorian London, the death of a night watchman at the British Museum spurs talk of a mummy's curse. When more deaths follow, feminist archaeologist Amelia Peabody, who's visiting England in between Egyptian excavations, investigates. Adding to the charm of this character-centered book are Amelia's relationships with her beloved husband, Radcliffe Emerson, and her genius son, Ramses. The Deeds of the Disturber, which Library Journal calls "first-rate" and "fun," is the 5th novel in Elizabeth Peters' popular series, which now includes close to 20 books. Want to meet Amelia when she was still single? Pick up her 1st book, Crocodile on the Sandbank.