Mystery. Death has a way of helping secrets see the light of day. May McNabb has just died from breast cancer, and her daughter, Eve, is in town making funeral arrangements when she opens a letter addressed to her mother from a woman named "Jean." Jean obviously doesn't know that May has died...and her letter implies she was once May's lover. Eve considers her mother's mysterious nature and wonders what other secrets lie buried in her past. With the help of a married policeman (whom Eve finds attractive), she looks for the letter writer and checks into the possibility that her father, who her mother said was dead, is still alive. In a starred review, Booklist calls Last Post "great entertainment."

Mystery. In the 1st entry of what promises to be an exciting new series, readers meet Sam Blackman, a skilled investigator who lost a leg while serving in the U.S. military’s Criminal Investigation Detachment in Iraq. Sam is recuperating in an Asheville, NC, veterans' hospital and feeling a bit down when ex-Marine (and fellow amputee) Tikima Robertson stops by. She cheers him up by telling him about a job that would allow him to use his investigative talents, and promises to visit again--but before she can, someone kills her. Thanks to a journal from 1919 that's found in Tikima's apartment, Sam learns that the roots of her murder might reach deep into the past. If you enjoy well-drawn characters and well-done historical details, take a peek inside Blackman's Coffin.

Cozy Mystery. Culinary mystery fans are in for a yummy treat--artisan baker Corinna Chapman is back...and she has recipes! In Australian author Kerry Greenwood’s 2nd installment in this tasty series, someone is--chocolate lovers take a deep breath--purposefully ruining gourmet chocolates. In order to help her friends Juliet and Vivienne Lefebvre figure out who's tampering with their wares and save their chocolate shop's reputation, Corinna investigates. Greenwood, who also writes the charming Phrynne Fisher historical mysteries, has cooked up "a congenial whodunit peopled by charmingly quirky characters and adorable cats" (Kirkus Reviews).

Mystery. Even if you don't vacation in Venice this summer, you can still visit the enchanting city via bestselling author Donna Leon's latest book (Library Journal says "American-born Leon describes her longtime home of Venice lovingly"). In his 17th outing, Commissario Guido Brunetti has two cases on his hands: a newly arrived Protestant minister who may be fleecing his flock, and the drowning death of an 11-year-old Romany girl. If The Girl of His Dreams is checked out, don't leave the library empty-handed--pick up one of Lindsey Davis' historical Roman mysteries featuring Marcus Didius Falco or try Magdalen Nabb's Florence-based Marshal Guarnaccia novels.

Police Procedural. Vita Nuova is the 14th--and final--case for compassionate, self-doubting Marshal Guarnaccia (60-year-old author Magdalen Nabb died of a stroke last year). A young single mother and college student is killed in her wealthy family's home outside Florence, Italy. Guarnaccia investigates and learns that the girl's father made his fortune by dealings in prostitution and forced labor--but who would kill his daughter? Donna Leon fans should enjoy Nabb's clever, graceful, character-based mysteries. If you haven't read any entries in this underrated series, which are often based on real Italian crimes, you can start here; for those who want to start with the 1st, grab Death of an Englishman.

Police Procedural. A murderer visits sleepy Port Dundas, Ontario, and 61-year-old Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef, who's been the acting commander of the local police for years, discovers that her remote town was just one stop on the terrifying serial killer's tour de death across Canada. The beleaguered Hazel fights back problems (she's planning to get surgery), a fondness for booze and painkillers, and police politics in order to capture a killer who targets terminally ill victims. If you like authentic heroines and creepy killers, check out The Calling, the suspenseful first crime novel by pseudonymous author Inger Ash Wolfe.

Mystery. Manhattan P.I. Rachel Alexander and her formidable canine partner, Dash, search for a witness to the murder of a New York artist--the victim's barkless dog. Finding the champion Basenji and solving this case will have Rachel and Dash checking out the Westminster Dog Show and the SoHo art world. Carol Lea Benjamin's debut mystery (she's also written nonfiction books about dog training) won the 1997 Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel; if you enjoy it, check out the next book in the series, The Dog Who Knew Too Much. Kirkus Reviews says This Dog for Hire is "highly satisfactory even for readers who prefer two-legged animals."

Classic Mystery. Not all dogs are friendly--the Baskerville family certainly knows this to be true. In The Hound of the Baskervilles, one of the most famous and popular cases of one of the world's most well-known detectives, a ghost hound is said to stalk the cursed Baskerville family. Master sleuth Sherlock Holmes, along with his assistant Dr. Watson, is at his best as he leads an investigation into the death of Sir Charles Baskerville. The country gentleman's sudden heart attack has his heir and the townspeople in shock and whispering that the ghostly hound has struck again. Is Sir Charles' heir next in line for death-by-ghost dog? Or is a more material killer at work? This well-told tale is richly deserving of its fame.

Cozy Mystery. With her mini-dachshund, Stretch, by her side, 63-year-old retiree Maxie McNabb cruises across America in her Winnebago, indulging her wanderlust. So when Sarah, a dying friend in Grand Junction, Colorado, calls and asks Maxie to come visit, she does. Unfortunately, when Maxie arrives, Sarah is in the hospital and soon dies from very unnatural causes. Who would kill her? Maxie remembers Sarah's penchant for secrets and hiding places and begins puzzling out the answer, but the closer she gets to solving the crime, the more she's in danger. If you long to gather up the dog and hit the road in an RV but gas prices are keeping you stuck in park, head over to the library and check out this 1st book in the Maxie and Stretch series.

Comic Caper. Sick Puppy more than lives up to its title. It features "the most personable dog to grace the pages of a book since Lassie" (Library Journal), who also has stomach problems; an avenging, eco-terrorist good guy with anger management issues (the court-ordered class wasn't much help); politicians who don't give a whistle about the environment; a vain, girdle-wearing hit man who listens to 911 calls for fun; and a millionaire who wants to turn young women into Barbie using plastic surgery. Bestselling author Carl Hiaasen's wonderfully wacky story, a New York Times 2000 Notable Book, will have you shaking your head and rolling on the floor.

Mystery. Jo Beth Sidden trains bloodhounds in Southern Georgia and does some tracking, too. In her 6th and last case, Jo Beth and her assistant, Jasmine, are on the trail of a sweet elderly lady who has vanished into the Okefenokee Swamp. Meanwhile, serious man-trouble is once again threatening Jo Beth (her ex-husband was abusive) as a disturbed escaped convict has decided that she is his one and only true love. Fortunately for Jo Beth, there are a few males in her life who aren't violent towards her, such as hunky Sheriff Hank Cribbs and bloodhound Bobby Lee...but that doesn't mean there isn't trouble involving these two. If you want to read Jo Beth's 1st outing, pick up the Anthony Award-winning Death in Bloodhound Red.

Mystery. According to an old proverb, "every dog will have his day," but it's a good bet that most canines won't have theirs in court. Still, that's exactly where Yogi, a golden retriever on doggie death row who's been accused of biting his owner, has his. In his 6th case, likeable defense attorney Andy Carpenter creates a sensation when he represents Yogi in court...and gets him off. But things are just heating up; could Yogi actually be Reggie, a golden who, five years earlier, disappeared from a boat the same night a man (currently in prison) allegedly threw his fiancée overboard? Andy thinks so, and he thinks the man in jail is innocent. If you want a "cracking good yarn," read Play Dead "as soon as you can" (Booklist).