Cozy Mystery. While performing her assigned community service at a local soup kitchen (see earlier books for details), college professor Alison Bergeron befriends Hernan Escalante, an illegal immigrant. When Hernan's nephew goes missing, Alison agrees to help find him--and that doesn't take long as he's soon pulled out of the Hudson River. Now Alison wants to know who killed him...and her boyfriend, NYPD Detective Bobby Crawford, does too. Featuring a winning combination of troubled love, witty humor, and a clever mystery, Quick Study, the 3rd in the series, is a fun read for newcomers--but begin with Murder 101 if you like watching relationships--particularly romantic ones--develop.

Historical Mystery. In the autumn of 1913, a man is found dead in a brothel in Storyville, New Orleans' red light district. The one-eyed madam of the house quickly realizes that he didn't die there and sends a maid in search of Creole detective Valentin St. Cyr. But St. Cyr sends word back that he's not working in Storyville anymore (he wants to create a new life with his lady love, ex-prostitute Justine). But when more murders occur, how can St. Cyr turn his back on his past? Library Journal says that "fans of hard-boiled writers like Raymond Chandler, Bill Pronzini, and James Lee Burke" will enjoy Lost River.

Noir Fiction. New York P.I. Alessandra "Al" Martillo (who Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, calls "the freshest heroine to enhance genre fiction in forever") is tough, street-smart, and, sometimes, "almost feral" (Booklist). So when she's hired by Mickey Caughlan, head of a local Irish mob family, to uncover who in the family has been secretly using his business to run drugs, she's more than capable of finding out. But can she handle all of the other things she learns, such as information indicating that Mickey's son's death may not have been suicide? Noir and hard-boiled readers will love reading Al's 1st outing.

Humorous Mystery. Fort Worth, Texas, has a fine police officer in Cézanne Martin--too bad that Cézanne, who's also a lawyer, has taken a one-month leave in order to set up her law practice. But before she can hang her shingle, she gets caught up in family matters. The wealthy father she hasn't seen in years dies without a will and relatives start appearing out of nowhere, including a man, Henri Matisse, who claims he's her brother. And then there's the matter of her ex-lover's murderous ex-wife. Jury Rigged, the 3rd in this amusing series, will please Janet Evanovich's many fans as well as anyone who likes a strong heroine with a funny bone.

Historical Mystery. In 1952 South Africa, as apartheid laws are going into effect, a white Afrikaans police officer is killed near the Mozambique border. English Detective Sergeant Emmanuel Cooper's investigation into the murder puts him and his Zulu constable at the center of racial and political fires. Though her family moved to Australia in the 1970s, author Malla Nunn was born in Swaziland and obviously knows South African politics well. If you enjoy historical novels set in Africa, you can't do much better than Nunn's debut. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly praises the "stellar" novel's "smooth prose" and "deft plot."

Crime Novel. It's a parent's worst nightmare: your child goes missing and is never found. Julia Davidsson lived through this horror when her only child, 5-year-old Jens, disappeared without a trace from the Swedish island of Öland 20 years ago. Full of guilt, she was never able to really move on. Then, out of the blue, her father receives a package containing the boy's sandal. The elderly man, his buddies, and Julia resume the hunt for Jens on the isolated island...but the clues point to a man who is thought to be dead. If you're a fan of gripping Scandinavian fiction, be sure to look for Echoes from the Dead; it won Sweden's Best First Crime Novel Award.

Mystery. In Wild Inferno, Bureau of Land Management agent Jamaica Wild has to deal with a raging wildfire that threatens a group of Native Americans, including her beloved Momma Anna, as well as figure out what an injured firefighter's cryptic words mean and find a missing old man. If you enjoyed Wild Indigo, you're sure to love this 2nd book (it's a 2008 Library Journal Best Mystery). And if you want more? Well, you don't have to wait long--Wild Sorrow is set to be published in early March, 2009. Fans of Southwest mysteries, such as those by Tony Hillerman, will especially want to check out this new series.

Cozy Mystery. Will everyone who's a fan of English country house mysteries--like those written by Agatha Christie and other Golden Age writers--please gather in the library? You need to discover Detective Chief Inspector St. Just's 1st book (it's old-fashioned--and that's quite a compliment!). In Death of a Cozy Writer, wealthy mystery writer Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk and his oldest son are murdered at the newly married author's snow-covered Cambridgeshire estate...and it seems that everyone in the house has a motive for murder. Dying for more? The 2nd in the series, Death and the Lit Chick should be out in April, 2009.

Crime Novel. A devastating violent incident occurred in a D.C. neighborhood in 1972 that irrevocably shaped the lives of six young men. Now, 35 years later, two of the men at the center of the event run into each other and begin a quiet attempt at reconciliation...but their efforts are hindered by a fellow participant's wicked ways. Reviewers love The Turnaround: Publishers Weekly calls it "beautifully written and thought-provoking" and Booklist says that "Pelecanos is among our very best crime novelists." If you like the intelligent, gritty novels of Dennis Lehane and Richard Price, check out George Pelecanos' latest.

Crime Novel. In Manhattan's gentrified Lower East Side, 35-year-old restaurant manager/writer Eric Cash is walking home with a couple of friends one night when a mugging turns deadly. Ike Marcus, an ambitious young man, is dead, his father is distraught, and Eric is a prime suspect since witnesses claim not to have seen the muggers. Like Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos, Richard Price writes for HBO's acclaimed series The Wire and has an ear for authentic dialogue. Lush Life is a 2008 New York Times Notable book and received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.

Mystery. In his 3rd outing, deputy sheriff John Turner has relocated to a small town near Memphis, Tennessee, but a personal tragedy (see Cypress Grove and Cripple Creek) still has him grieving. But there's no rest for the weary, for in his new hometown, which is dying a gradual economic death, he finds a few problems--like his predecessor's son being involved in a suspicious car accident and his best friend being accused of murder. Who says that crime and beautiful writing don't mix? "Sallis comes as close as humanly possible here to turning a mystery novel into a lyric poem" (Booklist). If you don't know Turner, you should read the earlier books first in order to best appreciate this one.

Police Procedural. In the Botswana desert, a hyena- and vulture-damaged corpse is found. Identification is difficult since the man's fingers have been cut off and his teeth knocked out. Detective David "Kubu" Bengu (his nickname means hippopotamus) is assigned to the case and must untangle a deadly web that includes big business, diamond smuggling, close friends, and dangerous enemies. This "exciting" (Booklist) and "impressive" (Publishers Weekly) debut novel by Michael Stanley (a pseudonym for South African authors Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip) is for those who like briskly paced tales featuring well-developed foreign settings and likeable-yet-dangerous detectives.