Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/30/2012
ISBN-13: 9780312613716
ISBN-10: 0312613717

Mystery. After being thrown headfirst into a fire hydrant by a bouncer, hit on the noggin with a can of black-eyed peas by a cop, and decked by lanky Ute rancher and part-time deputy Charlie Moon all in a matter of 20 minutes, purse snatcher LeRoy Hooten gives up the ghost. But all is not well for the good guys as LeRoy's mob-connected mother hires an assassin to kill Moon and his canned-vegetable throwing friend, Granite City, Colorado Chief of Police Scott Parris, so it's a good thing they have Charlie's mystical Aunt Daisy on their side! The 17th (and presumably last) Charlie Moon novel brings about bittersweet feelings as author James D. Doss died in 2012. "The puckish Doss, who combined charm, mayhem and deviously clever clues, will be much missed" (Kirkus Reviews).

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Publisher: Bloomsbury
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/13/2012
ISBN-13: 9781608198559
ISBN-10: 1608198553

Historical Crime Novel. Based on true events, Hard Twisted tells the heartbreaking coming-of-age story of 13-year-old Lucile "Lottie" Garrett. Homeless in 1934 Oklahoma, Lottie and her father are charmed by charismatic (and psychopathic) drifter Clint Palmer. They follow him to Texas...where Lottie's father mysteriously disappears, and Lottie is forced to do lots of things she'd prefer not to, including participating in a year-long crime spree across the west. Readers who enjoy Cormac McCarthy may like this gripping yet lyrical novel that perfectly captures a time and place when desperation was all too common.

Publisher: Soho Crime
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/01/2013
ISBN-13: 9781616952044
ISBN-10: 1616952040

Historical Mystery. Nazis in Ireland? It's a fact that after World War II some Nazis and Axis collaborators actually found sanctuary in Ireland. Using this little-known bit of history as a starting point, talented Irish novelist Stuart Neville places readers in 1963 Dublin, just before a planned visit by U.S. President John F. Kennedy to his ancestral homeland, when three foreign nationals, all with Nazi ties, have been murdered in recent days. Ordered to investigate, Lieutenant Albert Ryan, Directorate of Intelligence and WWII vet, finds his loyalties tested after being directed to hide the truth about the victims' pasts by the charismatic Minister of Justice, Charles Haughey (a real-life character who in 1979 took office for the first of his three scandal-plagued terms as Irish Prime Minister). Fans of James Ellroy, Neville's favorite author, should grab this gripping, twisty mystery.

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Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/27/2012
ISBN-13: 9780312656041
ISBN-10: 0312656041

Mystery. In this evocative mystery set in beautiful but troubled Tibet, former Beijing police investigator Shan Tao Yun works as an official ditch inspector, which is a big improvement over the four years he spent in a Chinese prison camp (he'd offended some powerful people while working a case). Now, he makes his home with lamas and monks, some of whom are outlaws with bounties on their heads. Shan witnesses a disturbing event involving one such monk, and then happens across a horrific murder scene in an old convent. How can he solve multiple murders and protect an American witness when he has no authority? In a starred review, Publishers Weekly calls this 7th Shan mystery a "brilliantly constructed and passionate whodunit." Readers who'd like to meet Shan in his 1st outing should pick up the Edgar-winning The Skull Mantra.

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Publisher: Atria Paperback
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/13/2012
ISBN-13: 9781451665772
ISBN-10: 1451665776

Historical Mystery. In 1950s Scotland, the small but dedicated staff of a weekly Highland newspaper deals with the murder of one of their own -- as well as the shocking arrest of a co-worker for the crime. They believe the police are wrong -- but who really did it, and how can they prove it? A Canadian journalist happens to be in town and helps the short-staffed group get the paper out -- but he also seems to have designs on novice reporter and single mom Joanne Ross, much to the chagrin of the editor, who has romantic feelings for her. Those who like the evocative descriptions of the Highlands and cozy feel of M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth mysteries and wouldn't mind a trip to the past might want to try this series, of which this is the 3rd entry.

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Michael Connelly fills his cunningly plotted, compelling mysteries featuring maverick hero Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch with shocking twists and often violent confrontations. Bosch -- whose first name references a Renaissance painter of hellish scenes -- works for the Los Angeles Police Department...though he's been investigated by internal affairs more than once. Orphaned after the murder of his prostitute mother, he became a ward of the state before serving in the Vietnam War as a tunnel rat. His troubled past informs his present, where he continually seeks justice for the innocent. If you've finished Connelly's latest well-reviewed police procedural, The Black Box, try some of the books below while you wait for your next entertaining meeting with Harry. For those meeting the wiry, anti-authority cop for the first time, pick up the excellent series debut, The Black Echo.

Publisher: Hyperion
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/28/2010
ISBN-13: 9781401324025
ISBN-10: 1401324029

Police Procedural. Based on the popular ABC television Series Castle, this novel is purportedly written by Rick Castle (who's totally fictional, but is played on TV by actor Nathan Fillion). Though it isn't clear who's actually writing these meta-mystery books, readers don't seem to mind. In her 2nd bestselling outing in book form, tough and sexy NYPD homicide detective Nikki Heat and hotshot reporter Jameson Rook (who -- pay attention, here -- is the fictional version of the fictional Rick Castle, who supposedly wrote this book) are on the trail of a murderer in Manhattan. Fans of the witty TV drama know that several real-life crime writers have appeared on the show, usually playing poker with Castle; Michael Connelly, a big fan of the show, is one of them.

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Publisher: Vintage Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/01/1992
ISBN-13: 9780394758282
ISBN-10: 0394758285

Hardboiled Fiction. Elderly General Sternwood is dealing with a blackmailer...again. So, he hires California PI Philip Marlowe to sort it all out and get his wild daughter Carmen out of a jam. But before Marlowe can do much of anything, things get wildly worse in a complex case filled with murders on top of murders, sex, drugs, pornography, and more. This classic novel -- a favorite of author Michael Connelly -- was originally published in 1939 and is the 1st book featuring iconic PI Philip Marlowe. Two movies based on the book have been made, including an acclaimed 1946 version starring Humphrey Bogart (which was co-written by William Faulkner). Readers who get a kick out of Connelly's snappy dialogue will find that Raymond Chandler serves that up in spades.

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Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2000
ISBN-13: 9780345434470
ISBN-10: 0345434471

Police Procedural. Wisecracking PI Elvis Cole and his serious partner, ex-LAPD officer Joe Pike, look for Pike's missing ex-girlfriend -- but when she turns up, she's dead. Another killing and LAPD's elite Robbery Homicide Division eyes Pike as their prime suspect. Fans of Michael Connelly should definitely check out Robert Crais' work -- not only do both men vividly depict Los Angeles' underbelly through the eyes of tough, charming detectives, but if you look closely you'll notice that Harry Bosch makes an unnamed cameo in a Crais novel (The Last Detective) and Elvis Cole does the same in a Connelly novel (Lost Light). Though L.A. Requiem is the 8th Elvis Cole novel, the author himself recommends it as a good place to start.

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Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/16/2008
ISBN-13: 9780312536923
ISBN-10: 0312536925

Police Procedural. Edinburgh police detective John Rebus investigates a series of kidnappings and killings of young, innocent girls. Rebus, a hard-drinking former member of Britain's elite SAS, must somehow share his ugly military memories when he discovers he has ties to a killer, and that his past may hold the key to unraveling the case. Like Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, Rebus is a hard-working, fiercely independent vet who works in a beautiful city with a hidden dark side and whose commitment to justice often comes at great personal cost. First published in 1987, Knots and Crosses is the 1st in a complex, well-wrought series that now numbers 18 with the recent release of Standing in Another Man's Grave.

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