Noir Fiction. In Manchester, England, Cal Innes earns a living the best way he can. Right now, that means helping slumlord Donald Plummer evict tenants. But after Cal rescues a Pakistani child from a burning Plummer building, the landlord hires him to track down the arsonists, a job that has Cal dealing with troubled immigrants, angry student activists, and deadly neo-Nazis. Then there's Cal's own worsening addiction to prescription drugs to attend to. In a starred review, Booklist calls No More Heroes, which was originally published in Great Britain in 2008 and is Cal's 3rd outing, "powerful stuff." Fans of Ken Bruen who are looking for a new author should check this series out.

Mystery. Preparing to leave his temporary game-warden position in Baggs, Wyoming, and finally return home to his family, Joe Pickett goes for one last patrol in order to investigate reports of illegal poaching and odd attacks on campers. What he finds is a grim situation that nearly kills him and which might be related to the disappearance of an Olympic-caliber runner two years earlier. C.J. Box's 10th Pickett novel has garnered several starred reviews from critics and readers will be clamoring for it; while you wait, try some other suspense-filled tales set in the great outdoors, like Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight series (it starts with A Cold Day in Paradise) and William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Conner books (the 1st is Iron Lake).

Mystery. Flavia's back! The precocious 11-year-old who first charmed readers in the bestselling The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie returns in an outing that will make her even more beloved. In the 1950s, Flavia lives in a once-grand mansion of Buckshaw with her distracted father and two tormenting older sisters, rides her bicycle, Gladys, around the small English village of Bishop’s Lacey, conducts experiments in her well-appointed chemistry lab...and investigates the murder of down-on-his-luck TV puppeteer Rupert Porson, whose van broke down in town. Readers who figured out whodunit in the 1st book may have a harder time doing so in Alan Bradley's 2nd village mystery throwback.

Mystery. New York Times reporter (and former Kentucky resident) Gardiner Harris uses the dangerous, dirty world of coal mining, where people all too often die while trying to earn a living, as the basis for his "top-notch" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) debut novel. In Hazard, down-trodden mine inspector Will Murphy investigates what seems to be a routine--and fatal--accident in the Kentucky coal mine that his brother is poised to inherit. But the more Will learns, the more that he thinks what happened 15 stories underground may just be a sliver in a vein of secrets that someone is willing to kill to keep buried. This vividly rendered mystery will take you deep into the coal mines, minus the all-too-real dust and danger.

Cozy Mystery. When Odelia Grey leaves her California home to travel to Massachusetts for a surprise reunion with the long-lost mother she's just located, she has no idea she'll soon be trying to clear the woman of murder. But that's what happens when Odelia sees her mother for the first time in 34 years, and she's crouched beside a corpse in a corn maze with blood on her hands. For paralegal Odelia, who also learns that she has two half-brothers who are cops, her 5th case is the most personal she's dealt with yet; for fans, this is another charming entry in a delightful series that features a plus-sized heroine.

Mystery. Scottish forensics expert Enzo Macleod, who bet that he could solve seven cold cases listed in a bestselling book, heads to a tiny Channel island off the coast of Brittany, France. He's there to examine a crime scene that has been untouched for almost two decades at the behest of a dying Adam Killian, who supposedly left hidden clues about the identity of his killer. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly calls Freeze Frame "a must-read." Though readers can start with this entry, we're guessing they'll eventually want to pick up the earlier books in this light-hearted, well-plotted series; they are Extraordinary People, The Critic, and Blacklight Blue.

Cozy Mystery. Likeable military wife Ellie Avery has a lot on her plate--she runs a professional organizing business (tips included!), has two kids under 5, and is hosting her husband Mitch's family reunion. But when her husband's squadron commander is killed, Ellie adds "find a killer" to her to-do list--and she needs to check off this item quickly, before her Air Force pilot husband is the next victim. If you're a fan of cozy novels who has been looking for a new series, make note of this one--Library Journal says that Rosett's books "are among the best." Though Mint Juleps, Mayhem, and Murder is the 5th novel to feature Ellie, new readers can start here.

Police Procedural. Superintendent Duncan Kincaid's estranged ex-wife, a Cambridge professor who's working on a biography of dead poet Lydia Brooke, uncovers evidence that Brooke was murdered and asks Duncan for help. Duncan and Sergeant Gemma James--who are partners, professionally and romantically--investigate the supposed suicide and learn that the answer to their modern problem lies buried in the past. Deborah Crombie, like Elizabeth George, is an American who writes literary mysteries set in England and who skillfully blends several plotlines into one compelling story. Though this is the 5th book in a series, it's a good place for newcomers to start.

Mystery. Scotland Yard Inspector Richard Jury finds himself in the village of Long Piddleton after two strangers are discovered dead at two different pubs in town. What were the men doing in the small town and why were they killed? That's what Jury needs to find out--and with the help of Melrose Plant, a clever local, he's bound to. Elizabeth George fans who appreciate elegant language, a leisurely paced look at crime in contemporary England, complex plotting, and a memorable cast of characters should give Martha Grimes' Richard Jury novels a shot--The Man with a Load of Mischief is the 1st in a popular series that includes more than 20 books.

Mystery. The West Irish landscape gives up one of its secrets when the decapitated head of a redheaded woman is unearthed by men cutting peat. Dublin archaeologist Cormac Maguire and American pathologist Nora Gavin work to figure out how long the head was preserved in the bog--and they also find themselves looking into the case of a missing local woman and her toddler son. Author Erin Hart not only shares Elizabeth George's ability to create a superbly evoked setting but also her talent for crafting subtly nuanced characters whose personal lives complicate their working relationships. Haunted Ground is the 1st of three books, so far, in this evocative series.

Mystery. Detective Inspector Adam Dalgliesh is called to investigate the murder of a beautiful, trouble-making housemaid...whose body has been left in a room with the door bolted from the inside. Cover Her Face, which was originally published in 1962, is renowned author P.D. James' debut novel. Fans of Elizabeth George will appreciate the way James combines elements of traditional mysteries with those of modern crime fiction together with a healthy dash of current social issues. Another thing that George readers might appreciate is that George's DI Lynley and James' DI Dalgliesh are both rather unlikely policemen.

Classic Mystery. After his sister's husband-to-be is murdered while on a country retreat, Lord Peter Wimsey investigates when his brother, the Duke of Denver, is accused for the crime and has no alibi. Of all the Golden Age mystery writers, Dorothy L. Sayers is perhaps the best match for readers who prize the classical roots of Elizabeth George's books. In many ways Sayers' series sleuth, Lord Peter, set the standard for later aristocratic, sophisticated sleuths like George's Lynley, and fans of George's stylish prose will love Sayers' rich use of language. Clouds of Witness is the 2nd book to feature Lord Peter, after Whose Body?