Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/15/2012
ISBN-13: 9780399158377
ISBN-10: 0399158375

Historical Mystery. In 1845, New York City teems with recent Irish immigrants who have fled the potato famine and deals with a devastating fire. Timothy Wilde, who carries facial scars from the blaze, works as a "copper star" on the city's brand new police force. His well-connected brother got him the job, but not a plum assignment: Timothy patrols an area near crime-ridden Five Points, an infamous slum. One night, he encounters a young girl covered in blood who describes bodies buried in the forest north of 23rd Street. This atmospheric tale featuring well-wrought characters and a well-drawn Manhattan should please fans of Caleb Carr's The Alienist. Love The Gods of Gotham? A sequel's already in the works!

Publisher: Crown Publishers
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/07/2012
ISBN-13: 9780307406644
ISBN-10: 0307406644

Historical Mystery. Former Pinkerton detective Sebastian Becker returns to England in 1912 with his wife and teenage son (who suffers from an Asperger's-like condition) in tow. Becker finds work as a special investigator to the Masters of Lunacy, looking into wealthy landowners of questionable sanity. While checking out old Sir Owain Lancaster, who's started claiming there are monsters in his rural village, a double murder of two young girls occurs, and Becker thinks the cases may be linked. The critics certainly appreciate this character-driven 2nd novel featuring Becker -- Kirkus Reviews calls it "a literary page-turner" and Publishers Weekly says it's a "masterful whodunit."

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/31/2012
ISBN-13: 9781250001542
ISBN-10: 1250001544

Paranormal Mystery. If you think your job is rough, just imagine being the grim reaper! That's one of the things paranormal PI Charley Davidson struggles with in this 3rd entry in a humorous, sexy, and fast-paced series. She's also fighting sleep because every time she closes her eyes, an alluring half-human man whom she imprisoned for all eternity appears, making her very hot and bothered. To get her mind off of things, she takes on a missing persons case that gets complicated quickly. Fans of Janet Evanovich who wouldn't mind more paranormal details (and Kim Harrison fans who wouldn't mind less) will find much to like here. Newcomers should start with the 1st book, First Grave on the Right, to watch Charley's relationships develop.

Publisher: William Morrow
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/21/2012
ISBN-13: 9780062004796
ISBN-10: 0062004794

Mystery. After working in Hollywood for 25 years, successful composer Chris Lowndes returns to the Yorkshire dales of his youth when his beloved wife dies. He soon discovers that the rambling old manse he has just purchased was the scene of a murder more than 50 years before, when beautiful Grace Fox allegedly poisoned her husband. Chris becomes obsessed with the case...and with Grace, who was hanged for the crime. Readers who enjoy Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks novels will find this leisurely paced, gothic-tinged stand-alone quite different from what they are used to; fans of Josephine Tey and Daphne du Maurier should feel quite at home.

Publisher: Emily Bestler Books/Atria Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/28/2012
ISBN-13: 9781439198896
ISBN-10: 1439198896

Police Procedural. In Sweden, a mother leaves her six-year-old daughter sleeping on a crowded train and dashes into the station to make a phone call. The train leaves without her, and the girl disappears. The child's body is found with the word "unwanted" scrawled on her forehead. Famed DCI Alex Recht and the other detectives focus on the child's estranged father. But rookie police researcher Fredrika Bergman, who doesn't feel like she is accepted by the team, thinks something more is going on...and then another "unwanted" corpse is found. In a starred review, Booklist calls Unwanted a "tour de force." This English-language debut by an award-winning Swedish author will be wanted by all fans of Scandinavian mysteries.

Publisher: Pocket Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/01/2002
ISBN-13: 9780743449205
ISBN-10: 0743449207

Police Procedural. In this 1st novel in an acclaimed series, New Orleans homicide cop Dave Robicheaux (who's been played on screen by both Alec Baldwin and Tommy Lee Jones) finds out that someone's put a price on his head. Going over his work cases and still having no idea why, he digs around and finds out that it all relates to the body of a young African-American woman he found while fishing. Before you know it, Dave's in trouble with a Nicaraguan crime lord, some military folks, and his fellow cops. But don't worry -- Dave, who's fought battles in Vietnam and with the bottle, can handle things. Fans of tough guys and lyrical language will want to read this series; the 19th entry, Creole Belle, comes out in July.

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Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/28/2010
ISBN-13: 9780312369583
ISBN-10: 0312369581

Cozy Mystery. While picking up an African gray parrot at the vet's, pet sitter and former Sarasota County sheriff’s deputy Dixie Hemingway befriends Jaz, a distraught young teenager who's brought in an injured wild rabbit. When some unsavory folks interested in Jaz show up later, and then the girl disappears, Dixie's worried. To add to her troubles, Dixie's concerned for her brother's partner, a cop who's been working undercover longer than scheduled, and for an old friend who claims her husband has been kidnapped. Despite the efforts of Dixie's sometime boyfriend, Lieutenant Guidry, Dixie investigates. Fans of lighthearted mysteries with plenty of animals will want to check out this fun, Florida-based series.

Publisher: Vintage Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/01/2001
ISBN-13: 9780375708305
ISBN-10: 0375708308

Police Procedural. Assigned to a job in Sicily, cynical Italian cop Aurelio Zen faces one of his most difficult cases. Not only does he have to spy on the State Police's anti-Mafia group, he has to deal with a strange murder when a rotting corpse is discovered in a railroad car. At least his adopted daughter, a computer expert, is working on the island, too...or maybe that's not such a good thing. Blood Rain, which Kirkus Reviews calls "cunning, bloody, and irresistible," is the 7th in a series of 11 books. Fans of author Michael Dibdin, who died at age 60 in 2007, might want to try Andrea Camilleri's Sicily-set Inspector Montalbano series.

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Publisher: Pantheon
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/19/2006
ISBN-13: 9780375423000
ISBN-10: 0375423001

Cozy Mystery. When a cousin from across the pond visits her in Edinburgh, well-to-do Scottish philosopher Isabel Dalhousie finds herself spending time with quite a few Americans, including Texas tycoon Tom Bruce. Before long, the always curious Isabel wonders if Tom's beautiful, young fiancée is more interested in his money than him, and finds herself investigating the couple, even as her own friendship with a man 14 years her junior deepens. This is the charming 3rd in a popular series that often features murder-less tales. If you like gentle mysteries that may or may not feature dead bodies and don't mind a hint of the supernatural, try Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity series.

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Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780345471024
ISBN-10: 0345471024

Mystery. What really happened in Rose, Kansas, 23 years ago on the night that Hugh-Jay Linder was killed and his young wife disappeared, leaving their three-year-old daughter, Jody, without parents? Ne'er-do-well Billy Crosby was convicted of Linder's murder on circumstantial evidence -- but his son, Collin, who was seven years old at the time, has always believed that his father was innocent. Now a lawyer, Collin has gotten Billy released and a new trial ordered. When the pair return to town, Jody is forced to reexamine her tragic past...and what she thinks she knows. The New York Times says that "Pickard has the storytelling gift."

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