Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/11/2012
ISBN-13: 9781250012562
ISBN-10: 1250012562

Crime Novel. Briefly conscious just after a bad motorcycle accident, Rob Hale can't move, but a paramedic tells him that his new friend, Lena, needs to go in the first ambulance. When Rob awakens in an Isle of Man hospital seven hours later with a fractured shoulder and a traumatic head injury and asks how Lena is, the doctors and the police say that she doesn't exist. Since his description of Lena resembles his recently deceased sister, they think he's confused by grief and his injuries. But with help from a London-based PI, hired by his parents to check into his sister's death, Rob soon discovers that his sister had a secret life...and that Lena, if she's real, is in grave danger. This compelling, twisty stand-alone novel by the author of the Good Thief's Guides series will please readers who enjoy well-plotted, suspenseful tales.

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/01/2013
ISBN-13: 9781464201233
ISBN-10: 1464201234

Historical Mystery. In 1929 Melbourne, Australia, three unmarried pregnant girls working at a convent laundry go missing weeks before they are due to give birth -- and then an ambitious reporter, Polly Kettle, who was investigating the girls' whereabouts, disappears, too. It's a good thing for them all that brave, intelligent Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher, who'd just met Polly, decides to sort it all out. Phryne, who's wealthy, glamorous, and a good shot, uses her skills and connections to solve a case that is dark at its core. Unnatural Habits is the 19th book in a fun, vibrant flapper-era series, which inspired the recent Australian TV program Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

Publisher: Pegasus Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/09/2013
ISBN-13: 9781605983783
ISBN-10: 1605983780

Crime Novel. Jamaica-born Chief Inspector Karen Shields of London's Homicide and Serious Crime Unit faces racism, sexism, and an already overwhelming case load even as a new, complex case lands in her lap: a Moldovan teenager, who's been stabbed to death, is found floating under ice at a pond just three days before Christmas. As Karen digs into the case, she discovers that the boy may have upset an organized-crime lord. Meanwhile, DI Trevor Cordon, quietly marking time in Cornwall until his retirement, becomes enmeshed in the case of a murdered local woman and tries to protect the woman's daughter and young grandson. The two stories eventually connect in this new crime novel (by the author of the Charlie Resnick books) that's sure to please fans of multi-dimensional characters and modern British crime novels.

Publisher: Seventh Street Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/13/2012
ISBN-13: 9781616147167
ISBN-10: 1616147164

Police Procedural. Set against the violent backdrop of the 1981 Northern Ireland "troubles," The Cold Cold Ground introduces clever, likeable 30-year-old Detective Sergeant Sean Duffy, an anomaly among his Protestant peers -- not only is he college-educated, he's Catholic. As Belfast simmers with riots, hunger strikes, and sectarian violence, Duffy works the case of an unknown killer who seems to be targeting gay men -- but an odd suicide (that may be murder) has Duffy wondering if there are political implications to the earlier deaths. This 1st in a proposed trilogy is a must-read for fans of gritty Irish crime novels, such as those by Stuart Neville.

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Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/08/2013
ISBN-13: 9780547992198
ISBN-10: 054799219X

Historical Mystery. How the tables have turned! In his 3rd outing, 17th-century German hangman Jakob Kuisl faces an executioner himself. After his sister summons him from his small Bavarian village to the city of Regensburg, Jakob makes the difficult journey...only to arrive and find her murdered. Accused of the crime, Jakob needs help to figure out who framed him before he dies the same way he has made his living. Meanwhile, troubles of their own drive his midwife-apprentice daughter, Magdalena, and her medicus lover, Simon Fronwieser, to find him in the city and investigate. Author Oliver Pötzsch, a descendent of the real-life Kuisls, delivers a compelling, richly detailed story that's already hit the bestseller lists. For another evocative historical mystery peopled with authentic characters, try Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death.

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Dana Stabenow's intricately plotted, witty, and sometimes gritty Kate Shugak mysteries paint evocative depictions of Alaskan life, from the rugged landscapes of its national parks to the idiosyncratic quirks of its citizens. Kate, a tough, intelligent Aleut working as a private investigator, meets colorful characters, wades through tricky Alaskan politics, and struggles with personal problems and relationships as she solves a wide range of intriguing crimes. Newcomers who haven't met strong-willed Kate (and her awesome dog, Mutt) should definitely start with the 1st book, A Cold Day for Murder; fans waiting to read the recently released 20th book, Bad Blood, may want to try some of the books below.

Publisher: Berkley Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/07/2009
ISBN-13: 9780425226957
ISBN-10: 0425226956

Mystery. Intrepid park ranger Anna Pigeon returns to Michigan's Isle Royale National Park, situated in Lake Superior, where she once worked for a summer a decade or so ago (and she has the scar to prove it -- check out her 2nd book, A Superior Death, for details). Unlike before, it's bitterly cold as Anna joins a scientific group that's been studying wolves each winter for 50 years when the park's closed. Also on hand is a Homeland Security officer who's there to see if the study should be shut down and the isolated park opened in the winter. But before too much can happen, a dead woman is found, and Anna knows the wolves aren't the only dangerous creatures on the island. Kate Shugak fans should appreciate Anna's toughness and seriousness as well as the strong sense of place and the outdoor settings. Readers who enjoy the cold will especially like this 14th book in the popular series.

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/30/2008
ISBN-13: 9780312353810
ISBN-10: 0312353812

Mystery. Tough California PI Kinsey Millhone's 1st outing finds her working a cold case for Nikki Fife, the wife of a murdered (and philandering) divorce lawyer. Having served years in prison for the killing, Nikki's learned of some new evidence and wants Kinsey to find out who really murdered her husband. Like Kate Shugak, Kinsey is a loner (no pets, no plants, no kids, and no current husband) who can take care of herself, but who also has an inner vulnerability. Kate fans who don't mind leaving the cold climate of Alaska for sunny California should check out Sue Grafton's fast-paced, well-plotted tales.

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Publisher: Avon Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/01/1996
ISBN-13: 9780380717583
ISBN-10: 0380717581

Mystery. To win Alaska's Iditarod race, contestants and their dog teams have to travel 1,150 miles of hostile land in around 10 days. Talented musher Jessie Arnold thinks she can do it, but her difficult task is complicated by an unknown killer who's murdering frontrunners in bizarre ways. Alaska state trooper Alex Jensen is determined to catch the killer -- and protect Jesse -- before anyone else dies. Murder on the Iditarod Trail, the 1st in a series, won both an Anthony Award and a Macavity Award. Like Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak novels, these compelling books feature a strong female lead character and provide an evocative insider's look at the 49th state.

Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/01/2003
ISBN-13: 9781569473337
ISBN-10: 1569473331

Mystery. Going "home" is especially difficult for state trooper Nathan Active. Born to a 15-year-old Inupiat girl and given up for adoption to a white couple in Anchorage, Nathan has been assigned to Chukchi, the small village where he was born but doesn't exactly fit in, for 18 months now. When two young men are found dead, and both look like suicides, the local cops are satisfied. But Nathan senses something bigger going on, something that might involve a recently opened copper mine. Balancing work with his personal life (which includes police dispatcher Lucy Generous and his birth mother, who still lives in town), the good-hearted Nathan seeks the truth. Those who enjoy reading about Native Alaskans in Dana Stabenow's work will find much to like in this authentic, atmospheric 1st in a series that now numbers four.