Publisher: Mulholland Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/12/2011
ISBN-13: 9780316127332
ISBN-10: 0316127337

Mystery. When an alcoholic goes dry, there are usually a few bumps in the road. But when Jack Ellery puts down the bottle, he actually ends up being murdered. Why? That's what Matthew Scudder, a childhood friend of Ellery's who reconnected with him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, wants to know. Checking out the people on Ellery's AA list of those he wronged, Scudder finds himself on a case that threatens to derail his own fledgling sobriety. So, you haven't read a Scudder novel before? No problem--A Drop of the Hard Stuff, though the 17th Scudder book, takes place back in the 1980s and is "the perfect introduction to Scudder's shadow-strewn world" (Time).

Publisher: Severn House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780727869838
ISBN-10: 0727869833

Cozy Mystery. It is a very dark and stormy night at the newly renovated Branston Abbey, causing severe damage and high flood waters, and completely isolating the weekend guests, leaving them unable to communicate with the outside world. And if that wasn't enough trouble, Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, soon discover a skeleton among the roots of a fallen oak tree. When another body is discovered, Dorothy and Alan are convinced that there's a killer among their fellow weekenders. If you're a fan of Agatha Christie or traditional country-house mysteries, you should relish this 10th novel in the appealing Dorothy Martin series.

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/12/2011
ISBN-13: 9780312678180
ISBN-10: 0312678185

Historical Mystery. In June 1303, King Edward I dispatches his emissary and Keeper of the Secret Seal, Sir Hugh Corbett, to retrieve a priceless Templars' cross from a violent and vile manor lord who has recently executed 14 members of a religious order--but a longbow-wielding serial killer complicates matters. "Whodunits don't get much better than this outstanding historical," says Publishers Weekly in a starred review. If you're interested in tales of medieval England but haven't met Sir Hugh before, for now, you might want to bypass this 16th entry (which was published in the UK several years ago) and start at the beginning with Satan in St. Mary's; you might also want to check out Sharon Kay Penman's Justin de Quincy Mysteries.

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Publisher: Forge
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/29/2011
ISBN-13: 9780765326287
ISBN-10: 0765326280

Historical Mystery. King Arthur has a problem. He feels he can't marry the woman he loves, disgraced former nun Guinevere, due to scandal. Setting his true feelings aside, he agrees to an arranged marriage to the daughter of a powerful lord. But when his trusted advisor (and Guinevere's cousin) Malgwyn ap Cuneglas goes to escort the intended bride (whom Malgwyn finds endearing in spite of himself) to Glastonbury, multiple killings of numerous virgins complicate matters as does Guinevere's reaction to the impending nuptials. The Beloved Dead is the 3rd in "a series to be savored" (Library Journal, starred review). Though this series is set a bit earlier than the Sister Fidelma books, fans of Peter Tremayne might be interested in it.

Publisher: Soho Crime
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/19/2011
ISBN-13: 9781569479094
ISBN-10: 1569479097

Crime Novel. In post-apartheid South Africa, tough, 30-something PI Jade de Jong takes what appears to be an easy case: keep a wealthy woman safe after someone kidnaps her strip-club magnate husband. But then Jade and the wife are shot at, links to human trafficking are discovered, and a connection to Jade's married, police superintendent ex-lover appears. Fans of Malla Nunn and readers who enjoy gritty crime novels set in foreign lands will want to read this gripping 2nd Jade novel (after the acclaimed Random Violence), which takes place in both Johannesburg and London.

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Publisher: Berkley Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/29/2009
ISBN-13: 9780425233719
ISBN-10: 0425233715

Police Procedural. A woman walks into a bar in Algonquin Bay, Ontario. She's covered in black fly bites, doesn't know who she is, and as doctors soon discover, has a bullet in her brain. Assigned to the case of the mysterious amnesiac who may remember more than she's telling, cops John Cardinal and Lise Delorme discover links to drugs, bikers, a shaman, and more murders. On the homefront, Cardinal's mentally fragile wife is out of town, and that's not a good thing. Lee Child fans who appreciate unforgettable characters and excellent pacing might want to check out this compelling series, of which this is the 3rd book.

Publisher: William Morrow
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/01/2008
ISBN-13: 9780061287510
ISBN-10: 0061287512

Mystery. Elderly Erika Rosenthal clearly remembers the diamond brooch her master-jeweler father made for her in Germany in 1938, even though it was stolen soon thereafter during a horrific encounter. Having fled the Nazis with her now long-dead husband and settled in England, she recognizes the stunning Art Deco piece when she sees it pictured in a prestigious London auction firm's catalog. Despite her misgivings, the very private Erika asks her friend and neighbor Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Gemma James to look into things. But when Gemma goes to the auction house, the cold case heats up to very dangerous levels. Though this is the 12th novel in this series, newcomers can start here if they don't mind missing the chronological development of Gemma's love life.

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Publisher: W. W. Norton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/30/2007
ISBN-13: 9780881507812
ISBN-10: 0881507814

Police Procedural. Informant Ian Ballion is valuable to the police for what he knows--so he and his family are relocated with new names and identities. But the powerful crime family he ratted on can't forget what he's done. And he's having a rather difficult time adjusting to his new life (he remembers his old one quite fondly) and his new town (which happens to be located in Detective Chief Inspector Colin Harpur and Assistant Chief Constable Desmond Iles' turf). If a book "filled with savagely biting humor, caustic repartee, and an unsettling sense of foreboding" (Booklist) sounds right up your alley, pick up Wolves of Memory, the 22nd book in the Harpur & Iles series. Those who like first things first will want to grab You'd Better Believe It instead.

Publisher: Pantheon Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/20/2005
ISBN-13: 9780375422997
ISBN-10: 0375422994

Cozy Mystery. While her niece Cat is away in Italy, Isabel Dalhousie, who normally edits the Review of Applied Ethics, takes over the running of her deli. While doing so, Isabel encounters a recent heart transplant patient who is troubled by incidents of unexplained pain that are always followed by the memory of a man's face, a man he doesn't recognize. Could the mystery face belong to someone who killed the heart donor? Is there such a thing as cellular memory? Does the heart, in fact, remember? That's what the always-curious Isabel wonders and looks into. "A delicious mix of the unlikely and the tried-and-true," says Publishers Weekly about this 2nd in a series.

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Publisher: Berkley Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/27/2006
ISBN-13: 9780425210734
ISBN-10: 0425210731

Futuristic Mystery. It's almost Christmas in 2059 New York when tough-as-nails cop Lieutenant Eve Dallas is completely shaken by the sudden appearance of her abusive former foster mother, Trudy Lombard. Trudy doesn't bring gifts, only painful memories. Eve sends her away and goes home to her beloved billionaire husband Roarke, but the nasty situation becomes more complicated when Trudy returns--demanding money in exchange for protecting secrets from Eve's childhood--and is later found murdered. If you like fast-paced, suspenseful, and romantic stories, check out this 22nd novel in this bestselling series by Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb.