Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/06/2013
ISBN-13: 9780425260029
ISBN-10: 042526002X

Historical Mystery. Poor and two weeks from being homeless, Lady Georgiana Rannoch is nevertheless 35th in line for the British throne. At loose ends -- her undependable mother is decamping for a Swiss villa, her true love's too poor to marry, and her duke brother and duchess sister-in-law are unwelcoming -- charming Georgie agrees to help a dowager duchess. With the elderly lady's son producing no heir, a relation's been found who's next in line for the dukedom...only he's an Australian sheep farmer. Georgie plans to teach him the ways of high society, but murder interrupts her lessons. Set in the 1930s in a massive English manor house amid upheavals in lineage, this 7th in a lighthearted series should appeal to mystery-loving Downton Abbey fans.

Publisher: Pantheon Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/13/2013
ISBN-13: 9780375425363
ISBN-10: 0375425365

Police Procedural. What is the "Kentucky Killer" doing in Stockholm? That's what Sweden's intercrime group, aka the A-Unit, wants to know -- along with his true identity and where he is. After being warned by the FBI that someone had killed a Swedish literary critic and stolen his plane ticket, the A-Unit tries to catch the murderer when his flight lands. But the killer proves too clever and gets away. As the Swedes try to find him before he kills again, detectives Paul Hjelm and Kerstin Holm travel to New York for background information. Fans of Scandinavian mysteries will want to check out this latest import, the 2nd in an award-winning series that's peopled with well-drawn characters and leavened with touches of humor (and is the basis for the Arne Dahl BBC program).

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/06/2013
ISBN-13: 9781250002976
ISBN-10: 1250002974

Mystery. Most writers have to supplement their earnings with another occupation -- Charlie Howard helps pay his rent by breaking into other people's homes. (He also likes the adrenaline rush.) Like Lawrence Block's likeable bookseller/burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, Charlie has rules: lock up afterwards, avoid sentimental objects, steal from those who can afford it, etc. Now living in Berlin, Charlie adds a new rule (don't enjoy the view) after witnessing a murder across the street while trying to obtain a mysterious something for the British embassy -- it's so secret, he doesn't know what he's looking for, but apparently he'll know it when he sees it. Can Charlie sort out this mess and keep his main rule -- don't get caught --in this fun 6th outing? Readers will surely hope so!

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Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/16/2013
ISBN-13: 9780544114609
ISBN-10: 0544114604

Historical Mystery. In 1666 Bavaria, a group of pilgrims make their way to Andechs Abbey. Magdalena, something of an outcast because she's a hangman's daughter, and her physician husband are part of the group; they are giving thanks that their two young boys survived a terrible illness months earlier. But the pilgrims' way is not an easy one -- severe lightning storms and hungry wolves impede their progress. Then, their situation gets even worse upon arrival as it becomes clear that terrible things are happening at the abbey, including murder, causing Magdalena to call on her hangman father for help. Newcomers can start with this 4th in a wonderfully detailed series, but those who like to start at the beginning can pick up The Hangman's Daughter.

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Publisher: Delacorte Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/20/2013
ISBN-13: 9780345532442
ISBN-10: 0345532449

Historical Mystery. What went on between Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley (his second wife), and Claire Clairmont (Mary's stepsister) in the 1810s? Mid 19th-century private investigator Charles Maddox delves into this question when he's hired by an elderly Mary Shelley, her adult son, and his Shelley-obsessed wife to find some papers and save the poet's literary reputation. They claim Claire is blackmailing them, but Claire tells a different story. To add to Charles' confusion, he discovers that his very ill mentor worked for the family 30 years earlier -- but all of those records have been expunged from the man's carefully kept files. Readers who'd enjoy "a clever, imaginative, and literate mystery" (Kirkus Reviews) should give this well-researched, atmospheric sequel to The Solitary House a try.

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Set in Quebec and the U.S., the suspenseful, complex, fast-paced mysteries starring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan are perennial bestsellers. Author Kathy Reichs, who's a forensic anthropologist herself, portrays the examination of the bodies and crime scenes with authority and in great detail. A strong supporting cast helps to round out Tempe's character as a skilled professional with some personal flaws (who occasionally finds herself in danger and at odds with the police), while witty dialogue and deft description keep grim details from being overwhelming. The 1st book in the series is Déjà Dead; the latest, Bones of the Lost, was released in August.

Publisher: William Morrow
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2006
ISBN-13: 9780060759810
ISBN-10: 006075981X

Mystery. A mummy in an Appalachian cave? When an amazingly preserved, three-decades-old corpse is found in a rural, insular area, the local cops call University of Tennessee forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton. Brockton, a recent widower and the founder of a research lab nicknamed the Body Farm, studies how the chemistry of the cave affected the body, how the woman was murdered...and who killed her. Jefferson Bass is the collective pseudonym for Dr. Bill Bass, the founder of Tennessee's real Body Farm, and Jon Jefferson, a journalist and filmmaker; Carved in Bone, "a neatly done mystery aimed straight at the CSI set" (Kirkus Reviews), is their 1st novel. The 8th book in this richly detailed series, Cut to the Bone, comes out this month.

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Publisher: Pocket Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/29/2009
ISBN-13: 9781439148129
ISBN-10: 1439148120

Mystery. In this suspenseful 1st in a long-running series, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia Dr. Kay Scarpetta helps stop a Richmond serial killer. With a string of gruesome strangling victims having little in common (always a woman, always killed early on a Saturday morning), Scarpetta, Richmond homicide detective Pete Marino, and FBI profiler Benton Wesley desperately look for answers. But the investigation is undermined by press leaks, compromised computer data, and sabotage by someone on the inside, and then Scarpetta finds her own life in jeopardy. Fans of Kathy Reichs will appreciate the intricately plotted Postmortem, which introduces Scarpetta and won the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, Macavity, and French Prix du Roman d'Aventure awards. The latest in the series, Dust, is due in November.

Publisher: Berkley Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/29/2008
ISBN-13: 9780425219256
ISBN-10: 0425219259

Historical Mystery. It's 1171 in England, and King Henry II is on the throne -- but he has a problem. Someone is killing Christian children in Cambridge, and the locals are blaming the Jews, who have taken refuge in a protected castle. The king doesn't think it's the Jews...and he also really needs the money Jewish merchants provide in taxes. So, he requests the best master of the art of death (medical examiner) from a famous Sicilian school to examine the bodies. What he gets is a mistress of the art of death, the engaging and intelligent Adelia Aguilar, who struggles with life in less-civilized England as she tries to catch a killer. Kathy Reichs fans who also enjoy historical fiction may be quite impressed with this award-winning series; it provides fascinating insights into early forensic methods and an appealing detective.

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/01/2004
ISBN-13: 9780345458926
ISBN-10: 0345458923

Mystery. As the first snow of the winter falls in Boston, medical examiner Maura Isles and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli investigate the puzzling brutal murder of a 20-year-old novice and the severe beating of an elderly nun within a convent's chapel. Meanwhile, the murder and mutilation of an unidentified woman in another part of town along with personal problems add to their troubles. The Sinner is the 3rd book in a grisly, suspenseful series, and it's been followed by seven more. Like Kathy Reichs' Tempe Brennan novels, which inspire the TV show Bones, these bestselling novels form the basis for Rizzoli and Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. Fans of dedicated female forensic scientists willing to put themselves in harm's way to solve crimes will like books by both authors.

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Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/31/2011
ISBN-13: 9780062021885
ISBN-10: 0062021885

Mystery. On a Saturday night in a small Georgia town, pediatrician/medical examiner Sara Linton and almost everyone else are at the local skating rink. The fun ends when a 13-year-old girl pulls out a gun and threatens to kill a teenage boy. Police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, Sara's ex-husband, tells the girl, "Why don't we talk this through? It can't be that bad." She replies, "Yes, sir, it is." And as the story progresses, encompassing various types of child abuse, readers realize she's right. Be warned, this book features violent and graphic scenes; Publishers Weekly notes that it "adheres to the traditional mystery format, but turns up the shock factor tenfold." Kisscut is the 2nd of six books so far. Kathy Reichs fans may want to try this compelling series which also features well-developed and realistic characters.