Mystery. Only a few hours before the priceless instrument is supposed to be played in concert by a talented young Russian, il Cannone, a violin that once belonged to the great Italian violinist and composer Paganini, is in need of repair. Virtuoso violin maker Giovanni Castiglione mends the violin and, after a French art dealer is found dead the next day clutching a piece of sheet music from the previous evening's performance, investigates a murder. If a modern-day whodunit combined with a "delightful tromp through 19th-century classical music" (Library Journal) makes you want to sing, check out Paganini's Ghost, the 2nd in a series (the 1st is The Rainaldi Quartet).

Though What Not to Wear is a popular TV show today, How Not to Dress is a priceless part of film history--it features the 1920 debut of the Swedish shop girl who would become known as Greta Garbo. In this novel, UCLA film archivist Valentino just might get his hands on a rare copy of the film as well as a letter that Garbo wrote to rich Matthew Rankin's wife (she and Garbo were very close). But after Val finds the elderly Rankin standing over a dead body, he's got his work cut out for him before he sees any reward. Adding to Val's troubles, he's still struggling to keep his beloved run-down movie palace from being condemned. This 2nd in Estleman's new humorous series is a must-read for classic film fans.

Mystery. Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway lives in Norwalk, England, in a remote area known as the Saltmarsh. Asked by Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson to examine the bones of a child found in the marsh, Ruth discovers that the remains date from the Iron Age. Disappointed DCI Nelson, who'd hoped to give the parents of long-missing Lucy Downey closure, shares details of the cold case with Ruth, including strange letters he's received since Lucy disappeared. Ruth, intrigued by archaeological and literary references in the missives, agrees to help when another little girl goes missing in this 1st in a new series.

Mystery. In his 4th outing, Inupiaq Alaska State Trooper Nathan Active has two difficult cases to solve. First, while camping with his girlfriend, Grace, he finds a hunter's body in a creek. Then, a suspicious fire occurs at the Chukchi Rec Center, killing 8 people, including the town's police chief and its star athlete. Are the cases connected? You betcha! Newcomers to the series may want to start with the 1st one, White Sky, Black Ice. If you like Dana Stabenow's Alaska-set novels featuring Aleut detective Kate Shugak or Tony Hillerman's Southwestern mysteries combining crime and ethnographic tidbits, give this series a chance.

Mystery. Even in crime-plagued Newark, New Jersey, when four bodies are found in a vacant lot, each with one bullet in the head, it's news--and that means investigative reporter Carter Ross writes the story. When Carter thinks the police are on the wrong path, he gets even more involved and sets out to solve the crimes himself. Ross recruits some colorful friends to help him and is a little too successful--the killers soon want to put him out-of-print forever. Stephanie Plum fans take note--in a starred review, Library Journal calls this "the most hilariously funny and deadly serious mystery debut since Janet Evanovich's One for the Money." Harlan Coben fans will also find much to like here, including the Jersey setting.

Mystery. One of the many problems with polygamy is that there ends up being too many men (do the math--if one man wants 10 wives...). So, teenage boys are often dispatched from the only homes they've ever known and sent out to fend for themselves. Things usually don't turn out well for these ill-prepared-for-outside-life "lost boys." In Scottsdale, Arizona, detective Lena Jones discovers that polygamists have come to her town--and that one of the sect's sister-wives who'd had her son taken away from her has been killed. Don't miss Betty Webb's 6th Lena Jones novel--Booklist calls it "a complex, exciting entry in a first-class series."

Historical Noir. Morphine-addicted Dr. Everett Seeley goes to Mexico, the only place he can find work, leaving his wife, Marion, in Phoenix. It's the 1930s and lonely Marion, who's working at a medical office, makes friends with Nurse Louise and her roommate Ginny, who have wild house parties with alcohol and male guests. At one such shindig, mild-mannered Marion falls for the girls' favorite visitor, Gentleman Joe...and it's not long after that, that murder occurs. Building up slowly to a fast-paced ending, Edgar Award-winner Megan Abbott's latest, which is based on a true crime and filled with '30s slang, should please fans of classic noirs. For another period noir based on a real murder, try Ace Atkins' Devil's Garden.

Historical Mystery. In 1888 London, Jack the Ripper is killing women and terrorizing the city's East End. Looking for help, Inspector Lestrade calls in Sherlock Holmes, who quickly becomes embroiled in the case and is even accused of being the Ripper by one newspaper. Though author Lyndsay Faye isn't the first person to pit Sherlock against the Ripper (there've been books, movies, games), Holmes fans will certainly want to read Dust and Shadow since debut novelist Faye uses "the Ripper case to present a more complex portrait of Holmes and his world" (Kirkus Reviews) and captures Watson's narrative voice wonderfully.

Mystery. Some of the things that troubled-couple Henry and Tess did during their Vermont college days as part of a dangerous little group called the Compassionate Dismantlers ("To understand the nature of a thing, it must be taken apart") still haunt them. Years after a prank-gone-wrong killed the group's charismatic leader, the suicide of another member of their group sends a detective Henry and Tess's way, forcing them to wonder about their 9-year-old daughter's odd attachment to her imaginary friend and the possibility that the dismantled group might--somehow--be reassembling. Try Dismantled, an "elegantly spooky mystery" (Booklist), if you want suspense and plenty of twists and turns.

Mystery. Russian-American NYPD detective Artie Cohen's latest case takes him to Russia, a place he really hadn't planned on returning to just yet. While investigating the murder of a young woman found wrapped in duct tape (a not-too-subtle message from the Russian mob to keep quiet) in a padlocked Brooklyn playground, he discovers that the killer's intended victim was Valentina Sverdloff, the woman he loves and the daughter of his close friend, Tolya Sverdloff. It isn't long before the complex case takes Artie to London, then Moscow, as he hunts down a killer and confronts painful questions about loyalty. If you like dark, moody tales, try this series (Londongrad is the 9th entry).

Historical Mystery. In 1903 Vienna, when a 15-year-old Czech boy is found dead at St. Florian's military school, Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt investigates. But when students and others at the school are less than forthcoming and strange marks are found on the deceased's body, the inspector asks his friend--and disciple of Freud--Dr. Max Liebermann to help him unravel the tangled web of motives underlying the crime. In a starred review, Booklist calls this 3rd Liebermann book, "another outstanding entry in an erudite and mesmerizing series." If you're new to these richly written novels and want to start at the beginning, pick up A Death in Vienna (which has also been published as Mortal Mischief).

Crime Novel. In South Boston, private detective Mark Genevich has a problem: he's not sure if he has a client or if she was a hallucination. You see, Genevich has severe narcolepsy and hallucinatory waking dreams are part of the deal. Hence his trouble knowing if the district attorney's reality-show contestant daughter, Jennifer Times, actually hired him or not. What he does know for sure is that he has some risqué photos that appear to feature Jennifer...and that someone wants them. If you'd like to read something a little bit (okay, a lot) different, give this surreal take on hardboiled novels a shot--if you like it, you can also seek out the just-released 2nd book, No Sleep Till Wonderland.