|
|
|
|
|
|
Guilt and Ginataan
by Manansala, Mia P.
The annual Shady Palms Corn Festival is one of the town's biggest moneymakers, drawing crowds from all over the Midwest looking to partake in delicious treats, local crafts, and of course, the second- largest corn maze in Illinois. Lila Macapagal and her Brew-ha Cafe crew, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres, are all too happy to participate in the event, though their fun is cut short when their wager on who can make it through the corn maze fastest ends with a dead body in the middle of the maze and an unconscious Adeena next to the body, clutching a bloody knife. With her best friend and business partner the main suspect in the murder, Lila and her crew put on their sleuthing caps yet again to find the killer who framed Adeena and show them what happens when they mess with a Brew-ha. For fans of Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto and A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette.
|
|
| The Waiting by Michael ConnellyWhile LAPD detective Renée Ballard surfs, someone steals her gun, badge, phone, and wallet. Later, she gets help with two cold cases from her mentor Harry Bosch and his patrol officer daughter, Maddie, in this well-plotted 6th outing. If you enjoy TV adaptions, look for the new series Ballard in late 2025. Read-alikes: Rachel Howzell Hall's Detective Elouise Norton novels; Val McDermid's Karen Pirie novels. |
|
|
|
The Great Hippopotamus Hotel
by McCall Smith, Alexander
In this latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith's beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi take on an intriguing new case and uncover surprising truths.In the rolling hills just outside Gaborone, surrounded by a grove of acacia trees, lies the Great Hippopotamus Hotel. A sudden string of misfortunes threatens to ruin the hotel's reputation. Mishap after mishap occurs, until it becomes apparent that these incidents are more than simple coincidences—something foul is afoot. Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are on the case to find out who could be responsible for these unfortunate events. With a healthy dose of good humor and kindness, Mma Ramotswe and her associates must help restore the reputation of the hotel and prove that even the most difficult situations can be remedied with honesty and compassion. For fans of The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey and Murder at the House of Rooster Happiness by David J. Casarett.
|
|
| Murder in Berkeley Square by Vanessa RileyOn Christmas Eve 1806, biracial Lady Abigail Worthing is given a carriage ride across snowy London by her handsome neighbor. But a supposedly quick stop finds them snowed in at the home of Lord Charles Duncan, a powerful magistrate, and then they find a body in this 3rd Lady Worthing novel. Read-alikes: the Lily Adler mysteries by Katharine Schellman; Celeste Connally's Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. |
|
|
|
Long Time Gone
by Martian, Hannah
In the small town of Wonderland, Wyoming, the truth is whatever the Coldwater family says it is. When their prodigal daughter, Jessica, was murdered forty years ago, their truth was that Holly Prine killed her--regardless of Holly's innocence. But the Coldwaters aren't the only reason private investigator Quinn Cuthridge hasn't set foot in the town in nearly a decade. After her aunt sent her away when she was a teen, Quinn swore she'd never return. When she gets an unexpected call from her aunt's ranch hand, Hunter, Quinn learns that her aunt has gone missing. Reluctantly, she returns to Wyoming to investigate and soon realizes that her aunt was getting dangerously close to long-buried Wonderland secrets, including who really murdered Jessica Coldwater.As Hunter and Quinn dig into what lies in the Wyoming backcountry, attraction flares between the two women, complicating their investigation--and Quinn's steadfast refusal to have any ties to Wonderland. With someone threatening Quinn and her own dark past echoing in the present, Quinn must struggle against her hometown and herself to find the truth in this rich queer mystery. For fans of Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda and When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain.
|
|
|
|
Killing Time
by Beaton, M. C.
When a series of shop burglaries turn deadly, Agatha Raisin's private detective agency is on the case, but Agatha begins receiving death threats and narrowly avoids being kidnapped, so she takes advantage of a previously arranged trip to Mallorca with former police officer John Glass to lie low for a while. Read-alikes: Mark Waddell's The Body in the Back Garden; Kat Ailes' The Expectant Detectives.
|
|
| The Twelve Books of Christmas by Kate CarlisleCalifornia bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright and her ex-spy husband arrive in Scotland for the New Year's Day wedding of close friend Claire (introduced in Little Black Book). She's marrying the Laird of Castle McKinnon, but all is not well: 12 rare books are missing, the castle seems haunted, and some locals aren't happy about the wedding. Then a murder occurs. Though this is the 17th in a series, newcomers will still enjoy it. Read-alike: Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's mysteries. |
|
| The Family Chao by Lan Samantha ChangIn small-town Wisconsin, overbearing restaurant owner Leo Chao's wife has left him. It's Christmas, so his three grown sons gather at the restaurant for a party, but then Leo is murdered, one of his sons is arrested, and a trial takes place. A modern take on Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic The Brothers Karamazov, The Family Chao is a "timely, trenchant, and thoroughly entertaining book" (Publishers Weekly). |
|
| A Christmas Vanishing by Anne PerryMariah Ellison, Charlotte Pitt's octogenarian grandmother, travels to Dorset to spend Christmas with her old friend Sadie, but when she arrives, Sadie's husband behaves suspiciously and says she isn't home. Fearing Sadie is in danger, Mariah teams up with two locals to sort out what's going on while pondering her own life. Read-alikes: the author's many other Christmas mysteries; Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily Ashton mysteries; Laura Joh Rowland's Victorian mysteries. |
|
| Up On the Woof Top by Spencer QuinnPI Bernie Little and his charming dog Chet (who narrates) head to small-town Colorado to help Dame Ariadne Carlisle, known for her bestselling holiday novels, after one of her ranch's reindeer goes missing just before Christmas. While searching, Chet and Bernie find a corpse in this witty 14th series entry. The 15th book, A Farewell to Arfs, published in August. For more dog-centric tales, try Paula Munier's Mercy and Elvis mysteries or David Rosenfelt's novels. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|