Mystery
April 2024
Recent Releases
Paper Cage
by Tom Baragwanath

Lorraine Henry, a white policeman's widow, works as a police records clerk in a small New Zealand town rife with drugs and racial tension. When a part-Māori relative is one of three Indigenous children who go missing and the cops aren't all that concerned, Lorraine investigates. First published in New Zealand in 2022, this gritty, suspenseful debut features "a truly crackling mystery" (Publishers Weekly).
Murder by Lamplight
by Patrice McDonough

In 1866, Scotland Yard DI Richard Tennant is surprised when Dr. Julia Lewis, who normally helps cholera victims, arrives at a grisly London crime scene instead of her ill grandfather. But with a serial killer at work, he desperately needs her help. Read-alikes: Ritu Mukerji's Murder by Degrees; Ariana Franklin's Adelia Aguilar series; E.S. Thomson's Jem Flockhart mysteries. 
The Murder of Mr. Ma
by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan

In 1924 London, unexpected events lead quiet academic lecturer Lao She to team up with larger-than-life Judge Dee Ren Jie to figure out who's killing Chinese immigrants who served in France during the Great War. For fans of: Sherlock Holmes; intricately plotted mysteries with a strong sense of place.
Cahokia Jazz
by Francis Spufford

In this noirish alternate history starring a hardboiled police detective, Indigenous people didn't die of smallpox and make up a large percentage of 1922 Cahokia, a city on the Mississippi where everyone gets along fairly well. But the grisly murder of a white man agitates race relations. Read-alikes: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon; Better the Blood by Michael Bennett. 
Listen for the Lie
by Amy Tintera

Despite misgivings, Lucy Chase returns to her Texas hometown, where everyone thinks she killed her best friend five years ago on a night she can't recall. Now a podcaster is on the case, and Lucy's going to help. This atmospheric novel is a Good Morning America Book Club selection. Read-alikes: Samantha Jayne Allen's Annie McIntyre mysteries; Nicci French's Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?
The Excitements
by C.J. Wray

Josephine and Penny are 90-something English sisters who served during World War II (including doing top secret work). Heading to Paris to receive the Légion d'honneur for their part in the liberation of France, they plan on settling a few scores along the way in this "utterly charming" (Booklist) novel by C.J. Wray, aka bestselling author Christine Manby.
Focus on: Short Stories
Observations by Gaslight
by Lyndsay Faye

This entertaining collection of Sherlock Holmes stories is told in epistolary form by people who've encountered the great detective over the years, including Irene Adler and Geoffrey Lestrade. Read it for the smart plotting, atmospheric Victorian settings, and in-depth Sherlockian knowledge on display.
Seasonal Work
by Laura Lippman

Laura Lippman, the acclaimed author of novels such as Prom Mom and Lady in the Lake, serves up a "delightful" (Library Journal) collection of 12 stories, including a new novella. Tess Monaghan fans take note: the tough Baltimore PI makes two appearances here. 
An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed
by Helene Tursten

In this follow-up to An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good, readers learn more about clever, capable 88-year-old Maude in six darkly humorous stories that detail her meting out justice at various points in her life, including the present day, where Swedish police have just discovered a body in her apartment. For fans of: Arsenic and Old Lace.
Midnight Hour
by Abby L. Vandiver, editor; foreword by Stephen Mack Jones

Centered around the midnight hour, this "excellent" (Kirkus Reviews) collection presents 20 original stories, from cozy to noir, written by authors of color, such as Jennifer Chow, Tracy Clark, E.A. Aymar, Raquel V. Reyes, Gigi Pandian, V.M. Burns, and David Heska Wanbli Weiden.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Sonoma County Library
707-545-0831www.sonomalibrary.org