[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Mystery April 2008
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:01:32 -0400
Mystery April 2008
"All heiresses are beautiful."
~ John Dryden (1631-1700), British poet, dramatist, and critic
Library News
Annual Children's Summer Reading Club
Portage County District Library is pleased to announce that our annual
children's summer reading club registration will begin Wednesday, May 28 at
branch
libraries. Mark this date on your calendar so that your family can join in on
all the summer fun.
We've added over 3 million items to our collection. If you can't find it here,
try this free service to borrow from one of our partner libraries.
Click here for FAQs.
New and Recently Released!
Death of a Gentle Lady - by M.C. Beaton
Publisher: Grand Central
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/11/2008
ISBN: 9780446582605
ISBN-10: 0446582603
Mystery. What's in a name? In Mrs. Gentle's case, it's an apt description of
how the lady presents herself, but in reality, she's not all that tender.
Scottish
policeman Hamish MacBeth tries to tell his friends and neighbors this, but they
think Lochdubh's newest resident is very agreeable. Ayesha, Mrs. Gentle's
Russian maid, knows the truth since she's being threatened with deportment by
her boss. Swayed by Ayesha's beauty and plight, Hamish asks her to marry
him--but before the nuptials can occur, Ayesha disappears...and Mrs. Gentle is
murdered. Death of a Gentle Lady, the 24th in M.C. Beaton's popular series,
includes "charming details of Highland life and a crackerjack mystery to boot"
(Kirkus Reviews).
Gas City - by Loren D. Estleman
Publisher: Forge
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 1/8/2008
ISBN: 9780765319562
ISBN-10: 076531956X
Crime Novel. When a bad cop goes good, expect trouble. After the police chief
of Gas City unexpectedly loses his wife to cancer, her death causes him to
question the morality of his longstanding deal with the local mob boss. The
agreement has kept crime contained to one small part of town, but now that
the head cop has a conscience and is ordering raids on places that are supposed
to be left alone, the whole city is at risk. Oh, and a serial killer, "Beaver
Cleaver," is at work. Critics love Estleman's Gas City and are calling it
"magnificent" (Booklist), "a novel to savor" (Chicago Tribune), and "arguably
one of the best of the year" (Publishers Weekly).
Gone to Ground - by John Harvey
Publisher: Harcourt
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/4/2008
ISBN: 9780151013630
ISBN-10: 0151013632
Police Procedural. Stephen Bryan, a gay Cambridge film professor, is found
viciously beaten to death in his own home--and his face is especially damaged.
Detective Inspector Will Grayson and his loyal partner, Detective Sergeant
Helen Walker, check into the man's past: Was this a hate crime? A one-night
stand gone bad? An angry ex? Or could it have something to do with the
academic's planned biography of a 1950s film noir star, whose family doesn't
want
him meddling about? Bryan's death isn't the only thing Will is dealing with--he
has a newborn at home. Fans of British police procedurals and those who
like the author's Charlie Resnick and Frank Elder novels should grab this one
quick.
First Chapter
The Black Dove - by Steve Hockensmith
Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/19/2008
ISBN: 9780312347826
ISBN-10: 0312347820
Historical Western Mystery. Are you ready to do some "deducifying"? Then saddle
up with the Amlingmeyer bothers, Old Red and Big Red. In 1893 San Francisco,
the two cowboy aficionados of Sherlock Holmes are trying to obtain work as PIs,
but while they don't land jobs as Pinkerton detectives, they do find a
case. After an old friend takes a shot at them in Chinatown and then turns up
dead, the Reds move into action. The police call the death a suicide, but
the brothers don't think that's what happened. If you're looking for a
fast-paced mystery that will make you laugh, pick up this "rollicking" and
"hilarious"
(Publishers Weekly) 3rd novel in the clever Holmes on the Range series.
First Chapter
The Killing Room - by Peter May
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/5/2008
ISBN: 9780312364656
ISBN-10: 0312364652
Mystery. Eighteen female bodies have been discovered at a Shanghai construction
site. It appears that a serial killer has been at work, one who likes to
subject his victims to "live" autopsies. In their 3rd outing, Detective Li Yan
and his sometime-lover, American pathologist Margaret Campbell, work with
Mei-Ling, the deputy head of Shanghai's serious case squad who has more than
professional feelings for Li. With the Summer Olympics beginning August 8th
in Beijing, you may be curious about life in modern China; author Peter May's
The Killing Room gives you a peek in a suspenseful novel that combines a
"beautifully depicted Chinese culture" (Library Journal) with enough forensic
details to please CSI fans.
The Cruelest Month: A Three Pines Mystery - by Louise Penny
Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 3/4/2008
ISBN: 9780312352578
ISBN-10: 0312352573
Mystery. Death by fear? That's what it looks like when a woman dies during an
Easter séance at the notorious Hadley House in the small town of Three Pines.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec investigates the death
of the well-liked villager while dealing with internal police politics that
threaten his career and reputation. Fans of traditional British mysteries will
enjoy the charming village setting as well as the delightfully eccentric
characters (the artistically minded will particularly like talented middle-aged
painter Clara Morrow). Though this is the 3rd book in this fascinating
series, newcomers can start here.
An Incomplete Revenge: A Maisie Dobbs Novel - by Jacqueline Winspear
Publisher: Henry Holt
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/19/2008
ISBN: 9780805082159
ISBN-10: 0805082158
Historical Mystery. In the fall of 1931, the hops crops are ready for harvest.
Hoppers--temporary workers consisting of Gypsies and families from London
on working vacations--pour into rural towns. But in the small Kent village of
Heronsdene, every year when the hoppers arrive, so do mysterious fires. Maisie
Dobbs, a London psychologist and investigator, and her assistant, Billy
(himself a regular hopper), look into the matter for a client who wants to buy
a brickworks in the village, but is worried about vandalism. What Maisie and
Billy uncover is a secretive town where no one wants to talk about the fires
or the infamous WWI Zeppelin raid on the town. This is the delightful Masie's
5th case.
Focus on: Heiresses
The Damascened Blade - by Barbara Cleverly
Publisher: Carroll & Graf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 8/1/2004
ISBN: 9780786713332
ISBN-10: 078671333X
Historical Mystery. In 1922, the North-West Frontier Provence in British India
is the site of conflict between the Brits and the local tribes. Into this
rough land comes an American heiress, Lily Coblenz, intent on seeing the "real
India." Assigned to watch over her is Scotland Yard Detective Joe Sandilands.
Also included in their party is a Pathan prince, a female doctor, a
businessman, and a RAF pilot. The danger to the group becomes imminent when the
prince
is murdered, hostages are taken, and Joe is given one week to figure it all
out. This excellent 3rd in a series should please fans of traditional mysteries
who'll love its diverse cast of characters and well-plotted mystery.
Consequences of Sin: An Edwardian Mystery - by Clare Langley-Hawthorne
Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/15/2007
ISBN: 9780670038206
ISBN-10: 0670038202
Historical Mystery. After her friend is accused of murder, Ursula Marlow, an
Oxford-educated heiress, aspiring journalist, and suffragette, feels compelled
to investigate, even though the evidence clearly suggests the woman is guilty.
But Ursula's search takes an even more personal turn when she discovers
that her father has unsettling ties to the case. Seeking the truth, she obtains
help from her father's trusted counselor, Lord Oliver Wrotham, and eventually
sets sail for South America. This winning debut effectively combines history,
mystery, and romance into a fast-paced, entertaining tale; The Serpent and
the Scorpion, the 2nd novel featuring this charming young heroine, is due out
in August.
The Interpretation of Murder: A Novel - by Jed Rubenfeld
Publisher: Henry Holt
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 9/1/2006
ISBN: 9780805080988
ISBN-10: 0805080988
Historical Mystery. In 1909 Manhattan, a sadistic killer has killed one heiress
and left another, Nora Acton, physically injured and unable to recall anything
about the attack. Dr. Stratham Younger, one of Sigmund Freud's followers,
investigates and psychoanalyzes the teenaged Nora in an attempt to reclaim her
memories. But Dr. Younger finds more than he bargained for--there's politics,
money, and, of course, sex. Freud, who's in America for his one and only
visit, assists in the case. This first novel by Yale law professor Jed
Rubenfeld should please fans of The Alienist, particularly those who liked its
depiction
of turn-of-the-century New York City.
First Chapter
Simon Said - by Sarah R. Shaber
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/1/1998
ISBN: 9780312965556
ISBN-10: 0312965559
Cozy Mystery. Old bones create havoc at the campus of the fictitious Kenan
College in Raleigh, NC. When an archaeologist discovers a 70-year-old body with
a bullet through its skull while excavating the school's historic Bloodsworth
House, he asks Simon Shaw, the leading authority on the house's history,
for help. Simon, a Pulitzer Prize-winning history professor, quickly identifies
the woman as a Bloodsworth heiress who disappeared in the 1920s--but who
killed her? Shaw researches the matter, but someone doesn't like his snooping
and tries to kill him. Kirkus Reviews calls Simon Said, the 1st in a series,
"an accomplished debut." Fans of academic mysteries should especially enjoy
this campus case.
Pick Your Poison: A Yellow Rose Mystery - by Leann Sweeney
Publisher: Signet
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/1/2004
ISBN: 9780451210319
ISBN-10: 045121031X
Mystery. Texas heiress Abby Rose spends her days lounging by the pool--after
the recent death of her father, she's got plenty of money, and after her recent
divorce, she's at loose ends. But she finds a new direction in life after she
stumbles upon her gardener's body in the greenhouse--the same gardener who
had, hours earlier, nervously asked to speak to her and her twin sister.
Curious and feeling an obligation to her former employee, Abby decides to dip
her toe into the amateur-investigation waters. A handsome six-foot-tall Houston
police detective tries to dissuade her, but of course doesn't succeed.
If you're thirsting for a fun, quick read, try Pick Your Poison.
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