Publisher: Hardcase Crime
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/18/2012
ISBN-13: 9781781160329
ISBN-10: 1781160325

Noir Fiction. Beautiful, buxom 21-year-old Joan Medford, whose abusive husband recently died under strange circumstances, finds work as a waitress in a cocktail bar in the D.C. suburbs; she's hoping to get back on her feet and bring her three-year-old son home from his manipulative aunt's house. At the bar, she meets a seductive but penniless young man and a wealthy but unwell older man. One of them proposes marriage, and Joan accepts, forming a love triangle that's sure to prove fatal. Though James M. Cain -- author of such classic novels as The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, and Mildred Pierce -- died in 1977, this previously undiscovered novel, found among his papers, is finally available in print.

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/07/2012
ISBN-13: 9780312558482
ISBN-10: 0312558481

Mystery. Having been reassigned (after some trouble) to the easternmost county in the United States, young Maine game warden Mike Bowditch slowly adjusts to his new home in the "unpeopled hinterlands," which is plagued by drugs and high unemployment. But, when summoned to a rustic cabin during a blizzard, Mike quickly embarks on a dangerous murder investigation involving a notorious local drug dealer, the dealer's girlfriend (a beautiful woman whom Mike feels incredibly drawn to), and her troubled but smart young son...who keeps a cryptic diary. The outdoorsy Mike Bowditch series, of which this is the 3rd book, will appeal to fans of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon novels due to its intriguing characters and evocative rural settings.

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/21/2012
ISBN-13: 9781250003485
ISBN-10: 1250003482

Mystery. In tiny Acker's Gap, West Virginia, a "shabby afterthought of a town," surly 17-year-old Carla Elkins witnesses the efficient shooting of three elderly men in a diner just before noon on a Saturday. In the aftermath of the shocking triple murder committed by an unknown killer, Carla gradually starts to recall details about the shooter, whom she may have seen before, even as her estranged mom, the obsessively driven local prosecuting attorney, works to solve the crime. This "unforgettable" novel (Publishers Weekly) may be author Julia Keller's first mystery, but she's no writing newbie; she's a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who's penned an atmospheric tale with "plenty of twists and turns and a shocking conclusion" (Kirkus Reviews).

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Publisher: Bantam Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/04/2012
ISBN-13: 9780553807998
ISBN-10: 0553807994

Historical Mystery. Waking up badly injured in a bare room with no idea who she is, where she is, or why there's blood on her hands, Mary Russell manages to flee via rooftop when she sees armed soldiers out the window. Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes tries to track down his formidable wife in Morocco even as France, Spain, and a local group vie for control of the country. Enmeshed in the political and military goings-on, the couple eventually reunite (though Mary's still amnesiac) and work to prevent a full-scale war...and get Mary's memories back. This portrait of personal and political upheaval in 1924 is a must for both series fans (this is the 12th Mary Russell novel) and mystery-reading political junkies.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Atria Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/21/2012
ISBN-13: 9781451645675
ISBN-10: 1451645678

Mystery. If it isn't bad enough that Cork O'Connor watched his friend Jubal Little die from a bow-hunting arrow in the chest, the arrow looks like one of Cork's. He knows someone has framed him, but everyone else thinks he killed Jubal, a charismatic Native American who was leading the Minnesota governor's race. So, Cork's questioned at the Tamarack County Sheriff's Department, in the interrogation room he designed when he was Sheriff. As the story unfolds, Cork, who's part Ojibwe, recalls his complex relationship with Jubal, his friend since sixth grade, while struggling to clear his name and find the real killer. Fans of Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire books (or the Longmire TV show) will appreciate this 12th in a series' complex characters, evocative setting, and great plotting.

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/28/2012
ISBN-13: 9780312655464
ISBN-10: 0312655460

Mystery. In a locked, secluded monastery deep in the woods of Quebec, where 24 monks should be contemplating nature and God, one brother's mind -- and hands -- turn to murder. The cloistered monks, who've taken vows of silence yet are famous for a recording of their gorgeous Gregorian chants, know as well as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir do that one of them is the killer. Since Louise Penny's well-drawn characters evolve over time, those who haven't read her elegant, award-winning books may want to pick up the 1st in the series, Still Life, before reading this "excellent" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) 8th entry. For more layered, literary mysteries, try Charles Todd's historical tales featuring Ian Rutledge.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Atria Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/11/2012
ISBN-13: 9781451665161
ISBN-10: 1451665164

Humorous Mystery. Charmingly (but certainly not cloyingly) narrated by loveable Bernie, a K9-school dropout (there might have been an incident with a cat), A Fistful of Collars finds the dog and his perpetually down-on-his-luck human detective, Chet Little, getting more trouble than they bargained for while babysitting a partying actor whose latest film, a western, is being shot in the Valley. Not only do several murders occur, but the doggie/human duo uncover links between the thespian and a long-ago local crime. This 5th Chet and Bernie book is "a fine entry in a not-to-be-missed series" (Booklist); newcomers can start here, but those who like to begin at the beginning will want to fetch Dog On It.

Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/07/2012
ISBN-13: 9780385535564
ISBN-10: 0385535562

Historical Mystery. When her father's untimely death renders her penniless, Princess Alexandrina, aka Mink, the daughter of a Maharaja and an English woman, moves into a "grace-and-favour" apartment at Queen Victoria's Hampton Court Palace. The move is against her maid Pooki's wishes (the place is reputedly haunted), but things go fine...at first. When a death occurs after an unpopular palace resident eats one of Pooki's (apparently arsenic-laced) pigeon pies, Mink turns sleuth to clear her faithful maid's name. This quirky first mystery by author Julia Stuart, who's written the The Matchmaker of Périgord and The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise, will please fans of witty writing, cunning plots, and eccentric characters.