Reading right now:

“The Garden of Angels” by David Hewson is a thriller about a 15-year-old who inherits a gift from his dying grandfather. The gift is a yellow manuscript which sends him into Nazi-occupied Venice in 1943 where he discovers that his grandfather was not who he thought he was.

On hold right now:

Flynn Berry’s latest standalone novel is “Northern Spy” a thriller in which BBC producer Tessa finds out that her sister is involved with the IRA. This thriller follows Tessa’s attempt to find out the truth about Tessa’s sister and the havoc it has on everyone around them.

“Endings” is Linda L. Richards latest standalone and is the story of a woman who faces lose by finding a new vocation—that of killer for hire. She finds out she is good at her job, but is stopped in her tracks when she comes across a serial killer whose evil forces her to reevaluate her life.

Wallace Stroby’s “Heaven’s a Lie” is a standalone about a young widow who witnesses a fatal car accident which thrusts her in the middle of gang violence. When she tries to help those in the wreck, she finds money which she desperately needs and takes it with her. Unfortunately for her, the drug dealer who the money belongs to wants it back.

Other Mysterious Things:

We are living in an amazing time when there are so many great books available to read that it is impossible to read even a small percentage of the books that look interesting. In addition, the mystery genre has expanded to include thrillers, paranormal, suspense, and so much more. Many of these books may not be what we once considered traditional mysteries, but many have mystery elements which are well worth reading. One such book is “The Drowning Kind” by Jennifer McMahon which is her latest standalone about a woman who returns home after her sister drowns in the family’s swimming pool only to find that a family’s past is never really behind us. This scary thriller has a mystery element, but is really horror. If you haven’t read McMahon’s horror thriller’s, she might be an author worth considering especially if you like a little blend of mystery and ghost story.

 

Reading right now:

Harlan Coben’s latest stand alone mystery just came out a couple of weeks ago (“Win”). If you haven’t watched the Netflix shows based on Coben’s work, do so right away since they are all great. In the meantime, Coben’s latest revolves around a current murder in which clues from a 20-year old murder are found on the premises. The cold case involved “Win” Lockwood’s family and when the police question him about the newly found clues, he finds himself using his large fortune to help solve the case.

On hold right now:

John Sandford’s latest Lucas Davenport book is out this month (“Ocean Prey”). After there is a death a sea and the FBI cannot solve the cause, Davenport is called in and finds he needs the help of Virgil Flowers to protect his back.

Marcia Talley’s 18^th book in her Hannah Ives series is “Done Gone.” After her neighbors disappear, Hannah discovers terrible secrets and gets involved in their disappearance with deadly consequences.

“On an Outgoing Tide” is Caro Ramsay’s 12^th book in her Anderson & Costello series. After 81-year-old Jimmy Pearcey is tortured to death, Detectives Anderson and Costello uncover secrets in his past that link to another murder.

“What the Devil Knows” is C.S. Harris’ 16^th book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. It’s 1814 and it’s been three years since a notorious murderer hanged himself in his cell, but now the lead investigator from that case is murdered in the same manner and the police must face the idea that they caught the wrong man. Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy turns to St. Cry to help find the real killer.

Other Mysterious Things:

April is showering mystery readers with some great books including two written by some of my favorite authors: John Sandford and C.S. Harris. No month is better than a month that brings a new book by an author that I love. Finding a great new author is the constant quest of those of us who love to read. We find a great book and pray that more will follow. The secret is to keep reading new authors to find a new favorite author to add to our already long list. Good hunting.