Reading right now:

            “Death Angel” by Linda Fairstein. This is Fairstein’s 15^th mystery featuring Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper. In Manhattan, Fairstein has run the Sex Crimes Unit of the District Attorney’s Office for two decades which gives her stories a unique realism, not only regarding the law, but the setting as well. In this new novel, Alex Cooper and Detective Mike Chapman track a serial killer through Central Park.

On hold right now:

            “Storm Front” by John Sandford. In this seventh Virgil Flowers mystery, Virgil gets his “Da Vinci Code” moment when an Israeli cop shows up in Minnesota on the trail of the man who stole and smuggled in an important King Solomon relic.

 

 

Other Mysterious things:

Here’s three authors presenting their first mysteries:

“Just What Kind of Mother Are You” is Paula Daly’s first novel which revolves around one of my worst nightmares: the disappearance of your best friend’s child under your watch.

“Hiding Gladys” is the first novel in Lee Mims’ new series centering on geologist Cleo Cooper. After discovering a huge granite deposit which could make many people wealthy, Cleo’s project is plagued with murder and accidents.

“Jump the Gun” by Zoe Burke introduces smart and sexy Annabelle Starkey. In this first in a planned series, Annabelle’s hook up with Mickey Paxton sends them both on the run from police and criminals who seem to think she knows more than she does.

 

Reading right now:

            “Never Go Back” by Lee Child. Reacher is back: back in Virginia, back in the army, and back into big trouble. When Reacher returns to Virginia looking for Major Susan Turner, not only doesn’t he find her, but he finds himself accused of a sixteen-year-old homicide.

In October, “Inherit the Dead” is due out. It is a collaborative novel with 20 writers each writing one chapter. Lee Child is one of those authors. Royalties will be donated to Safe Horizon (an organization that provides services to victims of violence and abuse).

On hold right now:

            “Countdown City” by Ben H. Winters. This second book in the Last Policeman series continues the countdown to the end of the world. As asteroid 2011L47J gets closer to earth, some people are concentrating on enjoying what little time they have left, while others are praying for salvation, but New Hampshire homicide detective Hank Palace stays on the job. Winters’ first novel in this series, “The Last Policeman” was nominated for a 2013 Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel.

Other Mysterious things:

The 2013 Macavity Awards for Best Mystery Novel included:

·        Gillian Flynn: Gone Girl

·        Peter May: The Black House

·        Louise Penny: The Beautiful Mystery

·        Hank Philippi Ryan: The Other Woman

·        B.A. Shapiro: The Art Forger

·        Ariel S. Winter: The Twenty Year Death

·        Ben H. Winters: The Last Policeman

And nominations for Best First Mystery Novel are:

·        Susan M. Boyer: Low Country Boil

·        Daniel Friedman: Don't Ever Get Old

·        Susan Elia MacNeal: Mr. Churchill's Secretary

·        Chris Pavone: The Expats  

The Macavity Awards are presented by the Mystery Readers International members. The awards are named for T. S. Eliot’s mystery cat in his book “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,

There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.

He always has an alibi, or one or two to spare:

And whatever time the deed took place--MACAVITY WASN'T THERE!

And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known

(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)

Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time

Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!

Reading right now:

            “Blind Justice” by Anne Perry. So far this isn’t one of my favorite Anne Perry novels, but it is interesting and I love the characters. This is her 19^th William Monk novel. Earlier this year, she put out her 29^th Thomas Pitt novel. “Blind Justice” continues some of the elements that have appeared in her last couple novels in the series only this time Monk must work quickly to help family friend Judge Oliver Rathbone stay out of jail.

            As a teenager in 1954, Anne Perry (real name Juliet Hulme) was convicted of helping kill her best friend’s mother. At one time or another, there was lots of interest in the case especially when the movie “Heavenly Creatures” came out. Peter Graham revisits the case with his new book “Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century.” The book reexamines the case looking more at motive then previous books. The bio got good reviews for those of you who like some true crime once in a while.

On hold right now:

            “Bones of the Lost” by Kathy Reichs. This is Reichs’ 16^th Temperance Brennan book. In real life, Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist for the North Carolina Offices of the Chief Medical Examiner and also for a similar government department in Quebec. These are the books that the TV series “Bones” is based on.

Other Mysterious things:

            Everyone interested in mysteries should try some of the mystery novels with science fiction and fantasy (paranormal) overtones, I recently came across new author T. Aaron Payton’s “The Constantine Affliction.” This 2012 novel is a Steampunk novel about Pembroke Hanover, an aristocrat who assists police or private individuals in solving crimes, and E. Skye, a lady crusading journalist. In the first of what I hope is a series, Hanover and Skye uncover the truly monstrous nature of England’s most famous scientist.

            Casey Daniels has written nine Pepper Martin mysteries. When the series starts (with “Don of the Dead”), Pepper’s new job as a tour guild in a cemetery brings her in contact with the ghost of a Mafia don who threatens to make her life hell if she doesn’t find out who killed him. This is a really fun series with Pepper trying to cope with her abilities, difficult financial situation, and problematic love life.

Reading right now:

            Thank God for David Rosenfelt’s “Unleashed.” His wonderful humor, love of all things dog, and great writing has gotten me through a heat wave where my air conditioning went down and having my computer get infected by a terrible virus. If you haven’t read Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series now is the time. Run out and pick up the first in the series (“Open and Shut”) and don’t stop until you get to “Unleashed” which is the 11^th book in this fun series.

On hold right now:

“Green-Eyed Lady” by Chuck Greaves. This is the second in his legal mystery series which started with “Hush Money.” Chuck Greaves writes under a couple of names and in his past life was a trail lawyer, a librarian, and a construction worker. This legal thriller has a sense of humor and a terrific sense of place (with the Los Angeles area being that place).

Other Mysterious things:

            Have you caught “King and Maxwell” on TNT yet? Based on David Baldacci’s Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series of books, the tv show stars Jon Tenney and Rebecca Romijn and is well worth watching. This series of books starts with “Split Second” and continues to the sixth book called “King and Maxwell” which comes out November, 2013.