Reading right now:

            “The Axe Factor” by Colin Cotterill. Born in London, Colin Cotterill now lives in Thailand. In 2006, his novel “Thirty-Three Teeth” won a Dilys Award. “The Axe Factor” is the third novel in the Jimm Juree mystery series. Jimm Juree is a former crime reporter who is stuck with her eccentric family managing a run-down beach resort. Jimm keeps her sanity writing online assignments and thinking about her dream screenplay. When Dr. Somluk (who champions the rights of rural mothers) goes missing, Jimm takes on the story only to find the plot to be much thicker than she ever imagined. Cotterill is well known for his Dr. Siri Paiboun series, but this series is very good being both funny and quirky (and sometimes bloody). 

On hold right now:

            “Windigo Island” by William Kent Krueger. This book doesn’t come out until August, but I can’t wait for the fourteenth book in the Cork O’Connor series which started with “Iron Lake” in 1998. Cork O’Connor is a former sheriff turned private investigator in Minnesota. Krueger has won numerous awards for his mysteries including this year’s Dilys award for “Ordinary Grace” which was a standalone novel that came out last year.

 

Mysteries come in many shapes

Other Mysterious Things:

            The Dilys Awards are presented each year by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. While William Kent Krueger recently won for “Ordinary Grace,” other nominees included “Seven for a Secret” by Lyndsay Faye, “The Black Country” by Alex Grecian, “Spider Woman’s Daughter” by Anne Hillerman, “Pagan Spring” by G. M. Malliet, and “The Land of Dreams” by Vidar Sundstol. Alex Grecian has followed up “The Black Country” with his third book in the murder squad series “The Devil’s Workshop” which just came out in May. Tony Hillerman’s daughter Anne’s book was a continuation of his Leaphorn and Chee series which he wrote until his death in 2008. “Pagan Spring” was the third book in Malliet’s Max Tudor series and the fourth book is expected to arrive in October (called “Demon Summer”). Another October release is expected for Vidar Sundstol’s next book “Only the Dead.”