Reading right now:

            “A June of Ordinary Murders” by Conor Brady. This book came out in 2012 and is the first book in a new series which I hadn’t gotten around to reading until now. I have almost finished the book and found it plodding and repetitive in the beginning, but it really heats up as it goes along and the characters and setting is amazing. Joe Swallow is the main character in this Irish Victorian historical mystery. In 1887 crimes fit into two categories some are considered “special” which means political and all the rest fall in the “ordinary” category. In the middle of the celebration of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, Detective Sergeant Joe Swallow finds himself investigating the mutilated bodies of a man and a child who were found in Phoenix Park and whose murders are just the beginning. “The Eloquence of the Dead” is the second book in this interesting new series and is available now.

On hold right now:

            “The Well” by Catherine Chanter. In this complicated debut thriller, Ruth Ardingly’s life is shattered by the murder of her grandson. After he is drowned in one of the few ponds left in a drought stricken British countryside, Ruth searches for the truth.

Other mysterious things:

            Other debut novels recently out or coming out soon include the following: “The Evidence Room” by Cameron Harvey which is a police procedural set in Florida and comes out in June. In February, Judith Janeway introduced the Valentine Hill mystery series with “The Magician’s Daughter.” In the first book in this new series, Valentine Hill is a magician who goes undercover to help solve the murder of her FBI friend. Janeway introduced the Alison Weaver mystery series in 2014 with “Odds of Dying.” She hasn’t followed up on that series so it will be interesting to see how she continues what are now two series. Alex Gilly’s debut novel “Devil’s Harbor” comes out in June and features a pair of Marine Interdiction Agents for Customs and Border Protection who hunt for drug smugglers, human traffickers, and other criminals in the waters off Southern California. “The Devil’s Making” by Sean Haldane comes out in the U.S. in May. In Victorian Colonial North America, English policeman Chad Hobbes must solve the murder of American alienist Dr. McCrory who seemed to be keeping a lot of secrets. Duncan Jepson’s new Alex Soong series comes out in June in the U.S. In “Emperors Once More” Soong is a Hong Kong detective who catches the killing of two Chinese Methodist ministers on the eve of a crisis summit for world economic leaders.

Reading right now:

            “The Stranger” by Harlan Coben. After being told a devastating secret about his wife from a stranger, Adam Price’s perfect life is shattered and his wife disappears. Trying to find her leads to others whose lives have been damaged by secrets that an unknown adversary knows and sometimes tells. I enjoyed this interesting novel about secrets told and secrets kept, but perhaps not as much as I have enjoyed Coben’s other books. No matter what Coben is always worth reading.

On hold right now:

“Sing a Worried Song” by William Deverall. This is the sixth book in the Arthur Beauchamp legal series set in Vancouver. Deverall is a trail lawyer, journalist, and created the CBC television series “Street Legal.” His new novel in this series starts with a 1987 trial where Beauchamp prosecuted a young man who supposedly murdered a clown and moves forward to the present when Beauchamp comes out of retirement to defend a local character who is arrested for marijuana trafficking. Unfortunately for Beauchamp, at the same time, the convicted clown killer he put away is out on parole and out to get him.

Other Mysterious Things:

A number of great historical mysteries were released this month. Starting with “The Masque of a Murderer” by Susanna Calkins. This is the third in the Lucy Campion mystery series set in London in 1667 revolving around a Printer’s apprentice. Alex Grecian’s “The Devil’s Workshop” is the third book in the Murder Squad series which takes place in 1890s London. Available in the U.S. is Conor Brady’s “A June of Ordinary Murders” which is the first book in the Joe Swallow series set in Dublin in 1887. Bruce Holsinger’s “The Invention of Fire” is the second book in the John Gower series set in 14^th century London. The tenth book in the Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr is set in 1942 and called “The Lady from Zagreb.” 

Reading right now:

            “Someone is Watching” by Joy Fielding. Fielding has written at least 25 books and so many of her thrillers are all about women in jeopardy. While working on a case, PI Bailey Carpenter is attacked, raped, and nearly killed. After she returns home from the hospital, she is unable to cope with anything and finds herself staying at home and looking out the window. One day she notices that someone is looking back and starts to wonder if he was her assailant. Turning to the only person who supports her (her niece Jade), the two hatch a plot to find out the truth.

           

On hold right now:

            I am waiting anxiously for several books coming out soon from some of my favorite authors: “Memory Man” which is the beginning of a new series by David Baldacci, the 25^th book in the Lucas Davenport series by John Sandford comes out soon (“Gathering Prey”), “The Forgotten Room” which is the fourth book in the Dr. Jeremy Logan series by Lincoln Child, and finally a debut novel by Rocco Schiavone called “Black Run.” I cannot wait.

Other Mysterious Things:

            I have already mentioned that the Edgar Allan Poe Awards will be presented April 29, 2015. A few days later on May 2, the Agatha Awards will be presented. The nominees are:

Best Contemporary Novel:
The Good, The Bad and The Emus by Donna Andrews
A Demon Summer by G.M. Malliet
Truth Be Told by Hank Phillippi Ryan
The Long Way Home by Louise Penny
Designated Daughters by Margaret Maron 

Best Historical Novel:
Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd
An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd
Wouldn't it Be Deadly by D.E. Ireland
Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen
Murder in Murray Hill by Victoria Thompson

Best First Novel:
Circle of Influence by Annette Dashofy
Tagged for Death by Sherry Harris
Finding Sky by Susan O'Brien
Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran
Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber

Reading right now:

            “Falling in Love” by Donna Leon. This is the 24^th in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series. Opera singer Flavia Petrelli was featured in the very first book in this series and is now back and asking Brunetti to protect her from a dangerous stalker. Leon is an American living in Italy which makes her very assessable to American readers. Brunetti is a wonderful character and the books are full of humor. It’s difficult to maintain a series throughout the years, but Leon has continued to keep her series fresh and bringing back a character from her first novel is an idea that really works in “Falling in Love.”

On hold right now:

            “Duet in Beirut” by Mishka Ben-David. Ex-spy Mishka Ben-David brings a reality and emotional energy to his debut novel. It’s taken two years for this book to be translated into English and become available in the U.S. (April 14). It centers around a government-sanctioned hit on the Hezbollah leader who planned a failed car-bombing in Jerusalem.

Other Mysterious Things:

A fascinating number of mysteries are available that take place in other countries. These exotic locales can add a whole new dimension to our mystery reading. Books coming out in April include: “Game of Mirrors” by Andrea Camilleri (Italy), “The Arc of the Swallow” by S. J. Gazan (Scandinavia), “Viper” by Maurizio de Giovanni (Italy), “Cry Wolf” by Michael Gregorio (Italy), “Reykjavik Nights” by Arnaldur Indridason (Iceland), Stuart M. Kaminsky’s “Black Knight in Red Square” (Moscow), “Black Run” by Antonio Manzini (Italy), Liza Marklund’s “Borderline” (Sweden), Margaret Mazzantini’s “Rising Sea” (Italy), “Blood on the Snow” by Jo Nesbo (Norway), “The Sympathizer” by Viet Thanh Nguyen (debut novel, Vietnam War), Jan-Phillipp Sendker’s “Whispering Shadows” (a German living in Hong Kong helps a Chinese homicide detective investigate the murder of an American businessman), “Fallout” by Paul Thomas (Aukland), “The Children Return” by Martin Walker (France), and “You Will Never Find Me” by Robert Wilson (Madrid).