Reading right now:

            “Why Kings Confess” by C. S. Harris. This is the ninth book in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series. I spend all year watching for a new book in this series to come out because I love these books and this author. The characters are memorable and have fascinating relationships, the murders usually involve political intrigue, the history is a meaningful part of the story, and an intriguing part of the story. Harris is an historical mystery author with a Ph.D. in European history and she makes the time she is writing about come alive which in this case is the Regency period (early 1800s in England). In “Why Kings Confess,” aristocratic investigator Sebastian St. Cyr gets caught up in the murder of a member of a secret delegation sent by Napoleon to negotiate for peace with Britain.

Readin' the green for St. Patrick's Day

On hold right now:

“Runner” by Lee Patrick.  This is the first in a new series introducing retired special forces Ranger Sam Dryden. The story starts with Dryden jogging in the small Southern California town where he lives, only to run into a terrified young girl who is trying to escape from a group of armed men who she says are part of a secret government group that has keep her prisoner for as long as she can remember. In trying to protect her, Dryden finds much more danger than he could have ever imagined.

Other Mysterious Things Available:

            St. Patrick’s Day! What a great day to read an Irish mystery. Tana French’s series featuring the Dublin Murder Squad is one of my favorites with the fifth book in the series coming out in September, 2014. Sheila Connolly writes the County Cork mystery series with “Buried in a Bog” being the first in the series. Benjamin Black is also a good choice with the Quirke series (“Christine Falls” was the first of six so far). Cora Harrison’s mystery series Burren is an excellent historical series with the 11^th “Verdict of the Court” coming out in July. For some Irish American intrigue try Stephan Talty’s two mysteries “Black Irish” and his latest coming out in May “Hangman.” Rhys Bowen’s series about Irishwoman Molly Murphy who moved to American at the turn of the century (1900s) and wants to be a P.I. is another good choice. March 4, 2014 saw the addition of the 13^th book in this historical mystery series called “City of Darkness and Light.” Erin Hart has five books available in her Nora Gavin series. These should keep you busy until next St. Patrick’s Day.

Reading right now:

            “Killer” by Jonathan Kellerman. I’m finally reading the latest from Jonathan Kellerman. I was slow to get to this one, so I’m sure everyone else has finished it already! I do love the Alex Delaware books and am enjoying this one. Los Angeles always plays a pivotal part in Kellerman’s books and recognizing the streets and areas in the books is really fun. Another element I enjoy in this series is the relationship between Delaware and his longtime friend Detective Milo Sturgis. So far the book’s unusual storyline is not disappointing (so much so that I wish I’d had more time the last couple of days so that I could have finished it). “Killer” is the 29^th Alex Delaware book which started in 1985 with “When the Bough Breaks.”     

Is she the "Killer" or not? 

          

On hold right now:

            “Strange Bodies” by Marcel Theroux. Here’s a book that has been much talked about from National Book Award finalist Marcel Theroux. From everything I’ve heard it would also be a great book to present to your book club for discussion. I’ve seen it called a high-concept literary thriller, thought-provoking, a combination of comedy and horror, and at its center is the question of what makes us what we are. What would you do if a long dead friend arrived on your doorstep in another body, but with the same personality and memories and life experiences? I love the publisher’s statement about this intriguing book, “Strange Bodies takes the reader on a dizzying speculative journey that poses questions about identity, authenticity, and what it means to be truly human.” This sounds fascinating and I can’t wait for it to come in.

Other Mysterious Things Available:

            If you’re thinking of buying a tablet or already have an iPad (or whatever), don’t forget to take a look at your library’s website and see what your local library offers you for downloading free ebooks and audio books. Most libraries now allow you free access to Overdrive. Overdrive offers lots of highly desirable titles, as well as, tutorials which will help you learn how to download books into any device you own. It is fairly easy and they are constantly developing new ways to make it even easier to use.

A library at your fingertips.

Reading right now:

            “The Avalon Chanter” by Lillian Stewart Carl. Carl is an American writer whose stories often take place in the British Isles. “The Avalon Chanter” is the seventh book in the Jean Fairbairn and Alasdair Cameron mystery series. The pairing of ex-Scottish cop and American reporter is a perfect combination since the occupations lend themselves to fascinating story lines. Carl’s skillful storytelling intertwines mystery, history, and romance.

Life is boring without a good book.

On hold right now:

            “The Resistance Man” by Martin Walker. Captain Bruno Courreges is back in his seventh Bruno, Chief of Police mystery series. He still cooks, hunts, grows his own food, loves dogs, registers births and deaths, enforces parking regulations, and catches criminals. While the charm of the rural French countryside may deceive you into thinking nothing much happens, Bruno’s life is full of murder, politics, rivalries, burglary, and the first six books were full of so much charm and entertaining writing that if you have read them you will be as anxious for “The Resistance Man” to come out as I am.

Other Mysterious Things Available:

            “NYPD Blue” producer Steven Bochco has a new drama coming out this summer on TNT called “Murder in the First.” The first season will follow a single case across 12 episodes and center around San Francisco homicide detectives Terry English and Hildy Mulligan (Taye Diggs and Kathleen Robertson).

            Currently TNT has some great mysteries including “Rizzoli & Isles” which is a TV series based on Tess Gerritsen’s books and features police detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles (Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander). “Perception” recently started a new season and stars Eric McCormack as Dr. Daniel Pierce, a schizophrenic neuropsychiatrist who assists the FBI. “Perception” is uniquely entertaining.

Reading right now:

“Poison at the PTA” by Laura Alden . This is the fifth book in the Beth Kennedy series which started with “Murder at the PTA.” In this cozy series, Beth Kennedy finds out that being the PTA secretary involves more than bake sales. Living in a small town in Wisconsin, caring for her two children after her divorce, and working for a bookstore isn’t nearly enough for Beth who gets talked into helping with the PTA and any numerous murders that occur along the way. Laura Alden was nominated for an Agatha Award for her first novel in this series. These are fun to read because most of us can really relate to Beth who just can’t say no to more work. 

Overdrive e-bookmobile -- ask about it at your library.

On hold right now:

“The Red Road” by Denise Mina. Mina is one of those women that you have to admire. She’s lived interesting places and done amazing things. Her crime novels have been called grim and dark, but sometimes funny and always compelling. “The Dead Hour” was nominated for an Anthony, an Edgar, and a Macavity Award. She’s written eleven novels which have included three different mystery series. “The Red Road” is the fourth book in the Alex Morrow series. Morrow is a police detective who would rather stay home with her boys and who can blame her when most of her cases seem to have grave social and political ramifications? 

           

Other Mysterious Things Available:

February saw some amazing mysteries come out including the following which I didn’t want to miss mentioning:

            “Brotherhood of Fear” by Paul Grossman. This series of historical thrillers set in Berlin, Germany in the 1930s revolves around decorated World War I hero and the nation’s most famous detective, Willi Kraus who happens to be Jewish. In this third book in the series, Kraus flees Nazi Germany to France.

            “Killer’s Island” by Anna Jansson. Former nurse, Anna Jansson is another brutally haunting Swedish crime novelist with only two books that have been translated into English: “Strange Bird” and “Killer’s Island.” Detective Inspector Maria Wern is the common thread in the two books.

            “The Mangle Street Murders” by M. R. C. Kasasian. This new series centers around Gower Street detective Sidney Grice who works as a “personal detective” in London in 1882. His ward, March Middleton, helps him with his cases—despite his many and varied objections. The next book in the series is called “The Curse of the House of Foskett” and is expected out later this year. From the reviews I’ve seen the books are funny, clever, and occasionally morbid.

            “Judgment Call” by Nick Oldham. Nick Oldham is a British policeman who has written 20 (soon to be 21) books in his Henry Christie series. This series of British police procedurals could be perfect for you if you are looking for a new author with lots of books available for you to read. His first book in the series was “A Time for Justice.”

Reading right now:

            “Where Monsters Dwell” by Jorgen Brekke. Another Scandinavian mystery author arrives in the United States with “Where Monsters Dwell” which has been very popular in the European market. The book resolves around two murders: one in Virginia and another in Trondheim, Norway. The murders appear to be linked, bound by a 16^th century book called “The Book of John.” After discovering the murders are linked, Virginia Detective Felicia Stone travels to Norway to work with Inspector Odd Singsaker in order to solve these grisly murders. This book has got to be good, the killer is after librarians and books! He’s got to be stopped.

On hold right now:

            “The Innocent Sleep” by Karen Perry. This debut novel is written by two Dublin novelists and centers around the supposed death of the son of a young couple in an earthquake in Tangiers. After many years have passed and the couple feel that they are starting to get back on their feet, the husband thinks he sees their son on the streets of Dublin. He becomes obsessed with finding his son which brings unforeseen revelations and danger. Sounds fascinating and I can’t wait to get started on it.

           

Other Mysterious Things Available:

“Free Falling as if in a Dream” by Leif G. W. Persson. Award winning Swedish author Persson’s latest novel translated into English comes out this month. Some reviewers have dubbed his latest book among the very best crime fiction available. The book examines the actual, unsolved 1986 assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof and proposes a shocking solution to this political whodunit.

Supposedly, Fox has purchased the rights to air “Backstrom.” This new TV series based on Persson’s major detective Evert Backstrom is described as a detective version of “House.” Backstrom is self-destructive, egotistical, offensive, brilliant, and a sexist. The two major books which Backstrom appears in are “Linda, As in the Linda Murder” and “He Who Kills the Dragon.” 

Try a new author at your local library.

Reading right now:

“The Ghost Runner” by Parker Bilal. Parker Bilal has lived in England, Sudan, Cairo, Denmark, and now Barcelona so it is no surprise that his books have intriguing foreign settings. This third book in the Makana mystery series continues the exploits of Private Investigator Makana who plies his trade in Cairo while in exile from his native Sudan. Makana is on a routine surveillance which leads him to discover the murder of a teenage girl. Makana’s drive to find justice for the girl takes him to a rather lawless town called Siwa, on the edge of the Sahara Desert where justice seems very far away.

On hold right now:

            “Southern Heat” by David Burnsworth. This is David Burnsworth’s first novel and while reviewers say it might be a little rough around the edges they also say the characters and the story keep you reading and guessing. After Brack Pelton’s uncle Reggie is murdered, he is determined to discover who fired the fatal shots. Unfortunately Brack’s life has been spiraling downward ever since returning home from Afghanistan and trying to discover who killed his uncle could either push him over the edge or save him.

Run to the library to find these books!

Other Mysterious Things Available:

            While everyone likes to keep up with the latest hot mystery, we should all remember to go back and read some classic mysteries every once in a while. I’ve said it many times and am not going to stop now: If you haven’t read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, do it now! Also go back and try any and all of the Dashiell Hammett books especially “The Maltese Falcon” (great movie too). Scott Turow’s “Presumed Innocent” is a great choice (watch the movie too). Josephine Tey’s “The Daughter of Time” is excellent. One book that we often forget about is Umberto Eco’s “The Name of the Rose.” This is an amazing book and the movie was very good as well. There are many lists of the top 100 mysteries of all times on the Internet. Save one of the lists and start checking them off as you get through each one. You won’t regret it. 

Reading right now:

            “The Blood Promise” by Mark Pryor. Mark Pryor is a very busy and fascinating man. He grew up in England where he was a newspaper reporter. After he moved to Texas, he became an assistant district attorney and writes a true crime blog called D.A. Confidential. His first book came out as recently as 2012, but this September his fifth book in the Hugo Marston series comes out and he also has a nonfiction true crime book out. “The Blood Promise” just became available and continues the Hugo Marston series. As the head of security at the U.S. embassy in Paris, Marston is in the position to run into a lot of bad guys and he does. If you haven’t already discovered this series, you should run to your library to find the first book in the series which is “The Bookseller.” 

On hold right now:

            Michael Robertson’s “Moriarty Returns a Letter.” I’m not always thrilled with the idea of modern writers picking up classic characters and continuing the legacy, but Robertson’s Baker Street Letters series is really smart, clever, and a great idea. The books are about two brother lawyers who lease offices on Baker Street and start receiving letters to Sherlock Holmes. The letters are compelling and the brothers are driven to try to help the desperate people who write them. “Moriarty Returns a Letter” is the fourth book in the series.

Other Mysterious Things Available:

            If the 2014 Super Bowl wasn’t exciting enough, you might want to try reading “Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl” by John Feinstein. The book is part of Feinstein’s sports mystery series called the Final Four mystery series.

            There are lots of great mysteries to look forward to in February. J. A. Jance is putting out “Moving Target” which is the 9^th book in the Alison Reynolds series. The 29^th Alex Delaware book “Killer” by Jonathan Kellerman is coming out. Laura Lippman has a standalone mystery coming out called “After I’m Gone.” So stay tuned!