Reading right now:

            “The Golem of Hollywood” by Jesse and Jonathan Kellerman. Here’s a great Halloween book—a combination of mystery, suspense, with a splash of the supernatural. The central figure is L.A. detective Jacob Lev who gets dragged into the mysterious beheading of a serial killer. After Lev sleeps with a beautiful, mysterious woman, he finds himself chasing the legend of the Golem of Prague throughout the world. In order to solve the case, he is assigned to the Special Projects squad whose members seem more interested in blocking his attempts to solve the case than actually helping him. So far I have enjoyed the storyline about the beheading, but the other half of the book isn’t working for me. It just feels like two separate books which I’m sure will intersect at some point, but I think the two parts of the book could have been integrated in a much more readable way.

On hold right now:

            “Bones Never Lie” by Kathy Reichs. This is the 17^th Temperance Brennan book and I’ve heard it is a good one. Can’t wait to read it.

Other Mysterious Things:

            The new movie “Life of Crime” was recently released in the U.S. and is based on Elmore Leonard’s 1978 book called “The Switch.”  While Jennifer Aniston may be the main reason to see the movie, it is a prequel to Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown and sounds funny. It is about two convicts who once released from prison kidnap a rich real estate developer’s wife and holds her for ransom. Unfortunately, the husband does not want his wife back and she does not want to go back.

            Liam Neeson’s new movie “A Walk Among the Tombstones” started out as the 10^th book in the Matthew Scudder series by Lawrence Block. Ex-NYPD cop turned PI, Matthew Scudder is hired to find out who killed the wife of a drug lord—violence and craziness ensues.

Reading right now:

            “Blood on the Water” by Anne Perry. This is Perry’s 20^th William Monk novel. In this historical mystery it is 1856, the Suez Canal is almost complete and Monk is still in charge of the River Police in London. It opens when Monk witnesses a pleasure boat blowing up with 200 people killed on board. For political reasons, the River Police are not allowed to investigate the bombing. The regular police quickly arrest an Egyptian man who is sentenced to hang for the crime. Monk discovers that the evidence is flawed and is given back the mess of trying to find out who was really behind the crime. Along the way, Monk’s wife Hester plays her usual important role in solving the crime, as does their “unofficially” adopted son Scuff. Best of all, Oliver Rathbone is back. I love Perry’s characters, her presentation of Victorian England, and her story ideas are always interesting. What I don’t like is her emphasis on the thoughts and feelings of the characters instead of on how they go about catching the bad guys. There are way too many questions asked during the novel which to me feels like a waste of words—pay attention to how the crimes are being solved instead of just having the characters ask themselves endless questions. That method becomes irritating to me when I think the emphasis should be on how they get the answers to these questions.

On hold right now:

            “Wouldn’t It Be Deadly” by D. E. Ireland. This is the first book in a new series by Meg Mims and Sharon Pisacreta who are calling themselves D. E. Ireland. The series is based on “Pygmalion” by George Bernard Shaw with Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins getting caught up in murder and mayhem. “Wouldn’t It Be Deadly” starts off after Eliza’s success gets her a job as an assistant to Higgins’ rival Emil Nepommuck. Nepommuck takes credit for Eliza’s transformation which enrages Higgins. When Nepommuck is found murdered, Higgins becomes the prime suspect. Eliza and Higgins must team up to find out which of Nepommuck’s enemies is his real killer.

Other Mysterious Things:

            September is a great month for mystery fans. There are several books coming out by authors that we have all been waiting to write another book. Probably the most eagerly anticipated book for me is Dennis Lehane’s “The Drop.” Lehane returns to the mean streets of “Mystic River” with this new novel which will soon be a new movie.  

            Lee Child presents the 19^th Jack Reacher novel, “Personal.” Kathy Reichs gives us the 17^th Temperance Brennan book called “Bones Never Lie.” Harlan Coben’s third Mickey Bolitar book called “Found” comes out (this is a Young Adult series, but lots of adults are reading it). Jesse Kellerman and Jonathan Kellerman team up for “The Golem of Hollywood.” Reed Farrel Coleman takes over Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series with “Blind Spot.” Tana French’s fifth Dublin Murder Squad series continues with “The Secret Place.” M. C. Beaton’s 25^th book in the Agatha Raisin series called “The Blood of an Englishman” is out. What a great month! Can’t wait to read them all.

Reading right now:

            “Murder 101” by Faye Kellerman. Peter Decker and his wife have moved from Los Angeles to upstate New York in order to be close to their children. Decker finds himself bored by the small town police department until a major crime finally takes place. Tiffany panels have been stolen from a local cemetery which leads to murder and international intrigue. I find myself missing the LA setting and really don’t understand why Decker with his extensive experience would take a job that insults his ability. Plus his irritating new Harvard educated partner is getting on my nerves just a bit. This is book 22 of this series and the change of location is a major change for the series. Despite some reservations, still enjoying Kellerman’s latest. 

On hold right now:

            “Consumed” by David Cronenberg. Filmmaker Cronenberg’s new book is generating a lot of excitement. It has been called darkly humorous, bizarrely depraved, and grotesque. That sounds like most of his films! From what I’ve read the book revolves around two online journalists. One of the journalistic couple (Naomi) becomes obsessed with the murder of a French philosopher whose husband is accused of killing her. The couple were sexual libertines and police suspect that the husband killed his wife and consumed parts of her body. The husband has disappeared, but Naomi decides to track him down. Meanwhile Naomi’s partner is taking a separate, but equally disturbing journey. The two stories finally come together in a plot that involves murder, geopolitics, 3-D printing, North Korea, Cannes Film Festival, cancer, STDs, and sex. 

Other Mysterious Things:

            The new TNT series called “Legends” is based on the book “Legends: a Novel of Dissimulation” by Robert Littell. The story revolves around undercover FBI agent Martin Odum who has played so many different roles for his job that he no longer always knows who he is. The amazing English actor Sean Bean plays Odum. TNT has some fantastic mystery/thriller series. “Rizzoli & Isles” just started the fifth season. The show is based on the novels of Tess Gerritsen. The first season of “Murder in the First” recently ended. The show followed a single case through the whole season. Another great show on FX is “Justified” which is based on three Elmore Leonard’s novels “Pronto,” “Riding the Rap,” and his short story “Fire in the Hole."

Reading right now:

            “Bless the Dying” by Sandra Bretting. Only Bretting’s second book, “Bless the Dying” is a mystery with a medical twist. When a young policeman is poisoned, his former girlfriend who works for the hospital doesn’t believe it was an accident and steps in to prove that something else is going on and finds plenty of suspects. This looks like it will be a pretty easy read, but has potential.

On hold right now:

            “Payoff” by Douglas Corleone. This is the second in the Simon Fisk series which debuted with “Good as Gone” last year. Our hero is former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk who now works as a private contractor to try to locate kidnapped children. After movie studio mogul Edgar Trenton’s teenage daughter is kidnapped during a violent home invasion, Fisk is hired to deal with the ransom exchange. It soon becomes obvious that the kidnappers are not going to return the girl and Fisk must track them through many dangerous South American cities to try to return her to her parents. This is supposed to be a tremendous thriller with many surprises.

Other Mysterious Things:

            August has seen some amazing books come out with several more on the way. I’m sure we’ll still be trying to catch up with these for a while. It’s hard to mention every book that comes out each month, but some of these are important and you may not want to miss them. “The Bellingham Bloodbath” by Gregory Harris is the second in the Colin Pendragon series. This is another terrific Victorian London mystery with Colin Pendragon as the brilliant detective. Leading Swedish author Henning Mankel’s 11^th Kurt Wallander book came out in August (“An Event in Autumn”). “The Kills” by Richard House is a collection of his four part series. If you haven’t read his books before, here is an opportunity to find out why the collection was nominated for The Man Booker Prize this past year. Louise Penny’s “The Long Way Home” is the 10^th book in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. August saw Tami Hoag write a new stand-alone novel called “Cold Cold Heart.”

Here’s a few more: Bitter Crossing by D. A. Keeley, Confessions by Kanae Minato, Devil takes Half by Leta Sarafim, Low Profile by Nick Oldham, A Distance to Death by Holly Menino, Clam Wake by Mary Daheim, I Can See in the Dark by Karin Fossum, Designated Daughters by Margaret Maron, A Cry from the Dust by Carrie Stuart Parks, A Little Night Murder by Nancy Martin, Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen, Strange Shores by Arnaldur Indridason, Summer of the Dead by Julia Keller, Windigo Island by William Kent Krueger, The Equalizer by Michael Sloan, Etta Mae’s Worst Bad-Luck Day by Ann B. Ross, and Harbor Island by Carl Neggers. 

Reading right now:

            “Cradle to Grave” by Eleanor Kuhns. If you love historical mysteries, Eleanor Kuhns is a perfect choice for you. Her Will Rees series is rich in historical detail. It’s 1796 when Will Rees and Lydia set off to Mount Unity, New York to help Lydia’s old friend who has kidnapped five children in order to save them from an unfit Mother named Maggie Whitney. Legally there isn’t much that can be done, so when Maggie ends up dead, Lydia’s friend is the prime suspect. Can Will and Lydia find the real killer?

On hold right now:

            “The Bone Orchard” by Paul Doiron. This is the fifth book in the Maine game warden Mike Bowditch mystery series. After leaving his job as a game warden to work as a fishing guide, Mike’s former mentor is forced to kill a troubled war vet and faces criticism for her decision. The growing outrage leads to her getting shot which forces Mike into the manhunt. While Mike is chasing the shooter, he is also struggling with his job choices and his love life.

Other Mysterious Things:

            Laura Resnick’s paranormal mystery series starring Esther Diamond is so much fun that you should run out and read all six of the already finished books in order to prepare for the seventh coming out in November. “Abracadaver” will see struggling actress Esther reprising her guest role as prostitute Jilly C-Note on a television crime show called “The Dirty Thirty.” Esther’s New York police detective boyfriend, Connor Lopez, hates the show since it concentrates on corruption in the NYPD, but the show is popular and pays well. Unfortunately for Esther and the city of New York, corpses seem to be reanimating throughout the city. Once more Esther must work with her friend Max, a 350-year old mage whose job is to protect the city from Evil, in order to determine what is behind this new threat. I can’t wait. This series has mystery, romance, and fantasy and it’s very funny.

Reading right now:

            “Poison Promise” by Jennifer Estep. You may think that this exciting and fun fantasy series doesn’t belong with a list of mystery titles, but it does. Gin Blanco is an assassin who kills bad guys, helps people weaker than she is, and in this novel is trying to bring down a drug dealer who is distributing a new drug called “Burn.” She’s tough and sexy and surrounded by good people who help her survive. I’ve almost finished this novel and am so happy that she has another book in the series coming out in November called “Black Widow.” I highly recommend this series. Every book is a fun ride you go on with Gin to see how she brings down the latest bad guy threatening her city. 

            As soon as I finish “Poison Promise,” I am starting David Rosenfelt’s “Hounded.” If you’ve read my blog, you know that I love David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series. The books are a riot. Andy Carpenter is rich and lazy. He hates getting hired to do work. He’s a lawyer so lots of people can understand why he would not want to do that job. In this 12^th book in the series, Carpenter gets a call from his policeman friend Pete Stanton who asks that he take in the son and dog of ex-convict Danny Balfour who was murdered and, oh yes, defend Pete who is being accused of the murder. It looks like Andy is going to be very, very busy.

On hold right now:

            “Inside Man” by Jeff Abbott. Abbott has written more books than I realized. This is already his fourth book in the Sam Capra series. If you like Lee Child and Harlen Coben, Jeff Abbott is a great choice to start reading. Abbott graduated from Rice University with degrees in History and English and now lives in Austin. Three of his novels have been optioned for films: “Adrenaline,” “Panic,” and “Collision.” In “Inside Man,” ex-CIA agent Sam Capra’s friend Steve has been murdered. Capra wants revenge.

         

Other Mysterious Things:

            “Face Off” edited by David Baldacci. I don’t usually read a lot of short stories, but this book sounds fascinating and has gotten rave reviews. It is a collection of 11 short stories. Each short story combines two famous mystery characters (for instance one story combines Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme and John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport). So there are 11 short stories co-written by some of our greatest living mystery authors with David Baldacci editing the stories. What more could you ask for? This isn’t the first collaborative novel that Baldacci has been involved in. He also worked on “No Rest for the Dead” in 2011 which was one mystery novel written by 26 people (one of which was Baldacci, as well as, Jeff Abbott, Jeffery Deaver, and many others). 

Mysteries are everywhere.

Reading right now:

            “The Dead Will Tell” by Linda Castillo. This is the sixth book in the fantastic Kate Burkholder series. If you haven’t read the series, hurry to your library and find the first book “Sworn to Silence.” As the Chief of Police of a small town in Ohio, Kate has had her past come to haunt her, found a new love, and now faces a suicide that is really murder and ultimately only the first in a murder-for-revenge plot. I just finished this book last night and I loved the plot which I won’t ruin for you by laying it out too much, but it does involve a haunted house, secrets from the past, and the local Amish community.

“Evil in the 1^st House” by Mitchell Scott Lewis. This is the third in a series called A Starlight Detective Agency Mystery. This series centers around Astrological Detective David Lowell and his staff (his daughter, Melinda, a young defense attorney; his hacker partner Mort; the office assistant Sarah; and Andy, his bodyguard). I have never read a detective novel where Astrology is used to help solve the mysteries so I would say that this is a unique series. If you believe or enjoy Astrology, this series would be a real find for you. I enjoy Lowell and his staff, but I find myself a little bored by all the Astrology discussions. His latest case involves a successful doctor who is trying to find his dying son’s twin in order to arrange a kidney transplant. There is, of course, much more to the story of why his wife ran away with the other son and what they are hiding from.

On hold right now:

            “The Devil Takes Half” by Leta Serafim. On a Greek island called Chios, being an archaeologist is deadly. When archaeologist Eleni Argentis and her assistant are found dead (or at least parts of their bodies are found), police officer Yiannis Patronas is determined to find out what is behind the deaths. Are the killings personal or did Argentis discover something worth killing for? This is a debut novel with a lot of violent passion incorporated into the story. The island is beautiful, the killings horrific, and Patronas is on his own trying to solve the murder with his only real ally an elderly priest who loves American detective shows.

Other Mysterious Things:

            If you like legal thrillers, three new books might be of interest to you. “Indefensible” by Lee Goodman, “The Insanity Plea” by Larry D. Thompson, and “Face Value” by Michael A. Kahn. “Indefensible” is Goodman’s first book about Federal prosecutor Nick Davis. “The Insanity Plea” is Thompson’s fourth stand-alone novel. In his new novel, Houston trial lawyer Wayne Little’s brother is charged with murder and he must try to find answers to help him. Kahn’s ninth book in the Rachel Gold series finds Chicago attorney Rachel Gold trying to help out a former boss.