mystery

In this ebook exclusive, we go back to Georgia in 1989. An officer is shot on a deserted road, and while local police have a suspect in custody, MP Jack Reacher is assigned the case. Newly assigned to his post the same day, this case will be a test for Reacher. The murdered officer, Army Lt. Colonel Caroline Crawford, is an up-and-coming young woman, a hotshot in military circles. Reacher wonders how he'll accomplish anything with the staff he's tasked to oversee, so he calls in Frances Neagley to assist his investigation. Reacher and Neagley will have to work with local Georgia police, the

Baltimore Blues is the first in Laura Lippman's series featuring reporter turned private investigator Tess Monaghan. The novel begins with Tess a bit adrift--she has recently become unemployed when the newspaper she worked for went under. To pass the time, she spends her days running, rowing, and doing odd jobs for family members to earn some much-needed cash. Then her rowing buddy, Rock, asks her to do a little discreet spying on his fiancée, Ava, who has just not seemed like herself lately. After Tess witnesses a couple of sketchy meetings between Ava and her boss, the controversial local

Not having seen her childhood friend Clare Cavendish for over 10 years, Nora Shaw is surprised to receive an email invite for Clare's bachelorette party. Nora calls Nina, a mutual college friend, and they reluctantly decide to go to the party together. When they arrive they are shocked to find a modern house, virtually a glass castle in the woods. Nora is disturbed right away by the chilly landscape and isolated location. Clare has not yet arrived, so Nora decides to take a quick run to clear her head, and is surprised to find that dark falls quickly in the woods. On her way back to the house

This is a gritty urban tale but it is also a look at how newspaper reporters go about their business. This is a well-constructed thriller by a former reporter for the Washington Post. When the daughter of a judge is murdered, Sully Carter is assigned the job even though Carter has had problems with the judge in the past.(The judge lied, but Carter couldn't prove it.) Carter finds that things are not what they seem to be! Tucker has left deftly placed clues throughout the novel that point to a great ending.  I admire the craft he used and thoroughly enjoyed the novel!

When Will There Be Good News? is the third book in Kate Atkinson's series featuring Jackson Brodie. It was the first one I read, however, and you shouldn't let it stop you if you're thinking about making this the first one you'll read, too. In fact, Jackson Brodie seems more like a peripheral character in this novel, with most of the action being linked together by a sixteen-year-old girl named Reggie Chase. Reggie's mom has recently died, her brother is a small-time criminal, and Reggie is left more or less to fend for herself. To support herself, she works as the nanny for Dr. Joanna Hunter

Night of the Living Deed, is the first in a new cozy mystery series by E. J. Copperman. Alison Kirby wanted a new start. After breaking with her daughter’s father, “…hereafter known as The Swine,” Alison pins all of her hopes (and savings) on renovating an old Victorian beach house on the Jersey Shore. Things are proceeding moderately well but why do unexplainable mishaps always seem to occur just after she leaves a room? When a large tub of joint compound comes down on her head, Alison awakens with the unwanted ability to see ghosts and the knowledge that they won’t leave her alone until

Molly Murphy flees 1901's rural Ireland to avoid police scrutiny after she kills a man in self-defense. With all the bad luck the title Murphy's Law implies, she finds herself at the other end of her transatlantic journey in New York suspected of a second man's death. To clear her own name and that of a friend she made on the voyage over, who is another suspect, Molly decides to investigate the murder herself. While the success of her investigation owes more to coincidence and luck than to any keen detective work, the characters and the setting are compelling enough to add interest to a

Set in 1986 in Nicaragua, Night of the Jaguar drops the reader into the turmoil of Nicaragua after the Sandinistas have won and are struggling to govern. Ajax Montoya, a former guerrilla, now a police captain, is literally haunted by the ghosts of his victims. He is assigned a case where a man is murdered in the same way that the Contras kill people. Nicaraguan State Security has also involved itself in the case, as has an American reporter, the American Ambassador, and an American senator. Everybody is watching each other and trust is just a word. It’s complicated. Gannon takes you to a

"The first kill was an accident. Mostly." And so Darryl and Ella-Lou’s quest to reach New York City begins with a string of bodies in their wake. 

Eve Dallas and Roark have just returned from a post-Christmas holiday on their tropical island. The year is 2061 and as soon as they return to NYC, where it's cold and snowy, Eve and her partner, Peabody, are called to a homicide scene. The victim has been horribly tortured before being put out of his misery. Eve almost misses the murderer's signature; a heart carved into the victim with the initials E and D inside. Eve wonders if this is the signature of a serial killer. If so, where are the other victims? As far as she can find there have been no other murders...

Leonora (Nora/Lee/Leo) Shaw's past has come back to visit her. With a mysterious invitation to a hen-do (British bachelorette party) in the English countryside for a friend she hasn't seen or spoken to in years, she is forced to get out of her apartment and shed her closed-off personality for a weekend. She doesn't, however, quite know why she is invited and when she begins to ask around, no one else seems to know why they have been invited either. The hostess, Flo, is crazy about the bride, Clare, and puts all of the guests ill-at-ease. The Glass House where they stay is freaky as well with

Maggie is a military canine who is injured and loses her handler in combat. Scott is a cop in Los Angeles who is injured and loses his partner in an unexpected shooting. Both are struggling with the trauma they have experienced and are working together to overcome these past tragedies. Suspect is told using multiple perspectives, which sometimes bothers me, but it’s well done here. Maggie's perspective is not cheesy, and seems realistic. The reader is able to understand Maggie better as she navigates her confusion and adjusts to new members of her pack. As the action moves along we learn about

David Gordon gives us a new twist on the serial killer novel and it’s a welcome addition. The Serialist is his first novel and was nominated for the 2011 Edgar Mystery Award.

Serial killer Darian Clay hires Harry Bloch to visit the women who send him letters and write stories about them. In exchange, Clay promises the inside story on the women he has killed (like where their heads are), guaranteeing a bestseller.

Bloch is presented as an intelligent but inept writer, and as the novel progresses the reader sees him grow into the role that is thrust upon him. Some of the gore might be off

This historical mystery, set in Imperial China in the late 1700s, is an absolute delight. It must be incredibly tough as an author to write a book like this – not only do you have to get the culture and history right, but you also have to create realistic characters and a compelling mystery. Debut novelist Elsa Hart takes all these threads – and a few more – and deftly weaves them into an excellent novel. This is a mesmerizing, riveting mystery - one of those novels where you read the last page, close the book, and sigh contentedly as if you just ate an incredibly satisfying meal.

The novel

What happens when you wake up in the middle of a park, with no memories, surrounded by bodies?  If you're Myfanwy (rhymes with Tiffany) Thomas, you find a letter in your pocket written by the person you used to be and take over her life.

The previous Myfanwy was a high-ranking agent in a secret society that protects the world from supernatural dangers.  The previous Myfanwy was also a shy clerk, terrified of her own abilities, and unable to ferret out the traitors in her ranks after discovering them through accounting discrepancies. New Myfanwy may not know what's going on, but that's not

Part Fatal Attraction part Great Expectations, this a new mystery/thriller for teens filled with plot twists and intrigue.

Vivian Foster was raised for one purpose…to destroy men. Specifically Ben. Years ago, Ben’s father broke up with Vivian’s mother, leaving her heart-broken and alone. She swore to get revenge, and Vivian is the sword she has forged to claim her pound of flesh.

She is sent to Madigan, the boarding school on the moors of Ireland where her mother and Ben’s father fell in love, and ultimately fell out of love. Her mission is to seduce Ben, get him to fall in love with her and

Sixteenth in the Puzzle Lady series, Hall’s Puzzled Indemnity is still as funny as ever! Cora Felton, the famous puzzle lady has a secret; she can’t solve crossword puzzles. But she can solve a mystery. Cora is just your typical grouchy lady trying to quit smoking without help, and she’s got too many ex-husbands to count.

Cora is asked to protect Brittney from a husband who wants to kill her for the insurance money, but it’s his car that blows up in front of the police station. Right in front of Cora and Brittney, leaving them with too many unanswered questions. Was he in the car? How did the

Kinsey Millhone has been hired by Lorna Kepler's mother to investigate her death. Mrs. Kepler is convinced Lorna was murdered, but it's been 10 months, and no proof or substantial information has ever been found. How will Kinsey be able to find what the police couldn't? But of course, she finds little clues that lead her forward in her investigation. Following the footsteps of a serious night owl turns Kinsey's world upside down and throws off her game. As in all of the Alphabet Series books so far, Kinsey puts herself in danger and suffers the consequence. She also makes a bad decision that

In 1884, Arthur Conan Doyle published a fictionalized account of what happened to a mysteriously abandoned ship, the Mary Celeste. Following in his footsteps, Valerie Martin imagines what life may have been like for the family of Captain Briggs. Briggs, his wife and daughter, along with the entire crew disappeared from the Mary Celeste in 1872. She was found drifting, undamaged, but crewless.

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Captain and crew is a minefield for creative writers and Martin has crafted a beautifully haunting tale. The story mostly revolves around Violet Petra, a

Maisie Dobbs' first case as a private detective is not what she expected nor wanted. But in the spring of 1929 in her new London office her first client walks through her door and asks for her assistance with a love triangle. Maisie, who was born into a working class family, is aware of her status and sex and is trying to make her mark in the detective world and so takes on the case as professionally as she possibly can. She has an inherent intuition about people and situations as well as a skill for attention to detail which she honed through years of reading, attending university and finally

Obsession in Death is the 40th book in the In Death series by J. D. Robb, a.k.a Nora Roberts. When Naked in Death was first released in 1995, I bought it but I didn't read it. I also picked up the next four or five in the series, but I didn't read them either. I was, and still am, a huge Nora Roberts fan, but something about a futuristic mystery featuring a NYC detective just did not grab me. I don't know what finally made me pick up the books, but once I started reading them, I couldn't stop. 

Obsession in Death begins with Lieutenant Eve Dallas recovering from the Christmas holidays and her

I have read many pastiches of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, but I think I enjoyed this one the most.  Sherlock Holmes has retired to the country where he keeps bees and takes on the occasional job. One day, while out on the moor, he stumbles across Mary Russell, and they somehow develop a friendship.  Holmes teaches her the art of detection and she becomes an apprentice of sorts. As their relationship develops, Holmes involves her in one of his cases, a kidnapping, and then strange things start to happen to Miss Russell! Mrs. Hudson and Doctor Watson are here in supporting roles.  

Th

I have read many books about the Kennedy assassination, and found Stephen Hunter’s telling from a sniper’s point of view an interesting perspective I hadn’t seen before. Hunter, a retired journalist and creator of the Bob Lee Swagger series, constructs a thought provoking scenario explaining how Lee Harvey Oswald was, in fact, a patsy for the real assassin. Hunter’s main character, Bob Lee Swagger, a decorated former marine sniper, thinks Oswald does not have the mental and physical skills to pull off the assassination. Swagger cites Oswald’s marine corps record and his history of failure at

Festive in Death is the 39th book in J.D. Robb’s In Death series. Thirty-nine books! Seriously? Yes. Thirty-nine.  Not many authors could keep my interest in the same group of characters over the years, but Nora Roberts (writing as J. D. Robb) has again written a book I will be recommending to friends. In a futuristic New York, Lieutenant  Eve Dallas is the top murder cop in the city. She is revered by her aide, Delia Peabody, adored by her husband, Rourke, and shares a mutual disdain with Rourke’s Major-domo, Summerset.  Eve is not afraid to take on the worst of New York’s bad guys. The only

Michael Haller is starting back to work as a lawyer, after taking a year off. A year spent in recovery from an injury, as an addict, and then in rehab. Mickey's ready to take on a couple of cases, and get his feet wet again when a long-time friend is killed, leaving Haller & Associates his business and current caseload. Among the 31 cases Mickey inherits is a high profile murder case. Archway Studios owner and movie mogul, Walter Elliot is accused of murdering his wife and her boyfriend. While trying to reconstruct his predecessors' defense strategy, Mickey must also be on alert for whoever

Grace has a problem, well several problems to be exact. She’s a liar and she can’t stop lying not only to herself but also to the people with whom she surrounds herself. She’s a thief but again doesn’t see herself as one, at least not at first. She can never be normal, not after what she has put everyone else through. And she is terrified that two men who are about to be set free on parole for robbing a historic mansion back in Garland, Tennessee are going to find her.

Rebecca Scherm writes a fantastic novel about a girl who spins a web of lies in hopes of becoming a better person, the person

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is a fast-paced murder mystery with lots of twists and turns throughout. It is July 2013 and Rachel, a middle-aged single woman, commutes by train to London every day. She has memorized everything about the trip, from the stops to the landscape, and has become particularly fascinated by a happy couple she sees almost everyday. But then one day she sees something new and she cannot let it go. And then the rug is pulled out from underneath her when her dreamy couple becomes one of London's most intriguing headlines.

The similarities between this novel to

Ned Beaumont is right hand man to Paul Madvig, who runs this anonymous city. Beaumont is the fixer and the general election is coming up will be a close one. Madvig is a political cohort to Senator Ralph Bancroft Henry and is in love with Henry's daughter, who does not return the feeling. When a senator’s son is killed, the pressure is on city officials to solve the murder and Beaumont is right in the thick of it.

Written in 1931, The Glass Key still holds up today. It is set in a violent world inhabited by ruthless people. The dialogue still sparkles and the story still works, making Dashiel

This thriller slowly unravels to reveal the fragile and desperate mind of a woman with amnesia. Christine's amnesia is so severe that she can't retain memories for more than a day. She wakes up each morning with no idea of who and where she is. She is surrounded by her husband Ben, a doctor, and a friend. She starts keeping a journal on what she learns about herself each day. As Christine begins to rereads previous entries, she finds inconsistencies in what Ben is telling her about her accident, their son, and how all of their family photos disappeared. While Christine is trying to piece

Die Again is the 11th title in the Rizzoli and Isles series by Tess Gerritsen. This mystery features a dual story line that takes place in Africa and in Boston, Massachusetts. The mysteries are not simultaneous in their execution, although they are presented to the reader in alternating segments. Eventually, of course, the mystery of what occurred in Africa ties into and becomes part of the Boston murder. But figuring that out and tying them together proves to be tricky. 

Jordan Stratford has taken a neat idea—young Mary Shelley and young Ada Lovelace team up to solve mysteries—and crafted a juvenile adventure story that's so much fun, it threatens to burst out of the book jacket and shoot off the pages like a cannon ball.

The year is 1826. Fourteen-year-old Mary Godwin, the sensitive and curious daughter of feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and free thinker William Godwin, is beginning her tutelage alongside the brilliant but temperamental and eccentric 11-year-old Lady Ada Byron, daughter of the famous poet Lord Byron. Their tutor is the young, handsome Peebs