Posts filed under 'Mystery'
If you like historical mysteries, I have two to recommend. The first, A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell, is set in 1931 Berlin, Germany. Hannah Vogel is a single woman in a man’s world. She is a journalist for the Berliner Tageblatt and writes under a pseudonym. Crime is her beat. The mystery begins when Hannah gets the shock of her life while following leads at the police station. There in black and white she recognizes the identity of one of the photographs in the Hall of the Unnamed Dead. The nude dead man on the river bank is her beloved brother, Ernst, a gay transvestite cabaret singer. But she can’t tell anyone because her and her brother’s identity papers are being used to help Jewish friends escape Germany. So she decides to investigate on her own.
As she digs into her brother’s life Hannah discovers that Ernst was involved with some pretty powerful and decadent Nazis. As the investigation proceeds she must walk a fine line if she wants to stay alive and protect those close to her. This bittersweet mystery gives us a look into the life of an ordinary German trying to navigate the dangerous times as the Nazis were coming to power.
My second recommendation is set in fifth century Britain. It has Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere, and introduces the one-armed man, Malgwyn. In The Killing Way by Tony Hays, Malgwyn is asked by a young Lord Arthur to investigate the brutal death of a young woman - who just happens to be Malgwyn’s sister-in-law. Since he lost his arm in battle and his wife to a brutal death by the Saxons, Malgwyn has been drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Despite that fact he cannot resist Arthur’s request for help. Soon enough the investigation has him off the bottle and using his detective skills to find out who killed the young girl. In saving the accused Merlin, finding justice for the young woman and helping Arthur defeat those who would challenge his ascension to the throne Malgwyn once again begins to feel like he has a purpose and a life. I enjoyed watching Malgwyn change from an angry, old drunk to a sober, brave detective. I hope to read more of his adventures.
October 10th, 2009
Kathy K. - Central
So says agent John Tomasetti whose been brought in to help solve the serial killer murders plaguing sleepy Painters Mill, Ohio. If you can make it through the first three pages (a description of the last torturous moments of a young victim) then you are in for a thrilling treat. Fans of Tess Gerritsen or Patricia Cornwell will love Linda Castillo’s new novel Sworn to Silence that introduces us to Police Chief Kate Burkholder.
Burkholder’s rookie cop TJ Banks discovers a body one blustery winter evening on a routine cow roundup (the normal type of Painters Mill police work). His discovery sets off a chain of events for the town that will end with two other women dead and a unraveling of Burkholder’s life. Burkholder has a suspicion of who the killer is but to pursue the suspect she’ll have to uncover her own past.
Castillo does a great job of parceling out the back story of Burkholder’s secret life and weaving it into the present investigation. Her inclusion of Amish cultural references and description of the community also really added to the story and made Burkholder’s character believable and emotional, not just some hard nosed cop with a murder to solve.
So where does Tomasetti fit into all of this story? He’s a rogue cop who’s lost his family to violence and become lost in booze and drugs. He is sent to Painters Mill by his superiors as a last ditch effort to get him to mess up one more time, but Burkholder ends up using his killer profiling experience to her advantage to figure whose responsible for the murders. Does she end up using Tomasetti in other ways? You’ll have to read it to find out. According to the book blurb Castillo is working on the next installment of Kate’s police career and that makes this another must read female cop series on my list.
August 27th, 2009
Katharine - Sequoya
The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson is the second volume to feature journalist Mikael Blomkvist and brilliant sociophobe (and computer hacker) Lisbeth Salander, the protagonists from Larsson’s debut novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (read Mary K.’s review here). The new work picks up shortly after the conclusion of the first novel (and you should probably read that first, just so you’ll have a better idea of the character’s background/backstory, including why Salander had a falling-out with Blomkvist).
The new volume begins with Salander on vacation in the Caribbean where she finds herself in the path of an oncoming storm, which she uses to hide her rescue of a battered wife staying at her hotel. Back in Sweden, Mikael’s magazine decides to do a feature story on sex trafficking in Sweden, while simultaneously publishing a book written by a young author whose work is complimented by his fiancee’s dissertation along the same lines. The plan is to name some of the men, including government officials and members of the police, who’ve had sex with the girls, many of whom were underage. On another front, Nils Bjurman, Salander’s legal guardian, is trying to find a way out from under her threats to expose him as a rapist with an incriminating video to use as proof.
Things heat up when the young journalist and his fiancee are murdered in their apartment, on the same evening that Nils Bjurman was murdered with the same gun–a gun that has Salander’s fingerprints on it. In the ensuing rush to judgment, aided in no small part by glory-seeking police inspectors, corrupt officers, and sensation-seeking journalists, Salander’s life is suddenly thrust into the spotlight, where her sanity, sexuality, and past violent tendencies are speculated upon. Her only supporters are Blomkvist and his staff, her former employer at a private security firm, a woman friend and sometime lover, a former boxing champion, and her former legal guardian, now recovering from a stroke. Arrayed against her are most of the country, as well as some of the people who had been contracted by Bjurman to kill her.
Like the first novel, the story zooms along at a breakneck pace, with revelations and plot twists that can leave you reeling from the enormity of the horror and injustice that has taken place. I even found myself noting parallels between Salander and Hannibal Lecter, both equally brilliant, yet removed from the rest of humanity, and with a tortured past slowly being revealed to readers.
If you’re not already on the waiting list for this volume, sign up now. And if you haven’t read the previous volume, do make a point of reading that first.
Also available in large print and as an audiobook.
August 14th, 2009
Dennis - Central
When Tamora Pierce published a new novel set in her fantasy realm of Tortall I was thrilled. I’ve read a couple of her other series and loved them. Pierce specializes in strong, capable young women as protagonists. They are realistically drawn as they struggle with their life choices and in their heroics. Beka Cooper follows that pattern. Though her life in Tortall takes place 200 years earlier then Pierce’s other books and Beka lives in a gritty, inner-city world, she is still a practical-minded fighter of the good fight.
Beka was introduced in Terrier: The Legend of Beka Cooper, Book 1 where she entered the Provost Guard as a trainee (Puppy) in the city of Corus. Known coloquially as Dogs, these local police keep the peace in uneasy times. Beka and her fellow Dogs’ lives more closely resemble the early days of policing - bribes are the norm and a Rogue runs the criminal’s guild - and they struggle to maintain a law-abiding balance. Having successfully completed her Puppy training, Beka returns as a full-fledged Dog in Bloodhound: The Legend of Beka Cooper, Book 2.
In Bloodhound, Beka is on the job once again. Though she’s having a hard time finding a partner who fits, she is glad to be fully on the job and nabbing Rats at every opportunity. When she and her mentors begin to notice a disturbing trend - counterfeit silver coins are flooding the market and driving up prices - they notify the bosses. Since the coins seem to be originating out of Port Caynn Beka and her temporary partner, Clary Goodwin, are sent undercover to the harbor city to investigate. Once there they find themselves caught up in an ongoing war between Pearl, the local Queen of the criminals, and the local Dogs who may or may not help Beka when the crunch comes.
Though Pierce’s Beka books are set in a fantasy realm where magic is possible and Gods are present, these are police-procedurals more then anything else. The ins and outs of Beka’s life on the job are centerstage, which is all to the good. As she unravels the mystery of the false coins the pacing increases and the book ends with an action-packed chase. I can’t wait for the final book in this trilogy.
July 7th, 2009
Jane J. - Central Library
Los Angeles Times reporter Jack McEvoy, featured in Michael Connelly’s earlier novel The Poet, returns in his latest thriller, The Scarecrow. When Jack is laid off from the newspaper with only 14 days notice, he decides to go out with a bang with one final high profile story. What starts out as an investigation into the wrongful arrest of a young gangbanger for the brutal rape of an exotic dancer turns into a case involving the sinister nature of computer technology.
The actual villain in the story is an MIT graduate Wesley Carver known as the Scarecrow. Wesley overseas security at a top-secret data storage facility in Arizona used by many law firms and businesses. His below-the-radar existence gives Carver the ability to mine for victims which he has been doing successfully for years. The reader is introduced to the Scarecrow early in the story as the action switches between his secret work at the facility and McEvoy’s hunt for the killer during his final days as a reporter. Helping Jack in his investigation is the FBI agent featured in Connelly’s previous book, Rachel Walling. As Jack and Rachel uncover information about the killer, they realize that they are also among the hunted.
Michael Connelly, a former Los Angeles Times crime reporter, delves into the state of the newspaper industry while telling a thrilling story. And while not up to the level of his ever popular Harry Bosch series, I found The Scarecrow to be an entertaining summer read.
June 30th, 2009
Lesley - Central
In Peter Robinson’s latest All the Colors of Darkness, a group of schoolboys find the body of a man hanging from an oak tree in a forest glade. Shortly thereafter police discover that his partner was murdered. For Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot and her partner Detective Sergeant Winsome Jackson it looks like a case with an easy solution, murder/suicide due to jealousy. The seeming slam dunk means they can return to a knifing case with ties to gangs and drugs in a local housing area. The problem with this plan is that the murder victim was found in a expensive suburb area. And the superintendent wants Chief Inspector Allan Banks called back from his vacation in London to make sure all the angles are covered.
Once on the case Banks tends to agree with the investigating officers, but there is something bothering him and he continues to ask questions, widening the pool of people involved. Suddenly the Superintendent tells him to drop it, that the case is closed and he can return to his aborted vacation. Banks cannot let it lie and continues to investigate, only to find himself mired in an unfamiliar world of espionage and terrorism, not knowing who he can trust and endangering not only himself but anyone close to him.
Robinson’s Banks continues to be an interesting character to read about, not perfect by any means, and struggling with some of the same issues that face everyone: love and loss, grief, aging, second guessing one’s career choice, and just what to do next in a quickly changing world. Combine that with a compelling mystery and you have another winner to read.
June 23rd, 2009
Liz C. - Alicia Ashman
C. Alan Bradley’s debut novel, Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, introduces readers to a charming new sleuth, Flavia de Luce, a precocious 11-year-old living in the English village of Bishop’s Lacey in the 1950s. Up until recently Flavia was preoccupied with retaliating against her two older sisters by using her interest and knowledge of chemistry.
Her life goals change when Flavia overhears her father and another man in a heated discussion. She learns that her father, a philatelic devote, may have been involved in the suicide of his schoolmaster many years ago and may have also had something to do with the theft of a rare stamp. When the stranger’s body is found a few hours later, dead in a cucumber bed on the property, Flavia is on the case. Her investigations turn up a rare snipe found on the back doorstep with a stamp embedded on its beak as well as a poisonous custard pie. In her quest, the indefatigable Flavia visits the library and interviews the village’s colorful inhabitants about her father’s mysterious past and how it ties to the victim.
Flavia’s is the type of one-of-a-kind character who charms and disarms at the same time. This well-drawn mystery is a tasty surprise from the 70-year-old, first time novelist Alan Bradley. Readers will be glad to hear that Bradley, winner of the British Crime Writer’s Association’s Debut Dagger Award based on a 15 page excerpt from this book, is busy with new adventures for the wickedly funny junior detective.
June 12th, 2009
Lesley - Central
Fortunately for fans of Nevada Barr’s long running mystery series, featuring Ranger Anna Pigeon, there are many national parks all over the country for Anna to visit or work in. In her latest, Borderline, Anna is on a needed leave of absence following the stressful events of the past year. She is suffering from post traumatic stress and so far has not been helped by psychiatric treatment. Anna and her new husband Paul are in Big Bend National Park on the border of Texas and Mexico and have signed up for a rafting trip, accompanied by a guide and four young students.
Their leisurely rafting trip quickly turns tragic as the raft is destroyed after the crew hits some rocks. Then one of the young people finds a pregnant and dying woman in the water. Anna is able to successfully deliver the baby with a c-section, and as the group is trying for rescue, a sniper begins shooting at them. Anna and Paul work together to save the baby, and get the remaining rafters to safety. All of these events take place in the action packed first half of the story.
The second part of the book takes place on land in and around the park. Anna must care for the newborn baby and try to find out who her mother was and why someone was trying to kill them on the river. She and Paul are staying with the park ranger and his wife, and Anna is not sure what the ranger’s involvement has been in either the shooting or the death of the woman.
It doesn’t really matter that the resolution of the murder is predictable, and obvious about 2/3rd of the way into the book. Barr is an always readable and enjoyable mystery author. The real draw of the series are the national park settings and Anna Pigeon, the strong, durable, and personable heroine.
June 4th, 2009
Mary K. - Central
A. D. 1156, and it’s the end of the world. Or at least that’s what it feels like when an earthquake rips open the earth around Glastonbury Abbey, long reputed to be the site of Avalon, King Arthur’s final resting place. In the chaos, a terrified, dying monk sees mysterious figures burying two bodies in a fissure, bodies he is convinced are those of Arthur and Guinevere.
Twenty years later the abbey has burned, revealing the coffins of the reputed Once and Future King and his lady. With Welsh rebels waging war in the name of Arthur, King Henry II wants to prove once and for all that Arthur is dead. And only Adelia Aguilar, the Salerno-born, throughly unconventional Mistress of the Art of Death can unravel the bones’ history.
In Grave Goods, her third book in her Mistress of the Art of Death series, Ariana Franklin adds an element of the Gothic to her fast-moving plot. Once Adelia arrives at the blackened ruins of the abbey, she immediately senses that the near-deserted town and its wild surroundings hold real evil. Sick with worry over the disappearance of her friend Emma in the nearby countryside, Adelia and her Arab assistant Mansur try to uncover the truth in the lawless hillsides. The mutilated skeleton of Guinevere haunts Adelia’s dreams, goading her to find the murderer. But the mystery of a long-dead king and queen hold terrible danger for the living, threatening to claim someone dear to Adelia. Astute mystery readers might guess some of the plot twists, but Franklin’s strength lies in her characters, especially Adelia’s supporting cast of misfit companions, as much at odds with their constricting medieval society as she. In its denoument, Grave Goods suggests some unfinished business and tough decisions that promise a strong continuation to an already entertaining series.
May 14th, 2009
Katie H.
Kevin Brace is the “Voice of Canada”, a famed radio personality and who’s considered by most to be a good guy. All that changes when Mr. Gurdial Singh delivers his morning newspaper and is met with Brace’s confession; “I killed her, Mr. Singh. I killed her.” The her in question is his longtime partner Katherine and Mr. Singh finds her dead in the bathtub, apparently stabbed to death. Now the voice of Canada is silent, refusing to say a word about what happened, even to his attorney Nancy Parrish.
The suspense in Old City Hall comes from the realization that you don’t know whether Kevin is guilty or not. No one does. The police and the prosecution are sure they have their man, but there are a few things that don’t add up. And truly, if that’s the case there’s no mystery for the reader. Did Kevin do it? If not, why won’t he tell his lawyer what happened? Is he protecting someone? How can Nancy Parrish defend a man who seems determined to be found guilty?
Because this debut is told from various viewpoints (Nancy’s, the prosecutor, the police) Robert Rotenberg is able to keep the reader guessing until the end. Nicely done.
May 4th, 2009
Jane J. - Central Library
What do librarians do in their free time? According to Charlaine Harris’ character Aurora “Roe” Teagarden, they accidentally solve murder mysteries in small towns. The first in the series, Real Murders, introduces us to Aurora and a motley crue of characters making up fictional Atlanta suburb, Lawrenceton, GA. Aurora belongs to a local group “Real Murders” that meets monthly to discuss famous crime cases. On the fateful night they are to discuss the Wallace case at the local VFW hall, the most unexpected thing happens, one of the members of the group turns up dead in the kitchen! Of course Aurora is the one who stumbles on the scene and across the other subsequent murders that take place in this sleepy southern town.
Who is doing all the killing in Lawrenceton? Is it Perry the crazy son of Sally, local journalist and library volunteer? Is it Robin Crusoe, the new celebrity murder mystery writer that is teaching at the local college? Or is it Aurora’s sweet neighbor Mr. Crandall that has an antique gun collection in his living room? As well as trying to piece together clues to figure out who’s doing all the killing, Aurora begins a romance with both Robin the professor and Arthur the detective that is working to find the “real murder.” The dramatic conclusion of RM finds Aurora trapped in the neighbor’s basement being held hostage. Speaking from experience, this is not a normal “night off from the library” situation.
Fans of Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse books won’t find this one as bloody and sexy (Aurora’s dating consists of quaint kisses, not vampire lust) but it is fun and fast paced. As a working librarian, there were parts of the story that didn’t seem very realistic (we’ve haven’t stamped dates and used a paper card catalog for years!) but overall this cozy mystery novel was the perfect accompaniment on a short flight home from spring break.
April 25th, 2009
Katharine - Sequoya
If you are looking for a fast paced thriller built around the mystery of William Shakespeare, try Interred with Their Bones.
Kate Stanley, once a rising star in Shakespearian academic circles, looks now to the theatre world with a new staging of Hamlet at London’s Globe Theatre. In the midst of the theater chaos Rosalind Howard, Kate’s former mentor in the academic world, makes a sudden appearance at a rehearsal. Rosalind needs Kate’s help in finding something that will astound the world. Before Kate can find out more, Roz is found murdered backstage and the method used is similar to the death of Hamlet’s father.
Aided by three very different men, all of whom seem to have their own reasons for helping, Kate must figure out who to trust. More deaths follow, all with links to Shakespeare’s plays, as Kate races from London to Spain to the United States following clues to a possible lost play, and even more shattering, evidence as to who really wrote the plays.
I really liked the heroine, who while smart and attractive, also has her own insecurities but didn’t let them stop her. Jennifer Lee Carrell’s book is a page turner with a number of surprises at the end.
April 24th, 2009
Liz C. - Alicia Ashman
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