Mysteries Recent Picks
October 2007
The underlined titles will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.
Justice denied, by J.A. Jance. (2007)
"It's been a couple of years since we last saw him (Long Time Gone, 2005), but Seattle cop J. P. Beaumont hasn't changed much. He has the same job, working with the city's Special Homicide Investigation Team; the same girlfriend, fellow investigator Mel Soames; the same straight-shooting, stick-to-it, never-say-quit attitude. Jance's success, not to mention the longevity of the Beaumont series (more than 20 years and still going strong), lies in the strength of her characters and the craftiness of her stories. This one, involving the death of an ex-con, has plenty of twists and more than enough hard-boiled banter to keep fans reading." (Booklist)
Written in bone, by Simon Beckett (2007).
"In the exceptional second thriller from British author Beckett to feature forensic anthropologist David Hunter (after 2006's The Chemistry of Death), the former GP investigates a suspicious death on Runa, a small island in the Hebrides. With the mainland official force preoccupied with a horrific train wreck that might have been the work of terrorists, Hunter must try to determine whether the victim was murdered. On Runa, Hunter finds a badly burned corpse with the feet and one hand oddly untouched, in a cottage that shows little fire damage. Could spontaneous combustion have been the cause? The suspense mounts along with the body count and the approach of a storm that cuts off the island from the outside world. While some plot elements may be a little too close to those of the prior book, Beckett does them better here, and is especially adept at blending first- and third-person narratives to heighten the tension." (Publishers Weekly)
The crime writer, by Gregg Hurwitz (2007).
"Successful crime-novelist Drew Danner has gained true tabloid fame - as the murderer of his ex-fiance. Found by the police in the midst of a brain-tumor-induced grand mal seizure, with her blood covering his hands and his fingerprints on the murder weapon, Danner seems to be the only person in L.A. who isn't sure he is a killer. Emergency surgery after his arrest removes the tumor, and a temporary insanity defense frees him, but his comfortable life is shattered. He can't live without knowing if he killed a woman he once loved. His only choice is to become a character in a story he hasn't written. Danner's anguish is compellingly described, and the plot has more twists and turns than Mulholland Drive. At least half a dozen characters are vividly drawn, and nearly all are like Danner - struggling to recover from some tragic and life-altering event. Hurwitz's insights about L.A. life sound knowing and are often ruefully funny, e.g., "L.A., where a porn star runs for governor and an action figure wins." Crime fans looking for something different will love this one." (Booklist)
Heart sick, by Chelsea Cain (2007).
"Chelsea Cain steps into a crowded, blood-soaked genre with Heartsick, a riveting, character-driven novel about a damaged cop and his obsession with the serial killer who...let him live. Gretchen Lowell tortured Detective Archie Sheridan for ten days, then inexplicably let him go and turned herself in. Cain turns the (nearly played out) Starling/Lecter relationship on its ear: Sheridan must face down his would-be killer to help hunt down another. What sets this disturbing novel apart from the rest is its bruised, haunted heart in the form of Detective Sheridan, a bewildered survivor trying to catch a killer and save himself." (Amazon.com)
A welcome grave, by Michael Koryta (2007).
"Edgar-finalist Koryta stakes a claim as one of today's pre-eminent crafters of contemporary hard-boiled mysteries with his third Lincoln Perry whodunit (after 2006's Sorrow's Anthem), which finds the cops trying to pin murder charges on the Cleveland PI. Formerly a detective with the Cleveland PD, Perry was forced out of the department when he assaulted a rich lawyer, Alex Jefferson, who had married Perry's still beloved ex, Karen. When Jefferson's brutalized corpse is discovered in a field, suspicion soon focuses on Perry, and the gumshoe only makes more trouble for himself by accepting Karen's commission to find the dead man's estranged son, Matt, who has inherited millions from his father. But no sooner does Perry locate Matt in Indiana than the unwitting heir commits suicide in Perry's presence, another death the authorities find suspicious. Despite Koryta's youth (his 2004 debut, Tonight I Said Goodbye was published when he was 21), his haunting writing and logical, sophisticated plotting rival that of established stalwarts like Loren Estleman." (Publishers Weekly)
Eye for an eye, by Frank Muir (2007).
"St. Andrews, Scotland, has become home to the most vicious serial killer Britain has ever known. Striking only during thunderstorms, choosing only victims who abuse women, the Stabber has Detective Inspector Andy Gilchrist and his team baffled until victim number six turns up in the form of a respected bank manager, Bill Granton. A surprise witness gives Gilchrist and his partner, the embittered Detective Sergeant Sa Preston, their first solid lead to the Stabber's identity. However, the uproar from the media gives Gilchrist's boss, the hateful Detective Chief Inspector Mark Patterson, his golden opportunity to suspend Gilchrist and bring in the Scottish Crime Squad. Driven by his fear of failure, desperate to redeem his reputation, Gilchrist takes on the case alone. The novel reworks the genre of simple revenge thriller and adds a real psychological depth to proceedings." (Amazon.co.uk)
The maze murderer, by Charles Pero (2007).
"FBI legend Frank Logan, head of the Bureau's elite Special Circumstances Killer squad, breaks off his ongoing book tour to investigate a pair of bizarre slayings - one in Florida, the other in Georgia - in Pero's vivid and energetic, if a bit slow-building, debut. The killer has left mazes drawn in the blood of the victims, hinting at the possible location of the next murder. Assigned to work with Logan is Vinny Smalldeano, the newest member of the squad. As the two examine the killer's patterns and try to prevent another death, Smalldeano develops an understanding of Logan's strengths - and flaws. Pero's depiction of a bestselling author's life is somewhat romanticized, but the crime-fighting scenes have great verisimilitude. This procedural about lawmen in hot pursuit of a crazed killer takes the reader on a wild and satisfying ride." (Publishers Weekly)
King of swords, by Nick Stone (2007).
"Such was the acclaim that greeted Nick Stone's amazing debut novel, Mr Clarinet, that a curious syndrome soon developed: i you hadn't read the novel (and claimed to have any interest in the crime genre), you had to say (to all who would listen) 'I really must read Mr Clarinet - I've heard so much about it!' (preferably said with a pronounced guilty note in the voice). Such people, of course, should do themselves a favour and actually read the book - the sprawling, ambitious Haiti-set phantasmagoria broke new ground in several provocative ways for the crime field. It also introduced troubled detective Max Mingus - a vividly drawn protagonist - and now here's King of Swords, not so much a sequel to the debut novel, as a prequel with Max Mingus in his first terrifying encounter with his sinister nemesis Solomon Boukman. So... the biq question: has Nick Stone matched that jaw-dropping debut? Initially, this seems a very different kind of book - the setting is the more familiar Miami rather than a surrealistically realised Haiti. But - relax - this is just as strong and disturbing a book as Mr Clarinet. In fact, those seeking a comfortable read should steer well clear - but if you're looking for rough-edged crime fiction that will seriously unsettle you (and many of us seek exactly that), then King of Swords does the business - look no further. And now - how long do we have to wait for the third Nick Stone novel?" (Amazon.co.uk)
Sharp teeth, by Toby Barlow (2007).
"An ancient race of lycanthropes survives in modern LA and its numbers are growing as packs convert the city's downtrodden into their fold. Stuck in the middle are a local dogcatcher and the woman he loves, whose secret past haunts her as she fights a bloody one-woman battle to save their relationship. Meanwhile, dog packs fight and scheme all around them, hiding out in old warehouses, city kennel cages, or the plush comfort of suburban homes. Paying no heed to the moon, these packs change from human to wolf at will, squaring off against one another as they seek dominance at any cost. "Sharp Teeth" is a novel-in-verse that blends epic themes with dark humour, dogs playing cards, crystal meth labs, and acts of heartache and betrayal in Southern California." (Amazon.co.uk)
The bloody tower : a Daisy Dalrymple mystery, by Carola Dunn (2007).
"In Dunn's cunning 16th Daisy Dalrymple mystery (after 2007's Gunpowder Plot), the charming Daisy stumbles over the corpse of the Chief Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London. Daisy and her husband, Scotland Yard's DCI Alec Fletcher, team up to unmask the killer. Daisy does all the really clever sleuthing, but she kindly allows her hubby to think he's putting things together himself. Things get tricky when one of the chief suspects, who may also be a blackmailer, disappears. And then there's the curious matter of the manner of death: the autopsy concludes that the Yeoman Warder died of a broken neck, so why was there also a partizan, or Yeoman Warder's halberd, sticking out of his back? Appropriate historical detail and witty dialogue are the finishing touches on this engaging 1920s period piece." (Publishers Weekly)
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