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Strange Bedfellows

Hank Wagner

Still wrestling with the physical, mental and emotional fallout of a recently concluded case, LAPD Homicide Detective Charlotte Justice has mixed feelings when a missing suspect in a stalled investigation suddenly reappears. Hoping that the case will prove more of a distraction than a burden, Justice begins to pursue the case once more, only to find out that its complexities, and its unexpected links to the death of her husband and child some thirteen years prior, may make it more than she can handle.

Masterfully combining action, character development, suspense, and mystery, Woods has delivered a worthy successor to her first three Charlotte Justice novels. Sporting straightforward, unadorned, yet utterly arresting prose, Strange Bedfellows chronicles a pivotal point in Justice's personal life and career, as she's forced to deal with the tumult in her stressful day-to-day existence, arising from both past and present circumstances.

A thoughtful police procedural, the book stands out because it's dramatic without being melodramatic, unlike recent entries in other popular, long-lived series. This could come from Justice's utter lack of pretension, or from her tendency to react to, rather than ruminate over, the things that are happening around her. Either way, it's a happy circumstance for readers--the lack of histrionics is refreshing and welcome. It's this, and Woods' evocation of the racially charged 1994 Los Angeles, that make Strange Bedfellows a compelling read.

Sweetie's Diamonds

Jules Brenner

From all appearances, Diane Boston is a typical suburban mother except, of course, that she's an indisputably gorgeous blond. Oh, she has her individual problems and traits all right. Her 13-year old son David suffers from Marfan syndrome for one. She's also a social studies and judo teacher at the high school and so great a communicator with the kids that she's been voted Teacher of the Year.

But, then, there are the secret things in her life, which might be the tip of a surprisingly sordid iceberg. Why, for instance is pawn shop owner Moses Rabinowitz so anxious to reopen his shop to her when it's all but closed? Where did she get the diamonds he's been fencing for her? Why is she using the money to keep her sister on life support through a 25-year coma? And why, when she's packing up to move to a new apartment after a divorce does one box contain old, saved newspapers with headlines like "Gangland Murders at Porno Warehouse!!"?

And that is only the beginning. When an ancient porno tape shows up with a blond leading lady who looks very much like a young Diane, there could be more than just a relocation in store for the demure teacher and her son. Her protests that the girl in the tape is her twin sister doesn't cut it with the school board. And, oh, is her ex-husband Greg having a field day over the scandal.

James Bond novelist Benson steadily winds us up in buried secrets, questionable identities, and multiple murders. His character-based thriller sustains momentum without a wasted word all the way to a wrenching, twisty finish.

The Devil's Own Rag Doll

Richard Helms

This first novel by newcomer Bartoy offers much substance mixed with impressive style. It's the swing era in Detroit. Boys are dying overseas fighting the Axis threat. At home, Pete Caudill has traded his beat cop's blues for plain clothes and a shiny new gold shield. The job is different, but the bad guys all still look the same.

Jane Hardiman, the daughter of a Motor City automobile magnate, has run away again. Caudill, along with his nicotine-addicted, racist partner Bobby Swope, have been assigned to find her and bring her home. When they find her, though, she's been brutally murdered. Their suspicions fall upon her black boyfriend. There's also a chance that her death is connected with a conspiracy much larger than a simple interracial tryst.

The Devil's Own Rag Doll is unapologetically retro, as it should be. It takes place in a world of shines and dames and politically incorrect sexism and racism, where everyone smokes and nobody complains about it, where a slug of whiskey is good for the soul and damn the liver.

Bartoy's language is delightfully arcane. He's clearly studied the period, and the works of the great pulp authors, but is also able to include elements in his modern-day tale of World War II mores that the classic writers never could have blown by the censors. The result is gritty and engaging, and hard to put down. If The Devil's Own Rag Doll is an indication of the depth of Bartoy's chops, I look forward keenly to his next title.

The Ghost Orchid

Verna Suit

Ellis Brooks is a resident of an artists colony on the grounds of an old Hudson River estate known for its elaborate Italian Renaissance garden. She and a handful of others have stayed on for the winter session. Almost all are working on projects that somehow relate to the estate. Ellis, for instance, is writing a novel based on the 1893 visit of a medium who was summoned there to make contact with owner Aurora Latham's dead children. Ellis has psychic abilities herself and develops the novel's plot as she receives messages from resident spirits.

The Ghost Orchid, skips back and forth between chapters of the novel-in-progress and the current house party of artists. Modern day incidents and relationships among house guests echo those of 1893. The two stories melt into each other and are more connected than anyone dreamed. Meanwhile, mysteries abound. What are the real explanations for the deaths of the children, the suspicious deaths of two people during s?ances, and the disappearance of Aurora Latham's last living child?

Goodman captures well the jealousies and egos of writers in this book of literary suspense. Her beautiful prose also brings to life the fountains, statuary, and overgrown gardens that become veritable characters in the story. And the paranormal permeates everything, making The Ghost Orchid a sumptuous delight for fans of woo woo.

The Killing Art

Richard Helms

This is the third book Santlofer has penned featuring his detective-turned-art-historian Kate McKinnon, a reluctant sleuth who would be much more comfortable exploring the roots of the New School art movement than the depths of the criminal mind.

When art collectors are murdered, and their priceless collections slashed, Kate McKinnon joins forces with the New York Police to help solve the cases. Along the way, Santlofer intersperses original art with his prose, and the discerning and attentive reader is expected to derive important clues from his images. Okay, it s a gimmick, sure, but at least it is well-executed, and by an author whose art credentials actually outshine his literary ones.

Various descriptions of Jonathan Santlofer cite his preoccupation with the interaction of reality and illusion, and his use of complex space and drama. One might add attention to detail and a keen observational sense, and it isn't difficult to understand why his books have been so well-received. They mirror his visual sense, and his words create vivid pictures and a sense of momentum that propels the reader to each successive page. Furthermore, his use of the destruction of art curiously mirrors the life events that originally motivated him to write novels when years of his own works were destroyed in a Chicago gallery fire. He clearly translates the anguish of that loss through the imagined destruction of paintings by Pollock and deKooning in The Killing Art.

Santlofer is a rare double threat in the arts and letters, and his words entreat with as much force as his images. ,em>The Killing Art reads like a stroll through a museum, filled with new surprises and rare beauty around each corner.

The Leper's Bell

Sue Reider

Sister Fidelma, a judge in seventh century Ireland, faces her greatest challenge when she returns home to find her infant son missing and his nurse murdered. Although the community in which Fidelma and her husband, Brother Eadulf, live is small, there are many possible motives.

Fidelma's brother, the King, is holding captives from another tribe. Someone may be upset with Fidelma's decisions as a judge, while others may be seeking revenge on her powerful family.

Things get more and more frustrating for the parents as each of the potential culprits is investigated and found to be innocent. The independent and feisty Fidelma's and the strong-willed Eadulf's provisional marriage is already problematic; the stress the kidnapping places on their relationship is almost unbearable. How these two learn to trust others is an integral part of the story.

Under his real name, the author is one of the foremost Celtic scholars in the world. His vast knowledge and love of his subject shows in this well-plotted and well-written story. He vividly portrays the day-to-day difficulties of a physically demanding and sometimes harsh life, yet one in which education and knowledge are highly valued. In addition, the people are dealing with the growing power of the Catholic Church, and the inevitable conflicts as their nature-based religion is replaced by more standardized rituals and concepts.

The Man From Yesterday

Hank Wagner

When retired Detective Lieutenant Jack Lehman receives a phone call from a former snitch telling him of a half million-dollar heist that's occurred, his first instinct is to inform his ex-colleagues at the Westend Detective District station. A strange thing happens, though, shortly after he begins telling his story to the current captain: he forgets the names of the snitch and of the victim of the heist. His credibility shot, he leaves the station in shame.

Embarrassed by this performance, and anxious because his memory seems to be deserting him, Lehman decides to investigate and see what he can turn up himself. Although he possesses sound instincts, his memory constantly betrays him, leading the police and his family to conclude he's going senile. The only person who doesn't think Lehman is losing his edge is the perpetrator, who decides the ex-cop must be taken out of the picture.

The author of thirteen novels, Shubin knows how to keep a reader's attention, delivering a crackerjack mystery story featuring a man in a life and death struggle against both old and the criminal element he's determined to bring to justice. Lehman's despair is almost palpable: the audience, which knows Jack is not crazy, can only watch helplessly as those he loves and respects challenge his every assertion and act. Truly courageous, Lehman is a character who will win the hearts and the minds of readers, who can't help but root for this tough, determined underdog.

The Man With the Iron-on Badge

Richard Helms

At some point in his life Harvey Mapes might have had high aspirations for himself, but probably not. Some people though, as Shakespeare claimed, have greatness thrust upon them. Mapes scrapes by at a dead-end job as a security guard, moping about the guardhouse at a posh gated community in Camarillo, California. It's a job with very few real responsibilities and a lot of downtime, which Harvey occupies by reading detective novels.

He is approached by one of the residents, who wants to hire Harvey to tail his wife, whom the resident suspects of cheating. Suddenly, Harvey Mapes has the opportunity to realize his dream of becoming a genuine hardboiled dick.Lee Goldberg has an impressive list of writing credentials, with tons of television credits, and a large stockpile of television tie-in novels (Diagnosis Murder, and Monk among them).

The Man With The Iron-On Badge is nonstop fun, as hapless Harvey Mapes lives his fantasies, sort of, in a slapstick parody of mean streets hardboiled capers of the past. There's nothing here that will radically change the landscape of detective fiction, but the writing is top-shelf, funny, and makes it very easy to turn the pages. Save this one for the beach, and make sure you have someone nearby to whom you can read the more hilarious passages.

The Manolo Matrix

Lynne Maxwell

Second in a trilogy, Julie Kenner's The Manolo Matrix delivers on the promise generated by its predecessor, The Givenchy Code. Mystery, suspense, intrigue--and major shoe-shopping: this one has it all. Kenner has a way with words and fashion, as she introduces Jennifer Martin, an actress aspiring to stardom on Broadway, but waiting tables in the interim. Jenn's first-person narration is smart and sassy, dripping with sarcasm in all the right places. Her wit and sense of humor come in handy, as she becomes enmeshed in a vicious computer game turned into grim reality. Play-Survive-Win is the ultimate game; the winner takes all, and the loser is eliminated. Unfortunately for Jenn, she is targeted to participate in the deadly game, compelled to fight for victory to end the competition. She has no choice but to play--or die.

Everything becomes complicated as Jenn, enlisting the help of a suspended FBI agent, works to piece together the clues to a puzzle that will enable her to elude Birdie, her enemy, and to terminate the game. To add to the suspense, all of the clues are time-sensitive, so Jenn must work expeditiously toward a solution. Much of the fun in The Manolo Matrix resides in the intricacy and complexity of the puzzle, which revolves around Broadway related clues. Readers familiar with Broadway trivia will thrill to the chase and others will learn more about musicals. For a gripping romp through hip New York, check this one out.

The Only Suspect

Joseph Scarpato Jr.

When Dr. Sam Russell wakes up in his car in a ditch on a sunny morning, all he can think of is that he fell off the wagon the night before. But then, why is there dried blood under his fingernails? And why can' t he remember how he got there?

Worse yet, when he arrives home, his wife has gone missing and Sam is suspected of having done away with her. This is not only because the husband is usually the first person under suspicion. It's also because Sam stood trial five years earlier in the murder of his first wife, and, except for one persistent juror who held out for "Not Guilty," he would have been convicted of that crime. As a result, to some of those on the local police force, he's not just a suspect, he's the only suspect.

At this point, the one thing Sam has going for him is that Detective Hannah Montgomery, the cop in charge of the case, is not prone to jumping to conclusions. Moreover, her instincts tell her that Sam may be innocent, or is that just her libido? In the meantime, Sam decides to investigate on his own and discovers that the woman he married may not have been who he thought she was.

The two-pronged investigation produces some major surprises and a satisfactory conclusion.

The Sacred Cut

Hank Wagner

It's five days before Christmas, and Rome is covered in snow. Braving the elements on this cold winter night are policemen Nic Costa and Gianni Peroni, accompanied by civilian Mauro Sandri. A photographer, Sandri is assembling a documentary on the policeman and their city.

Summoned to the Pantheon by a shaken security guard, the policemen are ambushed by an intruder, who begins shooting before fleeing into the night. The policemen are unharmed, but the photographer is fatally wounded. Later, a woman's body, bearing knife marks in the elaborate pattern of the so-called Sacred Cut, is found on the premises.

Seeking justice for the photographer, Costa and Peroni begin searching for the murderer; their investigation will bring them into conflict with one of the strangest killers they've ever faced, a man out to settle scores with origins in the days of Desert Storm.

A happy blend of police procedural and international thriller, Hewson's third Nic Costa novel finds the trinity of Costa, Peroni, and their irascible Chief, Leo Falcone, in fine form, fearlessly grappling with criminals, bureaucracies, their significant others, and the American intelligence community in their pursuit of the truth. Providing laughter and thrills in equal amounts, Hewson makes it look easy.

The Sacred Cut is totally compelling, one of those rare thrillers which emphasizes character over action, although Hewson acquits himself admirably in that department as well. It's the attention Hewson lavishes on his entire cast that keeps readers' interest piqued; all the rest, as they say, is gravy.

The Stranger House

Mary Elizabeth Devine

Read it. Now. Then contemplate why Mick Jagger is a knight and the incredibly talented Reginald Hill is not.Asking a mere mortal to review this book is like asking a Vatican janitor to critique the Sistine Chapel. Hill is simply stunning in his integration of Nordic myth, the Elizabethan era, the twentieth century, and the emerging twenty-first century.

Into Illthwaite, an insular village in Cumbria, two strangers arrive. Miguel Madero, an "almost priest" known as Mig, has come from Spain to research a thesis on the recusants (Catholics) of the Elizabethan era. Only the Woollass family answered his request for information, so he has come to inquire about the family background.

Another interloper is Samantha ("Sam") Flood, who has come from Australia to study math at Cambridge but has detoured to Cumbria to learn about her grandmother, who was sent from England to Australia in 1961. Inevitably, perhaps, the two come together, and each learns secrets about her/his family. To say much more would give away too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that Hill has created characters who have roots going back centuries in a village which is a world unto itself.

The Two Minute Rule

Verna Suit

Max Holman robbed banks. One day he exceeded the two-minute window a bank robber has before police can react to an alarm and got sent to prison for ten years. On the day he's released, he learns that his only child, Richard, has just been killed. Richard, a police officer, was gunned down in an ambush. Max is devastated.

The explanation of the shooting has inconsistencies, and when he asks questions, the police stonewall him. So Max wonders if Richard was involved in something illegal. He's tormented by the thought that the son he was so proud of might have followed in his father's footsteps.

Max wants to uncover the truth of Richard's life and death and turns for help to the FBI agent who arrested him. Katherine Pollard has since left the agency, but Max's story interests her. She's wary, but uses her FBI contacts to help Max start finding answers.

Robert Crais creates characters who are essentially good but stuck in a bad world. In this story of ex-cops and robbers in middle age, he gets into the minds of an ex-con trying to adjust to life on the outside and an ex-FBI agent who wishes she were back in the game. Max and Katherine are both likeable and one roots for them as they bend rules and use their insider knowledge to figure out what's going on.

The Two Minute Rule, another great thriller from a master, reaches a point where it becomes impossible to put down.

The Ying on Triad

Hank Wagner

Working at the Austin, Texas detective agency known as Blevins Investigations isn't always exciting, but it does have its moments, as PI Tony Boudreaux relates first hand in The Ying on Triad. For instance, there's the case that just came through the door, brought to the firm by his friend, mobster Danny O'Banion.

O'Banion wants the gumshoe to look into the case of death row inmate Robert Packard, convicted of shooting then governor elect Albert Hastings over a decade earlier. The one complication is that Packard is scheduled to be executed in one week. Boudreaux, accompanied by socialite girlfriend Janice Coffman-Morrison, quickly discovers that the case against Packard is not as airtight as it seemed. Digging deeper, Boudreaux finds that his own life is threatened as those who wish to see Packard done away with bring their weight to bear.

This slim volume delivers everything you could ask of a PI novel, following a relatively tough protagonist on a dangerous odyssey of discovery. Related in the first person, the narrative is straight and to the point, with no significant detours (although some purists might be bothered by the appearance of a recipe part way through). Boudreaux is creative and capable, a worthy opponent for the wrong doers who eventually decide he must be terminated. Although not a surprise by any means, the denouement provides a satisfying conclusion to a quick, engaging read.

What the Hyena Knows

Jeff Siegel

Ex-cops have been writing thrillers for almost 40 years, ever since Joseph Wambaugh's The Onion Fields. Since then, their efforts have missed as often as they've hit, for most ex-cops write like cops (ever read an accident report?) and not Wambaugh. Fortunately, Thomas J. Keevers, one-time Chicago homicide detective, is well past the accident report phase, and What the Hyena Knows is a more than credible page turner.

It's the second book featuring ex-cop and ex-lawyer Mike Duncanvan, who must juggle a possible reconciliation with his first ex-wife; what may or may not be a hyena wandering Chicago's Humboldt Park; and an investigation for a defense attorney who is representing a gay man accused of raping and murdering a young boy. Keevers' style isn't always subtle--one of the bad guys talks like he came out of a Jungle Jim movie serial--but he knows and understands Chicago, a city that has rarely been done well by private eye novelists. The El clatters by his office at Washington and Wells (on the wrong side of The Loop), while his neighborhoods--Polish, Irish, and African-American--are Chicago's neighborhoods.

White Tiger

Mary Welk

Psychiatrist Jack Caleb has an unnerving flashback to his soldiering days in Vietnam after hearing of the murder of a Vietnamese woman. The experience causes Caleb to join a psychiatric therapy group led by his friend Arthur. Meanwhile, Detective John Thinnes is pulled from the same murder case when he recognizes the dead woman as the wife of an old Nam Army buddy. Thinnes asks Caleb for help when long buried memories begin to plague him. Thinnes' recollections of Vietnam include those of a Vietnamese mobster called the White Tiger. Convinced that the White Tiger is somehow connected to the murder, a frustrated Thinnes pursues nebulous leads, while his partner, Don Franchi, tackles the case from a more official standpoint.

The darker side of the Vietnam conflict comes to life in this intelligent yet disturbing novel by accomplished writer Michael Allen Dymmoch. Two decent men face the demons of their past, a past dominated by war, passion, and the sacrifice of treasured beliefs. John Thinnes' journey of self-discovery relates to the murder case, but his internal struggle is less chilling than that of Jack Caleb. It is Caleb's story that drives the book, sometimes overshadowing the plot, sometimes complementing it. Some readers may be troubled by Dymmoch's portrayal of events in Vietnam. Others will understand that war damages those on both sides. Dymmoch leaves no doubt, though, as to the moral integrity of her characters. That said, readers will be satisfied with the novel's resolution.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Jeff Siegel

Sally Montgomery should have trusted her instincts. Just because she hadn't gone on a date in 15 years, more or less, is no reason to go on one now. But she takes Frederick Pierson up on his offer, and the next thing she knows Pierson is murdered and she is both suspect and potential victim, and on the lam from the authorities.

Kane, a veteran romance suspense novelist, more than knows her way around this sort of thing. In order to keep the plot from sounding like the same old book, she throws in a variety of twists and turns. Montgomery's ex-husband is a retired cop, who figures he had better lend a hand by infiltrating the Pierson family. Their daughter, a veterinarian named Devon, helps too, but unfortunately seems to be falling for the murdered man's nephew. Meanwhile, since the Piersons are part of the horsey set, Kane gets an opportunity to write about horse show jumping, which isn't as dull as it sounds. And if the end isn't all that surprising, especially on the romance side, Kane is a practiced hand at work who knows how to tie up all the loose ends satisfyingly.

A Habit for Death

Mary Elizabeth Devine

Talk about deja vu all over again--much of my misspent youth returned to me upon reading A Habit for Death. The setting is a college run by nuns (14 years for me with the good sisters), and the protagonist is a stage manager (seven years); however even without that background, you will find A Habit for Death a mystery worth reading.

Nicky D'Amico has left New York, a failed relationship, and the dreadful summer humidity to work as a stage manager at St. Gilbert's College, which is holding its annual theatre festival. He soon learns that there is more crime and mayhem at St. Gilbert's than he ever experienced in New York--and just as much humidity in western Pennsylvania.

The play, which Nicky knows to be a total dog, is Convent of Fear, a Musical Thriller, with a cast drawn largely from the nuns at the school. In an early rehearsal, Sister Sally, who is to be murdered in the play, actually dies on stage. Nicky is convinced that the death by ingestion of bug poison was truly an accident--until his office and the costume shop are ransacked and a second nun is murdered.

The book is a bit schizophrenic--the first half is laugh until you weep; the second half is a bit darker. The characters are an eclectic bunch of theatre types and hangers on. Of the staff from St. Gilbert's, the arrogant "impresario" Benny Singleton and his wild child daughter stand out. The most endearing character is Paolo, a friend of Nicky, who has come with his lover Roger to visit Nicky, and who is not reluctant to butt into the rehearsals with unwanted advice. Nicky tries to help Paolo and Roger mend their semi-damaged relationship, while dealing with his own lust for one of the bit players. Nicky, an interesting blend, is totally organized in his work and a mess in real life.

Zito's background in theatre is clearly an asset--he has a great ear for dialogue and the ability to set believable scenes both in the theatre and out.

A Murderous Innocence

Barbara Fister

The latest in the Joe Silva series, set in the small coastal town of Mellingham, opens at a funeral for a young man who has died of a drug overdose. Before long, one of his friends is having a funeral of his own, after toppling out of his bedroom window, a careless thing to do when, by all accounts, he had cleaned up and was putting his life together. Though there are no obvious signs of foul play, something about the accident doesn't add up, and Joe Silva can't leave it alone.

Mellingham is located at the intersection of the cozy village mystery and the more hard-boiled tradition, reminiscent of Julia Spencer-Fleming's Miller's Kill without the adventurous pacing, or of Archer Mayor's Vermont without the finely orchestrated ensemble procedural work. There is a large cast of characters in this low-key mystery, from Ann Rose, a community volunteer who seems mystified by the neediness of the children whose lives she touches, to the homeless friend of the dead addict. Then there's a gang of aimless teens who are headed for trouble, and seem to be taking the son of Joe's friend Gwen with them.

Though the plot is satisfyingly twisty, the story suffers from its multitude of viewpoints. We are privy to many town residents' feelings and thoughts, but they don't cohere as complete characters and the narrative switchbacks slow the pacing. Still, readers who have enjoyed the Mellingham series in the past will want to try out this relatively dark-hued installment.

Borkmann's Point

Hank Wagner

Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is vacationing when his superior calls to ask him if he could assist the Kaalbringen police department with solving the murders of an ex-con and a wealthy real estate mogul, both of whom have been murdered with an ax. Bored and restless, the methodical Van Veeteren readily agrees, happily applying his considerable wealth of knowledge and experience to tracking the killer down.

To Van Veeteren, it is only a matter of time before the killer is caught--the Chief Inspector believes deep down that he will recognize the murderer once he encounters him. His confidence is misplaced however, as the investigation drags on for several weeks without uncovering a single promising lead.

A well-respected author in Sweden, Nesser, whose books have been published in fifteen countries, is not well known in the United States; in fact, Borkmann's Point (which is actually Nesser's second novel) is the first of his books to be published in America. This state of affairs should change quickly though, as Borkmann's Point should win him numerous fans.

Although it has a familiar plot, the book distinguishes itself through its terse but thorough studies of the parties involved in the investigation, from Van Veeteren, to his various colleagues on the police force, and to the killer himself. As revealed through alternating vignettes, their personalities and thought processes shine through, creating a feeling of intimacy between the reader and Nesser's cast, a feeling that will turn into a longing for more once the last page is turned.

Consigned to Death

Mary Elizabeth Devine

Josie Prescott is the sort of person you know would give you an honest price on your Aunt Tilly's antique clock. Precisely that honesty got her into trouble with the fancy antique auction house where she worked in New York. She spilled the beans on her boss' involvement in a price fixing scheme, and instead of being regarded as a hero by her colleagues, she was treated as a pariah.

Prescott has relocated to New Hampshire, where she has a thriving business in estimating and selling antiques. Hired to appraise the goods and furnishings of the elderly Nathaniel Grant, Prescott is horrified to learn that he has been murdered...and that the chief of police suspects her.

Cleland's characters range from the amiable Josie Prescott to the equally amiable Mrs. Cabot, Grant's daughter, to her daughter, Andi, a drug addict with the personality of a Rottweiller, and to Josie's coterie of friends and employees, all drawn with intelligence and sympathy.

In spite of a few disappointments, Cleland weaves a compelling tale of missing paintings, of paintings bought for a song from Jews fleeing the Nazis, and of the warfare among antique dealers looking for the next lucrative commission. She expertly integrates information about antiques with a plot that moves quickly from murder to the back-biting dealers.

Crippen

Charles L.P. Silet

On the quay in Antwerp, Belgium the SS Montrose of the Canadian Pacific fleet of passenger ships is preparing to sail for Quebec, Canada, and the passengers are beginning to arrive: the imperious Mrs. Antoinette Drake and her daughter Victoria, a somewhat nervous Mr. John Robinson and his son Edmund, the shy Miss Martha Hayes, and the stockbroker's son Kenneth Cage. So assembles some of the characters that will populate John Boyne's historical thriller based on the celebrated Crippen murder case.

In July 1910 in the basement of 39 Hilldrop Crescent the police discovered the mutilated, headless corpse of Bella Elmore, a modestly famous music hall singer, and wife of Dr. Hawley Crippen. Crippen fled the premises, and perhaps the country, with his mistress. The case became one of the most notorious in the annals of British crime and earned Dr. Crippen a place among the more infamous of British killers.

John Boyne has fashioned a gripping novel that skillfully weaves together his fictional plot with historical details of the fleeing murderers and the pursuing Scotland Yard investigators in a satisfying and engaging thriller.

Crossfire

Beverly J. DeWeese

Junko Aoki can start a fire just by thinking about it. She is normally able to control this unusual talent, unless she gets really mad. In any case, Sergeant Chikako Ishizu, a member of the Tokyo arson squad, doesn't believe in this paranormal stuff. Still, even she admits there have been some unusual and mysterious arson deaths lately, and she's not been able to pin down the obvious suspects. The cases are very puzzling.

This genre-blending mystery is fast moving and well constructed, if slightly offbeat. Though the first few pages are somewhat reminiscent of Stephen King, the story quickly becomes a solid police procedural. There are plenty of clues, forensics, and possible motives for Sergeant Chikako to investigate. Of course, she also has to deal constantly with the ubiquitous police politics and the old boy network.

The Tokyo background is filled with lifestyle details of the rich and the not-so-rich. Miyabe especially does a good job of evoking the dark side of modern day Japan, including mob hits and vigilante groups. Both Junko and Sergeant Chikako are vividly fleshed out, and as we learn the back stories of the characters, the reader develops empathy for cops, suspects, and victims.

Though there is a hint of comic book heroism in the first few pages, this is a well written, unusual mystery. An engrossing read.

Cymry Ring

Beverly J. DeWeese

Ian Carreg, though recently widowed, is a Welsh copper who still loves his job, and he is eager to pick up Jemma Henderson, a convicted murderer. He thinks he has her cornered at Cymry Henge, a sort of local Stonehenge, but just as he's ready to arrest her, he's knocked out and he wakes up near a very small village circa 100 AD--and Jemma is there too!

Cymry Ring is a skillfully written time travel tale, with a bit of mystery, and a sweet love story. It seems Jemma has planned her time travel jaunt, so she has brought some simple medical supplies with her. Naturally, she soon gains respect as a healer. However, Ian refuses to believe he's really gone back in time, and he has to work harder to be accepted. Before he becomes the blacksmith's apprentice, life is pretty rough for him. Generally, the practical details of life in 100 AD for both Jemma and Ian seem well researched and believable. For example, the landscape is beautiful, but dirt, illness, bad food, and poor shelter are a big part of their new lives.

The on-again, off-again love story of Jemma and Ian will please many readers, though Jemma is the one calling the shots. Historically, Celtic women had some power. Both characters are quite likeable. The plot moves quickly, and the appearance of a famous Roman at the end is a nice surprise.

This is an entertaining read though it is more time travel than mystery.

Dead Days of Summer

Joseph Scarpato Jr.

If you like cozy mysteries, you'll enjoy most of Carolyn Hart's 17 Death on Demand novels. I've read about a half dozen of them, and Dead Days of Summer is my new favorite.

This mystery begins when Annie Darling, owner of the Death on Demand mystery bookstore, receives a call from her husband Max saying that he has a new client for his Confidential Commissions investigative services and may be home late. When he doesn't return or call back by late that night, Annie stops by his office, just in time to interrupt an unidentified intruder who escapes. The next day, the body of a beautiful woman is discovered, and all the evidence points to Max who is found shortly thereafter dazed and covered in the woman's blood. By all accounts, he was the last person seen with her.

While Max awaits trial, Annie and her friends must discover who among the dead woman's acquaintances wanted her dead, and why. The sleuthing is of a high order, the suspense builds, and the denouement is both satisfying and surprising.

Carolyn Hart is the only author nominated nine times for the prestigious Agatha Award, and she is at the top of her game here.

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