May 2023 MBR The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Austin Noir
Hopeton Hay, editor
Scott Montgomery, editor
Molly Odintz, editor
Akashic Books
232 Third Street, #A115, Brooklyn, NY 11215
www.akashicbooks.com
9781636140896, $16.95, PB, 296pp

https://www.amazon.com/Austin-Noir-Hopeton-Hay/dp/1636140890

Synopsis: Co-edited by the team of Hopeton Hay, Scott Montgomery, and Molly Odintz, "Austin Noir" from Akashic Books features new and deftly crafted short stories by authors Gabino Iglesias, Ace Atkins, Amanda Moore, Jeff Abbott, Scott Montgomery, Richard Z. Santos, Alexandra Burt, Lee Thomas, Miriam Kuznets, Jacob Grovey, Chaitali Sen, Molly Odintz, Amy Gentry, and Andrew Hilbert.

Critique: Each featured short story comprising "Austin Noir" is a memorable gem of a suspense thriller that will be of special appeal to readers with an interest in succinct, memorable, impressively original, and skillfully written mysteries. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Crime Fiction anthology collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Austin Noir" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note #1: Hopeton Hay (https://twitter.com/diversebookshay) is a book talk show host and producer based in the Austin metro area who has been interviewing crime-fiction authors since 2009. Currently, he hosts and produces the Diverse Voices Book Review podcast which features a monthly crime-fiction episode.

Editorial Note #2: Scott Montgomery (https://crimereads.com/author/scottmontgomery) became immersed in the crime-fiction scene while working at the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles. In Austin, he has continued to work as a bookseller at BookPeople, specializing in the genre. His writing has appeared in Shotgun Honey and the anthologies Murder on Wheels, Lone Star Lawless, and The Eyes of Texas.

Editorial Note #3: Molly Odintz (https://crimereads.com/author/molly-odintz) is the senior editor of CrimeReads. Her essays and criticism have appeared in the Paper Brigade and the Austin Chronicle.

Murder in the Highlands
Debbie Young
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781804831267, $41.00, PB, Large Print, 323pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/uk/search/Murder%20in%20the%20highlands

Synopsis: A relaxing Highland tour becomes quite the opposite when a foursome find themselves investigate a murder by the shores of the great Loch Ness. The untimely death prompts octogenarian sleuth Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe and her pensioner friends to investigate.

A getaway next to Loch Ness offers more mystery than the holidaymakers have bargained for. It's not just Nessie lurking around the eerie shores.

Lady Marjorie is frequently at odds with her cousin-in-law, Edna Parkinton, but they agree on one thing. They are determined to track down a killer. Meanwhile, Horace Tyler and Frederick Mackworth are distracted by an attractive newcomer who threatens to divide the foursome.


Critique: "Murder in the Highlands: is the humorous second book in the Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe Mystery series novelist Debbie young. This original and cleverly crafted 'whodunnit' will have a very special appeal for mystery buffs who enjoy twisty red herrings, dastardly deaths and laugh-out-loud moments in an unreservedly recommended Scottish Highland thriller. Simply stated, "Murder in the Highland" is a strongly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Editorial Note: Debbie Young (https://authordebbieyoung.com) has an informative personal and professional website at https://authordebbieyoung.com

Murder At Waldenmere Lake
Michelle Salter
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781837510498, $41.00, PB, Large Print, 458pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-at-waldenmere-lake-michelle-salter/1142867980

Synopsis: in 1921 a murder shocks the small town of Walden. And it's only the beginning!

Local reporter Iris Woodmore is determined to save her beloved lake, Waldenmere, from destruction. After a bloody and expensive war, the British Army can't afford to keep the lake and build a convalescent home on its shores yet they still battle with Walden Council and a railway company for ownership. But an old mansion used as an officer training academy stands where the railway company plans to build a lakeside hotel. It belongs to General Cheverton -- and he won't leave his home.

When the General is found murdered, it appears someone will stop at nothing to win the fight for Waldenmere. Iris thinks she can take on the might of the railway company and find the killer. But nothing prepares Iris for the devastation that's to come...

Critique: A clever, fun, and original 'whodunnit' murder mystery, "Murder At Waldenmere Lake" is a simply riveting read from first page to last. This large print paperback edition from Boldwood Books is particularly recommended for both the personal reading lists of dedicated 'whodunniit' mystery buffs and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Editorial Note: Michelle Salter (https://www.michellesalter.com) is an historical crime fiction writer based in Hampshire, United Kingdom. Many of her novels are set in the area where she lives and are inspired by real-life events in 1920s Britain. She can be followed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleSalterWriter and on Twitter: @MichelleASalter

Midsummer Mysteries: Tales from the Queen of Mystery
Agatha Christie
William Morrow Paperbacks
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063310957, $18.99, PB, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Midsummer-Mysteries-Tales-Queen-Mystery/dp/0063310953

Synopsis: Summertime -- as the temperature rises, so does the potential for evil. From Cornwall to the French Riviera, whether against a background of Delphic temples or English country houses, Some of Agatha Christie's most famous characters solve complicated puzzles as the stakes heat up.

With the publication of "Midsummer Mysteries: Tales from the Queen of Mystery ", all mysery buffs in general, and the legions of Agatha Christie fans in particular, are invited to enjoy the plot twists and red herring embedded 'whodunnit' conundrums from a master of the genre.

"Midsummer Mysteries" includes: The Blood-Stained Pavement; The Double Clue; A Death on the Nile; Harlequin's Lane; The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman; Jane in Search of a Job; The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim; The Idol House of Astarte; The Rajah's Emerald; The Oracle at Delphi; The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger; The Incredible Theft.

Critique: Originally published in 2021 by HarperCollins, this new paperback edition of "Midsummer Mysteries: Tales from the Queen of Mystery" is a 'must' for the legions of Agatha Christie fans and for all community and academic library Agatha Christie mystery/suspense collections.

Editorial Note: Agatha Christie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie) was born in Torquay in 1890 and began writing during the First World War which ultimately resulted in more than 100 novels, plays and short story collections. She was still writing to great acclaim until her death, and her books have now sold over a billion copies in English and another billion in over 100 foreign languages. Yet Agatha Christie was always a very private person, and though Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple became household names, the Queen of Crime was a complete enigma to all but her closest friends.

Obelists at Sea
C. Daly King
American Mystery Classics
https://www.mysteriousbookshop.com
9781613164150, $25.95, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Obelists-at-Sea-Daly-King/dp/1613164157

Synopsis: The smoking room on a transatlantic cruise ship is bound to be a hotbed of activity -- but it's less common for it to be the site of a murder. Yet, when the lights flicker aboard the luxury Meganaut, making its way from New York to Paris, this is precisely what happens; in the darkness, a gunshot rings out, and when the light is restored, a man is found dead. The situation becomes all the more curious when it's discovered that the deceased had apparently ingested cyanide just seconds before being penetrated by the bullet.

Luckily, for the other passengers, there are two detectives aboard the Meganaut, ready to leap into action. There are also four psychiatrists, and those psychiatrists convince the captain to let them take a stab at solving the crime, using their professional understanding of the human psyche to determine who could have been capable of such a crime -- and why. But will they be able to deduce the puzzle's solution before the killer strikes again?

Critique: The first of seven novels by psychologist C. Daly King, "Obelists at Sea" is intelligently crafted and thoroughly enjoyable Golden Age mystery novel featuring an atmospheric setting, carefully placed clues, and a complex whodunnit plot explained with sharp-witted ratiocination, Originally published in 1932 and now brought back into print for a new general of appreciated readers as part of the American Mystery Classics series, "Obelists at Sea" by C. Daly King is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Cozy Mystery collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs with an interest in traditional 'whodunnit' murder mysteries featuring amateur sleuths that "Obelists at Sea" is also available in a paperback edition (9781613164167, $15.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: C. Daly King (1895-1963) was an American psychologist and detective story writer. He was born in New York City and educated at Yale University. After fighting in World War I, he worked in textiles and in advertising before returning to school to study psychology, with a particular focus on sleep and consciousness. In the 1930s, King published nine books that quickly established him as a master of the Golden Age mystery, but ceased writing fiction with the advent of World War II. (https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/c-daly-king)

The Mill House Murders
Yukito Ayatsuji, author
Ho-Ling Wong, translator
Pushkin Vertigo
c/o Pushkin Press
www.pushkinpress.com
9781782278337, $15.95, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Mill-House-Murders-Classic-Japanese/dp/1782278338

Synopsis: As they do every year, a small group of acquaintances pay a visit to the remote, castle-like Water Mill House, home to the reclusive Fujinuma Kiichi, son of a famous artist, who has lived his life behind a rubber mask ever since a disfiguring car accident.

This year, however, the visit is disrupted by an impossible disappearance, the theft of a painting and a series of baffling murders.

The brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada arrives to investigate. But will he get to the truth, and will you too be able to solve the mystery of the Mill House Murders?

Critique: A fun read and a classic Japanese locked room mystery with an ingenious conclusion from Yukito Ayatsuji (the author of The Decagon House Murders), and translated into English for the first time by Ho-Ling Wong, dedicated mystery buffs will not want to miss "The Mill House Murders", a beautifully constructed, highly entertaining and atmospheric murder mystery with a propulsive plot. "The Mill House Murders" is a compelling, page-turning read from start to finish. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of traditional detective 'whodunnit' mysteries in a Japanese setting that "The Mill House Murders" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note #1: Yukito Ayatsuji (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukito_Ayatsuji) is a Japanese writer of mystery and horror novels. He started writing as a member of the Kyoto University Mystery Club, a society dedicated to the writing of fair play mysteries inspired by the Golden Age greats. The Decagon House Murders was Ayatsuji's debut and is considered a landmark crime novel in Japan, where it revived the traditional puzzle mystery format and inspired a new generation of writers. The Mill House Murders is the sequel, again starring the great detective Kiyoshi Shimada.

Editorial Note #2: Ho-Ling Wong (https://mysteriesahoy.com/category/translator/ho-ling-wong) is a translator currently living in the Netherlands. Heis also both a Member of the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan and former member of the Kyoto University Mystery Club.

The Magistrate
Brian Klingborg
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250855015, $28.00, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Magistrate-Inspector-Lu-Fei-Mystery/dp/1250855012

Critique: A group of high-level civil servants has a tight grip on the extensive graft and corruption in Northern China's Harbin Cit. for years the members of this group (the so-called Nangang Benevolent Association) have raked in untold riches at the expense of ordinary citizens. But now they are being targeted by a shadowy figure who calls himself the Magistrate. Some of them have been boldly kidnapped off the streets, then threatened, beaten, and worse. Others are in hiding hoping to avoid the Magistrate's men, determined to find and eliminate their unseen foe. A brutal murder investigation with connections to corruption at the very highest level threatens not just the career but also the life of Inspector Lu Fei.

Critique: "The Magistrate" is author Brian Klingborg's latest mystery novel featuring the Chinese detective inspector Lu Fie. Original, deftly crafted, and with more plot twists and turns than a Chinese Dragon Dance, "The Magistrate" is unreservedly recommended as a top pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of mystery buffs with an interest in police procedurals and international crime novels that "The Magistrate" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Brian Klingborg (https://www.brianklingborg.com) has both a B.A. (University of California, Davis) and an M.A. (Harvard) in East Asian Studies and spent years living and working in Asia. He currently works in early childhood educational publishing and lives in New York City. Klingborg is also the author of Kill Devil Falls.

The Murder of Anton Livius
Hansjorg Schneider, author
Astrid Freuler, translator
Bitter Lemon Press
www.bitterlemonpress.com
9781913394875, $15.95, PB, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Livius-Inspector-Hunkeler-Investigates/dp/1913394875

Synopsis: Hunkeler must deal not only with the quarrelsome tenants of the garden but with the challenges of investigating a murder that has taken place outside his jurisdiction, across the French border in Alsace. The clues lead to the Emmental in Berne, and then to Alsace where wounds from the Second World War have never healed.

Series: Inspector Hunkeler is close to retirement age, gruff, intuitive, and endowed with a deep sense of psychology and a horror of social injustice. It feels like Hunkeler investigates mostly by spending time in the bars and inns of his beloved city of Basel and in neighboring Alsace where he shares a small farmhouse with his long-suffering 'girlfriend' Hedwig in a harsh winter with unusually heavy snowfall and persistent sub-zero temperatures.

A riveting crime thriller, it emphasizes that as an outsider, Hunkeler is alive to class differences and social milieux. The contrast between the xenophobia of the local police and the Swiss press and the desperate, often lonely, world of Balkan and other immigrants informs the story.

Critique: It is interesting to note that the neighboring cities of Basel and Alsace are evoked with great love by author and novelist Schneider -- who in real life lives on the same street and frequents the same bars and restaurants as his fictional detective, Inspector Hunkeler. "The Murder of Anton Livius" is the third title in the Inspector Hunkeler series published in English. The first was The Basel Killings published by Bitter Lemon in 2021, winner of the Friedrich Glauser Prize, Germany's most prestigious crime fiction award. The second was Silver Pebbles, a beautifully crafted thriller about stolen diamonds, drug couriers and people accidentally caught in a vortex of crime. A deftly crafted crime thriller ably translated into English by Astrid Freuler, "The Murder of Anton Livius" is an eloquent, compelling, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Editorial Note #1: Hansjorg Schneider (born 1938) lives in Basel and began his professional career as a journalist and essayist. He is the author of a number of highly acclaimed plays and of the bestselling Hunkeler crime series, now with ten titles published. "The Basel Killings" was awarded The Friedrich Glauser Prize, Germany's most prestigious crime fiction prize. He has a website page at: https://www.bitterlemonpress.com/blogs/authors/hansjorg-schneider

Editorial Note #2: Astrid Freuler (https://aftranslations.co.uk) lives in Lydney, Gloucestershire, England. She is a translator from German and has published translations of non-fiction and fiction, including the crime thriller A Shadow Falls by Andreas Pfluger, published by Head of Zeus.

The Way of the Bear
Anne Hillerman
Harper
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780062908391, $30.00, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Way-Bear-Novel-Leaphorn-Manuelito/dp/0062908391

Synopsis: An unexpected death on a lonely road outside of Utah's Bears Ears National Monument raises questions for Navajo Tribal Police officers Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito. Why would a seasoned outdoorsman and well-known paleontologist freeze to death within walking distance of his car? A second death brings more turmoil. Who is the unidentified man killed during a home invasion where nothing much seems to have been taken? Why was he murdered?

The Bears Ears area, at the edge of the Navajo Nation, is celebrated for its abundance of early human habitation sites and the discovery of unique fossils which revolutionized the scientific view of how early animals dealt with their changing world. Chee and Manuelito appreciate the area's scenery and wealth of human and scientific resources, but their visit to this achingly beautiful place is disrupted by a current of unprecedented violence that sweeps them both into danger. Illicit romance, a fossilized jawbone, hints of witchcraft, and a mysterious disappearance during a blizzard add to the peril.

It takes all of Manuelito's and Chee's experience, skill, and intuition to navigate the threats that arise and see justice served.

Critique: Another original and riveting novel from the mind and imagination of Anne Hillerman, "The Way of the Bear" will prove to be a high demand addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs in general, and the legions of Hillerman fans in particular, that "The Way of the Bear" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99). Librarians should note for their collections that there is also a complete and unabridged audio book (Harper Audio, (9780063291898, $34.99, CD) and a special paperback edition (Harper Large Print, 9780063297814, $34.00, 416pp).

Editorial Note: Anne Hillerman (https://www.annehillerman.com) is the author of the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series. The Way of the Bear is her eighth novel in this series, which was originally created by her father, Tony Hillerman.

Lay This Body Down
Charles Fergus
Arcade Publishing
www.arcadepub.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781956763447, $26.99, HC, 312pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lay-This-Body-Down-Mystery/dp/1956763449

Synopsis: "Lay This Body Down" by Charles Fergus is the third title in his Gideon Stoltz Mystery series and takes place in 1837 during one of the most horrific periods in pre-Civil War America, when human beings were considered chattel and both northern and southern states grew rich from slave labor.

A Pennsylvania sheriff like Gideon could choose to uphold the federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 or defy that racist law at great peril. Gideon and his wife True must solve a murder, bust a kidnaping ring, and help one unforgettable boy who has fled north from a Virginia plantation, courageously choosing his freedom above all else.

Critique: "Lay This Body Down" is written by novelist Charles Fergus with the vivid, atmospheric prose that has imbued the previous two novels ("A Stranger Here Below" and "Nighthawks Wings") comprising this superbly crafted series featuring the life and times of an early American backwoods town and its hardscrabble citizens. Of particular interest to fans of police procedurals, Civil War era novels, and suspense thriller reads, "Lay This Body Down" is especially commended for community library Historical Mystery collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Lay This Body Down" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).

Editorial Note: Charles Fergus (http://www.charlesfergus.com) is the author of twenty books. The Gideon Stoltz mysteries are set during the Age of Andrew Jackson, a time when the foundations of the modern United States were being laid. It was a tumultuous era with many echoes of our current day: controversy raged over foreign immigration, prison reform, free education, religion, gun violence, a growing inequality of wealth, who should have the right to vote, states' rights versus federal oversight, and that overarching and hugely incendiary issue, slavery.

Go Find Daddy
Steve Goble
Oceanview Publishing
1620 Main Street, Suite 11, Sarasota, FL 34236
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608094479, $27.95, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Go-Find-Daddy-Runyon-Mystery/dp/1608094472

Synopsis: When a cop is murdered in rural Ohio on Donny Blackmon's property, the case seems open and shut. Donny must've done it -- after all, he's a known cop-hater, and he's already fled.

Believing her husband is innocent, Donny's wife calls Whiskey River Investigations, the new one-man PI agency run by former sheriff's deputy Ed Runyon, to see if Ed can find her husband.

Ed isn't sure he'll take the case until he visits the Blackmon family home and meets Donny's daughter, who has just been diagnosed with cancer -- and Donny doesn't know. When Donny's daughter asks Ed to "go find Daddy", Ed knows he has to find Donny before the police do, whether or not he's innocent.

Ed soon realizes finding Donny won't be an easy job: Donny trusts no one, and he's gone completely off the grid. But Ed finds something the police have missed and begins piecing the puzzle together. The closer he gets to the truth, the more danger he finds. But he took the job, so Ed is going to find Donny Blackmon -- or die trying!

Critique: Adeftly constructed crime thriller, "Go Find Daddy" by novelist Steve Goble will have a very special attraction to readers with an interest in Private Investigator mysteries. With more unexpected plot twists and turns than a Coney Island roller-coaster, and studded with memorably distinctive characters, "Go Find Daddy" will be a much appreciated acquisition for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of detective crime novel fans that "Go Find Daddy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Steve Goble (https://stevegoblefiction.wordpress.com) is a lifelong Ohio resident and a former journalist. He now works for an SEO company as he reinvents himself as a mystery novel writer. Go Find Daddy is the third novel in the Ed Runyon Mystery Series, following City Problems and Wayward Son.

Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man
Emily J. Edwards
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Dreamscape Media
https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com
9781639101825, $28.99, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Viviana-Valentine-Gets-Friday-Mystery/dp/1639101829

Synopsis: New York City, 1950. Viviana Valentine is Girl Friday to the city's top private investigator, Tommy Fortuna. The clients can be frustrating, and none more maddening than fabulously wealthy Tallmadge Blackstone, who demands Tommy tail his daughter, Tallulah, and find out why she won't marry his business partner, a man forty years her senior. Sounds like an open-and-shut case for a P.I. known for busting up organized crime -- but the next day, Viviana opens the office to find Tommy missing and a lifeless body on the floor.

The cops swoop in and Detective Jake Lawson issues a warrant for Tommy's arrest. Desperate to clear Tommy's name, Viviana takes on the Blackstone case herself. When she goes out for a night on the town with the heiress, she begins to learn the secrets behind Tallulah's headline-grabbing life. Meanwhile, Lawson is itching to solve his murder case, and continues harassing Viviana for answers -- until she's the victim of a series of violent attacks.

But Tommy's still missing, and Viviana is scared. As she digs into the dirty history of the Blackstone empire, she suddenly realizes the true danger at hand. Now, it's up to her to find her missing boss and make sure he doesn't turn up D.O.A.

Critique: "Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man" is a fun read from beginning to end, and one that will be of particular interest to readers of Cozy Mysteries featuring an amateur female sleuth confronted with having to solve a murder mystery that has more plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller-coaster. Novelist Emily J. Edwards is a master of the genre and "Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man" (part of the author's Girl Friday mysteries series) is a strongly recommended addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated Cosy Mystery fans that "Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man" is also available in a paperback edition (9781639104277, $18.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781666620825, $22.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Emily J. Edwards (https://www.msemilyedwards.com) earned her degree in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College and took the long road to becoming an author, working for over a decade as a wine and spirits journalist, radio producer, and podcaster.

A Novel Disguise
Samantha Larsen
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781639103461, $19.99, PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Novel-Disguise-Lady-Librarian-Mystery/dp/1639103465

Synopsis: Miss Tiffany Woodall didn't murder her half-brother, but she did bury him in the back garden so that she could keep her cottage. Now, the confirmed spinster has to pretend to be Uriah and fulfill his duties as the Duke of Beaufort's librarian while searching Astwell Palace for Uriah's missing diamond pin, the only thing of value they own. Her ruse is almost up when she is discovered by Mr. Samir Lathrop, the local bookseller, who tries to save her from drowning while she's actually just washing up in a lake after burying her brother.

Her plan is going by the book, until the rector proposes marriage and she starts to develop feelings for Mr. Lathrop. But when her childhood friend, Tess, comes to visit, Tiffany quickly realizes her secret isn't the only one hidden within these walls. The body of a servant is found, along with a collection of stolen items, and someone else grows mysteriously ill. Can Tiffany solve these mysteries without her own disguise being discovered? If not, she'll lose her cottage and possibly her life.

Critique: Set in 1784 London, "A Novel Disguise" by Samantha Larsen has everything a cozy mystery fan could want -- an historical mystery featuring an amateur female sleuth having to solve a murder mystery or suffer the most dire consequences if she fails. Memorable characters and deftly crafted (and surprising!) plot twists make "A Novel Disguise" a riveting read from cover to cover -- and will leave the reader looking eagerly toward Samantha Larsen's next murder mystery! While highly recommended as a popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "A Novel Disguise" is also available in a digital book format (Kidle, $13.99).

Editorial Note: Samantha Larsen (https://crookedlanebooks.com/samantha-larsen) has degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of Reading (Berkshire, England), and the University of North Texas.

Forgotten War
Don Bentley
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9780593333563, $28.00, HC, 464pp

https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-War-Matt-Drake-Novel/dp/059333356X

Synopsis: As a team, Matt Drake and his partner, Frodo, have watched each other's backs through some very dark days. But one thing they've never doubted was their commitment to each other -- until now!

Frodo has been accused of a war crime ten years after leaving Afghanistan. Matt is determined to prove his friend innocent, but what will he do when he finds that his closest friend has secrets he won't share?

Critique: As a an author of military and espionage thrillers, novelist Don Bentley is able to bring a vivid sense of realism to his stories because of his own military and FBI careers. "Forgotten War" is a compelling and compulsively page turner of a narrative driven story and highly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library suspense thriller fiction collections. It should be noted that "Forgotten War" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Don Bentley (https://donbentleybooks.com) is the author of the Matt Drake series (Forgotten War, Hostile Intent, The Outside Man, Without Sanction) and three Tom Clancy novels. Bentley spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot and deployed to Afghanistan as an air cavalry troop commander. Following his time in the military, Bentley worked as an FBI special agent and was a SWAT team member. Bentley is also a graduate of the Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction MFA program.

Not So Perfect Strangers
L. S. Stratton
Union Square & Co.
unionsquareandco.com
9781454947431, $16.99, PB, 320pp

https://us.amazon.com/Not-So-Perfect-Strangers-Thriller/dp/1454947438

Synopsis: Tasha Jenkins has finally found the courage to leave her abusive husband. Taking her teenage son with her, Tasha checks into a hotel the night before their flight out of D.C. and out of Kordell Jenkins's life forever.

But escaping isn't so easy, and Tasha soon finds herself driving back to her own personal hell. As she is leaving, a white woman pounds on her car window, begging to be let in. Behind the woman, an angry man is in pursuit. Tasha makes a split-second decision that will alter the course of her life: she lets her in and takes off.

Tasha and Madison Gingell may have very different everyday realities, but what they have in common is marriages they need out of. The two women want to help each other, but they have very different ideas of what that means.

They are on a collision course that will end in the case files of the D.C. MPD homicide unit. Unraveling the truth of what really happened may be impossible and futile. Because what has the truth ever done for women like Tasha and Madison?

Critique: A deftly crafted combination of domestic thriller and a murder nail-biter of a read from first page to last, "Not So Perfect Strangers" by novelist L. S. Stratton is unreservedly recommended pick for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal lists of interested readers that "Not So Perfect Strangers" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.49).

Editorial Note: L.S. Stratton (https://crimereads.com/author/lsstratton) is an NAACP Image Award-nominated author and former crime newspaper reporter who has written more than a dozen books under different pen names in just about every genre from thrillers to romance to historical fiction.

Tina, Mafia Soldier
Maria Rosa Cutrufelli, author
Robin Pickering-Iazzi, translator
Soho Crime
c/o Soho Press
853 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
www.sohopress.com
9781641294249, $24.95, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tina-Mafia-Soldier-Maria-Cutrufelli/dp/1641294248

Synopsis: Sicily, 1980s: When she was just eight years old, Tina watched as her father, a member of Cosa Nostra, was murdered in cold blood. Now a teenager, she terrorizes her hometown of Gela, having made it her mission to join the mafia, an organization traditionally forbidden to women as made members. Nicknamed a masculidda, or "the tomboy", Tina has taken charge of her own clan, and is notorious for her cruelty and reckless disregard for societal expectations.

When a news article is published about Tina's latest crimes, a teacher living in Rome feels compelled to write a novel about her -- even though it means returning to her native Sicily to gather material. She and Tina circle around each other in a dangerous dance of obsession and violence until their first, and last, explosive meeting.

Critique: Deftly translated into English for an American readership by Professor Robin Pickering-Iazzi and a simply riveting read from for page to last, "Tina, Mafia Soldier" is author and feminist icon Maria Rosa Cutrufelli's seminal exploration of gender identity, organized crime, and clear-eyed presentation of an unseen side of the mafia. While unreservedly recommended for community library Crime Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of readers with an interest in Mafia and organized crime thrillers that "Tina, Mafia Soldier" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note #1: Maria Rosa Cutrufelli (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Rosa_Cutrufelli) was born in Messina, Sicily and raised shuttling back and forth between Sicily and Bologna; she now resides in Rome. A major figure in Italian feminist movements, she boasts a long, prolific career as a journalist, cultural critic, and novelist. After earning her degree in Literature from the University of Bologna, she founded and directed the journal Tuttestorie. She also authored several works of travel literature, largely devoted to Africa, where she lived for three years. Her works have been translated into some twenty languages.

Editorial Note #2: Robin Pickering-Iazzi is Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Among her published works in translation are the novel Suspicion by Laura Grimaldi, Unspeakable Women: Selected Short Stories Written by Italian Women during Fascism, and the widely acclaimed Mafia and Outlaw Stories from Italian Life and Literature. (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=N57W5tkAAAAJ)

Her Deadly Game
Robert Dugoni
www.robertdugonibooks.com
Thomas & Mercer
9781662500190, $28.99, HC, 396pp

https://www.amazon.com/Her-Deadly-Game-Robert-Dugoni/dp/166250019X

Synopsis: Keera Duggan was building a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, until her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly. For the competitive former chess prodigy, returning to her family's failing criminal defense law firm to work for her father is the best shot she has. With the right moves, she hopes to restore the family's reputation, her relationship with her father, and her career.

Keera's chance to play in the big leagues comes when she's retained by Vince LaRussa, an investment adviser accused of murdering his wealthy wife. There's little hard evidence against him, but considering the couple's impending and potentially nasty divorce, LaRussa faces life in prison. The prosecutor is equally challenging: he is Miller Ambrose, Keera's former lover who is eager to destroy her in court on her first homicide defense.

As Keera and her team follow the evidence, they uncover a complicated and deadly game that's more than Keera bargained for. When shocking information turns the case upside down, Keera must decide between her duty to her client, her family's legacy, and her own future.

Critique: Another simply riveting novel from Robert Dugoni, "Her Deadly Game" is original, deftly crafted, and a fun read from first page to last for anyone with an interest in murder mysteries and suspense thrillers. While unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the growing legions of Robert Dugoni fans that "Her Deadly Game" is also available in a paperback edition (9781662500183, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Robert Dugoni (www.robertdugonibooks.com) is the author of the Tracy Crosswhite series; the Charles Jenkins series; the David Sloane series; and the stand-alone novels The 7th Canon, Damage Control, The World Played Chess, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. He is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Book Award for fiction and a three-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He is a two-time finalist for the Thriller Awards and the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, as well as a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award for mystery and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards.

Death Watch
Stona Fitch
https://www.stonafitch.com
Arrow Editions
c/o Concord Free Press
https://www.arroweditions.com/about
9780990805953, $18.95, PB, 250pp

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Watch-Stona-Fitch/dp/0990805956

Synopsis: Coe Vessel, son of a legendary adman, lands the much-anticipated ad campaign of artist-provocateur Watanabe's latest creation, a mysterious watch called Cassius Seven. The enigmatic Watanabe claims the watch can kill its wearer. Convinced it's a high-art hoax, Coe and his team of renegade creatives work furiously to land the campaign and persuade the world that the watch (rebranded as Death Watch) is the must-have accessory for end-time capitalism.

Thanks to the team's inventive launch, Death Watch finds eager buyers among the brazenly cocky, thoroughly disillusioned, and silently suicidal. Death Watch soon becomes a cultural phenomenon, harbinger of a new nihilism, and a target for moral outrage. Exactly what Watanabe envisioned. But his hoax turns horrific when the watches start going off, killing their wearers.

Appalled, Coe and his team reverse course and work feverishly to alert would-be customers. But can they stop the juggernaut they set in motion?

Critique: Unique, original, fascinating, and one of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf, "Death Watch" by Stona Fitch is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Humor/Satire Fiction collections. With a special appeal for those with an interest in a distinctive and all-to-believable premise, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Death Watch" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: Stona Fitch (https://www.stonafitch.com) is the author of seven novels. He is the founder of Concord Free Press, a revolutionary non-profit publisher that inspires generosity among readers. Since graduating from Princeton University, Stona has worked as a daily newspaper reporter, dishwasher, musician in a popular country-punk band, director of a non-profit organic farm, and communications consultant.

But Now I See
Bill Stackhouse
http://billstackhouse.com/index.html
Independently Published
9798844179556, $17.95, PB, 260pp

https://www.amazon.com/But-Now-See-McAvoy-Mystery/dp/B0BVTGDLRC

Synopsis; Even with a left leg shattered by a drug dealer's bullet and a medical retirement from the Detroit Police Force, former homicide captain Ed McAvoy feels he's too young to be put out to pasture. Accepting the job as Police Chief of Peekamoose Heights, in New York's Catskills, he figures it will be sort of like running a country club. After all, how much crime can there be in a quiet, little village?

McAvoy soon discovers that his skills as a homicide detective will not atrophy from lack of use in Peekamoose Heights. Murder, as it turns out, is an equal opportunity crime that not only resides in large bustling cities like Detroit, but in sleepy Catskill villages like Peekamoose Heights as well.

Porky Jarvis, co-owner of The Plough & Whistle Pub in Peekamoose Heights, has been selected as one of the guest chefs for the 'Gastronomy and Great Estates on the Hudson' tour -- a nine-day roundtrip cruise from New York City to Kinderhook to visit the historic mansions that dot the Hudson River shoreline, sandwiched between two two-day sightseeing excursions in Manhattan.

Figuring that he has earned a long overdue vacation, McAvoy signs up for the tour along with Porky's sister, Stevie Henderson, even though, due to a previous commitment on Porky's part, Porky and Stevie, and therefore McAvoy will have to leave the tour after dinner on Day #5.

When one of the members of the tour group is murdered, the Ulster County Sheriff tasks the former Detroit Police Force Homicide Captain with discovering who did it. Not so simple a task. First, McAvoy must figure out if the victim was, indeed, the intended target or simply collateral damage in a botched attempt at the assassination of someone else.

Many questions. Few answers. And a secret group, monitoring McAvoy's every move, who would like to keep it that way.

Critique: "But Now I See", is the eighth Ed McAvoy Mystery by novelist Bill Stackhouse and continues to showcase the author's genuine flair for originality and offering the distinctive kind of narrative driven storytelling style that is his hallmark as a storyteller -- keeping his reader's riveted attention from first page to last. Of special appeal to readers with a particular interest in police procedural style murder mysteries, "But Now I See" is a highly recommended addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections -- as well as being available for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.95).

Editorial Note: Bill Stackhouse (http://billstackhouse.com/index.html) scriptwriting credits include training films and promotional videos for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to name a few. He has also written numerous radio and TV commercials. Four of Bill's seven stage plays (The Best Laid Plans, The Early Bird, To Serve and Protect, and A Tradition of Service) have won local, statewide, regional, and national contests.. In addition to playwriting, Bill has directed many productions for various community theatres. For a very brief time, he even had a theatre company of his own that toured six mid-size cities in Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee.

Defcon
Michele Packard
Independently Published
www.michelepackard.com
9798987607701, $5.99 ebook, $11.99 paperback, $19.99 hardback

https://www.amazon.com/DEFCON-Thriller-AESOP-Michele-Packard/dp/B0C1DV22MR

Prior fans of genetically enhanced superwoman Matti Baker will welcome her return in Defcon, while newcomers will easily fall into her world. This is because Matti employs a feisty voice in describing an encounter which once again tests her ability to survive, protect her family, and prove effective in her efforts to thwart the bad guys and support everything she loves.

Matti is one of a triplet of enhanced children. Her strong family ties have resulted in prodigy who also have extraordinary abilities, and who join her in her efforts to neutralize threats to the U.S. Even seasoned thriller readers will be surprised and amazed by Defcon because Matti's character is spunky, sassy, and infused with proactive thinking and behaviors that translate into a passionate story infused with history and social observation.

Matti's opinions and examinations offer unexpectedly astute considerations of American ideals gone awry as the intrigue and confrontations play out. These thought-provoking, critical inspections, delivered in a brazen staccato first-person reflective voice, are part of what brings not only Matti and her family to life, but the principles they are fighting for in Defcon.

Another unusual device linking action with a contemporary, realistic punch is the ongoing allusions Matti makes to popular music and songs which pop up in her mind as she undertakes her missions. These cement her activities with a blend of drama and social reference that compliment the cat-and-mouse actions of intelligence, counterintelligence, and unconventional warfare that encircle her life to threaten all she loves. The challenge lies in what label to assign Defcon, because it doesn't fit neatly into any pat genre read.

Military in nature, but with a psychological force that lends it a deep personal flavor; thriller in action, but tempered by family relationships and close friendships; and flavored by political and historical information that invite debate and thought, Defcon is quite simply a standout for its adventure, tone, and powerful, female-driven protagonists. Libraries seeking extraordinary characters and stories which are nearly impossible to put down will find Defcon an outstanding choice that holds the promise to attract a wide audience.

The Indian Defense
Jay Perin
East River Books
www.EastRiverBooks.com
9781736468067, $4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Beijing-Blunder-Historical-Political-HUNDRED/dp/1736468073

Because The Indian Defense: A Historical Political Saga is the fifth book in the political thriller series One Hundred Years of War, it's recommended that readers of The Indian Defense will have read these predecessors because their rich history, continued here, should ideally be in the back of the mind when embarking on this latest adventure.

This story opens in 1989, where an ex-president crippled and incapacitated by an assassination attempt somehow appears to remain a key player in the political struggles which are emerging. It seems that stepbrother Godwin Kingsley has won, and is building his business empire around the world with a clever eye to disabling any semblance of rebellion in any of Temple's people or others who defy his bids for power.

With Temple's daughter Lilah on the run from powerful hit men, Temple disabled, and Kingsley's plan to rule the oil sector firmly in place, it would seem a slam dunk that nobody can change the fateful progression of his wide-reaching powers. Nobody, perhaps, except his friend Noah and a family secret that could penetrate the cloak of power and secrecy that surrounds Kingsley's world.

Jay Perin highlights the thrill in the thriller genre as his world-hopping adventure carries a host of characters into unfamiliar territory, foreign cultural encounters, and figures who prove just as powerful, in their own ways, as Kingsley or Temple. A cat-and-mouse game evolves, with American politics one of the main prizes as the characters hit, miss, and strategize their next moves.

As Lilah's foray into India provides her with tools to not just recover from the blows of but defy the forces pitted against her, readers follow her into an international journey replete with confrontations.

From fake bank transactions and events that place a former attorney's reputation on the line to exiles that concoct a new strategy to confront the forces that have transformed their lives, Jay Perin explores social, legal, and political changes through the eyes of characters who each hold their own special interests at heart.

Replete with risk-taking decisions, startling revelations, and a plot that toes the line between thriller and real-world historical facts, Perin's care in extracting events from politics of modern times, but couching them in a way that maintains distance from any association with real-world politicians, creates an especially adept dance between fact and fiction. This will draw a wide audience with the flavor of high drama and the not-quite-real familiarity of historical touches.

It's also important to note, that this point, that the One Hundred Years of War series is an adaptation of the Mahabharata, the Indian epic mythology. The presence of so many seemingly disparate elements would seem to portend a complex and weighty read, but The Indian Defense represents an accessible, thought-provoking, thoroughly engrossing story that enhances the series as a whole.

It is highly recommended for libraries and readers seeking the intersection of fiction, fact, and the well-developed tension of a compelling political thriller.

The Miracle at Assisi Hill
Pat Camalliere
Campat Publications
9798987162408, $24.95 Hardcover/$17.95 Paper/$5.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-at-Assisi-Hill/dp/B0BLB35PXV

The Miracle at Assisi Hill is a Christian mystery that follows the investigation of battle-torn amateur historian Cora Tozzi, who is recovering from tongue cancer and tackling her religious questions in a convent. When she befriends a nun with a secret and faces her husband's own serious illness, all her prayers seem for naught. Or, are they?

The juxtaposition of a quest to solve a mystery combined with spiritual inspection creates a story which will prove especially compelling to Christian audiences looking for more than intrigue alone. Pat Camalliere's special brand of investigation of psychological and mystery matters is simply delightful, between its focus on Cora's life and ongoing spiritual questions and the dilemmas faced by a woman destined to become a saint.

Between the health conundrums Cora faces with her husband Cisco's startling mental health decline in the face of physical illness ("She had no idea Cisco's personality could be affected like this. When her mother had a stroke, she was impaired and confused, but her personality remained the same. This was a shock. Cisco just wasn't acting like himself.") to subplots of ghost lore, Native American history and tribal interests, and miracles that portend religious revelations, the story is much more than either a mystery or a Christian examination, but a multifaceted production that draws on various levels. It's rare to see a novel as accessible to a wide audience of readers as it is to genre mystery followers or fans of Christian fiction.

Camalliere creates a memorable story that resonates on more than one level, offering a draw that invites religious introspection as well as moral and ethical examination. Another important note to know about its creation: the Sister who is presently in charge of the canonization process for Mother Mary Theresa participated in the editing of this book to ensure its historical and Catholic authenticity. The Miracle at Assisi Hill is thus highly recommended not just for libraries seeking genre mysteries that stand out, or for Christian collections seeking fiction that invites thought and discussion, but for general-interest readers who will find Cora's dilemmas and revelations about life, death, and what lies between are both intriguing and thoroughly engrossing.

Skin for Skin
Melvin Litton
Gordian Knot Books
c/o Crossroad Press
9781637897096, $4.99 ebook/$22.99 Print

https://www.amazon.com/Skin-Kansas-Murder-Trilogy/dp/163789709X

Six gamblers are robbed one night in 1930s Kansas. One additional, who never makes it to the table, is murdered in a macabre situation. Two farm families already struggling with their calling find equal challenge in their hearts and lives as the murder reaches out to enfold them in a poker game's dangerous stakes and the treachery and revenge which results.

This third book in the Kansas Murders series is best imbibed by readers of the prior productions, who will find Skin for Skin a powerful conclusion to the trilogy. This does not mean that newcomers are denied accessibility. From an opening section listing a cast of characters and their relationships, and the care Melvin Litton takes to build the atmosphere and environment of the times, the story reaches out in many ways, right from the start: "The sun tips down the dusty sky to spill its last light over the broad horizon then drops like an empty bottle beyond the tall weeds. The wind blows hard at the end of day, leaving line and shadow ill-defined, all relic moments in the ruined dusk."

The deadly preface to the poker game and events that follow chart the rushes of landscape in a poetic manner that brings this world to life, flavors it with intimate contrasts between life, death, and the shade that lies between, then serves as an intriguing introduction to the more worldly events that follow. Each seeming diversion and departure to the plot proves to be a device that cements characters, intentions, and a sense of place with the overlay of metaphor and philosophical and psychological observation.

Readers will find themselves walking the rough streets of 1930s Elim, Kansas, considering religious reading and mythological references and analyzing characters for their ulterior motives. Changing scenarios then test their mettle: "...given all they do without she admires her dad's stubborn effort to keep their farm. And he keeps smiling despite the odds. Never gives up, keeps working like their grandad who smiles and says, 'Give me a couple good crops, I'll spring back.'" This atmosphere is cemented by supercharged words and revelations that connect characters via cultural roots, religious inspection, and social change.

To call Skin for Skin a mystery or suspense piece would be both accurate and an injustice. Based on real events which cement the historical value of this novel, it is as vivid in its recreation of the 1930s as it is in its probe of mercurial intentions and changing worlds. Libraries and readers seeking literary intrigue and thought-provoking surveys of gambling and madness and their lasting impact on families and communities alike will find Skin for Skin a powerful exploration. It feels complex in the amount of characters and topics it presents and touches upon, but is completely riveting in its approach and discussions.

River of Wrath (St. Benedict, Book II)
Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor
Vesuvian Books
https://vesuvianmedia.com
www.StBenedictSeries.com
9781645480174, $17.95 Print/$7.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/River-Wrath-Benedict-Alexandrea-Weis/dp/1645480178

The St. Benedict series continues, following River of Ashes (Book I) with the story of Leslie Moore, now in the second semester of her senior year at St. Benedict High and still recovering from the death of her twin sister. This is ravaging her with guilt and affects everything in her life, from her relationships to her future.

Readers unfamiliar with the prior book may think this will be a story about ongoing bereavement and recovery, but River of Wrath is actually a murder mystery, and will especially delight mature teens who can absorb both the emotional and the investigative impact of this compelling tale.

Leslie isn't the only one questioning her position and future in this town. So are adults who have lived there for a long time, only to find that a new threat is challenging and changing their perceptions of its attraction and safety.

Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor craft a powerful story that moves from adult interests and perceptions to the narrower focus of a teen recovering from tragedy. Their ability to weave Leslie's concerns into the broader story of a series of murders that change everything is part of the draw of this tale. Not only has everything changed since Leslie Moore's deal with the devil, but so has she.

Vivid dialogue and descriptions cement the tension, contributing to a powerful account that winds through different lives affected by evolving events and subterfuge. Readers needn't have prior familiarity with River of Ashes to appreciate this continuation of Leslie's dilemmas -- but they should. Together, the two books present an intense series of events that are intrinsically woven on many levels, questioning the evolution of heroes, psychopaths, and family connections that not only bind, but damage.

The tension and revelations are nicely done, making this a special recommendation for those interested in not just murder mysteries, but the underlying influences that formulate criminal psyches and victims alike.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review