Know the Rules Against Murder

During the height of summer, Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache are celebrating their wedding anniversary at Manoir Bellechasse, a luxurious, isolated inn near the village of Three Pines, in Canada. When a terrible storm leaves behind a dead body, it is the job of Chief Inspector Gamache to unearth the secrets of the murder. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny is a beautifully written cozy that describes the landscape of Canada, and the intricacies of the luxurious inn. The mystery contrasts nicely with the peaceful nature setting of the woods around Three Pines, and Inspector Gamache is your classic inspector/detective. Louise Penny was an award-winning journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation before she left to write crime fiction. Her first Three Pines mystery, Still Life, won the Anthony and Barry Awards and the Dilys Award and her second book in the series, A Fatal Grace won the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel. Louise Penny currently lives in a small village south of Montreal with her husband, Michael, and two golden retrievers. Visit her site at http://www.louisepenny.com/.

The Lost Witness

Robert Ellis' The Lost Witness is a gripping, spooky crime novel. The book is a thriller set in Los Angeles that blends the suspense style of Michael Crichton with the pulse-pounding psychological suspense of Dean Koontz. Los Angeles Police Detective Lena Gamble is a cop held in disgrace by her superiors as a result of the way her case "ended up" in her first book, City of Fire. Her colleagues hail her as a hero because she captured the killer, but she has been punished and has not headed up a case in 8 months. When she finally receives a case, it is of a body chopped up and dropped in a Dumpster, a case the media finds very intriguing but Lena doesn't have any leads on. Lena Gamble is a tough, no-nonsense heroine, trying to find her way in a man's world. If you like toough heroines, you'll love this book!

Stephanie Plum is "Finger Lickin' Fifteen"

If Janet Evanovich's new Stephanie Plum series entry doesn't cause you to crave barbeque, then I don't know what will! Finger Lickin' Fifteen is a riot of a story, that lives up to the other fourteen books in the series. Stephanie Plum, lingerie-seller-turned-bounty-hunter, is at her zany best in this new novel, which centers around the murder of celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle. Chipotle visits Trenton, NJ to participate in a barbeque cook-off and ends up losing his head, unfortunately right in front of Lula, Stephanie's sidekick and fellow bail bonds office worker. Chipotle's killers spend their time trying to locate Lula to get rid of the only witness to his murder, and Lula recruits Stephanie to help her find Chipotle's killers so that she can feel safe and they can collect the reward money. Lula's big plan is to enter the barbeque competition that Chipotle had entered--and enlists Grandma Mazur's help in creating a prize-winning barbeque sauce (preferably one that doesn't give folks food poisoning). Stephanie also works overtime in this book, snooping for Ranger and his security company during the day, to help him discover who is breaking into his monitored homes and businesses and how they are accomplishing the burglaries. Evanovich again displays all of her beloved characters at their kooky best and delivers another humorous look at the life of the citizens of the 'burg in Trenton, NJ. Haven't read any Stephanie Plum novels yet? Start with the first book in this series, One for the Money.

Murder 101

Quick Study: A Murder 101 Mystery by Maggie Barbieri is a fun, quick read in a cozy that is sure to please mystery fans! Full of romance, humor and suspense, the book stars college English Professor Alison Bergeron. Alison begins dating NYPD detective Bobby Crawford, thinking that dating him would be exciting and involve lots of riding around in police cruisers, chasing down criminals and putting away the "bad guys." When a friend asks Alison to help her find his nephew, she eagerly asks Bobby for his advice on how to search for him. Unfortunately, the nephew's body had been pulled out of the Hudson River a few days earlier and Alison and Bobby begin to suspect that his death is not an accident! The plot thickens as Alison and Bobby begin spending a lot of time together trying to solve the case--Alison and Bobby's romance is as much a part of the story as is the murder, and readers who enjoy character development will love watching Alison and Bobby's relationship develop as they race to solve the murder mystery. Quick Study is the third book in this series: the other two are Extracurricular Activities and Murder 101.

Have a "May Day"...

May Day by Jess Lourey is the first "Murder-by-Month Mystery" written by the author. Mira James, the main character, lives in Minneapolis and has been taking it easy since she graduated from college. Leaving behind a dead-end job and a cheating boyfriend, Mira packs up her cat, and her car and moves to rural Battle Lake, Minnesota where she takes a job as an Assistant Librarian and a part-time reporter. She meets a nice guy who she thinks is the perfect man, until he turns up dead in the reference stacks! Determined to figure out why her perfect man was taken from her, Mira dives into the hidden mysteries of Battle Lake which includes old land deeds with Ojibwe secrets, senior citizens with freaky social lives, a group of thirty-year-old high school buddies with some serious grudges, and general quirkiness that develops in small towns. The book is humorous and contains an action-packed mystery--Mira James is a zany and smart heroine who flings herself into life as best as she can. Author Jess Lourey lives in Alexandria, Minnesota with her two kids and her black cat and teaches English and Sociology at the local college. The rest of the books in the series are: June Bug, Knee High by the Fourth of July, and August Moon

Forgot Something?

G. H. Ephron's Amnesia is a fast-paced psychological thriller, that is the debut book in the series for the author. Ephron's hero is Dr. Peter Zak, a psychologist who performed consults for the District Attorney's office until his wife was brutally murdered in her upstairs pottery studio while he was downstairs making tea. Dr. Zak is asked to consult on a new case, and he reluctantly agrees. The new case involves Sylvia Jackson who was attacked, shot in the head and left for dead, as the killer brutally murdered her boyfriend. Surprisingly, Sylvia survives her attack and wakes up after a six week coma, convinced that her ex-husband tried to murder her. Dr. Zak's goal is to assess how well Sylvia remembered the attack and if she is competent to testify at her ex-husband's trial. The novel is fast-paced and the character development of Peter Zak is wonderful. Ephron examines all of Zak's flaws and makes the reader sympathize with Zak's bitter life. The story is set in Boston, MA, and aptly describes the residents and characteristics of the city. Check out this book if you want to read a great story about a flawed hero with a lot to offer!

Face of a Killer

One of the library's patrons recently suggested I read Face of a Killer by Robin Burcell. The patron had truly enjoyed the book's intensity and suggested the I might like it too--and she was correct, I did enjoy it. The book stars FBI forensic artist Special Agent Sydney Fitzpatrick, who uses her considerable skills to create portraits of killers. Sydney gets caught up in her own life when she begins to question the innocence of the man about to be executed for her father's murder, which occurred twenty years earlier. Her re-investigation of her father's death leads her to a trail of corruption by top U. S. officials and a deadly cover-up by the military and the National Security Administration. The more Sydney delves into her father's past, the more secrets and dark truths she finds, until she begins to realize that she knows nothing about her father's true life. This book is the first in the series starring Sydney Fitzpatrick and it's a story that all fans of tense mysteries starring strong women will want to read.

Some Day You'll Thank Me For This!

Haven't most of us heard that title phrase again...and again...and again in our lives? We probably heard it from our own mother, too! I recently read Some Day You'll Thank Me For This: The Official Southern Ladies' Guide to Being a "Perfect" Mother by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays and I have to tell you, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book is a humorous guide to the "Southern Mother," and even if you are not a DSM (Daughter of a Southern Mother), you will still appreciate this book. Metcalfe and Hays state that since southern society is arranged along matriarchal lines, the Southern Mother is a much more formidable being than the Southern Father. Southern Mothers were put on the earth to create good manners in their children and instill the art of ancestor worship into the next generation. This book is a humorous tribute to the Daughters of Southern Mothers, and their finicky, demanding Southern Mothers, and includes appropriate recipes for specific life occasions. Gayden Metcalf and Charlotte Hays are also the authors of two other humorous books: Being Dead is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral and Somebody is Gonna Die if Lilly Beth Doesn't Catch That Bouqet: the Official Southen Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Wedding. If you have ever wondered why southern women act the way they do...this book is for you! If you enjoy these books, try reading Jill Connor Browne's The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love, another hilarious book about growing up as a woman in the south.

Try a "Rat Pack Mystery" on for Size

Robert J. Randisi's Hey There (You with the Gun in Your Hand) is one of those rare gems in the mystery world. This book truly lives up to its name-- it is the third installment in Randisi's "Rat Pack Mystery" series. If you love reading about the Rat Pack (and/or the time period in which they existed), you must give this book a try! Randisi captures perfectly the timbre of the times in which the members of the Rat Pack existed. He also makes his portrayal of the Rat Pack members believable. The reader finishes the book thinking that he/she really knows Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. This story is set in Las Vegas in 1961, at the Sands Casino where pit boss Eddie Gianelli is asked by Frank Sinatra to help get rid of an embarrasing photo of Sammy. The pay-off and photo pick-up goes hay-wire and soon Eddie and his friend, New York tough guy Jerry Epstein, are up to their elbows in dead bodies! Randisi's novels resemble the drugstore pulp-fiction of past times, but there is enough description of glitz, glamour, corruption and crime to please any mystery fan. The library also owns the first book in the series, Luck Be a Lady, Don't Die.

Find "The Bodies Left Behind"

Jeffery Deaver's The Bodies Left Behind is another great thriller from this esteemed author. Off-duty Deputy Brynn McKenzie is spending quality time with her husband and son when she receives notice than an abruptly cut-off 911 call has been made from an isolated vacation home in Wisconsin. She sets out to investigate the 911 call and stumbles into the path of two professional criminals, and the visitor, Michelle, who has been staying at the Wisconsin home. Brynn and Michelle flee into the woods in a race for their lives as they try to outrun the killers. Deaver creates a nice tension and contrast between the two female leads in this story --Brynn, the tough deputy with a checkered past and Michelle, the pampered city girl. Both women have to find a way to relate to each other so that they can survive being chased by the killers. The book is a thrill-a-minute ride and full of twists and turns. Fans of this book should also check out 24 Hours by Greg Iles, another heart-stopping, real-time adventure story!