Amateur Sleuths A to D
A TO D
July 5, 2008
Abbott, Megan. THE SONG IS YOU. Simon & Schuster. February '08. $14.00. "On October 7, 1949, dark-haired starlet Jean Spangler kissed her five-year-old daughter good-bye and left for a night shoot at a Hollywood studio. 'Wish me luck,' she said as she crossed her fingers, winked, and walked away. She was never seen again. The only clues left behind: a purse with a broken strap found in a nearby park, a cryptic note, and rumors about mobster boyfriends and ill-fated romances with movie stars. Drawing of this true-life missing person case, Megan Abbott's THE SONG IS YOU tells the story of Gil 'Hop' Hopkins, a smooth-talking Hollywood publicist whose career despite his complicated personal life, is on the rise. It is 1951, two after Jean Spangler's disappearance, and Hop finds himself unwillingly drawn into the still unsolved mystery by a friend of Jean who blames Hop for concealing details about Jean's whereabouts the night she vanished. Driven by guilt and fear of blackmail, Hop delves into the case himself, feverishly trying to stay one step ahead of an intrepid female reporter also chasing the story. Hop thought he'd seen it all, but what he uncovers both tantalizes and horrifies him as he plunges deeper and deeper into Hollywood's substratum in his attempt to uncover the truth."
Atherton, Nancy. AUNT DIMITY GOES WEST. Penguin. February '08. $7.99. "Everyone's favorite sleuth heads to the Rocky Mountains in the twelfth installment of Nancy Atherton's cozy mystery series. Lori Sheppard barely survived her last adventure in Scotland before she's off on her next. This time in the mountain town of Bluebird, Colorado. No sooner than she's arrived do things start to go amiss. Someone has mysteriously disappeared, a charming and charismatic man seems to know more than he's letting on, and the whole town is hiding a dark secret. With Aunt Dimity's help, Lori sets out to solve a hundred-year-old mystery and discovers in the process that sometimes the strangest places can seem the most like home."
Atwell, Sarah. THROUGH A GLASS, DEADLY: First in the Glassblowing Mystery series. Berkley Prime Crime pbo. March '08. $6.99. "A crime is about to take shape... Glassblower Emmeline Dowell has made a home for herself among the artists of Tucson's Warehouse District. Between teaching her craft and selling her wares, she has plenty to do - not to mention the occasional murder to put a crack in her routine. With a weakness for taking in strays, from homeless dogs to extra students, Emmeline can't help befriending troubled newcomer Allison McBride. But their friendship takes a dangerous turn when Em finds Allison's husband in the studio - dead. Now Emmeline is involved in a murder investigation that reaches beyond the sunny Southwest. And when the killer acts again, it's up to her to pick up the shards of Allison's life before it's too late."
Bishop, Claudia. A CAROL FOR A CORPSE. Berkley Books. December '07. $6.99. A Hemlock Falls Mystery. "For the Quilliam sisters, there's nothing jolly about this Christmas. Someone with a paintball gun is taking down inflatable Santas all over town. And Meg and Quill are near-broke. At least there's one bright star on the horizon: a big-time magazine and television show will feature the Inn. But soon the editor's husband skis to his death. Now, if the Quilliams are to save the Inn from a lawsuit, they'll need to prove this was no accident. But the slopeside slayer has a message for them: You better watch out."
Brightwell, Emily. MRS. JEFFRIES AND THE FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN. Berkley Books. October '07. $22.95. "The case is an unexpected bother for Inspector Witherspoon's household, already abuzz with plans for the holidays, but Scotland Yard wants this crime solved before Christmas. Now the busy sleuths must rally in support of their Inspector - especially since the clues are harder to find than a silver sixpence in a plum pudding...." Available in paperback. October '08. $6.99.
Brown, Sandra. SMOKE SCREEN. Simon & Schuster. August '08. $26.95. "New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown is back, with a blistering story about corruption, betrayal, and the ultimate abuse of power. When newswoman Britt Shelley wakes up to find herself in bed with Jay Burgess, a rising star detective in the Charleston PD, she remembers nothing of how she got there...or how Jay wound up dead. Handsome and hard-partying, Jay was the hero of the disastrous fire, which five years earlier had destroyed Charleston's police headquarters. The blaze left seven people dead, but the death toll would have been much higher if not for the bravery of Jay and three other city officials who risked their lives to lead others to safety. Firefighter Raley Gannon, Jay's lifelong friend, was off-duty that day. Though he might have been a front-line hero, he was assigned to lead the investigation into the cause of the fire. It was an investigation he never got to complete. Because on one calamitous night, Raley's world was shattered. Scandalized, wronged by the people he trusted most, Raley was forced to surrender the woman he loved and the work to which he'd dedicated his life. For five years his resentment against the men who exploited their hero status to further their careers - and ruin his - has festered, but he was helpless to set things right. That changes when he learns of Jay's Burgess's shocking death and Britt Shelley's claim that she has no memory of her night with him. As the investigation into Jay's death intensifies, and suspicion against Britt Shelley mounts, Raley realizes that the newswoman, Jay's last sexual conquest, might be his only chance to get personal vindication - and justice for the seven victims of the police station fire. But there are powerful men who don't want to address unanswered questions about the fire, and who will go to any lengths to protect their reputations. As Raley and Britt discover more about what happened that faithful day, the more perilous their situation becomes, until they're not only chasing after the truth but running for their lives." Simultaneous release on Audio CD from Simon & Schuster Audio. Abridged edition.
Buchanan, Edna. LOVE KILLS. Pocket Books. May '08. $7.99. "'Where the hell is Britt Montero?' So says Sgt. Craig Burch of Miami's Cold Case Squad at the end of the first chapter of Edna Buchanan's new novel, LOVE KILLS. So have readers been wondering since reporter Britt Montero vanished after her lover, homicide cop Kendall McDonald, was killed three books ago in Buchanan's THE ICE MAIDEN. When a bulldozer in the Everglades unearths the skull of an infamous kidnapper, the Cold Case Squad is brought in to investigate. Britt was the last person to see him alive, and the detectives have questions only she can answer. On a remote desert island where she has sought solace, Montero finds a camera on an isolated beach. The film inside yields photos of a happy young couple on their honeymoon. Soon after, Britt is shocked to learn the newlyweds were lost at sea. When only the groom is rescued, the connection between the reporter and the new widower astonishes her - and Britt is even more astonished when she finds out the truth. Ultimately, her search for the bridegroom's secrets and the Cold Case Squad's search for the kidnapper's killer collide. Britt finds herself desperate and in danger, and only one person can help - Cold Case Squad Lt. K.C. Riley, McDonald's childhood sweetheart. The two women must confront their differences in order to survive and to protect the life of someone they both care about deeply."
Burke, Jan. KIDNAPPED. Pocket Books. October '07. $7.99. "When Irene Kelly's articles profiling missing children run in the Las Piernas Express, she anticipates the renewed public interest and the deluge of phone tips and remembered clues; she even anticipates the renewed pain of the anguished parents. What she doesn't expect is that the articles will set off a murderous chain reaction - and put her life in peril. Perhaps one of the more tragic disappearances in recent Las Piernas history was that of Jenny Fletcher, just shy of her fourth birthday. The body of Jenny's father, Richard, a graphic artist, was found bludgeoned in his studio; hours later Jenny's stepbrother Mason was apprehended with the murder weapon and bloody clothing in his car. But little Jenny was never found. As the years pass, everyone assumes Jenny is dead. Everyone except her brother Caleb, who not only believes Jenny survived but steadfastly believes in Mason's innocence. Caleb, now a graduate student studying with forensic anthropologist Ben Sheridan, works on cases for the Las Piernas Police Department. When bones are discovered at the old Sheffield estate just days after the missing-children articles appear, Caleb finds himself drawn into a case that threatens to bring personal tragedies back to the present. He has a fierce ally in reporter Irene Kelly, who will stop at nothing to solve the mysteries of his father's murder and his sister's disappearance."
Cannell, Dorothy. GOODBYE, MS. CHIPS. Minotaur Press. May '08. $23.95. Thirteenth in the Ellie Haskell series "'Ellie, the headmistress wants to see you.' Words to strike terror in the heart of any inmate of St. Roberta's boarding school who has failed to turn in her Latin prep, left out London on a map drawn of England, or prowled the ruins of the medieval abbey at dead of night. Ellie has been guilty of all these sins and more. Fortunately, however, she is no longer a pudgy, insecure adolescent but a happily married interior designer with three lively children and a beautiful home by the sea. The only cloud in the sky on this lovely day in June is the message relayed by her friend Dorcas, who became games mistress at St. Roberta's when the former coach, Ms. Chips, retired. Having heard of Ellie's success as an amateur detective, the headmistress, Mrs. Battle, wants Ellie to come and find out who has stolen the Loverly sports trophy and is seeking to bring embarrassment to the school. Her less than rosy memories of St. Roberta's notwithstanding, Ellie cannot refuse Dorcas's entreaties and finds herself in the thick of boarding school life, where an apparent schoolgirl prank soon gives way to murder."
Cannell, Dorothy. WITHERING HEIGHTS. St. Martin's Press. May '08. $6.99. An Ellie Haskell Mystery. "Ellie Haskell - the formerly plump girl turned Thin Woman and happily married mother of three - is also a sometime sleuth and a Gothic romance addict. When her husband's young cousin, Ariel, turns up unexpectedly and begs Ellie to come to the Yorkshire moors to investigate some strange events at the house that her family has recently bought with their lottery winnings, Ellie can't resist - especially since Cragstone House sounds so much like the delightfully musty manors she reads about in books. And so Ellie and her husband set off for Yorkshire, accompanied by their irrepressible housekeeper and co-conspirator in crime solving, Mrs. Roxie Malloy, who happens to have a long-lost sister in the area. Things at Cragstone House are even more dire than Ellie expected. It's bad enough that the kindly cook, Mrs. Cake, has suffered a mysterious fall down the stairs, and a visiting vicar has keeled over dead while drinking a cup of tea, but one of the neighbors turns out to be Mrs. Cake's husband's glamorous old flame, whom Ellie finds more menacing than any cold-blooded killer. Ellie has always thought it would be wonderful to be the heroine of a Gothic romance, but now she's beginning to wonder. Will she be able to solve the mystery and get out of Bronte country with her life, and her marriage, intact?"
Childs, Laura. THE SILVER NEEDLE MURDER. Berkley Books. March '08. $23.95. A Tea Shop Mystery. "Theodosia Browning and the staff of the Indigo Tea Shop are feeling the heat, and not just because it's August. The Charleston Film Festival has brought them a busy week of catering jobs. First up is the opening night gala at the historic Belvedere Theatre. Tinseltown and local luminaries seem to be mingling happily in the glamorously renovated lobby, but Theo notices that the atmosphere backstage is tense. Then famous director Jordan Cole is shot on his way to the podium, and the entire audience witnesses his death silhouetted across the scrim. Never has a festival started off with this big a bang. When two of the judges quit, festival organizer Timothy Neville asks Theodosia to stand in. He also wants her to help him deflect suspicion from his granddaughter, who worked with Cole. Reluctantly, Theodosia agrees - only to get pulled into an investigation as perilous as any big-screen thriller.... Includes delicious recipes and tea time tips!"
Churchill, Jill. THE ACCIDENTAL FLORIST. Avon Books. December '07. $7.99. "Jane Jeffry and longtime beau Detective Mel VanDyne finally decide to marry, but Mel's overbearing mother wants to take charge of not only the rehearsal dinner but the actual wedding. Since Jane half expected Mel's mother to steamroll the entire event, she agrees - but with rules of her own. No bridesmaids, no groomsmen, and she can't tell Jane what to wear. But during what should have been a blissful interval between the engagement and the bouquet toss, several other occurrences take place. Mel convinces Jane and her best friend, Shelley Nowack, to take a women's safety class. They learn a lot, but the class is cut short when a dead body is discovered. So between Jane's wedding planning, her new writing project, and a battle between both mother-in-laws (which Jane encourages), a murderer must be found before this bride can walk happily down the aisle."
Cohen, Nancy J. KILLER KNOTS. Kensington Books. December '07. $22.00. Tenth in the Bad Hair Day series. "...beautician-sleuth Marla Shore puts down her curling iron and picks up her skills at detection when she books passage on a cruise ship with a killer aboard. Soon it's full steam ahead toward mayhem and murder...in a case sure to have Marla going off the deep end. Scissor-wielding sleuth Marla Shore is looking forward to a leisurely cruise with her fiance Dalton Vail. Too bad Dalton's teenage daughter and his parents are along for the ride. Instead of a seduction at sea, Marla is meeting the in-laws and hoping nothing goes too terribly wrong. It's a vain hope. A mysterious envelope stuck into her cabin door reads: I know what you did and I have what you want. If it hadn't been addressed to 'Martha' Shore and obviously delivered by mistake, Marla might have feared it referred to the nudie pictures buried in her past. But that embarrassment would been better than what the note does foretell: troubled waters lie dead ahead. So instead of cruise control, Marla's on high-alert, searching for the note's recipient before the cruise goes down the drain. If Marla doesn't find the culprit fast, this spunky stylist may end up with her own split end: caught between the devil and the deep blue sea." Available in paperback. November '08. $6.99.
Cohen, Nancy J. PERISH BY PEDICURE. Kensington. November '07. $6.99. Ninth in the Bad Hair Day series. From the author: "Beauty shows are not usually known for cold-blooded murder, but that's exactly the case when Luxor Products company director Christine Parks is found dead in her hotel room. Suspect number one is Marla's college roommate, Georgia Rogers. Marla sets out to clear Georgia's name, and it's soon apparent that the list of people who hated Christine is longer than a pop diva's hair extensions. Behind the dazzling, high-platform hair tricks of Florida's hottest beauty show lurks a dark heart of corruption, greed, and killer-takes-all ambition. And if Marla isn't careful, she just may end up on the wrong end of a murderer's very skilled hands."
Collins, Max Allan. STRIP FOR MURDER. Berkley Trade. June '08. $14.00. "Manhattan, 1953. Hal Rapp's Tall Paul, one of America's most popular comic strips, is now a Broadway musical, infuriating Rapp's long-time rival Sam Fizer, creator of the once beloved boxing strip Mug O'Malley. Adding insult to injury is the casting of Misty Winters, Fizer's wife, as one of Rapp's hillbilly gals. Then Fizer is found murdered - with all evidence pointing to Rapp. Starr Syndicate has distribution deals with both cartoonists, but V.P. Jack Starr and his stepmother (and company president) Maggie believe Rapp's been framed. Between loan sharks, jealous husbands, bitter artists, and Fizer's widow, there are more colorful characters with murderous motives than in a month of Sunday funnies."
Conant, Susan & Conant-Park, Jessica. TURN UP THE HEAT. Berkley Prime Crime. March '08. $23.95. Third in the Gourmet Girl series. "Chloe Carter has a lot on her plate - grad school exams are coming up, she has to convince her bawling, very pregnant best friend, Adrianna, that she'll be a great mom, and Chloe's chef boyfriend needs her support as his fledgling trendy restaurant comes into its own. Nestled among the art galleries and couture clothing stores on Boston's posh Newbury Street, Simmer has fared quite well these first few months, thanks to the genius culinary skills of one yummy chef.... The staff gets along like petits pois in a pod. Everyone pulls pranks on one another now and then. Everyone, that is, except for Leandra, a waitress who treats the busboys like chopped liver - and can never take a joke. One morning, Leandra's dead body is found in the fish truck of Adrianna's fiance. So people start to wonder: Was this just a prank gone awry? Or did somebody actually want her to sleep with the fishes? And as the police begin to suspect the expectant father, Chloe vows to clear his name. In the meantime, she has one more task. For the memorial, Leandra's boyfriend asks Chloe to create a book full of fond remembrances from coworkers. For this project, Chloe will need to find an album and some markers. Oh, and someone, anyone, with something nice to say about Leandra...."
Dennison, Hannah. A VICKY HILL EXCLUSIVE! Berkley Books pbo. March '08. $6.99. "The debut of a new series set in the sleeping English town of Gipping-on-Plyn, featuring ambitious but bumbling investigative journalist Vicky Hill, who'll do anything to get that front-page story.... Vicky Hill has two goals: escape the never-ending boredom of funeral reporting and find the right man. Then a tip leads to what might be the scoop of a lifetime. There is a bizarre connection between three grisly chicken corpses and the unusual death of a local hedge-jumping enthusiast Sir Hugh Trewallyn. Suddenly, it seems that this quiet market town harbors more than its fair share of secrets. Vicky's hoping it might be hiding some available men as well. But as she opens Gipping's Pandora's box, her own secrets come back to haunt her - even as her rival at the paper, sexy, unscrupulous Annabel Lake, tries to block her at every turn. Can Vicky rise to stardom before someone writes her obituary?"
Dunn, Carola. GUNPOWDER PLOT. Kensington Books. November '07. $6.99. "A magazine assignment takes a murderous turn for that intrepid sleuth, the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher, in this delightful new addition to Carola Dunn's mystery series set in 1920s England.... Late autumn in the Cotswolds, and the countryside is a riot of red, yellow, and gold. Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher, six months pregnant and blooming, is delighted to visit Edge Manor, home of her old school friend Gwen Tyndall, to research one of her articles. Since 1606, the Tyndalls have held an annual fete celebrating the defeat of Guy Fawkes' plot against the monarchy. But this year, amid the fireworks and festivities, Gwen's father and a visiting Australian are found dead. It seems that Sir Harold turned the gun on himself after shooting his guest. Sir Harold was a bully with a famously short-fused temper, and many - including his own children - might have secretly wished for his demise. But could the apparent suicide really be murder? Now, as Daisy investigates alongside her husband, Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard, an explosive family secret emerges - one that a trigger-happy killer will do anything to protect...."
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© 1996-2008 Bill Palmer.