Amateur Sleuths A to D

A TO D

September 2, 2010

Atherton, Nancy. AUNT DIMITY DOWN UNDER. Viking Press. February '10. $24.95. "A shock wave rocks Lori Shepherd's world when she hears that her beloved neighbors, Ruth and Louise Pym, may be dying. Bracing herself for a final farewell, Lori instead receives a request from the eccentric sisters: Find their long-lost brother before it's too late. Aubrey Pym is a wicked scoundrel who was banished from his family long ago; and much to Lori's surprise, she must travel all the way to New Zealand to find him. In agreeing to grant her dear friends' dying wish, Lori has no idea what she's in for. With the help of a charming Kiwi and the otherworldly guidance of Aunt Dimity, Lori goes Down Under to search for the mysterious Aubrey, unraveling a web of secrets that has haunted the Pym family for generations." Available in paperback. Penguin Books. February '11. $7.99.

Belzer, Richard with Black, Michael. I AM NOT A PSYCHIC!: A Novel. Simon & Schuster. October '10. $14.00. "Comedy legend Johnny Leland has called in his chips. He's organizing a charity telethon and needs TV cop Richard Belzer to cohost. Not one to let down an old friend - much less the guy who gave him his start in stand-up comedy - The Belz gets ready to head out to Las Vegas for the headlining event when he receives a mysterious phone call. Twenty-six years ago, beautiful starlet Bridget Burgeon was found dead in her Hollywood apartment. Sleeping pills, the coroner ruled, but many questioned whether her relationship with handsome, up-and-coming California congressman Mark Kaye played a role. Kaye's death in a tragic auto accident put an end to any investigation but not to the speculation. Conspiracy theorists have been working overtime ever since, and Paul Venchus, an old newspaper colleague whom Richard hasn't seen in thirty years, claims to have made a breakthrough in the case. A well-known conspiracy theorist himself, The Belz can't resist hearing him out and agrees to meet. When Venchus turns up dead and a wacky, self-proclaimed female psychic shows up at his hotel in Vegas insisting that Belzer continue their investigation, he reluctantly relents. Relying on The Belz's TV cop know-how and celebrity status, they begin to piece together a series of mysterious deaths that, while rooted a quarter of a century in the past, present some very real dangers in the present. As the bodies start piling up, Belzer finds a legendary hit man hot on his trail and must utilize all of his talents not only to pull off a successful telethon but to solve one of our history's most scandalous conspiracies before his Vegas stint becomes his closing act."

Bishop, Claudia. DEATH IN TWO COURSES. Berkley Trade. August '10. $15.00. "Two Hemlock Falls mysteries - together for the first time! In A PINCH OF POISON, newspaperman Hedrick Conway is making news in Hemlock Falls, but he's making enemies even faster. His current expose: an in-depth look at plans for the local mini-mall, in which several prominent people have invested a great deal of money. Hedrick thinks something funny is going on, but nobody's laughing when two of his relatives turn up murdered... In MURDER WELL-DONE, The Inn at Hemlock Falls has the misfortune of hosting the wedding rehearsal dinner of Alphonse Santini. The ex-senator, looking to get reelected, has brought big-time politics to the little town. And while politics make strange bedfellows, the dead fellows being made are even stranger."

Bishop, Claudia. TOAST MORTEM. Berkley Books. July '10. $6.99. "The Inn at Hemlock Fall reopens for readers! Bernard LeVasque has opened a multi-million dollar cooking school in Hemlock Falls - and has even stolen customers from Sarah and Meg Quilliam's Inn. But someone finds the infamous chef too bitter - and takes him off the menu for good."

Bowen, Rhys. ROYAL FLUSH. Berkley Books. September '10. $7.99. Third in the series. "A Royal Spyness mystery starring Lady Georgiana, thirty-fourth in line for the throne - and the mystery world's favorite penniless heiress. With its posh clientele in the country for the summer, Georgie's housecleaning business has fizzled. So she tries hiring herself out as a dinner and theatre companion. But her first client has quite the wrong idea. To avoid further scandal, Georgie's shipped home to Castle Rannoch, where her summer plans include honoring a promise to Her Majesty to keep Castle Rannoch's divorcee houseguest from seducing the Prince of Wales. She's also been coerced into helping Scotland Yard with a top-secret mission - namely keeping an eye on the shooting party at Balmoral and preventing someone from shooting the Prince. And Georgie must manage all this without strangling her odious sister-in-law Fig or spineless brother Binky."

Brightwell, Emily. MRS. JEFFRIES SPEAKS HER MIND. Berkley Books. July '10. $7.99. "The eccentric Olive Kettering swore someone was trying to harm her. Too bad no one listened, though plenty wanted her dead. When Olive is shot and killed, Mrs. Jeffries has no problem speaking her mind to see justice served."

Brown, Rita Mae & Brown, Sneaky Pie. CAT OF THE CENTURY: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery. Bantam Books. April '10. $26.00. "Acclaimed authors Rita Mae Brown and her feline partner, Sneaky Pie Brown, are back with this new mystery starring Mary Minor 'Harry' Haristeen, the sleuthing cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and corgi Tee Tucker. And this time they must catch a killer determined to turn a birthday party into a funeral. Harry's beloved and tart-tongued Aunt Tally is about to turn the big 1-0-0. The alumnae association of her alma mater sees an opportunity to honor the event and make some loot off the centennial as well. The plan is to hold a big fund-raiser in Aunt Tally's honor to recoup some of the school revenue lost in the cratered economy. But soon there's more at risk than investments and endowments. First, an impending blizzard threatens to ruin the whole affair. Then a suspicious transaction is discovered in the association's account: board member Mariah D'Angelo has mysteriously withdrawn and then replaced $25,000. But was that enough to get her killed? Mariah's car is on campus, she's gone missing, and Tucker has found human blood near the school's stables. What's behind the disappearance? Was it Mariah's donations to crafty politicians and crooked charities? Her rivalry with fellow board member Flo Langston? And is there a connection to the forty-year--old unsolved death of an old acquaintance of Aunt Tally's? Using animal cunning and human canniness, Harry and her menagerie of mystery solvers must sniff out the answers or - even at a hundred years old - Aunt Talley may outlive them all."

Cannell, Dorothy. SHE SHOOTS TO CONQUER. Minotaur Press. April '10. $7.99. "On a dark and foggy night, charming amateur sleuth Ellie Haskell, her husband Ben, and her plucky sidekick Mrs. Malloy find themselves stranded at a grand estate on the Yorkshire moors. Lord Belfrey of Mucklesfeld Manor has decided to save his crumbling establishment by offering himself as the prize on a TV reality show titled 'Here Comes the Bride." Thrilled at the prospect of marrying a lord, Mrs. Malloy eagerly joins the competition. After one of the potential brides is shot during an archery contest, Ellie begins to explore the dark passageways and hidden nooks of the delightfully Gothic estate - but she may not be prepared for the secrets lurking behind closed doors."

Childs, Laura. EGGS BENEDICT ARNOLD. Berkley Prime Crime. January '10. $7.99. "When Cackleberry Clubber Suzanne delivers a pie to funeral director Ozzie Driesden, she discovers him not working at the embalming table but lying on the embalming table. She barely has time to recognize his corpse before she's drugged with chloroform. With more suspects than breakfast specials, the Cackleberry Club scrambles to crack the case before one of their own ends up six feet under."

Childs, Laura. OOLONG DEAD. Berkley Books. March '10. $7.99. A Tea Shop Mystery. "It's a major autumn event for South Carolina's culture set - specifically, the Bravissimo Club, a booster organization designed to raise money for the Charleston Opera - and Theodosia Browning is there. Asked to host the lavish tea and Verdi-themed Masked Ball, Theodosia has a lot on her mind - especially after she finds the dead body of her arch nemesis, Abby Davis. To further complicate things, the the victim's brother is Theodosia's old flame. Who would have guessed they would be reunited through cold-blooded murder? As the opera house is transformed into a sumptuous Venetian carnivale, Theodosia's investigation into Abby's murder takes her from the low-country thicket to a grand formal tea and to the backstage maze of a darkened theater, where a maestro of murder waits for the next cue. All proving that when it comes to high drama, Theodosia can give Verdi a run for his money. Includes delicious recipes and tea time tips!"

Childs, Laura. THE TEABERRY STRANGLER. Berkley Books. March '10. $24.95. Eleventh in the Tea Shop series. "The New York Times bestselling author of OOLONG DEAD serves up an old-time treat, spiced with a Sherlock Holmes-style murder mystery. It was the Dickensian evening Theodosia Browning had hoped for. Flickering candles lined the narrow cobblestone alleys of Charleston as shop-owners, dressed in cloaks of yore, threw open their back doors to shoppers. Visitors took advantage of bargains on antiques, heaping bowls of crab chowder - and of course Theodosia's delicious teas. But when the clock strikes ten, the alleys clear except for one body discovered by a horrified Theodosia. It's the strangled form of Daria, the map store's owner. Many locals have shown interest in buying her shop - but enough to kill? Plus there's been a customer hell-bent on getting his hands on a certain not-for-sale map. In this case one can hardly throw a scone without hitting a suspect. Most alarming of all the theories, however, is Detective Tidwell's: that the killer mistook Daria for Theodosia herself. And if that theory holds water, the killer's work isn't done..." Available in paperback. $7.99.

Clark, Mary Higgins & Carol Higgins. DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW. Pocket Books. November '09. $7.99. The fifth book written by the mother-daughter team. "In the picturesque village of Branscombe, New Hampshire the townsfolk are all pitching in to prepare for the first (and many hope annual) Festival of Joy. The night before the festival begins, a group of employees at the local market learn that they have won $180 million in the lottery. One of their co-workers, Duncan, decided at the last minute, on the advise of a pair of crooks masquerading as financial advisers, not to play. Then he goes missing. A second lottery ticket was purchased in the next town, but the winner hasn't come forward. Could Duncan have secretly bought it? The Clarks' endearing heroes - Alvirah Meehan, the amateur sleuth, and private investigator Regan Reilly - have arrived in Branscombe for the festival. They are just the people to find out what went amiss. As they dig beneath the surface, they find that life in Branscombe is not as tranquil as it appears. So much for an old-fashioned weekend in the country. This fast-paced holiday caper will keep you dashing through the pages!"

Conant, Susan & Conant-Park, Jessica. FED UP. Berkley Prime Crime. January '10. $7.99. "Taste test of doom. Chloe Carter, part-time student and full-time food lover, is at the tail end of her summer break, but don't go thinking that she's on vacation. In between planning her best friend's wedding and working for her parents, selling environmentally conscious rain barrels, Chloe is glued to her chef boyfriend, Josh Driscoll, as he competes to star in a new local television series. The premise: Josh hijacks unsuspecting grocery shoppers in the produce isle and follows them home to prepare gourmet dinners. Everything is cooking to perfection - until one of the unsuspecting shoppers drops dead after eating Josh's homemade cuisine. The cameras were on Josh from the moment he entered the store and he is innocent. But someone is guilty, and Chloe isn't ready to let this culinary mystery go unsolved. The grocery list of suspects seems endless. Was it one of Josh's competitors, trying to secure television stardom? Or maybe it was the deceased's husband, who had plenty of access to the food. Then again, so did every single member of the film crew. While sifting through the suspects, Chloe deals with the chaos of the impending wedding, Josh's erratic behavior, and the appearance of one very sexy young carpenter. The Gourmet Girl is going to have to balance her overflowing plate, while trying to catch a food felon.... Recipes Included!"

Douglas, Carole Nelson. CAT IN A TOPAZ TANGO: A Midnight Louie Mystery. Forge Books. July '10. $7.99. "Temple Barr and Matt Devine make a cozy engaged couple, and the feisty redhead is all for her handsome radio host fiance staring in a week-long televised Las Vegas charity event, 'Dancing with the Celebs.' But while ex-priest Matt struggles to master the sexy moves of the tango, a killer stalks the dance floor. Not only is Matt in danger, but so is the lovely tween Mariah, daughter of homicide cop C.R. Molina, who is dancing in the Junior Division of the show. And so Temple gets dragooned into resurrecting her kicky teen persona, Zoe Chloe Ozone, now an Internet hottie, to ensure Matt and Mariah don't foxtrot into a fatal mistep. Where is Louie in all this? Well, he's out and about, proving that he's still the cat's meow. But he's got his paws full as he tries to keep all the various players in his little troupe from dancing right into death's arms...."

Douglas, Carole Nelson. CAT IN AN ULTRAMARINE SCHEME: A Midnight Louie Mystery. Forge Books. September '10. $24.99. "Temple Barr, publicist extraordinaire, is itching to bring off her most dangerous and exciting assignment, helping to launch an endeavor that many a Vegas showmen have dreamed of: a Las Vegas mob museum/casino. While city powers-that-be hem and haw over doing an official project on the subject, the Family Fontana plans to connect two hotels with a 'Chunnel of Crime' featuring an underground speakeasy, a fast 'ride' through Vegas crime history by Gangsters custom limo service, and other fun attractions. Temple's grand scheme to do a live 'opening Bugsy Siegel's vault' media event built around a huge safe found buried underground produces a two-day-old body wearing white tie and tails. With Temple's magician-counterterrorist ex-lover, Max, gone missing and her new fiance, radio shrink Matt Devine, in Chicago for week-long media gig, Temple must depend on 'the Vegas Strip Irregulars,' a posse of cats, to solve murders old and new that smack of mobs vintage and all too contemporary. Success, or failure, could cost Temple her life, and all nine of Louie's."

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