Amateur Sleuths E to H
E TO H
September 2, 2010
Fletcher, Jessica & Bain, Donald. MURDER, SHE WROTE: A Fatal Feast. Signet Books. October '10. $6.99. "Jessica Fletcher would like to relax as Thanksgiving comes to Cabot Cove, but she's hosting a bountiful dinner for an ever-growing guest list. She couldn't be happier with the results - until she stumbles upon a body with a carving knife stuck in its chest..."
Fletcher, Jessica & Bain, Donald. MURDER, SHE WROTE: Madison Avenue Shoot. NAL. November '09. $22.95. "When Jessica's favorite nephew, Grady, asks her to visit him in New York City, she's happy to reunite with him. But there's more to Grady's invitation than family ties.It turns out that Grady is working as an accountant for a big-time production company that is creating a series of commercials featuring famous faces. And Grady has proposed that Jessica star in one of the first ads. While she loves her nephew, Jessica doesn't really want her face on camera. But with Grady's assurances - and her agent's nudging - she finally agrees to do it. So it's lights, camera, action - but the action doesn't stop for Jessica when the camera cuts. One of the most creative, ambitious - and despised - bigwigs is found murdered on the set, and there's a long list of suspects with a motive. And Jessica soon finds herself not just a witness in a murder case - but the only one who can uncover the killer."
Fletcher, Jessica & Bain, Donald. MURDER, SHE WROTE: Murder Never Takes a Holiday. NAL Trade. November '09. $16.00. "A doubly delightful volume with two Christmas-themed mysteries from the USA Today bestselling series! Together for the first time, these two festive mysteries featuring legendary author and sleuth Jessica Fletcher deliver twice the Christmas cheer. In Manhattans & Murder, Jessica's new book tour brings her to New York for Christmas, where she sees notorious Cabot Cove crook Waldo Morse dressed as a sidewalk Santa - and ends up witnessing a murder. With the police slow on their feet, and the victim's wife on the run, Jessica decides to do whatever it takes to stop a killer from spoiling the season. And in A Little Yuletide Murder, Cabot Cove local Rory Brent is found shot to death on his farm, and everyone assumes the culprit is Brent's longtime enemy, Jake Walther, the meanest man in town. But Jessica thinks otherwise, and she's determined to deliver the real killer before Christmas. The trouble is, the next sound she hears this silent night may be a scream - her own."
Fletcher, Jessica & Bain, Donald. MURDER, SHE WROTE: Nashville Noir. Signet Books. April '11. $6.99. "Jessica Fletcher knows that creativity must be nurtured. So when a young lady from Cabot Cove shows promise as a singer and songwriter, Jessica and a local citizens committee send Cyndi on a scholarship trip to Nashville, Tennessee, where she can benefit from professional instruction. Only weeks later, Cabot Cove is shocked to hear of the cold-blooded murder of a brash country music publisher - by the young talent Cyndi! And as Cyndi's mother begs Jessica to help her daughter, Jess heads to the country music capital of the world to help the wayward starlet. Jessica finds that the murdered man was no country gentleman, with a list of ex-wives, cheated partners, swindled singers, and stolen songs that has Jessica swinging to-and-fro in the search for a killer. And if she can't uncover the culprit soon, Jessica knows that poor Cyndi will never get the chance for an encore...."
Fletcher, Jessica & Bain, Donald. MURDER, SHE WROTE: The Queen's Jewels. NAL. November '10. $22.95. "Jessica Fletcher has always wanted to take a transatlantic voyage on the legendary Queen Mary II. Now, she's finally getting her chance. She's hoping to fly to London, spend a few quiet days visiting, and then depart on the high seas. When she calls her old friend, Scotland Yard Inspector George Sutherland, to let him know she's on her way, he mentions the case of an enormously valuable diamond that was stolen from its wealthy owner, who was murdered during the heist. Jessica is well aware of the story. But when she finally boards her dream ship, the deadly mystery appears to have followed her up the gangplank. Now, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, she must try to enjoy the sumptuous seaborne surroundings while she tries to find a priceless diamond - and the killer desperate enough to take a life for it."
Fluke, Joanne. APPLE TURNOVER MURDER. Kensington Press. March '10. $24.00. "It's June in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and for Hannah Swensen, that means bridal showers galore, plus a massive fundraising event in need of confections - not to mention a killer who never learned that charity begins at home... Early summer brings plenty of work for Hannah, even before Mayor Bascomb's wife drops by The Cookie Jar to place an order...for eleven-hundred cookies! Stephanie Bascomb is organizing an elaborate three-day event to support local charities, and though it's a worthy cause, Hannah almost flips when her business partner, Lisa, suggests setting up an apple turnover stand. Hannah's never made a turnover - but, pushover that she is, she places her faith in Lisa's mother-in-law's recipe and agrees to be a magician's assistant in the fundraiser's talent show... Dozens of pastries and one hideous purple dress later, Hannah has to admit that stepping out of her comfort zone has been fun as well as profitable. The only snag is the show's host, community college professor Bradford Ramsey. Hannah and her younger sister Michelle each had unfortunate romantic relationships with Ramsey, and when the cad comes sniffing around between acts, Hannah tells him off. But when the curtain doesn't go up, she discovers Ramsey backstage - dead as a doornail with a turnover in his hand... Now, to protect her reputation and Michelle's, Hannah must get to the bottom of the professor's bitter end. There are plenty of scorned suspects, including an ex-wife who feels cheated in more ways than one, and a prominent local who may have been using Ramsey to avenge her own randy spouse. But who was unstable enough to snuff out Professor Love? A killer who's flakier than puff pastry - and far more dangerous...."
Fluke, Joanne. CREAM PUFF MURDER. Kensington Press. February '10. $7.99. A Hannah Swensen Mystery with Recipes. "Winter in Lake Eden, Minnesota, is the perfect time to curl up by a cosy fire with something - and someone - sweet. But while bakery owner Hannah Swensen can provide herself with the confections, cuddling will have to take a back seat to sleuthing when her sometime-squeeze becomes a murder suspect... With the launch party of her mother's novel around the corner, Hannah has a dress to fit into and a date with her sister, Andrea, at Lake Eden's new health club, Heavenly Bodies. Dragging herself out of bed on a frigid Minnesota morning for exercise, of all things, is bad enough. Discovering a dead body floating in the gym's Jacuzzi? Okay, that's worse. Nor does it help that there's a plate of The Cookie Jar's very own cream puffs garnishing the murder scene. The fact that they were purchased by none other than Hannah's part-time flame, Detective Mike Kingston, is simply the icing on what's shaping up to be one very messy cake... Mike may be the prime suspect in the murder of man-eating bombshell Ronni Ward, but he's by no means the only one. Ronni, a fitness instructor at both the Sheriff's department and Heavenly Bodies, made a nasty habit of throwing her own heavenly body at every man, eligible or not, who crossed her path. Plenty of Lake Eden's ladies won't miss Ronni, including her ex-fiance's former girlfriend, the angry mother of one of her would-be conquests, and even the mayor's wife. Could any of them have wanted her gone badly enough to make it happen? Mike's recruited Hannah to find out, and, as any suspended, suspected detective would, he's micromanaging her every step of the way... Between trying to narrow the list of Ronni's enemies down to fewer than half the town's female population and resisting the urge to remove Mike from the running by throttling him herself, Hannah has her plate full. Trouble is, when it comes to cookies - and to murder - there's always room for one more."
Francis, Dick & Felix. CROSSFIRE. Putnam Books. September '10. $26.95. The fourth and final collaboration between Francis (1920-2010) and son Felix. "Shell-shocked and missing a foot - lost to an IED during his tour of duty in Afghanistan - Captain Tom Forsyth has been sent 'home' by the army and, at loose ends, returns to his estranged mother's house for the first time since he joined up at seventeen. But Josephine Kauri, the 'first lady of British racing,' has always put the horses she trains first and her family last. Tom soon finds himself strained to the breaking point with his mother and stepfather. But there's another reason for the stifling tension at Kauri House Stables: Josephine is being blackmailed for a hefty sum every week - and forced to make her horses lose. Retirement is not an option, as she has been warned that it will result in the thing she most fears: exposure and ridicule...and prison, when the government finds out what she's been hiding. Tom sets out to discover and defeat this hidden enemy using his finely honed military skills. But can he save his mother's reputation and career, or will he find himself caught in the cross fire?"
Francis, Dick & Felix. DRIVING FORCE. Berkley Books. February '10. $7.99. "Jockey Freddie Croft discovers a high-stakes conspiracy that exposes the seedy underside of horse-racing - and faces deadlier odds of survival than in any steeplechase run. Transporting racehorses to the course is big business for ex-jockey Freddie Croft. But when a driver breaks a cardinal rule and picks up a hitchhiker, the results are fatal..for the hitchhiker. Freddie knows that a corpse is bad for business, especially when its trail leads to corpse number two - and to strange nighttime stalkers and unseen conspirators who are weaving a web of deceit and danger that Freddie might never escape...."
Francis, Dick & Felix. EVEN MONEY. Berkley Books. September '10. $9.99. "On the first day of Royal Ascot, the world's most famous horse race, the crowd rejoices in a string of winning favorites. Ned Talbot has worked all his life as a bookmaker - taking over the family business from his grandfather - so he knows not to expect any sympathy from the punters as they count their winnings, and he his losses. He's seen the ups and downs before - but, as the big gambling conglomerates muscle in on small concerns like his, Ned wonders if it's worth it any more. When a gray-haired man steps forward from the crowd claiming to be his father, Ned's life is thrown into far deeper turmoil. He'd been told since he was a baby that his parents had died in a car crash. Barely an hour later, his newly found father is stabbed by an unknown assailant in the Ascot parking lot. Blood oozing from his abdomen, his father warns Ned to 'be very careful.' But of whom? Of what? Ned finds himself in a race to solve his father's riddle - a race where coming in second could cost him more than even money - it could cost him his life...."
Gordon, David. THE SERIALIST: A Novel. Simon & Schuster pbo. March '10. $15.00. "A DARK AND STYLISH PAGE-TURNER FROM A BOLD NEW VOICE IN FICTION. Harry Bloch is a struggling writer who pumps out pulpy serial novels - from vampire books to detective stories - under various pseudonyms. But his life begins to imitate his fiction when he agrees to ghostwrite the memoir of Darian Clay, New York City's infamous Photo Killer. Soon, three young women turn up dead, each one murdered in the Photo Killer's gruesome signature style, and Harry must play detective in a real-life murder plot as he struggles to avoid becoming the killer's next victim. Witty, irreverent, and original, THE SERIALIST is a love letter to books - from poetry to pornography - and proof that truth really can be stranger than fiction." Simultaneous release on Audio Cassette from Blackstone Audio.
Hall, Parnell. DEAD MAN'S PUZZLE. Minotaur Books. November '09. $24.95. "Sherry is off on her honeymoon when Chief Harper comes to Cora Felton, asking her to solve a crossword puzzle found on the body of Old Man Overmeyer. Small problem. Cora is the Milli Vanilli of cruciverbalists. Her niece, Sherry, writes the crossword puzzle column for her. Cora pokes into Overmeyer's death, hoping to prove he died of natural causes. She learns the cranky hermit was the sole surviving member of a forty-year-old stock pooling agreement, and before she can say 'capital gain,' the town is full of heirs. Complicating things is Sherry's ex-husband, Dennis, who is playing detective in the hopes of impressing his ex-wife. With Sherry out of town, her restraining order against him is moot, and he is taking full advantage of the fact. Parnell Hall delivers another stellar, puzzle-packed entry in this entertaining series."
Hall, Parnell. THE PUZZLE LADY VS. THE SUDOKU LADY. Minotaur Books. February '10. $24.95. A Puzzle Lady Mystery. "It's the battle of the century when Minami, the Sudoku Lady, shows up in Bakerhaven, Connecticut, to meet Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady, whose sudoku books have just edged Minami's off of the Japanese bestseller list. Before the rivals have a chance to square off, a killer strikes, and a sudoku puzzle is found at the scene of the murder. Now it's a fight to the finish to see who can unmask the killer. Cora is eager to undo her Japanese counterpart - at least until the poor woman is arrested for murder and Cora realizes that she accidentally framed her for the crime. As if that weren't frustrating enough, the publicity of her arrest drives Minami's sales through the roof! Now it's up to Cora to clear her rival's name, get her off the bestseller list, and trap the real killer, but she'd better do it fast, before the cops find out what Cora did, and she winds up facing more jail time than Minami. Boasting an entertaining, fun-filled mystery, as well as several satisfying crossword and sudoku puzzles, the Puzzle Lady's latest adventure makes for a rollicking good read."
Harris, Charlaine. DEAD AND GONE. Ace. May '10. $7.99. Ninth in the series. "Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps - and nothing about weres. Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works - and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it. But there's a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings - older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves - is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle."
Harris, Charlaine. DEAD IN THE FAMILY. Ace Books. May '10. $25.95. "After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry..." Simultaneous release on Audio CD from Recorded Books.
Hart, Carolyn. DARE TO DIE. Avon Books. April '10. $7.99. Nineteenth in the Death on Demand series. "She came in the rain. Alone. On a bicycle. Annie and Max Darling are completely unprepared when the arrival of a mysterious young woman shocks their sea island and stirs up more than just gossip. It turns out that Iris, the beautiful stranger, is a former resident of Broward's Rock. Her arrival throws the normally happy town into a downward spiral that pits neighbor against neighbor. Things take a turn for the worse when Annie befriends Iris and invites her to attend the Darlings' party at the pavilion where Death is the uninvited guest. Suddenly, Max and Annie find themselves in the middle of a fight they don't understand and at the mercy of an unknown assailant who's trying to kill them - and all they know is that it is one of their friends."
Hart, Carolyn. GHOST AT WORK. Avon Books. November '09. $7.99. First in the Bailey Ruth Mysteries. "Bailey Ruth Raeburn has always been great at solving mysteries. Why should a little thing like her death change anything? In fact, being dead gives her more of an opportunity to be on top of events. Bailey Ruth is delighted that her unique position as a ghost makes it possible for her to lend a helping hand, sometimes seen and sometimes not. And if anybody needs a little help, it's Kathleen, the pastor's wife. There's a dead man on her porch, and once the body is discovered, the pastor is sure to become a suspect. Uncharitable people might call it meddling, but Bailey Ruth knows Kathleen needs her help! As a member of Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, Bailey Ruth goes back to earth to extricate Kathleen from a dire situation. If Bailey Ruth has to bend a few rules to help Kathleen save her family, Wiggins, her fussbudget supervisor, will make sure it all turns out right in the end."
Hart, Carolyn. LAUGHED 'TIL HE DIED. William Morrow. May '10. $24.99. A Death on Demand Mystery. "Intrigue and foul play are no strangers to the idyllic South Carolina sea island of Broward's Rock. Mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling and her husband, Max, who specialize in solving problems, plunge into a startling web of danger and deceit when a trio of deaths is linked to the island's youth recreation center. With the evidence mounting against her, the center's director seeks out Max to clear her name. When it comes to intrigue, where Max goes, Annie isn't far behind. To save an innocent woman, the pair scrambles to unravel three complex interlinked puzzles: the mystery of three guns, the pulled-out pant pockets of one victim, and the disappearance of a teenager whose stepfather always had the last laugh - until he died."
Hart, Carolyn. MERRY, MERRY, MERRY GHOST. William Morrow. November '09. $15.99. Bailey Ruth Mysteries, #2. "Being dead can't put a damper on spirited, holiday-loving Bailey Ruth Raeburn. Christmas is a time for family and giving, and a wealthy woman in Adelaide, Oklahoma, is about to embrace both. Discovering that she has a young grandson, the dowager decides to change her will to leave the bulk of her fortune to the young boy - an alteration that stuns the rest of her family. But a scrooge of a determined heir makes sure she never signs the new document. When she is found dead, it's up to that irrepressible spirit Bailey Ruth, on assignment from Wiggins and Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, to protect a little boy, foil a murderer, and save Christmas. There's only one teeny hitch: how can Bailey Ruth figure out which family member was desperate enough to kill when everyone has a motive?"
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