Amateur Sleuths I to Z

I TO Z

February 2, 2012

King, Laurie R. THE GOD OF THE HIVE. Bantam Books. August '11. $15.00. "In Laurie R. King's latest Mary Russell - Sherlock Holmes mystery, the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author delivers a thriller of ingenious surprises and unrelenting suspense - as the famous husband and wife sleuths are pursued by a killer immune from the sting of justice. It began as a problem in one of Holmes' beloved beehives, led to a murderous cult, and ended - or so they'd hoped - with a daring escape from a sacrificial altar. Instead, Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, have stirred the wrath and the limitless resources of those they've thwarted. Now they are separated and on the run, wanted by the police, and pursued across the Continent by a ruthless enemy with powerful connections. Unstoppable together, Russell and Holmes will have to survive this time apart, maintaining tenuous contact only by means of coded messages and cryptic notes. With Holmes' young granddaughter in her safekeeping, Russell will have to call on instincts she didn't know she had. But has the couple already made a fatal mistake by separating, making themselves easier targets for the shadowy government agents sent to silence them? From hidden rooms in London shops and rustic forest cabins to rickety planes over Scotland and boats on the frozen North Sea, Russell and Holmes work their way back to each other while uncovering answers to a mystery that will take both of them to solve. A hermit with a mysterious past and a beautiful young female doctor with a secret, a cruelly scarred flyer and an obsessed man of the cloth, Holmes' brother, Mycroft, and an Intelligence agent who knows too much: Everyone Russell and Holmes meet could either speed their safe reunion or betray them to their enemies - in the most complex, shocking, and deeply personal case of their career."

McFarland, Nora. HOT, SHOT, AND BOTHERED. Touchstone Trade pbo. August '11. $14.99. "In this action-packed follow-up to A BAD DAY'S WORK, Lilly Hawkins finds herself embroiled in murder and mayhem while covering a raging California wildfire. The news photographer is on the biggest assignment of her career and the clock is ticking. A deadly inferno is racing through the California mountains toward the town of Elizabeth Lake. After barely slipping ahead of road closures, Lilly has no time to cover the accidental drowning of a reckless party-girl...until she learns the victim's name. When Lilly knew her thirteen years ago, Jessica Egan was a principled environmental activist and not a bit reckless or wild. Could she have changed that much, or is a killer exploiting the chaos surrounding the fire to disguise a murder? Soon Lilly's juggling the story she should be covering with the story she can't let go. And if that's not enough, she has to contend with her station's low-budget technology, the antics of her dodgy uncle Bud, and the alarming job offers her boyfriend is fielding from big city competitors. Was it sexual jealousy, long held grudges, or just plain old-fashioned greed that got Jessica killed? Could her death be connected to the advancing wildfire? As time runs out, Lilly races to get answers. If only the murderer - or the fire - doesn't get her first..." Kindle Edition. $9.99.

Page, Katherine Hall. THE BODY IN THE GAZEBO. William Morrow. May '11. $23.99. "'I have to tell you something...something that happened a long time ago.' When Ursula Lyman Rowe speaks these words to Faith Fairchild from her sickbed in Aleford, Massachusetts, Faith has no idea what lies in store for her. It all starts when Ursula's daughter, Pix Miller, Faith's best friend and neighbor, reluctantly leaves town for her son's wedding preparations. Pix knows that Faith and her husband, the Reverend Thomas Fairchild, will keep an eye on the slowly recovering Ursula. What she and Faith don't know is that the tale Ursula spins over the course of several weeks will reveal an unsolved crime dating back to 1929 and the Great Depression. Meanwhile, more current mysteries are brewing. The discretionary fund at the church has been pilfered and the Reverend Fairchild is the only person with access to it. As rumors spread through town, Faith must clear her husband's name before it's irreparably damaged. And when Pix meets her in-laws-to-be for the first time, she's in for the surprise of her life.... A moving, suspenseful tale, THE BODY IN THE GAZEBO is an evocative journey into the past, where truth hangs suspended by the threads of one woman's memory - and the present-day consequences of that truth prove to be devastating." Kindle Edition. HarperCollins. $10.99.

Peters, Elizabeth. A RIVER IN THE SKY. HarperPaperbacks. May '11. $9.99. "New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Peters brings back beloved Egyptologist and amateur sleuth Amelia Peabody in an exciting tale set amid the ancient temples and simmering religious tensions of Palestine on the eve of World War I.... August 1910. Banned from the Valley of the Kings by the Antiquities Service, Amelia Peabody and her husband, Emerson, are relaxing at home in Kent, enjoying the tranquil beauty of summer. But adventure soon beckons when they are persuaded to follow would-be archaeologist Major George Morley on an expedition to Palestine, a province of the crumbling, corrupt Ottoman Empire and the Holy Land of three religions. Searching for the vanished treasures of the Temple in Jerusalem, Morley is determined to unearth the legendary Ark of the Covenant. The skeptical Emerson wants no part of the scheme until a request from the War Office and Buckingham Palace persuades him to reconsider. The Germans are increasing their influence in Palestine and British intelligence insists that Morley is an agent of the Kaiser, sent to stir up trouble in this politically volatile land. Emerson can't believe that the seemingly inept Morley is a German spy, but could he be mistaken? Determined to prevent a catastrophically unprofessional excavation that could destroy priceless historical finds as well as cause an armed protest by infuriated Christians, Jews, and Muslims who view the Temple Mount, also known as the Dome of the Rock, as sacred, Amelia, Emerson, and company head to Palestine. Though it is not to her beloved Egypt, the trip to Jerusalem will also reunite her with her handsome and headstrong son, Ramses, working on a dig at Samaria, north of the holy city. Before Ramses can meet his parents, however, he is distracted by an unusual party of travelers who have arrived in Samaria, including a German woman archaeologist and a mysterious man of unknown nationality and past. Unfortunately, Ramses's insatiable curiosity and his knack for trouble lead him to a startling discovery: information he must pass on to his parents in Jerusalem - if he can get there alive. Once again the Peabody-Emerson clan must use all their skills and wiles to find the truth, prevent a bloody holy war, and save their son from the clutches of a nefarious enemy in this wonderfully engaging tale chock-full of thrills, mystery, and daring from the inimitable Elizabeth Peters."

Randisi, Robert. FLY ME TO THE MORGUE. Severn House. June '11. $27.95. A Rat Pack Mystery. Eddie Gianelli, pit boss at the Sands back in the day, is the guy who helps the Rat Pack and their friends when they have trouble. It starts when Bing Crosby has to see a man about a horse and asks Eddie and his pal Jerry Epstein, who know all about horses, to check out the thoroughbred Bing is interested in. The horse seems to be fine, but the seller turns up dead. Now Eddie and Jerry have to keep Bing out of the limelight while they try to find the killer. Available in trade paperback. March '12. $15.95.

Rosen, Delia. ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVY: A Deadly Deli Mystery. Kensington Books. October '11. $7.99. "Revenge is served very cold in this deli-cious whodunit. When Gwen Katz inherits her late uncle's kosher deli, Murray's Pastrami Swami, little does she know that murder is always on the menu. Now Nashville Katz, as she's quickly nicknamed, has landed her first catering gig: Social butterfly Lolo Baker's audience-participation mystery party, where someone is 'murdered' and the other guests must figure out who the killer is. It's all in good fun...until the 'victim' comes crashing through the ceiling and lands - fatally - in Gwen's once-tasty gravy, literally smoked to perfection. The amateur sleuth in Gwen knows the newly deceased, Hoppy Hopewell, was in quite a pickle. He squandered his family's vast fortune while having simultaneous affairs with Nashville's wealthiest women...many of whom were at the party. But as Gwen digs deeper, she finds the case is messier than chopped liver...and discovers that she's somehow sandwiched between her boyfriend's possibly cheating heart and the deliciously handsome eyes of the detective working the case... When you're a deli owner, life ain't always a bowl of chicken soup."

Rowland, Laura Joh. BEDLAM: The Further Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte. Overlook Press. June '11. $15.00. "Following the notable debut of THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE, beloved author Laura Joh Rowland offers her legions of fans the next installment in the Charlotte Bronte mystery series...with more to come. On her last escapade, Charlotte unintentionally witnessed a murder and found herself embroiled in a dangerous chain of events. Now, Charlotte returns in a stunning sequel that takes the reader into the most sinister institution in London: Bedlam. With the death of her siblings and far from home, Charlotte has few people to trust. Struggling with romantic entanglements and her stressful rise to prominence on the literary scene, she is more alone than ever. On a visit to London, Charlotte goes on a tour of London's most famous hospital for the mad, Bedlam. She is sure she recognizes a struggling Mr. Slade, her long-missing ex-lover, strapped to one of the stretchers. Charlotte starts digging, and soon finds herself trying to reveal a secret that high-powered men would (and do) kill to protect. It is up to Charlotte to find the truth and expose a plot of global proportion. But what if the conspirators get to her first?"

Viets, Elaine. DEATH ON A PLATTER: Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper. Signet Books. November '11. $7.99. "Josie Marcus plans to savor sampling the local St. Louis cuisine for a City Eats food tour. But her appetite is ruined at Tillie's Off the Hill Italian Restaurant when another customer is poisoned. Was the victim the real target - or is someone trying to ruin Tillie's reputation? It's up to Josie to find a killer who has no reservations about preparing a dish to die for..."

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