The Fiction Garden

Burning the Map by Laura Caldwell

2012-01-27T17:57:00.000-06:00

This is my first novel from Chicago-area novelist Laura Caldwell and I loved it. It's fun and light, but it has enough oomph to surpass romances and other lighter chick lit fair. Caldwell's writing style is easy going and breezy, just like the story here, which revolves around three friends who have been pals for years but are going through a "seven-year itch" in their friendship. The storyteller of the book, Casey, has been in a relationship for a while and that has changed the friendships she has. So, all three friends decide to take a trip to Italy and Greece to have fun and re-bond, but things begin to go awry quite quickly. So, basically, you have the best of both worlds here...travel and light romance. It's fun and entertaining, while never being too fluffy. Another author for me to savor!

London Calling by James Craig

2011-12-28T18:35:00.000-06:00

A new London crime detective takes to the big city streets with a vengeance. There is a little political intrigue mixed up with the murders John Carlyle is investigating...the case involves a former Cambridge University club filled with future politicos who are being killed off one by one years later. Carlyle is a believable London inspector who fights crime with a passion, though the writing could be a little better and the book does have its fair share of cliches. Not the best British mystery (by a long shot) but far from the worst. Definitely something for British mystery lovers to try.

Niles Adult Fiction STAFF PICKS of the Best Fiction from 2011

2011-12-19T14:20:00.099-06:00

Allison Will—Long Drive Home

Atkinson, Kate—Started Early, Took My Dog

Barclay, Linwood—The Accident

Barnes, Julian—Pulse: Stories

Benjamin, Melanie—The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb

Berg, Elizabeth—Once Upon a Time, There Was You

Bradley, Alan—A Red Herring Without Mustard

Brooks, Geraldine—Caleb’s Crossing

Brown, Eleanor—Weird Sisters

Clowes, Daniel—Mister Wonderful: A Love Story
Craig, James—London Calling

Crais, Robert—The Sentry

Ebert, Roger—Life Itself (NF)

Eugenides, Jeffrey—The Marriage Plot

Evans, Richard Paul—Miles To Go

Fey, Tina—Bossy Pants (NF)

Frazier, Charles—Nightwoods

Garwood, Julie—The Ideal Man

Genova, Lisa—Left Neglected
Gerritsen, Tess—Silent Girl

Goldman, Francisco—Say Her Name

Goodwin, Daisy—The American Heiress

Grafton, Sue—V is for Vengeance

Grossman, Lev—The Magician King

Haigh, Jennifer—Faith

Hannah, Kristin—Night Road

Hansen, Ron—A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion

Hodkinson, Amanda—22 Britannia Road
Hoffman, Alice—Red Garden

Hurwitz, Gregg—You’re Next

Kepler, Lars—The Hypnotist

Lowe, Rob—Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Mankell, Henning—The Troubled Man

McLain, Paula—The Paris Wife

McNeal, Tom—To Be Sung Underwater

Mitzner, Adam—Conflict of Interest

Nesbo, Jo—The Snowman
O’Nan, Stewart—Emily, Alone

Pelecanos, George—The Cut

Penny, Louise—Trick of the Light
Rosenfelt, David—On Borrowed Time

Russell, Mary Doria—Doc

Ryan, David Jahn—Good Neighbors

Schwartz, John Burnham—Northwest Corner

See, Lisa—Dreams of Joy

Sin, Kyong-Suk—Please Look After Mom

Spelling, Elizabeth—The Return of Captain John Emmett

Sullivan, J. Courtney—Maine

Waldman, Amy—The Submission

Ward, J.R.—Lover Unleashed
Weiner, Jennifer—Then Came You

Winspear, Jacqueline—A Lesson in Secrets

The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller

2011-12-16T12:32:00.002-06:00

Set in 1920 London, this mystery intertwines the horrors of World War I in a web of war survivors, murders, romance, social customs and history. Recovering from the trauma of both serving in the war and losing a wife and child, Laurence Bartram receives news of the suicide death of a classmate, Captain John Emmett. Feeling compassion for the family, Laurence comes to the aid of his sister to discover the why of the suicide and bequests to unknown individuals in his will. Laurence falls hopelessly in love with the sister, Mary. The investigation becomes one of can’t stop reading intrigue when it is discovered that Captain Emmett was a member of a firing squad for the execution of a British sergeant for desertion during the war.
Aiding Laurence in this investigation is good friend Charles. Charles knows everything and everyone and he steals every scene where he is placed and provides many light moments amid the darkness. The author does not spare the reader from the sad awfulness of World War I. This war destroyed a generation with over 1.6 million British men wounded, 662,000 men killed and 140,000 men reported missing in action. The novel’s core focuses on the psychological trauma of the survivors, shell shock, and vividly awakens the reader to current copings with the post traumatic stress disorder of contemporary military veterans.
This mystery has a lot to offer. While discovering the history of post World War I Britain, the reader can savor the puzzle of who, what and why.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

2011-12-14T18:03:00.001-06:00

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a fantastic book about love, friendship and prejudice at any time in life, within any social status, anywhere in the world. The character of Major Ernest Pettigrew is pretty much the stereotypical older English gentleman. He’s classy, he’s respectful, he’s neat and tidy, he’s quiet and he’s not one to ever make a scene. Enter Mrs. Jasmina Ali and her Pakistani background and ways and the Major finds his proper, sedate life turned upside down. Right from the start, there is some chemistry between Mrs. Ali and the Major but because of both cultural and class prejudices (from the townspeople, from the Major’s son Roger and even from the Major himself), Mrs. Ali leaves the town, and the Major, behind. What the Major does next leads to one of the best “adult” endings in fiction ever. Very little in this book is trite or clichéd. An excellent, mature read for all…not only for those in the twilight of their lives.

The Very Picture of You by Isabel Wolff

2011-11-23T20:01:00.000-06:00

Once again, Isabel Wolff and her chick lit do not disappoint. Yes, it’s light. Yes, it’s predictable. But, it’s fun. And Wolff is a strong author who can create strong characters and semi-believable tales. This one finds the main character Ella Graham as a popular portrait painter in London’s inner circles. Her newly-engaged sister commissions a portrait of her fiancé and Ella encounters problems when she finds herself attractive to the fiancé. Other fascinating storylines stem from the different clients Ella is assigned to paint, but the main focus is Ella’s woes with her sister’s fiancé. Wolff combines just the right combination of wispy prose with heartfelt stories and quality writing for this to be a perfect weekend read!

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

2011-11-08T10:04:00.000-06:00

Featuring three Brown University seniors in 1982, The Marriage Plot captures the coming of age, apprehension and indecisiveness of timeless college graduates. Eugenides, a Princeton professor and Brown graduate, writes with knowledgeable authority about the college setting. Mitchell Grammaticus loves Madeleine Hanna and Madeleine Hanna loves Leonard Bankhead, rather unique names in an all too familiar college love triangle. Madeleine is writing her senior thesis on Victorian novels and has been rejected by Yale graduate school, Mitchell is a religious studies major who plans a graduation trip to India, and Leonard has accepted a biology research fellowship on Cape Cod. As these three seniors make decisions concerning their future it seems that all three are struggling in their own way to find goodness and do the right thing. Madeleine falls in the female trap of confusing love with a need to save and mother a man. Mitchell confuses love with destiny, and Leonard rejects love under the paralysis of manic depression. Quite realistic in the characterization of the three students, their parents, and friends, the novel changes between the voices of the three students as the novel progresses. There is an art to capturing the right texture and rhythm of dialogue and Eugenides excels. His affection for the characters is evident and he interjects humor throughout the novel to lighten the serious moments.

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier

2011-11-08T10:01:00.000-06:00

Written in lush and lyrical language complimenting the North Carolina forest setting, the novel is a thriller, romance, and character study. Luce is a spunky loner who has abandoned social interactions and lives as a caretaker for an abandoned summer lodge miles from town. Her solitary existence is drastically interrupted as a social worker delivers the children of her murdered sister. The children are mute and unresponsive. Without any experience in the care of children, she must be their protector and savior. Meanwhile the father is lurking in the background freed from the murder of his wife and trying to find hidden sums of money. If Luce is the heroine, Bud the father, is the villain of the narrative. In capturing the mind, motivations and self-pitying justifications of this psychopath, Frazier’s words glow. Luce cares for the children, a stranger visits and a romance begins. As the action advances, Bud, the children, and Luce become entwined in fearful suspense. Providing the welcome escape that readers crave, Frazier journeys to another time and place. Lovers of Cold Mountain will not be disappointed with Nightwoods.

A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch

2011-10-12T18:50:00.002-05:00

Akin to Deanna Raybourn and her Lady Julia Grey series and Anne Perry’s William Monk series, Charles Finch puts together a smart, fresh historical mystery series with a debonair gentleman detective Charles Lenox. In this book, the fourth in the series, Lenox begins working as a Member of Parliament in 1860s London, but called upon to do some investigating when the servant of a fellow MP turns up murdered. Sadly, his new wife, Lady Jane Grey, is not too pleased his sleuthing…she would rather he be home with her, so that leads to some tension. Mostly, Lenox is an easy-going and dapper fellow who appeals to all. I think most mystery readers, especially those who like historical or British mysteries (or both) will like Finch!

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

2011-09-19T12:44:00.001-05:00

Following the overwhelming success of The Millennium Trilogy (The Girl....series) by Stieg Larsson and the recent success of The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, it's no wonder American publishers are clamoring to get new Scandinavian authors out on the crime fiction shelves. Sometimes, this leads to less than stellar works...published just for the sake of being published. That is NOT the case with this book by Kepler, a Swedish husband and wife writing team. The Hypnotist is one of the strongest thrillers I've read in ages...since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...and even gives that first book of Larsson's trilogy a run for its money. Most of the way through (up until the very end -- maybe the last 50 pages) was some of the best suspense ever! Kepler knows just how to reel the audience in and how much or how little to give away...letting the chills mount until they just HAVE to be released. The ending was a bit of a disappointment, which is why it was not able to surpass The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as my favorite crime story in a decade. Unlike Girl, which has a very strong ending, The Hypnotist's story and writing seems to drag on unnecessarily at the end, which is a shame since most of the book was so taut and fine-tuned. But, the ending should not keep you from reading this one. The first 450 pages are superb and need to be savored and remembered as you read to the end. I'm sure you will not be disappointed with this one! A MUST for all crime readers!

Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg

2011-09-08T11:37:00.001-05:00

Not one of Berg's best but still a strong tale of woe among 50-something divorcees. The main female character, Irene, got a little tiresome after a while since I so disagreed with a lot of choices in both parenting and dealing with her ex-husband. But, John, the ex, is a strongly written, interesting male voice in modern-day America. I felt John had his feet planted more in the real world than Irene, especially when dealing with their 18-year-old daughter. If you've read Berg (and other women's fiction) and liked her, you will mostly like this one.

Novels to Commemorate the 10 Year Anniversary of September 11, 2001

2011-08-23T15:51:00.000-05:00

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
By Foer, Jonathan Safran
2005-04 - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
0618329706 Check Our Catalog

Winner - 2006 ALA Notable Fiction Selection
A BookPage Notable Title
Oskar Schell is an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist. He is nine years old. And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center.
…More

The Usual Rules
By Maynard, Joyce
2004-02 - St. Martin's Press
0312283695 Check Our Catalog

Thirteen-year-old Wendy lives in Brooklyn. Her world is transformed one day in September 2001--her mother goes to work that morning and doesn't come back. Through Wendy's eyes, readers follow her slow and terrible realization that her mother has died, and the family's struggle to move forward with their lives. …More

The Submission
By Waldman, Amy
2011-08 - Farrar Straus Giroux
9780374271565 Check Our Catalog

Cool, eloquent, raising two fatherless children, Claire has emerged as the most visible of the widows who became a potent political force in the aftermath of the catastrophe. She longs for her husband, but she has found her mission: she sits on a jury charged with selecting a fitting memorial for the victims of the attack. …More

Terrorist
By Updike, John
2007-05 - Ballantine Books
9780345493910 Check Our Catalog

BookPage Notable Title
Born of an Irish-American mother and an Egyptian father long since disappeared, 18-year-old Ahmad craves spiritual nurture and is drawn into an insidious plot. …More

Ground Zero
By Wilson, F. Paul
2010-09 - Tor Books
9780765362797 Check Our Catalog

Jack finds the secret behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in the new dark thriller in the bestselling Repairman Jack series. …More

Absent Friends
By Rozan, S. J.
2008-08 - Dell Publishing Company
9780440241850 Check Our Catalog

The secrets of a group of childhood friends unravel in this haunting thriller by Edgar Award winner Rozan, set in New York in the unforgettable aftermath of September 11. …More

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

2011-08-13T11:09:00.003-05:00

Akin to titles by fellow Scandinavians Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson, Norwegian author Nesbo spins an exciting, edge-of-your-seat thriller with a whole lot of punch. The “creep” factor is high here so don’t read at bedtime…nightmares of snowmen staring through the window at you are almost guaranteed. Telling the story of a serial killer who is hunting prey in Norway and leaving a snowman at or near the scenes of his crimes, Nesbo weaves terror and strong writing together to tell his teeth-clenching tale. The police detective investigating, Harry Hole, becomes personally attached to the killer after Hole begins to get messages from the killer. A solid, intense thriller by an author who will give fans of Mankell’s Wallander series and Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy a run for their money.

The Help FEATURETTE (Behind The Scenes)

2011-06-28T17:57:00.000-05:00

Ten Best Books of 2011 (So Far)

2011-06-28T17:53:00.000-05:00

Ten Best Books of 2011 (So Far)

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

2011-06-09T10:04:00.001-05:00

Set during both WWII and in the mid-1980s, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an exceptional novel about a time in history American we are too willing to forget…the internment of Japanese Americans during the war. Set in Seattle, Hotel focuses around main character Henry, who is a young 12-year-old Chinese American boy in 1942, where much of the book takes place. During these historical chapters, he meets Keiko, a Japanese girl who is a second generation American. They both start out apprehensive of each other (Henry’s father loathes the Japanese) but eventually grow to care deeply for each other. When Keiko and her family, along with all of the other Japanese families, are rounded up and moved to camps set up by the American government, Henry is not only unhappy but confused…confused since Keiko is more American than he is. Keiko does not even speak Japanese. This contrasts with Henry’s background…where his parents speak only Chinese and they force him to speak only “his English.”
I really liked this novel. It has one of the best, most moving stories I’ve read. Ever. Now, mind you, I am not saying this is the best book I have ever read. Why? What is the difference between “best story” and “best book?” Simple: the way it was written. As I was reading Hotel, I found myself thinking about another book I had read that was also set in the Pacific Northwest about Japanese Americans: Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. Even though Snow takes place AFTER WWII and Hotel focuses on events that happen DURING the war, I continued to make comparisons between the two while I was reading Hotel. Comparisons to the story and the location and the romantic elements…NOT comparisons to the writing. Guterson’s novel from 1994 is filled with lyrical prose that I remember submerging myself into and not wanting to escape from…vivid from page one to the end, brilliantly bringing to life an entire setting through the pages. The love story in Snow between the main characters is enhanced by the poetic words given to describe both them and their surroundings. Jamie Ford’s writing in Hotel is good…very good. It’s just not excellent. It’s the story in Hotel that you want to savor, not the prose. Had Ford brought to Hotel the expressive, inspired language Guterson used, Hotel might just have been a true literary masterpiece. But, having a minor masterpiece is still pretty good! It’s a great, page-turning read and a story that will stay with you long after the final page.

Summer Reading, 2011

2011-05-24T11:58:00.000-05:00

Summer Reading, 2011

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

2011-04-18T12:34:00.002-05:00

A true tearjerker, Night Road, is a perceptive novel on motherhood, friendship, family relationships and the devastation of loss. Jude Farraday is a super overbearing mother of twins, Mia and Zach. On the first day of high school Lexie Baill, newly adopted by her grand aunt, befriends Mia who is shy and insecure in contrast to her popular and athletic twin Zach. Jude grateful that Mia has found a friend opens her home to Lexie. The friendship flourishes.

As the action fast forwards to senior year, Jude beset by college applications and drinking parties becomes obsessive in her control of the twins’ lives. The timing for this novel is just right for Mother’s Day since the characterization of Jude relates so well to every mother who feels the pressure and concern for the happiness of her children. Adding to the tenderness of the novel Lexie and Zach fall in love.
On one tragic night on Night Road Jude’s fears are realized. In the explosion of Jude’s grief, guilt and rage lives are broken and dreams destroyed.
Setting and strong insightful characterization contribute to a realistic heartbreaking story.

2011-04-08T20:30:00.001-05:00

In a previous post, I spoke of all of the books I read on my iPad while on vacation. Here short reviews of the titles that I read:

Brett, Simon — The Body on the Beach – The first of Brett’s Fethering mysteries, this is a fun cozy mystery set in a smallish coastal town in the South of England. The two main characters become amateur sleuths as they investigate a body that one of them found on the beach.

Crombie, Deborah — Where Memories Lie – An intense mystery featuring Crombie’s English police team of Kincaid and James. This one involves a diamond brooch that was stolen by the Nazis and belongs to a woman who needs to get to the bottom of why people associated with the brooch are turning up dead.

Fielding, Joy — Missing Pieces – A page-turning thriller that also has its fair share of family drama. Married with teen kids, Kate is a therapist whose former flame has just reentered her life and sister is in love with a serial killer. As Kate’s home life continues to unravel, her sister makes some decisions that jeopardize all of their lives.

Keyes, Marian — Sushi for Beginners – Lisa finally gets the promotion she’s been waiting for…but it’s Dublin, Ireland…not NYC, where all the movers and shakers are. On the other hand, Ashling LOVES Dublin and her new job working for Lisa. As always with chick lit, there are several different men who add complication to the plot. LOTS of fun…as usual from Keyes.

Rendell, Ruth — Murder Being Once Done – Rendell’s Chief Inspector Wexford is at it once again…this time in London, where he’s recuperating after a heart attack. But Wexford doesn’t know the meaning of the word REST, especially when he stumbles into a case of multiple murders.

Wickham, Madeleine — The Gatecrasher – Wickham (who also writes under her pen name Sophie Kinsella) once again scores with a weightier, meatier tale than she writes as Kinsella. This time, she features a main character who crashes funerals, hoping the new widower will be wealthy. Vivid characters outshine Wickham’s plot…but still lots of fun!

Winspear, Jacqueline — A Lesson in Secrets – Winspear’s 8th outing with her continuing sleuth Maisie Dobbs, who’s a spunky young PI in England between WWI and WWII. This time, Maisie is undercover in a college when the principal is murdered. Dobbs then reveals her true identity as a detective and begins to solve the crime.

Book Review from patron Caroline Szold-Goodman

2011-04-07T15:18:00.000-05:00

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver is a novel set in Grace, Arizona. Codi and Hallie are the daughters of eccentric Doc Homer who watches them with great concern. They are sweet and gentle girls. Doc Homer insists they wear orthopedic shoes to their dismay.

The stories take place during the revolution in Nicaragua. Hallie joins the cause to help the people, not to fight, but to teach the children and to heal people.

Codi keeps looking back at her dreaded childhood. She also has to keep track of Doc Homer who is sinking into dementia. She doesn’t feel confident of herself. Yet, as the story progresses, she becomes a fine teacher. She concerns herself with the students. Codi gives them sex education. The class tests the nearby waters and finds the Ph is off the charts. So they alert the town about the water problem.

The native citizens of Grace loved displays of religious objects. “Some people had business with the saints on November 1, and went to Mass, but on November 2 ‘everybody’ had business at the graveyard.”

The intricacies of the Navaho, Apache, and other tribes are realistic. The romance is dreamy. The writing is fantastic-a poetic journey ending in a paradise on earth.

iPad vs. book

2011-04-02T16:54:00.000-05:00

I was on vacation recently and read 10 books while away…8 being on my iPad. This is the first time I’ve done this. I mean I’ve tested opening the books and read one or two pages, but on the whole, it was the first true e-reading experience. And, I loved it. I used to travel with 4-5 paperback books that took up VALUABLE space in my suitcase (I have learned the hard way about packing so I pack VERY light now). Depending on the length of the trip, sometimes I would run out of books. So, I would head to local bookstore and buy some, which is money I could have been spending on crappy touristy trinkets. Also, as I finish the books, I leave them “on the road,” either in hotel libraries or I give them to fellow readers. So, basically, I’m spending money and forgoing luggage space on throwaway books. NOT ANYMORE! With my thin, lightweight iPad, I can pack on as many electronic books as I can store (thousands). And it ALWAYS takes up the same amount of space in my bag. And I have a plethora of choices…iBooks, Kindle (with the iPad app), NOOK (also with an app), Google Books, and, of course, books I downloaded from the library through both the Overdrive Media Console and the Bluefire apps. The prices of all of these books vary (the library ones were free, naturally) but spending money on books I will leave in my hotel room is even worse.

So basically, that’s my tale of love for my iPad and for e-books while on vacation.
At home, will I read books on my iPad from now on? I don’t think so…even with loving it as much as I do. Let me explain why.

First of all, there is the security factor that I have never been conscious of with books. Who cares if someone steals my $7.99 paperback…or even a library book for that matter, which might be $28.99. But, with my $499 iPad, I was constantly worried about this. I travel alone and when I was reading in a pub or restaurant, I would have to pack up my iPad, take it with me to the bathroom and then unpack it when I got back. When I used to have just a paperback on the table, I would leave it right out in the open while using the facilities.

Secondly, I was constantly afraid of getting the iPad wet. I was in England for most of my trip and we all know how English weather is…wet and damp. Yes, water is not a book’s best friend but again, a paperback getting drenched would be about an $8 hardship. Once more, the iPad’s price tag was getting in the way of my completely, unadulterated reading enjoyment.

Then, I had heard stories about how glare is a big problem for the iPad, whereas not a problem for people with non-glare “e-readers” such as the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes and Noble NOOK and the Sony Reader. When I was in St. Mark’s Square in Venice at an outdoor café and the sun was shining, I found out exactly how BIG this problem was. Quite big. I mean I could see the screen, but at times, it required a lot of adjustment. I had to increase the font size, increase the brightness of the screen and then just keep repositioning the iPad until I found the best position to see as much of the screen as possible. Suffice it to say, I didn’t sit at many outdoor cafés on sunny days.

Lastly, the most problematic experience with my iPad was when it just stopped working all of a sudden. I was away on a daytrip so I had to wait until I got back to my hotel to try charging it (even though when it conked out, it had about 60% of its charge left) to see if that brought it back to life. Nothing. So, I had to wait two days until I moved to a larger town where they had an authorized Apple service location. So, what did I do? I bought a book. A regular, ordinary, timeless, cheap book. With a book, there is never a “technical difficulty.” And if you lose it or it gets damaged, it doesn’t force you to take out a second mortgage to replace it.
Yes, the Apple service place was able to get my iPad up and running again (they had no clue what happened to it) so I was able to finish my trip reading off the iPad without having to exhaust Waterstones of their entire supply of Chick Lit and British Mysteries. But, until they devise something foolproof, while I’m at home, I will stick with a good ol’ fashioned book.

Titles of British Mysteries from Jan. 11 Presentation

2011-01-12T14:14:00.006-06:00

Here are the titles of the British mysteries mentioned in Cecilia's British Mysteries talk given at the library on Tuesday, January 11 @ 7pm.

The Lake District

Beyond the Bone
By Hill, Reginald
2000-04 - Severn House Publishers
0727855107 Check Our Catalog
…More

The Stranger House
By Hill, Reginald
2005-10 - HarperCollins Publishers
0060820810 Check Our Catalog
The "sorcerer of style" ("New York Times Book Review") delivers a stunning stand-alone novel full of suspense, romance, history, sex, and miracles--an exploration of the sometimes twisted side of the human psyche. …More

Dead Man Riding: A Nell Bray Mystery
By Linscott, Gillian
2003-01 - Minotaur Books
0312308248 Check Our Catalog
After three years of traipsing across Europe with her lovesick, widowed mother, Nell Bray has finally found her way to Oxford University. There she has befriended the beautiful Imogen and the charming Midge.When the three girls decide to accept an invitation by their male classmates to join a reading party in the country during vacation - accompanied by a dashing philosophy don with a reputation for stirring up trouble - they go against what is quickly becoming the obsolete conventions of the nineteenth-century. Once they arrive in the country, they are greeted by the unpleasant fact that their host has been accused of murder when a local boy is missing. Rather than return home, however, the six students and their mentor decide to put down their books and put their intellectual prowess to the test by solving the mystery.This combination of mystery and learning - with some college crushes and loves along the way - makes "Dead Man Riding Gillian Linscott's best mystery to date. …More

The Grave Tattoo
By McDermid, Val
2007-02 - Minotaur Books
0312339216 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title
In a novel reminiscent of The Dante Club and The Historian, suspense master McDermid spins a psychological thriller in which a present-day murder has its roots in the 18th century and the mutiny on the HMS Bounty. …More

The Coffin Trail
By Edwards, Martin
2004-10 - Poisoned Pen Press
1590581296 Check Our Catalog
On impulse, Oxford historian Daniel Kind and his partner Miranda buy a cottage in Brackdale, an idyllic valley in the Lake District. Tarn Cottage was once home to Barrie Gilpin, suspected of a savage murder. A young woman's body was found on the Sacrifice Stone, an ancient pagan site up on the fell, but Barrie died before he could be arrested. When the police launch a cold case review, the lives of Daniel and DCI Hannah Scarlett become strangely entwined, as they search for a ruthless murderer who is prepared to kill again to hide a shocking secret. …More

Oxford and Oxfordshire

An Instance of the Fingerpost
By Pears, Iain M.
1998-03 - Riverhead Books
1573220825 Check Our Catalog
We are in England in the 1660s, Charles II has been restored to the throne following years of civil war and Oliver Cromwell's short-lived republic. Oxford is the intellectual seat of the country, a place of great scientific, religious, and political ferment. A fellow of New College is found dead in suspicious circumstances. A young woman is accused of his murder. We hear the story of the death from four witnesses: an Italian physician intent on claiming credit for the invention of blood transfusion; the son of an alleged Royalist traitor; a master cryptographer who has worked for both Cromwell and the king; and a renowned Oxford antiquarian. Each tells his own version of what happened. Only one reveals the extraordinary truth. …More

Heresy
By Parris, S. J.
2010-02 - Doubleday Books
0385531281 Check Our Catalog
Like "The Dante Club," this clever, sophisticated, exceptionally enjoyable thriller is written with unstoppable narrative propulsion and stylistic flair. Follow the monk, poet, and scientist Giordano Bruno on his quest to uncover a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth I. …More

Last Bus to Woodstock
By Dexter, Colin
1996-06 - Ivy Books
0804114900 Check Our Catalog
"[Morse is] the most prickly, conceited, and genuinely brilliant detective since Hercule Poirot."
--The New York Times Book Review
"YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW MORSE UNTIL YOU'VE READ
HIM. . . . Viewers who have enjoyed British actor John Thaw as Morse in the PBS Mystery! anthology series should welcome the deeper character development in Dexter's novels."
--Chicago Sun-Times
Beautiful Sylvia Kaye and another young woman had been seen hitching a ride not long before Sylvia's bludgeoned body is found outside a pub in Woodstock, near Oxford. Morse is sure the other hitchhiker can tell him much of what he needs to know. But his confidence is shaken by the cool inscrutability of the girl he's certain was Sylvia's companion on that ill-fated September evening. Shrewd as Morse is, he's also distracted by the complex scenarios that the murder set in motion among Sylvia's girlfriends and their Oxford playmates. To grasp the painful truth, and act upon it, requires from Morse the last atom of his professional discipline.
"Few novelists write books as intelligent and deliciously frightening as those by Colin Dexter. . . . What Mr. Dexter does so well, so brilliantly, is weave a thick, cerebral story chock-full of literary references and clever red herrings."
--The Washington Times
"A MASTERFUL CRIME WRITER WHOM FEW OTHERS MATCH."
--Publishers Weekly …More

Brighton and West and East Sussex

Play to the End
By Goddard, Robert
2006-04 - Delta
0385339186 Check Our Catalog
An instant top-ten bestseller in the U.K., "Play to the End" thrusts readers into a dangerous tangle of family rivalries and murderous deceit, as a struggling actor finds himself on a collision course with long-held secrets. …More

The Body on the Beach: A Fethering Mystery
By Brett, Simon
2000-08 - Berkley Prime Crime
0425175006 Check Our Catalog
When recent retiree Carole Seddon discovers a dead body on the beach of Fethering, an English seaside village, her sensible life becomes suddenly quite complicated. And with the help of her Bohemian neighbor, Jude, Carole finds a new purpose in life as a detective. …More

Dead Simple
By James, Peter
2006-01 - Carroll & Graf Publishers
078671641X Check Our Catalog
Launching a terrifying new series, James introduces recently widowed Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, who's called in when a man is reported missing from a bachelor party. Grace soon discovers that one man's disaster is another man's fortune. …More

From Doon with Death
By Rendell, Ruth
1988-02 - Fawcett Books
0345348176 Check Our Catalog
When Margaret Parsons disappears, Inspector Burden tries to reassure her frantic husband that she will be back by morning. Privately, though, he is certain Margaret has run off with another man. But then the missing woman's body is found, strangled and abandoned in a nearby wood. And when Mr. Parsons lets the police into his home, a startling discovery leads everyone to question just who Margaret Parsons really was . . . …More
The Cotswolds

Bloodline
By Mountain, Fiona
2006-02 - Minotaur Books
0312323255 Check Our Catalog
Praise for "Pale as the Dead" "An original story delightfully told. Natasha Blake's genealogical detective work...is well worth the journey."- Anne Perry, author of "Thou Shalt Not Kill" "An evocative Cotswold setting, a compelling contemporary story, and a very human and appealing heroine with a fascinating profession."- Deborah Crombie, author of "Dreaming of the Bones" "Natasha is a mystery...readers will be eager to meet her again."- "Booklist" "Exhilirating opening debut of a fascinating 'detective'...this is a unique tale starring a delightful individual who makes a fine sleuth whether it is the past or present."- "Midwest Book Review" "Unique twist to the conventional mystery...nonstop suspense will leave readers eager for future installments in this enthralling new series."- "Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine""" "Intriguing...The plot is fantastic and gripping. It is well worth the journey back in time."- "Rendezvous Review" …More

High Marks for Murder: A Bellehaven House Mystery
By Kent, Rebecca
2008-06 - Berkley Trade Pub
0425222047 Check Our Catalog
Teacher Kathleen Duncan is found dead in the school garden. A bloody branch leads Miss Meredith Llewellyn to assume it had been an accident, until she learns that the limb didn't break off--it had been neatly sawn. Now she searches for a killer, in this first title of a new series set in Edwardian England. Original. …More

An Academic Death
By Gregson, J. M.
2001-12 - Severn House Publishers
0727857487 Check Our Catalog
…More

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death
By Beaton, M. C.
1993-11 - Fawcett Books
0804111634 Check Our Catalog
The creator of the popular Hamish Macbeth mysteries now introduces a new sleuth in a small English town. Who had the crust to poison the judge at the village baking contest? Irascible retiree Agatha Raisin wants to know who put together all the ingredients for a perfect crime. Martin's. …More

York and Yorkshire

The Widows Club
By Cannell, Dorothy
1989-09 - Bantam Books
0553277944 Check Our Catalog
Stylish, amusing, and deliciously wicked, the Misses Hyacinth and Primrose Tramwell are hired to investigate a woman's organization whose members choose widowhood over divorce. With the help of a newlywed friend, the spinster sleuths stalk the mastermind of matrimonial murder. …More

The Torment of Others
By McDermid, Val
2005-05 - Minotaur Books
0312339194 Check Our Catalog
A BookPage Notable Title
After a vicious assault, Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan has returned to Bradfield to resume her career. When she is assigned a case involving the grotesque murder of a prostitute, she turns to Dr. Tony Hill for help. …More

A Pinch of Snuff
By Hill, Reginald
1990-07 - Dell Publishing Company
0440169127 Check Our Catalog
Love, or at least pornography, are for sale at the arty Calliope Kinema Club on posh, proper Wilkinson Square. According to Yorkshire police superintendent Dalziel, it's all legal. Detective Peter Pascoe, however, doesn't believe it. His dentist, who knows real broken teeth and blood when he sees them, insists that the pretty actress wasn't playing a part when it happened. But the action that puts Pascoe into the picture is homicide. The sudden death of the Calliope's proprietor soon turns a sleazy sex flick into serious police business. And now Dalziel and Pascoe are looking into the all-too-human desire for pain, pleasure...and murder. …More

Hangman Blind
By Clark, Cassandra
2009-02 - Minotaur Books
0312537301 Check Our Catalog
The stellar debut novel in a new mystery series features a brilliant and brave medieval abbess, in this work set in 1382 Yorkshire, England. …More

Fear of Drowning
By Turnbull, Peter
2000-08 - Minotaur Books
0312261586 Check Our Catalog
A husband and wife disappear from their condominium in an affluent suburb of York and a farmer uncovers their bodies several days later. In this kickoff to an authentic new series, Inspector Hennesey and his sidekick, Lieutenent Yellich, must weed through several suspects in order to find the guilty party. …More

The Dead Hand of History
By Spencer, Sally
2009-11 - Severn House Publishers
0727868055 Check Our Catalog
It will be no easy task to fill DCI Charlie Woodend's shoes, the newly-promoted Monika Paniatowski tells herself, but, given a little time, she thinks she can grow into them. Yet, with the discovery of a severed hand, time is the one thing she does not have. …More

The Mushroom Man
By Pawson, Stuart
2010-08 - Allison & Busby
0749083859 Check Our Catalog
The second book in the newly re-issued DI Charlie Priest mysteries. Someone is killing priests and leaving a picture of a deadly fungus by their bodies …More

Bad Boy: An Inspector Banks Novel

By Robinson, Peter

2010-09 - William Morrow & Company

0061362956 Check Our Catalog The acclaimed international bestselling author delivers a fast-paced, nail-biting thriller in which Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks must face his most challenging and personal case yet--one in which he must save his daughter's life. …More

Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwickshire

Murder in Stratford
By Peterson, Audrey
2005-03 - Five Star (ME)
1594142734 Check Our Catalog
…More

Cornwall

Beyond Recall
By Goddard, Robert
1998-06 - Henry Holt & Company
0805051104 Check Our Catalog
At a wedding party in Cornwall, Chris Napier, the bride's uncle, is shocked to recognize a drunken, disheveled, and evidently distraught intruder. Chris hasn't seen his childhood friend Nicky Lanyon for more than thirty years, not since Nicky's father was hanged for the murder of Joshua Carnoweth - Chris's great-uncle and the man behind the Napier family's inherited affluence. Nicky's plea for his father's innocence is underscored by the method by which he chooses to commit suicide at the conclusion of the day's celebrations. Chris is now compelled to test the truth of his friend's conviction and soon realizes that his own understanding of the events surrounding the murder amounts to none at all. The conduct of more than one member of his own family begins to dog his hesitant footsteps into a past slowly darkening with the shadows of corruption, greed, lies, child abuse, and good old-fashioned revenge. …More

Name to a Face
By Goddard, Robert
2009-06 - Delta
0385342179 Check Our Catalog
When Tim Harding is sent by his employer to buy an antique ring at auction, little does he realize that he is about to restart a chain of events which had begun many years before. …More

The Marigold Mafia
By Bastion, Elisabeth
2009-04 - Five Star (ME)
1594147566 Check Our Catalog
…More

Vow of Silence
By Black, Veronica
1991-11 - Fawcett Books
0804108145 Check Our Catalog
Sister Joan is transferred to Cornwall Convent to quietly investigate the death of Sister Sophia and the disappearance of Sister Magdalen. Finding many departures from normal convent routine, Sister Joan begins to suspect what she hardly dares to name--and soon, it's too late to even send for help. 'A fine debut for this series'.--Kirkus. Martin's. …More

Dead Ringer
By Cook, Judith
2003-06 - Severn House Publishers
0727859552 Check Our Catalog
The first in a brand-new series featuring an ex-cop turned environmental crusader. Retired policeman John Latymer is happily settled with his new wife Tess, and occupies himself with a part time job as a tour guide leading groups around England. When he witnesses a violent brawl in a small Cornish harbour-town, and when a body is discovered off the coast nearby, he cannot help but become embroiled in the ensuing investigations - much to the annoyance of his wife. Exposing the dark side of the fishing industry and the underworld of drugs, as well as tackling sensitive environmental issues, Dead Ringer will keep the reader glued to the pages through the various twists and turns of this exciting novel. …More

New-Slain Knight
By Grabien, Deborah
2007-11 - Minotaur Books
0312374003 Check Our Catalog
It's summer in England, and---with nothing urgent demanding their attention---Ringan and Penny are planning a quiet vacation alone together. Their plans change when Ringan's niece, fourteen-year-old violin prodigy Becca, is dumped in their care while her parents deal with an emergency abroad.
Ringan has no idea what to do with a teenage relative. Penny points out that Becca is more a musician than a child, and suggests a musical holiday in Cornwall. Playing in front of a live audience with Ringan and a band will give the girl much-needed experience and confidence. It will let Ringan get to know his niece better, as well.
It's a good plan, and everyone approves. And yet something about the St. Ives home of their host, Gowan, leaves Penny uneasy. She hears voices in her mind, speaking in Cornish, and has a horrifying vision through the eyes of a dying man. When, soon after, she finds Becca sleepwalking, Penny learns from Gowan that, many years earlier, his emotionally unstable lover hanged herself in this house. It may simply be the echoes of that tragedy disturbing both her and Becca. But after Becca has a seizure during a live performance of a seemingly harmless song, Penny and Ringan realize that a much older tragedy hangs over Gowan and his family. And if they can't find the truth and lay to rest whatever ghosts still walk, they may lose Becca.
"New-Slain Knight," the fifth in the Haunted Ballad mystery series, touches on the ties that bind: family, the past and the present, and the mystery that lies behind every story.
…More

Ash & Bone
By Harvey, John
2006-12 - Harvest Books
0156032848 Check Our Catalog
Detective Sergeant Maddy Birch will never see thirty again. Nor forty. And, after a lifetime on the force, all she has to show for it are a couple of hundred pounds in the bank and a mortgaged flat.
In Cornwall, retired Detective Inspector Elder's solitary life is disturbed by a phone call from his estranged wife. Seventeen-year-old Katherine is running wild. Elder's fears for his daughter are underscored by remorse and guilt, for it was his involvement that led directly to the abduction and rape that has so unbalanced Katherine's life.
There's a connection between Maddy and Elder: a brief, clumsy encounter sixteen years earlier. Just a quick grope and a cuddle, leading to nothing, but leaving a trace of lingering regret.
When the takedown of a violent criminal goes badly wrong leaving both the target and a young constable dead, something doesn't feel right to Maddy. In Ash and Bone, the unsettled, unhappy Elder is once again persuaded out of retirement. A cold, cold case has a devastating present day impact with sinister implications for the crime squad itself. Elder's investigation takes place against the backdrop of his increasing concern for his daughter together with demons of his own he must battle before he can uncover the truth. …More

Sea of Lost Love
By Montefiore, Santa
2008-05 - Touchstone Books
1416543732 Check Our Catalog
The author of "The Last Voyage of the Valentina" returns with the gripping story of a young woman who must face the shocking truths of her family's past, in order to save their ancestral home. …More

Angel with Two Faces: A Mystery Featuring Josephine Tey
By Upson, Nicola
2010-07 - Harper Paperbacks
0061451576 Check Our Catalog
Exhausted and disillusioned with the world of theater in May 1935, Josephine Tey has traveled to Cornwall to spend the summer with her friends the Motleys at their run-down but beautiful country estate. Ready to begin work on her second mystery novel, Tey finds much to inspire her in the landscape and its legends. Meanwhile, the Motleys have become involved in an amateur production at the nearby Minack Theater.
Detective Inspector Archie Penrose has returned to his roots in Cornwall to attend the funeral of a family friend, a young estate worker who died in a tragic riding accident. Penrose has a few questions about the circumstances surrounding the fatal occurrence. And when the Minack Theater proves to be the stage for a real-life tragedy, Penrose and Tey together must investigate an audacious murder and confront an evil suggesting that there are darker things than death. …More

Manna from Hades
By Dunn, Carola
2009-03 - Minotaur Books
0312379455 Check Our Catalog
"Manna from Hades" is a confounding case of daring theft, double-cross, and awily older woman confronted by a case of murder most foul. …More

A Colourful Death: A Cornish Mystery
By Dunn, Carola
2010-06 - Minotaur Books
0312379463 Check Our Catalog
In this cozy Cornish mystery, recently retired widow Eleanor Trewynn sets out to clear her friend Nick of the murder of neighbor artist Geoffrey Clark. She soon learns that Nick is far from the only one with a compelling motive for murder. …More

Mistletoe and Murder
By Dunn, Carola
2002-12 - Minotaur Books
0312287755 Check Our Catalog
Daisy Dalrymple brings her family to an old Cornish estate for Christmas. The estate has a rich history of lore, ghost stories and festering resentments--some or all of which leave the family trapped in a house with a corpse for the holidays. …More

The Lighthouse
By James, P. D.
2005-11 - Alfred A. Knopf
030726291X Check Our Catalog
When one of the distinguished visitors to Combe Island is bizarrely murdered, Commander Adam Dalgliesh is called in. Hardly has his team begun to unravel the complicated motives of the suspects than there is a second brutal killing, and Dalgliesh faces a danger more insidious than murder. …More

London

Her Royal Spyness
By Bowen, Rhys
2007-07 - Berkley Publishing Group
0425215679 Check Our Catalog
The Agatha Award winner debuts a 1930s London mystery series, featuring a penniless 20-something member of the extended royal family. When an arrogant Frenchman, who wants her family's estate for himself, winds up dead, Victorias most important job is to clear her family name. …More

Faces
By Cole, Martina
2009-07 - Grand Central Publishing
0446179973 Check Our Catalog
From international bestselling author Cole comes a gritty, gripping, and utterly unforgettable new tale set in the heart of London's criminal gangland. …More

Killing Me Softly: A Novel of Obsession
By Nicci French
1999-07 - Mysterious Press
0892966971 Check Our Catalog
"Damage" meets "Into Thin Air" in this spellbinding novel of a forbidden love turned into a dangerous obsession that drives a woman to impulsively abandon her old life and marry a charismatic stranger. …More

Until It's Over
By French, Nicci
2009-03 - Minotaur Books
0312375395 Check Our Catalog
A murder case pushes six roommates to their breaking point, in this chilling and erotic new thriller. …More

Full Dark House
By Fowler, Christopher
2004-06 - Bantam
0553803875 Check Our Catalog
2004 British Fantasy Society Winner
Edgy, suspenseful, and darkly comic, here is the first novel in a riveting new mystery series starring two cranky but brilliant old detectives whose lifelong friendship was forged solving crimes for the London Police Department's Peculiar Crimes Unit. In Full Dark House, Christopher Fowler tells the story of both their first and last case--and how along the way the unlikely pair of crime fighters changed the face of detection.
A present-day bombing rips through London and claims the life of eighty-year-old detective Arthur Bryant. For his partner John May, it means the end of a partnership that lasted over half-a-century and an eerie echo back to the Blitz of World War II when they first met. Desperately searching for clues to the killer's identity, May finds his old friend's notes of their very first case and becomes convinced that the past has returned...with a killing vengeance.
It begins when a dancer in a risque new production of Orpheus in Hell is found without her feet. Suddenly, the young detectives are plunged in a bizarre gothic mystery that will push them to their limits--and beyond. For in a city shaken by war, a faceless killer is stalking London's theaters, creating his own kind of sinister drama. And it will take Arthur Bryant's unorthodox techniques and John May's dogged police work to catch a criminal whose ability to escape detection seems almost supernatural--a murderer who even decades later seems to have claimed the life of one of them...and is ready to claim the other.
Filled with startling twists, unforgettable characters, and a mystery that will keep you guessing, Full Dark House is a witty, heartbreaking, and all-too-human thriller about the hunt foran inhuman killer.
? …More

Birth Marks
By Dunant, Sarah
1992-09 - Doubleday Books
0385423187 Check Our Catalog
When the body of a talented young dancer, with stones in her pockets and an eight-month-old fetus in her womb, turns up, Hannah Wolfe begins an investigation of the dancer's life that leads her through the dance world of London and Paris. …More

Die with Me
By Forbes, Elena
2007-10 - MacAdam/Cage Publishing
159692277X Check Our Catalog
A series of deaths -- apparent suicides -- of vulnerable young girls is baffling police in London: the bodies are found in the naves of churches after having fallen from a great height. Thanks to a badly-handled leak, the press are all clamoring for a serial killer called The Bridegroom, and amidst the maelstrom of conflicting theories from the media, criminal profilers, politically competitive colleagues and the general circus surrounding a major murder inquiry, the chilling deaths mount up... Elena Forbes writes the kind of creepy and atmospheric crime novel that we love, populated by a cast of fresh and engaging characters: Mark Tartaglia, the Italian-Scottish detective whose good looks get him in to all sorts of trouble, and whose single status is a constant challenge for his sociable sister and extended family; his spiky yet emotionally intelligent colleague Sam Donovan; and his old boss Trevor Clarke, who tries to give Mark good advice while lying in a hospital bed . Together they are piecing together evidence that will lead them to the worst kind of serial killer, one for whom the hunt for a victim and the crime squad's hunting of him are both an equally seductive and irresistible game. …More

Forests of the Night: A Johnny Hawke Novel
By Davies, David Stuart
2007-01 - Minotaur Books
0312360002 Check Our Catalog
Praise for "Forests of the Night"
"Wartime London is beautifully evoked in a plot as crafty as the black market . . . a book you can truly call a thriller."---Peter Lovesey, author of "The Last Detective" "The engaging debut appearance of wartime private eye Johnny Hawke breathes new life into the traditional British mystery. He's a hero with a heart."
---Val McDermid, author of "The Torment of Others"
"A neatly crafted crime novel offering an unusual perspective on wartime London, by turns dark and poignant."
---Andrew Taylor, author of "The American Boy" …More

Streets of Town
By Gardner, John
2003-05 - Severn House Publishers
0727859218 Check Our Catalog
The second book in the new detective series from a master storyteller The year is 1941, and London is still at war. After her adventures in Bottled Spider, WPC Suzie Mountford is back, and working the beat in West End Central - a notoriously dangerous patch controlled by the infamous Balvak Twins. When Detective Chief Inspector Tony - Big Toe- Harvey is brought in, ostensibly to swell their ranks, Suzie predicts trouble. For Big Toe is every bit as unpleasant a character as the Balvak brothers, and he has good reason to dislike Suzie... …More

Blood on the Strand: Chaloner's Second Exploit in Restoration London
By Gregory, Susanna
2008-06 - Sphere
0751537594 Check Our Catalog
In London in 1663, rebellion is in the air. Thomas Chaloner, spy for the King's intelligence service, has just returned from thwarting a planned revolt in Dublin, but he soon realizes that England's capital is no haven of peace. Ordered to investigate the shooting of a beggar during a royal procession, he soon learns that the man is not a vagrant, but someone with links to the powerful Company of Barber-Surgeons. Meanwhile, Chaloner's master, the Earl of Clarendon, is locked in a deadly feud with the Earl of Bristol, and an innocent man is about to be hanged in Newgate. In a desperate race against time, Chaloner must find a way to protect Clarendon, track down a murderer, and save an innocent man from the executioner's noose. …More

False Charity
By Heley, Veronica
2008-08 - Severn House Publishers
1847510221 Check Our Catalog
Newly widowed Bea Abbott must decide what to do with her deceased husband's business. Though Bea is tempted to sell, she soon begins investigating an accounting irregularity within a catering firm. What Bea doesn't know is that someone is out of control, and finding it all too easy to kill. …More

Maisie Dobbs
By Winspear, Jacqueline
2003-07 - Soho Press
1569473307 Check Our Catalog
Alex Award Winner - 2004
"Meet Maisie Dobbs, who in 1929 launches her career as a private investigator and finds herself drawn back to the Great War she thought she'd long since put behind her: an unexpected beginning for Maisie--and a rare treat for mystery fans."--Charles Dodd, "A Fearsome Doubt." …More

The Blood Detective
By Waddell, Dan
2008-06 - Minotaur Books
0312378904 Check Our Catalog
In a London cemetery, a mans body is found. During the autopsy, the police discover the body has been marked with a string of letters and numbers that appears to be the code for a particular file in the Family Records Centre. To locate the file and unearth its relevance to the murder, police engage the services of Nigel Barnes, a professional genealogist. …More

The Man in the Queue
By Tey, Josephine
1981-04 - Bentley Publishers
0837604508 Check Our Catalog
Inspector Alan Grant searches for the identity of a man killed in the line ata theater and for the identity of the killer--whom no one saw. …More

The Marx Sisters: A Kathy and Brock Mystery
By Maitland, Barry
1999-06 - Arcade Publishing
1559704748 Check Our Catalog
Detective Kathy Kolla's first case is one for the books. Meredith Winterbottom, a resident of Jerusalem Lane -- a quaint section of London inhabited by Eastern European immigrants -- and a great-granddaughter of Karl Marx, is found dead. Was she the victim of greedy real-estate developers, or was she killed for the politics of another age? When a second Marx sister is killed, David Brock, Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard, is brought in to help. As Kathy and Brock delve into the Lane's eccentric melting pot, they find unpublished letters from Marx to Engels; a possible fourth volume of Das Kapital; an endless list of shady suspects; and a plot to end Kathy's investigating days for good. Can they unravel the mystery before Kathy's first case is her last?
The Marx Sisters is a classic British whodunit, one that adds an unforgettable team to the ranks of great fictional detectives. …More

Nothing Like the Night
By Lawrence, David
2005-06 - Minotaur Books
031232880X Check Our Catalog
Heading up a murder investigation, Detective Stella Mooney soon has a likely suspect, but then another body is discovered. …More

Black Rubber Dress: A Sam Jones Novel
By Henderson, Lauren
1999-05 - Three Rivers Press (CA)
0609804383 Check Our Catalog
Wearing an impossible-to-ignore, black rubber dress, artist-turned-sleuth Sam Jones manages to attract both trouble and men. When she catches the eye of a successful young banker, she finds herself in a world of drugs, blackmail and murder. …More

Sleepyhead
By Billingham, Mark
2002-07 - William Morrow & Company
0066212995 Check Our Catalog
Alison Willetts can't move or communicate, but she's aware. Her survival of a deliberately induced stroke convinces police her attacker made an error. But Detective Tom Thorne discovers that Alison is the psychopath's masterpiece; the three women he killed before her were mistakes. Thorne must find a criminal whose agenda is terrifyingly unique. …More

The Echo
By Walters, Minette
1997-03 - Putnam Adult
0399142517 Check Our Catalog
A new novel of psychological suspense and terror by the Edgar Award-winning author of 'The Dark Room'. When a homeless man is discovered dead in the garage of a wealthy woman in one of the richest neighborhoods in the world, journalist Michael Deacon's curiosity about the case leads him on a chilling journey into the past. …More

The Chameleon's Shadow
By Walters, Minette
2008-01 - Knopf Publishing Group
0307264637 Check Our Catalog
In this electrifying new novel from the bestselling author of "The Devils Feather," British lieutenant Charles Acland returns home from Iraq, but his serious head injuries are only the outward manifestation of a profound inner change. …More

Prime Suspect
By LaPlante, Lynda
1993-01 - Dell Publishing Company
0440214947 Check Our Catalog
This critically acclaimed mystery series features Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison, who struggles to combat the 'boys' club' atmosphere in her profession as a homicide detective. Set in London, these upbeat stories, based on the smash hit PBS-TV 'Mystery' series, give mystery readers hard-hitting realism, fast-paced action, and a savvy against-the-odds heroine they'll never forget. …More

Above Suspicion
By La Plante, Lynda
2005-12 - Touchstone Books
0743284801 Check Our Catalog
Young detective Anna Travis has been assigned to her first murder case -- and it couldn't be a more shocking, more horrific set of killings. They began eight years earlier; now the body count is up to six. The method of killing is identical, the backgrounds of the girls very similar -- all of them were drug-using prostitutes. Then a seventh body is found, same modus operandi, but this time the victim is a young student, sweet and innocent, with "the face of an angel." The profile of the murderer has changed dramatically.
Anna stumbles on a vital piece of information that links one man to the killings. A household name, a much-loved actor who is about to become an international movie star -- he has plenty of charm and good looks. Denial and protestations of innocence spring easily and confidently to his lips. An arrest, in the face of intense publicity, would create media frenzy. If he was found beyond doubt to be the wrong man, his career would be finished and Anna's hard-fought-for reputation in the police force destroyed once and for all.
With absolute authenticity and extraordinary power, Lynda La Plante takes us deeper into the criminal mind and the criminal world. And in heroine Anna Travis, she has created another memorable and utterly engaging female detective.
…More

The Birthday Present
By Vine, Barbara
2009-03 - Shaye Areheart Books
0307451984 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title
Writing under the pen name Barbara Vine, the international bestselling author Ruth Rendell--the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world ("Time")--has created an unrelentingly riveting novel of mystery and suspense. …More

The Cater Street Hangman
By Perry, Anne
1985-10 - Fawcett Books
0449208672 Check Our Catalog
"An ingenious mystery and an excellent example of manners and caste systems of the Victorian era."
THE CHATTANOOGA TIMES
While the Ellison girls were out paying calls and drinking tea like proper Victorian ladies, a maid in their household was strangled to death. The quiet and young Inspector Pitt investigates the scene and finds no one above suspicion. As his intense questioning causes many a composed facade to crumble, Pitt finds himself couriously drawn to pretty Charlotte Ellison. Yet, a romance between a society girl and so unsuitable a suitor was impossible in the midst of a murder.... …More

A Dangerous Mourning
By Perry, Anne
1992-09 - Fawcett Books
0804110379 Check Our Catalog
Inspector William Monk has his hands full when an aristocrat's daugher is stabbed to death in her own bed. He is instructed to proceed without delay, but finds his efforts hamstrung by the lingering traces of amnesia and the craven ineptitutde of his supervisor, who would love to see him fail. With the help of Hester Latterly, formerly a nurse with Florence Nightingale, Monk gropes warily through the silence and shadows, knowing that with each step he comes closer to the appalling truth....
"A richly textured, masterfully plotted, thoroughly enjoyable story."
THE KIRKUS REVIEWS …More

Best Fiction of 2010

2011-01-11T14:10:00.002-06:00

Here are the Adult Fiction department's STAFF PICKS for best FICTION titles of 2010!

Burning Lamp
By Quick, Amanda
2010-04 - Putnam Adult
0399156461 Check Our Catalog

In this second novel of the Dreamlight Trilogy from "New York Times"-bestselling author Quick, psychic power and passion collide as a legendary curse comes to fruition. Quick deftly distills sexy romance and deadly intrigue.--"Chicago Tribune." …More

The Cookbook Collector
By Goodman, Allegra
2010-07 - Dial Press
0385340850 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

Goodman weaves together the worlds of Silicon Valley and rare-book collecting in a delicious novel about appetite, temptation, and fulfillment. Bi-coastal, surprising, rich in ideas and characters, this work is about getting and spending, and about the substitutions one must make. …More

Heart of the Matter
By Giffin, Emily
2010-05 - St. Martin's Press
0312554168 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

In alternating points of view, a "New York Times"-bestselling author tells a story of three good people caught in an untenable triangle, each questioning everything they once believed about love and loyalty. And each, ultimately, discovering what is truly at the heart of the matter. …More

The Hole We're in
By Zevin, Gabrielle
2010-03 - Grove Press
0802119239 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

From an award-winning screenwriter and author comes this bold, timeless, yet all-too-timely novel about a troubled American family trying to navigate an even more troubled America. …More

The Love Goddess' Cooking School
By Senate, Melissa
2010-10 - Gallery Press
1439107238 Check Our Catalog

Senate relays a charming story about a woman who inherits her grandmother's cooking school in a small town in Maine, and finds her happy ending in the process. …More

Mini Shopaholic
By Kinsella, Sophie
2010-09 - Dial Press
0385342047 Check Our Catalog

In the first Shopaholic in three years, Becky Brandon (ne Bloomwood) is back, this time hilariously challenged by the mini-terror who is her two-year-old daughter, Minnie. …More

An Object of Beauty
By Martin, Steve
2010-11 - Grand Central Publishing
0446573647 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

Lacey Yeager charms men and women with her magnetic charisma and liveliness. Her ascension to the highest tiers of the city parallel the highs and lows of the art world and the country from the late 1990s through today. …More

The Red Thread
By Hood, Ann
2010-05 - W. W. Norton & Company
0393070204 Check Our Catalog

From the bestselling author of "The Knitting Circle" comes a reflection on a mother's powerful journey from loss to love. …More

Room
By Donoghue, Emma
2010-09 - Little Brown and Company
0316098337 Check Our Catalog
2011 Alex Award Winner

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, "Room" is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another. …More

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
By Bender, Aimee
2010-06 - Doubleday Books
0385501129 Check Our Catalog
2011 Alex Award Winner BookPage Notable Title

The wondrous Bender conjures the lush and moving story of a girl whose magical gift is really a devastating curse. "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" is a luminous tale--heartbreaking and funny, wise and sad. …More

Skippy Dies
By Murray, Paul
2010-08 - Faber & Faber
0865479437 Check Our Catalog

Why does Skippy, a 14-year-old boy at Dublin's venerable Seabrook College, end up dead on the floor of the local doughnut shop? Why Skippy dies and what happens next unravels a mystery that links the boys of Seabrook College to their parents and teachers in ways nobody could have imagined. …More

Solar
By McEwan, Ian
2010-03 - Nan A. Talese
0385533411 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

Can a man who has made a mess of his life clean up the messes of humanity? A complex novel that brilliantly traces the arc of one man's ambitions and deceptions, "Solar" is a startling, witty new work from the author of "On Chesil Beach" and "Atonement." …More

Ten Things I Love about You
By Quinn, Julia
2010-06 - Avon Books
0061491896 Check Our Catalog

A "New York Times"-bestselling author returns with another clever, witty, anddelightful Regency romance. Original. …More

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
By Mitchell, David
2010-06 - Random House
1400065453 Check Our Catalog
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Mitchell, a Man Booker Prize finalist for "Cloud Atlas", returns with a story set at the turn of the 18th century around Dejima, an artificial island located in Nagasaki Bay and used as a trade outpost by the Dutch East Indies Company. …More

The Unnamed
By Ferris, Joshua
2010-09 - Reagan Arthur Books
0316034002 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

This dazzling novel tells the story of marriage, family, and the unseen forces of nature and desire that seem to threaten them both. It is the heartbreaking story of a life taken for granted and what happens when that life is abruptly and irrevocably taken away. …More

A Vintage Affair
By Wolff, Isabel
2010-06 - Bantam
0553807838 Check Our Catalog

…More

A Visit from the Goon Squad
By Egan, Jennifer
2010-06 - Knopf Publishing Group
0307592839 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

From one of today's boldest writers comes a sly, surprising, and exhilarating novel about time, survival, and the electrifying sparks ignited at the seams of our lives by colliding destinies. …More

The Walk
By Evans, Richard Paul
2010-04 - Simon & Schuster
1439187312 Check Our Catalog

Evans presents the first novel in an inspiring new series about an executive who loses everything and embarks on a walk that takes him across America. …More

Wild Ride
By Crusie, Jennifer
Author Mayer, Bob
2010-03 - St. Martin's Press
0312533772 Check Our Catalog

The "New York Times"-bestselling duo of Crusie and Mayer teams up again with a hilarious paranormal novel that shows why the wildest ride at the Dreamland amusement park isn't the roller coaster. …More

The Widower's Tale
By Glass, Julia
2010-09 - Pantheon Books
030737792X Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

In a quirky farmhouse outside Boston, 70-year-old Percy Darling enjoys a vigorous but mostly solitary life until, in a complex scheme to help his oldest daughter through a crisis, he allows a progressive preschool to move into his barn. The abrupt transformation of Percy's rural refuge into a lively, youthful community compels him to reexamine the choices he's made. …More

Best Crime Fiction of 2010

2011-01-11T14:09:00.002-06:00

Here are the Adult Fiction department's STAFF PICKS for best CRIME titles of 2010!

The Capitol Game
By Haig, Brian
2010-08 - Grand Central Publishing
0446195618 Check Our Catalog

"New York Times"-bestselling author Haig returns with a riveting new thriller about a man caught between the politics of big government and the corruption of big business. …More

Down to the Wire
By Rosenfelt, David
2010-03 - Minotaur Books
0312373945 Check Our Catalog

On the heels of his first standalone novel "Don't Tell a Soul," the acclaimed author of the Andy Carpenter mystery series returns with an explosive new thriller. …More

Faithful Place
By French, Tana
2010-07 - Viking Books
0670021873 Check Our Catalog

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was 19, growing up poor in Dublin's inner city, and he and Rosie Daly were all ready to run away to London together. But on the night when they were supposed to leave, Rosie vanished. Twenty-two years later, Rosie's suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank is going home whether he likes it or not. …More

Fragile
By Unger, Lisa
2010-08 - Shaye Areheart Books
0307393992 Check Our Catalog

A stunning new literary thriller from the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Beautiful Lies, Fragile" examines the small town secrets exposed with a teenager goes missing in circumstances similar to another young girl's disappearance 20 years earlier. …More

The Good Son
By Gruber, Michael
2010-05 - Henry Holt & Company
0805091289 Check Our Catalog

"New York Times"-bestselling author Gruber delivers a taut, multilayered, riveting novel of suspense focused on peace activists who are being held hostage in Pakistan. …More

Innocent
By Turow, Scott
2010-05 - Grand Central Publishing
0446562424 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

The sequel to the genre-defining, landmark bestseller "Presumed Innocent, Innocent" continues the story of Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto who are, 20 years later, pitted against each other in a riveting psychological match. …More

The Man from Beijing
By Mankell, Henning
Translator Thompson, Laurie
2010-02 - Knopf Publishing Group
0307271862 Check Our Catalog

The acclaimed author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries gives listeners an electrifying thriller that takes off into a sweeping international drama. In the Swedish hamlet of Hesjovallen, 19 people have been massacred--and the only clue is a red ribbon found at the scene. …More

Never Look Away
By Barclay, Linwood
2010-03 - Delacorte Press
055380717X Check Our Catalog

In this tense, mesmerizing thriller by the critically acclaimed author of "Fear the Worst" and "Too Close to Home," a man's life unravels around him when the unthinkable strikes. …More

Our Kind of Traitor
By Le Carre, John
2010-10 - Viking Books
0670022241 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

The unrivaled master of spy fiction returns with a taut and suspenseful novel of dirty money and dirtier politics. Perry and Gail are idealistic and very much in love when they splurge on a tennis vacation at a posh beach resort in Antigua. But the charm begins to pall when a big-time Russian money launderer enlists their help to defect. …More

Secrets of Eden
By Bohjalian, Chris A.
2010-02 - Shaye Areheart Books
0307394972 Check Our Catalog

From the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Midwives" and "The Double Bind" comes a novel of shattered family ties, intimate secrets, and the nature of sacrifice. Few writers can manipulate a plot with Bohjalian's grace and power.--"New York Times Book Review." …More

The Third Rail
By Harvey, Michael
2010-04 - Knopf Publishing Group
0307272508 Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title

The ferocious new novel from the author of "The Chicago Way" and "The Fifth Floor" finds Harvey at the top of his game in an expertly plotted, impossible-to-put-down thriller, set in Chicago's public transit system. …More

This Body of Death: An Inspector Lynley Novel
By George, Elizabeth
2010-04 - Harper
0061160881 Check Our Catalog

Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley is on compassionate leave after the murder of his wife. But when the body of a woman is found in an isolated London cemetery, he is prevailed upon to come back to work. Soon Lynley and his former partner, Barbara Havers, find that the roots of the crime trace to a long-ago act of violence. …More

Tour England with Some Great English Mysteries

2011-01-10T10:16:00.010-06:00

Check out this Niles Patch article by Pam DeFiglio about Cecilia's British mysteries program at Niles Library on January 11th:

http://niles.patch.com/articles/who-dunnit-take-cecilias-tour-of-english-mysteries

NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL IT HAPPENS TO YOU by T.M. Shine

2010-12-30T14:09:00.004-06:00

Jeffrey Reiner has been laid off from his job at a South Florida newspaper where he has had the title of Universal Calendar Editor for the past 16 years. He has exactly 147 days of severance pay, but he is in no hurry to get back to work. He knows he has to take any opportunity that comes his way, no matter how humbling or embarrassing. A guy who calls himself "enterprising dude" hooks him up with a couple short term humiliating and degrading assignments.

Through all of this, Jeffrey's family life is unravelling. His wife communicates to him via daily to-do lists, his teenage daughter has no use for him, and his son has taken up a disturbing form of pest control. His mother is trying her outrageous best to get kicked out of an assisted living facility. Even his dog finds a way to let him down.

What follows is a very funny journey of self discovery and a look into the absurdities of life.

Written in first person prose, the writing is so comfortable and laid back one feels that the author is really the main character, Jeffrey.

Full of whimsy, dry humor and surprising insight, I thoroughly enjoyed joining Jeffrey on his journey.

NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL IT HAPPENS TO YOU

2010-12-30T13:43:00.000-06:00

Faithful Place by Tana French

2010-12-13T18:07:00.003-06:00

Frank Mackey left Faithful Place, a low income Dublin neighborhood, when he was nineteen. He had planned to run away to London with Rosie Daly on that winter night but Rosie didn’t show. Rosie was never seen again. Twenty-two years later Rosie’s suitcase is found in a fireplace in a demolished row house. Frank is a detective on the Dublin police force and is determined to solve the puzzle of what happened to Rosie.
Faithful Place is not picture perfect Ireland. It is grim, Frank’s father is a nasty wife beating alcoholic and Frank’s brothers and sisters are highly dysfunctional. The neighbors generally distain the Mackey family and distrust of the police is high. How Frank comes to terms with his past and his intense love for Rosie in the solution of the crime creates great pacing and character development. The steadfastness of Frank supports the structure of the novel. The novel’s strength lies not only in the suspense but in French’s forceful examination of family dynamics in contemporary Ireland.

The Poisoning in the Pub by Simon Brett

2010-12-04T14:48:00.002-06:00

A light, fun mystery set in the South of England near Brighton. I am tempted to call this one a COZY mystery (meaning violence are downplayed or treated humorously with a light, refreshing take) but sometimes, that scares people off so I will not call it that. But, it really is a cozy. But, please do not be scared off. This is a fun, highly entertaining mystery that you will miss if you avoid anything "cozy." The two main characters, Carole and Jude, are spunky middle-aged ladies who relish a good chance to sink their teeth into a good crime story. Carole and Jude are Brett's continuing characters in his Fethering series...this book is the tenth in the series. Here, Carole and Jude set about trying to prove the innocence of a friend, the owner of a local pub where a murder is committed. The pub, before the murder, had been targeted with some other unsavory offenses (a poisoning (explains the title of the book) and an influx of biker-type clientele that was scaring away the other regular customers. So, Carole and Jude set about proving that the pub had been targeted specifically for some reason and the murder is a result of that harassment. Brett, most famously known for his famed Mrs. Pargeter mystery series, seems to enjoy writing Carole and Jude. The two amateur sleuths are enormously fun to read and Brett's easy-going writing style makes this a top-notch mystery, filled with humor and dry wit. Do yourself a favor and ignore the "cozyness" of it and read it just for fun. You will not regret it!

If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?

2010-10-29T14:18:00.004-05:00

It isn’t easy being the new kid in the school, or in the house. Sophomore Lucy Norton is left in her new home with her stepmother and her evil twin stepsisters by Lucy’s bi-coastal working father. Feeling ostracized in the house and isolated in her new high school, she takes refuge in her art class. Inspired by an older classmate Sam’s painting, she thinks he’s a jerk in person, but her opinion changes after he invites her to a show at an art gallery. Lucy finds herself struggling to find her identity and place in the world when she has an assignment to create a self portrait. But when a basketball game comment in the cafeteria attracts the attention of Connor, the star of the varsity team, Lucy suddenly rises in social status. She gets a date and some new girlfriends who are plugged into the school’s gossip feed. Will she remain the art aficionado or become part of the “in” basketball crowd? Is Connor really her prince?

Melissa Kantor's If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince? provides her independent narrator heroine with the wit and sarcasm to have the reader identify with her. She allows Lucy to show us the humor in her uncomfortable home and school life - “It’s so Brothers Grimm.” As she tries to maintain her bond with her dad, she feels that her stepmother is changing everything.

This is a good account of a created family trying to adjust to their new life together. It is a charming story of a contemporary teen dealing with the change and uncertainty that being in a new environment can bring. This book shows that having different and creative talents can be a beneficial and positive experience. Kantor does a great job at updating the Cinderella fairy tale. A fine frothy read for young adults and a fun read for adults too.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell

2010-09-20T12:32:00.001-05:00

Immersing yourself within the covers of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet is a literary treat. The readers on the audio CD are also very good in their presentation of David Mitchell’s writing expertise. Sometimes the accents do not sound realistic but for the most part it is an enjoyable listening experience.

A mix of historical fiction, suspense, political intrigue, and a touching love story, this novel begins in 1799 in Diejima in Nagasaki Harbor, the farthest outpost of the Dutch East Indies Company. Jacob De Zoet arrives as the new clerk in hopes of earning a fortune so he can wed his wealthy fiancée back in Holland. Japan is a closed country for foreigners and the Dutch are their sole trading partners. In the opening chapters it takes a while to engage and understand the action and characters since the scenes jump around but soon one figures it out. After finishing the novel I was amazed by the quality of its construction. The themes, the action, the setting and the characterization all mesh in a seamless story.

Obviously well researched, the book flows beautifully with countless poetic passages, dialogue with subtle humor, and suspenseful scenes that appeal to both female and male readers. What I found particularly beautiful was the portrayal of men acting honorably amid corruption, greed, lust, and deception. With wondrous writing, Mitchell exposes the love between fathers and sons, respect for women and what it means to be a man.

Not Without Hope

2010-09-12T15:29:00.005-05:00

Having just read Andre Agassi’s autobiography Open, I decided to stick with the non-fiction genre and read the account of Nick Schuyler in his book Not Without Hope written with Jere Longman. This is the true story of four friends, two of them NFL football players, who went on a fishing trip that ended in tragedy as Nick was the only one of the four to come out alive. This accident occurred Spring of 2009 and the book was released one year later in March 2010. I remember vaguely hearing about this on the news, but had little recollection of the events, so everything in the book was new to me.

Nick Schuyler, his best friend Will Bleakley, NFL pros Marquis Cooper, and Corey Smith all went out on a fishing trip on Cooper’s boat in Florida. Ominous weather was quickly approaching so the guys decided to head back to shore. As they prepared to head home they realized the anchor of the boat was stuck. In a last ditch effort to free the anchor they tried tying the anchor rope to the stern of the boat and hitting the throttle. The anchor did not yank free, but instead, the stern sank and filled with water causing the boat to capsize. This is where the tragedy begins. Nick recalls his 43 hours at sea waiting for rescue while sitting on the hull of the boat grabbing on for dear life. He describes how his three friends eventually succumb to hypothermia and the elements and die right before his eyes.

It was very easy to get hooked into this book. I’m not a fast reader, but it only took me 2 days to finish the book. It was a very compelling story with very vivid descriptions of what the four men endured out at sea. Even though I knew the outcome of the story I remained glued to my kindle. There were parts of the book that were heartbreaking to read, but as a whole I found it a very riveting account.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

2010-09-11T10:17:00.003-05:00

This is the one everyone is talking about. I usually stay away from uber-popular titles like the plague, but this was too popular to pass up. And, I believe, it deserves most, if not all, of the hype. But, be warned, it starts slow and ends kind of slow but in-between are some of the most compelling, can't-put-it-down-in-the-middle-of-the-night fair. Like I said, at the start, I was pretty bored. But, once it kicks in (when you find out the essence of the "thriller" part of the story), I was hooked. The "thriller" part (which takes up most of the book, so don't worry) involves a disgraced journalist who is asked by the head of a influential Swedish family to write his memoirs and also, in the process, find out what happened to his niece who went missing over 40 years ago. Be warned…this one is pretty dang gory and graphic in parts. Author Stieg Larsson doesn’t hold anything back when he describes a crime scene. And, I like that…it’s honest. Deliberate when it needs to be and riveting always, Larsson (who passed away after he submitted the final book in this trilogy to his publisher) deserves all of the credit he's getting. Too bad he's not here to enjoy it!

A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff

2010-08-11T18:49:00.001-05:00

Another great, fun story by Wolff, who is getting stronger and stronger as a storyteller. The writing is solid, but Wolff's forte is forming bright, vivid female characters who face their troubles head on with passion. A British native, Wolff's young career women all start off less than resilient but then end up conquering heroes. In this novel, Phoebe starts off by opening her new vintage fashion shop, fresh from a badly broken relationship and the death of her close friend. Through both events and a series of wonderful supporting characters, Phoebe comes into her own (her store being a success doesn't hurt either!)! In addition to the story and characters, I also enjoyed leaning about vintage haute couture. A must read for chick lit-ters and those who enjoy light, breezy women's fiction.

A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay

2010-07-28T12:11:00.003-05:00

A French architect, Antoine Rey, is a modern divorced father with conflicted feelings about his work, his children, his father, and his ex-wife. In a kind brotherly gesture, he decides to surprise his sister with a weekend on the sea for her fortieth birthday. They spent many childhood summers on the island of Noirmoutier with their grandparents, mother and father. In hoping to lift both their spirits the trip is a pleasant experience but also results in reliving many memories of their dead mother. On the way home his sister turns to him remembering something and the car runs off the road. The plot of the novel revolves around what she remembers.

What I loved about this book was the sympathetic character of Antoine Rey. I tend to read books with strong women characters and it was a refreshing change to delve into the feelings of a man and his role as a father, husband, brother, son, and grandson. It was also a pleasant trip to travel to Paris within the confines of this novel. Family relationships also play a prominent place and it is always reassuring to see that all families are a bit stressed in their own unique way. The writing is exquisite.

There is a great deal of death and grieving. The main plot involves Antoine trying to discover how his mother died, his daughter must confront the sudden death of her best friend, the grandmother dies, his train hits a woman, an apparent suicide, and his father is dying from cancer. His lover is a mortician. Yet instead of dark morbidity, I felt uplifted when I finished the book. A Secret Kept should not stay secret for long with avid readers.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

2010-07-21T18:28:00.003-05:00

This one was slow starting for me. But, once I got into the “Kitteridge” groove, it was a ride I thoroughly enjoyed. I think one of the off-putting things for me was that Olive is not the most likable character. Actually, she can be quite a B$*&%& at times. But, she does have her soft side, so once you get to know her, she does grow on you. Another thing that might have initially hindered my immediate enjoyment was that Olive’s story told in a series of interconnecting short stories. I’m not a big short story reader, so I admit I might have started this one thinking…”Oh, I’m not going to like it. It’s stories…” But, soon, that prejudice vanished when I figured out that Strout was not writing separate stories that happen to feature some continuing characters. She was weaving a tale of a woman’s flawed and marred life, through the eyes of all of the people around her. A strikingly good read!

Chasing Cezanne by Peter Mayle

2010-06-30T09:02:00.004-05:00

This one is set in Provence, Paris, and NYC and it's a light comic caper about a stolen Cezanne. The comedy is mostly subtle and I would say it is more of a FUN read than a truly outrageously comical read, but the dialogue and the situations the characters find themselves in provide enough humor to cause a giggle or two now and then. The plot is easygoing and a little convoluted, though it doesn't matter because the "ride" of the story is much more fun than the story itself. A Cezanne painting is witnessed being taken away in a plumber's van. This starts the witness, a professional photographer, on a series of events to try and find out what happened to the painting and where it was going. It's a great beach read -- best on a Provence beach, though. Oh, well!

Good Things I Wish You by A. Manette Ansay

2010-06-25T15:35:00.002-05:00

In her seventh novel, Ms. Ansay turns to historical fiction. This novel is a story within a story concerning a young mother and college professor who is writing a book about the pianist Clara and the composer Robert Schumann and Clara Schumann's relationship with the composer Johannes Brahms. Like Clara Schumann, novelist Jeanette is a gifted pianist and like Clara Schumann she has difficulty balancing her art with the demands of parenthood. The writing is lovely and lyrical and is a moving contemporary story of the difficulties that can affect an artist.

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

2010-06-23T20:16:00.001-05:00

This tome is one of the best character studies in fiction I’ve read. All stemming from the elderly matriarch of a family of three children, Pilcher weaves a saga that is vivid, lush and wildly fascinating. The matriarch, Penelope, has just gotten out of the hospital at the beginning of the novel, for what she continually denies was a heart attack. Her children, all busy with their own lives, have trouble dealing with their headstrong mother. From this start, the novel traces the early periods of Penelope’s life…followed by the lives of her children and loved ones. All of the characters’ stories connect with Penelope in some way…she remains the focus of the story at all times. But, even with the vast amount of pages, I never once tired or grew bored of her or any of the other stories. This one takes a while to get through, but it is worth it!

The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch

2010-06-17T09:40:00.002-05:00

A fun tale with an interesting weave of supernatural to change things up a bit. Tilly is bored with her life and her high school sweetheart husband and their inability to get pregnant is a constant source of contention. On a whim, Tilly visits a psychic, who happens to be a former friend, and this fortune teller warns her that she possesses the gift of "clarity." Not believing in any of the psychic stuff, she initially ignores the fortune, but soon she begins to have day dreams where she foresees what is about to happen in her life. After these flashes of future vision, Tilly's life begins to take turns she never imagined. This is the second book I've read by Winn Scotch, the first being The Department of Lost and Found. She is a strong writer who enjoys taking chances.

Fragile by Lisa Unger

2010-06-17T09:39:00.002-05:00

A strong thriller that has small-town and strong families ties intricate to the story. Set in rural New York State, the girlfriend of police detective's son goes missing and the son is a strong suspect. This disappearance also brings to light the decades-old murder of a local girl who was friends with the detective during his high school years. Never having read Unger, I was surprised by how, not only well-written, but how formed the characters were. We really got to know these people and, as a result of that, you felt and cared for all of them. A VERY powerful thriller!

The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell

2010-06-17T09:36:00.003-05:00

After 19 people are brutally murdered in a little small-town hamlet in Sweden , a judge who finds out she’s distantly related to one of the victims begins her own investigation. Brigitta, the judge, soon finds out that all of the victims might have had an ancestral connection that was the factor in their murder. The story, which goes from present day Sweden and China to American in the 1800s, is as nail-biting as they come. Mankell, known worldwide mostly for his Wallander mystery series, does a superb job of trying his hand at a standalone thriller.

Blood Hunt by Ian Rankin

2010-06-17T09:35:00.001-05:00

An excellent standalone thriller by Rankin, who really, I feel, ranks as one of the top thriller writers, in addition to being a top-notch mystery writer as well, of the Rebus detective series. Taking place mostly in California , but also moves to London and Scotland , the main character, Gordon, here is a former Special Forces soldier who’s brother has committed suicide. Once Gordon arrives in California to take his brother home to the UK , he finds out that, most likely, it was not suicide, but rather murder. Fast-paced and very well-written this one is a must for all thriller lovers and British mystery fans!

Wild Ride

2010-06-05T10:02:00.005-05:00

Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer manage to do it again in their latest book Wild Ride. With action, adventure, and quirky characters, the paranormal storyline take the reader on one heck of a trip.

Dreamland, an old amusement park in Ohio, needs some work. Mab has been working her butt off restoring the park to it's former glory. Her goal is to have it shining for the Halloween celebrations. But it is a little strange that the owners and long time residents Gloria, Gus, and Delpha don't want her working at night. And they are a bit anxious when she is working with the statues of the park mascots. Especially after FunFun the clown seems to run her over - or was that an illusion she had? Maybe she has been working too hard.

Gloria's son Ethan returns from the military and gets shot at on the Dreamland grounds. Who is after the Dreamland residents? And what is up with the midnight roller coaster run? His mom keeps talking about demons. Ethan might just have to sober up to figure this all out. What do you mean he's the new Hunter?

Using humor, and great plotting, Crusie and Mayer lead the reader down the path to figuring out just how paranormal this family park is. With twists and turns galore, it is indeed a roller coster of a ride. Great dialogue and lots of frothy fun! And it makes one want to visit Dreamland for real! A great read.

ROSENFELT MINUS THE GOLDENS

2010-04-22T16:53:00.006-05:00

DOWN TO THE WIRE by David Rosenfelt

Rosenfelt, known for his Andy Carpenter series, introduces a new character in Chris Turley, a good, but not great, small town newspaper reporter who lives in the legacy of his famous newspaper reporter father. He is looking for that one great story that will net him the Pulitzer and erase any comparisons to his dad.
An anonymous tipster phones with possible information regarding corruption at a high level government office. Turley is asked to meet the anonymous caller in the parking lot of a nearby medical center. Upon arrival, Turley is unable to meet up with the tipster, but instead witnesses the explosive destruction of the medical building. He is able to run into the building to save several people before the building collapses. Instant fame follows as every TV tabloid and news show clamors for an interview with Turley.

He learns quickly, however, that the "madman" responsible for the explosion is not finished with his killing spree. Through almost daily anonymous phone calls, he utilizes Turley as his pawn and "mouthpiece" to report on his ongoing random murder spree. Turley complies as his continued reporting may lead to the coveted Pulitzer. Turley is also wondering about the motive for the killings, and why he was selected by the crazed killer.

Rosenfelt's writing is succinct and to the point. The story is suspenseful and often surprising. As is the case with many of the popular crime/thriller authors, the ending is a disappointment and not very satisfying. However, the ride there is a thrill.

Rosenfelt is known for his Andy Carpenter series of crime novels. In this book, he keeps the humor of the Carpenter series, but loses the omnipresent golden retriever. Still a good read with enough believable plot twists and turns to make it worth the read.

Too Much Money by Dominick Dunne

2010-03-29T11:22:00.006-05:00

Entertaining book about high NYC society. The late Dunne (he passed away just after finishing this book) really captures the insiders view of society life perfectly, mostly because he was ONE OF THEM. So, the world he is writing about was really his own world. Silly in parts and the ending was too vague for me, mostly I enjoyed this romp through the lives of people I will never be allowed (or, for that matter, want to) socialize with.

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

2010-03-12T19:28:00.002-06:00

Another methodical, character-driven book by the Queen of Family-in-Crisis Novels, Anne Tyler. When I say that Tyler is the Queen of these types of books, it’s a compliment, not an insult. Just because she writes mostly about issues with families doesn’t mean she’s not one of the strongest writers still writing today in America. And this novel proves she is as good as ever! Her main character here, Liam, is a recently laid-off (AKA early retirement) school teacher who, according to him, is too young to retire but too old to be hired by another school. After losing his job, he gives up his larger home for a smaller apartment, and on his first night in the new place, he is attacked by an intruder. Sadly, after he wakes up in the hospital the next morning, he has NO memory of the attack. The last thing he remembers is going to bed. From that moment on, Tyler weaves Liam into a complex, yet simple, man who is trying to get his life, and memory, in order. A slow-moving, yet fascinating story unfolds…Liam’s story. And, Tyler, as usual, tells it with thoughtfulness and care.

Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

2010-03-10T10:30:00.003-06:00

Three stories set in the present, the recent past and the late 1870’s intertwine in this novel by Elizabeth Kostova which captures the conflict between life and art. Obsession and its consequences form its core.

Robert Oliver, an artist, is sent to a mental health facility after attacking a painting in the National Gallery with a knife. Robert remains silent, spends hours pouring over old letters in French and draws sketch after sketch of a dark-haired women dressed in 19th centruy clothes. Andrew Marlow, his psychiatrist and a painter himself, becomes very involved, interviews both the former wife and lover of the painter, and travels to Paris, North Carolina and New York to solve the puzzle of his patient.

This is a long novel but I did not tire of the characters and long descriptive passages. The sections on painting techniques and the artists in France during the Impressionistic movement were fascinating. There are several tender love stories to capture the reader’s interest and move the novel to a satisfying conclusion.

Murder on the Cliffs by Joanna Challis

2010-02-19T16:17:00.002-06:00

A very entertaining read, for Du Maurier lovers and others as well...those who just like a good story and some good mystery. Challis takes the future authoress and fictionally creates her as an amateur sleuth, all the while allowing her to use her sleuthing for material for her novels, mostly Rebecca. Set in Cornwall, England (Du Maurier's home county in England), Challis sets up a Rebecca-esque story here with all the trimmings...money, a large manor house, an austere housekeeper, a mysterious young woman of a questionable background, and, of course, the sea in the background, its waves crashing against the cliffs. Daphne as a young pre-novelist sleuth is very appealing. She's innocent, yet worldly. She's careful, yet adventurous. Rebecca is one of my favorite books and I'm always skeptical when someone tries to "improvise" on already-near-perfect work. Here, I think Du Maurier herself would be proud.

STAFF PICKS: THE BEST OF 2009

2010-01-19T16:51:00.014-06:00

THE STAFF OF THE ADULT FICTION DEPARTMENT AT NILES PUBLIC LIBRARY HAS CREATED ITS LIST OF THE "BEST NOVELS OF 2009."

STAFF PICKS—BEST OF 2009

A GATE AT THE STAIRS—MOORE, LORRIE
A SMALL TOWN GIRL WORKS AS A NANNY IN A MIDWEST COLLEGE TOWN

A TRACE OF SMOKE—CANTRELL, REBECCA
SET IN 1931 BERLIN, A CRIME REPORTER SEEKS OUT THE STORY BEHIND HER BROTHER’S DEATH

BEAT THE REAPER—BAZELL, JOSH
A YOUNG HITMAN ENTERS THE WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM AS A MEDICAL INTERN

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER—WEINER, JENNIFER
TWO GIRLHHOD PALS RECONNECT FOLLOWING THEIR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION

BLACK FRIDAY– KAVA, ALEX
FBI PROFILER MUST PREVENT A TERRORIST PLOT TO ATTACK THE MALL OF AMERICA ON BLACK FRIDAY

BORDER SONGS–LYNCH, JIM
QUIRKY BORDER PATROL AGENT’S SUCCESSFUL BUSTS ON THE CANADIAN/US BORDER

FEAR THE WORST—BARCLAY, LYNWOOD
CONNECTICUT CAR SALESMAN IN SEARCH FOR HIS DAUGHTER WHO MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED FROM HER SUMMER JOB

THE HELP—STOCKETT, KATHERINE
A SOCIAL ACTIVIST COLLECTS THE STORIES OF BLACK WOMEN IN JACKSON, MS. RAISING THE CHILDREN OF WHITE FAMILIES

HEROIC MEASURES—CIMENT, JILL
A WEEKEND IN THE LIFE OF AN ELDERLY COUPLE AND THEIR DACHSHUND HOPING TO SELL THEIR EAST VILLAGE APARTMENT AFTER 45 YEARS

HOME SAFE–BERG, ELIZABETH
A POPULAR AND PROLIFIC WRITER HAS LOST THE ABILITY TO WRITE FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF HER HUSBAND

HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET—FORD, JAMIE
A CHINESE AMERICAN IN SEATTLE IN 1986, HAVING LOST HIS WIFE TO CANCER, REFLECTS ON HIS LIFE IN AMERICA DURING WWII

ICE LAND—TOBIN, BETSY
SET IN ICELAND IN A.D. 1000, THE STORY IS A FLIGHT THROUGH SCANDINAVIAN MYTHS

NEW TRICKS—ROSENFELT, DAVID
DEFENSE ATTORNEY ANDY CARPENTER TAKES ON A CANINE CLIENT WHO IS CONNECTED TO THE MURDER OF AN EXEC. IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

STARDUST–KANON, JOSEPH
A RECENTLY RETURNED WWII CORPSMAN TRAVELS TO HOLLYWOOD TO INVESTIGATE THE UNEXPLAINED DEATH OF HIS BROTHER

STILL ALICE—GENOVA, LISA
AN ESTEEMED HARVARD PSYCHOLOGIST COPES WITH THE ONSET OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE--BRADLEY, C. ALLEN
IN A SLEEPY ENGLISH VILLAGE IN 1950 AN 11-YEAR OLD SCIENCE PRODIGY DISCOVERS A MURDER AND SEEKS TO SOLVE THE CRIME

TWENTIES GIRL—KINSELLA, SOPHIE
A MODERN STORY ABOUT THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN TWO GIRLS. HOWEVER, ONE OF THEM IS A GHOST FROM THE 1920’S

VANISHED—FINDER, JOSEPH
A CORPORATE INTELLIGENCE SPECIALIST INVESTIGATES THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HIS OLDER BROTHER

THE VINTAGE CAPER—MAYLE, PETER
A LAWYER INVESTIGATES THE THEFT OF A FAMOUS HOLLYWOOD LAWYER’S TREASURED AND EXPENSIVE WINE COLLECTION

WOLF HALL—MANTEL, HILARY
THE STORY OF HENRY VIII AND HIS CHALLENGE TO THE CHURCH IN HIS DESIRE TO DIVORCE HIS QUEEN AND MARRY ANNE BOLEYN IS TOLD THROUGH THE PERSPECTIVE OF HIS CLOSEST ADVISOR

WORST NIGHTMARES—BRIANT, SHANE
A SUCCESSFUL WRITER FINDS AN UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPT THAT TELLS THE STORY OF THE HOMICIDAL ‘DREAM HEALER’ WHO SNARES HIS VICTIMS VIA HIS WEBSITE

Wolf Hall bu Hilary Mantel

2009-12-21T16:23:00.003-06:00

Winner of the Man Booker prize, Wolf Hall, is a gem of a novel. The reader is positioned behind the eyes of Thomas Cromwell in the 1520’s as he battles for Henry VIII in his resolve to divorce Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn. The character Cromwell as drawn by Mantel is smart, witty, shows moments of kindness and humanity and is intuitive in the reading of the motivations of the nobility and the king. Born in humble and brutal circumstances to a blacksmith, his intelligence is self made and rises above everyone around him. Above all he is faithful servant first to Cardinal Wolsey and then Henry VIII.

What is most interesting is the portrayal of Sir Thomas More as the reversal of the sainted movie hero in A Man for all Seasons. . In the book he is flawed, nasty, narcissistic and a fanatical torturer of heretics. More is his rigidness to his idealistic spirituality contrasts with Cromwell’s worldly adaptation to the political environment of Tudor England.

Court politics abound along with the political conniving of Rome, the clerics, and the royalty of France and Spain. This is a lively emotional novel with Anne Boleyn, Catherine, Mary Tudor, and Jane Seymour starring in vivid roles.

In an NPR interview Hilary Mantel is questioned why she champions villains in her novel. If a historical figure has been given bad press armed with a sense of justice she is drawn into a re-examination of his life. She feels she does not have to redeem the character of Cromwell the facts will redeem him.

The English American by Alison Larkin

2009-12-12T14:59:00.004-06:00

As an Anglophile, I guess my most deep, dark fantasy (no, NOT that kind) is that I will find out that I was switched at birth…and that my real parents are British! Trust me…this is not an insult to my American parents. They would be MORE than happy to trade me to an unsuspecting couple across the pond. But, alas, my fantasy is just that…fiction. Well, in this novel, the first by stand-up comedienne/actress Alison Larkin, the main character, Pippa, is raised by British adoptive parents in England but finds out that her biological parents are truly American. This immediately makes sense to Pippa, since she’s always considered herself something of an American-phile but most importantly, she is NOTHING like most the British people around her. This information propels Pippa on a quest to find her true identity and the reasons for all of her non-British idiosyncrasies. Larkin, herself, is a biological American and adoptive Brit, so the story resonates very true. Larkin’s writing style is sharp and witty and Pippa is a truly engaging and highly enjoyable character. We want her to be happy…whether in America or England. For me, I will just keep searching for that one day when I find my true parents…and I’m able to go home where I belong...England! Sorry mom and dad.

Try a Graphic Novel

2009-11-27T13:20:00.005-06:00

Stitches by David Small

If you haven't read many graphic novels, this is a good place to start. Actually a memoir, Stitches reads like a novel. It is the story of a little boy who loves to draw growing up in an abusive, loveless household. He wishes he could escape down the rabbit hole with Alice. As a young teen he has an operation that results in his losing half his vocal cords and consequently his voice. The rest of the story is about his survival and recovery. Stitches is an intense and rewarding reading experience.

Small is a children's book illustrator, and his drawings add so much to the story. Small conveys an amazing amount of feeling and intelligence in a few simple lines. Note the drawing of his mother at the bottom of page 113 and compare it with the photo of Small on the inside back cover. You won't believe the resemblance.

Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge

2009-11-11T17:59:00.004-06:00

This book was a very pleasant surprise. Having never read Goudge before, I did what I usually do with new authors – give the first 50 pages a go – apprehensively. Right from the start, though, I was hooked. Goudge has an excellent knack for building characters from the ground up…and using those characters to be the basis for her strong storytelling. This story starts, told mostly in the present but also during WWII, with the story of Alice, a mother who just lost her older son and cannot deal with the not guilty verdict the jury just turned in on her son's drunk driving killer. Alice's story flash-forwards nine years later...and is then interwoven with the story of another wandering soul...Colin, who is in AA and recently widowed. Both of these main characters, as well as the sub-characters, are engaging and full of intensity...and passion. We want to get to know them better...we want them to get their troubles resolved. We want them to be happy. I would read Goudge again in a heartbeat!

A BIG LITTLE LIFE - A MEMOIR OF A JOYFUL DOG by Dean Koontz

2009-11-05T15:33:00.010-06:00

I love dogs. I own a dog. Often, I like him more than about 90% of the people I know. I also enjoy books about the relationships between men and their dogs. Especially when the gruff guy shows a kinder, gentler side to his personality as a result of the actions of his dog.

One of the best "guy/dog" books I have read is "Merle's Door" by Ted Kerasote. It is a wonderful true story that is sensitive without being sappy.

Although I love the "guy/dog" books, I know that they will never end well. The dog always dies.
About two-thirds of the way into the book, the guy finds "a lump" on the dog's leg, or the dog develops this phlegmy cough. You know you are pages away from uncontrollable sobbing.... by both you and the guy.

So, it was with delight that I picked up the latest book by Dean Koontz noted for his suspenseful raw thrillers. Koontz and his wife, following years of consideration, adopt a three-year-old golden retriever from Canine Companions, an organization that provides service dogs to those in need. The dog was on "early retirement" as a result of an elbow surgery. The book, a memoir of his 9-years with the dog, is about as far away from his usual shocking tales as one can get. I knew Koontz had an affinity for "goldens" as they are characters in many of his books, and his book jackets show a picture of him with a "golden".
Koontz delights in the mundane, day-to-day activities of "Trixie" to the point of some degree of boredom from this reader. It is also could be a little uncomfortable for the reader when he refers to Trixie as "my little girl" or tells her "your mom and I are so proud of you". But maybe that's because you do not expect that form of emotion from someone whose stories are otherwise so dark and chilling. Koontz also takes anthropomorphism to an extreme, but as a dog owner and lover I found it acceptable.
This book definitely shows another side of Koontz, and in the end.....I sobbed uncontrollably.