If The Dresden Files and The Magicians had a book baby, this would be it. Our heroine is an ordinary private eye hired to solve a murder at a boarding school for magical teenagers. Unfortunately, it's also the school where her magical twin sister, Tabitha, works. As Ivy gets further involved in the inner workings of the school, its faculty, and its students, she questions her sanity and skill. Can she keep up appearances, find the killer, and reunite with Tabitha?
Excellent storytelling with a plot that had me guessing "whodunnit" until the last 50 pages.
Johan Friedrich von Allmen, well-educated, heir to a vast fortune, never employed, has found himself in reduced circumstances. Forced to relocate to the gardenhouse of his Swiss estate with only his resourceful Guatemalan butler, Carlos, for company, Allmen is in desperate need of funds. When an opportunity to pilfer Art Nouveau glass bowls from a neighbor arises, Allmen becomes first thief then detective in this delightful crime caper.
Twelve-year-old Milo can't wait for Christmas break at his adoptive parents' inn. But when strange guests start arriving one by one, Milo's plans for a relaxing winter break turn upside down. With rumors of a mystery surrounding the very inn in which Milo has spent his childhood, and with each guest acting stranger than the last, Milo sets out to discover the mystery of Greenglass House. Falling into this cozy mystery is the perfect way to spend any blustery, fall day!
Anthony Horowitz is the best-selling author of the Alex Rider children's novels. He is also the man chosen by the estates of both Arthur Conan Doyle and Ian Fleming to continue the iconic Sherlock Holmes and James Bond series. Additionally, he is the author of my favorite book of 2017, The Magpie Murders, an homage to the great Agatha Christie. But in The Word is Murder, Anthony Horowitz is more than just an author of popular fiction; he is a character in his own book. Approached by disgraced detective inspector Daniel Hawthorne to write a true crime book detailing the murder investigation of Diana Cowper, Anthony finds himself visiting the scene of the crime, interviewing suspects, sparring with Hawthorne and possibly even solving the case himself. Delightfully inventive, the word is entertaining!
The first death could have been an accident, a fall down unfamiliar stairs on a dark night, but there's no mistaking the following deaths are murder. In this contemporary take on Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None," a dozen visitors and their hosts find themselves stranded by a blizzard at a picture-perfect Catskills' inn with a most unwanted guest - murder.
It was getting late and I promised myself that I would just read a few more chapters. The next thing I knew, I was burning through the rest of She Rides Shotgun without pause. I just couldn’t stop. Jordan Harper’s debut novel lives up to the promise he showed in his short story collection, Love and Other Wounds. This thriller is rife with bad guys, but the main character is eleven-year old Polly, whose dad has just been released from prison and is already on the run, with Polly, riding shotgun.
I'm on a mystery kick these days and it's going swimmingly because, well, there's loads of great books out there I haven't read. You may be familiar with the feeling! Rachel Howzell Hall's Detective Elouise Norton series began in 2014 and now there's four books in the series, each an exciting addition to the pantheon of southern California noir. In Land of Shadows, the first book, Lou is paired with a new partner and begins investigating the murder of a young black girl that may be tied to the disappearance of her sister. Hall's books combine twisted plots, crisp social commentary, and a fully realized main character (with humor, actual friends, and real family commitments!)
Robert's ex-wife Suzy left him abruptly two years ago. He doesn't know why, or why they married at all, only that he misses her like a lost tooth. When she goes missing and her new husband blackmails him into searching for her, Robert thinks he might finally get some answers. The path of his investigation, signposted with uneasy allies and glittering Vegas casinos, reveals that their shared past is thick with ghosts and roars with the echo of the Vietnam War. Dragonfish matches any of the best in the ranks of noir novels, and it's a spellbinding meditation on migration, loss, and love.
The first in a trilogy of mysteries featuring Stevie Bell, the crime fanatic and new student at a quirky, yet prestigious New England boarding school. Without telling you everything that is on the inside flap, let me just say this book is dark, gripping, funny - and will leave you howling for the next one. I loved it.
One of my favorite mystery writers,Walter Mosley, says this "Small-town murder investigation reveals what lies at the heart of America's confusion over race." So if you like mysteries, and you're ready for one with a large side of social justice and race issues (and if East Texas has any place in your heart), this is the book for you. I loved black Texas Ranger Darren Matthews. He conflicted, he's tough, and he's got a heart the size of Texas. The issues he's dealing with are real and pressing, and it's a privilege to be entertained and to learn at the same time.
