MRA MUSINGS Volume 21, Issue 6 July 2011 Mystery News

The winners of the 2011 Thriller Awards were announced at Thriller- Events fest, hosted by the International Thriller Writers organization. Next Meeting The winners are ... Best Novel: Bad Blood by John Sanford (Putnam) Wednesday August 10 at Best Paperback Original: The Cold Room by J. T. Ellison (Mira) 6:30 PM Best First Novel: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens (St. Martin's Upcoming Topics Press) August 10 * * * * * Reginald Hill Mysteries SOME ADULT TRUTHS sent to my by a friend (severely edited) 1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die. September 14 2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when First time authors in 2011 you realize you're wrong. 3. There is great need for a sarcasm font. 4. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? October 12 5. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty Bad Ass Sidekicks sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood. 6. Bad decisions make good stories. November 9 7. I think the freezer deserves a light as well. Clerical Sleuths 8. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay. 9. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just December 14 nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word Holiday Potluck and ―Turkeys‖ they said? 10. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important. For more information contact * * * * * Karen at Detectives and Their Vices [email protected] 714-579-0234 1. Sherlock Holmes a. Liquor, women, chess 2. V. I. Warshawski b. Cigars, ugly trench coat or Kevin at [email protected] 3. Kinsey Milhone c. Chain-smoking, racetrack-betting 4. Harry Bosch d. Scotch 5. Hercule Poirot e. Cheroots and claret Inside this issue: 6. Nero Wolfe f. Womanizing--with his partner's wife 7. Inspector Morse g. Opium/cocaine Readers Reviews 2 8. Columbo h. Vanity, n'est-e pas? Ruth Checks In 3 9. James Bond i. Beautiful women, shaken martinis 10. Philip Marlowe j. Pints of ale New in 2011 4-7 11. Rumpole k. Cigarettes, insomnia 12. Lew Archer l. Agoraphobia, overeating ( answers elsewhere in the newsletter) Reginald Hill List 8 Mystery Reader’s Accomplishments

Marcia B. Karen B Dams, Jeanne M.—WINTER OF DISCONTENT—4.0 Thompson, Larry D.—TRIAL—4.0 Delaney, Vicki—SCARE THE LIGHT AWWAY—3.0 Johnson, Craig—HELL IS EMPTY—4.95 Baron, AILEEN G> THE TORCH OF TANGIER—4.0 Mitzner, Adam—A CONFLICT OF INTER- Booth, Stephen—BLOOD ON THE TONGUE—5.Griffin, EST—4.75 W>E.B.—THE SHOOTERS—4.0 Scottoline, Lisa—SAVE ME—4.5 Flynn, Vince—Separation of Power—4.0 Corleone, Douglas—NIGHT ON FIRE—4.0 Emerson, Earl—DEVIANT BEHAVIOR—3.0 Fray;n—Rebecca—DECEPTIONS—2.5 Emerson, Earl—PRIMAL THREAT—2.0 Jackson, Lisa—DEVIOUS—3.5 Emerson, Earl—CAPE DISAPPAOINTMENT—5.0 Vorhaus, John— THE ALBURQUERQUE Emerson, Earl—THE SMOKE ROOM— 4..0 TURKEY—3.0 Charlotte, Hinger—DEADLY DESCENT— Daphane Canepa 4.75 Crombie, Deborah—KISSED A SAD GOODGYE—4.5 Battles, Brett—THE SILENCED 3.75 Preston, Douglas and Lincoln Child—DANCE OF Kerr, Philip—A QUIET FLAME—4.5 DEATH—3.0 Stanley, Kelle—CITY OF DRAGONS 3.5 Leviine, Laura—THIS PEN FOR HIRE—3.0 McKevett G. A. — BITTER SWEETS—3.5 Evanovich, Janet and Charlotte Hughes—FULL SCOOP—3.0 Something to Think

Karen C. about See, Lisa—SHANGHAI GIRLS—4.5 Estleman, Loren—JITTERBUG—4.0 Booth, Stephen—BLOOD ON THE TONGUE—4.25 I'll never understand some of the things peo- Parker, Robert—DOUBLE PLAY—3.5 ple do with English. Here's an example from

Dana Stabenow's A TAINT IN THE BLOOD, Kevin an example which puts in one sentence the Berry, Stephen—THE JEFFERSON KEY—4.0 entire puzzling thing: Harris, Rosemary—SLUGFEST - 2.0 Daheim, Mary—THE ALPINE VENGEANCE Hiland Mountain Correctional Facility Coben Harlan—Long LOST housed women convicts and male sex Clusser, Clive—SPARTEN GOLD offenders... Langdon, Jane—THIEF OF VENICE Why is it women convicts, but male sex of- Jan fenders? Why not female convicts? Why not Elkins, Aaron—LOST –3.0 men sex offenders?

Marcia F. I noticed a long time ago that people never, McManus, Patrick F.—BLIGHT WAY—4.0 ever speak of men poets, or men writers, or Rotenberg, Robert—OLD CITY HALL—4.5 a man stock car driver, or a man pilot. And Black, Clara—MURDER IN THE MARAIS—3.0 they equally never speak of female poets, or Fluke, Joanne—WINTER OF DICONTENT—3.0 writers, or drivers, or pilots. Aird, Catherine—THE BODY POLITIC—2.5 Spencer Fleming, Julia—ONE WAS A SOLDIER—5.0 (from a posting on an internet board of mys- Havill Steve—PROLONGED EXPOSURE—4.75 tery fans.)

Page 2 MRA MUSINGS The first book is, simply, BILLY BOYLE, and Ruth Checks In in it Billy is looking into the death of a Norwegian government official. He's also learning about the Hi, All, army, the war, his uncle, and lots about him- How late I am! Things sort of fell apart in late self. He solves the case, and also falls in love, and May: we went up to Massachusetts for Memorial Day in the second book, THE FIRST WAVE, he's in Al- weekend, had a nice visit, and on our way back home geria, where he has a mission to perform and is decided to stop in Tarrytown, NY, for lunch, because also searching for his love, who has been kid- there's a restaurant we like there. When we came napped. We learn about the Vichy, and about war- out of the restaurant, the transmission on our van time love affairs, and lots more. Then, in BLOOD would not work; we tried to nurse it homewards, but ALONE, Billy is in Sicily, where the Italian Mafia it would not go, and we ended spending an expensive are interacting with world events, and in EVIL FOR evening at Doubletree Inn (whose parking lot was as EVIL, he's in Ireland, where the IRA is being co- far as the van would take us), and an even more ex- opted by Germany to disrupt the English war ef- pensive aftermath. Had to leave the van there, at fort. In RAG AND BONE, he's back in London, AAMCO. who fixed it as expensively as possible de- where the black market flourishes. There's lots of spite our pleas that we were going to trade it in and history in these books, and Billy is an engaging and didn't want anything extensive (or expensive) done to complex hero; the writing is particularly good, with it. Had, as well, to rent a car to come back home, and great sense of place (lots of research) and sense keep it for eight days while AAMCO worked on the of history, and suspenseful plotting. Best to read van, and then of course take it back up there. Made these in order, and I'm waiting impatiently for A that trip in one day, but all in all, it was a pricey trip, MORTAL TERROR, which is due out in September. and it goes without saying that we are now going to Aaron Elkins and Jane Langton both write keep the van for another year, much to Chuck's dis- about Nazi looting, in Elkins' LOOT and Langton's appointment. THE THIEF OF VENICE, and Robert Barnard's And then I developed bursitis in one hip and am OUT OF THE BLACKOUT was very good, as I re- gimping around. Going for cortisone shot Monday, call. Pip Granger's NOT ALL TARTS ARE APPLES which I dread but look forward to. begins a nice wartime series, with vivid details of So I didn't get much reading done, and of what how things were in London during that period, and I did, not much was World War II. Looking at the list Ellis Peters' FALLEN INTO THE PIT looks at in your newsletter, I had read quite a few of the things from a different slant. I started reading books listed, though I have to confess, not many of Margit Liesche's LIPSTICK AND LIES, which is them stuck in my memory. Except James Benn's Billy about Jackie Cochran's Women's Air Service Pi- Boyle series, which I really, really admire. I've read lots, but really hated the heroine, even though I them all, as quickly as they came out, and even re- admire the WASP greatly. (I thought she took too viewed the first three on Amazon.com, from ARCs many liberties with the real thing.) that the author sent me. His affections have wan- Anyway, that's my report, probably too late, dered, though, and now I have to wait for the library but well-meant, as usual. I'll try to do better in editions. But that's okay. Probably everyone in the July--my group here won't be meeting, so I can group has read at least one of them, or at least I catch myself up, maybe. hope so. The first one had young Billy Boyle, whose Cheers! Boston Irish family has used some family pull to get Ruth him promoted to police detective, arriving in Europe, said family having gotten him what was sup- posed to be an easy headquarters job with a distant uncle when World War II inconveniently started DETECTIVES AND THEIR VICES ANSWERS; up. The distant uncle, Ike by name, got moved from 1-g; 2-d; 3-m; 4-k; 5-h; 6-l; 7-j; 8-b; 9-i; 10-a; 11-e; Washington D.C. to London, to command the U.S. 12-c; 13-f. forces in Europe, and took Billy with him.

Volume 21, Issue 6 Page 3 Brand New Authors in 2011 for Sept.

missing. with the action occurring over decades. Abbott, David. The Upright Piano Player (BDD, VERDICT Braunstein paints gorgeous portraits of 21.95) June. When a retired executive estranged a wide variety of characters, all fully realized. It's from his family becomes the victim of an ob- tough at times to tell who's who, and how they are sessed stalker he attempts to reconnect with his related, but the reader's effort is rewarded. family in a powerful debut tinged with a subtle Clark, Marcia. Guilt by Association (Hach, menace. 25.99) Apr. When her colleague is found dead at a Arthurson, Wayne. Fall from Grace (STM, grisly crime scene, a Los Angeles DA must take 25.99) Apr. A first-rate debut by a Canadian over his case: the assault of a young woman from writer, featuring a newspaperman in Edmonton, a prominent family in a debut written by the lead himself part Cree, who is assigned to cover the prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder case. murder of a young native prostitute found in a Disilverio. Laura, Die Buying (Aug., Berkley pbo, cold Alberta field, and who realizes that the police 7.99). Debut with Emma-Joy Ferris, an ex-military have missed a serial killer who targets marginal- cop who now works as security for a shopping ized women whose deaths will not be vigorously mall. First she must deal with a loose python only investigated. to discover that the abandoned mannequin laying Barney, James. The Genesis Key (HC, 9.99) akimbo in the walkway is really a dead woman. July. A debut thriller featuring a biologist who is Duffy, David, Last to Fold (April, St. Martin‘s hc, thrust into a conspiracy featuring the secretive 24.99). After a turbulent life, Turbo Vlost has found society known as the ―Olam Foundation,‖ in a some peace in NYC. After a childhood in the So- mystery that combines archaeology, science, and viet gulags, forced service in the KGB, the loss of religion. his family, and exile from Mother Russia, now he Bradley, Jane – You Believers . When Katy works for himself, as a finder of lost things. But the Connor fails to come home, her fiance is quick to past is coming for him, and soon. Turbo under- assume she's run off with another man. But after stand what his enemies don‘t: you don‘t necessar- days go by, Katy's mother, Livy, gets the police ily have to beat your enemies; you just have to get involved, and a complicated narrative unfolds. them to quit the game first. Debut thriller. Many voices tell this story, from Katy's captors, a Duncan, J.N., Deadworld (April, Kensington pbo, troubled young man and his wayward side-kick, to 6.99). Debut in a new Urban Fantasy series. FBI Katy herself, but the most striking narrator is agent Jackie Rutledge has seen most everything Shelby Waters, a tough Southern woman who and hunted all kinds of killers. So she‘s not fazed runs an organization dedicated to finding the by the murders and their exsanguinated victims. missing. Told bluntly from a cast of honest char- She needs help this time and it comes in the form acters, Bradley's novel is haunting. of PI Nick Anderson. Brady, Jacklyn, A Sheetcake Named Desire Gordon, Howard Gideon’s War Exposed to cov- (Aug., Berkley pbo, 7.99). Debut in a new series ert information by his work as an international ne- set in New Orleans and featuring pastry chef Rita gotiator, Gideon Davis is tapped by a government Luccero. Her ex-husband, also a chef, is found bigwig to chaperone a rogue agent, Gideon's with a knife in his back and Rita is the prime sus- brother, whose surrender is foiled by a terrorist plot pect. involving a multi-million-dollar oil rig. Braunstein, Sarah The Sweet Relief of Missing Gordon, Howard. The Obelisk (SS, 26.00) Jan. A Children – A multifaceted study of children who debut thriller by the producer of 24 about an agent conquer bad childhoods-and children who cannot. who is called on to chaperone a rogue agent who Leonora is a good girl from a good family; she's happens to be his brother in an adventure that cul- cautious, studious, and obedient. Her family had minates on a high-tech oil rig that has been cap- supplied a code word that any stranger must tured by terrorists. know before she follows him. Nevertheless, soon her picture is appearing on posters with the word Hamrick, Janice Death on Tour - Texas high

Page 4 MRA MUSINGS school teacher Jocelyn Shore and her cousin Kyla Larson, Nathan, The Dewey Decimal System are on a once-in-a-lifetime guided tour of Egypt with (May, Akashic tpo, 15.95). Debut novel by a noted a motley crew of fellow travelers when Millie and award- winning film composer. NYC has been Owens, takes a fatal fall off of one of the great pyra- reduced to a wreck after a flu pandemic, a mas- mids. And that's only the beginning of their troubles. sive terrorist attack, and financial collapse. One Death on Tour is a delightful debut and the begin- man, a veteran with a love of books, is living at the ning of a wonderfully charming cozy series. main library and is known as Dewey Decimal for his work with the books. He pays for all of this by Hamrick, Janice. Death on Tour (STM, 24.99) being mus cle for the corrupt DA. Dark humor is May. An award-winning debut cozy, featuring a leading this book, and the author to being com- Texas high school teacher whose once-in-a-lifetime pared to Huston, Gischer and Ferrigno. Egyptian tour is marred by murder when a dis- agreeable tourist takes a fall off a pyramid. Makkai, Rebecca. The Borrower (Vik, 25.95) June. A funny debut crime caper about a small- Henry, Sara. J. Learning to Swim (RH, 24.00) town librarian who impulsively decides to help a Feb. When a writer sees a little boy fall from a ferry ten-year-old library patron run away from his boat on Lake Champlain, she dives in to rescue him evangelical Christian parents who censor his book and discovers that he and his mother were victims choices and want to send him to a camp to ―re- of a kidnapping in which his mother was killed in an educate‖ homosexual children. impressive debut with an engaging protagonist. Mariani, Scott – The Mozart Conspiracy - After Hollihan, Keith. The Four Stages of Cruelty a world-famous opera star--and ex-flame--asks (STM, 25.99) Dec. A powerful debut about a female him to investigate her brother's mysterious death, corrections officer who works with a young inmate British Air Service officer Ben Hope gets caught to uncover a criminal organization that has taken up in a centuries-old web of intrigue surrounding control of a maximum security prison. the death--and possible murder--of Mozart. Jones, Darynda First Grave on the Right - The Marion, Isaac – Warm Bodies - Marion's debut, a grim reaper gets a shiny cool makeover in Jones's less than successful attempt to surmount the in- blazing hot debut, a paranormal romantic thriller. herent limitations of traditional zombie fiction, Charlotte Jean "Charley" Davidson, a 27-year-old takes the premise that one of the walking dead, PI and consultant for the Albuquerque, N.Mex., po- known only as R, has somehow retained a wide lice department, exists on two planes-one for the range of emotions. R does possess a certain win- dead, the other for the living. Fast-talking Charley's some charm and the upbeat ending will warm wicked exuberance and lust for life will appeal to many hearts, but the great zombie-human love fans of Mary Janice Davidson and Janet Evanovich story has yet to be written. Kelly, Erin. The Poison Tree (Vik, 26.95) Jan. A McEuen, Paul. Spiral (Dial, 25.00) Mar. When a debut novel of psychological suspense about three Nobel-Prize winning Cornell biology professor London college students whose happy life is upset jumps into a gorge, his granddaughter and col- by the intrusion of a hostile lover, leading to a dou- league discover that he was murdered by a ruth- ble homicide. less killer who plots to unleash a doomsday Kepler, Lars – The Hypnotist - The brutal slaying weapon based on his research. A taut thriller with of gambling addict Anders Ek, his wife, and his cutting edge science and a cast of appealing char- younger daughter propels this outstanding thriller acters. debut from the pseudonymous Kepler (a Swedish McGill, Bernie. The Butterfly Cabinet (SS, literary couple), introducing Stockholm detective 22.99) July. A stunning debut based loosely on an Joona Linna. Only Ek's 15-year-old son, Josef, left Irish murder case that is told from the point of view for dead at his parents' house, survives. Linna asks of an old woman who worked as a servant in Cas- Erik Maria Bark, a trauma physician who practiced tle at Oranmore and the prison diaries of her em- hypnosis before being banned from using the tech- ployer, convicted of killing her four-year-old nique 10 years earlier, to hypnotize the seriously daughter. injured Josef in the hospital.. A well-integrated sub- plot involving a gang of terrifying boys and girls McLean, Margaret, Under Fire (June, Forge hc, adds to the suspense. 24.99). Debut courtroom thriller set in Boston as

Page 5 MRA MUSINGS Brand New Authors in 2011 (cont.) attorneys Sarah Lunch and Buddy Clancy repre- today's concerns about terrorists, fear of anar- sent a Senegalese Muslim woman on charges of chists ran high at the time. Professor Bradshaw, arson and murder. Attacks inside and outside the our intrepid protagonist, becomes the amateur de- courtroom, stolen documents, and the ever- tective in this promising new series.. present prejudices of the jury pool have the odds Pilgrim, Kitty. The Explorer’s Code (SS, 26.00) stacked against them. June. A debut international adventure centering on Michaels, Anna. The Tender Mercy of Roses the quest to find a missing land deed sending a (SS, 22.99) May. In a debut mystery with super- young oceanographer and an archaeologist to ex- natural overtones, a disgraced police detective otic locales as they are chased by a team of ruth- returns to her southern hometown, where she dis- less killers. covers the body of a young rodeo star whose Pittard, Hannah The Fates Will Find their Way - murder she vows to solve, aided by the father of Pittard presents a masterfully crafted, haunting lit- the dead girl, in a case that leads them to dis- erary debut about a missing girl and the boys she cover dark family secrets. grew up with who find themselves caught in the Mitzner, Adam, A Conflict of Interest (May, SS, mysterious wake of her absence for the rest of 26.00). At 35, Alex Miller has the life he always their lives. dreamed of. He‘s the youngest partner in a pres- Pittard, Hannah. The Fates Will Find their Way tigious firm and has the perfect family. After his (HC, 24.99) Feb. A fascinating and beguiling debut father unexpectedly dies, he‘s approached by his about the disappearance of a sixteen-year-old girl, ‗uncle‘ Michael, a man who is not family but acts imagining possible scenarios and ultimately focus- as if he was blood within family lore. Michael ing on the effect the disappearance has had on wants Alex‘s help with legal trouble and that trou- those who knew her. This is not a whodunit as ble is challenging everything Alex knows about much as a look at the consequences of crime on everyone and everything. Debut. those nearby. Narea, H.T., The Fund (May, Forge hc, 24.99). Polansky, Daniel, Low Town (Aug., Doubleday Debut thriller from an international investment hc, 25.95). The Warden is a flawed and dangerous banker who focuses on global markets. US De- man but he rules the ugly realities of Low Town, fense intelligence agent Kate Molares works on the crime-ridden district of the major city of Rigus. suspicious money trails, trying to trace where it He was once an agent for the Black House, the goes and from whom to whom. Something new is secret police, and is inured by experience and taking shape, though, and it begins to look like a drugs to the constant crime around him. But the new form of terrorism: someone is planning an murder of a child has shaken him and has awak- attack on the West‘s financial structure. ened a need for justice, an aim that will put him at O’Hanlon, Ray The South Lawn Plot (Mar., odds with other outside Low Town. Debut novel. Gemmamedia hc, 24.95). Debut thriller by an Irish Roy, Lori – Bent Road - In her promising debut journalist based in the US for 3 decades. A Lon- novel ... Roy proves that dark secrets hide even in don tabloid reporter is called to the scene of a the most wide-open places. Set in the beautifully hanging at Blackfriars Bridge. He can‘t know that rendered Kansas plains, "Bent Road" is a family this is the latest in a series of attacks going back story with a suspenseful gothic core.'' 400 years and by following it, he‘ll end up at the White House. Rush, Jonathan. Due Diligence (STM, 25.99) May. A young investment banker is assigned to Pajer, Bernadette – A Spark of Death - Many work on an international deal, but when he discov- people disliked Professor Oglethorpe, but who ers financial irregularities, he and his girlfriend are hated him enough to make sure he died in his forced to go on the run in a debut financial thriller. own laboratory? Seattle in 1901 is the setting for this distinctive scientific mystery that delves into Stevens, Taylor The Informationist (Mar., the political machinations of the university and the Crown hc, 23.00). Debut. Born to missionaries in changing technological landscape of that era. Like Page 6 MRA MUSINGS Central Africa, Vanessa Munroe rebelled, taking up and scrupulously honest heroine must find who with mercenaries when she was a teen. Now in killed Teresa Steiner, a brilliant graduate stu- Texas, she uses her knowledge of the world to make dent from Germany whose body, viciously money as an information broker. She‘s quite good at stabbed, was discovered in an underground it. A new client asks her to do something different; an crypt. Could Teresa, whose thesis centered on oilman asks her to find his daughter who disappeared the study of street shrines, have been skim- in Africa four year before. ming donations? The corruption of the Neapoli- tan bureaucracy, mirrored by the stench from Sturges, P.G. Shortcut Man (SS, 24.00) Feb. An in- uncollected garbage in the streets, taints but telligent, darkly funny debut novel set in Los Angeles cannot overcome the vitality of the city. Weiss featuring a man who specializes in solving problems renders its bustling trattorias and colorful in ways that might not be legal, and who when asked neighborhoods with flair. to discover if a porn producer‘s wife is cheating on him is surprised to find that she is in fact his girlfriend. Wendelboe, C. M . – Death Along the Spirit Highly recommended. Road - Wendelboe's debut, the absorbing first in a new Native American series, introduces Taylor, Brad. One Rough Man (Png, 25.95) Feb. A FBI special agent Manny Tanno, a former debut thriller that begins when one of a secret govern- Oglala Sioux tribal cop. When someone buries ment anti-terror force rescues a college student from a war club in the head of Jason Red Cloud, an two mysterious hitmen, only to discover that her ar- ambitious developer who put together a coali- chaeologist uncle is in danger in Guatemala where tion of interests to build a resort overlooking the Arab terrorists are after an ancient Mayan weapon of Wounded Knee site on South Dakota's Pine mass destruction he has discovered. Ridge Reservation, Tanno leaves his FBI acad- Tentler, Leslie – Midnight Caller - is a tale of family emy teaching job to investigate. secrets and deep betrayals, where danger lies in the West, Michael Lee. Gone with a Handsomer crumbling alleys of the French Quarter and in the Man (STM, 24.99) May. A funny debut mystery shadows of warm bayou nights. featuring an out-of-work Charleston pastry chef Ulfelder, Steve. Purgatory Chasm (STM, 23.99) who calls off her engagement after finding her May. Car mechanic Conway Sax is a bluecollar guy fiancé playing naked badminton with two other whose ability to get things done makes him utterly reli- women, and when he is found murdered, she able. With the help of a local AA group, he‘s dried out, has to turn to an old boyfriend, an attorney, to grateful, and promises to help the other members clear her name. This looks very good. however he can. One of the more obnoxious mem- Whittle, Tina. The Dangerous Edge of bers approaches him and, while not fond of the guy, Things (PP, 24.95 hc, 14.95tp) Feb. A debut Conway agrees to help him. The guy‘s murder, how- cozy mystery set in Atlanta, where a recent Sa- ever, leaves Conway as the prime suspect. Gritty noir vannah transplant discovers a dead young debut. woman in a car parked across the street from Waite, Urban. The Terror of Living (LB, 24.99) Feb. her psychologist brother‘s house, with his card A debut literary thriller set in the state of Washington clutched in her hand. where a horse dealer who engages in a little smug- Zettel, Sarah. A Taste of the Nightlife (NAL, gling and the lawman who is after him find themselves 7.99) July. A debut paranormal mystery featur- joining forces when a delivery goes awry and a hired ing a chef with a New York restaurant catering killer comes after them both. to the undead, whose problems are larger than Watson, S.J., Before I Go to Sleep (June, Harper life when a customer winds up dead on her hc, 25.99). There's a woman who wakes up in the doorstep and her brother comes under suspi- morning not knowing anything about herself or her cion for the murder. life. Her husband explains that it is due to an accident she had years before. But things seem odd to her so she keeps a journal and the journal makes her feel less and less easy about her husband‘s explanations. Weiss, Jan Merele These Dark Things Capt. Na- talia Monte of the Naples' carabinieri, the dedicated

Page 7 MRA MUSINGS Reginald Hill—August Reading List (a Diamond Dagger Winner in 1995)

Pictures of Perfection (1994) Superintendent Andrew Dalziel and Sergeant Pe- Finalist 1995 Anthony Award for Best Mystery ter Pascoe, a pair of police inspectors in York- The Wood Beyond (1995) shire, England: Finalist 1997 Barry Award for Best Novel

A Clubbable Woman (1970) Asking for the Moon (1996) [SS] An Advancement of Learning (1971) On Beulah Height (1998) Ruling Passion (1973) 1999 Barry Award for Best Novel An April Shroud (1975) Finalist 1999 Anthony Award for Best Mystery A Pinch of Snuff (1978) Finalist 1998 Gold Dagger Award Pascoe’s Ghost (1979) [SS] Arms and the Women (1999) A Killing Kindness (1980) Dialogues of the Dead (2002) Deadheads (1983) Finalist 2002 Barry Award for Best British Crime Finalist 1983 Gold Dagger Award Novel Exit Lines (1984) Death’s Jest-Book (2003) Child’s Play (1987) Good Morning Midnight (2004) Finalist 1987 Gold Dagger Award Death Comes for the Fat Man (2007) Underworld (1988) APA: The Death of Dalziel (2007) Finalist 1988 Gold Dagger Award The Price of Butcher’s Meat (2008) Bones and Silence (1990) APA: A Cure for All Diseases (2008) 1990 Gold Dagger Award Midnight Fugue (2009) Finalist 1991 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Finalist 2010 Barry Award for Best British Crime One Small Step (1990) [novella] Novel Recalled to Life (1992) Finalist 1992 Gold Dagger Award

Joe Sixsmith, a private detective in Luton, England: Blood Sympathy (1993) Finalist 1993 Last Laugh Dagger Award Born Guilty (1995) Killing the Lawyers (1997) Singing the Sadness (1999) The Roar of the Butterflies (2008)

Non-series: Fell of Dark (1971) A Fairly Dangerous Thing (1972) A Very Good Hater (1974) Another Death in Venice (1976) The Spy’s Wife (1980) Finalist 1981 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Who Guards the Prince? (1982) Traitor’s Blood (1983) No Man’s Land (1985) The Collaborators (1987) The Stranger House (2005) The Woodcutter (2010) [US due July 26, 2011] Finalist 2011 Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel

Written as Patrick Ruell The Castle of the Demon (1971) Red Christmas (1972) Death Takes a Low Road (1974) Beyond the Bone (1975) APA: Urn Burial The Long Kill (1986) Death of a Dormouse (1987) Dream of Darkness (1989)