Daughter of Ashes by Ilaria Tuti

 

First Line: She wasn't much older than thirty and she felt like she had turned to dust.

 

Superintendent Teresa Battaglia is a trail-blazing criminal detective on the Italian police force. Currently, she's on sick leave to recuperate from her brush with death in pursuit of a killer, but what no one else knows is that her Alzheimer's is getting worse, and Teresa believes she may never return to work.

 

However, her retirement plans are shelved when serial killer Giacomo Mainardi insists on speaking with her. Twenty-seven years ago, Teresa's work put Mainardi behind bars in a maximum security prison. Now the convicted killer tells her that someone is after him, and only Teresa holds the key to keeping everyone safe.

 

To solve this case, Teresa must resurrect a past that she thought she'd buried for good. A past when Mainardi first began to kill, and Teresa-- newly pregnant and married to an abusive man-- did everything in her power to catch him.

 

~

 

Daughter of Ashes is the amazing conclusion to Ilaria Tuti's trilogy that began with Flowers Over the Inferno and The Sleeping Nymph. In it, readers are finally allowed to see Teresa Battaglia's entire history: her genius for crime solving, the misogyny she's had to endure throughout her career, and-- most telling and important of all-- her personal life away from the job. Her personal history is a factor in the relationship between Battaglia and the top-notch team she's trained. They are her children, "her boys", and there's nothing that they wouldn't do for each other. 

 

If Inspector Massimo Marini and the rest of the team had their way, they would never be without her, but Daughter of Ashes is a bittersweet tale indeed. Teresa Battaglia's dementia is worsening. "This illness was toying with her life like a breeze with a dry leaf," and she knows she must retire before she becomes a liability. But she can't quit just yet because, once and for all, she must deal with serial killer, Giacomo Mainardi. One of the best things about this book is its humanity, and that compassion and empathy extend to Mainardi. Readers can-- and will be-- appalled at what Mainardi does, but once his own personal history is revealed, he becomes a truly sympathetic character. 

Yes, the mystery is intriguing, but the characters remain first and foremost in my mind, the lead in particular. Teresa Battaglia's life is a triumph of will and endurance that is ultimately betrayed by her mind. Ilaria Tuti's portrayal of her is so vivid that I feel as though I know her.

Daughter of Ashes by Ilaria Tuti

eISBN: 9781641294188

Soho Press © 2023

eBook, 432 pages

 

Police Procedural, #3 Teresa Battaglia mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

December 2023 New Mystery Releases!

 

You probably don't know the answer any more than I do, but... where has this year gone?

I'm sitting here listening to two men putting new insulation in the attic. There are lots of interesting noises driving the neighbors' dog crazy and occasionally making me jump a little since I'm not used to sudden sounds overhead. I'm also trying to remember where I put my notes for which Christmas decorations I want to put up this year-- and I'd better get working on that quickly.

But-- you know me-- nothing is going to stop me from keeping my eyes peeled for new mysteries to read. The following list contains my picks for the best new crime fiction that will be available in December. I have them grouped according to their release dates, and the covers and synopses are courtesy of Amazon.

Let's see if I've chosen any that tickle your fancy!

=== December 1 ===

Title: Please Tell Me

Author: Mike Omer

Standalone Thriller

379 pages

 

Synopsis: "When eight-year-old Kathy Stone turns up on the side of the road a year after her abduction, the world awaits her harrowing story. But Kathy doesn’t say a word. Traumatized by her ordeal, she doesn’t speak at all, not even to her own parents.

Child therapist Robin Hart is the only one who’s had success connecting with the girl. Robin has been using play therapy to help Kathy process her memories. But as their work continues, Kathy’s playtime takes a grim turn: a doll stabs another doll, a tiny figurine is chained to a plastic toy couch. All of these horrifying moments, enacted within a Victorian doll house. Every session, another toy dies.

But the most disturbing detail? Kathy seems to be playacting real unsolved murders.

Soon Robin wonders if Kathy not only holds the key to the murders of the past but if she knows something about the murders of the future. Can Robin unlock the secrets in Kathy’s brain and stop a serial killer before he strikes again? Or is Robin’s work with Kathy putting her in the killer’s sights?" 

=== December 5 ===

Title: Murder Crossed Her Mind

Author: Stephen Spotswood

Series: #4 in the Pentecost & Parker historical mystery series set in 1947 New York City

384 pages

 

Synopsis: "Vera Bodine, an elderly shut-in with an exceptional memory, has gone missing and famed detective Lillian Pentecost and her crackerjack assistant Willowjean “Will” Parker have been hired to track her down. But the New York City of 1947 can be a dangerous place, and there’s no shortage of people who might like to get ahold of what’s in Bodine’s head.

Does her disappearance have to do with the high-profile law firm whose secrets she still keeps; the violent murder of a young woman, with which Bodine had lately become obsessed; or is it the work she did with the FBI hunting Nazi spies intent on wartime sabotage? Any and all are on the suspect list, including their client, Forest Whitsun, hotshot defense attorney and no friend to Pentecost and Parker.

The clock is ticking to get Bodine back alive, but circumstances conspire to pull both investigators away from the case. Will is hot on the trail of a stickup team who are using her name—and maybe her gun—for their own ends. While Lillian again finds herself up against murder-obsessed millionaire Jessup Quincannon, who has discovered a secret from her past—something he plans to use to either rein the great detective in . . . or destroy her.

To solve this mystery, and defeat their own personal demons, the pair will have to go nose-to-nose with murderous gangsters, make deals with conniving federal agents, confront Nazi spies, and bend their own ethical rules to the point of breaking. Before time runs out for everyone." 

Title: Lost Hours

Author: Paige Shelton

Series: #5 in the Alaska Wild series featuring thriller writer Beth Rivers

288 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "A year after arriving in Benedict, Beth Rivers is feeling very at home in Alaska, even as outsiders are starting to return to enjoy the brief summer perfection. Beth feels like she’s finally let go of most of her demons. She’s even found her father, Eddy Rivers―or, rather, he found her―and she's trying to find the middle ground between anger and forgiveness.

One sunny July day, Beth boards a tourist ship to see the glaciers, the main reason visitors venture to the area, and something Beth hasn’t attempted until now. But when the captain has to navigate to an island, a bloodied woman is found standing on the shore, waving for help. When she’s brought aboard, she claims she was kidnapped from her home in Juneau three days earlier, and that a bear on the island killed her captor. She, however, is unharmed.

The woman, Sadie, finds a sympathetic ear in Beth. She tells her that she’s been in Juneau under witness protection, and that the Juneau police don’t like her. When another kidnapping occurs, Beth and police chief Gril can’t help but think the two cases are interwoven, though the clues to solving them will be harder to unravel."

Title: Daughter of Ashes

Author: Ilaria Tuti

Series: #3 in the Teresa Battaglia police procedural trilogy set in northern Italy.

432 pages

 

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

 

Synopsis: "Superintendent Teresa Battaglia, a trail-blazing criminal detective on the Italian police force, is on sick leave, recovering from her recent brush with death in pursuit of a killer. But none of her colleagues, not even her partner, know that her Alzheimer’s is getting worse, and that Teresa is unsure she will ever return to work.

Teresa’s plans for retirement are shelved, however, when she is urgently summoned to meet with menacing serial killer Giacomo Mainardi. Refusing to speak with anyone but Teresa, whose investigative work twenty-seven years prior landed him in maximum security prison, Mainardi has disconcerting news: somebody is after him, and only Teresa holds the key to keeping everyone, including herself, safe. To solve the case, Teresa must come face to face with a history she thought she’d buried, back to when Giacomo first began to kill, and Teresa—newly pregnant and married to an abusive man—did everything she could to catch him." 

Title: The Lost Tomb and Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder

Author: Douglas Preston

Standalone Non-Fiction

320 pages

 

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

 

Synopsis: "What’s it like to be the first to enter an Egyptian burial chamber that’s been sealed for thousands of years? Where might a blocked doorway or newly excavated corridor lead? And what might this stupendous tomb reveal about the most powerful pharaoh in Egyptian history? 

From the jungles of Honduras to macabre archaeological sites in the American Southwest, Douglas Preston's journalistic explorations have taken him across the globe. He broke the story of an extraordinary mass grave of animals killed by the asteroid impact that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, he explored what lay hidden in the booby-trapped Money Pit on Oak Island, and he roamed the haunted hills of Italy in search of the Monster of Florence. When he hasn't been co-authoring bestselling thrillers featuring FBI Agent Pendergast, Preston has been writing about some of the world’s strangest and most dramatic mysteries.

The Lost Tomb brings together an astonishing and compelling collection of true stories about buried treasure, enigmatic murders, lost tombs, bizarre crimes, and other fascinating tales of the past and present." 

Title: Sniffing Out Murder

Author: Kallie E. Benjamin

Series: #1 in the Bailey the Bloodhound cozy series set in Indiana

352 pages

 

Synopsis: "After deciding that life as a teacher wasn’t right for her, Priscilla found inspiration for her first children’s book in her three-year-old bloodhound’s nose for truth, and so The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound was born. After the book’s massively pawsitive response led Pris to move back to her hometown of Crosbyville, Indiana, to continue the series, she’s surprised by how things have changed in the town, but even more so how they haven’t.

Pris is frustrated to discover that newly elected school board trustee Whitney Kelley—a former high school mean girl—is intent on making Crosbyville more competitive by eliminating “frivolous spending” on the arts and social programs, including Pris and Bailey’s beloved pet-assisted reading program. A minor altercation between them isn’t anything unusual, but after Bailey sniffs out Whitney’s body in a bed of begonias, locals start hounding Pris and Bailey as suspects for the crime.

With Bailey’s sharp senses and Pris’s hometown know-how, can they prove to the community that they’re all barking up the wrong tree?" 

Title: The Nurse Murders

Author: Jon Talton

Series: #2 in the Phoenix Noir historical series featuring P.I. Gene Hammons. Set in 1936 Phoenix, Arizona.

294 pages

Synopsis: "It's 1936, and private investigator Gene Hammons has more work than he can handle. A crime syndicate, J. Edgar Hoover, a wealthy family from back East, and a wily stalker all want something from him. His capable-but-drug-addicted brother, still a homicide detective, is as much a hindrance as a help. Luckily, Hammons finds a professional ally in Pamela Bradbury, a fellow gumshoe with some new tricks to teach him. When the two pair up, there doesn't seem to be a case they can't solve, from kidnapping to blackmail to an intricate gold-smuggling operation.

But then a young nurse with red hair is sadistically raped and killed, and Gene recognizes the signs of a "lust murderer," having famously solved the case of the University Park Strangler years earlier. When he's contacted by the killer, Hammons knows he and Pamela must work quickly to catch the brutal murderer before he strikes again. The two come to each other's rescue more than once, and as deep feelings develop between them, it's not lost on Gene that their relationship might well prove dangerous—especially for Pamela, with her lovely red hair.

Rich in atmosphere and authentic period detail, THE NURSE MURDERS is a gritty, nail-biting race to catch a killer in a city struggling to assert itself amidst the hardships, corruption, and political machinations of post-World War I America."

 

 

Title: The Frozen River

Author: Ariel Lawhon

Standalone historical mystery set in 1789 Maine.

448 pages

Synopsis: "Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day."

 

There's definitely some good reading in store during the month of December, isn't there? Were any of these books already on your wish lists... or did I manage to find ones that you couldn't resist adding? Inquiring minds would love to know!

The Sleeping Nymph by Ilaria Tuti

 

First Line: Teresa often thinks of death.

Superintendent Teresa Battaglia is pleased when a cold case lands on her desk because it means that there is no killer on the loose who must be tracked down as quickly as possible before more people die. She's not so pleased when her boss is temporarily replaced by a man from her past, a man who's determined to bring about her ruin.

As Battaglia and her team begin working the case, they find themselves in the Resia Valley, one of Italy's most isolated, untouched regions, and a place where the stories of the partisans who fought the Nazis during World War II have never gone out of fashion. When someone is brutally murdered, Battaglia finds herself not only battling a ruthless killer, but her own deteriorating physical and mental health. It's this crippling stress that could prove her downfall, but if anyone can emerge triumphant, it's Teresa Battaglia.

I was very impressed by the first book in this series, Flowers Over the Inferno, and I couldn't wait to see what sort of investigation Teresa Battaglia found herself dealing with next. Battaglia probably has the worst health of any main character I'm currently reading about-- she's in her mid-sixties, has diabetes and the first signs of Alzheimer's-- but she also has the greatest determination to survive and to succeed. Can you imagine trying to keep on top of a rapidly moving investigation while trying to remember whether or not you've given yourself your insulin... and while hoping against hope that your mind doesn't suddenly decide to go walkabout? The woman is so worried that she doesn't drive anywhere after dark, and she wears a bracelet that is inscribed with "My name is Teresa Battaglia." This woman has a will of iron, and maternal instincts any mother would envy. Battaglia feels that it is one of her most important duties to "shield the people who relied on her," and there's nothing her team wouldn't do for her as a result. Speaking of her team, I hope they figure more prominently in future books. I need to know more about them and why Battaglia feels that they need so much protection.

On the whole, I found the book to be bloated. There was too much going on: Teresa's health, the complicated personal life of her second-in-command Massimo Marini, her new supervisor who wants to destroy her, and learning all about the Resia Valley, an isolated region populated by people with a unique language, history, and customs. The mystery kept taking a backseat to everything else that was going on which became so frustrating that I began to wonder if characters like Albert Lona (the Teresa hater) were really necessary. At least my two favorite new characters, the blind Blanca Zago and her HRD (Human Remains Detection) dog, a scruffy mongrel named Smoky, played an important role in the mystery. I hope Blanca and Smoky appear in future books, especially since they are based on a real woman and dog.

The Sleeping Nymph suffered from what some have called "too much middle," but the mystery is absorbing, and it introduces two fascinating characters. With Teresa Battaglia's health conditions, this should be a short-lived series, and I don't intend to miss a single one of her investigations. You see, I have discovered that I'm just as loyal to her as the members of her team.

The Sleeping Nymph by Ilaria Tuti

Translated from the Italian by Ekin Oklap

eISBN: 9781641291224

Soho Press © 2020

eBook, 456 pages

 

Police Procedural, #2 Teresa Battaglia mystery

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

September 2020 New Mystery Releases!

Even though I've been spending most of my summer clearing out closets and drawers, knitting up a storm, and reading, I've still found time to keep an eye peeled for new crime fiction. But then, you knew I would!

Speaking of knitting up a storm, I'm beginning to wonder if I should have winter book giveaways that include an afghan? I'll bet no one else has done that! But I digress.

The following are my picks of the best in new crime fiction being released throughout the month of September. I've grouped them by their release dates, and the covers and synopses are courtesy of Amazon.

Let's get right down to the fun part-- going through my list! Hopefully, I've chosen a title or two that makes its way to your own reading list. Let's take a look!

=== September 1 ===

 

Title: The Deadly Hours

Authors: Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent

Short Story Anthology, 352 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "A stellar line-up of historical mystery novelists weaves the tale of a priceless and cursed gold watch as it passes through time wreaking havoc from one owner to another. As the hours and years pass, the characters are irrevocably linked by fate, each playing a key role in breaking the curse and destroying the watch once and for all.

From 1733 Italy to Edinburgh in 1831 to a series of chilling murders in 1870 London, and a lethal game of revenge decades later, the watch touches lives with misfortune, until it comes into the reach of one young woman who might be able to stop it for good.

As much a book of curses as a book of destinies, The Deadly Hours is a breathtaking anthology rich with atmosphere and intrigue that encapsulates the exquisite destruction, heartbreak, and redemption wrought by fate.

This outstanding collaboration of authors includes:

Susanna Kearsley - New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of compelling time slip fiction.

C.S. Harris - USA Today bestselling author of the Sebastian St. Cyr Regency mystery series.

Anna Lee Huber - award-winning author of the national bestselling Lady Darby Mysteries.

Christine Trent - author of the Lady of Ashes Victorian mystery series."

Title: One for the Books

Author: Jenn McKinlay

Series: #11 in the Library Lovers cozy series set in Connecticut

320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Love is in the air in Briar Creek as library director Lindsey Norris and boat captain Mike (Sully) Sullivan are finally tying the knot. The entire town is excited for the happy day, and Lindsey and Sully's plan for a small wedding evaporates as more and more people insist upon attending the event of the year.   

When Lindsey and her crafternoon pals head out to Bell Island to see if it can accommodate the ever-expanding guest list, they are horrified to discover a body washed up on the rocky shore. Even worse, Lindsey recognizes the man as the justice of the peace who was supposed to officiate her wedding ceremony. When it becomes clear he was murdered, Lindsey can't help but wonder if it had to do with the wedding. Now she has to book it to solve the mystery before it ends her happily ever after before it's even begun...."

=== September 8 ===

Title: Hanging Falls

Author: Margaret Mizushima

Series: #6 in the Timber Creek K-9 police procedural series set in Colorado.

288 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "A deluge has flooded the high ground near Hanging Falls--but heavy rains aren't the only menace descending on Timber Creek. While on a scouting mission to pinpoint trail damage, officer Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo stumble upon a body floating at the edge of a lake. Robo catches human scent, which leads to an enigmatic forest-dweller who quickly becomes suspect number one.

With help from veterinarian Cole Walker, Mattie identifies the victim, and discovers an odd religious cult whose dress and manners harken back to the 19th century. As the list of suspects grows, an unexpected visit from members of Mattie's long-lost family sheds new light on her childhood as they help Mattie piece together details of the fateful night when she was abducted at age two.

The tangled threads of the investigation and family dynamics begin to intertwine--but darkness threatens to claim a new victim before Mattie and Robo can track down the killers."

Title: One by One

Author: Ruth Ware

Standalone thriller set in the French Alps

384 pages

Synopsis: "Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers…each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide.

When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn’t made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit.

As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further…one by one."

Title: The Sleeping Nymph

Author: Ilaria Tuti

Series: #2 in the Teresa Battaglia police procedural series set in Italy

456 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "A decades-old murder investigation has landed on Superintendent Teresa Battaglia's desk. DNA analysis has revealed that a painting from the final days of World War II contains matter from a human heart. Teresa is able to trace the evidence to Val Resia, one of Italy’s most isolated, untouched regions.

When Teresa’s investigation hits too close to the truth, a fresh human heart is hung at the valley’s entrance, a warning not to cross its threshold. As she hunts a ruthless killer, Teresa must face down her own rapidly deteriorating physical and cognitive abilities, as well as someone she hoped never to see again—a man who has just become her supervisor."

Title: The Darkest Evening

Author: Ann Cleeves

Series: #9 in the Vera Stanhope police procedural series set in northern England.

384 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "On the first snowy night of winter, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope sets off for her home in the hills. Though the road is familiar, she misses a turning and soon becomes lost and disorientated. A car has skidded off the narrow road in front of her, its door left open, and she stops to help. There is no driver to be seen, so Vera assumes that the owner has gone to find help. But a cry calls her back: a toddler is strapped in the back seat.

Vera takes the child and, driving on, she arrives at a place she knows well. Brockburn is a large, grand house in the wilds of Northumberland, now a little shabby and run down. It’s also where her father, Hector, grew up. Inside, there’s a party in full swing: music, Christmas lights and laughter. Outside, unbeknownst to the revelers, a woman lies dead in the snow.

As the blizzard traps the group deep in the freezing Northumberland countryside, Brockburn begins to give up its secrets, and as Vera digs deeper into her investigation, she also begins to uncover her family’s complicated past."

Title: Little Bookshop of Murder

Author: Maggie Blackburn

Series: #1 in the Beach Reads cozy series set in North Carolina

304 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Summer Merriweather's career as a Shakespeare professor hangs by a bookbinder's thread. Academic life at her Virginia university is a viper's pit, so Summer spends her summer in England, researching a scholarly paper that, with any luck, will finally get her published, impress the Dean, and save her job. But her English idyll ends when her mother, Hildy, shuffles off her mortal coil from an apparent heart attack.

Returning to Brigid's Island, NC, for the funeral, Summer is impatient to settle the estate, sell her mom's embarrassingly romance-themed bookstore, Beach Reads, and go home. But as she drops by Beach Reads, Summer finds threatening notes addressed to Hildy: "Sell the bookstore or die."

Clearly, something is rotten on Brigid's Island. What method is behind the madness? Was Hildy murdered? The police insist there's not enough evidence to launch a murder investigation. Instead, Summer and her Aunt Agatha screw their courage to the sticking place and start sleuthing, with the help of Hildy's beloved book club. But there are more suspects on Brigid's Island than are dreamt of in the Bard's darkest philosophizing. And if Summer can't find the villain, the town will be littered with a Shakespearean tragedy's worth of corpses--including her own."

=== September 15 ===

Title: Forging Fire

Author: Lisa Preston

Series: #3 in the Horseshoer amateur sleuth series set in Oregon and California

288 pages

Synopsis: "Days before her wedding, Rainy Dale jumps at a chance to visit the fabled Black Bluff bull sale down in California, but things go awry when she is assaulted and her truck is stolen.

In this twist on the “locked-room” form, more than one mystery is hidden on the ranch where Rainy and her dog, Charlie, end up. Everyone—the owners, ranch hands, angry neighbors, and perhaps even the deliveryman who brings coke coal for the ranch’s old-fashioned forge—is harboring a damaging secret. When Rainy realizes that even her dog knows a grisly hidden truth, the stakes are raised as high as life and death."

=== September 22 ===

Title: The Thursday Murder Club

Author: Richard Osman

Series: #1 in the Thursday Murder Club series set in England.

368 pages

Synopsis: "Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves
A female cop with her first big case
A brutal murder
Welcome to...
THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club.

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late?" 

Title: Escaping Dreamland

Author: Charlie Lovett

Standalone literary mystery set in New York City

352 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Robert Parrish's childhood obsession with series books like the Hardy Boys and Tom Swift inspired him to become an author. Just as his debut novel becomes a bestseller, his relationship with his girlfriend, Rebecca, begins to fall apart. Robert realizes he must confront his secret demons by fulfilling a youthful promise to solve a mystery surrounding his favorite series the Tremendous Trio.

Guided by twelve tattered books and an unidentified but tantalizing fragment of a story, Robert journeys into the history of the books that changed his life, hoping they can help him once again. His odyssey takes him to 1906 Manhattan, a time of steamboats, boot blacks, and Fifth Avenue mansions, but every discovery he makes only leads to more questions.

Robert's quest intertwines with the stories of three young people trying to define their places in the world at the dawn of a new and exciting century. Magda, Gene, and Tom not only write the children's books that Robert will one day love, together they explore the vibrant city on their doorstep, from the Polo Grounds to Coney Island's Dreamland, drawing the reader into the Gilded Age as their own friendships deepen.

The connections between the authors, their creations, and Robert's redemptive journey make for a beautifully crafted novel that is an ode to the children's series books of our past, to New York City, and above all, to the power of love and friendship."

Title: Next to Last Stand

Author: Craig Johnson

Series: #16 in the Sheriff Walt Longmire police procedural series set in Wyoming.

336 pages

Synopsis: "One of the most viewed paintings in American history, Custer's Last Fight, copied and distributed by Anheuser-Busch at a rate of over two million copies a year, was destroyed in a fire at the 7th Cavalry Headquarters in Fort Bliss, Texas, in 1946. Or was it? When Charley Lee Stillwater dies of an apparent heart attack at the Wyoming Home for Soldiers & Sailors, Walt Longmire is called in to try and make sense of a piece of a painting and a Florsheim shoebox containing a million dollars, sending the good sheriff on the trail of a dangerous art heist."

There's no doubt about it-- September is a stellar month for new crime fiction! Craig Johnson! Ann Cleeves! Charlie Lovett! And the list goes on. Which books from my list are on your own Must Read list? Inquiring minds would love to know!

On My Radar: Ilaria Tuti's The Sleeping Nymph

When I reviewed Ilaria Tuti's first book, Flowers Over the Inferno, featuring formidable homicide detective Teresa Battaglia, I compared her main character to Vera Stanhope and Ruth Galloway. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I'm a huge fan of both those women, so it will come as no shock to you that I muttered an "Oh, goody!!!" and bounced in my chair when I learned that the second Battaglia mystery was going to be released in September.

Let me tell you more about The Sleeping Nymph!

Available September 8, 2020!

"In the highly anticipated follow-up to Flowers Over the Inferno, Superintendent Teresa Battaglia, expert criminal profiler with four decades of experience on the Italian police force, returns for a chilling cold case.

A decades-old murder investigation has landed on Superintendent Teresa Battaglia's desk. DNA analysis has revealed that a painting from the final days of World War II contains matter from a human heart. Teresa is able to trace the evidence to Val Resia, one of Italy’s most isolated, untouched regions.

When Teresa’s investigation hits too close to the truth, a fresh human heart is hung at the valley’s entrance, a warning not to cross its threshold. As she hunts a ruthless killer, Teresa must face down her own rapidly deteriorating physical and cognitive abilities, as well as someone she hoped never to see again—a man who has just become her supervisor."

Sounds like Teresa Battaglia has her work cut out for her, doesn't it? I'm really looking forward to reading The Sleeping Nymph, and since this is supposed to be a trilogy, it follows that I'm also anticipating how the third book will conclude Battaglia's story.

Flowers Over the Inferno by Ilaria Tuti

First Line: There was a legend that haunted that place, the kind that clings like a persistent odor.

In a small village in the Italian Alps, the first victim in a gruesome string of murders is found. Superintendent Teresa Battaglia has a background in criminal profiling and is called to head the investigation. Massimo Marini, a city detective, is added to her highly trained and competent team.

It is a difficult investigation. Going without proper food or sleep, Battaglia tries to unravel a historical angle that threatens to endanger a group of eight-year-old children towards whom the killer is gravitating.

With the insular village fighting them every step of the way, sixtysomething Battaglia is battling exhaustion, illness, and the knowledge that her mind and body may fail her before the investigation is over.

The first third of Flowers Over the Inferno made me despair. The opening is a bit clunky and as the author set her stage, I found it difficult to become engaged with the story. But I kept at it-- mainly because her descriptions of the landscape create an atmosphere that's at once magical and foreboding. In fact, the landscape becomes a major character in the book. More than anything else, I think it was the transitions between the main narrative and the intermittent chapters taking place in a creepy old building in Austria that caused this reader's troubles-- even though those chapters made the hair stand on the back of my neck along with their mantra of "Observe, record, forget."

Then there are the children: Mathias, Diego, Lucia, and Oliver. The more you learn about them, the more you will admire their resilience, intelligence, and bravery. And when the story finally settles down to the investigation, fasten your seatbelts: Teresa Battaglia is one of the best characters I've come across in a long, long time. In her mid-sixties, Teresa is single, alone (and not enjoying it), overweight, diabetic, and has a razor-sharp intelligence. She does not suffer fools gladly, but you will seldom ever find a character who has more empathy and compassion. As tiny pieces of her backstory are told, your admiration of the woman grows. Her mere presence makes those who stand by her feel stronger; her team is utterly devoted to her. When you add to that mix a city detective who needs more than a bit of training, sparks can fly. But as he learns, Massimo Marini's opinion of Teresa Battaglia changes. In the beginning, each time he underestimates her, she steamrolls right over him, so it's fun to watch their relationship develop.

If not for that clunky beginning, Flowers Over the Inferno would be on my Best Reads of 2019 list, but it comes very, very close. There are supposed to be two more books featuring Teresa Battaglia, and I can't wait to get my hands on them. She is a fantastic character! (Think Vera Stanhope and Ruth Galloway, you fans out there.)

Flowers Over the Inferno by Ilaria Tuti

Translated from the Italian by Ekin Oklap.

eISBN:  9781641290692

Soho Crime © 2019

eBook, 361 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Teresa Battaglia

Rating: A

Source: NetGalley

April 2019 New Mystery Releases!

Spring has been busting out all over here in the Phoenix metro area. With all the Tombstone roses and sweet acacia winding up for super blooms, it smells heavenly here at Casa Kittling, and I'm looking forward to taking photos of those flowers in all their glory.

I'm also looking forward to the water in my pool warming up so I can head back out to my favorite reading spot. And that means I've been trying to ensure that my coffers are filled with good books to read.

The following are my picks of the best in new crime fiction being released throughout the month of April. I've grouped them by their release date, and the book covers and synopses are courtesy of Amazon.

Let's see if I've managed to include any titles that tickle your fancy, too...

=== April 2 ===

Title: Stick Together

Author: Sophie Hénaff

Series: #2 in the Awkward Squad police procedural series set in Paris, France.

320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "After their successful solving of three cold cases and exposing corruption at the very highest levels of the Paris police force, Officer Anne Capestan's team of oddballs and no-hopers should be in a celebratory mood. However, now despised by their colleagues at 36, Quai des Orfevres and worried for their future, morale has never been lower among the members of the Awkward Squad.

Capestan is doing her best to motivate the team, but even she cannot maintain a cheerful facade when she has been assigned to investigate the murder of Officer Serge Rufus, the father of her ex-husband. Worse, it soon appears that his murder is linked to two other victims, both of whom were warned by the killer before they struck.

Can Capestan marshal the forces to solve another hopeless mystery, or will her team's previous success be proven just a fluke?"

Title: The Loch Ness Papers
Author: Paige Shelton
Series: #4 in the Scottish Bookshop cozy series set in Scotland.
320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Delaney Nichols is delighted with her life in Edinburgh, working at The Cracked Spine―a shop that specializes in hard-to-find books and artifacts. With a job she loves, and her fast approaching marriage to devastatingly handsome Scottish pub-owner Tom Shannon, Delaney's life could be straight out of a fairy tale―at least it would be if the pastor meant to perform the wedding ceremony hadn't recently passed away. Outside the church where Delaney is searching for another reverend, she stumbles across Norval Fraser: an elderly man obsessed with the Loch Ness monster. Always attracted to the interesting and unusual, Delaney befriends Norval. But when his nephew is found dead, the police decide Norval's obsession has moved from monsters to murder.

With a wedding to plan, her family arriving soon from Kansas, and the arrival of an over-the-top Texan with a wildly valuable book, Delaney's plate is full to bursting, but she can't abandon her new friend. Determined to help Norval, she sets out to learn the truth. The Loch Ness buries its secrets deeply, but Delaney is determined to dig them up―whether Nessie likes it or not."

Title: The Mykonos Mob
Author: Jeffrey Siger
Series: #10 in the Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis police procedural series set in Greece.
336 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "The case begins for Athens' Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis with a literal bang when a corrupt former police colonel who runs a protection racket on Mykonos is gunned down. Suddenly, Athens' Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis is face-to-face with Greece's top crime bosses on an island whose natural beauty and reputation as an international playground belies the corruption lurking just beneath the surface.

While Andreas and his Special Crimes unit wrestle for answers, Andreas's wife, Lila, meets an American expat named Toni, a finder of stolen goods and a piano player in a gender-bending bar who has a zest for life and no apparent regard for rules. As Lila and Toni bond over a common desire to mentor young island girls trapped in an exploitative and patriarchal culture, they soon find that their efforts to improve the lives of the Greek girls they've come to care about intersect with Andreas' investigation in ways that prove to be dangerous for all involved...

International bestselling author Jeffrey Siger delivers another heart-stopping story of corruption and intrigue in The Mykonos Mob, the latest entry in the renowned Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis mystery series."

Title: Bluff

Author: Jane Stanton Hitchcock

Standalone social noir set in New York City.

264 pages

Synopsis: "One-time socialite Maud Warner polishes up the rags of her once glittering existence and bluffs her way into a signature New York restaurant on a sunny October day. When she walks out again, a man will have been shot.

Maud has grown accustomed to being underestimated and invisible, and she uses her ability to fly under the radar as she pursues celebrity accountant Burt Sklar, the man she believes stole her mother's fortune and left her family in ruins. Her fervent passion for poker has taught Maud that she can turn weakness into strength to take advantage of people who think they are taking advantage of her, and now she has dealt the first card in her high-stakes plan for revenge.

One unexpected twist after another follows as Maud plays the most important poker hand of her life. The stakes? To take down her enemies and get justice for their victims. Her success depends on her continuing ability to bluff―and on who will fold.

Can she win?"

Title: Loch of the Dead

Author: Oscar de Muriel

Series: #4 in the Frey and McGray historical mystery series set in 1880s Scotland.

448 pages

Synopsis: "A mysterious woman pleads for the help of Inspectors Are and "Nine-Nails" McGray. Her son, illegitimate scion of the Koloman family, has received an anonymous death threat―right after learning he is to inherit the best part of a vast wine-producing estate.

In exchange for their protection, she offers McGray the ultimate cure for his sister, who has been locked in an insane asylum after brutally murdering their parents: the miraculous waters that spring from a small island in the remote Loch Maree.

The island has been a sacred burial ground since the time of the druids, but the legends around it will turn out to be much darker than McGray could have expected. Murder and increasingly bizarre happenings will intermingle throughout this trip to the Highlands before Frey and McGray learn a terrible truth."

Title: Murder at the Marina

Author: Janet Finsilver

Series: #5 in the Kelly Jackson cozy series set in California.

180 pages

Synopsis: "Kelly Jackson, manager of the Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast, is fond of the Doblinsky brothers, Ivan and Rudy, members of the Silver Sentinels, a crew of crime-solving senior citizens in their Northern California seaside hamlet. After she discovers a jewel-encrusted dagger-with what appears to be dried blood on the blade-on their fishing boat, they share their family history with Kelly, and she learns that the knife may be part of a set from their long-ago childhood in Russia. Its sudden reappearance is eerie, but the mystery grows much more serious when a body is found on the boat. The victim was staying at Kelly's inn, in town for a Russian Heritage Festival, and some of the organizers were clearly harboring some bitterness. But the story behind this murder seems as layered as a nesting doll and Kelly's feeling completely at sea . . . "

=== April 8 ===

Title: Scot & Soda
Author: Catriona McPherson
Series: #2 in the Last Ditch humorous mystery series set in California.
312 pages

Synopsis: "Now settled in her little houseboat, moored in the slough at the back of the Last Ditch Motel, Lexy Campbell wants nothing more than to build her counseling business, avoid her mother's phone calls and―who knows?―meet a nice guy. But when she throws a Halloween party for her motley crew of motel pals, the only single man is too old for her, too wrapped up in the case of beer chilling in the slough, and―oh, yes―too dead.

The sensible choice is to leave it up to the cops to identify the body and catch the killer. So faster than you can say "Tam O'Shanter," Lexy and her friends jump into the case themselves, delving deep into their town's past for the roots of a mystifying crime."

=== April 16 ===

Title: Flowers Over the Inferno

Author: Ilaria Tuti

Series: #1 in the Teresa Battaglia police procedural series set in northern Italy.

360 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "In a quiet village surrounded by ancient woods and the imposing Italian Alps, a man is found naked with his eyes gouged out. It is the first in a string of gruesome murders.

Superintendent Teresa Battaglia, a detective with a background in criminal profiling, is called to investigate. Battaglia is in her mid-sixties, her rank and expertise hard-won from decades of battling for respect in a male-dominated Italian police force. While she’s not sure she trusts the young city inspector assigned to assist her, she sees right away that this is no ordinary case: buried deep in these mountains is a dark history that may endanger a group of eight-year-old children toward whom the killer seems to gravitate.

As Teresa inches closer to the truth, she must also confront the possibility that her body and mind, worn down by age and illness, may fail her before the chase is over."

=== April 18 ===

Title: The Burning Issue of the Day

Author: T.E. Kinsey

Series: #5 in the Lady Hardcastle historical series set in England.

312 pages

Synopsis: "January 1910. A journalist has been killed in a suspicious blaze. Everything points to a group of suffragettes, but the apparent culprit insists she is innocent.

When Lady Hardcastle receives a letter from a suffragette requesting her urgent help, the retired spy turned sleuth knows only she stands between an accused young woman and the gallows. Evidence at the scene makes Lizzie Worrel’s innocence difficult to believe, and with the police treating it as an open-and-shut case of arson, Lady Hardcastle faces a barrage of resistance as she tries to dig out the truth.

With her trusted maid and confidante, the formidable Flo, Lady Hardcastle sets off in pursuit of the truth as time runs out for the accused suffragette. Was she set up? And if so, is the real culprit a traitor to the cause—or part of a darker conspiracy?"

=== April 23 ===

Title: Throw Me to the Wolves

Author: Patrick McGuinness

Standalone thriller set in England.

336 pages

Synopsis: "In the aftermath of Brexit, the body of a young woman is found by the river Thames, and a neighbor, a retired teacher from Chapleton College, is arrested. An eccentric loner―intellectual, shy, a fastidious dresser with expensive tastes―he is the perfect candidate for a media monstering.

In custody, he is interviewed by two detectives: the circumspect Ander, and his workaday foil, Gary. Ander is particularly watchful now because the man across the table is someone he knows―someone he hasn’t seen in nearly thirty years. Determined to salvage the truth as ex-pupils and colleagues line up against the accused, he must face a story from decades back, from his own time as a Chapleton student, at the peak of anti-Irish sentiment.

With the momentum of classic crime fiction, Throw Me to the Wolves follows two mysteries―one unfolding in the media-saturated present, and the other bubbling up from the abusive past of the 1980s English school system. Beautifully written and psychologically acute, it is a novel about memory and childhood, prescient and piercingly funny, as wise as it is tragic."

=== April 30 ===

Title: Thread on Arrival

Author: Lea Wait

Series: #9 in the Mainely Needlepoint cozy series set in coastal Maine.

320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Ike Hamilton is a part of the Haven Harbor community just like anyone else, though he’s fallen on hard times and has to make do on disability checks and deposit bottles. Most of the locals do what they can to help him out, and needlepoint partners Angie and Sarah are happy to see him at the annual Blessing of the Fleet, honoring all those lost at sea over the centuries.

But when harmless Ike is stabbed, suspicion quickly falls on a troubled teenage boy who’s new in town. Angie’s convinced that young Leo is innocent—but if he didn’t do it, who did? Turns out Ike may have appeared simple-minded, but he knew a few secrets that someone might have murdered him to keep quiet. Angie sets out to trace Ike’s bottle-collecting route to find out what he witnessed—and for this killer, there may be no redemption . . ."

Title: Knit One, Die Two

Author: Peggy Ehrhart

Series: #2 in the Knit & Nibble cozy series set in New Jersey.

288 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Knit and Nibble’s numbers are growing! In addition to a litter of adorable kittens, the knitting club just welcomed their newest member, Caralee Lorimer, who’s learning to knit for her upcoming role in A Tale of Two Cities. According to the amateur actress, the behind-the-scenes drama at the theater is getting downright catty, and Caralee wants a reckoning for Arborville’s pretentious suburbanites. Her claws are out, and just like her character in the play, Caralee is ready to name names. But before she can finish her snitchy stitches, Caralee is killed in a suspicious theater accident. Someone thinks they’ve staged a perfect murder, but Pamela and her Knit and Nibblers are ready to pounce on the real killer . . . before it’s curtains for anyone else!"

Well, how did I do? Did any of these books make it onto your own wishlists? Which ones? Inquiring minds would love to know!