Am I still reading?
Do you really need to ask that question? Even though my attention span seems to be stunted, I'm still reading, and-- like a magpie-- I'm still looking for shiny new books to read.
I've grouped my picks of the best new crime fiction being released throughout the month of February by their release dates. Book covers and synopses are courtesy of Amazon.
Now it's time to see if I've chosen any books that tickle your fancy, too!
=== February 1 ===
Author: Daniel Pyne
Series: #1 Aubrey Sento thriller set aboard a cargo ship headed for South America.
351 pages
Synopsis: "Black ops specialist Aubrey Sentro may be one concussion away from
death. But when pirates seize the cargo ship she’s on, she must decide
whether to risk her life to save her fellow passengers. 
Title: The Survivors 
Title: The Sharpest Needle
Title: The Unwilling
Sentro’s training takes over, and she’s able to elude her captors, leaving bodies in her wake. But her problems are just getting started. Her memory lapses are getting more frequent, symptoms of serial-concussion syndrome.
As she plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with the pirates, she pushes herself to survive by focusing on thoughts of her children. She’s never told them what she really does for a living, and now she might not get the chance.
While her memories make her vulnerable, motherhood makes her dangerous."
=== February 2 ===
Author: Jane Harper
Standalone thriller set in Australia.
384 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.
The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.
Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.
When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away..."
The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.
Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.
When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away..."
Author: Renee Patrick
Series: #4 in the Lillian Frost & Edith Head historical mystery series set in 1930s Los Angeles.
240 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "1939, Los Angeles. Marion Davies has a problem. The actress has
received poison pen letters highlighting an embarrassing event in her
past from the mysterious 'Argus'. Can Lillian Frost and her friend and
partner-in-crime, celebrated costume designer Edith Head, expose the
writer before they expose Marion? Lillian's boss, millionaire inventor
Addison Rice, seems to think so, but when Lillian speaks to her idol,
Marion is reluctant to reveal her secrets, fearful of jeopardizing her
affair with newspaper tycoon W.R. Hearst.
Is a prankster simply trying to tarnish the reputation of one of Hollywood's leading ladies, or is something more sinister going on behind the scenes? As Lillian and Edith are drawn into increasingly dangerous and disturbing territory, their enquiries take an unexpected and stunningly dark twist . . ."
Is a prankster simply trying to tarnish the reputation of one of Hollywood's leading ladies, or is something more sinister going on behind the scenes? As Lillian and Edith are drawn into increasingly dangerous and disturbing territory, their enquiries take an unexpected and stunningly dark twist . . ."
Author: John Hart
Standalone thriller set in North Carolina.
384 pages
Synopsis: "Gibby's older brothers have already been to war. One died there. The
other came back misunderstood and hard, a decorated killer now freshly
released from a three-year stint in prison.
Jason won't speak of the war or of his time behind bars, but he wants a relationship with the younger brother he hasn't known for years. Determined to make that connection, he coaxes Gibby into a day at the lake: long hours of sunshine and whisky and older women.
But the day turns ugly when the four encounter a prison transfer bus on a stretch of empty road. Beautiful but drunk, one of the women taunts the prisoners, leading to a riot on the bus. The woman finds it funny in the moment, but is savagely murdered soon after.
Given his violent history, suspicion turns first to Jason; but when the second woman is kidnapped, the police suspect Gibby, too. Determined to prove Jason innocent, Gibby must avoid the cops and dive deep into his brother's hidden life, a dark world of heroin, guns and outlaw motorcycle gangs.
What he discovers there is a truth more disturbing than he could have imagined: not just the identity of the killer and the reasons for Tyra's murder, but the forces that shaped his brother in Vietnam, the reason he was framed, and why the most dangerous man alive wants him back in prison.
This is crime fiction at its most raw, an exploration of family and the past, of prison and war and the indelible marks they leave."
Jason won't speak of the war or of his time behind bars, but he wants a relationship with the younger brother he hasn't known for years. Determined to make that connection, he coaxes Gibby into a day at the lake: long hours of sunshine and whisky and older women.
But the day turns ugly when the four encounter a prison transfer bus on a stretch of empty road. Beautiful but drunk, one of the women taunts the prisoners, leading to a riot on the bus. The woman finds it funny in the moment, but is savagely murdered soon after.
Given his violent history, suspicion turns first to Jason; but when the second woman is kidnapped, the police suspect Gibby, too. Determined to prove Jason innocent, Gibby must avoid the cops and dive deep into his brother's hidden life, a dark world of heroin, guns and outlaw motorcycle gangs.
What he discovers there is a truth more disturbing than he could have imagined: not just the identity of the killer and the reasons for Tyra's murder, but the forces that shaped his brother in Vietnam, the reason he was framed, and why the most dangerous man alive wants him back in prison.
This is crime fiction at its most raw, an exploration of family and the past, of prison and war and the indelible marks they leave."
Title: Murder Ink
Author: Betty Hechtman
Series: #1 in the Writer for Hire cozy series set in Chicago.
208 pages
Synopsis: "Veronica Blackstone is a writer for hire. Be it love letters,
biographies, resumes or wedding vows, Veronica has you covered. Her
latest assignment is writing a celebration of life book for the funeral
of one-time client Rachel Ross who tragically died one year after her
wedding.
While researching Rachel's life, Veronica finds the information surrounding the circumstances of her death to be shrouded in mystery. No one quite knows what happened and her prominent family are more concerned with their image than the truth.
Was Rachel's life as perfect as it seemed or was there something dark going on? Was her fall an accident, deliberate or something else? In celebrating the life of Rachel, Veronica is determined to get to the bottom of her death."
While researching Rachel's life, Veronica finds the information surrounding the circumstances of her death to be shrouded in mystery. No one quite knows what happened and her prominent family are more concerned with their image than the truth.
Was Rachel's life as perfect as it seemed or was there something dark going on? Was her fall an accident, deliberate or something else? In celebrating the life of Rachel, Veronica is determined to get to the bottom of her death."
Author: Donis Casey
Series: #2 in the Bianca Dangereuse Hollywood Mysteries historical series set in Los Angeles.
208 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "Though Bianca LaBelle, star of the wildly popular silent movie serial
"The Adventures of Bianca Dangereuse", and Rudolph Valentino, the
greatest screen idol of all time, have been friends for years, in the
summer of 1926 they are making their first picture together, a steamy
romance called Grand Obsession. One evening after dinner at
Bianca's fabulous Beverly Hills estate, a troubled Rudy confesses that
he has received anonymous death threats. In a matter of days, filming
comes to an abrupt halt when Rudy falls deathly ill. Could it be poison? 
Title: The Burning Girls 
Title: Missing and Endangered
Title: The Ancient Dead
As
Rudy lies dying, Bianca promises him that she will find out who is
responsible. Was it one of his many lovers? A delusional fan? Or perhaps
Rudy had run afoul of a mobster whose name Bianca knows all too well?
She calls on P.I. Ted Oliver to help her investigate the end of what had
seemed to be the charmed life of Valentino."
=== February 9 ===
Author: C.J. Tudor
Standalone thriller set in England.
352 pages
Synopsis: "A dark history lingers in Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago,
Protestant martyrs were betrayed—then burned. Thirty years ago, two
teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And a few weeks ago, the
vicar of the local parish hanged himself in the nave of the church.
Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping for a fresh start. Instead, Jack finds a town rife with conspiracies and secrets, and is greeted with a strange welcome package: an exorcism kit and a note that warns, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.”
The more Jack and daughter, Flo, explore the town and get to know its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into the age-old rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo begins to see specters of girls ablaze, it becomes apparent there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.
Uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village with a bloody past, where everyone has something to hide and no one trusts an outsider."
Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping for a fresh start. Instead, Jack finds a town rife with conspiracies and secrets, and is greeted with a strange welcome package: an exorcism kit and a note that warns, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.”
The more Jack and daughter, Flo, explore the town and get to know its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into the age-old rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo begins to see specters of girls ablaze, it becomes apparent there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.
Uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village with a bloody past, where everyone has something to hide and no one trusts an outsider."
=== February 16 ===
Author: J.A. Jance
Series: #19 in the Sheriff Joanna Brady series set in Arizona.
384 pages
Synopsis: "When Jennifer Brady returns to Northern Arizona University for her
sophomore year, she quickly becomes a big sister to her new roommate,
Beth Rankin, a brilliant yet sheltered sixteen-year-old freshman. For a
homeschooled Beth, college is her first taste of both freedom and
unfettered access to the internet, and Jenny is concerned that she’s too
naïve and rebellious for her own good. 
Title: Black Coral
Title: Nighthawking
Her worries are well-founded because one day Beth vanishes, prompting Jenny to alert campus authorities, local police, and her mom, Sheriff Joanna Brady—who calls in a favor. Beth is found, but Jenny’s concern has unwittingly put her in the crosshairs of a criminal bent on revenge.
With
Christmas vacation approaching, and Beth at war with her parents, Jenny
invites Beth to the shelter of the Brady home. While Joanna is
sympathetic, she’s caught up in a sensitive case—an officer-involved
shooting that has placed the lives of two young children in
jeopardy—leaving her stretched thin to help a fragile young woman
recently gone missing and endangered."
Author: Andrew Mayne
Series: #2 in the Underwater Investigation Unit police procedural series set in Florida.
319 pages
Synopsis: "Sloan McPherson and the Underwater Investigation Unit have discovered
a van at the bottom of a murky Florida pond. Sealed inside the watery
tomb are the bodies of four teenagers who disappeared thirty years ago
after leaving a rock concert. To authorities, it looks like a tragic
accident. To Sloan, it looks like murder. Every piece of evidence is
starting to connect to a string of cold case vanishings throughout
Florida. Clue by clue, Sloan navigates the warm, dark waters where
natural predators feed, knowing that the most dangerous one is still
above the surface—nesting and dormant.
Title: The Diabolical Bones
But when a fresh young kill
is found in the Everglades, Sloan fears that her investigation has
reawakened a monster. How can she catch someone who’s a genius at hiding
in plain sight? By acting as prey. The dangerous gambit is working—only
too well. She’s being lured into a deception of the madman’s own
design. Has Sloan set a trap for a serial killer? Or has he set one for
her?"
Author: Bella Ellis
Series: #2 in the Brontë Sisters historical mystery series set in England.
336 pages
Synopsis: "Haworth Parsonage, February 1846: The Brontë sisters— Anne, Emily, and
Charlotte—are busy with their literary pursuits. As they query
publishers for their poetry, each sister hopes to write a full-length
novel that will thrill the reading public. They’re also hoping for a new
case for their fledgling detecting enterprise, Bell Brothers and
Company solicitors. On a bitterly cold February evening, their
housekeeper Tabby tells them of a grim discovery at Scar Top House, an
old farmhouse belonging to the Bradshaw family. A set of bones has been
found bricked up in a chimney breast inside the ancient home.
Tabby says it's bad doings, and dark omens for all of them. The rattled housekeeper gives them a warning, telling the sisters of a chilling rumour attached to the family. The villagers believe that, on the verge of bankruptcy, Clifton Bradshaw sold his soul to the devil in return for great riches. Does this have anything to do with the bones found in the Bradshaw house? The sisters are intrigued by the story and feel compelled to investigate. But Anne, Emily, and Charlotte soon learn that true evil has set a murderous trap and they've been lured right into it..."
Tabby says it's bad doings, and dark omens for all of them. The rattled housekeeper gives them a warning, telling the sisters of a chilling rumour attached to the family. The villagers believe that, on the verge of bankruptcy, Clifton Bradshaw sold his soul to the devil in return for great riches. Does this have anything to do with the bones found in the Bradshaw house? The sisters are intrigued by the story and feel compelled to investigate. But Anne, Emily, and Charlotte soon learn that true evil has set a murderous trap and they've been lured right into it..."
=== February 23 ===
Author: Russ Thomas
Series: #2 in the Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler series set in England.
384 pages
Synopsis: "Under the dark cover of night, a figure climbs over the wall of the
Botanical Garden with a bag and a metal detector. It's a dicey location
in the populous city center, but they're on the hunt--and while most of
what they find will be worthless, it takes only one big reward to
justify the risk. Only this time, the nighthawker unearths a body. . . .
Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler and his newly promoted protégé, Detective Constable Amina Rabbani, are officially in charge of Cold Case Reviews. But with shrinking budgets and manpower in the department, both are shunted onto the murder investigation--and when the victim is identified as a Chinese national from a wealthy family, in the UK on a student visa, the case takes on new urgency to prevent an international incident.
As Tyler and Rabbani dig further into the victim's life, it's becomes clear there's more to her studies and relationships than meets the eye, and that the original investigation into her disappearance was shoddy at best. Meanwhile, someone else is watching these events . . . someone who knew the victim, and might hold the key to what happened the night she vanished."
Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler and his newly promoted protégé, Detective Constable Amina Rabbani, are officially in charge of Cold Case Reviews. But with shrinking budgets and manpower in the department, both are shunted onto the murder investigation--and when the victim is identified as a Chinese national from a wealthy family, in the UK on a student visa, the case takes on new urgency to prevent an international incident.
As Tyler and Rabbani dig further into the victim's life, it's becomes clear there's more to her studies and relationships than meets the eye, and that the original investigation into her disappearance was shoddy at best. Meanwhile, someone else is watching these events . . . someone who knew the victim, and might hold the key to what happened the night she vanished."
Author: Barbara Fradkin
Series: #4 in the Amanda Doucette amateur sleuth series set in Canada.
344 pages
*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.
Synopsis: "Photographer Todd Ellison is engrossed in a photo shoot deep in
Alberta’s dinosaur country when he stumbles upon human bones buried in
the sand of a remote coulee. Not far away, while driving through the
Alberta prairie, Amanda Doucette glimpses an abandoned farmhouse that
reminds her of an old photograph hanging on her aunt’s wall.
Who is the cocky young cowboy in the photo? Could it be connected to Amanda’s uncle, who went missing in Alberta thirty years ago? As Amanda starts to make connections between his disappearance and the body in the coulee, she discovers more questions than answers. To make matters worse, a mysterious person will stop at nothing to get her to abandon the investigation."
Who is the cocky young cowboy in the photo? Could it be connected to Amanda’s uncle, who went missing in Alberta thirty years ago? As Amanda starts to make connections between his disappearance and the body in the coulee, she discovers more questions than answers. To make matters worse, a mysterious person will stop at nothing to get her to abandon the investigation."
Author: Joe Ide
Series: #5 in the IQ (Isaiah Quintabe) P.I. series set in California.
336 pages
Synopsis: "Isaiah Quintabe is no longer IQ, the genius of East Long Beach; instead,
he’s a man on the road and on the run, hiding in a small Northern
California town when his room is broken into by a desperate young man on
the trail of the state’s most prolific serial killer.
His old partner, Juanell Dodson, must go straight or lose his wife and child. His devil’s bargain? An internship at an LA advertising agency, where it turns out the rules of the street have simply been dressed in business casual, but where the aging company’s fortunes may well rest on their ability to attract a younger demographic. Dodson—”the hustler’s hustler”—just may be the right man for the job.
Ide is the crime writer’s crime writer, and he’s filled his best novel yet with desperate souls, courageous outcasts, an ex-stripper who’ll do anything to protect her son, and wild half-brothers who may be the very incarnation of evil.
With deft plotting, lacerating humor, and a keen eye for the ways in which characters rise or fall based on their ties to one another, Smoke is Joe Ide’s crowning achievement."
His old partner, Juanell Dodson, must go straight or lose his wife and child. His devil’s bargain? An internship at an LA advertising agency, where it turns out the rules of the street have simply been dressed in business casual, but where the aging company’s fortunes may well rest on their ability to attract a younger demographic. Dodson—”the hustler’s hustler”—just may be the right man for the job.
Ide is the crime writer’s crime writer, and he’s filled his best novel yet with desperate souls, courageous outcasts, an ex-stripper who’ll do anything to protect her son, and wild half-brothers who may be the very incarnation of evil.
With deft plotting, lacerating humor, and a keen eye for the ways in which characters rise or fall based on their ties to one another, Smoke is Joe Ide’s crowning achievement."
I think it's safe to say that February shows a decided embarrassment of riches, don't you?
Which titles tickled your fancy? Inquiring minds would love to know!
