The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton

 

First Line: On a spring day in 1612, a mill owner called Richard Baldwin, in the Pendle Forest of Lancashire chased two local women off his land, calling them "witches and whores", threatening to "burn the one and hang the other", and, in doing so, set in motion events that led to the imprisonment, trial and execution of nine women on the charge of murder by witchcraft: the infamous Pendle Witch Trials.

 

As a WPC, Florence Lovelady's career was made when she found and convicted coffin-maker Larry Grassbrook of a series of child murders in a Lancashire village. Thirty years later, she's now Assistant Commissioner, and Larry-- who spent the rest of his life in prison-- is now dead. 

 

But children have begun dying in the same way. Is there a copycat killer on the loose, or did Lovelady get it wrong all those years ago? When her own son goes missing under similar circumstances, not only does the case get reopened, it gets personal.

 

~

 

I first became acquainted with Sharon Bolton's talent through her series featuring Thames River Police Officer Lacey Flint. Not only did I love Flint's character, but I also loved the mysteries Bolton crafted-- and the respect for the River Thames that she fostered in me. So it's not surprising that I picked up The Craftsman. It did not disappoint.  

Bolton's retrospective of Lovelady's career over thirty years gives readers a chance to see how much (or how little) things have changed in the police force. It also shows Lovelady's strengths as an investigator. In addition, the Lancashire village setting is a character every bit as strong as Lovelady herself. (Bolton's a winner at crafting atmospheric settings.) When the killings begin again, the powers that be want everything hushed up. And when it looks as though Lovelady might have been wrong thirty years ago, the powers that be begin to turn on her. As one of the villagers tells her, "That's the patriarchy for you. It's what men do when they're afraid and they feel helpless and out of control. They turn on the outsider, usually a woman, and they blame her for everything that's going wrong. You've become the witch, my dear!" By this time, readers are fully on Lovelady's side and want her to find the answers quickly. 

There's already enough reason for Lovelady to be fully invested in finding out the truth, but when her own son goes missing, I had to smile at her reaction: "These people have no idea, no idea at all, what they unleashed when they went after my son." Now that's my kind of character-- and one of the main reasons why I enjoy Bolton's work so much. I learned that the author has written another book featuring Lovelady. It's a sure thing that I'll be reading it (The Buried).

The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton

eISBN: 9781250300041

St. Martin's Press © 2018

eBook, 432 pages

 

Police Procedural, #1 Florence Lovelady

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

May 2015 New Mystery Releases!

It's the time of year when I try to get all the housecleaning and reorganizing done so I can ignore it during the summer. (Domestic goddess I'm not.) I have to keep plenty of oranges in stock so all the baby birds will be well fed, and I have to trim a few shrubs as well. But that doesn't mean that I forget to look for new and interesting books to read each month. Got to keep that wish list updated, don't you know!

Here are my picks of the new crime fiction being released in May. They're sorted by release date, and I've included all the information you'll need to find them at all your favorite "book procurement" sites. Book synopses are courtesy of Amazon. Happy Reading!

=== May 5 ===

Title: Thin Air

Author: Ann Cleeves

Series: #6 in the Shetland Island police procedural series

ISBN: 9781250069948

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 400 pages

Synopsis: "A group of old university friends leave the bright lights of London and travel to Shetland to celebrate the marriage of one of their friends. But, one of them, Eleanor, disappears--apparently into thin air. It's mid-summer, a time of light nights and unexpected mists. And then Eleanor's body is discovered lying in a small loch close to the cliff edge.

Detectives Jimmy Perez and Willow Reeves are dispatched to investigate. Before she went missing, Eleanor claimed to have seen the ghost of a local child who drowned in the 1920s. Her interest in the ghost had seemed unhealthy--obsessive, even--to her friends: an indication of a troubled mind. But Jimmy and Willow are convinced that there is more to Eleanor's death than they first thought.
Is there a secret that lies behind the myth? One so shocking that someone would kill--many years later--to protect?" 

Title: Rock With Wings

Author: Anne Hillerman 

Series: #2 in the Bernadette Manualito police procedural series set on the Navajo nation of Arizona and New Mexico

ISBN: 9780062270511

Publisher: Harper

Hardcover, 336 pages

Synopsis: "Doing a good deed for a relative offers the perfect opportunity for Sergeant Jim Chee and his wife, Officer Bernie Manuelito, to get away from the daily grind of police work. But two cases will call them back from their short vacation and separate them—one near Shiprock, and the other at iconic Monument Valley. 

Chee follows a series of seemingly random and cryptic clues that lead to a missing woman, a coldblooded thug, and a mysterious mound of dirt and rocks that could be a gravesite. Bernie has her hands full managing the fallout from a drug bust gone wrong, uncovering the origins of a fire in the middle of nowhere, and looking into an ambitious solar energy development with long-ranging consequences for Navajo land.

Under the guidance of their mentor, retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, Bernie and Chee will navigate unexpected obstacles and confront the greatest challenge yet to their skills, commitment, and courage."

Title: Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall

Author: Hannah Dennison

Series: #2 in the Honeychurch Hall cozy series set in England

ISBN: 9781250007803

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 304 pages

Synopsis: "When the body of a transport minister is discovered in the grounds on Honeychurch Hall, suspicion about his unusual demise naturally falls on the folks in the village. After all, who could possibly want a high-speed train line built in their front yard? 

News of the murder soon reaches our heroine Kat Stanford's nemesis Trudy Wynne. A ruthless tabloid journalist and the ex-wife of Kat's discarded lover, Trudy is out for revenge. She is also interested in exposing--and humiliating--Kat's mother Iris, who is secretly the international bestselling romance writer Krystalle Storm.

As the body count begins to build, Kat becomes inextricably embroiled in the ensuing scandal. Is the minister's death the result of a local vendetta, or could it be connected to her mother's unusual (to say the least) past?" 

Title: See Also Murder

Author: Larry D. Sweazy

Series: #1 in the Marjorie Trumaine historical series set in 1964 North Dakota

ISBN: 9781633880061

Publisher: Seventh Street Books

Paperback, 253 pages

Synopsis: "1964—Life on the North Dakota farm hasn’t always been easy for Marjorie Trumaine. She has begun working as a professional indexer to help with the bills—which have only gotten worse since the accident that left her husband, Hank, blind and paralyzed. When her nearest neighbors are murdered in their beds, though, Marjorie suddenly has to deal with new and terrifying problems.

Sheriff Hilo Jenkins brings her a strange amulet, found clutched in the hand of her murdered neighbor, and asks her to quietly find out what it is. Marjorie uses all the skills she has developed as an indexer to research the amulet and look into the murders, but as she closes in on the killer, and people around her continue to die, she realizes that the murderer is also closing in on her." 

=== May 7 ===

Title: Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins

Author: James Runcie

Series: #3 in the Grantchester historical series set in 1960s Cambridgeshire, England

ISBN: 9781408862209 

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Hardcover, 416 pages

Synopsis: "The loveable full-time priest and part-time detective, Canon Sidney Chambers, continues his sleuthing adventures in 1960's Cambridge. On a snowy Thursday morning in Lent 1964, a stranger seeks sanctuary in Grantchester's church, convinced he has murdered his wife. Sidney and his wife Hildegard go for a shooting weekend in the country and find their hostess has a sinister burn on her neck. Sidney's friend Amanda receives poison pen letters when at last she appears to be approaching matrimony. A firm of removal men 'accidentally' drop a Steinway piano on a musician's head outside a Cambridge college. During a cricket match, a group of schoolboys blow up their school Science Block. And on a family holiday in Florence, Sidney is accused of the theft of a priceless painting. Meanwhile, on the home front, Sidney's new curate Malcolm seems set to become rather irritatingly popular with the parish; his baby girl Anna learns to walk and talk; Hildegard longs to get an au pair and Sidney is offered a promotion. Entertaining, suspenseful, thoughtful, moving and deeply humane, these six new stories are bound to delight the clerical detective's many fans." 

=== May 12 ===

Title: Dry Bones

Author: Craig Johnson

Series: #11 in the Sheriff Walt Longmire series set in fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming 

ISBN: 9780525426936 

Publisher: Viking

Hardcover, 320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "When Jen, the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found surfaces in Sherriff Walt Longmire’s jurisdiction, it appears to be a windfall for the High Plains Dinosaur Museum—until Danny Lone Elk, the Cheyenne rancher on whose property the remains were discovered, turns up dead, floating face down in a turtle pond. With millions of dollars at stake, a number of groups step forward to claim her, including Danny’s family, the tribe, and the federal government. As Wyoming’s Acting Deputy Attorney and a cadre of FBI officers descend on the town, Walt is determined to find out who would benefit from Danny’s death, enlisting old friends Lucian Connolly and Omar Rhoades, along with Dog and best friend Henry Standing Bear, to trawl the vast Lone Elk ranch looking for answers to a sixty-five million year old cold case that’s heating up fast." 

Title: Anatomy of Evil

Author: Will Thomas 

Series: #7 in the Barker and Llewelyn historical series set in Victorian London

ISBN: 9781250041050

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 336 pages

Synopsis: "Cyrus Barker is undoubtedly England's premiere private enquiry agent. With the help of his assistant Thomas Llewelyn, he's developed an enviable reputation for discreetly solving some of the toughest, most consequential cases in recent history. But one evening in 1888, Robert Anderson, the head of Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), appears at Barker's office with an offer. A series of murders in the Whitechapel area of London are turning the city upside down, with tremendous pressure being brought to bear on Scotland Yard and the government itself. 

Barker is to be named temporary envoy to the Royal Family with regard to the case while surreptitiously bringing his investigative skill to the case. With various elements of society, high and low, bringing their own agenda to increasingly shocking murders, Barker and Llewellyn must find and hunt down the century's most notorious killer. The Whitechapel Killer has managed to elude the finest minds of Scotland Yard--and beyond--he's never faced a mind as nimble and a man as skilled as Cyrus Barker. But even Barker's prodigious skills may not be enough to track down a killer in time." 

=== May 19 ===

Title: The Ghost Fields

Author: Elly Griffiths

Series: #7 in the Dr. Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson series set in England

ISBN: 9780544330146

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Hardcover, 384 pages

Synopsis: "Norfolk is suffering from record summer heat when a construction crew unearths a macabre discovery—a downed World War II plane with the pilot still inside. Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway quickly realizes that the skeleton couldn’t possibly be the pilot, and DNA tests identify the man as Fred Blackstock, a local aristocrat who had been reported dead at sea. When the remaining members of the Blackstock family learn about the discovery, they seem strangely frightened by the news.

Events are further complicated by a TV company that wants to make a film about Norfolk’s deserted air force bases, the so-called Ghost Fields, which have been partially converted into a pig farm run by one of the younger Blackstocks. As production begins, Ruth notices a mysterious man lurking on the outskirts of Fred Blackstock’s memorial service. Then human bones are found on the family’s pig farm. Can the team outrace a looming flood to find a killer?" 

Title: Six and a half Deadly Sins

Author: Colin Cotterill

Series: #10 in the Dr. Siri Paiboun historical series set in 1970s Laos

ISBN: 9781616955588

Publisher: Soho Crime

Hardcover, 256 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Laos, 1979: Dr. Siri Paiboun, the twice retired ex-National Coroner of Laos, receives an unmarked package in the mail. Inside is a handwoven pha sin, a colorful traditional skirt worn in northern Laos. A lovely present, but who sent it to him, and why? And, more importantly, why is there a severed human finger stitched into the sin’s lining?

Siri is convinced someone is trying to send him a message and won’t let the matter rest until he’s figured it out. He finagles a trip up north to the province where the sin was made, not realizing he is embarking on a deadly scavenger hunt. Meanwhile, the northern Lao border is about to erupt into violence—and Dr. Siri and his entourage are walking right into the heart of the conflict."

Title: Death Ex Machina

Author: Gary Corby

Series: #5 in the historical series featuring Nicolaos, an investigator in 461 BCE Athens, Greece

ISBN: 9781616955199

Publisher: Soho Crime

Hardcover, 336 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "It’s the time of the Great Dionysia, the largest arts festival of the ancient world, held each year in honor of Dionysos, the god of wine. But there’s a problem: A ghost is haunting Athens’s grand theater.

Nicolaos and his clever partner in sleuthing (and now in matrimony), the priestess Diotima, are hired to rid the theater of the ghost so that the festival can begin. With the help of Theokritos, the High Priest of Dionysos, they exorcise the ghost publicly, while secretly suspecting that a human saboteur is the actual culprit.

Their efforts to protect the theater fall short when one of the actors is found hanged from the machine used to carry actors through the air when they play the part of gods. It’s quite a theatrical murder.

As Nico and Diotima dig into the actor’s past, they discover all was not as it seemed. There are enough suspects to fill a theater. As the festival approaches and pressure mounts on all sides, can they hunt down the killer in time? Or will they simply have to hope for a deus ex machina?" 

Title: Little Black Lies

Author: Sharon (S.J.) Bolton

Standalone set in the Falkland Islands

ISBN: 9781250028594

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 368 pages

Synopsis: "In such a small community as the Falkland Islands, a missing child is unheard of. In such a dangerous landscape it can only be a terrible tragedy, surely...

When another child goes missing, and then a third, it's no longer possible to believe that their deaths were accidental, and the villagers must admit that there is a murderer among them. Even Catrin Quinn, a damaged woman living a reclusive life after the accidental deaths of her own two sons a few years ago, gets involved in the searches and the speculation.

And suddenly, in this wild and beautiful place that generations have called home, no one feels safe and the hysteria begins to rise.

But three islanders--Catrin, her childhood best friend, Rachel, and her ex-lover Callum--are hiding terrible secrets. And they have two things in common: all three of them are grieving, and none of them trust anyone, not even themselves."

Title: The Harvest Man

Author: Alex Grecian

Series: #4 in the Scotland yard Murder Squad historical series set in Victorian London

ISBN: 9780399166440

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Hardcover, 400 pages

Synopsis: "In The Devil’s Workshop, London discovered that Jack the Ripper was back, sending the city—and Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad—into chaos. But now it is even worse. Not only is the Ripper still at large, but so is another killer just as bad.

For Inspector Walter Day, it has been a difficult time. His wife has given birth to twins, his hostile in-laws have come to stay, and a leg injury has kept him at his desk. But when the Harvest Man begins killing, carving people’s faces off their skulls, the Yard knows they need Day in the field.

Not so Sergeant Nevil Hammersmith. Rash actions have cost him his job, but that doesn’t stop his obsessive hunt for the Ripper. When the mutilated bodies of prostitutes start turning up again, Hammersmith enlists the help of a criminal network to stop Saucy Jack, his methods carrying him further and further from the ideals of the Yard, so far in fact that he may never be able to find his way back.

Of course, the Ripper’s been playing a game with him—with Walter Day, as well. He is pushing both of them to their limits, and what happens when they get there . . . no one can say." 

=== May 26 ===

Title: The Storm Murders

Author: John Farrow

Series: #1 in the Storm Murders trilogy featuring Emile Cinq-Mars and set in Canada

ISBN: 9781250057686

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 320 pages

Synopsis: "On the day after a massive blizzard, two policemen are called to an isolated farm house sitting all by itself in the middle of a pristine snow-blanketed field. Inside the lonely abode are two dead people. But there are no tracks in the snow leading either to the house or away. What happened here? Is this a murder/suicide case? Or will it turn into something much more sinister? John Farrow is the pen name of Trevor Ferguson, a Canadian writer who has been named Canada's best novelist in both Books in Canada and the Toronto Star. This is the first of a trilogy he is writing for us called The Storm Murders trilogy. Each book features Emile Cinq-Mars, the Hercule Poirot of Canada, and extreme weather conditions." 

Wow! Another May is another month with an embarrassment of riches, isn't it?

Elly Griffiths. Craig Johnson. Colin Cotterill. Ann Cleeves. Four of my Auto-Buy authors followed by other personal favorites! Hmm... perhaps I should stay away from The Poisoned Pen for a while. What do you think?

And what do you think about my picks for May? Which titles have you thinking about hiding your credit cards? Inquiring minds would love to know!

A Dark and Twisted Tide by Sharon Bolton

First Line: I am Lacey Flint, she tells herself, as dawn breaks and she lifts one arm then the other, kicking hard with legs that are longer and more powerful than usual, thanks to a stout pair of fins.

Detective Constable Lacey Flint had a horrific first two years with London's Metropolitan Police, so she made the decision to resign from the force. Now she's a member of the Thames River Police, living on a houseboat, going for daily swims on the river, and wishing that she could get over her love for undercover detective Mark Joesbury.

Just as she's beginning to feel as though her life may be getting on a even keel, she finds a shrouded dead body in the river as she's swimming. Unfortunately, dead bodies found floating in the Thames aren't unusual, and Lacey assumes that her finding this body was just chance. As the police continue investigating, they begin to suspect that the woman was left for Lacey to find-- and Lacey begins to notice that a shadowy someone seems to be keeping an eye on her. She may not be a homicide detective any more, but as evidence and clues begin to stack up, she's drawn right into the heart of yet another dangerous investigation.

One of the best parts of Sharon Bolton's Lacey Flint series is her main character's growth. From someone adept at masking her true self, a self who doesn't play well with others, Lacey is slowing growing and learning to become part of a team. She has flashes of true brilliance as a homicide detective, but her prickly, standoffish nature has made most (but not all) of her fellow detectives unwilling to work with her. In A Dark and Twisted Tide, Lacey almost fits in with her fellow detectives, and it will be interesting to see the progress she may-- or may not-- make in the next book.

There's not another writer today who can make the River Thames a living, breathing, and at times malevolent character the way Bolton does. I've learned so much about the river, its behavior, and its history from following Lacey. I've also learned that the Thames can be so eerie and menacing that it can make chills run down my spine.

Combined with her two main characters-- Lacey and the Thames-- Bolton adds a tightly woven plot with plenty of twists and turns. Moreover, although there are dead bodies, women in extreme danger, and those scenes that make you jump out of your skin if there's the slightest noise behind you as you read, Bolton doesn't create her tension with graphic violence, torture, or gore. There are quite a few writers who could learn a lot from her.

A Dark and Twisted Tide can be read as a standalone, but to appreciate fully the character of Lacey Flint, I'd suggest that you begin at the beginning with Now You See Me. If you do, I'll envy your being able to meet this extraordinary character for the very first time.
 

A Dark and Twisted Tide by Sharon Bolton

ISBN:  9781250028587

Minotaur Books © 2014

Hardcover, 448 pages

Police Procedural, #4 DC Lacey Flint

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

June 2014 New Mystery Releases!

It's now my favorite time of the year: Summer with a capital S. Summer, when I get things done so I can take a tall, cold drink and a stack of books with me so I can sit in the pool in the shade and gorge on the printed page. It's true that the area wildlife usually keeps me entertained as well, but my focus is on books, books, books. Hopefully I can do what I did last year and clear a lot of spaces on my to-be-read shelves.

Here are my picks for new mysteries being released in June. They are sorted by release dates and contain all the information you'll need to find them at all your favorite book procurement sites. Book synopses are courtesy of Amazon.

Happy Reading!

=== June 1 ===

Title: Dragon's Triangle

Author: Christine Kling

#2 in a series featuring Riley, a female former Marine who's single-handedly sailing her 40-foot sailboat to places around the world

ISBN:  9781477823132

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Paperback, 494 pages

Synopsis: "Maggie Riley has settled into her new life in Thailand, working aboard her sailboat and doing her best to leave the past behind. When she receives a letter from a World War II vet claiming to have served with her grandfather who went missing in action, Riley is once again pulled into the intrigue that tore her family apart and led to the disappearance of her former search partner—and the love of her life.

Armed with the secret code her grandfather left behind, Riley must head to the Philippines to hunt for a mysterious shipwreck, uncover the truth of Yamashita’s gold, and find the answers to old questions about her own family."

=== June 2 ===

Title: Want You Dead

Author: Peter James

#10 in the Roy Grace police procedural series set in England

ISBN: 9781250030207

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 416 pages

Synopsis: "Single girl, 33, redhead and smouldering, love life that’s crashed and burned. Seeks new flame to rekindle her fire. Fun, friendship and—who knows—more maybe?

When thirty-year old Red Cameron met handsome, charming and rich thirty-five year old Bryce Laurent through an online dating agency, it was instant attraction at first sight. But as their love blossomed, the truth about his past began to emerge, and with it his dark side. Everything he has told Red about himself turns out to be a tissue of lies, and her infatuation with him gradually turns to terror.

Within a year, and under police protection, she evicts him from her flat and her life. But far from being over, her nightmare is only just beginning. For Bryce is obsessed and besotted with her. He intends to destroy, by fire, everything and everyone she has ever known and loved—and then her, too. It's up to Detective Superintendent Roy Grace to stop him before it's too late..."

=== June 3 ===

Title: Night of the Living Thread

Author: Janet Bolin

#4 in the Threadville cozy series set in Pennsylvania

ISBN: 9780425267998

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages

Synopsis: "It’s early October, and hordes of visitors have descended on the tiny, celebrated village of Threadville, Pennsylvania, to attend a Halloween crafts fair, a zombie retreat, and the wedding of Edna Battersby—dear friend to Willow Vanderling, owner of the chic machine embroidery boutique, In Stitches.

As a friendly prank for Edna’s wedding, Willow and the rest of the Threadville gang have fashioned an overly extravagant hoopskirt, complete with lights and music. But in a bizarre turn of events, the garish gown is implicated in a mysterious lakeside murder.

Now Willow must follow a trail of glow-in-the-dark thread, delve into ancient Egyptian curses, and creep through a haunted graveyard to unearth a killer—before she becomes the next fashion victim…"

Title: Present Darkness

Author: Malla Nunn

#4 in the Emmanuel Cooper police procedural series set in 1950s South Africa

ISBN:  9781451616965

Publisher: Atria Books

Paperback, 352 pages

Synopsis: "Five days before Christmas, Detective Sergeant Emmanuel Cooper sits at his desk at the Johannesburg major crimes squad, ready for his holiday in Mozambique. A call comes in: a respectable white couple has been assaulted and left for dead in their bedroom. The couple’s teenage daughter identifies the attacker as Aaron Shabalala— the youngest son of Zulu Detective Constable Samuel Shabalala—Cooper’s best friend and a man to whom he owes his life.

The Detective Branch isn’t interested in evidence that might contradict their star witness’s story, especially so close to the holidays. Determined to ensure justice for Aaron, Cooper, Shabalala, and their trusted friend Dr. Daniel Zweigman hunt for the truth. Their investigation uncovers a violent world of Sophiatown gangs, thieves, and corrupt government officials who will do anything to keep their dark world intact." 

Title: Tempest in a Teapot

Author: Amanda Cooper

#1 in the Teapot Collector cozy series set in New York State

ISBN:  9780425265239

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "When her fashionable Manhattan restaurant goes under, Sophie Taylor retreats to her grandmother’s cozy shop, Auntie Rose’s Victorian Teahouse, where serenity is steeped to perfection in one of her many antique teapots. The last thing Sophie expects is a bustling calendar of teahouse events, like her old friend Cissy Peterson’s upcoming bridal shower.

Not everyone is pleased with the bride-to-be’s choice of venue—like Cissy’s grandmother, who owns a competing establishment, La Belle Epoque, and has held a long-simmering grudge against Rose for stealing her beau sixty years ago. Tensions reach a boiling point when Cissy’s fiancé’s mother dies while sampling scones at La Belle Epoque. Now, to help her friend, Sophie will have to bag a killer before more of the guest list becomes a hit list…"

Title: Hell With the Lid Blown Off

Author: Donis Casey

#7 in the Alafair Tucker historical mystery series set in rural Oklahoma circa 1916

ISBN:  9781464202988

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Hardcover, 250 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "In the summer of 1916, a big twister brings destruction to the land around Boynton OK.  Alafair Tucker’s family and neighbors are not spared the ruin and grief spread by the storm.  But no one is going to mourn for Jubal Beldon, who made it his business to know the ugly secrets of everyone in town. It doesn’t matter if Jubal’s insinuations are true or not. In a small town like Boynton, rumor is as damaging as fact.

But as Mr. Lee the undertaker does his grim duty for the storm victims, he discovers that even in death Jubal isn’t going to leave his neighbors in peace.  He was already dead when the tornado carried his body to the middle of a fallow field. Had he died in an accident or had he been murdered by someone whose secret he had threatened to expose? There are dozens of people who would have been happy to do the deed, including members of Jubal’s own family.

As Sheriff Scott Tucker and his deputy Trenton Calder look into the circumstances surrounding Jubal’s demise, it begins to look like the prime suspect may be someone very dear to the widow Beckie MacKenzie, the beloved music teacher and mentor of Alafair’s daughter Ruth.  Ruth fears that the secrets exposed by the investigation are going to cause more damage to her friend’s life than the tornado. Alafair has her own suspicions about how Jubal Beldon came to die, and the reason may hit very close to home."

Title: The Farm

Author: Tom Rob Smith

Standalone

ISBN: 9780446550734

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Hardcover, 368 pages

Synopsis: "Daniel believed that his parents were enjoying a peaceful retirement on a remote farm in Sweden. But with a single phone call, everything changes.

Your mother...she's not well, his father tells him. She's been imagining things - terrible, terrible things. She's had a psychotic breakdown, and been committed to a mental hospital.

Before Daniel can board a plane to Sweden, his mother calls: Everything that man has told you is a lie. I'm not mad... I need the police... Meet me at Heathrow.

Caught between his parents, and unsure of who to believe or trust, Daniel becomes his mother's unwilling judge and jury as she tells him an urgent tale of secrets, of lies, of a crime and a conspiracy that implicates his own father." 

Title: A Dark and Twisted Tide

Author: Sharon (S.J.) Bolton

#4 in the Lacey Flint police procedural series set in London, England

ISBN: 9781250028587

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 448 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Lacey Flint, Sharon Bolton’s enigmatic protagonist, has been living in a houseboat on the River Thames, and she’s becoming a part of London’s weird and wonderful riverboat community. Against her friends’ better judgment, she’s taken up swimming in the Thames, and she feels closer than ever to Detective Mark Joesbury, despite his involvement in a complicated undercover case. For the first time in her life, as she recovers from the trauma of the last few months, Lacey begins to feel almost happy.

Then, at dawn one hot summer morning while swimming down the river, Lacey finds the body of a shrouded young woman in the water. She assumes it was chance—after all, she's recently joined the marine policing unit, and she knows how many dead bodies are pulled out of the river every year, most the result of tragic accidents. But further investigation leads her policing team to suspect the woman’s body was deliberately left for Lacey to find. Lacey’s no longer a homicide detective, but as she begins to notice someone keeping a strangely close eye on her, she’s inexorably drawn into the investigation.

Award-winning author Sharon Bolton has once again crafted a tightly plotted, utterly unpredictable thriller around one of the most compelling characters in crime fiction today, intensely private London police officer Lacey Flint, whose penchant for keeping secrets is only matched by her determination to uncover those of others."

Title: That Summer

Author: Lauren Willig

Standalone romantic suspense

ISBN:  9781250014504

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Hardcover, 352 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "2009: When Julia Conley hears that she has inherited a house outside London from an unknown great-aunt, she assumes it’s a joke. She hasn't been back to England since the car crash that killed her mother when she was six, an event she remembers only in her nightmares. But when she arrives at Herne Hill to sort through the house—with the help of her cousin Natasha and sexy antiques dealer Nicholas—bits of memory start coming back. And then she discovers a pre-Raphaelite painting, hidden behind the false back of an old wardrobe, and a window onto the house's shrouded history begins to open...

1849: Imogen Grantham has spent nearly a decade trapped in a loveless marriage to a much older man, Arthur. The one bright spot in her life is her step-daughter, Evie, a high-spirited sixteen year old who is the closest thing to a child Imogen hopes to have. But everything changes when three young painters come to see Arthur's collection of medieval artifacts, including Gavin Thorne, a quiet man with the unsettling ability to read Imogen better than anyone ever has. When Arthur hires Gavin to paint her portrait, none of them can guess what the hands of fate have set in motion. 

 

From modern-day England to the early days of the Preraphaelite movement, Lauren Willig's That Summer takes readers on an un-put-downable journey through a mysterious old house, a hidden love affair, and one woman’s search for the truth about her past—and herself."

Title: Circles in the Snow

Author: Patrick F. McManus

#6 in the Sheriff Bo Tully humorous police procedural series set in Idaho

ISBN: 9781629141701

Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing

Hardcover, 240 pages

Synopsis: "Bo Tully, sheriff of Blight County, Idaho, has dealt with small-town crime throughout his long, storied career. Now, contemplating retirement after years on the job, Tully is faced with perhaps his most perplexing case yet. When area bald eagles start getting picked off by a ghost-like killer, and when a prominent local rancher is murdered by an arrow with eagle fletching, things gets complicated fast. In this fast-paced whodunit, Tully has a vast array of suspects to chose from—including the rancher’s gorgeous, bird-loving wife who mysteriously leaves for a ranch in Mexico the day of the murder; the beautiful chef at the local house of ill repute, who is well-known as a budding ornithologist; and the ranch foreman, who is rumored to be having an affair with his boss’s widow.

Will Tully put the pieces of the puzzle together, yet again? Will sending his dad, the former sheriff of Blight County, along with his number two man, down to Mexico help solve the mystery? And what about the mysterious large circles in the snow that Tully finds around the ranch—with no footprints leading in or out of the area?

It all adds up to another engrossing series of twists and turns. And in the end, Tully gets his man . . . or woman . . . or does he?"

=== June 19 ===

Title: The Silkworm

Author: Robert Galbraith

#2 in the Cormoran Strike private detective series set in London, England

ISBN: 9780316206877

Publisher: Mulholland Books

Hardcover, 464 pages

Synopsis: "When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days-as he has done before-and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives-meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.

When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before... A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, THE SILKWORM is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant, Robin Ellacott." 

=== June 24 ===

Title: Angelica's Smile

Author: Andrea Camilleri

#17 in the Inspector Montalbano police procedural series set in Sicily

ISBN: 9780143123767

Publisher: Penguin Books

Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "A rash of burglaries has got Inspector Salvo Montalbano stumped. The criminals are so brazen that their leader, the anonymous Mr. Z, starts sending the Sicilian inspector menacing letters. Among those burgled is the young and beautiful Angelica Cosulich, who reminds the inspector of the love-interest in Ludovico Ariosto’s chivalric romance, Orlando Furioso. Besotted by Angelica’s charms, Montalbano imagines himself back in the medieval world of jousts and battles. But when one of the burglars turns up dead, Montalbano must snap out of his fantasy and unmask his challenger."

=== June 26 ===

Title: Identity

Author: Ingrid Thoft

#2 in the Fina Ludlow private investigator series set in Boston, Massachusetts

ISBN: 9780399162138

Publisher: Putnam

Hardcover, 464 pages

Synopsis: "It’s been a couple months since Fina’s last big case—the one that exposed dark family secrets and called Fina’s family loyalty into question—but there’s no rest for the weary, especially when your boss is Carl Ludlow.

Renata Sanchez, a single mother by choice, wants to learn the identity of her daughter Rosie’s sperm donor. A confidentiality agreement and Rosie’s reticence might deter other mothers, but not Renata, nor Carl, who’s convinced that lawsuits involving cryobanks and sperm donors will be “the next big thing.” Fina uncovers the donor’s identity, but the solution to that mystery is just the beginning: within hours of the case going public, Rosie’s donor turns up dead.  

Fina didn’t sign on for a murder investigation, but she can’t walk away from a death she may have set in motion. She digs deeper and discovers that DNA doesn’t tell the whole story and sometimes, cracking that code can have deadly consequences."

June has a little something for everyone, doesn't it? Cozies, police procedurals, thrillers, private investigators, historicals... set in various places around the world. I've already read some of my picks for June, so I have to say that Tom Rob Smith's The Farm is really intriguing me. How about you? Did you add any of these books to your own wish list? Which ones? Inquiring minds would love to know!

Lost by S.J. Bolton

First Line: "They say it's like slicing through warm butter, when you cut into young flesh."

Five pre-adolescent  boys have disappeared in south London in a matter of weeks. They have nothing in common with each other except that their bodies have all been found, drained of blood, on beaches along the River Thames. The media have gone wild, parents have begun keeping a very close eye on their children, and someone named Peter Sweep is taunting everyone online.

No one is keeping as close an eye on things as six friends who are all about the same age as the victims. Among these six friends is a lonely twelve-year-old, Barney Roberts. He has his own reasons for being even more obsessed with the media-dubbed "Twilight Killer" than his friends. He also has an ace up his sleeve that his other friends don't: a next-door neighbor named Lacey Flint. But when the killer starts paying attention to Barney, will Detective Constable Flint be able to piece together the clues before it's too late?

I don't frighten easily, but author S. J. Bolton has scared the bejabbers out of me with her depiction of the River Thames. Under her skilled, tale-spinning pen, this river is a living, breathing entity. It groans. It moves as though there's "something beneath it, pushing to be free." In Bolton's Lacey Flint novels, the Thames deserves to be listed in the cast of characters, and Lost is no exception. The Thames at night provides more than enough chilling atmosphere to have readers jump at the slightest unexpected noise.

There's much more to Lost than atmosphere, which will come as no surprise to anyone who's read one of this author's books. Lacey Flint is still an uncomfortable character. You're never certain which way she's going to jump, and her impulsiveness can be both a blessing and a curse to her fellow officers. This particular case has Detective Inspector Dana Tulloch on a knife's edge, and she begins to behave in ways that shock her team. Flint and Tulloch are an explosive pair when put together, but there's another character who steals the spotlight every chance he can get-- twelve-year-old Barney Roberts.

In recent weeks, Barney has been left to his own devices too often, and he has plenty of time to obsess about this murder investigation of children his own age. It's been a long time since I've read a book that stirs up such a whirlpool of emotions amongst all the characters. Bolton is superb at misdirection. As these people and their behavior become known, there are sound reasons for them all to be the killer. What's fun is to attempt to focus on the character whom you believe is The One. That's what I did, and I found it to be impossible. My choice ebbed and flowed with the tides of clues that the author provides.

A creepy river, a scared and lonely little boy, police officers determined not to lose another child, and a fantastic list of suspects. Once again, S.J. Bolton has given me an emotional and intellectual high. This is an author not to be missed.

Lost by S.J. Bolton

ISBN: 9781250028563

Minotaur Books © 2013

Hardcover, 400 pages

Police Procedural, #3 Lacey Flint

Rating: A+

Source: Amazon Vine

New Mystery Releases for June 2013!

You know, sometimes when I write these release posts and see all the new books in series that I've started and not progressed with, I wish for more hours in the day. It doesn't bother me that I have a wish list that can reach to the moon and back again. No, what would bother me is not having that wish list at all. I already know that I'll never be able to read all the books that I want to read in my lifetime-- but the thought of having nothing to read scares the puddin' outta me. Probably why I have books on my to-be-read shelves that number in the hundreds. If they were in the double or even-- gulp-- single digits, I would be very twitchy indeed!

There are a couple more titles than usual in this month's post; I just couldn't narrow the list any further. As usual, I have them grouped by their release dates, and I have all the information you'll need to find them at all your favorite book spots. Happy Summer Reading!

=== June 1 ===

Title: The Square of Revenge

Author: Pieter Aspe (the "Flemish Georges Simenon")

Series: Inspector Van In, set in Belgium. This is the first book to be translated into English.

ISBN:  9781605984469

Publisher: Pegasus

Hardcover, 336 pages

Synopsis: "The beautiful medieval architecture of Bruges belies the dark longings of her residents. When the wealthy and powerful Ludovic Degroof’s jewelry store is broken into, nothing is stolen, but the jewels have been dissolved in jars if aqua regia, an acid so strong it can even melt gold. In the empty safe is a scrap of paper on which a strange square has been drawn. At first, Inspector Van In pays little attention to the paper, focusing on the bizarre nature of the burglary. But when Degroof’s offspring also receive letters with this same square, Van In and the beautiful new DA Hannelore Martens find themselves unraveling a complex web of enigmatic Latin phrase and a baroness’ fallen family and Degroof’s relationship with a hostage grandchild, ransomed for a priceless collection of art."

=== June 4 ===

Title: Angel City

Author: Jon Steele

Series: #2 in the Angelus Trilogy set in various locations

ISBN: 9780399158759

Publisher: Blue Rider Press

Hardcover, 528 pages

Synopsis: "It’s been almost three years since we left Detective Jay Harper and high-priced escort Katherine Taylor on the esplanade of Lausanne Cathedral, bruised and battered from a biblical showdown with the Nephilim. Katherine has retreated to small-town life in the woods of Washington State with her son, Max—and a close protection detail of heavily-armed, elite members of the Swiss Guard. Harper is living in Paris, haunted by voices in his head and bone-tired after what turns out to be two and a half million years on Earth.

Though Katherine and Harper have been prevented from remembering each other , baby Max has unwittingly stirred the interest of vengeful spirits—and only a worldwide (and cosmic) effort to save his life will bring Harper and Katherine together again. Meanwhile, from the shadows steps a defrocked priest named Astruc, whose face looks as if it has been clawed by some terrible beast and who hides his eyes behind blue lenses. He and his brilliant young ward, Goose, have discovered something unfathomable in the Catacombs under Paris, something that will confirm that “the time of the prophecy” is at hand. . . .

Electrifying from its explosive first scene to its unexpected and shocking conclusion, Angel City reunites the unforgettable characters from The Watchers to reveal more of the earthly—and otherworldy—mysteries of the Angelus trilogy."

Title: Lost

Author: S.J. Bolton

Series: #3 Lacey Flint, set in London, England

ISBN: 9781250028563

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 400 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Like everyone reading the newspapers these days, 10-year-old Barney Roberts knows the killer will strike again soon. The victim will be another boy, just like him. The body will be drained of blood, and left somewhere on a Thames beach. There will be no clues for London detectives Dana Tulloch and Mark Joesbury to find. There will be no warning about who will be next. There will be no real reason for Barney’s friend and neighbor, Lacey Flint, on leave from her job as a London police detective, to become involved…and no chance that she can stay away. With the clock ticking, the violence escalating, and young lives at stake, Lacey and Barney both know they can’t afford a single wrong step if they hope to make it through alive.

S.J. Bolton, an award-winning author of five novels, delivers her most compelling novel to date, in which a fragile police detective and a courageous, lonely eleven-year-old boy must work together to unmask a killer. Lost provides all of the pulse-pounding suspense, beautifully drawn characters, and intricate plotting thriller fans could hope for—and more.

Please note, this title is published in the UK as Like This For Ever."

Title: Capacity for Murder

Author: Bernadette Pajer 

Series: #3 Professor Bradshaw mystery set in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Seattle, Washington

ISBN:  9781464201288

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Paperback, 250 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Healing Sands Sanitarium, southwest of Seattle, Washington, sits on the sandy doorstep of the Pacific Ocean. Famed for its restorative rest-cure, fermented diets, and Dr. Hornsby's electrotherapeutics, no one has ever died at Healing Sands. Until now. When Professor Bradshaw is summoned to investigate, he knows this was no accident, but his only clue to foul play is as insubstantial as smoke--to anyone other than an electrical engineer. In this isolated location, suspects are limited to a handful whose lives--and lies--must be exhumed and examined. A sinister tale emerges as deep undercurrents turn personal, provoking Bradshaw to make a decision about the woman he loves. And then an everyday object provides the key, alerting Bradshaw that one among them is a walking dead man, and another possesses the capacity for murder."

Title: A Serpent's Tooth

Author: Craig Johnson 

Series: #9 Sheriff Walt Longmire mystery set in Wyoming

ISBN: 9780670026456 

Publisher: Viking

Hardcover, 352 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "The success of Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series that began with The Cold Dish continues to grow after A&E’s hit show Longmire introduced new fans to the Wyoming sheriff. As the Crow Flies marked the series’ highest debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Now, in his ninth Western mystery, Longmire stares down his most dangerous foes yet.

It’s homecoming in Absaroka County, but the football and festivities are interrupted when a homeless boy wanders into  town. A Mormon “lost boy,” Cord Lynear is searching for his missing mother but clues are scarce. Longmire and his companions, feisty deputy Victoria Moretti and longtime friend Henry Standing Bear, embark on a high plains scavenger hunt in hopes of reuniting mother and son. The trail leads them to an interstate polygamy group that’s presiding over a stockpile of weapons and harboring a vicious vendetta."

Title: Thread and Buried
Author: Janet Bolin
Series: #3 in the Threadville mysteries set in Pennsylvania
ISBN:  9780425252185
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages

Synopsis: "Every town has a legend. For Threadville, it’s the story of Snoozy Gallagher, the hotel owner who disappeared thirty years ago with a bag full of stolen jewelry, never to be heard from again. That is, until now—when Snoozy’s loot is discovered buried behind Willow Vanderling’s embroidery shop In Stitches.

When villagers mysteriously become ill, and a body shrouded in materials from Threadville shops appears in the exact spot where the treasure was—along with two abandoned kittens—Willow needs answers. The random events are too coincidental to be unrelated, but Willow will have to act quickly to unravel the deadly mystery, or she might get tangled up as the killer’s next victim…"

Title: Looming Murder
Author: Carol Ann Martin
Series: #1 in the Weaving mystery series, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains
ISBN: 9780451413604
Publisher: Signet
Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages

Synopsis: "Della Wright has come to peaceful and picturesque Briar Hollow, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, to realize her lifelong dream of owning a weaving studio. To promote her new business, Dream Weavers, Della is offering weaving workshops for all levels of ability. In her first class, she meets half a dozen of the town’s colorful characters, who seem as eager to gossip as to learn how to work a loom.

But when a shady local businessman is found murdered, Briar Hollow suddenly appears a lot less idyllic. And when one of her weaving students is suspected of the crime, Della can’t help getting entangled in the investigation—with some help from her criminologist friend, Matthew. But can she weave together clues as well as she weaves together yarn—and stop a killer from striking again?"

Title: The Doll

Author: Taylor Stevens

Series: #4 in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series, set in Texas

ISBN: 9780307888785

Publisher: Crown

Hardcover, 352 pages

Synopsis: "Haunted by a life of violence and as proficient with languages as she is with knives, Vanessa Michael Munroe, chameleon and hunter, has built her life on a reputation for getting things done—dangerous and often not-quite-legal things. Born to missionary parents in lawless Africa, taken under the tutelage of gunrunners, and tortured by one of the jungle’s most brutal men, Munroe was forced to do whatever it took to stay alive.

The ability to survive, fight, adapt, and blend has since taken her across the globe on behalf of corporations, heads of state, and the few private clients who can afford her unique brand of expertise, and these abilities have made her enemies.

On a busy Dallas street, Munroe is kidnapped by an unseen opponent and thrust into an underground world where women and girls are merchandise and a shadowy figure known as The Doll Maker controls her every move. While trusted friends race to unravel where she is and why she was taken, everything pivots on one simple choice: Munroe must use her unique set of skills to deliver a high-profile young woman into the same nightmare that she once endured, or condemn to torture and certain death the one person she loves above all else.   

Driven by the violence that has made her what she is, cut off from help, and with attempts to escape predicted and prevented, Munroe will hunt for openings, for solutions, and a way to strike back at a man who holds all the cards. Because only one thing is certain: she cannot save everyone.
   

In this high-octane thriller for fans of Lee Child, Stieg Larsson, and Robert Ludlum's Bourne trilogy, Vanessa Michael Munroe will have to fight fast, smart and furiously to overcome a dangerous nemesis and deliver her trademark brand of justice."

=== June 13 ===

Title: Circle of Shadows

Author: Imogen Robertson

Series: #4 in the Westerman and Crowther series set in 18th century Germany

ISBN: 9780670026289

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Hardcover, 384 pages

Synopsis: "The forthright Mrs. Harriet Westerman and her reclusive companion, anatomist Gabriel Crowther, tackle their first case outside of England in the fourth installment of Imogen Robertson’s heralded historical suspense series.

As Germany’s elite are celebrating Shrove Tuesday of 1784 with a masked ball, the beautiful Lady Martesen is murdered. Daniel Clode, brother-in-law to Mrs. Westerman, is found near the body. All evidence points to him as the killer. As Daniel awaits execution, Westerman and Crowther arrive and quickly encounter a court full of opulence, intrigue, and deadly secrets—but no one who will talk.

With Anne Perry’s eye for period detail and Tess Gerritsen’s forensics knowledge, Robertson is emerging as a major author of highbrow suspense."

=== June 15 ===

Title: Shadows in the Cotswolds

Author: Rebecca Tope

Series: #10 in the Thea Osborne series set in England

ISBN: 9780749011239

Publisher: Allison and Busby

Hardcover, 288 pages

Synopsis: "When Thea Osborne agrees at the last minute to house-sit for Oliver Meadows as a favor to her mother, she expects a few days of peace with her spaniel, Hepzie. Uncomfortable with the news of her mother’s sudden involvement with an old flame, and Thea herself unsure of how to deal with her feelings for Drew Slocombe, she hopes that some time alone in the historic town of Winchcombe will help to clear her head. But, as usual, Thea quickly finds herself at the center of a dark mystery when she discovers a dead body in the gardens of the house.

In the latest installment to the popular Cotswolds series by Rebecca Tope, Thea must work quickly to unravel the secrets which are being kept by Oliver Meadows and his brother, Fraser, and discover exactly what lies beneath the surface of their turbulent relationship. And amidst the chaos caused by the investigation, will Thea find time to decide how she should deal with her own problems too?"

=== June 18 ===

Title: Swimming with Sharks

Author: Nele Neuhaus

Standalone

ISBN: 9781611099256

Publisher: AmazonCrossing

Paperback, 564 pages

Synopsis: "Ambitious, brilliant, and beautiful, Alex Sondheim is the undisputed star of Wall Street—and she knows it. So it comes as no surprise when Levy Manhattan Investments taps her to take their prestigious firm to the next level. She can name her price, but can she live up to their expectations? 

Because behind the glittering facade of luxury offices, five-star dinners, and million-dollar investments hides the firm’s true power player: a deadly criminal cartel. Caught up in a steamy relationship with handsome real-estate mogul Sergio Vitali, Alex is blind to the danger—until an assassination attempt against the city’s crusading mayor claims the lives of three innocent people. To protect the city’s people and save herself, she’ll have to put everything on the line: her job, her reputation…and her life."

Title: Death of a Dyer
Author: Eleanor Kuhns
Series: #2 in the Will Rees series set in 18th century Maine
ISBN: 9781250033963
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover, 352 pages

Synopsis: "Will Rees feels at home. It’s been a long time since he last felt this way—not since before his wife died years ago and he took to the road as a traveling weaver. Now, in 1796, Rees is back on his Maine farm, living with his teenaged son, David, and his housekeeper, Lydia—whose presence contributes more towards his happiness than he’s ready to admit. But his domestic bliss is shattered the morning a visitor brings news of an old friend’s murder.

Nate Bowditch and Rees hadn't spoken in many long years, but as children they were closer than brothers, and Rees feels his loss acutely. Asked to look into the circumstances surrounding Nate’s death, Rees simply can’t refuse. At the Bowditch farmstead, Rees quickly discovers that everyone—from Nate’s frosty wife to his missing son to the shy serving girl—is hiding something. But are any of them actually capable of murder? Or does the answer lie elsewhere, behind stones no one even knew needed unturning?"

Title: Hour of the Rat
Author: Lisa Brackmann 
Series: #2 in the Ellie Cooper series set in China
ISBN: 9781616952341 
Publisher: Soho Crime
Hardcover, 371 pages

Synopsis: "Iraq War vet Ellie McEnroe has a pretty good life in Beijing, representing the work of controversial dissident Chinese artist Zhang Jianli. Even though Zhang’s mysterious disappearance of over a year ago has her in the sights of the Chinese authorities. Even though her Born-Again mother has come for a visit and shows no signs of leaving. But when her mom takes up with “that nice Mr. Zhou next door,” Ellie decides that it’s time to get out of town—given her mother’s past bad choices of men, no good can come of this.

An old Army buddy, Dog Turner, gives her the perfect excuse. His unstable brother Jason has disappeared in picturesque Yangshuo, a famous tourist destination, and though Ellie knows it’s a long shot, she agrees to try to find him. At worst, she figures she’ll have a few days of fun in some gorgeous scenery.

But her plans for a relaxing vacation are immediately complicated when her mother and the new boyfriend tag along. And as soon as she starts asking questions about the missing Jason, Ellie realizes that she’s stumbled into a dangerous conspiracy that may or may not involve a sinister biotech company, eco-terrorists, an art-obsessed Chinese billionaire and lots of cats—one that will take her on a wild chase through some of China’s most beautiful—and most surreal—places."

=== June 20 ===

Title: Her Last Breath

Author: Linda Castillo

Series: #5 in the Kate Burkholder series set in Ohio

ISBN:  9780312658571

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "What at first seems like a tragic, but routine car accident  suddenly takes on a more sinister cast as evidence emerges that nothing about the crash is accidental.  But who would want to kill an Amish deacon and two of his children? He leaves behind a grieving widow and a young boy who clings to life in the intensive care wing of a hospital, unable to communicate.  He may be the only one who knows what happened that night.  Desperate to find out who killed her best friend’s husband and why, Kate begins to suspect she is not looking for a reckless drunk, but instead is on the trail of a cold blooded killer amid the residents of Painter’s Mill.  It is a search that takes her on a  chilling journey into the darkest reaches of the human heart and makes her question everything she has ever believed about the Amish culture into which she was born."

=== June 25 ===

Title: The Raven's Gift

Author: Don Rearden

Standalone Thriller

ISBN: 9780143187493
Publisher: Pintail
Paperback, 288 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "John Morgan and his wife can barely contain their excitement upon arriving as the new teachers in a Yup'ik Eskimo village on the windswept Alaskan tundra. But their move proves disastrous when a deadly epidemic strikes and the isolated community descends into total chaos. When outside aid fails to arrive, John’s only hope lies in escaping the snow-covered tundra and the hunger of the other survivors—he must make the thousand-mile trek across the Alaskan wilderness for help. He encounters a blind Eskimo girl and an elderly woman who need his protection, and he needs their knowledge of the terrain to survive. The harsh journey pushes him beyond his limits as he discovers a new sense of hope and the possibility of loving again."


Good crop of new books, eh? Which titles tickled your fancy? Do tell!