Will Trent is a 6’ 3” GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) agent with extraordinary investigative skills and limited social skills, both of which can be traced back to his childhood in a state-run orphanage. (His orphan nickname was Trash, because he was abandoned in a trash can.) His terrifying ... [Continue Reading]
The Body in the Castle Well (Book 12) and The Shooting at Château Rock (Book 15) by Martin Walker
Must Read for Francophiles Reading Martin Walker’s novels set in the Périgord region of France IS almost as good as being there. Although nominally murder mysteries, the protagonist, Bruno Courrèges, Chief of Police of the fictional village of St. Denis, spends more time cooking mouthwatering ... [Continue Reading]
Hunting Game by Helene Tursten
It’s moose hunting season in Sweden, and twenty-eight-year-old Embla Nyström, a Detective Inspector in the Västra Götaland County Bureau of Investigation’s mobile unit (VGM) is looking forward to the annual hunt with family and friends. Because the hunting rights have been in the same families for ... [Continue Reading]
Mysteries: Bad, Better, Best
Why do I keep reading Linda Fairstein? I say this every time, yet every time a new Alexander Cooper crime novel is released, I get sucked in. Maybe it is the history buff in me that appreciates the NYC landmarks and historical trivia that Fairstein peppers throughout her stories. But this time, ... [Continue Reading]
Mysteries from Paretsky, Clark and Black
Sara Paretsky, Marcia Clark, Benjamin Black In Fallout, Sara Paretsky relocates her Chicago based detective, V.I. Warshawski, to Kansas, where the fish out of water V.I. gets caught up in a convoluted and not entirely plausible plot involving old nukes. I raced through Moral Defense, another in ... [Continue Reading]
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen I’m always on the lookout for a new mystery series, so I was thrilled when my cousin Harriet suggested the Department Q series by Jussi Adler-Olsen. The first novel in the series, The Keeper of Lost Causes, introduces veteran Homicide Detective ... [Continue Reading]
International Crime Fiction
Books by Nina Borg, Helene Tursten and the writing team of Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis When in Boston last month, I attended the Boston Book Festival where I happily discovered the booth of SOHO Crime, a twenty-year-old publisher that specializes in international crime fiction. I ... [Continue Reading]
Death Angel by Linda Fairstein
Death Angel by Linda Fairstein I don’t know why I continue to read the novels by former Manhattan prosecutor Linda Fairstein since I am always mildly disappointed. Habit? Familiarity? The NYC setting? (always a plus for me!) Whatever the reason, I did purchase Fairstein's latest mystery, ... [Continue Reading]
The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker
The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker I was disappointed in this police procedural by Martin Walker which takes place in the Dordogne area of France. Featuring Chief of Police Bruno Courreges, I hoped this “mystery of the French countryside” would be similar to the Louise Penny series set in rural ... [Continue Reading]