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click on links for buying info Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis by Cara Black Publisher: Soho Crime ISBN 978 1 56947 444 0 Reviewed by Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader Things not to do when you’re into overtime on an important computer security job: find an abandoned newborn baby in the courtyard of your 17th Century Parisian townhouse. Aimee Leduc’s life was complicated enough before an anonymous phone call led to baby Stella’s arrival. Most people would have just called the child welfare people and let them take over. For reasons that have their roots in her own past, Aimee keeps Stella, and tries to find the baby’s mother. Trying to avoid some evildoers who want the baby for reasons of their own, get her own work done, and locate Stella’s mother, keeps Aimee pretty busy. It doesn’t help when one of her clients turns up dead and the police put out an APB on a woman who sounds remarkably like Aimee. As the story progresses, we meet a number of strange and sometimes tragic people, including survivors of the German occupation of Paris, the heir to the last King of Poland, and a group of student protestors who are being used as scapegoats by the same people who want the baby. Aimee is sure that if she could decipher the blurred ballpoint pen on Stella’s skin she’d have a clue to what’s going on. This might be easier if she wasn’t on the run most of the time. The pressure doesn’t let up until the last few pages, when Aimee finally catches up with the baby’s mother and father, and learns the reason for the whole frightening adventure. The story takes place in 1995, but there seems to be a fair bit of much more recent technology involved. Perhaps France was further ahead with laptops and email than other parts of the world 12 years ago. That’s a minor quibble; the precise year has little bearing on the story, which would be equally engaging if it were set in the present day or in 1985. Cara Black seems to have captured both modern Paris and its ancient progenitor. She makes you smell the cold waters of the Seine, feel the slippery cobblestones under Aimee’s fleeing feet, and share the fear of the protesting students who suddenly realise they have been manipulated by shadowy powers beyond their knowledge. An engaging book, which will make you want to read the previous volumes in the series.
A Dying Fall by Laura Shea Publisher: Avalon, ISBN: 0803498098 Reviewed by Anne K. Edwards, New Mystery Reader Still awaiting tenure at Brixton University, Erica Duncan becomes curious when a professor dies a strange death in his office. Something about it doesn't feel quite right to her, yet everyone else is satisfied that it was an accident. Was it? Caught up in the round of teaching and grading papers, she has little time to wonder until things begin to happen, like the mysterious trash can fire. Was it a prank? Talented author Laura Shea gives us a look behind the scenes into the petty jealousies and jockeying for positions of power on the staff of a university. A well-told tale with realistic characters driving the story. The reader will come away with a feeling of having part of the dialogue in this tale, as having been another character privvy to discussions and decisions. A mystery with a different kind of ending. Recommended as a pleasant way to spend some reading time. Enjoy. I did.
Spinning Dixie by Eric Dezenhall Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books, ISBN: 13: 9780312340636 Reviewed by Anne K. Edwards, New Mystery Reader Have you ever wondered how the powers that be operate in the White House, what goes on behind the scenes and how lies are so glibly passed along to the public? Ask Jonah Eastman. He can tell you this and a lot more. You might say it was his job to put a positive spin on things coming from the White House. And it was a slip up in doing his job that got him fired. Of course, he resigned, but nonetheless, he was out. And on the same day a lovely girl shows up at a White House gate with a message for him that drags him back in time to the heady days of his youth. He has no idea who she is, but he knows for sure who sent the message. And he will answer the call. A fun read with characters you will enjoy meeting and tagging along on their doings. You'll step back in time with Jonah and have a few laughs along the way. You'll get a chance to see how he met his first love. For all the talk of Carvin' Marvin and others, you'll like them in spite of themselves and their livelihoods. Talented author Eric Dezenhall has crafted a well-written, well-told tale that is worth the time to read. I'm pleased to recommend this tale to any fan of fiction. Enjoy. I sure did.
Kubiak’s Daughter by Stephen Lindley Publisher: Avalon Books ISBN: 0-8034-9808-X Reviewed by Susan Illis, New Mystery Reader Retired Chicago policeman Kubiak has little interest in investigating the death of Jack Mackay, not even when Paul Baumgarten hints that he will receive impressive financial remuneration. It seems obvious to Kubiak that Mackay killed himself, just as the Lake County police officers who were pursuing him just before his death claim. The murdered bodies of the elderly couple with whom Mackay had been living were just discovered. The next day, the Lake County detectives show up at Kubiak’s door. Baumgarten’s beaten body was found near a truck belonging to Kubiak’s son-in-law. They want Kubiak’s help in finding his son-in-law. Kubiak is just as interested in finding David Hollinger as they are, particularly since Kubiak’s daughter has gone missing along with him. So Kubiak finds himself solving the initial crime while trying to prove the innocence of Hollinger. Kubiak shows impressive investigative skills, making the reader wonder, just as one of the bad guys asks him, why his career was spent in Latent Prints. The reader may also join the characters in wondering where Kubiak’s wealth came from. His relentlessness is matched only by the stoicism of his unflappable wife Denise. The closing scene, in which Kubiak gathers the accused and presents the evidence he’s gathered, although reminiscent of Agatha Cristie, is discordantly unrealistic. All the same, Kubiak’s Daughter is an enjoyable read and Kubiak an interesting new addition to literary private investigators.
Wild Indigo by Sandi Ault Publisher: Berkley Hardcover ISBN-10: 0425213692 Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader When Northern New Mexico BLM agent Jamaica Wild sees a local pueblo man stampeded to death by a storm of bison, she's stunned at not only how quickly it happens, but also by the look of ecstasy on his face in the final seconds of his death. But when nobody believes her, instead the pueblo seeming in a rush to call the death a suicide and close the books on it, Jamaica is compelled to begin her own investigation, her ties to the man's family being foremost in her mind. And as her search for answers takes her deep into the pueblo's secret traditions and rituals, she and her pet wolf will battle unknown forces that will do anything to keep the shocking truth hidden. This first outing from Ault puts her right up there with other Southwestern mystery authors of note, her unique and knowledgeable approach being as mesmerizing as it is convincing. And while the mystery itself often fades into the background, her inventive use of various Indian traditions and rituals, along with her stunning depiction of the beautiful Southwest region, creates a tale of such captivating mysticism and quiet reverence that readers won't mind at all. A magical tale filled with grace and vibrancy, this comes highly recommended.
Pressed to Kill by Dolores Johnson Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books ISBN: 13: 9780312347857 Reviewed by Anne K. Edwards, New Mystery Reader Do you have a favorite dry cleaners? Have they had an open house lately? Did you meet someone special there? These are questions Mandy Dyer would like to have asked a customer who has just found happiness, but she can't. They aren't friends and there's just some lines you don't cross. Until you get involved in a murder investigation and nearly lose your own life. Talented author Dolores Johnson gives the reader a good look at what goes on in a dry cleaning plant and the fun bunch of characters who might work there, like the ex baglady who keeps getting Mandy into trouble. The cleaners is a lively place, providing plenty of good looking men to flirt with, with the added bonus being the ability to assess their worth. A fun read with lots of action and intrigue to keep you happily reading. I'm pleased to recommend it to any mystery fan who likes amateur sleuths from different walks of life. Enjoy. I really did.
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New Mystery Reader Magazine editor@newmysteryreader.com
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