AGATHA RAISIN AND THE VICIOUS VET by M.C. Beaton

FIC/MYS

BEATON, M.

This book is a delightful English "cozy," i.e. a mystery set in a quaint village. Agatha Raisin is not exactly the Miss Marple type, however. She has retired from her public relations company in London and settled down to the deceptively peaceful idyll of the Cotswolds.

She might be retired, but Agatha wouldn't be averse to a little romance and excitement. When a handsome new vet arrives in town, Agatha-true to her charmingly self-centered, vaguely dishonest self will try anything to get her claws into him. Whoops! He winds up dead!

THE BODY IN THE VESTIBULE, by Katherine Hall Page

FIC/MYS/PBK

PAGE

Charming American "cozy" mystery featuring Faith Fairchild, former Manhattan caterer, now a New England minister's wife.

This entry in the series finds the Fairchilds in Lyon, France for a month while Tom does research for his doctorate.

Great French atmosphere, and, of course, great food.

THE ICE HOUSE by Minette Walters

MYS/PBK

WALTERS

British author Walters' first novel is considered a modern classic. A decomposing body is found in an outdoor ice house on the grounds of Streech Grange. Is this Phoebe's husband who disappeared years ago? Many surprises and twists in this original plot.

A MORBID TASTE FOR BONES

FIC/MYS

PETERS, E.

Though Brother Cadfael is skeptical of Prior Robert's motives in fetching Saint Winifred's bones from her grave in Wales to the abbey, it is a good thing Cadfael accompanies the delegation sent accomplish the task. Brother Cadfael is needed to interpret between the Welsh villagers and the English monks. He must also find the murderer of the villager leading the opposition to moving Winifred. Cadfael solves the murder, assists in pairing off two sets of lovers, and keeps Winifred in Wales without disappointing his own abbey.

Readers with an interest in medieval history or in mysteries, or who just enjoy a good story with many humorous touches, should try this first of Brother Cadfael's adventures.

BITTER MEDICINE by Sara Paretsky

PBK/MYS

Paretsky, S.

A riveting Chicago-based whodunit which starts out with private detective V.I. Warshawski taking Consuelo, sixteen years old and pregnant, to a Schaumburg hospital for delivery of her premature baby. Neither mother nor baby live out the night. The next day the doctor who treated her is found brutally murdered, and Vic (short of Victoria) is hip-deep in a highly personal investigation. What she uncovers is an explosive nightmare of conspiracy and greed in which human life takes a back seat to the bottom line.

HARM DONE by Ruth Rendell

FIC/MYS

RENDELL, R.

Domestic violence is the theme of this Inspector Wexford mystery which finds Wexford's daughter Sylvia volunteering on a help-line at the Hide, a refuge for abused women. Rendell's in-depth characterizations illuminate this serious social problem as Wexford investigates three kidnappings, one murder, and a recently paroled pedophile.

CLOUDS WITHOUT RAIN: AN AMISH MYSTER by P.L. Gaus

FIC/MYS
GAUS
Professor Michael Branden is working undercover to investigate buggy robberies in the Amish community. He is in Amish dress and driving a buggy when he encounters a deadly accident between a police car, a tractor-trailer, and a buggy. An investigation reveals that this was not necessarily just an "accident."

Two of Professor Branden's friends are deeply affected by the incident, so he helps them unravel the mystery of what really happened. During their inquiry the Amish lifestyle is depicted in detail. The plot thickens as community members differ over a proposed land development scheme. Will these Amish abide by tradition, or embrace a more modern point of view?

A well-told engrossing story.

CONCOURSE by S.J. Rozan

FIC/MYS
ROZAN, S. J.
When a protege of his old mentor Bobby Moran is murdered while working as a security guard at a nursing home in the Bronx, PI Bill Smith investigates by going undercover, also as a security guard. Bill first calls in Lydia Chin to research what appear to be questionable business arrangements. When another guard is beaten to death and a doctor blown away, it becomes clear that more than one illegal operation is based at the nursing home.

CHINA TRADE by S. J. Rozan

PBK/MYS

ROZAN

Young New York PI Lydia Chin is hired by the China Pride Museum to find their stolen porcelains, despite the wishes of her brother Tim..Lydia's unladylike job is a source of embarrassment to her family. Tim has no idea that Lydia will be interviewing the heads of two rival Chinese gangs, and he thinks her failure to solve the case will mean a loss of face for him. The reader will enjoy not only Lydia's neat solution, but also her guts in pursuing it. Most will also find glimpses of Chinese culture fascinating. Romantic tension between Lydia and her fellow PI Bill Smith adds a little extra sizzle to the story, the first in a very good series.

IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER by Julia Spencer-Fleming

FIC/MYS

Spencer-Fleming

Clare Fergusson, former army helicopter pilot, is the first Episcopal woman priest in small-town Miller's Kill, N.Y. Clare is having enough trouble with the cold weather and her conservative parishioners when she finds a baby abandoned in the church. This event brings police chief Russ Van Alstyne, a religious skeptic, to her door. Opposites are forced together when the baby's mother is found murdered. Since the policeman is married, both suppress the growing attraction between them. As this is the first in a series, their relationship is sure to be explored further.

NOT IN THE FLESH by Ruth Rendell

FIC/MYS

RENDELL
The discovery of skeletal remains by a truffle hunting dog draws Inspector Wexford into a difficult missing person investigation. When his assistant Mike Burden discovers another body in the basement of the deserted cottage on the property they must find the link between the two cases. A subplot involving genital mutilation among the immigrant Somali population of Kingsmarkham keeps this long-running series current.

L.A. REQUIEM by Robert Crais

FIC/MYS

CRAIS

The police think it premature to look for Frank Garcia's missing daughter so Frank ask Joe Pike, an ex-cop and old boyfriend of Teresa's, to find her. Joe and his fellow P.I., Elvis Cole, soon fear Frank's concerns are warranted. Their fears are realized when a couple of joggers find Teresa's body. It's clear to Elvis and Joe that the police are closing in on the wrong suspect. When that suspect is eliminated beyond doubt, the police again fix on the wrong man. This time, though, it's Joe.

This dark mystery ;is for readers who like their heroes bigger than life and who can tolerate considerable violence.

THE SPELLMAN FILES by Lisa Lutz

FIC
LUTZ

In the hilarious tradition of Stephanie Plum, Isabel "Izzy" Spellman's adventures are laugh-out-loud-funny, but she has her own unique situation and voice, Izzy works for her own unique situation and voice, Izzy works for her dysfunctional family's PI business, and the Spellman family relationships are all too similar to their business transactions.

When Izzy's twelve-year -old sister Rae disappears, the family wonders if her obsession with "recreational" surveillance has gotten her into trouble and must use all its collective professional expertise to find her before it's too late.

THE RITUAL BATH by Faye Kellerman

FIC

KELLERMAN

Detective Peter Decker is sent to investigate a rape in the sheltered community of a Los Angeles yeshiva. He finds the Orthodox Jewish residents to be uncooperative, but the beautiful widow Rina Lazarus is helpful. The attraction between them complicates everything, especially when it seems the rapist's intended target was and still is Rina. The many details of Orthodox Jewish life are fascinating. This first book is a terrific start to the now-established series.

THE CUNNING MAN by Robertson Davies

FIC

DAVIES, R.

A doctor who practices what we would call holistic medicine tends to the bodies and souls of middle class Toronto. Although not as compelling as some of his earlier works, Davies can still stun the reader with his insight and make him laugh out loud at the foibles of the human species.

There really isn't any modern writer quiet like him. Fiction with soul and bite.

THE PERSIAN PICKLE CLUB by Sandra Dallas

FIC

DALLAS, S.

"Persian pickle," another name for paisley, refers to fabric shared by the members of a quilting club in Depression-ear Harleyville, Kansas. One member, Queenie Bean, lonely after her best friend moves away, hopes to become best friends with city girl Rita, brought home by her new husband, in hopes of publishing a hot story. Rita's investigation leads, however, to a surprising revelation.

An enjoyable exploration of period character. Not just for quilters!

THE HOUSE ON BOSTWICK SQUARE by Velda Johnson

FIC

JOHNSON, V.

Laura met and married her British husband in America. In time, she learned that her husband's parents were sending him money to keep him in America and away from their home, supposedly since his uncontrollable gambling shamed them. He appears to have committed suicide, but Laura is certain he was murdered. Unable to make a living and care for her small child, she takes herself and her daughter to the home of her husband's family, and house on Bostwick Square. There the mystery of her husband's life and death deepens and begins to endanger Laura. Readers who enjoy traditional romantic suspense will want to follow Laura's story as she attempts to uncover the truth.

FOUR CORNERS OF NIGHT by Craig Holden

FIC

HOLDEN

Mack and Bank have been friends since the fourth grade when Bank protected Mack from bullies. Although their lives have taken different turns, as adults they find themselves on the same police force, friends still. As a police officer, Bank likes to prowl the streets at night keeping track of prostitutes, drug addicts and his "snitches."

When a young teenager, Tamara, vanishes both Bank and Mack become emotionally involved in the case, because they are reminded of the way Bank's own daughter disappeared seven years before. When a second disappearance brings to light fingerprints matching those on Bank's daughter's items, Bank's obsession and desperation become troubling.

This is a dark story of the street.

ODD THOMAS by Dean Koontz

FIC

KOONTZ

Twenty-something Odd Thomas is a short-order cook in Pico Mundo, a small city in the western desert. Odd Thomas sees dead people. Though Odd does not fear the dead, he finds his ability to be a curse as often as it is a gift. Sometimes the dead seek his help in bringing their murderers to justice, and sometimes, with the help of the chief of police, Odd can prevent a crime. This time, however, the carnage Odd hopes to prevent, protecting his city and his beloved Stormy, is of unprecedented proportions. Odd must do his best in a race against time....

Readers looking for a well-written horror story, including a bit of bittersweet romance will be more than satisfied with Odd Thomas.