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Posts tagged with ‘Mystery’

HELLBENT, by Cherie Priest

December 1, 2011

SASSY, FAST-PACED PARANORMAL mystery features a wisecracking thief turned sleuth and a great supporting cast.

Grade: SOLID B

HELLBENT
Spectra
2011

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PRACTICAL JEAN, by Trevor Cole

November 27, 2011

CREEPY NOIR COMEDY about a woman who finds her calling in mercy killings–of her perfectly healthy friends.

Grade: SOLID B

PRACTICAL JEAN
Harper Collins
2011

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I AM HALF SICK OF SHADOWS, by Alan Bradley

November 21, 2011

DECK THE HALLS with Flavia de Luce! The spookily precocious child sleuth returns for a Christmassy whodunit.

Grade: B PLUS

I AM HALF SICK OF SHADOWS: A FLAVIA DE LUCE MYSTERY
Delacorte
2011

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ORIGINAL SIN, by Beth McMullen

November 11, 2011

FAST-PACED, WITTY THRILLER follows a spy turned full-time mom fighting international crime and cranky toddlers.

Grade: A MINUS

ORIGINAL SIN
Hyperion
2011

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THE HYPNOTIST, by Lars Kepler

November 10, 2011

BROODING AND EVOCATIVE Swedish police procedural/thriller relies on mood, not action. Crisp translation shines.

Grade: SOLID B

THE HYPNOTIST
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2011

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SLUGFEST, by Rosemary Harris

November 7, 2011

FAST-PACED GARDENING MYSTERY features a spunky sleuth and an only-in-New-York supporting cast. Good fun!

Grade: B PLUS

SLUGFEST (DIRTY BUSINESS SERIES #4)
St. Martin's
2011

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AS THE PIG TURNS, by M. C. Beaton

November 4, 2011

CRANKY COTSWOLDS SLEUTH Agatha Raisin’s 22nd mystery (!) is engrossing, fresh, and deftly plotted. Hurray!

Grade: B PLUS

AS THE PIG TURNS: AN AGATHA RAISIN MYSTERY
St. Martin's/Minotaur
2011

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NAUGHTY IN NICE, by Rhys Bowen

November 2, 2011

ANOTHER CHARMING 1930s mystery for “Her Royal Spyness” as she hits the Riviera with Chanel, Wallis Simpson.

Grade: SOLID B

NAUGHTY IN NICE
Berkley
2011

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STAGESTRUCK, by Peter Lovesey

October 28, 2011

A TOUGH OLD DETECTIVE surrounded by over-the-top theater types and murders in an historic Bath playhouse. Fun!

Grade: SOLID B

STAGESTRUCK: A PETER DIAMOND INVESTIGATION
Soho Crime
2011

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THE BLOOD ROYAL, by Barbara Cleverly

October 25, 2011

LONDON’S HIGH SOCIETY, titled Russian expatriates, and complex murders add up to a snazzy 1922-set procedural!

Grade: B PLUS

THE BLOOD ROYAL: A JOE SANDILANDS MURDER MYSTERY
Soho/Constable
2011

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