RUTH RENDELL’S WEXFORD, now retired, shines in his first case as a London consultant. Complex and well-wrought.

ULTRASTYLISH CAPER SET in Venice finds a gentleman thief-turned-novelist protagonist in a twisted conspiracy.

WELL-CRAFTED REGENCY COZY mystery, complete with an Austenesque plucky, bookish spinster sleuth. Quality fun.

A FEISTY HEROINE and a vividly depicted blue-collar Pittsburgh setting enliven this somewhat chaotic whodunnit.

FAST-PACED MYSTERY FEATURES women bodybuilders, a decades-old murder, and newly minted honeymooner private eyes.

DELICATELY WROUGHT NOIR tales of crime from a distinguished German defense attorney, in crisp translation.

A CORPSE AT A WEDDING launches the peppy plus-size paralegal Odelia Grey on her 6th juicy murder investigation.

DRIVEN LONDON DETECTIVE Anna Travis hunts a serial killer in this tense, edgy procedural from Lynda La Plante.

TAUT POLICE PROCEDURAL with a richly depicted cast of characters is 13th outing for London detective Bill Slider. B PLUS

AMBITIOUS HISTORICAL THRILLER begins with interesting premise, but tries too hard and ends up over the top.