Book Buzz

Looking for a good book? Ask at the Reference Desk for a suggestion or two. Whether you are a reader who likes romance, mystery, fantasy, science fiction or historical books, our librarians can assist you in finding that next great read.

Supper Sleuths for February 14, 2012

Supper Sleuths, a mystery discussion group, meets every second Tuesday evening at 6:00pm to discuss mysteries of every genre and type. Feel free to bring your own snack or brown bag lunch with you to the meeting.

Vote for your Classic Mystery Author on our website by 2/14/12.

The next Supper Sleuths Discussion takes place February 14, 2012 at 6:00pm to 7:30pm in the Lecture Hall where the group will discuss any mystery.

Feel free to read from your personal backlog, the new or older Mystery books in the library, or from our previous Supper Sleuths lists. Anything goes—just read a mystery!

Check out Supper Sleuths web page for the previous lists: Supper Sleuths Lists.

REVIEWING STRATEGY
Please plan on keeping your review to only 5 minutes. If you would like to talk about more than one title, let the group leader know and if time permits, you will be accommodated.

When preparing your “reviews,” think about how well the author creates the characters, the setting, the plot, and the tone of the book. Please give a very quick overview of the plot—one or two sentences. Leave the secondary plots out of the review unless they really matter. Do not disclose “spoilers”—the ending or some other integral facet of character development or plot. The rest of the “review” can be responses to how well the author does his or her job to craft this particular story. Describe what you enjoyed. Express what you did not enjoy. Has the author written a predictable plot or character? Did you laugh? Did you care? Was the story too violent? Was the violence or crime unnecessarily graphic? Is there romance? Would you read this author again? Is it part of a series? Should you read the series in order? Does this title/author remind you of any other authors you have read?

Schedule and more information on Supper Sleuths.

Supper Sleuths Reads…December 2011

**Highly Recommended by readers

Black, Cara. Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis Aimee LeDuc series; bk.7

Block, Lawrence. A Drop of the Hard Stuff. Matthew Scudder series; bk.17

Brandman, Michael. Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues. Jesse Stone series; bk.10.
First title is series written by Brandman based on Parker’s character.

Childs, Lee. The Affair. Jack Reacher series; bk.16
Reacher’s first case.

**Cotterill, Colin. Killed at the Whim of a Hat. Jimm Juree series; bk.1 Thailand
—.Slash and Burn. ?Final Dr. Siri Paiboun series; bk.8 Laos

DeMille, Nelson. Plum Island. John Corey series; bk. 1

Gerritsen, Tess. Body Double. Rizzoli & Isles series; bk.4

Grafton, Sue. V is for Vengeance. Kinsey Millhone series; bk.22

**Hart, John. The Last Child.

**Kaaberbol, Lene & Agnete Fris. The Boy in the Suitcase.
Denmark thriller being compared to Steig Larsson

MacDonald, Patricia. Stranger in the House.

**Mina, Denise. Still Midnight. Alex Morrow series, bk.1
—. The End of the Wasp Season.; bk.2
Glasgow, Scotland

**Perry, Douglas. Girls of Murder City: Fame. Lust and the Beautiful Killers Who Inspired Chicago. Non-Fiction.

Stevens, Taylor. The Informationist.
Billed as a thriller–Steig Larsson wannabe falls short

**Willett, Sabin. The Deal.
Boston law firm suspense

Musical Mysteries

Special thanks to Beth Radcliffe for her hard work on this list.

Allingham, Margery. (Albert Campion; bk.8)

Dancers in Mourning. (1937) Musical Comedy
also found in The Crime and Mr. Campion (1937) NOTE: Readers question whether this has enough music in the plot to be on this list.

Anderson, J.R.L. (Piet Deventer; bk.2)

Festival (1979) Rock Festival

Atkins, Ace. (Nick Travers)

Crossroad Blues (1998)

Leavin’ Trunk Blues (2000)

Dark End of the Street (2002)

Dirty South (2004)

Barnard, Robert.

Death on the High C’s (1977) Opera

Death and the Chaste Apprentice (1989) (Charlie Peace; bk.1) Opera NOTE: Readers question whether this has enough music in the plot to be on this list.

Bowen, Rhys. (Constable Evans; bk.3)

Evanly Choirs (1999)

Cash, Dixie. (Domestic Equalizers; bk.7)

I Can’t Make You Love Me, But I Can Make You Leave. (2011) Country Music

Charles, Paul. (Detective Inspector Christy Kennedy)

I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass (1997) Record Company

The Hissing of the Silent Lonely Room (2001) bk.3 American musician

Crispin, Edward. (Gervase Fen)

Swan Song (1947) bk.4; Opera

Dill, Stuart. (Music Industry Thriller)

Murder on Music Row (2011)

Duchin, Peter and John Morgan Wilson. (Philip Damon) Bandleader

Blue Moon (2002)

Good Morning, Heartache (2003)

Elias, Gerald. (Daniel Jacobus) Violin Teacher

Devil’s Trill (2009)

Danse Macabre (2010)

Death and the Maiden (2011)

Friedman, Kinky.

Musical Chairs (1999) (Kinky Friedman; bk.5 Country Music)

Roadkill (1997)(Kinky Friedman; bk.10 Willie Nelson)

Blast from the Past (1998) (Kinky Friedman; bk.11 Prequel to Roadkill)

Fulmer, David. (Valentin St. Cyr; bk.1)

Chasing the Devil’s Tail. (2001) Storyville, New Orleans

Grabien, Deborah. (J.P. Kincaid)

Rock and Roll Never Forgets (2008)

When My Guitar gently Weeps (2009)

London Calling (2010) Not in NOBLE

Graceland (2011)

Grabien, Deborah. (English Ballad Mysteries)

The Weaver and the Factory Maid (2003)

The Famous Flower of Serving Men (2004)

Matty groves (2005)

Cruel Sister (2006)

New Slain Knight (2007)

Hare, Cyril.

When the Wind Blows (1950) Violinist

Hewson, David. (Daniel Forster)

Lucifer’s Shadow (2004) Lost musical masterpiece

Klein, Daniel. (Elvis Presley)

Kill Me Tender (2000)

Blue Suede Clues (2002)

Viva Las Vengeance (2003)

Such Vicious Minds (2004) Not in NOBLE

Holmes, Rupert.

Swing (2005) Jazz Musician/1940 World’s Fair

Kellerman, Faye.

Gun Games (2011) (Decker/Lazarus series; bk.20) Musical Prodigy

Leon, Donna. (Guido Brunetti Mysteries; bk.1)

Death at La Fenice (1992) Opera

Peters, Ellis. (Inspector George Felse; bk.6)

Black is the Colour of My True Love’s Heart (1967)

Moody, Bill. (Evan Horne)

Solo Hand (1994)

Death of a Tenor Man (1995)

The Sound of the Trumpet (1996)

Bird Lives! (1999)

Looking for Chet Baker (2002)

Shades of Blue (2008)

Fade to Blue (2011) Not in NOBLE.

Ross, Kate. (Julian Kestral; bk.4)

The Devil in Music (1997)Historical Mystery–Passion for Great Music

Saulnier, Beth. (Alex Bernier mysteries; bk.5)

Ecstasy (2003) Rock Band

Slater, Harrison.

Nightmusic (2002) Mozart’s diary

Stace, Wesley.

Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer (2011)

Sublett, Jesse. (Martin Fender)

The Rock Critic Murders (1989)

Tough Baby (1990)

Boiled in Concrete (1992) Not in NOBLE

Walpow, Nathan. (Joe Portugal mysteries; bk.3)

One Last Hit (2003) Rock Band

Wilson, Eric P. (Aramis Black mysteries; bk.2)

A Shred of Truth (2007) Country Music

First Mysteries that Wowed

With special thanks to Beth Radcliff & Janet Major for suggestions.

Aames, Avery. (Cheese Shop Mysteries)

The Long Quiche Goodbye (2010)

Adler-Olsen, Jussi.

The Keeper of Lost Causes (2011)

Arnaldur Indridason. (Reykjavik Murder Mysteries)

Jar City (2005)

Box, C. J. (Joe Pickett)

Open Season (2001)

Bradley, Alan. (Flavia de Luce)

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (2009)

Child, Lee. (Jack Reacher)

Killing Floor (1997)

Clemens, Judy. (Stella Crown)

Till the Cows Come Home (2004)

Connelly, Michael. (Harry Bosch)

The Black Echo (1992)

Connolly, John. (Charlie Parker)

Every Dead Thing (1999)

Davis, Krista. (Domestic Diva)

Diva Runs Out of Thyme (2008)

Durham, Laura. (Annabelle Archer)

Better Off Wed (2005) NOBLE

Finch, Charles. (Charles Lenox)

Beautiful Blue Death (2007)

Freeman, Brian. (Jonathon Stride)

Immoral (2005)

George, Elizabeth. (Inspector Lynley)

Great Deliverance (1988)

Granger, Pip. (Rosie)

Not All Tarts are Apple (2002) NOBLE

Hamilton, Steve. (Alex McKnight)

Cold day in Paradise (1998)

Hart, Erin. (Nora Gavin)

Haunted Ground (2003)

Hillerman, Tony. (Joe Leaphorn)

Blessing Way (1990)

Judson, Daniel. (Declan MacManus)

The Bone Orchard (2002) NOBLE

King, Jonathon. (Max Freeman)

Blue Edge of Midnight

Kozak, Harley Jane. (Wollie Shelley)

Dating Dead Men (2004)

Larsson, Steig. (Lisabeth Salander/Mikael Blomkvist)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2008)

Lindsay, Jeff. (Dexter)

Darkly Dreaming Dexter

MacKinnon, Amy.

Tethered (2008)

Maron, Margaret. (Deborah Knott)

The Bootlegger’s Daughter (1992)

McEuen, Paul.

Spiral (2011)

McMullen, Beth. (Sally Sin; bk.1).

Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure (2011)

O’Connell, Carol. (Kathleen Mallory)

Mallory’s Oracle (1994)

Parshall, Sandra. (Rachel Goddard)

Heat of the Moon (2006)

Perry, Thomas. (Butcher’s Boy)

The Butcher’s Boy

Pintoff, Stefanie. (Simon Ziele)

In the shadow of Gotham (2009)

Raybourn, Deanna. (Lady Julia Grey)

Silent in the Grave (2007)

Ryan, Hank Phillippi. (Charlotte McNally)

Prime Time (2007)

Sefton, Maggie. (Knitting Mysteries)

Knit One, Kill Two (2005)

Taylor, Sarah Stewart. (Sweeney St. George)

O’ Artful Death (2003)

Tracy, P. J. (Monkeewrench)

Monkeewrench (2003)

Wait, Lea. (Antique Print Mysteries)

Shadows at the Fair (2002)

Wolfe, Inger Ash. (Hazel Micallef)

The Calling (2008)

Supper Sleuths reads…June 2011

**Highly Recommended by readers

Arthurson, Wayne. Fall from Grace. Canadian debut. Journalist in Alberta.

Cain, Chelsea. Sweetheart. Archie & Gretchen bk.2

Camilleri, Andrea. The Terra-Cotta Dog.
Inspector Salvo Montalbano; bk. 2. Sicily.

Connelly, Michael. The Fifth Witness. Mickey Haller; bk. 5

Diehl, William. Primal Fear. Movie w/ Richard Gere.

Ephron, Hallie. Come and Find Me. SUSPENSE. Mixed reviews.

Fowler, Earlene. Spider Web. Benni Harper series; bk.15

**Gardner, Lisa. Love You More. D.D. Warren series; bk.5

Gilman, Dorothy. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. Pollifax series, bk.1
—Kaleidoscope. Madame Karitska; bk.2

**Spencer-Fleming, Julia. One Was a Soldier.
Clare Fergusson & Russ van Alstyne series; bk.7.
—-In the Bleak Midwinter. bk.1

Swann, Leonie. Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story.

Vonnegut, Norb. Gods of Greenwich. Financial thriller.

Stealing Sleuths:Lawrence Block & Donald Westlake

For our meeting in September, read–at least–The Burglar in the Closet … by Block and The Hot Rock by Westlake. You many read as many other in these series as you wish.

Lawrence Block (Bernie Rhoderbarr)

1. Burglars Can’t Be Choosers (1977)
2. The Burglar in the Closet (1978)
3. The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling (1979)
4. The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza (1980)
5. The Burglar Who Painted like Mondrian (1983)
6. The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams (1994)
7. The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart (1995)
8. The Burglar in the Library (1997)
9. The Burglar in the Rye (1999)
10. The Burglar Who Dropped in on Elvis (1999) Out of Print/Hard to Find
11. The Burglar on the Prowl (2004)

Donald Westlake (Dortmunder)

Dortmunder
1. The Hot Rock (1970)
2. Bank Shot (1972) NOBLE
3. Jimmy the Kid (1974) NOBLE
4. Nobody’s Perfect (1977)
5. Why Me? (1983) NOBLE
6. Good Behaviour (1987)
7. Drowned Hopes (1990)
8. Don’t Ask (1993)
9. What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (1996)
10. Bad News (2001)
11. The Road to Ruin (2004)
12. Thieves’ Dozen (2004)
13. Watch Your Back! (2005)
14. What’s So Funny? (2007)
15. Get Real (2009)

Baddest of the Bad: Crime’s Worst Criminals

Cain, Chelsea. Heartsick. (2008) Archie Sheridan series; bk.1

Child, Lee. Tripwire. (2000) Jack Reacher mysteries: bk. 3

Connolly, John. Bad Men. (2005)

Holton, Hugh. Violent Crimes. (1998) Larry Cole mysteries: bk. 4

Lindsay, Jeffry. Darkly Dreaming Dexter. (2004) Dexter mysteries: bk. 1

McBain, Ed. Mischief. (1993) 87th Precinct mysteries: bk. 45

Preston, Douglas and Lincoln Child. The Book of the Dead. (2006) Pendergast mysteries: bk. 7

Sandford, John. Night Prey. (1994) Lucas Davenport mysteries: bk.6

Source Material: Read On…Crime Fiction by Barry Trott, 2008, Libraries Unlimited, pp.62-64

Supper Sleuths Reads…March 2011

**Highly Recommended by readers

Barr, Nevada. 13 1/2. Standalone.

Bauer, Belinda. Blacklands. Debut. British–excellent, quick read but not for those who cannot bear reading about harm to children

Black, Cara. Murder on the Marais. Aimee Leduc series; bk.1.

**Box, C.J. Blue Heaven. Standalone Suspense.

Cooper, Natasha. Keep Me Alive. Trish Maguire series; bk.5

Coyle, Cleo. Through the Grinder. Cozy; Coffehouse series; Clare Cosi; bk.2.

**Curzon, Clare. Don’t Leave Me. Det. Mike Yeadings; Thames Valley mysteries; bk.15. British Procedural.

Grant, Helen. The Vanishing of Katharina Linden. German.

Hall, Tarquin. The Case of the Missing Servant. Vish Puri series; bk.1 India.

**Hayder, Mo. Gone. Detective Inspector Jack Caffery mysteries; bk. 5. British Procedural.

Hockensmith, Steve. Holmes on the Range. Home on the Range series; bk.1. Western.

Kahn, Sharon. Fax Me a Bagel. Ruby, The Rabbi’s Wife mysteries; bk.1

Kaminsky, Stuart. Whisper to the Living. Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov mysteries; bk. 16

Persson, Leif. G.W. Between Summer’s Longing and Winter’s End: A Story of a Crime. Swedish. 1st of trilogy

Singer, Randy. Fatal Convictions. Christian overtones and spectacular ending in this Legal Thriller.

Stevens, Chevy. Still Missing. Canadian Debut.

**Tapply, William. The Nomination. Last book–Standalone

Dark Night of the Soul: The Noir Mystery

Burke, James Lee. A Morning for Flamingos. (1990) Dave Robicheaux mysteries; bk.4

Kaminsky, Stuart. Retribution. (2001) Lew Fonseca mysteries; bk.2

Khadra, Yasmina. Autumn of the phantoms. (2005) Inspector Llob mysteries; bk.3

Lehane, Dennis. A Drink before the War. (1996) Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro mysteries; bk.1

MacBridge, Stuart. Cold Granite. (2006) Logan Lazarus McRae mysteries; bk.1

Mankell, Henning. Faceless Killers. (2003) Kurt Wallander mysteries; bk.1

Perry, Anne. The Face of a Stranger. (1995) William Monk Mysteries; bk.1

Pronzini, Bill. Mourners. (2007) Nameless Detective mysteries; bk.30

Rankin, Ian. Knots and crosses. (1995) Inspector Rebus mysteries; bk.1

Source Material: Read On…Crime Fiction by Barry Trott, 2008, Libraries Unlimited, pp.109-111