Mystery & Suspense from the 2013 Summer Newsletter

Tana French’s latest mystery is one of her best yet. It takes place around a “ghost estate” in Ireland, a crumbling, creepy housing development that went bust along with the Irish economy. A heinous triple murder has taken place, and the question of “whodunit” is complicated by issues of economic misfortune, mental illness, and fragile family ties. A suspenseful, thoughtful mystery, eloquently written, that reminds us how close we all live to ruin.

Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead is one of my favorite crime novels, and ever since I finished its last page I’ve been eager for another book from Sara Gran. Claire DeWitt is a private detective who has much in common with Sherlock Holmes, such as unorthodox methods, a prickly demeanor, and the occasional substance abuse issue. Her latest mystery takes place in California, including a stop at the famed Bohemian Grove. How can you resist?

Now that we’re through with that pesky cluviel dor, we can get down to the business of murder, mystery, and my undying love of Eric. It’s been a rough decade in not-so-sleepy Bon Temps, Louisiana, and while I long for the naïve Sookie of the past, this hardened, post-torture version is somehow still the everywoman I want her to be--even when the whole parish seems to turn against her. If she can stand up to lost loves, lost loved ones, and lost innocence, so can I. What an exhausting yet satisfying journey we have been on, Sookie and I. I’m sad to see the series end, but as with any good friend, I am glad to put Sookie’s troubles to rest.

My long campaign to improve Western civilization by getting everyone to read McKinty continues. This is the second Inspector Sean Duffy book in the Troubles trilogy, or if that bums you out, the Tom Waits song title trilogy. This chapter takes place in 1982, when everyone thought the DeLorean factory was going to be the new hope of Northern Ireland. We all know how well that worked out. Duffy has to solve the case of a headless torso found in a trash bin. If this sounds bleak, don’t worry. The dry Northern Irish humor here will keep you afloat.

In his debut novel, The Keeper of Lost Causes, Adler-Olsen introduced Copenhagen detective Carl Morck, who was newly assigned to the cold case unit. Back from vacation with one case under his belt, Morck is ready to tackle a new one. Alternating between Morck’s investigation, those involved in the crime, and the homeless woman who may be the key to the case, this is a tense, twisty thriller that fans of Scandinavian mysteries will love.

The distinguished chronicler of Cold War espionage and its costs casts his cold eye on the fog of war and its legacy in his newest book. “[A Delicate Truth] hooks readers from the beginning with the tense stakeout of an arms buyer for terrorists in Gibraltar. Though the operation appears to succeed, there may have been a cover-up. Can a young diplomat uncover what really transpired? And if he does, will it matter? In Le Carré, everything, and everyone, is compromised.” -National Post

“In Chilean author Ampuero’s first novel published in English, poet Pablo Neruda, shortly before the coup that overthrew his friend President Allende, persuades a young unemployed Cuban exile to turn detective and go look for a missing man Neruda last saw years earlier. The plot twists from Mexico City to East Germany, from lies to truth, from uneasy peace to political coup, from life to death. Fans of historicals and poetic prose are in for a treat.” -Publishers Weekly, starred review

Kaaberbøl and Friis blew us away with their riveting debut, The Boy in the Suitcase, and now they’re back with their second Nordic mystery featuring Red Cross nurse Nina Borg. Invisible Murder is just as suspenseful, well-written, and fantastic as their first book, and, as with their debut, weaves social commentary into a taut tale. “This assured thriller cements its authors’ places near the top of the Scandinavian crime fiction pantheon.” -Library Journal, starred review