A favorite local author, Ms. Hirahara has done it again! Old, cantankerous Mas Arai has once more fallen into having to solve a crime. And this one is a real mess because his friend is involved – sort of. Pretty much against his wishes, Mas has agreed to stand up for Harou – at his wedding! But before the nuptials occur, a set of ancient Japanese dolls disappear from Harou’s fiancé’s house. Mas suspects the drug-addled daughter of the fiancé but everyone else is pointing the finger at Harou. Mas knows this couldn’t be true and sets out to clear his friend and fellow WWII atom bomb survivor’s name. There’s a lot of fascinating history in this tale – as always. It’s certainly not one you want to miss if you’ve enjoyed Mas’ previous adventures.

Recommended by Lee Kelley

Considered the 1st - & by many the best – detective novel ever written, this book debuted originally in serialized form in 1868. I mention this because it should not be thought of as historical fiction: its depiction of the crime & its resolution are not quaint but contemporary. The myriad scientific advantages that present day crime solvers (both real & fictional) have were not even dreamt of when this was written. & that just makes this book even more enjoyable. The crime & its unraveling are told by many voices over a year’s time, & proves, among other things, that great mysteries do not have to a) have bodies strewn all over the place; b) have a detective in constant peril of being beaten to a pulp – or worse – and c) do not need to be solved overnight. A delight form beginning to end.

Recommended by Jan

Truly a murder mystery unlike any you've ever read! It's a brilliant and exciting study of the dichotomy of the friendship of loners living together in one house and trying to remain the way they are -- always. When Cassie Maddox enters this world undercover she does it as Lexie Madison who was part of this odd group of friends and has been murdered. She can do this because Lexie was her old undercover name. And, this dead Lexie looks just like Cassie. So, they tell the friends Lexie hasn't died and Cassie becomes a part of this weird circle of friends because at least one cop is convinced that someone in that house is a killer. Cassie finds it hard to separate herself from Lexie as she became and almost loses herself in a dangerous way to the comfort of always having a place and people who know you well enough to finish your sentences. Dangerous because she isn't really Lexie! 

Recommended by Lee Kelley

Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, debuts in this exceptional book. Enola is a girl of thoroughly modern thinking in a time of flux for woman's rights. She abhors the pigeonholing of women into useless ornaments on a man's arm -- not to mention the lacing into a corset. When Enola finds her future in the hands of her traditional thinking older brothers, she decides it's time to take her future in her own hands. Enola runs to London to prove herself a capable young woman, meant for more than swooning and high fashion.
Recommended by Catherine

I loved this book! Just ask my family. I can't stop talking about it. A young man stands accused of murdering a well-liked med student and Inspector Darko Dawson is sent from the Ghanian capital of Accra to Ketanu; Ketanu where his own mother disappeared from twenty-five years earlier. This isn't just a mystery, it's a tale about personal demons, old-fashioned bad police work, modern investigation and modern medicine bucking against the fetish priests in the area. There are more suspects than you can count and the poor victim was actually liked! Kwei Quartey takes us from mud huts to city houses and Inspector Dawson even complains about traffic jams. Traffic jams! In Africa. Ok I know it's silly, but I honestly haven't thought of Ghana that way. I'm serious, if you don't find much more than just a great mystery in this book I'll stop eating chocolate for a week! By the way, I was so taken up by the story, the country and the writing that I had no clue to the killer until near the end. Welcome Dr. Quartey, we've been waiting for you.

Recommended by Lee

 

 

Lena Jones and her director friend Warren Quinn discover the mutilated body of a young girl while scouting locations for a film documentary. Trying not to step on the toes of local law enforcement and not particularly succeeding, Lena discovers a small town of people who are descendents of pioneers who fought Geronimo. But the small town isn't Eden and it's full of nasty secrets. Somehow, the new manufacturing plant is involved too. The plant is populated with a lot of immigrants from Africa, India and Egypt. And when Lena learns of the horrible way the young girl died, she knows she can't stop until she finds the woman they call the Cutter. Her own nightmares won't allow it.
Recommended by Lee Kelley