American Mysteries
Do you enjoy mysteries that take place in the good old U. S. of A.? Then try some of these American mysteries recommended by our staff.
Firestorm by Nevada Barr
A superior mystery! This gripping new mystery finds park ranger Anna Pigeon in the company of a killer, following a wild fire flare-up in the remote wilderness of northern California.
Murder She Meowed by Rita Mae Brown
The annual steeplechase races at Montpelier, once the home of James and Dolley Madison, are the high point in the social calendar of the horse-mad Virginians of cozy Crozet. Found dead in the main barn is one of the day’s riders, a knife plunged through the jockey’s heart. Was the murderer’s motive greed, drugs or sexual rivalry?
Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben
New Jersey native Myron Bolitor is the king of all smart alecks. Bolitor’s experience playing pro basketball, combined with his ruthless negotiation skills as a lawyer and investigative techniques as an FBI agent make his career as a sports agent a natural choice. He lands a most-coveted rookie quarterback as his first client, but when his star is contacted by a supposedly dead fiancé, he quickly discovers this “meal ticket” he’s signed up isn’t exactly a touchdown.
Ruffly Speaking by Susan Conant
In this Dog Lover’s mystery, Holly Winter and her two Alaskan malamutes are once again embroiled in a sizzling caper of canines and murder. The bizarre behavior of a “hearing” guide dog and the accidental poisoning death of a local bookseller inevitably lead Holly to piece together the unlikely connections between the two.
The Poet by Michael Connelly
In a departure from his LAPD Harry Bosch series, Michael Connelly brings us one of the scariest murderers, a savage cop-killer dubbed “The Poet,” whose trademark is leaving behind corpses and quotations of Edgar Allen Poe’s verses on windshields. The Poet is a heart-thumping read.
Hickory, Dickory, Stalk by Susan Rogers Cooper
E.J. Pugh has her hands full as the mother of three and a writer of romance novels. Her maternal instincts are aroused when glass is found in her daughter’s candy, and she decides the boy next door might be dangerous. E.J.’s fears about the boy are vanquished after his lifeless body is discovered in her car–sending E.J. in search of his killer.
Auntie Mayhem by Mary Daheim
Though lurching through London is ever so jolly, hostess on-holiday Judith McMonigle Flynn and her cantankerous cousin Renie are looking forward to an unharried weekend at a real English country manor. However, they are soon up to their American necks in a muck of murder most British–as they set out to unearth a fatal family secret…and unmask the culprit who was anti-Auntie enough to do the old girl in.
Tough Cookie by Diane Mott Davidson
When caterer Goldy Schulz is offered a temporary stint hosting a cooking show for PBS, she jumps at the chance. After all, she could use the money — not to mention the great exposure. What could go wrong? Everything! Culinary catastrophes, a baffling accident claims a life, and a series of suspicious mishaps places Goldy’s own life in jeopardy.
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
Meet Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with attitude. She’s from the “burg,” a blue-collar pocket of Trenton, New Jersey, where cars are American, windows are clean, and dinner is served at six. Her first assignment: nail Joe Morelli, a former cop on the run from a murder charge. While on the case, she encounters Benito Ramirez, a heavyweight boxer known for his brutality to women. His terrifying obsession with Stephanie complicates her manhunt, and it just might lead to murder.
Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein
Alexandra Cooper, Manhattan’s top sex crimes prosecutor, awakens one morning to shoking news: a tabloid headline announcing her own brutal murder. But the actual victim was Isabella Lascar, the Hollywood film star who sought refuge at Alex’s Martha’s Vineyard retreat. Was Isabella targeted by a stalker or — mistaken for Alex — was she in the wrong place at the wrong time? In an investigation that twists from the back alleys to the chic salons Alex knows she’s in final jeopardy…and time is running out.
Burning Time by Leslie Glass
A savage killer is on the loose. His trail of victims stretches from the sands of California to the heart of Manhattan. Now NYPD Detective April Woo faces the challenge of her career, as she and psychiatrist Jason Frank engage in a tense and deadly manhunt that will reveal their target is no ordinary killer–and that Woo is no ordinary cop
Southern Ghost by Carolyn Hart
The first author to win all three major mystery awards–the Agatha, the Anthony, and the MacAvity– offers her latest Annie and Max Darling mystery. Southern Ghost is a delicious Southern Gothic full of humor, electric suspense, and a beloved cast of characters.
Magician’s Tale by David Hunt
Kay’s colour blindness is a blessing and a curse because, on the one hand, it allows her to take renowned black-and-white photographs, while on the other, it leads her into the black heart of a murder case. Taking pictures of San Francisco’s underworld, Kay befriends Tim, a handsome, charismatic hustler. Tim’s murder sparks in Kay a sense of mission to solve the case and connect it to a string of murders previously unsolved.
Dead to Rights by J. A. Jance
Sheriff Joanna Brady faces the ultimate challenge when she alone among her underlings believes an open-and-shut murder case must remain open–and the obvious perpetrator may not be so obvious. Joanna is caught up in a maelstrom of danger and deception when the real murderer turns against her.
Silent Partner by Jonathan Kellerman
At a party for a controversial sex therapist, Alex encounters a face from his own past–Sharon Ransom, an exquisite, alluring lover who left him abruptly more than a decade earlier. Sharon now hints that he desperately needs help, but Alex evades her. The next day she is dead. Driven by guilt and sadness, Alex plunges into the maze of Sharon’s life–a journey that will take him through the pleasure palaces of California’s ultra-rich, into the dark closets of a family’s disturbing past, and finally into the alleyways of the mind.
Dangerous Attachments by Sarah Lovett
In her work within the justice system, forensic psychologist Dr. Sylvia Strange has dealt with some of the most twisted and depraved minds ever documented. Now, one of those minds wants to deal with her. Sylvia must employ all of her courage and knowledge of the criminal mind to survive the attentions of Lucas Watson, one of the most violent killers ever known.
Killer Calories by G. A. McKevett
Kat Valentina’s notorious “health” spa, the Royal Palms, was a tacky, hedonistic paradise, where sex, drugs, and wild times were all part of the regimen. When party girl Kat meets her demise: an accidental drowning, Private Detective Savannah Reid is unsatisifed, especially after an anonymous note with the much-needed promise of $10,000 for tracking down the killer is slipped under her office door. Suddenly, the feisty detective is introduced to a bizarre cast of characters, all of whom were fed up with Kat. Unmasking the murderer among them won’t be easy, but Savannah knows the most delectable endings are always worth waiting for.
Fast Forward by Judy Mercer
From its first gripping nightmare moments when a young woman awakens bruised and bloody with her memory vanished, Mercer’s “Fast Forward” propels readers onto a surefire track of nonstop suspense. Alone and with only her wits to rely on, Ariel Gold plunges from hope to despair and back again, as much an enigma to herself as she is to others
Murder in Retirement by John Miles
J. Turner Redwine is cast as the corpse when the Timberdale retirement Center puts on its first murder-mystery weekend. His performance is convincing, especially when he is found murdered. Timberdale troubleshooter Laura Michaels knows she must act fast, as she assumes that the killer plans to take more lives before he takes his bows.
The Burning Plain by Michael Nava
Still devastated by the death of Josh, Henry nonetheless falls for a young actor he successfully defended against burglary charges. When the young man is murdered after leaving Henry’s house, Henry finds himself the target of a murder investigation. But the murders don’t stop, and with his life in desperate danger, Henry follows the trail of evidence, ever upward to the top levels of Los Angeles politics and Hollywood power.
Beyond Recognition by Ridley Pearson
Seattle police sergeant Lou Boldt is stunned when the local fire investigator presents him with frightening evidence in a series of fires that have occurred in the Seattle area. These white-hot fires burn so cleanly that even the ash disintegrates–leaving not a trace of its victims or any evidence of criminal activity. Only when Boldt is taunted by someone sending him pieces of melted green plastic–houses from a Monopoly board–does he realize that an arsonist is involving him in a deadly game.
The Butter Did It by Phyllis Richman
Washington’s finest French chef, Laurence Levain is dead, and all of D.C. thinks the culprit was too much foie gras–except Chas Wheatley, the city’s most famous restaurant critic. Still carrying a torch for Levain after a romance they shared years before, she’s convinced that his death was more than a simple case of too much cholesterol–it was a case of murder. Enlisting the aid of detective/gourmand Homer Jones, she launches an investigation and soon finds herself in more trouble than she bargained for.
The Widower’s Two-Step by Rick Riordan
Tres Navarre has just hours of apprenticeship time to serve before he can go for his P.I. license. Staking out a musician suspected of stealing a demo tape should be a piece of “pan dulce”. But his attention wanders just long enough for fiddle player Julie Kearnes to be gunned down before his eyes. He should just back away and let the cops investigate, but backing away has never been Tres’s strong point.
The Weatherman by Steve Thayer
A news team from a local TV station is close on the heels of a brutal serial killer who is callously taking lives with each change of season. When the trail leads to one of their own, the chase becomes more than a mere ratings game.
Up Jumped the Devil by Blair S. Walker
A reporter for the Baltimore Herald, Darryl Billups never wanted to be a hero. He’s just a hardworking black journalist. At first he ignores the voice mail message warning him about an impending wave of white supremacist violence - just another crackpot with nothing better to do with his time. But when bombs start to go off all over town, Billups quickly becomes a believer. Billups is off and running - chasing a deadly urban nightmare to its rotting, poisonous core.
Simple Justice by John Wilson
Falling into alcoholism after the death of his lover, gay crime reporter Benjamin Justice is hired by his former boss to investigate a murder that took place outside a local gay bar, an assignment that forces him to confront his past.
