Category: mystery

Author: David P. Wagner
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-4642-0270-4
Pages: 236
Price: $24.95

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Rick Montoya is all set to enjoy a week off from his translation business, skiing with his old college chum. But when Luca Albani requests Rick’s assistance investigating the disappearance of an American businessman, Rick immediately agrees. Albani is looking for more than translation help, and Rick finds himself tagging along to visit everyone Albani plans to interrogate. The case quickly turns to murder, when the body is discovered.

Each meeting reveals additional information about the suspect’s and victim’s lives, and Albani and Rick find themselves more and more puzzled. The choice of murder weapon suggests the purpose of the man’s last actions, but who was he with, and why? Someone thinks Rick is getting too close to the truth – will time run out before he can find out who that is?

Death in the Dolomites is the sequel to Cold Tuscan Stone in the Rick Montoya mystery series. Like the first book, this one is also heavy on the Italian ambiance, and fine wines and delicious food are liberally sprinkled throughout the story. The author plays fair with the reader, and all clues are revealed before the final showdown. Another delightful reading – and vicarious dining – experience. I highly recommend this series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Dennis Palumbo
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-4642-0254-4
Pages: 336
Price: $24.95

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Lisa Harland, the wife of one of Pittsburgh’s richest tycoons, shows up at Daniel Rinaldi’s office, intending to commit suicide by 7:00 that evening. But Rinaldi doesn’t anticipate Lisa being kidnapped right from under his nose as she’s leaving his office. Her husband immediately summons the FBI and police, and Rinaldi is included as the last one to see her before she was snatched.

But the kidnappers are playing hardball with the authorities, and the violence escalates. Money is their primary aim, but Rinaldi senses they may also be looking for some kind of revenge. And until he understands what motivates them, no one is safe.

Phantom Limb is a fast-paced mystery-thriller, in the same mold as the previous Daniel Rinaldi mysteries. Rinaldi and the supporting characters are well-developed for a mystery, and the intricate plot made this a book I couldn’t put down. I highly recommend this series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: David P. Wagner
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-4642-0190-5
Pages: 250
Price: $24.95

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Rick Montoya is living in Rome, busy with his translation service, when his school chum Beppo Rinaldi from the Ministry of Culture rings him up for lunch. Half American and half Italian, Rick is the perfect guy to sniff out an antiquities smuggling ring in Volterra. Posing as an agent for a Santa Fe art gallery, his job is to infiltrate their operations by pretending to be a buyer.

Armed with a list of suspects and contacts to be made in Volterra, Rick joins forces with the local police force, who reluctantly support him in his efforts. But soon after making his first contact, a man is murdered, and he is the last person known to have seen him alive. Now a suspect in the murder, Rick wonders if this assignment is going to be more dangerous than he thought.

Cold Tuscan Stone is a charming mystery set in an isolated location off the main tourist track. Steeped in history and culture, it’s a fun read for any armchair traveler interested in Europe’s past. I look forward to reading more of this new series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: TJ O’Connor
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3950-2
Pages: 384
Price: $14.99

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Detective Oliver “Tuck” Tucker has suddenly found himself in an unusual position – he’s dead and investigating his own murder. Finding his killer is important, but protecting his wife is his highest priority. Now if only interacting with the living wasn’t such a real challenge.

As Tuck figures out how to function in his new existence, he discovers clues about the events leading up to his own death. Those he always trusted have turned to suspects, and he doubts his own reasoning. But he has to learn the truth and somehow manage to stop his wife from being the next victim.

Dying to Know provides an unusual twist from the standard detective novel. As a ghost, Tuck is able to jump from place to place without any fear of detection, and can easily overhear conversations he normally wouldn’t, if he was alive. Yet his ghostly limitations provide drama and suspense, as the reader hopes he can step in to save the day. I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to seeing more of this series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Jane Tesh
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-4642-0196-7
Pages: 250
Price: $24.95

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Private investigator David Randall has just taken on a case to find a missing bracelet when magician, Lucas Finch, calls. His Houdini box has disappeared. But during his visit to the Magic Club, Randall discover Finch’s brother, Taft, stuffed inside a box, dead. Everyone claims that Taft was a great guy and had no enemies, but apparently someone thought otherwise.

As Randall investigates the missing box, he also delves into Taft’s past, searching for clues. What was Rahnee’s real relationship with Taft? Was Wizboy’s ambition to run the club enough to commit murder? And how did Jilly feel about Taft’s disregard for herself and her talents?

This third book in the Grace Street Mystery series is an enjoyable whodunit with a whole lot more. Randall interacts with some unusual and interesting people, and these secondary characters, as well as Randall himself, are more fully developed than one might expect, adding depth and charm to this cozy. Even the suspects themselves feel like real people, and one almost hates to find out who was willing to commit murder after developing a liking for them all. I highly recommend Now You See It and the Grace Street Mystery series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Amy M. Bennett
Publisher: Oak Tree Press
Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-61009-071-1
Pages: 258
Price: $15.95

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Corrie Black, owner of Black Horse Campground, is looking forward to the upcoming season and seeing old friends. So when long-time guest Marvin Landy is shot dead in his own RV, Corrie is shaken. Former flame Sheriff Rick Sutton is on the case, and he hopes to have it wrapped up quickly, so things can return to normal.

Where did widowed Betty Landry’s son come from, and what was he doing when Marvin was shot? And how were the Westlakes involved with Marvin? Is the suspicious Harley rider, J.D. Wilder, connected in any way? Rick is watching the biker closely, but sparks soon begin to fly between J.D. and Corrie, making her question his innocence. Ultimately, Corrie just wants to make sure she and the other campers are safe until the killer is caught.

End of the Road is the first in the Black Horse Campground mystery series. The characters are well-developed, as is the plot, and Bennett plays fair with the reader, revealing all clues as they are discovered. I really enjoyed this well-written mystery, and I look forward to more of this series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Judy Clemens
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-4642-0202-5
Pages: 250
Price: $24.95

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Stella Crown is busy avoiding her future sister-in-law’s wedding planning schemes when she visits the county fair. She has more interest in the cows than the up and coming local country singer she pulls out of a pile of manure. But since she’s the one who discovered Rikki’s body, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of the investigation, if only to clear her name.

Her best friend, the veterinarian covering the fair, is now a suspect, due to some misplaced logic by the local police, and Stella is worried about someone deliberately hurting the cows. A cheater is attempting to buy himself a prize, and a teenage girl has had enough cosmetic surgery to look more like a clown than the future Lovely Miss Pennsylvania. Are all these unusual facts somehow related to Rikki’s death?

Although I have not read the first five books in this series, I very happily and easily immersed myself in this story and these characters’ lives. However, Leave Tomorrow Behind is so good, I intend to read the earlier books as soon as possible. I highly recommend this enjoyable mystery.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author:  Bernadette Pajer
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-4642-0126-4
Pages: 250
Price: $24.95

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Professor Benjamin Bradshaw has been urgently summoned to the Healing Sands Sanitarium for an incident of electrical nature. The year is 1903, and electricity is still in its early years. When the request comes with an all-expenses-paid invitation for himself and his students to stay at the sanitarium, he agrees and packs up his class, along with his son, his associate, Henry, and Henry’s niece, Missouri.

Bradshaw is widowed, and has a fondness for Missouri that has developed over the first two books in this series. He is also well-known as an expert in solving homicide cases involving electricity.

When Bradshaw arrives at Healing Sands, he finds that the patients currently in treatment are unable to leave due to a death at the sanitarium. But was this a case of accidental death or was it murder? As Bradshaw investigates, he digs up information someone doesn’t want him to know, and risks his life in exposing the killer.

Capacity for Murder is well-written with an intriguing plot set at the turn of the 20th century. Historical information is nicely blended with a fast-paced story and a finely crafted mystery. This is the first book I’ve read in this series, but I look forward to seeing more of Professor Bradshaw.

Reviewer: Alice Berger