The Readers' Advisory Interest Group

American Mysteries

In sifting through the hundreds of works of crime fiction published in the United States in recent months, we have seen a continuing decline in the number of traditional mysteries being released, as well as the growing polarization of the field. At one end of the spectrum is the modern, often dark crime novel: forensic investigations, serial killers, cop novels, and action thrillers. At the other end is the so-called "lite" mystery that owes its existence entirely to a gimmick: sleuths who are into candle-making, scrapbooking, knitting, and so forth, or who run "interesting" businesses such as tea shops, flower shops, herb shops, and the like. And then there is a rapidly growing number of chick lit books, in which the mystery elements are sometimes so negligible it's difficult to know how to classify them. Happily, there are enough good solid mysteries out there to fill the shelves of even the most particular reader. From What do I Read Next? 2006 Edition, mystery section.

Perhaps the best known award for mystery writers is The Edgar Allan Poe Award which is given annually in several categories. Some recent winners are: Best First Mystery Novel: 2006 Schwegel, Theresa - Officer Down, 2005 Lee, Don - Country of Origin, 2004 Pawel, Rebecca - Death of a Nationalist: Best Mystery Novel: 2006 Walter, Jess - Citizen Vince, 2005 Parker, T. Jefferson - California Girl: Grand Master: 2006 Kaminsky, Stuart M., 2005 Muller, Marcia, 2004 Wambaugh, Joseph.

	Stephanie Bond. In Deep Voodoo. 2005. During a Voodoo festival in Mojo, Louisiana, Penny Black's ex-husband Deke is found stabbed to death. Not only was Penny found at the scene of the crime holding the murder weapon but, at her divorce celebration, she stabbed a voodoo doll bearing Deke's likeness. The police are keen to pin the crime on Penny, and only sexy, junk-food-loving private investigator B.J. Beaumont may be able to keep her out of jail. Filled with quirky characters, this is the first of a trilogy.
	Tori Carrington. Sophie Metropolis. 2006. This is a Greek version of the Stephanie Plum series. It is not as funny but still an enjoyable read. Sophie ditches her cheating fiancé at the altar and goes on her honeymoon alone. Then she goes to work for her uncle's detective agency. Her assignments include following a cheating wife, investigating a vampire like neighbor, and finding a missing dog. And, of course, there is the obligatory mysterious, foreign (Australian) sexy man to keep her on her toes.
	Janet Evanovich. One for the Money. 1994. Trenton native Stephanie Plum has been fuming at cop Joe Morelli ever since childhood when they played "Choo-choo" and she was the tunnel. Now she has a chance for revenge: laid-off and desperate for the $10 grand reward, she accepts a bounty hunting assignment to turn Morelli in. Morelli killed a man employed by Benito Ramirez, a boxing champ with a sick appetite for torturing women. He claims he shot in self-defense, but the witness who could back him up is missing. Too smart for her to nab him and too charming for her to hate him forever, Morelli talks Stephanie into a deal: if she helps him find the crucial witness, he will let her turn him in. Nothing goes according to plan in this funny, fast-paced mystery.
	Laura Lippman. In a Strange City. 2001. Following a tip from a would-be client, private detective Tess Monaghan goes to the grave of Edgar Allan Poe on the night the Poe Visitor always leaves his tribute: three roses and a bottle of cognac. But on this night, two Visitors show up, and as they are leaving, one is shot dead. In this whodunit set in Baltimore, readers are treated to Poe lore, Baltimoriana, and a cast of characters that includes a (fictional) librarian from Enoch Pratt! Tess is tough and resourceful but has her endearing flaws, such as a tendency to hold a gun like a hairbrush." This is part of the "Tess Monaghan" series, but it can be read as a standalone.
	Marcia Muller. Vanishing Point. 2005. San Francisco private investigator Sharon McCone takes on a cold case at the request of a friend, searching for what happened to a woman who disappeared 22 years earlier in order to bring the two daughters she left behind some psychological closure. She finds that all was not as it seemed with this family that had looked outwardly happy. This is the 24th book in the Sharon McCone series and she is now newly married. This book can be read alone but readers may enjoy the series more in order, as keeping up with the many secondary characters can be confusing.
	Patricia Sprinkle. Who Let That Killer In the House?. 2003. A cozy mystery in a small town setting, this fast paced light reading has a sense of place, mores and personalities similar to Jan Karon's Mitford.
	Margaret Truman. Murder at the Washington Tribune. 2005. For this 21st book in her Capital Crimes series, Truman uses the fictional Washington Tribune instead of an actual DC landmark. When two female media professionals are murdered, veteran crime reporter, Joe Wilcox, feeling the heat from his boss and self-doubt about his ability to compete with younger colleagues, embellishes the story with a serial killer angle. Ironically, his daughter is an up-and-coming local broadcast journalist competing for the story. To complicate matters, Joe's brother, recently released after being institutionalized for killing a young girl wants to reconnect with the family. Thought-provoking themes regarding career pressures, the price of ambition, and journalistic integrity make this a good discussion book.