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Here we go again! We offer this round-up of mysteries for you, our discerning readers (:
If you missed last month's reviews, you can find them with this link: May Mystery Reviews
If you can't wait to see what is coming soon, click here to view the Upcoming Mystery Releases
Available in Trade Paperback on June 6 from Grand Central Publishing
Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard link up again in Michael Connelly’s Desert Star, now available in a large-format paperback. LAPD detective Renée Ballard has taken on a new role and is rebuilding the cold case unit but staffed it with volunteers. Ballard’s first task is to clear up the old rape and murder case of the (then) 16 year-old sister of the councilman who championed the new cold case unit. Ballard recruits Bosch as a volunteer investigator in her new unit and agrees to let him use the LAPD resources to work on an old case that has haunted him for years: the murder of an entire family. After Bosch makes an unusual DNA find, Ballard connects some dots and suspects a serial killer might be behind the councilman’s sister’s death. Michael Connelly is truly gifted at creating characters, and Desert Star is no exception. Not only is the interaction between these two captivating, but the other volunteers prove to be fascinating as well. Desert Star might be the best Bosch mystery yet.
Reviewed by Rich Brown
Available in Hardcover Now from Hanover Square Press
It is the 1950's in Dublin, Ireland, and a young and outspoken Jewish woman has been found dead in her car in a mechanic's garage. Her death from carbon monoxide poisoning at first appears to be suicide, however Dr. Quirk believes Rosa Jacobs has been murdered. He soon is able to convince Deputy John Strafford to agree with him. As they investigate, the two men begin to see a connection between this death, a hit and run in Israel, and a wealthy German father and son. I usually don't read mysteries, but I couldn't resist one by John Banville that takes place in Ireland. The Lock-Up is well-written, illustrates the caste system in Ireland in the '50's, and has some sad but endearing characters. Yet, for the life of me, I can't figure out why it is called The Lock-Up!
Reviewed by Nancy Randall
Available in Hardcover Now from Harper
It's the summer of 1974 in Boston. Enforced busing will begin when school starts in the fall, and it seems that no one in Mary Pat Fennessy's neighborhood is happy about it. One night her teenage daughter, Jules, doesn't return home from a night of drinking and partying; that same night a young Black man dies, perhaps from being struck by a subway train. Mary Pat astutely senses that the two events are related and thus searches for answers as well as the people involved in the man's death and her daughter's disappearance. What I liked best about Small Mercies is that it is not just a "whodunit" mystery. Lehane captures the anger and prejudice of the poor Irish of Boston, the long arm of the Irish Mafia, the tension created when people must involuntarily bus their children, and the determination and monomania of the character of Mary Pat Fennessy.
Reviewed by Nancy Randall
Available in Hardcover Now from Forge Publishing
At an animal shelter in Tijuana, a young boy brings in a badly injured mutt whose injury is due to a gunshot wound. The kind veterinarian, Dr. Felix, has seen and treated his share of dogs that roam the streets every day and promises to perform surgery in order to save him. The doctor is successful and soon the friendly dog has healed. Although it has been over a month, no one has come to claim or adopt the mutt. The rule at the shelter is if no one has adopted or claimed animals, they must be euthanized since there is little room and funds. Before the allotted time, a reporter comes in to do a human interest story about the shelter. Bettina Blazak meets the healed animal and can’t believe the dog will be put down and impulsively adopts the dog she names Felix after the kind doctor. Bettina writes the story for the local newspaper which opens a Pandora’s box. Apparently, Felix isn’t just a street dog. He was a retired drug sniffing DEA agent whose owner has used his abilities profitably often against the local drug cartels . There are many who want this rescue— and will stop at nothing to get him back. Rescue is another winner from T. Jefferson Parker.
Reviewed by Marla Alexander
Available in Hardcover Now from Mulholland Books
I must confess: I don’t think I have read a Mosley mystery before. Wow! Do I have a lot of reading to do! This is a fast paced, intelligently crafted story. Joe Oliver, better known as King Oliver, is asked by friend and billionaire Roger Ferris to look into a case. White nationalist Alfred Xavier Quiller has been accused of murder and the sale of sensitive material to the Russians. Being African American, King finds this totally repulsive but agrees to investigate. Being a white supremacist, Quiller is not amused. However, sitting in a well-guarded cell in Rikers Prison, King is his only chance. King’s detecting will have you on the edge of your seat as he gets closer to exposing the truth and putting himself and his family in danger.
Reviewed by Marla Alexander