Crime fiction is essentially about solving crime, in most cases, involving murder. While this plot structure may seem simple, many writers use it to explore current cultural and social values. In Mâtowak, Canadian author Joylene ­Nowell Butler introduces a First Nation (Native American) detective to investigate the death of a retired politician in British Columbia, but along the way, he encounters overt and unconscious prejudices. Tony Parsons’s The Hanging Club raises questions about Britain’s legal system when a group of vigilantes conduct their own version of capital punishment, while Eileen Rendahl’s Cover Me in Darkness examines the psychological damage suffered by cult survivors. And James L’Etoile’s At What Cost explores our medical organ donor system and the ethics involved in its fair distribution. Do you trust in the system or do you join the black market? This month’s selections provide plenty of food for thought.

Check These Out

Butler, Joylene Nowell. Mâtowak: Woman Who Cries. Dancing Lemur. Nov. 2016. 278p. ISBN 9781939844231. pap. $17.95. M

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Danny Killian is assigned to investigate the murder of former minister of national defense Leland Warner. Warner was unpopular, but he got things done. He retired after his two sons, Bronson and ­Declan, died in a murder-suicide 18 months ago. The prime suspect is Warner’s wife, Sally. Killian, an aboriginal man, wants to believe Sally is innocent, but she and her sons were mentally and physically abused by Warner for years. Meanwhile, Killian’s wife was recently murdered, and he finds it hard to focus on his job. Although a police procedural, ­Butler’s third novel (after her Ippy Award Silver Medal–winning Broken But Not Dead) is also a study in prejudice and race relations between white Canadians and First Nations peoples. The author is Métis, and her heritage clearly informs her characters. Using both Danny and Sally as unreliable narrators lends complexity to the plot. VERDICT Readers seeking more diversity in their mysteries will find this an eye-opener.

Chaney, Roy. Seven Times Deadly. 280 Steps. Nov. 2016. 240p. ISBN 9788283550122. pap. $16.95; ebk. ISBN 9788283550139. M

After finishing a sales trip to Hungary, Richard Slade decides, on the spur of the moment, to visit his friend Septimus ­Morgan, in Nice, France. Unfortunately, what begins as a side trip turns into a traveler’s worst nightmare when the protagonist is accused of killing a mysterious woman he met in a bar. When the French police attempt to arrest him, a gunfight breaks out on the streets, two officers are killed, and Richard escapes, on the run in a country where he barely speaks the language and has no money. And then he is kidnapped and discovers the woman he’s suspected of murdering is alive; it turns out that she is also an MI-6 agent. Winner of the Tony Hillerman Prize for his debut novel, The Ragged End of Nowhere, Chaney has written a fast-paced novel with plenty of white-knuckle suspense and intrigue. Richard is your standard-issue everyman caught up in the machinations of spies and criminals. VERDICT A nice option for fans of Jeff Abbott and Bill Granger.

Corris, Peter. That Empty Feeling. Allen & Unwin. Nov. 2016. 257p. ISBN 9781760112073. pap. $22.95. M

Private investigator Cliff Hardy is feeling his age when he reads Barry Bartlett’s obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald. Hardy worked a case for Bartlett back in the 1980s, trying to discover if a con man was passing himself off as Bartlett’s son. Ronny ­Saunders was raised in England, along with his sister, ­Barbara, by their mother, after she left Australia and remarried. More bodies pile up among the aging population of former criminals, now gone straight. Corris is known as the godfather of Australian crime fiction; this is his 41st book featuring Hardy (after Gun Control), the essential world-weary PI who isn’t afraid to use his fists to find answers. VERDICT Cracking dialog moves the pace along. A solid choice for mystery buffs who appreciate rough-hewed Australian humor and hard-boiled PI series.

Hilton, Matt. Painted Skins. Severn House. Dec. 2016. 256p. ISBN 9780727886507. $28.99; ebk. ISBN 9781780108162. M

Because Jasmine Reed is a perpetual runaway, the Portland, ME, police are less than interested when her grandmother reports her missing. Margaret Norris hires private investigators Tess Gray and Nicholas “Po” Villere to find Jasmine, yet several other people in Portland are also searching for her, including the man who harmed her years ago. But Jasmine disappeared before he hit town, so who could be responsible? As Tess investigates, she uncovers other missing young women, all scarred or tattooed or marked in some way. Where have they all gone? Introduced in Blood Tracks, Tess and Po are memorable protagonists. Tess was a police officer who now works as a private investigator. Po is Cajun and left Louisiana after serving time in Angola Prison. Both sleuths have backgrounds ripe for further development. VERDICT The Maine setting brings to mind the mysteries of Paul Doiron, but this is much more of a thriller with some brutal overtones, more in the vein of Taylor Stevens’s “Vanessa Michael Munroe” series.

L’Etoile, James. At What Cost: A Detective Penley Mystery. Crooked Lane. Dec. 2016. 304p. ISBN 9781629539959. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781629539973. M

Sacramento, CA, police detective James Penley and new partner Paula ­Newberry are investigating the grisly murders of gang members whose gutted corpses (all missing internal organs) have been dumped along a river. As the bodies pile up, it becomes personal for Penley. The murderer is harvesting organs for sale on the black market, and Penley’s son is dying of kidney disease. Can he trust the medical establishment to save his son’s life or is he willing to cross the line and jeopardize his career? L’Etoile’s (Little River) nail-bitting dark thriller not only ratchets up the suspense but also raises ethical questions worth pondering: Would you do whatever it takes to save your child, or would you put your faith in the system and the law? VERDICT Fans of tough, well-written procedurals in the tradition of ­Michael Connelly will want to read this series debut.

Miley, Mary. Renting Silence. Severn House. Dec. 2016. 240p. ISBN 9780727886538. $28.99; ebk. ISBN 9781780108209. M

In 1920s Hollywood Jessie Beckett works as a script girl for Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and his wife, Mary Pickford. In her third outing (after The Impersonator and Silent Murders), Mary asks Jessie to investigate the death of Lila Walker. The woman convicted of Lila’s murder, Ruby Glynn, is a friend of Mary’s favorite cameraman, Rob Handler, and neither of them believe Ruby is guilty. Jessie, a former member of a vaudeville troupe, has a knack for uncovering schemes and throws herself into the investigation. Wearing a disguise, she moves into Lila’s old boardinghouse and then ends up back on the vaudeville trail, trying to determine who hated Lila enough to kill her. VERDICT With a well-developed and surprising plot twist, an appealing, resourceful amateur detective, and fascinating period details, this entertaining historical will delight fans of Old Hollywood and those who like the 1920s-set mysteries of Suzanne Arruda and George Baxt.

Mishani, D.A. The Man Who Wanted To Know Everything. Harper. Nov. 2016. 304p. tr. from Hebrew by Todd Hasak-Lowy. ISBN 9780062447906. pap. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062447913. M

Although Insp. Avraham Avraham is happy his girlfriend Marianka has agreed to move to Holon, south of Tel Aviv, with him, her parents disapprove. Plus he worries that she will be unhappy, stuck in their tiny apartment, knowing no Hebrew or anything about Israeli culture. To top off his stress, ­Avraham has been assigned his first case as lead investigator, the murder of a woman who was raped several years ago. He is convinced the killing is related to the previous crime. Does he follow his instincts or the edict of district commander Benny Saban to wrap up the case expeditiously? VERDICT Self-doubting and aware of his own limitations, Mishani’s introspective police detective returns, following The Missing File and A Possibility of Violence. The details about life in Israel will engross international crime fiction devotees and readers who miss the late Israeli mystery author Batya Gur.

Palmer, Jane. When She’s Gone. Crooked Lane. Nov. 2016. 304p. ISBN 9781629537740. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781629538105. M

Ara Zuyev, a Russian immigrant and former cop, now works as a bodyguard for ­Samantha Harper, the stepdaughter of billionaire Oliver Boone. When the 16-­year-old is kidnapped while dining with her mother, the secretive Ara falls under suspicion because she failed to follow basic security protocol. FBI agent Luke Patrick is assigned to the case, and his distrust of Ara is palpable. But as Luke and Ara pursue the kidnappers, it becomes clear there is far more at stake than the $15 million ransom demand. VERDICT A taut plot and the adversarial relationship between the two protagonists combine to make a real thrill ride in this series launch. The flawed Ara’s volatility will remind some readers of Chelsea Cain’s Gretchen Lowell.

Parsons, Tony. The Hanging Club. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Nov. 2016. 384p. ISBN 9781250052711. $26.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466854673. M

When vigilantes, wearing masks of famous hangmen, film their lynchings of insufficiently punished criminals, London Metro DC Max Wolfe and his murder squad wonder if the justice system is completely broken. Not only are the criminals being murdered, their bodies are being dumped at the site of notorious executions. Does society really care if child killers and pedophiles perish? In his third foray (after The Slaughter Man), Wolfe is not only angry at the system; his life as a single father is spinning out of control. VERDICT Excellent writing and subtly paced character development are the hallmarks of this British crime series. Give this one to Ian Rankin and Peter James readers.

Rendahl, Eileen. Cover Me in Darkness. Midnight Ink. Dec. 2016. 264p. ISBN 9780738750200. pap. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9780738751382. M

Amanda Sinclair thought she had left behind Patrick Collier and the Children of a Greater God cult after her mother killed her youngest brother and was institutionalized in Elgin, IL. But when her mother dies in an apparent suicide, Amanda’s life begins to unravel. Someone breaks into her car and leaves behind a decapitated Spider-Man figurine; then she is shoved into traffic at a busy Chicago intersection. Even her quiet work life at a pharmaceutical company is no longer safe; Amanda believes someone is fudging data for a new drug and she is the perfect patsy. She teams up with her mother’s psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Ashmore, to find out the truth of what really happened to her mother. VERDICT Better known for her lighthearted chick lit and paranormal series, Rendahl, who also writes romantic suspense under the Eileen Carr pseudonym and cozies as Kristi Abbott, has penned a hard-to-put-down psychological thriller that also offers a nuanced look at a damaged woman. Fans of Abigail Padgett’s Blue McCarron series will add this one to their to-read list.

Trow, M.J. The Angel. Crème de la Crime: Severn House. Nov. 2016. 224p. ISBN 9781780290898. $28.99; ebk. ISBN 9781780108124. M

England and the world are in mourning. It’s June 1870, and Charles Dickens has been found dead at his summer home. George Sala, one of the Victorian era’s great journalists, is convinced the author was murdered and hires enquiry agents Englishman James Batchelor and American Matthew Grand to investigate. In probing Dickens’s life, the two private investigators discover he was not quite the upstanding gentleman many thought he was. Was he addicted to opium? Was he a cross-dresser? Did ­Dickens actually pen his masterpieces or use a ghost writer? Writing in the florid prose style of the period and incorporating historical events and people adds authenticity and verisimilitude to the action in Trow’s latest series outing (after The Circle). VERDICT This will attract devotees of Ed Gorman’s series featuring Civil War–era Secret Service Agent Dev Mallory as well as fans of Michael Kilian’s “Harrison Raines” mysteries.

Cozy corner

Blair, Jamie M. Deadly Dog Days: A Dog Days Mystery. Midnight Ink. Nov. 2016. 264p. ISBN 9780738750187. pap. $14.99; ebk. ISBN 9780738751238. M

Cameron Cripps-Hayman got dragged to Metamora, IN, when she married Ben ­Hayman. She never quite found her way, and after four years, Cam and Ben are separated and she is trying to figure out how to move forward. Her resentful mother-in-law is Cam’s biggest problem until she discovers the body of a young woman in the town’s canal; it turns out that the victim, identified as Jenn Berg, had been seen with Ben, and soon Cam becomes the prime suspect in her murder. ­Determined to exonerate herself, Cam teams up with a group of local eccentrics, including the town drunk, an elderly kleptomaniac, two high school students, a local handyman, her sister, and Ben’s daughter, Mia. And then Cam decides to adopt Jenn’s five ill-behaved dogs to add to the mayhem in her beautiful old house. VERDICT YA and romance author Blair (Leap of Faith; Lost to Me) launches her canine-themed series with this laugh-out-loud funny cozy. Cam is an admirable heroine who just wants to figure out her life. Dorothy Cannell and Donna Andrews fans rejoice!

Ripley, J.R. Beignets, Brides and Bodies. Severn House. Nov. 2016. 240p. ISBN 9780727886446. $28.99; ebk. ISBN 9781780108100. M

After her divorce, Maggie Miller returned home to Table Rock, AZ, where she opened a coffee and beignet cafe. Her life seems to be back in order until her friend Clive Rothschild, owner of The Hitching Post bridal salon, is accused of murdering Lisa Willoughby, wedding cake artiste. Or did his business and life partner, former Olympic skater Johnny Wolfe, commit the crime? Maggie has a few narrow escapes as she investigates. Caught between the hot detective and the newspaper reporter who seems to know more than he should, what’s a girl to do? VERDICT Ripley’s entertaining second series outing (after Buried in Beignets) is a tasty option for foodie mystery fans of Sandra Balzo and Jessica Beck.

QUOTABLE “Of all the storied bric-a-brac in her collection, he found two items most amusing: Margaret Hamilton’s pointed witch’s hat from The Wizard of Oz and Fred ­MacMurray’s crutches from Double Indemnity, identified with 3 x 5 index cards along with the date she acquired them, and letter of provenance whose signatures alone were collectable: Judy Garland and Billy Wilder. Only someone of her temperament would juxtapose those two films. She was equal parts gaudy flash and disturbing dark matter; yet, oddly, not bipolar.”—Loren D. ­Estleman, Brazen

Additional Mystery

Airth, Rennie. The Death of Kings: A John Madden Mystery. Viking. Jan. 2017. 368p. ISBN 9780399563454. $27; ebk. ISBN 9780399563478. M

It’s been 17 years since readers were introduced to Insp. John Madden in River of Darkness. At the time Madden was a returning World War I veteran whose experiences in the trenches and collaboration with Dr. Helen Blackwell convinced him to employ the as yet unproven science of psychological profiling to track down a serial killer. By 1949, the time frame for Airth’s latest, Madden has happily retired to the life of a farmer, but he’s called back into service to investigate a cold case on behalf of two former colleagues. Once again readers are treated to an insider’s view of Madden’s contemplative approach to his inquiries; this time he’s delving into the social world of Britain’s aristocracy in search of the true killer of would-be actress Portia Blake, who died on the Kent estate of Sir Jack Jessup 11 years earlier. VERDICT This volume will be warmly welcomed by series followers and can be recommended to fans of British procedurals and golden age mysteries alike.—Nancy McNicol, Hamden P.L., CT

Faye, Lyndsay. The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes. Grove. Mar. 2017. 368p. ISBN 9780802125927. $25; ebk. ISBN 9781681684239. M

Faye (Jane Steele), who first wrote about legendary sleuthing duo John Watson and Sherlock Holmes in her debut novel, Dust and Shadow, here collects 15 of her best Holmes-inspired stories. Spanning the breadth of the detective’s celebrated career, these pieces find him rubbing shoulders with bogus beggars, avaricious offspring, jewel thieves, and all manner of scoundrels. Devoted fans might recognize many stories from previous publication in the Strand magazine, but “The Adventure of the Thames Tunnel” and “The Adventure of the Mad Baritone” are exciting new works. VERDICT Sherlockians will be delighted, as will Faye’s many fans. A nice companion to The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories, edited by Otto Penzler. [See Prepub Alert, 9/19/16; library marketing.]—Liv Hanson, Chicago

Minier, Bernard. Don’t Turn Out the Lights. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Dec. 2016. 480p. tr. from French by Alison Anderson. ISBN 9781250106056. $26.99; ebk. ISBN 9781250106063. M

Commandant Martin Servaz’s third outing (after The Frozen Dead and The Circle) sees the Toulouse police commandant attempting to uncover what really happened to an artist who allegedly killed herself a year earlier. Recovering from the kidnapping and death of his girlfriend, Servaz resides at a clinic for depressed police officers where one day he receives a hotel key with a note that says “Meeting tomorrow in Room 117.” In a parallel story line, controversial radio talk show host Christine Steinmeyer finds a suicide note in her mailbox on Christmas Eve. She is alarmed and unsure what to do, but her fiancé pressures her to leave the letter until after the holidays. From that point on Christine is harassed by a mounting series of bizarre incidents, including people who accuse her of sending them vicious emails and a colleague’s claim of sexual abuse. The two stories merge in an astounding dénouement. VERDICT Packed with layers of intrigue and unrelenting suspense, this dark and twisty Gallic procedural will keep fans of international crime fiction and admirers of Minier’s earlier mysteries glued to their armchairs.—Deb West, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA

Tursten, Helene. Who Watcheth: An Inspector Irene Huss Investigation. Soho Crime. Dec. 2016. 304p. tr. from Swedish by Marlaine Delargy. ISBN 9781616954048. $26.95; ebk. ISBN 9781616954055. M

In her ninth mystery (after The Treacherous Net), Insp. Irene Huss of the Violent Crimes Unit in Göteborg, Sweden, is hunting a serial killer who seems to be picking his victims at random and hiding in plain sight. A string of murders of single middle-aged women has the cops running in circles. Their instincts tell them that they have the killer, but they can’t find any links between him and either the victims or the methods by which the bodies have been disposed as tidy packages. Meanwhile, Irene is distracted by a series of malicious pranks targeting her and her family. Could the seemingly random incidents be linked? The haunting finale leaves readers pondering, “Who watches the watchers?” ­VERDICT This type of stalker case has been done many times, but this take, with its Swedish setting and sympathetic protagonist, draws readers in and keeps them glued to their seats. Recommended for enthusiasts of Scandinavian noir and/or European police procedurals. [See Prepub Alert, 6/19/16.]—Marlene Harris, Reading Reality, LLC, Duluth, GA

Viccy Kemp is Technical Services Manager, Flower Mound Public Library, TX, where she buys the books and deals with library technology. Reading mysteries is her passion because it’s only between the pages of a book that justice can really be done