All the Colors of Darkness by Peter Robinson
This is in the Alan Banks series of police procedurals. Banks and Cabbot are brought in to investigate an apparent murder/suicide. Their investigation leads them into dangerous territory--MI-6. The story keeps you guessing and I never fail to enjoy the company of Banks and Cabbot.

A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield
Stella Hardesty is a formerly abused wife who dispatched her husband and now helps other abused wives eliminate their problems. Stella is a tough, middle aged woman with a sense of humor who gets in over her head when she follows an abusive husband who has kidnapped his wife’s son. This takes place in the Ozarks in southern Missouri where she winds up battling the Kansas City mafia. This is the first in the series and it looks like it will be a good one.

American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson always struck me as being a really nice guy with a great sense of humor. After reading his book he still seems like a nice guy and he still has a great sense of humor. This was an entertaining, moving and fun memoir. I'm glad I read it!

A Night of Long Knives by Rebecca Cantrell
Journalist Hannah Vogel returns to Germany in this 2nd in the series. Her son Anton is kidnapped while she is sent to marry Ernst Röhm. Instead Röhm is killed in the night of long knives so Hannah sets out to find Anton and leave Germany for safety. This series takes place in the early days of Nazi Germany and although this book didn’t have the intensity of her 1st, A Trace of Smoke, it was still exciting.

The Devil by Ken Bruen
I wonder what's going on in Ken Bruen's life. This book had very few words per page--an extremely quick read. Plus he seems to be trying his hand at the supernatural craze popular today. In this novel, Jack Taylor meets up with the Devil himself. I hope he goes back to mere mortal foes and doesn't bring in the vampires in the next book.

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
I listened to this and don't recommend the audio--I didn't like the reader. But the story is good although it is definitely a tragedy. A man is found dead; his wife is missing and the town bad boy is blamed. He goes to prison for 23 years insisting he is innocent. When he is released the truth finally comes out. This is a story of a family, of a small town and of the consequences of keeping dark secrets.

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Recommendations from Julie

Havana Lunar by Robert Arellano
The cover of this book describes it as "a Cuban noir novel." That is a fitting description. It is a crime novel but even more interesting is the picture of Cuba following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The writing is stylistic and beautiful. This was a quick and enjoyable read.

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith
The No. 1 Ladies Detective series never ceases to be enjoyable--especially on audiobook! Lisette Lecat is a wonderful reader! This book failed to have any kind of mystery to solve; it was just the daily goings on of Mme Ramotswe, Mme Makutsi and Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni. Nevertheless, the characters are so endearing and they've become such good friends that even without much plot it's still fun to read! Alexander McCall Smith's website.

A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn
Malla Nunn's first book is a true winner. Detective Emmanuel Cooper is sent to a small town to investigate the murder of a beloved Afrikaner police officer. He finds that not everything is as it seems; that the lines between the blacks, whites and the English are blurred to say the least, and the police and the Security branch don't seem to be working for the same side. This is a complex and intelligent mystery.

Modesty Blaise by Peter O’Donnell
This one is just for fun. Written in 1965, Modesty Blaise began as a comics character but several novels were written about her too. Modesty is drop dead gorgeous, smart, tough and able to survive any evil adventure that comes her way. Think female James Bond. This is a really fun read!

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Recommendations from Julie

Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
Isabel is on the loose investigating her new neighbor and getting arrested numerous times; Ray runs over her best friend; Dad and Mom are taking many disappearances . . . what's going on? The Spellmans are a fun family to keep up with. The audiobook is also very good.

The Serialist by David Gordon
This book started out very funny--something I would recommend to anyone, but it turned into a dark, grisly crime novel only for the less squeamish reader. David Gordon does have a way with words though. Every once in awhile I'd come to a paragraph I would have to reread several times it was so good. I loved the talk of writing, writers and readers.

Let the Dead Lie by Malla Nunn
I loved this book. Malla Nunn is a great writer. All of the pre-apartheid stuff is fascinating--I had forgotten what South Africa was like at that time. The detective, Emmanual Cooper, is an interesting and complicated character. The people you meet in the book are all very different; different social strata, cops vs. crooks, different racial or ethnic group. I'm going to go back and read her first book now.

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Recommendations from Suzanne

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
This is very British and very charming! Major Pettigrew seems like a stodgy relic of the British colonial empire when you are first introduced to him, but perhaps he’s not as bound to tradition as he seems. He even surprises himself.

Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa
by R.A. Scotti
I recommend this nonfiction book to everyone who likes to read. When the Mona Lisa, the Louvre Museum’s most famous painting, disappears, the Paris police run around in circles, looking very much like Inspector Clouseau. They bring in Picasso and the poet Apollinaire for questioning. This is a romp, plus I learned a lot about da Vinci’s art and about the period in the which the crime took place. When the painting eventually turns up, the identity of the person who took the painting is a total surprise. This is a book about art that manages to be informative and funny at the same time.

Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan
A man buys a shovel . . . and then the plot takes off and never loses its grip on you. This is one of the most original thrillers I’ve read. I literally did not know what was going to happen until the last page!

The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell
What does the brutal massacre of 19 mostly elderly inhabitants of a small hamlet in Sweden have to do with Chinese laborers who built the U.S. transcontinental railroads in the 1800’s? What do these two plots have to do with greedy Chinese capitalists, political corruption, the legacy of European colonialism in Africa and the withering away of youthful idealism? Mankell masterfully weaves all of these elements together into a web of intrigue that manages to be both credible and suspenseful. Mankell has created a fascinating and highly original mashup of a thriller combined with historical fiction. These two plots, the investigation of the murders and the historical story, are layered with Mankell’s probing examination of contemporary Swedish society and its values.
Hemming Mankell's website.

Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen
We read Bich’s memoir Stealing Buddha’s Dinner for one of our potlucks. Short Girls is her first novel, and it’s a winner. It’s the story of two sisters finding their way in life and dealing with their Vietnamese immigrant family. The book is touching, realistically told and positive in outcome.

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Recommendations from Julie

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
This is one of the very best mystery series I've ever read! I'm so sorry that Larsson died so there are no more books to read. In this one, all of the creeps who have conspired to make Salander's life a living hell get their due. It is very satisfying.

Beneath the Bleeding by Val McDermid
Carol Jordan and Tony Hill are one of the mystery world's most interesting couples. In this one, Tony has been wounded by mad psychiatric patient and spends most of the book on his back in hospital. Nevertheless, with his computer he is able to uncover some truths leading to motives and means for the two crimes under investigation. If you haven't read the Tony Hill mysteries before you might want to start with an earlier title but if you already know the series, this one is a good one.

Hit and Run by Lawrence Block
This is #4 in Block's Keller series but it's the first Keller that I've read. In this one, Keller, a professional hit man, is set up for a murder he didn't commit. He escapes, travels around the country and finally settles in New Orleans where he starts a new life, with a new name. Oddly enough, you find yourself rooting for the hit man.

Waylaid by Ed Lin
This is the story of a 12 year old Chinese immigrant boy who lives with his parents at the rather sleazy hotel his parents own on the Jersey shore. This kid does well in school in spite of working practically full-time at the hotel. His life consists of school, hotel, skin magazines and other sexual paraphernalia left by customers in their room. He doesn't have a particularly close relationship to his family, and except for the one girl at school he hopes to nail, his only friends are long term hotel customers. There isn't much of a plot except that he wants to have sex before the year is out but it is a fascinating look into the lives of the working immigrant family.

The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag (audiobook)
by Alan Bradley
Flavia is in the middle of everything again. When Rupert Porson, a puppeteer, is murdered, Flavia figures out who did it long before the police who haven't seemed to discover anything in their investigations. Thank goodness Flavia's around to solve these cases! The best thing about listening to these books is the reader: Jane Entwistle does a tremendous job making the listening experience a pure pleasure.

Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett
When a prostitute is found with a man who has been gutted and the tattoo on his back peeled off detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep must get to the bottom of the mystery. Solving a crime is very complex in Thailand where police, armies, everyone is corrupt. Though I didn't like this book as much as the first in the series, Bangkok 8, this did have a passage that I had to read aloud to friends it was just so funny!

The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville
This is Neville's first novel and it is tremendous! It is original and compelling. The characters are well-drawn and the ideas of responsibility and retribution are looked at from a totally different point of view. I'm eager to see if Neville can top this one!

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Recommendations from Julie

Blue Genes by Christopher Lukas
Blue = sad in this title. The author lost many members of his family to suicide. Bipolar disorder and depression ran rampant in his family. After losing his brother to suicide he wanted to both open the discussion and recognition of suicide and depression and to hopefully come to terms with the many losses he has suffered. A very sad book.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Flavia de Luce is a precocious 11-yr. old who finds a dead body in the cucumber patch and proceeds to figure out who did it. I listened to this book and found it very entertaining.

Cut Short by Leigh Russell
D.I. Geraldine Steel has risen rapidly through the ranks and is transferred to a quiet village. Here she finds herself working for a tough-as-nails woman D.C.I. (think Jane Tennyson) on a serial killer case. This book is a good, solid police procedural.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
Stork has written a wonderful story about a young man with asperger's syndrome trying to find his way in the real world. There are so many things to learn about and to try to understand like why people hurt each other, why they use each other, why they are dishonest. The difficulties Marcelo faces are difficult lessons for anyone, not just someone with asperger's so its very easy to relate to him and his trials and tribulations. I listened to this book and the reader really made it come alive. Highly recommended.

Shatter by Michael Robotham
Psychologist Joe O’Loughlin watches a woman jump to her death. It appears to be suicide but on further investigation it turns out to be murder. Joe is determined to find out what happened so works with the police and on his own to find the killer. This is an exciting British thriller.

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Recommendations from Julie

Deception by Denise Mina
A forensic psychologist at a prison for the criminally insane is accused of murdering one of her patients and his wife. The story is told by her husband who is at home, searching for proof of her innocence. This is an absorbing read with a surprise ending.

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
I listened to this one and it was really fun! Although it's definitely easy-to-read, chick-lit it is very amusing. The characters are quirky in an interesting way and the plot is enough to keep you going.

Still Waters by Nigel McCrery
I love flawed detectives and DCI Mark Lapslie is definitely flawed--he has a neurological condition called Synaesthesia which causes him to "taste" sounds. His condition has caused him to lose his wife and child and has put him on leave from work. He's called back though to investigate a series of murders where the victims have had their fingers cut off. This is a fascinating and exciting mystery. Did you know that lies taste like nutmeg? Interesting, huh!

March Violets
(First of 3 mysteries found in Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr)
This novel takes place in 1936 Berlin. Bernard Gunther is a tough talking private detective hired to investigate an arson/murder/theft by a wealthy industrialist. Because of the times, all investigations somehow lead to interactions with the rising Nazi party. Kerr is a great noir writer so this was lots of fun.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Siddhartha is a parable--an Indian (think India) parable. Not what you expect from a German writer. However, Hesse' parents were missionaries in India so he spent a lot of time there during his childhood. It is the story of a man's search for meaning in his life. I listened to this book. Having read it in high school I knew what I was in for but I still found it hard to become engrossed.

The Soul Collector by Paul Johnston
People are dying all over London: mystery writers, gang members and SAS men. Are the murders related? Were that all committed by the sister of the White Devil? There is a lot of action in this book but the characters were all caricatures, the heroes were revoltingly macho. I’m sorry I read the whole way through because it was a really stupid book.

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Jason Blake is an 11-year old boy who is autistic. Every day is a struggle for him—trying to fit in to the world of “neurotypicals.” Communication is particularly hard for him except online where he writes and posts stories he has written. Author Baskin’s depiction of Jason and his struggles is presented so well that the reader feels what Jason feels. Jason is presented sensitively but not sentimentally. By the time you finish this book you will feel a much greater understanding of the difficulties faced by autistic children. I listened to this audio-book and the reader was particularly good. I highly recommend this title. (Found in the Juvenile Fiction Section.)

No Sleep Till Wonderland by Paul Tremblay
Mark Genevich, the narcoleptic detective is back for a second mystery. Genevich goes through life in a dream state, never quite sure what’s real and what’s not, nor who’s a friend and who’s an enemy. In this book he is hired for two separate cases which turn out to be connected. Genevich is a sympathetic and interesting character and the messes he finds himself in are always entertaining.

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