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Adult Book Lists - Sleuth a Good Mystery

Page history last edited by AnnieF 1 yr ago

ABC Murders by Agatha Christie. Miss Marple uses her knowledge of human nature derived from years of life to propose solutions to crimes. M/LT M/CD M Christie

 

After Effects by Catherine Aird. When D.I. Sloan learns that Mrs. Galloway had been a part of a dangerous drug trial, he assumes that her death may not have been entirely from natural causes, and when he hears of the suicide of a doctor also involved in the trial, Sloan sets out to learn more. M Aird

 

“A” is for Alibi by Sue Grafton. On parole from a murder conviction, Nikki hires a PI to find the real killer. M/LT M/CT M Grafton

 

Alienist by Caleb Carr. It is 1896 in New York, and the hunt is on for a new kind of criminal—a serial killer. Fic/M/CT M Carr

 

Along Came a Spider by James Patterson. Two children are kidnapped by a serial killer who involves investigators in a tense search for a psychopath. M/LT M/CT M Patterson

 

Aunt Dimity’s Death by Nancy Atherton. Lori learns she will inherit a large estate from her dead aunt, but there’s a catch. M Atherton

 

Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King. Miss Mary becomes Holmes' pupil and quickly hones her talent for deduction, disguises, and danger. M/CD M/CT M King

 

Blind Descent by Nevada Barr. A killer is drawing Anna into the darkness-and closer to hell than she has ever been. M/LT M/CD M/CT M Barr

 

Body in the Transept by Jeanne M. Dams. Dorothy tries to get into the holiday spirit— until she finds the body of a cranky cleric. M/CT M Dams

 

Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver. A terrifying ride into two minds--that of a physically-challenged detective and the killer he must stop. M/LT M/CT M Deaver

 

Case Has Altered by Martha Grimes. Richard is investigating the murder of two women, both with a strange connection to a wealthy estate owner. M/LT M/CT M Grimes

 

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson. Catering a wake was unpleasant enough even before someone poisoned the coffee. M/CD M Davidson

 

Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry. With five murder victims found outside their home, Inspector Pitt wonders if the Ellison sisters are too good to be true. M/LT M Perry

 

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun. This is the first feline mystery series, with a rural reporter and his Siamese cats. M/LT M/CD M/CT M Braun

 

Certain Justice by P.D. James. When a lawyer is found murdered, Adam faces a classic conundrum and copious suspects. M/LT M/CD M/CT M James

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke. Cookie-baking sleuth Hannah Swenson must protect her reputation when a popular delivery man is found murdered behind her bakery with her cookies scattered around him. M/LT M/CD M Fluke

 

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters. Amelia inherited her father's fortune; now she heads for Cairo and a killer mummy. M/CD M/CT M Peters

 

Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman. Joe must locate two missing boys, but he is hindered by an archeological dig, and the strange laws of the Zuni Indians. M/LT M/CD M/CT M Hillerman

 

Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. Inspector Grant is determined to find what kind of man King Richard III was. M Tey

 

Deadbeat by  W.W. Lee. Private investigator Angela Matelli becomes involved in a murder while working a case for a client whose identity has been stolen in a credit card scam. M Lee

 

Death Drop by Alina Adams. At a Nationals practice session, an abandoned baby and a murdered ice-dancing champion throw the skating world and television researcher Bex Levy for a triple loop. LT M Adams

 

A Death in the Venetian Quarter by Alan Gordon. Theophilos the Jester and his fellow citizens within the city of Constantinople are confronted by the Fourth Crusade and by the murder of a silk merchant, forcing Theophilos to race to solve the mystery and save Constantinople. M Gordon

 

The Death of a Constant Lover by Lev Raphael. Still out of favor at his university two years after he solved the murder of his former officemate, Nick Hoffman discovers another body on the same site. M Raphael

 

Death on Demand by Carolyn G. Hart. Faith, caterer-turned-amateur sleuth, investigates mysterious doings at a retirement community. M/LT M/CD M/CT M Hart

 

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs. A corpse turns Temperance plans for a weekend off, and her life, upside down. M/CT M Reichs

 

The Eagle Heist by Raymond Austin. When ex-cop turned P.I. Sloan investigates the theft of an armored truck full of diamonds and the murder of an Eagle security guard, his investigation leads him to Morocco and Spain where he discovers that the thief is not who he suspected. M Austin

 

Farewell Performance by Tessa Barclay. While in Edinburgh for a music festival, Gregory Crowne discovers that sometimes a royal background is useful, especially when one is forced into the role of amateur detective. M Barclay

 

Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth. Miss Maud Silver is a retired governess who sets herself up as a "private enquiry agent." M Wentworth

 

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes and Watson pursue an evil that prowls the moors and could be too much. M/LT M/CD M/CT M/Juv Doyle

 

Hugger Mugger by Robert B. Parker. Someone's making death threats in Dixie - against a thoroughbred horse destined to be the next Secretariat. M/LT M Parker

 

Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. When the Moonstone diamond from India, disappears, Miss Verinder believes that her lover is the thief, but others are also suspected. Fic/M/823.8 Collins

 

Mr. Paradise by Elmore Leonard. When party games involving a beautiful escort, her model roommate, lawyer Tony Paradiso, and his aide Montez Taylor go murderously wrong, Detroit detective Frank Delsa finds himself with a double homicide on his hands. M/CT M Leonard

 

Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen by Emily Brightwell. During Christmas season, Witherspoon is called in when Stephen Whitfield, a member of the upper class, is poisoned by foxglove slipped into his wine. M Brightwell

 

Murder, with Peacocks by Donna Andrews. Plans for three family weddings in one summer are made hectic by murder. M/LT M Andrews

 

My Gal Sunday by Mary Higgins Clark. When Henry’s former secretary is indicted for murder, he and his bride uncover why. M/LT M/CD M/CT M Clark

 

Never Street by Loren D. Estleman. Neil Catalin is missing. His wife claims his obsession with the black and white hard-boiled detective movies of the 40's has caused him to disappear into that kind of alienated character. M Estleman

 

Night Train by Martin Amis. A female detective named Mike Hoolihan investigates the murder of her commanding officer's daughter, whose death was staged to look like a suicide. M/LT M Amis

 

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. Out of work and out of money, Stephanie Plum becomes a bounty hunter. Her first assignment is to track down a former vice cop on the run for murder. M/LT M/CD M/CT M Evanovich

 

Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell. At night in Richmond, VA, a human monster strikes, leaving a gruesome trail of stranglings that has paralyzed the city. M/LT M/CD M/CT M Cornwell

 

Queen of Ambition by Fiona Buckley. In the summer of 1564, Lady Blanchard investigates rumors of an assassination plot and uncovers a mystery involving the death of a student, a runaway wife, and a baffling cipher. M Buckley

 

Remains to be Scene by R.T. Jordan. An aging TV star investigates a string of murders that plague the set of a teensploitation flick. M/LT M Jordan

 

The Rembrandt Panel by Oliver T. Banks. A slightly complicated murder mystery set in Boston and the art world. LT M Banks

 

Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman. Trying to resolve her father's death, Sally ventures into London's shadowy underworld. YA Pullman

  

 

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn.  When a private detective suspects her husband was murdered, Lady Julia teams up with him to investigate.  M Raybourn

 

Strange Files of Fremont Jones by Dianne Day. Meet turn-of-the-century Fremont Jones, a feminist decades ahead of her time. LT M Day

 

Summons by Peter Lovesey. An escaped convict holds a hostage and demands meeting with the officer who arrested him. M/LT M Lovesey

 

Sunset Limited by James Lee Burke. The murder of labor leader Flynn remains unsolved until his daughter digs up the past. M/LT M/CD M/CT M Burke

 

Three Doors to Death by Rex Stout. Wolfe investigates the reappearance of a man supposedly dead, proves a murder suspect's innocence, and solves the mystery of a private nurse's murder. CT M Stout

 

Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert. Eager to open up an herb shop, China Bayles leaves behind her career in corporate law, but a close friend's tragic death could end her happy plans. M Albert

 

To the Hilt by Dick Francis. Alexander is content to paint and play bagpipes, until he receives a call from his troubled family. M/LT M Francis

 

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman. Tired of her club meetings, Mrs. Pollifax decides to become a secret agent and is sent to Mexico where she becomes entangled in quite a hot Cold War. CD M Gilman

 

The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters. Brother Cadfael solves the murder of a nun and finds out more about his own past. LT M Peters

 

Wench is Dead by Colin Dexter. A terrifying ride into two minds--that of a physically-challenged detective and the killer he must stop. M Dexter

 

Windsor Knot by Sharyn McCrumb. Between a wedding and her research, Elizabeth investigates the death of a man who died five years before. M/LT M/CT M McCrumb

 

 

Last Updated 01/2009

 

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