Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Mystery & Crime Book Reviews Available Now (page 3)


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Cover art for THE MANNEQUIN HOUSE
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2013

"A nifty period whodunit packed with flamboyant characters and brisk dialogue."
A locked-room mystery disrupts a prestigious London department store, an insular world of salacious secrets. Read full book review >
Cover art for HAIR RAISING
FICTION
Released: April 30, 2013

"Dan (Unnatural Acts, 2012, etc.), who'll clearly do anything for a laugh, seems to be having the time of his afterlife. The result is like an early, funny Woody Allen film with zombies, ghosts, vampires and werewolves."
A serial scalper threatens to ignite a full-scale war between two bands of werewolves in Dan Chambeaux's Unnatural Quarter. And there's much, much more. Read full book review >
Cover art for HANG FIRE
FICTION
Released: April 19, 2013

"A confident and engaging whodunit. Kisor's prose is as refreshingly clean and balanced as the hero's investigative style."
Implacable Sheriff Steve Martinez (Cache of Corpses, 2007, etc.) investigates a series of musket murders. Go figure. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE FAMOUS AND THE DEAD
FICTION
Released: April 18, 2013

"Part cops-versus–drugs-and-guns procedural, part elemental morality play, part fire-and-brimstone mythmaking, all of it inimitably Parker."
Parker reaches once more into the real-life story of Operation Fast & Furious to conclude his sprawling, multivolume saga of Charlie Hood, the seen-it-all deputy of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. Read full book review >
Cover art for JAMAICA PLAIN
FICTION
Released: April 8, 2013

"Grim and gritty and packed with action and crackling dialogue, the latest from Campbell (Blue Knight, White Cross, 2009, etc.) opens a new series called A Resurrection Man."
Perps and the public beware: A maverick cop is on the job, and on the loose, in Boston. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE END OF THE WORLD IN BRESLAU
FICTION
Released: April 2, 2013

"In the second of Mock's five adventures translated into English (Death in Breslau, 2012, etc.), darkly atmospheric writing and complex characters draw the reader into a vividly depicted era of modern history."
In decadent 1920s Germany, a dutiful but haunted detective unravels a pair of bizarre murders as his personal life crumbles around him. Read full book review >
Cover art for LOOSE ENDS
FICTION
Released: April 1, 2013

"Moody (Dancing in the Dark, 2012, etc.) concocts an addictive, ironic and darkly suspenseful combination of mystery and romance."
The puzzle of a long-past accident brings together a diverse group of survivors and suspects. Read full book review >
Cover art for FALSE ALARM
FICTION
Released: April 1, 2013

"The Abbot Agency's seventh outing will be just the thing for readers who like their cozies with a bit of bite."
Domestic matters both personal and professional loom large for the owner of the Abbot Agency (False Report, 2012, etc.). Read full book review >
Cover art for ONE THROUGH THE HEART
FICTION
Released: April 1, 2013

"Seasoned pro Russell showcases sturdy police work on a complicated case."
Nothing turns a cold case hotter than two partial skeletons and 14 skulls. Read full book review >
Cover art for GARDEN OF EVIL
FICTION
Released: April 1, 2013

"Though Masterton's (Festival of Fear, 2012, etc.) plot moves well and is action-oriented, the condoning of generally abnormal human interactions by all hands may make readers wonder what, in this world, normal is."
A supernatural tale pits an English teacher against an adversary who may just be the devil. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE GOLDEN EGG
FICTION
Released: March 26, 2013

Commissario Guido Brunetti, the second-sharpest member of the Venetian Questura, investigates the death of a man who barely had a life to begin with. Read full book review >
Cover art for ROOM NO. 10
FICTION
Released: March 5, 2013

"As majestically lumbering as Henning Mankell at his most grueling, with a finale out of Stieg Larsson."
A disappearance and a murder nearly 20 years apart trouble the sleep of Gothenburg's Chief Inspector Erik Winter and his much younger self. Read full book review >