Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




30 New Mysteries & Thrillers


Cover art for BAD LITTLE FALLS
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"A high-stakes, high-tension yarn in which you keep wishing everything would turn out fine for the deeply flawed, deeply sympathetic hero even though you know it won't."
Now that he's antagonized every other lawman in the state of Maine (Trespasser, 2011, etc.), game warden Mike Bowditch gets exiled to Washington County, the Down East territory where nothing ever happens. Things happen. Read full book review >
Cover art for BAGPIPES, BRIDES, AND HOMICIDES
FICTION
Released: Aug. 1, 2012

"The latest from Dunnett (Scotched, 2011, etc.) doesn't exactly break new ground, but cozy readers may well enjoy a story that meets their expectations."
The still waters of a quiet Maine town run deep when a local professor is killed and suspects abound. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY
FICTION
Released: Aug. 28, 2012

"Elliptical and often oracular, but also remarkably penetrating and humane. The most illuminating analogies are not to other contemporary detective fiction but to The Name of the Rose and Murder in the Cathedral."
A prior's murder takes Quebec's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his sidekick, Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir, inside the walls of the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loupes. Read full book review >
Cover art for A BREW TO A KILL
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"A foodie's delight, packed with information on coffee and desserts, along with appended recipes and a satisfyingly rich mystery."
A rivalry between food trucks becomes a deadly affair. Read full book review >
Cover art for DEATH IN AUGUST
FICTION
Released: Aug. 15, 2012

"Forget the ingenious, disposable mystery. Reading Vichi is like vacationing with friends who've lived in Florence all their lives, know how to enjoy all the high and low spots, and solve murders."
A first American appearance for a shrewd, worldly Florentine police inspector with some appealingly unexpected affinities. Read full book review >
Cover art for DEATH OF A SCHOOLGIRL
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"In a radical departure from her scrapbooking series (Ready, Scrap, Shoot, 2012, etc.), Slan refashions a beloved heroine as a surprisingly canny detective. Her stylistic imitation of Charlotte Brontë is seasoned with a dash of social commentary and plenty of suspects to mull over."
A cry of distress from a schoolgirl takes Jane Eyre Rochester far from her sheltered life. Read full book review >
Cover art for FAR NORTH
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

Detective Sgt. Magnus Jonson, seconded from Boston to Reykjavík, tackles two cases, one with global consequences, the other striking considerably closer to home. Read full book review >
Cover art for A FOREIGN COUNTRY
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"Cumming's sixth thriller (The Trinity Six, 2011, etc.) is smart and intricate, with a large cast of cool characters and an authentic feel. "
A deadly long-shot mission gives a disgraced secret agent a chance at redemption. Read full book review >
Cover art for GOING TO THE BAD
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"Fans of McFarland's series (A Bad Day's Work, 2010, etc.) will be shocked at the involvement of Uncle Bud. It's hard when a mystery hits so close to home."
Determined to avenge an attack on her uncle, a photographer turns investigator in this character-rich whodunit and whydunit. Read full book review >
Cover art for HOUSE OF BELLS
FICTION
Released: Aug. 1, 2012

"A page turner full of mystery and horror that's unfortunately marred by a weak ending."
A girl with a troubled past takes an undercover assignment that may be the death of her. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SEVEN
FICTION
Released: Aug. 21, 2012

"Another charming demonstration that it's better to travel hopefully than to arrive--a motto that might stand for every soap opera ever written."
85 more snapshots of the tenants of 44 Scotland Street and their friends and lovers. Read full book review >
Cover art for INVISIBLE COUNTRY
FICTION
Released: July 3, 2012

"Alfieri (City of Silver, 2009) has written an anti-war mystery that compares with the notable fiction of Charles Todd."
1868's War of the Triple Alliance pits little Paraguay against its mighty neighbors Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay--and a freelance killer. Read full book review >
Cover art for KILL YOU TWICE
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"Cain's abiding determination to outdo the suspense, plot twists and gore of each previous outing is both perverse and awe-inspiring."
A fourth match--a fifth, if you count The Night Season (2011), in which she's limited to a cameo--between Gretchen Lowell, the Beauty Killer, and Archie Sheridan, the Portland cop who alternates between locking her up and having sex with her. Read full book review >
Cover art for A KILLING IN THE HILLS
FICTION
Released: Aug. 21, 2012

"A fictional debut for a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, born and raised in West Virginia, whose love for the state, filled with natural beauty and deep poverty, pervades a mystery that has plenty of twists and turns and a shocking conclusion."
A tough prosecutor who's trying to make a difference in the lives of West Virginians suddenly finds her own life in shambles. Read full book review >
Cover art for LEAST OF EVILS
FICTION
Released: July 1, 2012

"Peach is a formidable opponent whose insight and persistence earn him top honors among British procedurals."
A foiled robbery pits DCI Percy Peach (Merely Players, 2011, etc.) against a wolf in philanthropist's clothing. Read full book review >
Cover art for LINE OF FIRE
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"White (Dead Time, 2008, etc.) makes it clear that Alan's 19th appearance is his penultimate case; the next case will be his swan song. Judging from the risks he takes this time, fans won't want to miss the sequel."
As a series of wildfires swoop ever closer to his Boulder office, psychotherapist Alan Gregory's life threatens to go up in metaphorical flames even before their arrival. Read full book review >
Cover art for LAST LAWYER STANDING
FICTION
Released: Aug. 21, 2012

"More lawyers, law enforcement types, Class-A felonies and plot twists than you can shake a stick at. Instead of a map, Corleone should have supplied a score card."
Honolulu attorney Kevin Corvelli's latest pair of clients serve up surprise after unhappy surprise. Read full book review >
Cover art for NEVER SAY PIE
FICTION
Released: Aug. 8, 2012

"Culver's latest charts new developments in Hanna and Sam's relationship, though it provokes fewer laughs than A Good Day to Pie (2011)."
Making consistently fabulous pies is the least of a local baker's problems when a critic who gave her a thumbs-down is murdered. Read full book review >
Cover art for NOT MY BLOOD
FICTION
Released: Aug. 21, 2012

"As usual, Cleverly (The Blood Royal, 2011, etc.) neatly captures the style and feeling of the period between the world wars and provides plenty of mystery, suspense and danger."
A desperate plea for help from a schoolboy sucks Scotland Yard Detective Joe Sandilands into a case that could end his career. Read full book review >
Cover art for OFF THE GRID
FICTION
Released: Aug. 2, 2012

"Despite the high body count, Tracy (Shoot to Thrill, 2010, etc.) seems to have taken something off her customary manic formula: The murders are much less florid than usual, and the regulars seem almost subdued."
Amazing but true: The Monkeewrench gang, that misfit quartet of lovable cybergeeks who moonlight as the nemesis of Twin Cities serial killers, actually gets upstaged by the Minneapolis Police Department. Read full book review >