Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Best Fiction of 2012: Mysteries (page 2)


Cover art for THE SOLITARY HOUSE
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2012

"Shepherd offers an intricate plot and a thousand details of the least-admirable side of Victorian life. A must-read."
Shepherd's latest detective story (Murder at Mansfield Park, 2010) is a Victorian tour de force that borrows characters from Charles Dickens' Bleak House and Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White. Read full book review >
Cover art for A WOMAN OF CONSEQUENCE
FICTION
Released: April 10, 2012

"The third in Dean's series is another delight, complete with perfect regency prose and an excellent mystery."
A clever Regency sleuth is much like Jane Austen with her ability to see that the mundane things of life are more important than they seem. Read full book review >
Cover art for KINGS OF MIDNIGHT
FICTION
Released: April 10, 2012

"Once again Stroby demonstrates how adept he is at making readers empathize with the essentially unworthy."
Chasing her retirement number, superthief Crissa Stone (Cold Shot to the Heart, 2011, etc.) fills bunches of money bags. And body bags. Read full book review >
Cover art for FALLEN ANGELS
FICTION
Released: April 1, 2012

"A veteran cop herself, Dial (The Broken Blue Line, 2010, etc.) does authenticity to the max, and readers will like that. But it's tough, vulnerable, never-say-die Josie that they'll love. "
She's a wife, a mom, an LAPD captain and compelling no matter what she does. Read full book review >
Cover art for EDGE OF DARK WATER
FICTION
Released: March 25, 2012

"The river, the raft, a stash of money coveted by bad guys, nonstop adventures that edify, terrify and deepen the bond between Sue Ellen and Jinx. A highly entertaining tour de force. "
The author of the prize-winning Hap and Leonard series (Devil Red, 2011, etc.) charts a course that may remind you of a distaff Huck and Jim. Read full book review >
Cover art for RIZZO'S DAUGHTER
FICTION
Released: March 13, 2012

"Good cops, bent cops, tormented and demented cops, cops of every description inhabit Rizzo's world, all of them utterly believable and intensely interesting. For readers compiling a short list of crime fiction, here's an essential."
In Manfredo's tender and terrific latest, a burned-out cop can't quit because he's also a devoted dad. Read full book review >