Anthony Bidulka:
When the Saints Go Marching In ****
# 1 in a new series with Adam Saint, a Canadian Disaster Recovery Agent with a top secret spy agency.

MBTB mini-review: The fast-paced story has Disaster Recovery Agent Adam Saint travel the world as he looks into what really happened to his supervisor - he doesn't believe for a minute that the man was accidentally killed while looking into the cause of a plane crash in Russia.
Dealing with some serious personal issues as well, Adam spends some time back on his family's farm in Saskatchewan - this is my favourite part, as the Adam, the international agent, gets to know his family after being "too busy" for many years.
This is a strong first book in a new series. I'll be looking forward to the next one.

Summary: The work of a Disaster Recovery Agent is unforgiving. Brutal. Violent. And rarely glamorous. But Adam Saint quietly travels the world, cleaning up after other people's catastrophes and keeping the mess away from his well-ordered private life. This time, however, the blood is seeping closer and closer to home. When a respected colleague is murdered at a disaster site, Saint is entrusted with the clean up... or is it a cover up? Author Anthony Bidulka introduces a new hero in the mould of Jason Bourne and James Bond: tough, smart, and just a little dangerous. Publisher's description

Read-alikes:
Fantastic Fiction suggests Mark Pryor's series with former FBI agent Hugo Marston as a read-alike for When the Saints Go Marching In (first book: The Bookseller)
I agree - the books share a fast pace and an appealing main character thrust into events beyond his control.

I would also suggest:
Michael Connelly's 9 Dragons # 15 with Harry Bosch, a homicide detective in Los Angeles

Ian Hamilton's series with Ava Lee, a petite young Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant specializing in tracking large debts, working for “Uncle” based in Hong Kong First book: The Water Rat of Wanchai

and some of the stand-alones by Robert Goddard
Set in Stone
Dying to Tell
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Anthony Bidulka is well-known for his series with Russell Quant, an ex-farmboy, half-Ukrainian, half-Irish, gay private detective, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
First book: Amuse Bouche

## Related post: MBTB mini-review of Tapas on the Ramblas # 3 with Russell Quant

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
The Whisper of Legends
by Barbara Fradkin

Canadian police procedural

Book # 9 with Michael Green, a police inspector in Ottawa, Ontario

Description: When his teenage daughter goes missing on a summer wilderness canoe trip to the Nahanni River, Inspector Michael Green is forced into unfamiliar territory. Unable to mobilize the local RCMP, he enlists the help of his long-time friend, Staff Sergeant Brian Sullivan, to accompany him to the Northwest Territories to look for themselves.

Green is terrified. The park has 30,000 square kilometres of wilderness and 600 grizzlies. Even worse, Green soon discovers his daughter lied to him. The trip was organized not by a reputable tour company but by her new boyfriend, a graduate geology student. When clues about Scott's past begin to drift in, Green, Sullivan, and two guides head into the wilderness. After the body of one of the group turns up at the bottom of a cliff, they begin to realize just what is at stake.

The Crime Writers of Canada held the Arthur Ellis Awards dinner May 30.

Here is the list of nominees for Best First Crime Novel:

* Simone St. James: The Haunting of Maddy Clare WINNER
Sarah Piper's lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis - rich, handsome, scarred by World War I, and obsessed with ghosts - has been summoned to investigate the spirit of nineteen-year-old maid Maddy Clare, who is haunting the barn where she committed suicide. Since Maddy hated men in life, it is Sarah's task to confront her in death. Soon Sarah is caught up in a deperate struggle. For Maddy's ghost is real, she's angry, and she has powers that defy all reason. Can Sarah and Alistair's assistant, the rough, unsettling Matthew Ryder, discover who Maddy was, whereshe came from, and what is driving her desire for vengeance - before she destroys them all? Publisher's description

Peggy Blair: The Beggar’s Opera
Decaying but beautiful Havana provides the atmospheric backdrop for Blair's absorbing debut, the first in a series introducing Ricardo Ramirez, "the inspector in charge of the Havana Major Crime Unit of the Cuban National Revolutionary Police." When a boy is brutally raped and murdered, suspicion falls on a visiting Canadian policeman, Det. Mike Ellis. The ailing Fidel Castro wants to send a strong message that Cuba doesn't tolerate sex crimes, and a provision in Cuban criminal law that gives the police just 72 hours to secure an indictment ensures a fast pace. Nothing, however, is quite as simple as it should be: Ellis has a cloud hanging over him from a past shoot-out; he has forgotten much of the crucial evening; and Ramirez himself either has supernatural powers or is rapidly succumbing to dementia. Meanwhile, communism and ancient belief in spirits coexist in a Cuba where tourists are as likely to encounter requests for soap and pencils as requests for money. Publisher's Weekly review

Deryn Collier: Confined Space
When respected ex–Canadian Forces commander Bern Fortin cuts short his military career to take a job as the coroner for a small mountain town in the heart of BC, he’s hoping to leave the past behind. Bern’s looking forward to a quiet life, but the memories of what he witnessed during his stints in Afghanistan and other war-torn countries haunt him still.
When the body of one of the workers is found floating in the huge bottle-washing tank at the local brewery, Bern is called in for a routine investigation. What first appears to be a tragic accident takes a menacing turn when the body of the worker’s girlfriend is discovered in a nearby field. Bern needs the help of brewery safety investigator Evie Chapelle, who, burdened by tragedies she might have prevented, is more determined than ever to keep her workers, and their tight-knit community, safe. Soon, Bern and Evie find themselves risking their jobs—and their lives—to uncover a killer hiding in a place where it is awfully hard to keep a secret. Publisher's description

Peter Kirby: The Dead of Winter
Inspector Luc Vanier is drinking his way through Christmas Eve when he is called out to investigate the murder of five homeless people. His investigation takes him into the back rooms of the Catholic Church, the boardrooms of Montreal's business elite and the soup kitchens and back-alleys of street life in winter. Publisher's description
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Chris Laing: A Private Man
In 1947, World War II veteran and former lawman Max Dexter opens his own detective agency in Hamilton, Ontario. Max and his assistant Isabel O'Brien are on the case from murder to money laundering and organized crime. Publisher's description

To see the winner of the Best Crime Novel award go to MBTB post:
Arthur Ellis finalists announced: Best Crime Novel Nominees

I came across a list of books the other day highlighting historical crimes that shaped the way we investigate crime and look at forensics today. Although we are a mystery fiction blog, I've been finding these titles fascinating as they almost read like the latest mystery thriller novel. So I've decided to share some of the more interesting ones with you. Remember, these books are based on actual crimes and the methods of investigation were cutting edge during that particular time.

Murder in the First-Class Carriage: the first Victorian railway killing
By Kate Coquhoun

Who murdered Englishman Thomas Briggs in 1864 as he traveled home on the North London railway? In a story that predates the one found in Erik Larson’s Thunderstruck, police would chase the man they believed to be the killer all the way to America. But did they get the right man? (Library Journal)

The Anatomy Murders: being the true and spectacular history of Edinburgh’s notorious Burke and Hare, and of the man of science who abetted them in the commission of their most heinous crime
By Lisa Rosner

William Burke and William Hare murdered 16 people in early 19th century Edinburgh and sold the corpses to local medical schools. Rosner placed the sordid story in its historical and social context. (Library Journal)

The Killer of Little Shepherds: a true crime story and the birth of forensic science
By Douglas Starr

Serial killer Joseph Vacher roamed the French countryside in the late 19th century, raping and killing at least 11 young women and men until he was apprehended by investigator Emile Fourquet and pioneering criminologist Alexandre Lacassagne. A 2011 Gold Dagger Award winner.

The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Roger, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder
By Daniel Stashower

Part murder story, part literary history, part portrait of New York City in the 1840s, Stashower’s account of the murder of cigar salesgirl Mary Rogers also focuses on Edgar Allen Poe’s unorthodox attempt to revive his reputation by writing a detective story about the crime.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: a shocking murder and the undoing of a great Victorian detective
By Kate Summerscale

Summerscale masterfully reveals the details of the murder of three-year-old Saville Kent and his family’s and community’s secrets, along with their distrust of famed London detective James Whicher. Great Britain at its most Victorian. (Library Journal)

The Big Policeman: the rise and fall of America’s first, most ruthless, and greatest detective
By J. North Conway

Legendary cop Thomas Byrnes rose through the ranks of the NYPD from 1854 to 1895, pioneering new methods of crime scene investigation, interrogation, and press manipulation. Never found guilty of misdeeds himself, his reputation would be tarnished by widespread police corruption.

Happy Reading!!

Posted by Shiela

I find some of my best new mysteries from these lists: The Booklist Year's Best Crime Fiction Debuts

This annual list includes crime fiction reviewed in Booklist since last Year's Best Crime Novels list (essentially from May 2012).

Booklist's Top 10 Crime Fiction Debuts 2013
The mini-reviews are from Booklist

The Andalucian Friend by Alexander Soderberg 2013
Suspense. Sophie Brinkman trilogy # 1

Swedish author Soderberg claims the coveted Booklist Mystery Showcase daily double by placing on both our crime fiction top 10 lists. FYI: Stieg Larsson didn’t do that.
Here is the Booklist mini-review:
Superficial similarities to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2008) aside, this gripping Scandinavian crime novel, the first in a trilogy, deserves to stand entirely on its own. Sophie Brinkman seems an unassuming nurse and single mother, but after she finds herself in the middle of a Swedish gang war, she steps up and shows her Lisbeth Salander mettle. A fast-paced thriller whose multi-stranded plot holds together as exquisitely as finely wound silk.
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* * *

The Beggar’s Opera by Peggy Blair 2013

Blair’s exciting debut stars Inspector Ricardo Ramirez, the troubled head of Havana’s Major Crimes Unit, who has a hot potato of a case on his hands involving a Canadian policeman suspected of murder. Blair interweaves the stories of cop and suspect beautifully, but she also invests Havana geography (with its decaying buildings and rusted American cars) with new vigor.
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* * *

Black Fridays by Michael Sears 2012

A sad-sack investment broker goes to prison for fiddling the books, then loses his wife, and now finds himself trying to raise his autistic son on his own. Then a job comes along: investigate someone else fiddling books. The writing is fresh and vivid, and the portrait of pension-stealing Wall Street greedheads is harrowing.
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* * *

East of Denver by Gregory Hill 2012

Stacey “Shakespeare” Williams returns to the family farm in eastern Colorado to bury his cat and winds up planning a bank robbery with “a paralyzed asshole, an anorexic fatso, and my prematurely senile father.” A little country noir and a lot of black comedy equal a terrific opening salvo from a very talented writer.
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* * *

Ghostman by Roger Hobbs 2013

Like Alexander Soderberg, Hobbs pulls off the daily double, landing on our overall top 10 and our top 10 crime debuts. Nicely done for the twenty-something Hobbs, who sold his novel to an agent on the day he graduated from college.
Here's the Booklist mini-review:
Jack White is the Ghostman, a pseudonymous loner living far off the grid who specializes in disappearing. After high-level heists, he makes sure that all traces of the capers vanish. Except one time it didn’t work, and the organizer of that job wants Jack dead. First-novelist Hobbs possesses that rare ability for first unleashing and then shrewdly directing a tornado of a plot, but he also evokes Elmore Leonard in the subtle interplay of his characters.

* * *

A Good Death by Christopher R. Cox 2013

PI Sebastian Damon travels to Bangkok to investigate the death of a Laotian refugee who ultimately became vice president of a Boston bank. So begins a story that channels Conrad, Kipling, and Francis Ford Coppola. An insightful, transcendent adventure.
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* * *

The Old Turk’s Load by Gregory Gibson 2013

It’s 1967, and a shipment of the world’s finest heroin goes missing en route to Angelo DiNoto, New Jersey’s top crime boss. Gibson’s elliptical, ever-evolving plot combines Raymond Chandler complexity and Donald E. Westlake comic haplessness into a thoroughly original whole.
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* * *

Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason 2013

Mason hooks the reader with her first sentence, “There is very little peace for a man with a body buried in his backyard.” Even less when the bodies keep piling up, but their provenance remains murky. An astonishingly accomplished debut.
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* * *

The Thing about Thugs by Tabish Khair 2012

At first glance, this slim Victorian thriller seems no more than an exposé of British imperialism wrapped in a Kill Bill plot. Soon, though, the reader is drawn into a deeply thought-provoking literary suspense novel that evokes Collins and Dickens.
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* * *

The Twenty-Year Death by Ariel S. Winter 2012

Former bookseller Winter tells an epic tale in the form of three novels written in the style of three different crime-fiction legends: Simenon, Chandler, and Jim Thompson. What might seem at first like an amusing exercise for mystery buffs becomes by the end immersive, exhilarating, and revelatory.
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## Related MBTB post: Booklist: The Year's Best Crime Novels
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posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
The Coroner
by M.R. Hall

Book # 1 with Jenny Cooper, a small-town lawyer newly appointed as Severn Vale District Coroner, in Gloucestershire, England

Description: When lawyer Jenny Cooper is appointed Severn Vale District Coroner, she's hoping for a quiet life and space to recover from a traumatic divorce, but the office she inherits from the recently deceased Harry Marshall contains neglected files hiding dark secrets and a trail of buried evidence. Could the tragic death in custody of a young boy be linked to the apparent suicide of a teenage prostitute and the fate of Marshall himself? Jenny embarks on a lonely and dangerous one-woman crusade for justice which threatens not only her career but also her sanity.

This is one of my favourite lists: The Booklist Year's Best Crime Novels

This annual list includes crime fiction reviewed in Booklist since last Year's Best Crime Novels list (essentially from May 2012).

Booklist's Top 10 Crime Novels 2013
The mini-reviews are from Booklist

The Andalucian Friend by Alexander Soderberg 2013
Suspense. Sophie Brinkman trilogy # 1

Superficial similarities to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2008) aside, this gripping Scandinavian crime novel, the first in a trilogy, deserves to stand entirely on its own. Sophie Brinkman seems an unassuming nurse and single mother, but after she finds herself in the middle of a Swedish gang war, she steps up and shows her Lisbeth Salander mettle. A fast-paced thriller whose multi-stranded plot holds together as exquisitely as finely wound silk.

* * *
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The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny 2012
Canadian police procedural. # 8 with Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector of the Sûreté du Québec, in the village of Three Pines, in southern Quebec

Penny’s latest begins when the choir director of a monastery in a remote corner of Quebec is murdered. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir are charged with finding a killer among a group of largely silent monks, whose recording of Gregorian chants has made them famous. Roiling human passion set against the sublime serenity of the chants produces a melody of uncommon complexity and beauty.

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Dare Me by Megan Abbott 2012

Cheerleading noir? In Abbott’s bloodstained hands, why not? When a new coach upends the power structure behind a high-school cheer team, the ousted captain lashes back with stunning ferocity. This is cheerleading as blood sport, Bring It On meets Fight Club — just try putting it down.

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Ghostman by Roger Hobbs 2013

Jack White is the Ghostman, a pseudonymous loner living far off the grid who specializes in disappearing. After high-level heists, he makes sure that all traces of the capers vanish. Except one time it didn’t work, and the organizer of that job wants Jack dead. First-novelist Hobbs possesses that rare ability for first unleashing and then shrewdly directing a tornado of a plot, but he also evokes Elmore Leonard in the subtle interplay of his characters.

* * *

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 2012

When Nick Dunne’s beautiful and clever wife, Amy, goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary, the media descend on the Dunnes’ Missouri McMansion with all the fury of a Dateline episode. In the year’s biggest crossover best-seller, Flynn combines a corkscrew of a plot with her own twisted sense of humor. A compelling thriller and a searing portrait of a marriage.

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Live by Night by Dennis Lehane 2012

Lehane’s latest historical thriller continues the author’s propulsive narrative train ride across twentieth-century American history. This time the train stops during Prohibition, and the individual focus is on Joe Coughlin, a Boston cop’s son by birth but a gangster by choice. A magnetic re-imagining of the great themes of popular fiction—crime, family, passion, betrayal—set against an exquisitely rendered historical backdrop.

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The Rage by Gene Kerrigan 2013

If you like hard-boiled Irish thrillers in the Ken Bruen mold, and you don’t know about Kerrigan, you’re at least two Guinnesses behind. This tense, thoughtful thriller about an armored-car robbery gets into the heads of both the robber and the Dublin copper who tracks him. Start the word-of-mouth going: Kerrigan is the real deal.

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Shatter the Bones by Stuart MacBride 2012
British police procedural. Book # 7 with Logan McRae, a detective sergeant in Aberdeen, Scotland

MacBride’s seventh Logan McRae novel, starring the Aberdeen, Scotland, police detective, may be the most harrowing yet—and that’s saying something. The crimes (two kidnappings) are breathtakingly awful, the pacing is breakneck, and the stakes are higher than ever. There’s little comfort in the bleak ending, but still: Brilliant. Bloody. Brilliant.

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Suspect by Robert Crais 2012

Two PTSD sufferers — Scott, an LAPD cop, and Maggie, a German shepherd veteran of the Iraq War—bond during tryouts for the department’s K-9 unit and soon join forces to solve a murder. Who would have thought that the most multifaceted and appealing new protagonist in crime fiction this year would be a hard-boiled dog?

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What Comes Next by John Katzenbach 2012

An abducted teenager. A perverted villain (or villains). A chase to save the victim. These are not unfamiliar ingredients in crime fiction, but Katzenbach reinvents the formula several times over in this absolutely gripping novel. Combining the intricacy of psychological fiction with the pulse-pounding narrative of plot-driven suspense, this is certainly among the most original thrillers of the year.

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Watch for upcoming post Booklist Top Crime Fiction Debuts, coming soon.

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
Scratch Deeper
by Chris Simms

British police procedural

Book # 1 with Iona Khan, a feisty detective constable in the Counter Terrorism Unit, in Manchester, England

Description: Detective Constable Iona Khan investigates when a Sri Lankan student begins asking suspicious questions about Manchester's tunnel system prior to the start of the Labour Party conference.

The Arthur Ellis Awards celebrate excellence in Canadian crime writing.
These awards are organized by the Crime Writers of Canada

The Nominees for the Best Crime Novel:

Giles Blunt: Until the Night WINNER
Book # 6 with John Cardinal, a police detective near Algonquin Bay, Ontario
Summary: Detectives John Cardinal and Lise Delorme investigate the murders of a man found in a hotel parking lot and a senator's wife found frozen in the ruins of a hotel in the woods.

Linwood Barclay: Trust Your Eyes
Summary: A schizophrenic, map-obsessed, shut-in who tours the world using a computer program witnesses what he believes to be a murder in downtown New York City and enlists his caretaker brother in an effort to investigate.

Sean Chercover: The Trinity Game
Summary: Vatican investigator Daniel Byrne is sent to America to look into the predictions of Reverend Tim Trinity, a sleazy televangelist and admitted con man who has suddenly been gifted with the real ability to see the future. His newfound ability has drawn a lot of attention--the mob wants him dead, the Vatican wants him discredited, and people worldwide want to know if he's for real--and Byrne must work quickly to uncover his secrets if he hopes to save his life.

Stephen Miller: The Messenger
Summary: Daria is recruited from a refugee camp and sent by terrorists to New York on a mission to infect as many people as possible with smallpox.
Seeking redemption after being falsely accused and disgraced in the anthrax inquiries after 9/11, Dr. Sam Watterman is recruited by the FBI to locate this bio-terrorist threat.

Carsten Stroud: Niceville
Summary: When a young boy literally disappears before security cameras while walking home from school, an ensuing search is conducted by ex-Special Forces veteran Nick Kavanaugh, who with his lawyer wife encounters an ancient malevolent power linked to a deep crater.

The winner was announced May 30.

Watch for an upcoming post: Arthur Ellis Best First Crime Novel nominees

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
Cold Grave
by Kathryn Fox

Forensics/Investigator

Book # 6 with Dr. Anya Crichton, a forensic pathologist in Sydney, Australia

Summary: A family-friendly, floating palace. But, as Anya Crichton soon discovers, cruise ships aren't all that they seem...
So when a teenage girl is discovered, dead on the deck of the ship that she is holidaying on, Anya feels compelled to get involved. There's no apparent cause of death, but Anya's forensics expertise uncovers more than the ship's doctors can... or want to.

Or the Bull Kills You
By Jason Webster

"Either you kill the bull, or the bull kills you." Chief Inspector Max Cámara thinks in proverbs,and he hates one thing above all: bullfighting. One hot afternoon in Valencia, however, he has to stand in for his boss, judging a festival corrida starring Spain’s most famous young matador. That night, he is back in the bullring, and what he finds on the blood-stained sand shocks the city of Valencia to its core. Cámara is roped into investigating a grisly murder while dealing with violent shadows from his own past, as well as confronting the suspiciousness of the bullfighting community and the stonewalling of local politicians in full electoral campaign. To top it all, Fallas, the loudest fiesta in the country, has just got underway. For Cámara, it seems his problems have only just begun... (Book Description)

I really enjoy reading mysteries set abroad because the author tends to bring so much of the local flair and culture, both the good and the bad. I have never been to Spain and all I knew about bullfighting was what I learned from cartoons as a child (i.e.: angry snorting bull, red flag), so Mr. Webster had a big task ahead of him when I picked up this book. He did a fantastic job at explaining the history of bullfighting and the significance it has to the local culture. But the thing I really appreciated was that Webster showed both sides of the issue, the benefits bullfighting for the local economy and spirit (the aficionados), the political aspects of the historical event (both the corrupt and the not-so corrupt), and the environmentalists who are staunchly against the killing of innocent animals. I learned a lot.

That being said, the actual mystery aspect of the book was just so-so, the strength of this novel really was in the rich history and culture of bullfighting. The second book in the series A Death in Valencia is coming out soon.

Posted by Shiela

The Mystery Memo is a log of all of my mystery reading, with brief comments and a star rating for each book read. It is published every 4 to 6 weeks.

This Mystery Memo has one perfect read: Sara J. Henry's Learning to Swim, described below.

The following selections from my Mystery Memo # 116 features crime solvers who are not paid investigators like private eyes or police officers of any kind. They include journalists (Jan Burke's Irene Kelly, Julie Kramer's Riley Spartz), workers in forensics (Kathryn Fox's pathologist Dr. Anya Crichton, Ellie Griffith's forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway) and just plain amateur sleuths (Charles Todd's new series with World War I nurse, Bess Crawford and Sara Henry's young protagonist Troy Chance who sees a child fall off a ferry)

Click here to download the entire Mystery Memo # 116 and see all 16 mysteries.

Jan Burke: Disturbance (2011) ****
Journalist/investigator
Book # 11 with reporter Irene Kelly in southern California
The serial killer in Bones (# 7 in series) has recovered from a serious injury and escapes from prison, determined to take vengeance against Irene. Half way through the book, he kidnaps her with the help of several of his sons. This was a fine action/adventure mystery, but it would be best to read at least Bones before this one.
First book: Goodnight, Irene
*

Kathryn Fox: Death Mask (2011) *** ½
Forensics.
Book # 4 with freelance pathologist and forensic physician Dr. Anya Crichton.

Anya has been invited to give workshops to professional football players about sexual behaviour. After several young football players with a connection to the same high school end up dead, she helps investigate. A complex plot but with less forensics than the others in the series.
First book: Malicious Intent

*

Elly Griffiths: The House at Sea’s End (2011) ****
Amateur detective/British police procedural.
Book # 3 with Ruth Galloway, forensic archaeologist.

Several bodies found in a seaside cave turn out to be German soldiers from WW2. A German researcher comes to town claiming he knows who they are but then he is murdered. Someone is determined to keep the secret of who killed these men, but Ruth and her sometime lover DCI Nelson are on the trail. This series is strongly character-driven with good archaeology content.
First book: The Crossing Places
*

Sara J. Henry: Learning to Swim (2011) *****
Amateur sleuth
Book # 1 with Troy Chance, a young woman who works in Lake Placid, NY.

While on a ferry trip across the lake, Troy thinks she sees a child fall from a passing ferry. Without thinking, she jumps in and yes, a 6-year-old boy has been tied into a sweatshirt and is underwater. She rescues him and heroically swims to shore. The pace hardly slows down after she traces the boy’s father to Ottawa and accompanies the child back home. Troy is determined to get to the bottom of who threw the child in the water. Enthralling writing style, a good balanced character in Troy and an interesting narrative voice. A great read.
*

Julie Kramer: Silencing Sam (2010) *** ½
Journalist.
Book # 3 with television journalist Riley Spartz

Riley is the main suspect in the murder of a local gossip columnist. While trying to prove her innocence, she also tackles stories at a wind farm troubled by bombs. I find Riley’s point of view interesting.
First book: Stalking Susan
*
*

Charles Todd: An Impartial Witness (2010) *** ½
Historical/Amateur sleuth.
Book # 2 with war nurse Bess Crawford, set in England during WW1.

After Bess travels to England with a seriously injured pilot who constantly carries a photograph of his beloved wife, she sees the woman from the photo having an emotional scene with another man at the train station. When the woman is soon found murdered, Bess comes forward to the police with her information and gets involved looking into the woman’s life.
First book: A Duty to the Dead

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
The Devil's Dust
by C.B. Forrest

Canadian police procedural/investigator

Book # 3 with Charlie McKelvey, a 30-year veteran Toronto police detective, newly retired.

Description: Retired Toronto detective Charlie McKelvey runs from a cancer diagnosis and the violent memories of the big city and retreats to his hometown. A small declining mining centre in northern Ontario, Ste. Bernadette offers McKelvey a chance to resolve old family issues, including his fathers involvement in a deadly wildcat strike in the late 1950s.
When the local police force enlists his help in tracing an upswing in youth violence and vandalism, McKelvey stumbles into the hornets nest of a crystal meth industry....
First book: The Weight of Stones

Sam Thomas: The Midwife’s Tale (2012) ****

MBTB mini-review: I love an unusual point of view. Following midwife Bridget Hodgson through the dangerous streets of 1644 York brings that time period alive.

Here's what Booklist had to say: It is 1644, and civil war has erupted in York, England. The Parliament’s armies have revolted against the king and laid siege to the city, but midwife Bridget Hodgson still has babies to deliver. She soon finds an even bigger problem. Her friend Esther Cooper has been convicted of murdering her husband. She will burn at the stake if the real killer is not found. Bridget and her servant, Martha Hawkins, set out to save Esther. Martha has street smarts and excellent knife skills. The two women begin investigating while keeping clear of the rebel artillery and confronting an evil figure from Martha’s past. They find that Esther’s husband, an ostentatious Puritan, had a very sinister secret life. Moving from the dank alleys of the poor neighborhoods to the mansions of the rich, Bridget and Esther capture a brutal killer and find that traitors are often tyrants. The author is a historian, and his period detail creates a vivid atmosphere. The strong female characters and action-packed plot will please historical-mystery readers.

This is suggested for fans of Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series and C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake series

## Related posts:
MBTB profile of Ariana Franklin
MBTB review of C.J. Sansom's Sovereign # 3
posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
The Sound of Broken Glass
by Deborah Crombie

British police procedural

Book # 15 with Duncan Kincaid, a Scotland Yard superintendent, and Gemma James, a sergeant, in London, England

Summary: While investigating the murder of a well-respected barrister who was found dead at a seedy hotel in Crystal Palace, Detective Inspector Gemma James and her partner, Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot, begin to question everything they think they know about their world and those they trust most.

Lee Child recently received the the Diamond Dagger Achievement Award. See the article in The Guardian.

This award is given by the Crime Writers' Association for a Lifetime's Achievement.

Here's the series listed in order on Stop, You're Killing Me! with Jack Reacher, ex-military policeman in the USA:
First book: Killing Floor

The most recent: A Wanted Man # 17
Book description: Nebraska - and Jack Reacher, huge, hulking and with a freshly busted nose, is still trying to hitch a ride east to Virginia. He's picked up by three strangers - two men and a woman.
Immediately he knows they're all lying about something - and then they run into a police roadblock on the highway. But they get through. Because the three are innocent? Or because the three are now four?
Is Reacher a decoy?

## Related posts:
MBTB review of Bad Luck and Trouble # 11

MBTB review of 61 Hours # 14