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

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.

I have pulled out the American Police Procedurals to feature in this post.
.
Click here to download the entire Mystery Memo # 115 and see all 19 mysteries.

This Mystery Memo has two perfect reads:
C.S. Harris: Where Shadows Dance (2011)
Historical
Book # 6 with Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, recently back from the Napoleonic Wars, set in 1812 in London.

Julia Spencer-Fleming: One was a Soldier (2011)
American police procedural/amateur detective.
Book # 7 with Clare Fergusson, an Episcopal priest in Millers Kill, New York and her love interest, police chief Russ Van Alstyne.
.
.
* * *
Here are the books in this Mystery Memo that focus on the American police procedural.

C.J. Box: Cold Wind (2011) ****
Game warden/police.
Book # 11 with Joe Pickett, game warden, Wyoming.

When Joe’s mother-in-law’s very wealthy husband is found murdered and tied to one of his own wind power windmills, there is enough evidence to point to Missy, the mother-in-law, as the murderer. Pickett’s wife Marybeth begs him to investigate and find out who really did it. Lots of good twists. The author handles the action well. Good believable characters. Not necessary to read the earlier books, but enjoyment would be enhanced.

First book: Open Season (2001)

Marshall Karp: Cut, Paste, Kill (2010) *** ½
American police procedural
Book # 4 with Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs, Los Angeles police.

Several people are found murdered with a scrapbook beside them – all connected with crimes they got away with. Lots of twists. More police procedural than action/adventure this time.

First book: The Rabbit Factory

## Related post: MBTB review of The Rabbit Factory



Karin Slaughter: Fallen (2011) ****
American police procedural/ forensics/ action adventure.
Book # 4 with Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and his partner Atlanta police detective Faith Mitchell;
and Book # 8 in the Grant County series with Dr. Sara Linton, pediatrician and coroner.

When police officer Faith Mitchell arrives at her mother’s house to pick up her baby, she finds her mother is missing and the baby hidden in a back shed. Complex but not hard to follow. The multiple points of view and the fast pace appeal to me.
First book with Dr. Sara Linton: Blindsighted
First book with GBI agent Will Trent: Triptych

Julia Spencer-Fleming:
One was a Soldier (2011) **** ½

American police procedural/amateur detective.
Book # 7 with Clare Fergusson, an Episcopal priest in Millers Kill, New York and her love interest, police chief Russ Van Alstyne.

Clare has just returned from a year’s military service in Iraq and has joined a veterans support group. When one of the group, a young woman, is found dead, it could be suicide, but the group pushes for more investigation and even does some investigating themselves. The best part of this series is the characters’ lives, now including rookie police officer Hadley.

First book: In the Bleak Midwinter

John Verdon: Think of a Number (2010) ****
Investigator/American police procedural.
Book # 1 with Dave Gurney, who, at 47 is newly retired to upstate New York.

Dave was a decorated homicide cop famous for solving serial murder cases. A college friend contacts him for help after receiving a mysterious letter that claimed to know what number he was thinking of. When the friend is murdered, Dave is asked to join the police task force. He discovers a link to several similar murders.
Good, fast-paced, always from Dave’s point of view. I like Dave, torn between getting back to the police work he loves and the wife he promised to share an early retirement with.

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
Until the Night by Giles Blunt

Book # 6 with John Cardinal, a police detective in the fictional Northern Ontario town of Algonquin Bay

Summary: Detectives John Cardinal and Lise Delorme investigate the murder of a senator's wife found frozen in the ruins of a hotel in the woods.

Read a review of Until the Night by Globe & Mail's Margaret Cannon here.

First book: Forty Words for Sorrow

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.

I have pulled out investigators and private investigators to feature in this post, including one Perfect Read: The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
.
Click here to download the entire Mystery Memo # 114 and see all 16 mysteries.

Kate Atkinson: Started Early, Took My Dog (2010) ****
Private investigator, England
Book # 4 with private investigator Jackson Brodie, a former police inspector.

Jackson is hired to look for birth information for a young woman now living in New Zealand.
He discovers that the story she knows about her birth 35 years ago is false. As usual, we see the story from many points of view. Nice writing – not neatly tied up. Not exactly a mystery, but a good read.

First book: Case Histories

Reed Farrel Coleman: Innocent Monster (2010) ****

Private investigator

Book # 6 with Moe Prager, a former investigator who now runs a wine store business.

Moe’s grown daughter asks him to look for the missing daughter of a friend. Good old fashioned private investigating.

First book: Walking the Perfect Square

Norman Green: Sick Like That (2010) *** ½
Private investigator.
Book # 2 with Alessandra Martillo, an investigator's assistant in New York

Martillo is now running the investigation agency along with the woman who had been the secretary, Sarah Waters. Sarah discovers new skills as she starts to handle some of the more routine cases. Good writing and interesting characters as several cases lead them into unexpected areas.

First book: The Last Gig

Graham Moore: The Sherlockian (2010) **** ½

Non-series. Literary mystery/puzzle-based.

Fast-paced with lots of Holmes trivia.

Plot Summary: Literary researcher and Sherlock Holmes enthusiast Harold White is shocked when a scholar who discovered Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's missing diary is murdered, while in 1890s London, Conan Doyle hunts a serial killer to prove his superiority to his famous character.

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Betsy Thornton: Dream Queen (2010) ****

Investigator

Book # 6 with Chloe Newcombe, a victim advocate in Arizona. This is a prequel to the series and could be read first.

Chloe goes to visit her brother in Arizona but after he picks her up, he disappears at a gas station. Good characters.

First book: The Cowboy Rides Away

posted by Sharon

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.

I have pulled out the non-crime professionals to feature in this post: two lawyers, a journalist and a forensic archaeologist.
.
Click here to download the entire Mystery Memo # 113 and see all 15 mysteries.

* * *

Elly Griffiths: The Janus Stone (2009) ****

Forensic archaeology/British police procedural.

Book # 2 with Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist, near Norfolk, England

Some of the book is from the point of view of Ruth's love interest DCI Nelson. A relatively recent child’s skeleton is found at an archaeology site. Strong character-driven story with good archaeology content.

First book: The Crossing Places

Brad Parks: Faces of the Gone (2009) *** ½
Journalist.

Book # 1 with Carter Ross, an investigative reporter in Newark, New Jersey.

Carter finds the connection between four dead bodies found in a vacant lot before police do. Then he finds himself and his sources being targeted in a series of attacks. Gently humorous. Great characters.

Next book: Eyes of the Innocent

William Tapply: Outwitting Trolls (2010) ****

Lawyer/investigator

Book # 25 with lawyer Brady Coyne in Boston.

The day after Brady has a drink with an old neighbour, he gets a call from the man’s ex-wife. She has just found the man dead in his hotel room, and the police consider her a suspect. As usual, Brady acts more like an investigator than a lawyer, and tries to find out who the murderer might be.

First book: Death at Charity’s Point

## Related posts:
MBTB review of Out Cold # 22

MBTB review of One-Way Ticket # 23

MBTB review of Third Strike # 3 in the series that combines Philip Craig's character J. W. Jackson (Martha's Vineyard ex-cop) and William Tapply's character Brady Coyne (Boston lawyer)

William Tapply 1940 - 2009

Kate Wilhelm: Heaven is High (2011) *** ½

Lawyer

Book # 12 with lawyer Barbara Holloway, who runs her law practice out of her house.

To keep a client from being deported from the U.S., Barbara goes to Belize to gather information about the woman's mother who said she had been kidnapped and enslaved by modern day pirates.
I love the character of Barbara and how she gets so involved in her cases.

First book: Death Qualified

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
Criminal
by Karin Slaughter

I would loosely categorize this as an American police procedural. This book mostly features GBI agent Will Trent, and flashbacks to 1975 with Will's mentor GBI agent Amanda Wagner as a young Atlanta police officer.

Book # 4 in a series that combines the lead characters of Slaughter's two other series with Dr. Sara Linton, a physician and former coroner, and Will Trent, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, in Atlanta, Georgia

Description: A Georgia Bureau of Investigation search into a shocking crime from 1975 poses unprecedented personal and professional challenges for top agent Will Trent, who encounters threats against his life and revelations about his past. NoveList

First book with Dr. Sara Linton: Blindsighted

First book with GBI agent Will Trent: Triptych

Until I get more caught up with publishing my Mystery Memos on the MBTB blog, I'll be posting some highlights from each one (down below) and making the entire Mystery Memo available to Download here

This Mystery Memo has 4 Perfect Reads:
Tana French: Faithful Place (2010)
Peter James: Dead Like You (2010)
Stuart MacBride: Shatter the Bones (2011)
C.J. Sansom: Heartstone (2010)

* * *

Charles Finch: A Stranger in Mayfair (2010) ****
Historical, set in London, England in Victorian times.
Book # 4 with Charles Lenox, consulting detective, Victorian gentleman and new Member of Parliament.

Charles is newly married to his next-door neighbour, Lady Jane.
A fellow parliamentarian asks for help in solving the murder of his footman. Charles suspects someone in the family or the household is likely to blame. Lots of personal detail, as Charles struggles with his new duties as Member of Parliament and husband. Nicely done. Very readable.

First book: A Beautiful Blue Death

Barbara Fradkin: Beautiful Lie the Dead (2010) ****
Canadian police procedural.
Book # 8 with Michael Green, Ottawa police inspector

A young doctor reports his fiancé missing during a blizzard. In the police investigation, they discover the woman made a secret trip to Montreal. The publisher calls this an “intensely dramatic psychological thriller”.
I like this series for the police procedural aspect, but I also like the main character Michael Green and his family.

First book: Do or Die

Tana French: Faithful Place (2010) *****

All her books feature police detectives on the murder squad in Dublin, Ireland, not a series really, but loosely connected. This one features Frank Mackey, a senior undercover cop.

Frank returns to his boyhood home in a poor section of Dublin after a suitcase is found in an abandoned house nearby. He recognizes the suitcase as the one belonging to his his girlfriend from 20 years ago who he was planning to run away with. She never showed up and disappeared that very night. He hasn’t been home since. After looking through the suitcase’s contents, he believes that someone from the neighbourhood, if not from his family, is responsible for her disappearance. It sucked me in. Not the standard police procedural.

First book: In The Woods

## Related post: MBTB review of The Likeness

Peter James: Dead Like You (2010) **** ½
British police procedural

Book # 6 with D.S. Roy Grace in Sussex, England

A man known as the shoe rapist has apparently re-appeared after an absence of 12 years. We see several of the crimes from the “inside” – which I skimmed. But the police work was well described and I like the character of Roy Grace, still dealing with the mysterious disappearance of his wife several years before.

First book: Dead Simple

Stuart MacBride: Shatter the Bones (2011) **** ½
British police procedural

Book # 7 with Logan “Lazarus” McRaie, DS, in Aberdeen, Scotland

The case: a young mother and daughter singing sensation from a competition TV show have been kidnapped for ransom and the police have very little to go on. There is a breakneck pace to the policing and McRaie’s personal life that makes the book hard to put down.
First book: Cold Granite

## Related posts:
MBTB full review of Cold Granite # 1
MBTB review of Dark Blood # 6

C.J. Sansom: Heartstone (2010) *****
Historical, set in England in 1545

Book # 5 with lawyer Matthew Shardlake

King Henry VIII is now married to Catherine Parr. The Queen asks Matthew to secretly help her. Her loyal servant wants someone to look into her son’s death. To investigate this, Matthew travels to an estate near Portsmouth. He is close to the action when the English fleet gathers to repell the expected French naval attack near there.
Great stuff: complex plot, great characters and the writing makes the era come alive.

First book: Dissolution

## Related post: MBTB review of Sovereign # 3

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
Silent Voices
by Ann Cleeves

British police procedural

Book # 4 with Vera Stanhope, a detective inspector in East Yorkshire, England

Description: When DI Vera Stanhope finds the body of a woman in the sauna room of her local gym, she wonders, briefly, if it’s a simple death from natural causes. But a closer inspection reveals ligature marks around the victim’s throat - death is never that simple...
Publisher

First book: The Crow Trap

Read a Eurocrime review of Silent Voices

Until I get more caught up with publishing my Mystery Memos on the MBTB blog, I'll be giving you some highlights from each one (down below) and making the entire Mystery Memo available to Download here

This Mystery Memo has 4 Perfect Reads:
Giles Blunt: Crime Machine (2010)
Emma Donoghue: Room (2010)
Sara Paretsky: Body Work (2010)
Karin Slaughter: Beyond Reach (2007)

* * *

Giles Blunt: Crime Machine (2010) **** ½

Canadian police procedural

Book # 5 with John Cardinal, in the fictional northern Ontario town of Algonquin Bay.

The case: the horrific murder of two visitors in town for the annual fur auction. John finds an link from this case to a 30-year-old cold case – a family that disappeared from their cottage.

First book: Forty Words for Sorrow

* * *

Vicki Delany: Negative Image (2010) ****

Canadian police procedural.

Book # 4 with Molly Smith, a young constable, and John Winters, a senior detective, in fictional Trafalar B.C.

A fashion photographer is found shot to death in a hotel room. There is evidence that John Winter’s wife was one of the last people to see him.
A good mix of the personal and the police procedural.

First book: In the Shadow of the Glacier MBTB review

## Related post:
MBTB review of Among the Departed # 5

* * *

Emma Donoghue: Room (2010) *****

Non-series.

This isn’t strictly a mystery, but an “inside the crime” novel. It is narrated by five-year-old Jack, who has been born to a woman kidnapped and held in captivity for years. The young woman, “Ma”, does her best to keep them in good health and plans constantly to escape. The first half of the book takes place while they are still in captivity, but the second half, after Jack helps them escape, is even more riveting as they cope with the “real” world.

* * *

Sara Paretsky: Body Work (2010) **** ½

Private investigator.

Book # 15 with V.I. Warshawski, former lawyer, now private investigator in Chicago.

The family of a troubled Iraq war vet hires V.I. to help prove he didn’t kill a woman, although he was found unconscious with the murder weapon in his hand.
This series always impresses me, wonderfully complex.

First book: Indemnity Only

## Related post: MBTB review of Hardball # 14

* * *

Karin Slaughter: Beyond Reach (2007) **** ½

Police procedural / forensics.

Book # 6 in the Grant County series with Sara Linton, pediatrician and medical examiner, and her husband Jeffrey, the police chief of a small town in Georgia.

Beyond Reach circles around troubled police officer Lena Adams, who has returned to her hometown to check up on her Uncle Hank. Lena ends up in deep trouble, under arrest for murder. Sara and Jeffrey go to help her out and get caught up in the mess. This series fulfills my requirement for fast-paced, highly readable writing, a nicely complex plot, with enough personal detail from book to book to keep me wanting more.

First book: Blindsighted

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
The Invisible Ones
by Stef Penney

British private investigator

Non-series

Booklist review: Private investigator Ray Lovell wakes up in the hospital after an accident, and he slowly remembers the events that brought him there. Lovell, who is half Romany, is hired by Leon Wood to find his daughter, Rose, whom he hasn’t heard from since her arranged marriage to Ivo Janko seven years ago. The story is seamlessly told by Ray in the hospital, Ray before his accident, and teen JJ Janko. The Janko family insists Rose ran away with a gorjio (non-Romany) after her son was born afflicted with the family illness, but Ray begins to doubt that Rose is still alive. If she is dead, which of the extended Janko family killed her? Ray solves the crime while he slowly recovers, comes to terms with the break-up of his marriage, and begins a new relationship with a member of the Janko family. The interesting life of gypsies in 1980s England frames a story with plot twists and interesting characters, but the resolution is rather a letdown.

NEW! Until I get more caught up with publishing my Mystery Memos on the MBTB blog, I'll be giving you some highlights from each one (down below) and making the entire Mystery Memo available to Download here

Mystery Memo # 110 has two books in the Perfect Read category:
Val McDermid: Fever of the Bone (2009)
Peter Robinson: Bad Boy (2010)

* * *

Douglas Corleone: One Man’s Paradise (2010) *** ½

Lawyer

Book # 1 with lawyer Kevin Corvelli, newly moved from NY to Hawaii

Kevin wants to get out of murder trials after a bad experience in NY but his lawyer buddy Jack gets Kevin hired to defend a young man accused of murdering his fiancé.
Easy to follow, great characters.

Next book: Night on Fire

* * *

Ann Littlewood: Did Not Survive (2010) ****

Action / cozy.

Book # 2 with Iris Oakley, a zookeeper at a small zoo in Vancouver, Washington.

When the body of the zoo foreman is killed, Iris tries to find out who among the staff doesn’t have an alibi. The zoo setting is wonderful and the mystery solving is interesting and believable.
Try this if you like the series by Betty Webb with zookeeper Teddy Bentley, at a private zoo in California

First book: Night Kill
* * *

Val McDermid: Fever of the Bone (2009) **** ½

Thriller/British police procedural

Book # 6 with Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. Tony, a psychologist, does criminal profiling for the police. Carol heads up a special police squad.

A new supervisor wants to start using a cheaper criminal profiler instead of Tony. That leaves Tony free to be hired by a nearby town to look at the murder of a teenage girl. It looks like she was lured to her death by someone on a social website. Tony is unaware that Carol’s team is working two similar murders with boys as victims back in his hometown.
Great balance of the personal and the professional. Enthralling.

First book: The Mermaids Singing

## Related post: MBTB review of A Darker Domain, a stand-alone police procedural, set in Scotland

* * *

Peter Robinson: Bad Boy (2010) **** ½

British police procedural

Book # 19 with DCI Alan Banks and his partner DI Annie Cabot, Yorkshire.

This book involves Banks’ own daughter – she’s attracted to a “bad boy”, the boyfriend of her roommate, not realizing how bad he really is. The series is the perfect mix of police procedural and the personal.
Similar to Graham Hurley's DI Joe Faraday (Turnstone) and Ian Rankin's DS John Rebus (Knots and Crosses).

First book: Gallows View

## Related post: MBTB review of All the Colours of Darkness # 18

* * *

Kathryn R. Wall: Canaan’s Gate (2010) ****

Private investigator

Book # 10 with Bay Tanner, an accountant who runs an investigation agency in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The case: a timid bank employee hires Bay to prove that one of her tellers is scamming a wealthy elderly customer. Then the elderly man’s wife dies, and the timid bank employee, Bay’s client, also dies, apparently a suicide.
This series reminds me of the Margaret Maron series with Judge Deborah Knott (The Bootlegger’s Daughter).

First book with Bay Tanner: In For a Penny

## Related post: MBTB review of Covenant Hall # 9

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
Sins of the Fathers
by Patricia Hall

British police procedural

Book # 12 with Laura Ackroyd, a reporter, and Michael Thackeray, a police inspector, in Yorkshire, England, in the Yorkshire mysteries

Description: A young boy running for his life through the snow, his sister hovering between life and death in intensive care: it seems that another father has been driven to the edge and turned on his family when DCI Michael Thackeray reluctantly enters a family home turned blood-stained charnel house. But as he and journalist Laura Ackroyd dig deeper, the tragedy becomes darker and much more dangerous.
While Thackeray seeks to find where the children's father has gone, Laura begins to ask just who he is. This seems to have been a family with no past long before its future was so brutally taken away. Who is Gordon Christie? Who is he hiding from? Is it only the police who are looking for him? Where has he gone with a loaded gun and his son in tow? And who seems to be obstructing Thackeray's inquiry at every turn, driving him to the brink of resignation and Laura to despair?
from Fantastic Fiction

First book: Death by Election

Welcome to Sharon's Top Mystery Reads of 2011, part one.
I've taken a tip from Margaret Cannon's list this year - I also have 11 top books.
Not all these books were published in 2011 - my only criteria is that I read them in 2011.

Download a printable copy of the entire list here.

Lee Child: The Affair (2011)

Investigator. Action/adventure.

Book # 16 with ex-military policeman Jack Reacher, now drifting around the U.S.

This is a prequel to the series, back when Reacher was still in the military police. You could go right from this one to the first book in series - the perfect circle. After a woman is murdered in a small town near a military training base in the U.S., Reacher is sent to town undercover to see what he can find out. Interesting to see Reacher in the military.

First book: Killing Floor

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

MBTB review of 61 Hours # 14

* * *

Michael Connelly: The Drop (2009)

American police procedural.

Book # 17 with renegade cop Harry Bosch, now with the LAPD Cold Case squad.

The case: Harry gets a special request by a city councilor to investigate the death of the councilor’s son. It looks like the man jumped or fell or was pushed from his hotel balcony. Bosch and the councilor never got along and Bosch can feel the influence of backroom politics and manipulations. Lots of good twists. Reminds me why I love this author.

First book: The Black Echo

## Related post: MBTB review of Nine Dragons # 15

* * *

Tana French: Faithful Place (2010)

All Tana French’s books feature police detectives on the murder squad in Dublin, Ireland. They are not a series, but loosely connected. This one features Frank Mackey, a senior undercover cop.

A suitcase is found belonging to his girlfriend from 20 years ago who he was planning to run away with. She disappeared that very night. Not a standard police procedural.

First book: In The Woods

## Related post: MBTB review of The Likeness # 2

* * *

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, and she doesn’t completely trust that the father had nothing to do with it. Enthralling writing style, a good balanced character in Troy and an interesting narrative voice. A great read.

The author’s website says the next book will be out in 2012.

## Related post: MBTB mini-review of Learning to Swim

* * *

Stuart MacBride: Shatter the Bones (2011)

British police procedural (Scottish noir)

Book # 7 with Logan “Lazarus” McRaie, DS, in Aberdeen, Scotland.

The case: a young mother and daughter singing sensation from a competition TV show have been kidnapped for ransom and the police have very little to go on. There is a breakneck pace to the policing and McRaie’s personal life that makes the book hard to put down.

First book: Cold Granite

## Related posts:
MBTB review of Cold Granite # 1

MBTB review of Dark Blood # 6

* * *

Margaret Maron: Three-Day Town (2011)

Book # 17 with Judge Deborah Knott, now married to police officer Dwight.

This book is set in New York City where Deborah and Dwight are taking a delayed honeymoon. Staying in a friend’s apartment, they are invited down the hall to a neighbour’s party. When they return to their apartment, there is a dead body in it. NYPD detective Sigrid Harald from Maron’s other series plays a big part.
Nicely done from multiple points of view – mostly Deborah and Sigrid. It’s refreshing to see Deborah operate outside the cloying cushion of her endless relatives on the home front in North Carolina.

First book: Bootlegger’s Daughter

## Related post: MBTB review of Rituals of the Season # 11

Watch for upcoming post: Sharon's Top Mystery Reads of 2011, part two

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
The Innocent
by Taylor Stevens

Investigator/Action/Adventure

Book # 2 with Vanessa Michael Munroe, the daughter of American missionaries in Africa, now works all over the world as a researcher and investigator

Description: Eight years ago, five-year-old Hannah was spirited out of school and into the closed world of a cult known as The Chosen. Ever since, followers of its leader, The Prophet, have hidden the child and shielded her abductor. Now, childhood survivors of The Chosen who have escaped to make a life for themselves on the outside know where to find Hannah and turn to Vanessa Michael Munroe for help. . .
Munroe must navigate unpredictable cult members, their dangerous cohorts and the struggle against her own increasingly violent nature so she can rescue the child.... (book jacket)

First book: The Informationist

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. Some of these books have longer reviews or mini-reviews on this blog. In that case, a link will be supplied.

Click here for a printable text-only copy of Mystery Memo # 109 (in Microsoft Word). Here is your chance to download the full list.

This Mystery Memo has one book in the Perfect Read category, Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer

* * *

Christobel Kent: The Drowning River (2009) ****

Italian private investigator.

Book # 1 with former police officer Sandro Cellini, in Florence, Italy.

MBTB mini-review of The Drowning River

Recommended for fans of Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti (e.g. Death at La Fenice).
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Next book: A Murder in Tuscany

* * *


Deon Meyer: Thirteen Hours (2010) **** ½

Police procedural, South Africa.

Book # 2 with Cape Town police detective Benny Griessel.

MBTB full review of Thirteen Hours

The book covers one long 13 hour day as Benny, close to retirement, mentors a couple young detectives through their cases. One case: a murdered teenaged U.S. tourist found in a graveyard and police believe a second American girl, a friend, is on the run from the murderers; the second case: a murdered music producer, looks like the wife did it, but it’s obvious she was framed. High tension, fast-paced, but easy to understand.

Not necessary to read first book, but you will probably want to: Devil’s Peak

* * *

David Pirie: The Patient’s Eyes: the Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes (2001) *** ½

Book # 1 with real life characters Arthur Conan Doyle and his mentor Dr. Bell, set in Scotland.

When Doyle begins his medical practice in Southsea, his former professor Dr. Bell comes to visit him. They both become interested in a strange case: a woman claims that when she is cycling through a road in the forest, someone mysterious cycles after her.

Next book: The Night Calls (2003)

* * *

Bill Pronzini: Betrayers (2010) ***

Private investigator.

Book # 36 with the Nameless detective (Bill), San Francisco.

For the past few years, Bill runs his detective agency with two partners besides himself: Tamara, a young black woman and widower Jake. This book follows cases that each of them are working on – I found the book a little disjointed.
Jake stumbles across a murder plot where the so-called no-good brother is being framed for the murder of the “good” brother’s wife.
Tamara is looking into the background of a man she had brief relationship with.
Bill discovers his teenage daughter has cocaine in her room and is protecting someone.

Start with one of the many earlier books, e.g. The Snatch, The Vanished, Undercurrents, Blowback, Labyrinth, Hoodwink, Shattershot, Dragonfire, etc. . See the full series list here.

* * *


Karin Slaughter: Faithless (2005) *** ½

Part American police procedural, part forensic.

Book # 5 with Dr. Sara Linton, pediatrician and coroner, and her ex-husband Jeffrey, the police chief of a small town in Georgia.

A teenage girl from a religious family is found dead, having been buried alive in a box. Lots of turmoil when police get a note that claims this wasn’t the only burial.
I like the fast pace and the personal relationships in this series.

First book: Blindsighted

* * *

Sally Spencer: The Salton Killings (1998) ***

British police procedural.

Book # 1 with Charlie Woodend, detective chief inspector in a small city in England.

Scotland Yard detective Charlie Woodend is sent to deal with the murder of a teenage girl in a small northern town. The girl’s murder looks like it has elements in common with several previous murders in the community, but it’s hard for him to drag out information from the locals. It was interesting to read the first in the series after reading most of the others (Woodend ends up working as a police detective in a small English city).
The series reminds me of Ruth Rendell’s Inspector Wexford series.

Next book: Murder at Swann’s Lake # 2

* * *

Betty Webb:
The Koala of Death: a Zoo mystery (2010) *** ½

Book # 2 with Teddy Bentley, a young woman who works as a zoo keeper at a small private California zoo.

The koala keeper is found dead in the water near Teddy’s houseboat. Teddy can't help but look into the murder, especially since the suspects include many of her co-workers.
I like the "zoo details" in this series, and the main character is quite appealing as well, constantly at odds with her socialite mother.

Try this series if you like Ann Littlewood’s mysteries with zookeeper Iris Oakley.

First book: The Anteater of Death

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins

This is not a mystery. It could be called Science Fiction, set in a future North America. In the categories of Storyline, Pace and Tone, NoveList calls The Hunger Games Action-packed; Character-driven; Fast-paced; Bleak; Menacing; Suspenseful

Book # 1 of the Hunger Games trilogy

Summary: In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.

Catching Fire # 2

Mockingjay # 3

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. Some of these books have longer reviews or mini-reviews on this blog. In that case, a link will be supplied.

Click here for a printable text-only copy of Mystery Memo # 109 (in Microsoft Word). Here is your chance to download the full list.

This Mystery Memo has one book in the Perfect Read category, Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer

* * *

Nevada Barr: Burn (2010) ****

Book # 16 with U.S. National Park ranger Anna Pigeon. This book is set in New Orleans.

MBTB mini-review: Anna is still on vacation/stress leave, staying with her friend, a blind singer named Geneva. Rather than the outdoor settings Barr’s books usually have, this book is set entirely in the city, the subject matter: child prostitution and sexual abuse. Anna believes one of Geneva’s neighbours is a pedophile.

This book might not be the best one to start the series with, but it’s a fine read.

First book: Track of the Cat (1993).

MBTB review of Winter Study # 14

MBTB review of Borderline # 15

* * *

Judith Cutler: Still Waters (2008) ****

British police procedural.

Book # 3 with senior police detective Fran Harman. Fran, in her 50s, is thinking about retirement.

MBTB mini-review: An old murder case is being appealed so Fran takes a look at it – the missing woman’s husband and his friend maintain they didn’t kill the woman and the body was never found.
I’m making my way through all of Judith Cutler’s series. This is one of my favourites.

First two with Fran Harman:
Life Sentence
Cold Pursuit

* * *

Paul Doiron: The Poacher’s Son (2010) *** ½

Book # 1 with Maine game warden Mike Bowditch.

MBTB mini-review of Poacher's Son

Non-stop action. Recommended for fans of Nevada Barr, series with Anna Pigeon, a park ranger at various national parks in the USA (e.g. Track of the Cat) or C. J. Box, series with Joe Pickett, a game warden in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming (e.g. Open Season).

The next book with Maine game warden Mike Bowditch: Trespasser

* * *

Kathleen George: Taken (2001) ****

Part American police procedural/part amateur detective

Book # 1 with Pittsburgh police detective Richard Christie.

MBTB mini-review: Actress Marina Benedict sees what she believes to be the kidnapping of a baby and becomes a major witness to the crime. Some of the book is from her point of view, some from that of police detective Christie. The writing just pulled me along.

Next book: Fallen (2004)

* * *

Jane Jakeman: Fool’s Gold (1998) ***

Historical, set in England in 1833. Amateur detective.

Book # 3 with Lord Ambrose Malfine, in love with Elizabeth, a former nanny.

MBTB mini-review: Thinking over Malfine’s proposal of marriage, Elizabeth takes a job as a paid companion to the young wife of a Lord. When Malfine gets a letter from Elizabeth describing the mysterious poisoning death of the live-in physician in the household, he rides over to find out what is going on.

First two books:
Let There Be Blood
The Egyptian Coffin

* * *

Craig Johnson: Junkyard Dogs (2010) ****

Book # 4 with sheriff Walt Longmire in the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming.

MBTB mini-review: The local junkman comes to police attention after a severed thumb is discovered at the junkyard.
Recommended to fans of Donald Harstadt (e.g. Eleven Days), Steven Havill (e.g. Heartshot) and early Archer Mayor (Open Season).

First book: The Cold Dish (2004)

## Related post: MBTB review of Dark Horse # 5

* * *

Faye Kellerman: Hangman (2010) ****

American police procedural.

Book # 19 with Peter Decker, L.A.P.D. homicide lieutenant.

MBTB mini-review: Terry asks Peter Decker to protect her during a visit from her husband Chris, a professional hit man. Peter feels obligated to help her, being involved in this couple’s lives for many years, since Chris served time for a murder he didn’t do (in Justice, 1995).
I recommend starting with one of the earlier books or at the beginning.

First book: The Ritual Bath (1986)

* * *

Jonathon Kellerman: Deception (2010) ***

American police procedural/consulting psychologist

Book # 25 with psychologist Alex Delaware and his friend police detective Milo in LA.

MBTB mini-review: When a teacher at a very classy private high school is found mysteriously murdered and lying in a tub of dry ice, there is pressure on Milo to keep the questioning away from the school.
I loved the early books in this series and keep reading them just in case the magic returns.

First book: When the Bough Breaks (1985)

* * *

Watch for Mystery Memo # 109 part two, coming soon.

posted by Sharon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:
The Informationist
by Taylor Stevens

Action/adventure/lone wolf investigator/thriller

Book # 1 with Vanessa Michael Munroe, the daughter of American missionaries in Africa, now working in Texas researching developing countries for corporations

Summary: Dealing information to wealthy clients throughout the world, Vanessa Munroe hopes to leave her unconventional past behind her until a mission to find the missing daughter of a Texas oil billionaire forces her to return to the central Africa region of her youth. NoveList