Lord Peter Wimsey is called to view the body of an unknown dead man found in the bathtub of a friend. The body is wearing nothing but a gold pince-nez.

When Ruben Levy, a prosperous member of the Exchange,…

Self-defense instructor, Charlie Fox, takes a job as security in at the hot new nightclub, The New Adelphi after one of the clubbers has been raped and murdered. A friend of hers brings her a

laptop computer given to him by an employee of the club in exchange for…

SECRET DEAD MEN (Soul Catcher-Philadelphia-Cont) – VG

Duane Swierczynski – 1^st mystery

PointBlank, 2005- Hardcover

Del Farmer is a detective with a difference. He solves crimes by collecting souls and keeping them in the Brain Hotel within him. While he is trying to track down and destroy The…

A COLD TREACHERY (Police Procedural-England-1900s) – VG

Todd, Charles – 7^th in series

Bantam, 2005 – Hardcover

Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent to the Lake District in mid-winter. Four members of a family have been murdered and the oldest son is missing. Is he the fifth victim, or did he kill his

own…

HOME KILLINGS (Police Procedural-Nashville-Cont) – G

Villatoro, Marcos M. – 1^st in series

Dell, 2001- Paperback

Detective Romilia Chacon is called to the crime scene of an apparent suicide and identifies it as a murder. Because she discovers a piece of evidence linking the murder to serial

killings, which…

THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB (Police Proc-New York-Cont) – NR

Black, Ethan – 1^st in series

Ballantine, 1999 – Hardcover

A group of men, who have been dumped by the women they love, are brought together by a psychologist who to "vent" their pain. This turns to anger, which turns to murder. Into this you have Detective Conrad Voort,

"the richest cop in New York,"

whose girlfriend has…

ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING (Private Investigator-New York-Cont) – Ex

Block, Lawrence – 16^th novel in series

William Morrow, 2005 – Hardcover

Matt Scudder has been hired to investigate a woman's suspicious lover. In the meantime, there is a man on death row awaiting execution for murdering three boys. He has been befriended by a

"psychologist" who clearly knows more about the murders…

THE PALACE TIGER (Police Proc-India-1922) – VG

Cleverly, Barbara – 4^th in series

Constable, 2004- Hardcover

Commander Joe Sandilands has been dispatched to Ranipur, ostensibly to hunt a man-eating tiger. As he is arriving, a plane

crashes in front of him killing the son and present heir of the maharajah. Joe quickly finds the crash was no accident

and this is the second heir who…

THE 37^TH HOUR (Police Proc-US-Cont) – NR

Compton, Jodi – 1^st book

Dell, 2004- Paperback

Sarah Pribek is a missing-persons investigator. But she never though the person for whom she would be searching was her own husband, police officer Shiloh. Married only two months, when Shiloh leaves

for FBI training in Quantico,

but never arrives, it's up to Sarah to find…

THE FORGOTTEN MAN (Private Investigator-Los Angeles-Cont) – Ex

Crais, Robert – 10^th in series

Doubleday, 2005 – Hardcover

PI Elvis Cole has spent his life wondering about, and trying to find, his father. When he receives a call that a victim of a fatal gunshot says he's Cole's father, it leads him on a search for the man's

identity. But there's more to the John

Doe that anyone…

SHOOTING ELVIS (Action Thriller-LA-Cont) – G+

Eversz, Robert M. – 1^st in series

Grove Press, 1996- Hardcover

Mary Alice Baker lives in an abusive family, takes photographs of children and has a boyfriend who convinces her to deliver a package to a stranger at LAX. But when she accidentally causes a bomb to go

off in the airport, Mary transforms herself into Nina Zero in order to…

THE PALE COMPANION (Amateur Sleuth-England-1600) – VG

Goodin, Philip – 3^rd in series

Constable, 2002 - Hardcover

Actor Nick Reville and the Chamberlain's Men have been asked s to perform Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" as part of the wedding celebration at the

country house of Lord Elcombe.

Befriended by Robin, a ragged man living in the forest who…

Penny Wintercraft-Hawkes heads a troupe of traveling actors. She is stunned when she inherits a run-down theatre, and the funds to renovate it, from an aunt she has only seen once and

didn't know at all. But when she goes to

survey her inheritance, she finds not…

PRACTICE TO DECEIVE (Private Investigator-St. Paul, Minn.-Cont) – VG

Housewright, David – 2^nd in series

Foul Play Press, 1998 – Hardcover

PI Holland Taylor agrees to look into the case of an elderly woman who was cheated out of her life savings. With the help of a

computer-expert friend, he begins a harassment campaign against the investment

counselor who handled the woman's…

THE MERCHANT'S PARTNER (Historical Mystery-England-1300s) – G+

Jecks, Michael, 2^nd in series

Headline, 1995- Paperback

Simon Puttock, bailiff of Lydford Castle, and Sir Baldwin

Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, are called to investigate the murder of

midwife and healer Agatha Kyteler.

Suspects include a young farmer, but others maintain he could…

THE PAINTED VEIL (Amateur Sleuth-Venice-1700s) – VG

Myers, Beverle Graves - 2^nd in series

Poisoned Pen Press, 2005- ARC

Castrato soprano Tito Amato and the opera company are preparing to perform at the nuptials of the Doge's eldest daughter. The scene

painter disappears, placing the opera in jeopardy, and Tito is asked to find

him. The trail leads Tito to the

painter's…

NO WITNESSES (Police Proc- Seattle-Cont) – G+

Pearson, Ridley – 3^rd in series

Hyperion, 1994 - Paperback

Sargent Lou Boldt is brought into a case of product tampering by his friend, police psychologist, Daphne Matthews. Her lover and the owner

of a food company, is being threatened that unless he shuts down his business

and takes his own life, others will die.…

COLD SERVICE (Private Investigator-Boston-Cont) – G

Parker, Robert B. – 32^nd in series

Putnam, 2005 – Hardcover

Hawk has been shot in the back and the man he was hired to protect, has been killed along with all but his youngest child. Not being one to

turn the other cheek, Hawk and Spencer go after the shooters.

This is not the…

LABYRINTH (Private Investigator-San Francisco-Cont) – Ex

Pronzini, Bill – 6^th in series

St. Martin's Press,

1980 – Hardcover

"Nameless" has been called to a murder scene as the body of a young woman has business card in her pocket. Unfortunately, he

doesn't know who she is. In the

meantime, he is hired by a wealthy woman to follow…

EIGHT OF SWORDS (Amateur Sleuth-Berkeley, CA-Cont) – VG

Skibbins, David – 1^st in series

Thomas Dunne Books, 2005- Hardcover

Warren Ritter, not the name to which he was born, suffers from manic-depression, and is an expert in martial arts and handguns. He has

also spent 30 years hiding from the law, and is now a tarot-card reader in Berkeley. Although it began as a cover and easy way…