Not Your Usual Stuff

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith is a whodunit story of a famous, beautiful model who plunges to her death from her penthouse.   Is it murder? Suicide?  Her brother, believing it to be murder, hires private detective Cormoran Strike.  Strike is a character with an entertaining, enigmatic story of his own, adding a nice dimension to the storytelling by Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling.  And just like in the Harry Potter series, each character that joins Strike in this story is lively, well written, and can hold his or her own.  There is something formulaic about the mystery in this story but Galbraith does such a great job with the character development that you find yourself unable to walk away. SG

Elementary, My Dear Watson!*

Not even the death of his creator could hamper the detecting of the world's greatest super-sleuth, Sherlock Holmes.  Accompanied by his trusty sidekick (and oftentimes foil), Dr. Watson, Holmes has found his way into any number of modern retellings and new adventures in the years since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's death in 1930.  Check out our current display in the Adult Department, including titles from authors such as Michael Chabon, Loren D. Estleman, and Anthony Horowitz (yes, of Alex Rider fame), all featuring original takes on your favorite detective (such as Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula: The Adventure of the Sanguinary Count which is actually a lot better than it sounds).

*TRIVIA -- Sherlock Holmes never actually says "Elementary, my dear Watson," in any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works; the phrase was apparently popularized by the first "talking film" featuring the detective in 1929.  HM

Gritty and Tough

Gritty and tough could describe John Harvey's new novel, Good Bait, or the characters in the novel. Switching points of view, two detectives work on related cases but never meet. When a 17-year-old Moldovan boy is found dead on Hampstead Heath, the case falls to DCI Karen Shields.  Karen knows she needs a result. What she doesn't know is that her new case is tied inextricably to a much larger web of gang warfare and organized crime which infiltrates  London society.

Several hundred miles away in Cornwall, Detective Inspector Trevor Cordon is stirred from his day-to-day duties by another tragic London fatality. Traveling to the capital and determined to establish the cause of death and trace the deceased's daughter, Cordon becomes entangled in a complicated situation of his own. Brilliantly plotted and filled with rich, subtle characters, John Harvey's latest novel reveals him once again as a masterful writer. ML

In Death

J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) has written over 30 books in her “In Death” series. I was reading a blog about Richard Castle readalikes and was surprised when Robb’s books popped up in the conversation. Naturally I had to give one a try and so looked up her series in our “What’s Next” link on the Adult Services’ Reading Ideas page. Naked in Death is the first book in the series and I have to admit I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the next. The books are set in the future and the main character, Eve Dallas, is the tough, sexy detective that always gets her man. Although Roberts tends towards romance, the Robb books are definitely mysteries with a bit of romance thrown in ala Richard Castle and his Nikki Heat character. I am always happy to find a new series and am looking forward to being entertained in the months ahead. SG