It's been a busy fall, but as soon as I realized that it took me several weeks to read one book, I knew that I needed to get my priorities straight. I needn't have worried, because as soon as I picked up Susan Kandel's I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON my...

Phyllis D. James, now Baroness James of Holland Park, published her first crime novel, entitled Cover Her Face, in 1962.

I feel I should start this review with a confession, I have never read any of the Inspector Rebus novels.

Fred Vargas is a well-known French mystery author. She is a historian and an archaeologist by profession and this shows in her book.

What a discovery this author is! This book is his first and I would consider The Hundredth Man to be a police thriller. The story is dark, with a serial killer who leaves victims without a head. I know that seems quite grim, but the characters in the book are not...

There was so much buzz about this book on the web that I had to read it and I was not disappointed.

The Trojan Dog is written by Dorothy Johnston, an Australian writer whose earlier novels were short-listed for the Miles Franklin Award. The award is Australia's first and most prestigious literary award. Any fan of Gail Bowen will really enjoy this book. I would say she's Australia's Gail Bowen. Her protagonist is...

A mystery set in Winnipeg and a fun read to boot. C.C. Benison previously set his books in England with Jane Bee and the Queen. Death In Cold Type begins with the murder of Michael Rossiter, respected philanthropist and scion of an old Winnipeg newspaper family. The setting is Crescentwood's old...

Hurray for Canadian mystery writers! This is another wonderful mystery written by Canadian writer Rick Blechta. It takes place in Vienna, where Victoria Morgan is giving a concert. Tory Morgan is a true artist who is ruled by emotion rather than brains. She is lured to a castle by a Baron...

I never thought I would read a mystery that was over 600 pages, but I did with The Historian. It begins with a professor going missing and a young woman finding an ancient book and letters. Then the fun begins as one travels back and forth in history to the truth...

I always enjoy finding a new Canadian mystery author. Mike Harrison's new mystery is set in Calgary. His protagonist is Eddie Dancer, an ex-cop turned private investigator. He is much better as a private eye, simply because he bends the rules.
The story revolves around city hookers, bikers and attacks against...

Henrietta and I met Ken at Bouchercon in Chicago. He's an Irish rogue with a friendly smile and a kind heart, and writes like a poet on the dark side. This book will send shivers down the spine of anyone who has gone to a girl's boarding school run by nuns...

Harley Jane Kozak is a talented writer whose first novel, Dating Dead Men, was nominated for several awards. In her second novel, Dating Is Murder, greeting card designer Wollie Shelley is back solving the disappearance of her friend Annika, a young au pair from Germany.
Wollie Shelley is the protagonist in...

David Hewson is my favourite British male writer - tied with Ian Rankin. The Lizard's Bite is the fourth book in the Nic Costa and Gianni Peroni series set in Italy.

Nic & Gianni are two detectives in Rome who have been banished. The duo caused a lot of feathers to...

L.A. Requiem was a favourite of mine, and I felt that Robert Crais had not written a book that could compare until now. The Two Minute Rule is the book!!!!!!!

It is not an Elvis Cole. Max Holman is released from prison and he wants to change his life. He wants...

Scared to Live is the seventh installment in Stephen Booth's Derbyshire mystery series, which features Detectives Ben Cooper and his superior Diane Fry.

This mystery is set in Bethlehem. A Palestinian Christian is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis. Teacher Omar Yussef knows that his friend would not collaborate with the Israelis and starts investigating the circumstances of the charge. Omar teaches at UN Relief & Work Agency for Girls. A young Hamas fighter...

Sovereign is the third book in Sansom's Shardlake series.

Christmas Eve meets Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles not with visions of sugar-plums, but with a brutal murder. Soon they are thrown into an investigation that circulates around a mysterious organization known as The Mephisto Club. Now Rizzoli and Isles must grapple with a killer whose genius is terrifying....

We are lucky to be getting another Swedish crime writer. Henning Mankell was first and we have had several new Swedish authors since. He has been my favourite and I have considered him the best until now. Hakan Nesser is really good. Inspector Van Veeteren is his protagonist. The story unfolds...

All Mortal Flesh is the fifth in the series by Julia Spencer-Fleming featuring the Reverend Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne. The books are set in the small town of Millers Kill, New York, where Clare is an Episcopal priest, and Russ is the chief of police. Their professions frequently bring...

Another first book and this one is historical. I really like it. It is 1909 and Sigmund Freud has come to New York to give a lecture. Needless to say, he was a very controversial figure of the time. A young doctor, Stratham Younger, greets Freud and enlists him to assist...

This is a first book and I am always excited by that fact — sometimes it is the best book by the author. I hope with this author that is not the case, as I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The main character is young biographer Margaret Lea. She has grown up...

Detectives Jonathan Stride and Serena Dial are back in Freeman’s stunning sequel. The two detectives are handed two seemingly unrelated murders, first the son of reclusive Walker Lane, the billionaire movie producer, and second a young boy named Peter. As a fish out of water, Stride knows he must tread carefully...

For the lighter side I like Jacqueline Winspear's writing style. This is the third book in the Maisie Dobbs series. I recommend all three books in the series.
As many of you know, I am not a real cozy type reader but I really like these books. The setting is in...