This column was submitted by Evangeline Cessna, Local History Librarian at the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library. 

This week’s column features mystery/thriller titles from our New Large Print collection.

Ellery Adams’s ninth entry in her Book Retreat series is called, “Murder in the Book Lover’s Loft.” Storyton Hall is a book-themed resort in Virginia and the perfect getaway for book lovers. Jane Steward is Storyton’s manager, but she and her fiancé, Edwin are headed to North Carolina for a much-needed vacation. The harborside loft they’ve rented has floor-to-ceiling bookcases and amazing views of the coast. Jane is excited to explore the town, but Edwin steps on a stingray and Jane stumbles across a dead body. Instead of leisurely beach strolls, Jane is now thrust into a dark secret in her family tree that threatens everyone and everything she holds dear back in Storyton. It’s going to take the entire village to help make amends for the past and stop a madman bent on doling out his kind of justice in the present.

“The Proof of the Pudding,” is Rhys Bowen’s seventeenth installment of her Royal Spyness series. Lady Georgiana Rannoch is excited to host her first house party celebrating the return of Sir Hubert and showcasing the skills of her new Parisian chef, Pierre. The party is a great success. One of her guests is Sir Mortimer Mordred—the famous Gothic horror author. He recently bought a nearby Elizabethan manor house because of its famous poison garden. Sir Mortimer asks Georgie if he could borrow her new chef for his party—and of course, Georgie and Darcy are invited. The tour of the poison garden is fascinating and so is Sir Mortimer’s laboratory. Just after the banquet, several of the guests fall ill and one dies, apparently poisoned with berries from the garden. How could this happen when they all ate the same meal? Georgie sets out to find the poisoner and save her and her new chef’s reputation.

Jeffery Deaver’s 16th installment of his series featuring Lincoln Rhyme is titled, ‘The Watchmaker’s Hand.” Criminalist Lincoln Rhyme and detective Amelia Sachs find themselves tracking a criminal with an unusual m.o.–toppling construction cranes in New York City. A political group is claiming responsibility for the sabotage and they threaten other attacks unless their demands are met. Lincoln and Amelia are in a race against time to stop further destruction. When a clue reveals that Lincoln’s old nemesis The Watchmaker has come to town to make good on his promise to kill the criminalist, the stakes are upped. New York is in a panic and the team must work fast to unravel the clues to prevent more cranes from falling and keep themselves alive.

Betty Hechtman’s ninth entry in her Yarn Retreat series is called, “Knot a Game.” The owner of Vista Del Mar Hotel convinces Casey Feldstein to combine a murder mystery game with her next weekend yarn retreat. With the hotel’s staff playing the victim and suspects, she lays out the plot and plants a few red herrings. Casey is certain that she has nailed it when the guests are intrigued and having a great time, but that changes when a real murder occurs at the hotel. Guests forget the fake murder and begin gathering clues to solve the real one. Casey finds herself with her hands full trying to keep the amateur sleuths from getting in the way of the actual detectives. Casey can’t help but notice a few of the guests don’t seem to be who they claim to be. Will Casey put the clues together before it’s too late for someone else?

Mike Lupica delivers the 50th entry in Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series with, “Broken Trust.” In this latest installment, Spenser finds himself investigating the skeletons of an elusive techbillionaire. Andrew Crain is a brilliant scientist and savvy businessman, and his work has made him one of the world’s richest men. He seems to be universally adored and admired, but his wife comes to Spenser hoping to have her fears allayed about Andrew’s past. He has recently become secretive, paranoid, and prone to violent outbursts. This is not the man she married and, not only is his behavior putting their marriage in danger, but it also puts a lucrative company merger in danger. As Spenser digs deeper into Andrew’s past her realizes that the man may have done some terrible things on his rise to the top, but he may have had good reason to. There are no clear answers, but what Spenser uncovers puts him in grave danger.

“A Chateau Under Siege,” is Martin Walker’s sixteenth entry in his Bruno, Chief of Police series. Bruno’s latest case has him trying to figure out if the attack on an actor in a local play is an accident, a crime of passion, or an assassination attempt. During the town of Sarlat’s staging of their liberation from the British during the Hundred Year’s War, French hero Brice Kerquelin is stabbed and feared fatally wounded. Brice also happens to be the second in command of the French intelligence service—in line for the top job. Bruno is worried about the safety of Brice’s daughters Claire and Nadia, as well as his old Silicon Valley friends said to be in town for a reunion. One friend from Taiwan—a computer chip tycoon—goes missing and Bruno suspects a link to the French government’s to build a chip industry in Europe. Russian and Chinese forces are not too happy about this and are determined to undermine France’s efforts. While sifting through rumor, international interests, and just the facts, Bruno still finds time for romantic
entanglements and putting together the perfect meals.