Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips

STAKEOUTS AND STROLLERS by Rob Phillips is an award-winning debut mystery, with a cute cover that captured my attention. I was expecting something light and cozy and initially felt that this was a little too silly until I started to build affection for the characters and appreciation for what becomes a fairly complicated plot set in the Bay Area. The main character is Charlie Shaw, an ex-journalist, now newbie PI, married to his high school sweetheart and dad to a six-month-old daughter. His inexperience contributes to both hilarity and danger as he shifts from tailing a client’s cheating wife to trying to find the dysfunctional, missing father of sixteen-year-old Friday Finley, a runaway who has just lost her Mom. It seems that the missing Dad is involved (voluntarily or not?) in some shady dealings including gambling, crooked cops, and even murder. Solving this dilemma and supporting the troubled teen requires the involvement of Dwayne Powell, a retired police officer and Shaw’s boss. There will undoubtedly be more in this charming series, as Phillips writes, “This book, above all else, is about fathers and daughters and the space a little girl takes in her daddy's heart.” STAKEOUTS AND STROLLERS received a starred review from Library Journal.

 

The Star from Calcutta by Sujata Massey

THE STAR FROM CALCUTTA by Sujata Massey is the fifth mystery in the series  (see The Widows of Malabar Hill and others) featuring Perveen Mistry in 1920s India. Once again, the first female lawyer in Bombay is working a unique case, this time involving the moviemaking industry. Her client, Rochana, is a famous star originally from Calcutta and now in some danger as she and her new husband may lose their film company. Even Perveen and her friend Alice Hobson-Jones may fall under suspicion when a film censor is found dead after a screening they all attended. Massey offers suspense in an intriguing setting with likeable characters. THE STAR FROM CALCUTTA received a starred review from Booklist (“wonderful history-mystery read, filled with fascinating details both of the complexity of life in British India and of the workings of the 1920s film world”).   

Everyone in This Bank is a Thief

A LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection for March, EVERYONE IN THIS BANK IS A THIEF by Benjamin Stevenson is the latest in his very entertaining Ernest Cunningham series. In this case, old Ern may have really pushed the envelope as he is trapped in a bank by a rather ineffective robber. Someone mysteriously dies and it looks like Ern could be next. He’s intent on solving the mystery, though, and playing fair with his readers by providing as much background as he can. Noting, for example, that “We've got a dead body in Byron, two hours’ drive from here, a police raid a year ago that resulted in another dead body, a missing banker, a vault that can't be opened, a bank robber who doesn't seem to care about money, and a guard who doesn't care about protecting it, plus a priest who can't talk and a bird that won't shut up.” Stevenson is very clever in crafting this series and I doubt that too many readers will jump to the right conclusion here… plenty of twists and interrelationships despite Ern’s admonition that “You don't need to solve every little thing. Just solve the things that matter.”  The audiobook is narrated by Barton Welch who does a commendable job (and has so many great lines to deliver, like: “Winston rolled his eyes and turned to Juliette, ‘Is he always this argumentative?’ ‘Yes,’ [she responded] ‘I disagree,’ I said.)”. EVERYONE IN THIS BANK IS A THIEF received starred reviews from Kirkus (“Resign yourself to being stumped, and enjoy.”) and Publishers Weekly (“Stevenson’s hot streak continues”).

Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

NOBODY’S BABY by Olivia Waite is a short (144 pages) novella set in space. The baby is a total surprise as people traveling on the spaceship for hundreds of years are not supposed to be able to have children. The main character, a detective named Dorothy Gentleman, has a nephew who finds the baby and wants to raise it with his partner. Their reaction to the whole situation is heartwarming in itself, as are Dorothy’s efforts to untangle the legal status of a being who is not supposed to exist. NOBODY’S BABY is a LibraryReads selection for March; that’s where I first heard about this second book in the series (after Murder By Memory) where “Becky Chambers meets Miss Marple.” Kirkus described NOBODY’S BABY as “a gentle charmer of a SF mystery that surprises as it satisfies” and Booklist gave it a starred review. Enjoy!

The Crossroads by C.J. Box

THE CROSSROADS by C.J. Box is the latest (#26) in the long-running series featuring game warden Joe Pickett. Set amid harsh conditions in Wyoming, this story centers on finding out why (and by whom) Pickett was ambushed near a fork in the trail that splits off towards three different ranches.  There are questions related to cartels and drug smuggling, to possible kidnapping, and to just plain greed and social standing. It takes a while to determine the possible motives, particularly as it is Pickett’s three grown daughters (Sheridan, April, and Lucy) leading the chase while their Dad is hospitalized in the hopes of recovering from a brain injury. The perpetrators are ruthless, and multiple deaths occur as the action accelerates towards a fitting ending. A larger role for the daughters was a bonus in this puzzling, often violent, whodunit. 

The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor

THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE POISONED PROFESSOR by Lucy Connelly is the first in a new cozy mystery series. It is set in Dillynaidd, Wales at the local university where alumnae Gwen Griffith has arrived to head the journalism department for the Dean (and her best friend), Carolyn Sparks. After a faculty party welcome, one of the other professors, Alice Rice, collapses at Gwen’s door. Foul play - and Gwen - are suspected by the local police detective, Gareth Jones. Of course, Gwen (aided by her teaching assistant Ellis) jumps in to do some investigative reporting and makes some rather dubious choices along the way. Soon, both are in danger, and it takes a village of newly found friends to save them. Gwen is a very likeable heroine and I look forward to more of her Welsh adventures. 

The Devil's Bible by Steve Berry

THE DEVIL'S BIBLE by Steve Berry is the latest novel featuring Cotton Malone, a retired Justice Department agent. I had not read any previously, but I look forward to reading more in this series due to the twisty, relevant plot and exciting action. This story takes place in Sweden (which I now want to visit) where the sister of the King has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. The demand is for The Codex Gigas, a massive (165 pound) medieval manuscript originally created in Bohemia and belonging to Czechoslovakia but plundered by Sweden in 1648. The intent was to return the codex so as to facilitate a positive vote on Sweden’s entry into NATO, but that is now in jeopardy. Russia is suspected being behind the kidnapping and of using an agent close to the royal family. Berry includes some intriguing historical background and spycraft information, but really excels when Cotton; his former boss, Stephanie Nelle; and his girlfriend and former colleague, Cassiopeia Vitt encounter harrowing circumstances (attempted assassination at a circus, intense aerial combat, and gunfighting) and turncoat agents in their efforts to find the princess and deliver the bible. THE DEVIL'S BIBLE received a starred review from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly says, “Cotton’s narrow escapes and larger-than-life heroics are as outlandish and thrilling as ever.” If you are looking for mystery and adventure, try this.