Everyone this Christmas has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

EVERYONE THIS CHRISTMAS HAS A SECRET by Benjamin Stevenson (Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone and Everyone on this Train is a Suspect) is pure delight. Readers will once again enjoy the wry wit and clever asides as amateur sleuth Ernest Cunningham has more murders to solve.  In this latest “Christmas special” (complete with its own set of governing rules), Stevenson uses an Advent calendar to help provide clues. At least half a dozen suspects are related to the death of a philanthropist, Lyle Pearse, who establishes theatre programs for young people who were previously addicts. Due to her romantic involvement with Lyle, Cunningham’s ex-wife, Erin, is the primary suspect and he sets out to clear her name. One big source of information is a magic show where yet another death occurs; are they related? Why? Set in the Blue Mountain region of Australia, EVERYONE THIS CHRISTMAS HAS A SECRET conjures both the holiday season and natural beauty. Stevenson’s latest title received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Enjoy! I am already eagerly anticipating book four – Stevenson’s Acknowledgments section says, “Don’t worry: Ernest is back in a big way soon.”  

Agatha Christie's Influence ...

HERCULE POIROT'S SILENT NIGHT by Sophie Hannah is the fifth mystery she has written about Agatha Christie’s intrepid detective, but the first that I have had the pleasure to read. This novel takes place at an old mansion which is literally about to crumble into the sea as the cliff it sits upon is eroding. It seems that the family who lives there is disintegrating, too – there is much animosity between the two sisters (married to two brothers), their parents, and in-laws. The patriarch is gravely ill and about to enter hospital, but his wife is certain that he will be killed after another patient is murdered. Temporary guests Poirot and his friend, Edward Catchpool, are caught up in the drama and preparations for Christmas festivities. In fact, many clues emerge as Catchpool unobtrusively interviews suspects while decorating Christmas trees. The key is past transgressions and as Poirot notes, “without the determination to keep the terrible secret at all costs there would have been no motive to commit any murders at all.” Readers will be surprised and entertained by this holiday-themed tale.  

THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING by Rhys Bowen is number 17 in the series which features Lady Georgiana Rannoch. It is exciting that she and her husband are about to have a baby, but this mystery lacked suspense and the perpetuator and motive were fairly obvious from the start. Numerous guests attend a fancy dinner party and eat the same food, but a few become ill and more than one dies.  In order to save the reputation of her chef, Georgie has to figure out how the murder occurred and greatly benefits from some brainstorming with none other than Agatha Christie herself (a fellow guest at the exclusive dinner). Fans of this long-running series will likely enjoy Georgie’s increased confidence and triumph at entertaining with a French chef; many, however, may prefer other, more puzzling, cozy mysteries.

West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman

WEST HEART KILL by Dann McDorman is a truly unusual mystery offering and an impressive debut. McDorman, an Emmy-nominated TV news producer, is clearly a talented and thoughtful writer. He speaks directly to the reader throughout the text and ultimately brings the reader into the story in order to investigate multiple murders. The setting in upstate New York is a remote hunting lodge which is under financial pressure. At the request of a member, a private investigator arrives, unearths some possible motives, and soon has a murder to solve. WEST HEART KILL is a LibraryReads selection for October and will appeal especially to fans of Horowitz’s The Word is Murder series. This is a novel that will have readers forming strong opinions – many, like me, will appreciate its inventiveness. Others, however, will find that it differs too much from the mystery “formula” and prefer a more conventional tale. Give it a try and see what you think.

Treasure State by C.J. Box

TREASURE STATE is a mystery story by C.J. Box involving female private investigator Cassie Dewell. The setting is modern day Montana, specifically a small former mining town named Anaconda. Cassie is working simultaneously on two cases – one involves fraud and a slick operator who has stolen significant funds from her client, an older woman named Candyce Fly. The other involves a fortune that treasure seekers are competing to find. The founder of that hunt hires Cassie to see if see can find him – it is his contention that being hidden will make for a fairer contest. C.J. Box is a well-regarded author (Joe Pickett is another of his characters) and it should be no surprise that TREASURE STATE received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly. I greatly enjoyed the audio version read by Christina Delaine. The story is intricately plotted and while there are references to previous Cassie Dewell adventures (this is number six in the series), this Montana mystery is full of its own twists and turns and works as a stand-alone.

The Local by Joey Hartstone

THE LOCAL by Joey Hartstone is an impressive courtroom drama set in East Texas in a small town called Marshall. The narrator and main character of this debut murder mystery has the absolutely fabulous name of Jimmy Euchre. He’s a practicing patent attorney, the “local” in a federal district which according to The Dallas News was indeed the busiest in the country for patent law, although that may be changing. Euchre has been hired by the New York based firm of Gordon & Greene to work with Abe Rabinowitz and Layla Stills on an infringement case involving a high tech and transport company called Medallion, headed by Amir Zawar. The chapters introducing all of these characters were fun and quick moving, reminiscent of the Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer. Shortly after their initial time in court a prominent local official is murdered and Euchre shifts to criminal law, acting as defense attorney. He and Layla are aided by a private investigator, Lisa ‘the Leg’ Morgan. The middle section drags a bit, but the ending offers a nice surprise and potential for future cases. Hartstone is an accomplished writer for film (two features directed by Rob Reiner) and television (The Good Fight; Your Honor) so Grisham and Turow readers will certainly enjoy this legal thriller. I also recommend THE LOCAL to fans of S.J. Rozan’s Lydia Chin and Bill Smith series; there’s plenty of feisty-ness on display.