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Britten and Brülightly by Hannah Berry Private detective Fernández Britten is an old hand at confirming the dark suspicions of jealous lovers and exposing ugly truths of all varieties. Battered by years of bearing ill tidings, he clings to the hope of revealing, just once, a truth that will do some good in the world. It is a redemption that has long eluded him. Then Britten and his unconventional partner, Brülightly, take on the mysterious death of Berni Kudos. The official verdict is suicide, but Berni’s fiancée is convinced that the reality is something more sinister. Blackmail, revenge, murder: each new revelation stirs up the muddy waters of painful family secrets, and each fresh twist takes the partners further from Britten’s longed-for salvation. Doing good in the world, he discovers, may have more to do with silence than truth.
Reckless by Ed Brubaker Meet Ethan Reckless: Your trouble is his business, for the right price. But when a fugitive from his radical student days reaches out for help, Ethan must face the only thing he fears…his own past.
Blacksad by Juan DÃaz Canales Private investigator John Blacksad is up to his feline ears in mystery, digging into the backstories behind murders, child abductions, and nuclear secrets. Guarnido’s sumptuously painted pages and rich cinematic style bring the world of 1950s America to vibrant life, with Canales weaving in fascinating tales of conspiracy, racial tension, and the “red scare” Communist witch hunts of the time.
Work for a million by Amanda Deibert Witty, sly, and incredibly skilled at her job, Helen Keremos is tired of the busy Toronto life and just wants to truck back to Vancouver and peace. But before she goes, she’s hired for one last job, to protect the newly wealthy struggling songbird Sonia Deerfield, who’s been receiving death threats and attempts on her life. With predatory “friends” all around Sonia, it’s hard to tell who Helen can trust. As the danger increases around them, Helen and Sonia find themselves drawn to each other for more than just protection. Soon, Helen realizes that Sonia isn’t the only one with a target on her back, as the mysterious blackmailer turns their attention to her too…
Bury the lede by Gabe Dunn Cub reporter Madison Jackson is young, scrappy, and hungry to prove that she deserves her coveted college internship at the premiere newspaper in town, The Boston Lede, where she fetches coffee for the night crew and dreams of her own byline. So when her police scanner mentions a brutal murder tied to a prominent Boston family, Madison races to the crime scene, looking for the scoop of the century. What she finds instead is the woman who’ll change her life forever: Dahlia Kennedy, celebrity socialite, now widow, covered in gore and the prime suspect in the murder of her husband and child. When Dahlia refuses to talk to anyone but Madison, they begin a dangerous game of cat and mouse that leads the young journalist down a twisted path.
Sanction by Ray Fawkes Leningrad, 1987. When a woman’s corpse is discovered on New Year’s Day, a hungover Detective Pavel Smirnoff hands off the case to his partner, Detective Boris Dimitrovich, hoping he’ll close it without fuss. Instead, Dimitrovich uncovers a connection to an old, unsolved crime, dragging them both into an investigation that puts their careers – and possibly their lives – at risk.
Calavera, P.I. by Marco Finnegan Sometimes it takes a dead man to crack the case! In 1925, Juan Calavera died a hero. After a career spent outside the law defending the Chicano barrios where the police refused to operate, he earned a reputation for fearlessness . . . and a gunshot in the stomach. Now, five years later, on Dia de los Muertos, his restless spirit has been summoned from the grave to help a desperate former colleague unravel a kidnapping all too close to home. With only days to solve the case before he is called back to the underworld, can Calavera reveal the identity of the masked human trafficker known as La Fantasma before tragedy strikes again . . . and solve the mystery of his own murder in the process? From the desk of rising star Marco Finnegan (Morning Star, Night People), walk the shadow-shrouded alleys of Hollywoodland to solve the mystery of Calavera–a newly resurrected private investigator whose first case is about to straddle the blood-soaked boundaries between the living and the dead!
Rebecca & Lucie in the case of the missing neighbor by Pascal Girard Rebecca’s got an eight-month-old baby and a mystery to investigate! Late one summer night as she’s breastfeeding Lucie, she spots two men carrying something heavy into a white minivan. It’s probably nothing serious, but when Rebecca hears that a home healthcare provider named Eduardo Morales disappeared from the neighborhood that very night, she puts her detective hat on and gets to work.
Miss don’t touch me by Hubert Paris in the thirties. The ‘Butcher of the Dances’ is on the prowl for young loose women. Blanche works as a maid along with the only family she knows, her sister, fun-loving Agatha. Suddenly, Blanche loses her to what she saw was murder but others only write off as suicide. She decides to take matters into her own hands. In her pursuit, she ends up hired into a luxury house of call-girls. She even becomes quite good at certain lascivious practices while still remaining a virgin! But she also doesn’t lose sight of her goal: find the Butcher.
Two dead by Van Jensen After World War II, tensions rise in a Southern city ruled by organized crime, touching countless residents as they struggle to make sense of the new world. A sudden act of violence sets off a series of bloody events between the police and mafia as they lash out against one another. As the violence worsens, desperation grows to stop it, by any means necessary. Told in multiple perspectives—from a seemingly untouchable mafia don, to a gun-happy seasoned detective succumbing to the depths of his schizophrenia, to a newly minted police lieutenant haunted by his recent service in the war, and two African-American brothers, one mired in corruption and the other leading a local militia in an effort to see that justice is served—Two Dead is at once a white-knuckled and unputdownable thriller, a roman à clef inspired by true events, and a book about post-traumatic stress disorder and the underlying social traumas of how war and segregation affect their survivors on all fronts.
City of glass by Paul Karasik A New York novelist named Quinn is mistaken for a detective named Paul Auster. Out of curiosity, he accepts a case protecting a young man named Peter Stillman, but as he delves into the case, he loses a little more of himself each day in the streets of New York City.
Immortal sergeant by Joe Kelly On the eve of his unwelcome retirement, Jim Sargent (aka “Sarge”) a grizzled, old-school detective, catches a break on a murder case that’s haunted him for decades. Unfortunately, Sarge must drag his anxiety-riddled adult son, Michael, along for the ride or risk losing the lead forever. Can this dysfunctional duo overcome their own hang-ups, blindspots, and secrets to catch a killer?
Gilt frame by Margie Kraft Kindt A classic whodunit murder mystery that spans the globe from Paris to Hawaii to Montenegro as we hustle to keep up with the most unlikely murder-solving duo in the history of murder-solvers. Sam, who is in his early twenties, is an orphan, taken in when he was younger by his well-off Aunt Merry who has an eccentric taste for antiques and travel. Together, Sam and Merry have solved some of the most notorious murders in the world. And true to form, their Parisian vacation is cut short when they stumble upon a murder scene so bizarre that only a raging psychopath could have produced it. But to solve the crime, they have to wrestle with jewel thieves, art forgers, gun-runners, a lost puppy, and a master French detective who may just solve the crime before they do.
Mister Mammoth by Matt Kindt Mister Mammoth is the world’s greatest detective and the kind of person you don’t forget. Being a seven-foot-tall pacifist who’s covered head to toe with an impressive collection of horrific scars makes quite the impression. But he might be losing his edge. He can’t seem to solve his latest case and he’s distracted with a strange obsession with a soap opera actress who doesn’t even know he exists. His new case holds clues that might finally unlock the secret of his traumatic childhood. But who is Mr. Mammoth really? is he solving a crime–or planning one?
Inside the mind of Sherlock Holmes: The case of the scandalous ticket by Cyril Lieron The discovery of a mysterious powder on some clothing and a very special show ticket leads Sherlock Holmes to believe a patient isn’t the only victim of a grand conspiracy. Indeed, it seems the strange disappearance of Londoners can be explained by the performances of a Chinese magician. When other tickets are found, the detective’s suspicions are confirmed…
Watson and Holmes: a study in black by Brandon Perlow Collecting the entire first arc of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson re-envisioning as African Americans living in New York City’s famous Harlem district. Watson, an Afghanistan war vet, works in an inner-city clinic; Holmes, a local P.I. who takes unusual cases. When one of them ends up in Watson’s emergency room, the unlikely duo strike up a partnership to find a missing girl. Watson & Holmes bump heads along the way as they enter a labyrinth of drugs, guns, gangs and a conspiracy that goes higher and deeper than they could have imagined.
The good Asian: an Edison Hark mystery by Pornsak Pichetshote Following Edison Harkï, a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective on the trail of a killer in 1936 Chinatown, The good asian is Chinatown noir starring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban, the Chinese, as they’re besieged by rampant murders, abusive police, and a world that seemingly never changes.
British ice by Owen D. Pomery In this gripping Arctic-noir mystery, a whistleblowing diplomat grapples with the legacy of colonialism, far from the eyes of the world. Working for the British High Commission, Harrison Fleet is posted to a remote arctic island which is still, inexplicably, under British rule. As he struggles to understand why, and what interests he is protecting, Harrison learns just how much of the land and its community lies in the shadow cast by the outpost’s founder. Caught between hostile locals, the British Government, and an unforgiving physical environment, he begins dragging dark secrets into the light, unaware of the tragic repercussions they will cause. And help is very, very far away. Part noir, part historical mystery, British Ice explores the consequences of colonialism and the legacy of empire.
Ghostwriter by Rayco Pulido RodrÃguez Barcelona, 1943. As a scriptwriter for a popular radio advice column, Laia is embroiled in the romantic entanglements of others. Each day, letters flood in from troubled wives and girlfriends recounting their partner’s abuses, and Laia tries her best to counsel them. In contrast, her own life seems perfectly ordered, with a devoted husband and a baby on the way. But when the city is terrorized by a vengeful killer, who leaves behind cryptic messages in blood alongside the mutilated bodies of married men — while at the same time, Laia’s husband goes missing — her world begins to come apart. Desperate to find her husband, she turns to Mauricio, a private eye practiced in the art of hypnosis. During the course of his investigations, Mauricio soon suspects that there may be more to this unassuming young woman than meets the eye.
You have killed me by Jamie S. Rich Things just can’t get any worse for Antonio Mercer. A private eye by trade, a dame from his past has re-surfaced in his life as a client along with all of the emotional baggage he thought he’d left behind forever. Of course, this unusual client doesn’t have just any case – her family is mixed up with seriously dangerous people and the body count is just starting to pile up!
Stumptown Investigations, Portland, Oregon: the case of the girl who took her shampoo (but left her mini) by Greg Rucka Dex is the proprietor of Stumptown Investigations, and a fairly talented P.I. Unfortunately, she’s less adept at throwing dice than solving cases. Her recent streak has left her beyond broke – she’s into the Confederated Tribes of the Wind Coast for 18 large. But maybe Dex’s luck is about to change. Sue-Lynne, head of the Wind Coast’s casino operation, will clear Dex’s debt if she can locate Sue-Lynne’s missing granddaughter. But is this job Dex’s way out of the hole or a shove down one much much deeper?
Evil eyes sea by Özge Samanci A feminist political mystery set in Istanbul during the 1995 elections tells the story of two broke students who witnessed an unusual death on a scuba diving expedition. As the case deepens, they become increasingly entangled with political corruption, religious pressure, and possibly murder. They try to return to their every day, but their lives are increasingly entangled with the political corruption, religious pressure, and economic instability that results from their experience. Samanci says, ‘The autobiographically-inspired story I tell in Evil Eyes Sea emerged from my college years in Istanbul, my quirky friends, and my struggles with being a young woman in Turkey’s male-centric culture. In this book, I share a window into a country where narrow political views limit personal power — a place that can be beautiful, but also cruel.
Newburn by Chip Zdarsky Easton Newburn is a private detective without loyalties, investigating conflicts between rival crime factions. With his assistant Emily, Newburn follows murderers, arsonists, and corrupt officials–while trying to stay out of their crosshairs. This new series from Eisner winner Chip Zdarsky (Daredevil, Sex Criminals) and rising star Jacob Phillips (That Texas blood) follows Newburn as he does jobs for every criminal organization in New York City, collecting enemies along the way.
Looking for more book recommendations? Check the Adult Services book recommendation page.