Cold Clay

Cold Clay is by Juneau Black. The second book the fantasy Shady Hollow mystery series. The rabbits are planting new trees in the orchard and dig up the bones of a moose. The skull is fractured and it is believed to be a murder. Soon Joe, the owner of the local coffeeshop is dragged down to the police station as the bones are believed to be those of his wife who left town years ago. Vera does not believe Joe is a killer, even if Deputy Orville does. Vera wants to prove Joe's innocence, but her editor wants her to focus on the new mink in town who is opening a school for manners - but is there a connection? Fans of the series will love this second cozy installment and long for more. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10. 

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is by Patrick Horvath. The fist in a new series of graphic novels; think Shady Hollow meets Dexter. Sam Strong is an adorable brown bear who lives in the quite community of Woodbrook. She is also a serial killer whose number one rule is "Don't Murder the Locals." For years she has been driving to a nearby large city to obtain her victims. Imagine her surprise when another serial killer starts murdering the residents of Woodbrook. Sam must find this person and stop them before the police start asking uncomfortable questions that might lead them to her. The illustrations are charming, but this is very dark and not my wheelhouse - although it will definitely find an audience. If you are looking for a read-alike to the Shady Hollow series - this isn't it - unless you want to say it's Shady Hollow, as written by Stephen King. 

Ratings: 12th grade - 6 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (mature thematic content). 

Long Bright River

Long Bright River is by Liz Moore. A dark realistic fiction crime novel set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mickey is a police officer struggling to provide for her son alone. She is estranged from her family, especially her drug using, prostitute sister, Kacey, with whom she had once been extremely close. When women begin to be found strangled, Mickey starts to worry about her sister, who she hasn't seen on the streets in months. As she begins to search for her sister, she begins to fear the trail of the killer might lead her to a cop. This novel is dark and intense. It is a novel of family, forgiveness, and our ability to misjudge others. 

Ratings: Adult - 7 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (intense mature thematic content) - V (violence). 

The Singing Sands

The Singing Sands is by Josephine Tey. The sixth book in the realistic fiction Inspector Grant Mystery series. Inspector Grant is on his way to Scotland on sick leave to get some rest among his relatives. As he is about to disembark the train, a dead man is discovered and Grant, while assisting the conductor, accidentally picks up a newspaper that was laying near the body. When he discovers the cryptic poem written in the margins of the newspaper something doesn't strike him as quite right about the young man's death. When a friend of the deceased comes looking for him, Grant teams up with him to discover the truth about the death of Charles Martin, or is he really Bill Kenrick? Fans of the series will enjoy this final installment. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10. 

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club is by Dorothy L. Sayers. The fourth book in the classic historical fiction Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery series. Lord Peter is at his club when a elderly member is found dead in his favorite chair. At first it seems a natural death, but then Lord Peter is asked by an attorney to see if he can determine the exact time of death to help solve an issue with the will. Suddenly Lord Peter discovers the body was moved after death, and then discovers it may not have been a natural death after all. Fans of Lord Peter will enjoy this installment in the series. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10. 

Lord Peter Views the Body

Lord Peter Views the Body is by Dorothy L. Sayers. Three and a half in the Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery series. Twelve short stories from Lord Peter's canon that fans of the series will love.  All of the stories give us more information about Lord Peter and his man servant Bunter, as well as the different people in his sphere. Some of the stories are short and involve Lord Peter becoming involved in cases from mere conversations he has overheard; the last story is quite reminiscent of Conan Doyle as Peter fakes his own death to infiltrate a gang of thieves. Wonderful classic mysteries. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10. 

Killing Floor

Killing Floor is by Lee Child. The first in the realistic fiction Jack Reacher series. Reacher is an ex-military policeman who has decided to become a hobo and move from place to place as he feels like it. After his brother tells him of a legendary guitar player who died in a small Georgia town, Reacher decides to go there and find out more about him. Instead, he finds himself arrested for murder almost as soon as he geta into town. Now he must clear his name and solve the case himself, with the help of a female policewoman and a African American chief of detectives. Fans of the television show will love the book! It's every bit as violent and bloody and the bad guys ALWAYS get what's coming to them in typical Reacher fashion. 

Ratings: Adult - 9 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (mature thematic content) - P (profanity).