Partner in Crime, by Judith A. Jance

MYS Jance
Recommended by Susan Groytyahann

Veteran mystery writer Jance merges her two popular series in this unusual title. Sheriff Johanna Brady of Cochise County Arizona has a brutal poisoning on her hands. When it turns out the victim was in Witness Protection through the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, things get complicated. J.P. Beaumont, formerly a Seattle PD Detective and now an AGO investigator, is sent to Bisbee to “assist.” Beau is the hero of Jance’s other series, and at first Johanna fiercely resents his intrusion on her turf, as well as his supervisor’s lack of cooperation. Sparks fly as these two dynamic, headstrong investigators match wits with each other and the murderer. A tour de force that can be read independently of either terrific series, but is more fun with an early title or two from each to draw on.

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The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl

FIC PEARL
Recommended by Irene Goldberg
The historical facts are true, the Dante allusions are true, but the murders are pure fiction. A delightful novel about a small group of scholars who realize that a series of local murders are modeled on the descriptions of Hell’s punishments from Dante’s Inferno, even as they work on the first American translation of the work.

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Jesus Land, by Julia Scheeres

373.7293 SCH
Recommended by Irene

It’s the 80s in rural Indiana. In order to prove their open-mindedness and religious charitable nature, Julia Scheeres’ parents adopt a black boy her age to grow up with her. Her mother does more church attending than parenting; her father has an explosive temper. These kids can’t win. This memoir makes you laugh and then gasp in horror. A must read.

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Hot Money, by Dick Francis

MYS FRANCIS
Recommended by Susan

Famous British jockey-turned-mystery-wrier Francis bases his wonderful thrillers around the racing industry and its ancillary support services, but they are all, ultimately, about people. He carried this furthest in his most unusual title, Hot Money. Murder has tainted the convoluted relationships of much-married tycoon Malcolm Pembroke with his three ex-wives and eight children. Someone murdered his most recent wife and later tried to kill him. Malcolm turns to his estranged son Ian, an amateur jockey, for protection, but his boisterous, outgoing nature makes him impossible to shelter anywhere in England. After several more murder attempts, Ian introduces Malcolm to the United States racing scene half a world away, and begins trying to untangle the deadly resentments among his half-siblings. Peeling away layers of emotional and financial neediness, Ian discovers an unspeakable crime from the past and sets a dangerous trap for the killer.

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Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations, by Alexander McCall Smith

FIC MCCALL SMITH
Recommended by Jo Ann

Fans of this delightful author (bestseller: No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency) will enjoy these entertaining short stories. The nine stories focus on the trials and tribulations of dating…set in various countries between 1950 and 1960, and range from the humorous to the absurd to the wistfully romantic.
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Heat and Dust, by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

FIC JHABVALA
Recommended by Jo Ann
A Booker Prize winner, this well-written Anglo-Indian romance takes place in 1923 colonial India between the beautiful Englishwoman, Olivia, and Prince Nawab. The scandal intrigues the grand-daughter, who tells the story.

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