5 new mystery novels to read this spring
Spring is a time for fresh beginnings, so why not celebrate the season by sampling the work of a new mystery author? These five mysteries showcase a diverse array of settings and detectives.
Vera Wong isn't your typical private eye. For one thing, she's a self-described 'little old lady,' and for another, her investigative methods rely heavily on feeding potential suspects mountains of food. But Wong is successful; when she recently discovered a dead man in her Chinatown teahouse, she cracked the case before the San Francisco police did. Ready to tackle another investigation, Wong meets a young woman named Millie who is desperately trying to find a missing friend. The search takes Wong deep into the universe of social media influencers before she comes face-to-face with the heartbreaking truth about Millie's friend.
Vera Wong isn't your typical private eye. For one thing, she's a self-described 'little old lady,' and for another, her investigative methods rely heavily on feeding potential suspects mountains of food. But Wong is successful; when she recently discovered a dead man in her Chinatown teahouse, she cracked the case before the San Francisco police did. Ready to tackle another investigation, Wong meets a young woman named Millie who is desperately trying to find a missing friend. The search takes Wong deep into the universe of social media influencers before she comes face-to-face with the heartbreaking truth about Millie's friend.
It's the 1970s, and Cash Blackbear, a college student, has a job doing fieldwork in the Red River Valley between North Dakota and Minnesota. She also does investigative work for Sheriff Wheaton, who has come to rely on Blackbear for her connections to the Indigenous community and her innate ability to suss out the source of trouble. This time, he asks Blackbear to help a terrified little girl who has witnessed a murder and whose mother is suddenly missing. As she searches for the mother, however, Blackbear becomes a target for a killer.
It's the 1970s, and Cash Blackbear, a college student, has a job doing fieldwork in the Red River Valley between North Dakota and Minnesota. She also does investigative work for Sheriff Wheaton, who has come to rely on Blackbear for her connections to the Indigenous community and her innate ability to suss out the source of trouble. This time, he asks Blackbear to help a terrified little girl who has witnessed a murder and whose mother is suddenly missing. As she searches for the mother, however, Blackbear becomes a target for a killer.
Freelance editor Susan Ryeland thought she'd finally seen the last of the Atticus Pünd detective books. So she is surprised to be asked to work on the manuscript for a 'new' Atticus Pünd mystery, written by Eliot Crace, grandson of the late children's author Miriam Crace. In need of work, Ryeland reluctantly agrees to the job. But after learning that Eliot Crace is using the manuscript to reveal the person he believes killed his grandmother 20 years ago, she begins to investigate the Crace family and finds herself in grave danger. In this follow-up to 'Magpie Murders' and 'Moonflower Murders,' Horowitz offers readers another page-turner of a puzzle, once again cleverly told as a story within a story.
Freelance editor Susan Ryeland thought she'd finally seen the last of the Atticus Pünd detective books. So she is surprised to be asked to work on the manuscript for a 'new' Atticus Pünd mystery, written by Eliot Crace, grandson of the late children's author Miriam Crace. In need of work, Ryeland reluctantly agrees to the job. But after learning that Eliot Crace is using the manuscript to reveal the person he believes killed his grandmother 20 years ago, she begins to investigate the Crace family and finds herself in grave danger. In this follow-up to 'Magpie Murders' and 'Moonflower Murders,' Horowitz offers readers another page-turner of a puzzle, once again cleverly told as a story within a story.
When police call her in the middle of the night, Karachi archaeologist Gul Delani assumes there's news of her missing teenage niece. Instead, Delani is summoned to the scene of a failed drug bust where police have found a mummy in a sarcophagus decorated with symbols of ancient Persepolis. Asked by police to authenticate the mummy, Delani discovers clues that may connect the mummy to her niece's disappearance. Inspired by a real-life antiquities scandal in Pakistan, Phillips's novel immerses readers in the teeming Pakistani city as she details how Delani's quest for the truth may imperil not just her but also her family and friends.
When police call her in the middle of the night, Karachi archaeologist Gul Delani assumes there's news of her missing teenage niece. Instead, Delani is summoned to the scene of a failed drug bust where police have found a mummy in a sarcophagus decorated with symbols of ancient Persepolis. Asked by police to authenticate the mummy, Delani discovers clues that may connect the mummy to her niece's disappearance. Inspired by a real-life antiquities scandal in Pakistan, Phillips's novel immerses readers in the teeming Pakistani city as she details how Delani's quest for the truth may imperil not just her but also her family and friends.
The second book in Gerritsen's 'Martini Club' series expertly blends family drama with spy-thriller suspense, sending readers racing through the pages to find out what happens next. When a teenager is abducted in Purity, Maine, farmer Luther Yount is the prime suspect because he was the last one to see the girl. But retired CIA operative Maggie Bird is convinced that Yount, her neighbor and friend, is innocent, and she sets out to prove it, joined by several fellow CIA retirees who all have settled in Purity. Acting police chief Jo Thibodeau reluctantly accepts their help after decades-old human bones are found in a local pond. Believing there might be a connection between the two cases, Thibodeau and the CIA retirees uncover some of Purity's long-hidden secrets.
Karen MacPherson is the former children's and teen coordinator at the Takoma Park Maryland Library and a lifelong mystery fan.
The second book in Gerritsen's 'Martini Club' series expertly blends family drama with spy-thriller suspense, sending readers racing through the pages to find out what happens next. When a teenager is abducted in Purity, Maine, farmer Luther Yount is the prime suspect because he was the last one to see the girl. But retired CIA operative Maggie Bird is convinced that Yount, her neighbor and friend, is innocent, and she sets out to prove it, joined by several fellow CIA retirees who all have settled in Purity. Acting police chief Jo Thibodeau reluctantly accepts their help after decades-old human bones are found in a local pond. Believing there might be a connection between the two cases, Thibodeau and the CIA retirees uncover some of Purity's long-hidden secrets.
Karen MacPherson is the former children's and teen coordinator at the Takoma Park Maryland Library and a lifelong mystery fan.
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USA Today
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- USA Today
Minnesota exhibit uplifts Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ voices in Indigenous art
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The term 'Two-Spirit' (2S) term was decided in 1990 during the Annual Intertribal Native American, First Nations, Gay and Lesbian American Conference in Winnipeg, Canada to cover these historically honored and respected tribal citizens who often served in roles such as healers, medicine people and visionaries. 'The Two-Spirits are people who can see through the eyes of more than gender,' says October, he opened an office in Bemidji, Minnesota for Two-Spirit Advocacy, a grassroots organization that helps other Indigenous 2SLGBTQ+ members to find community resources, make connections and to see their strengths and gifts. Find your medicine Artist and activist Penny Kagigebi, who just turned 60, lives in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, about 80 miles from Bemidji and close to the White Earth Reservation where she grew up. It's one of 11 tribal nations in the state. Like most of them, it's in a largely rural area. 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2 Rivers Remix, Indigenous trailblazers coming to Tŝideldel
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Elle
3 hours ago
- Elle
How Miley Cyrus, Hailey Bieber, and Taylor Swift Set the Mood for June's Full Moon
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