What we're reading in February 2012
Ever wonder what the folks who work at a mystery bookstore like to read? Well, here's your answer. Each month we ask everyone here to pick a book, current or older, that they truly enjoyed and are enthusiastic about. Of course, if you visited the store, we'd tell you directly what we like but for those of you who can't come see us, this is the next best thing. Our special thanks to Judi for pulling this feature together and to all the staff who contributed their picks.
Presented here are the picks for this month, an archive of earlier months is available from the menu at the left.
What Judi is reading
Wikipedia defines farce as a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humor of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include wordplay, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases, culminating in an ending which often involves an elaborate chase scene. They could shorten that definition by replacing it with “any novels by Tim Dorsey.”Pineapple Grenade is no exception. Serge Storms has finagled his way into becoming a secret agent in Miami, spying for the president of a banana republic. Will he still have time for a cocktail before Homeland Security brings him down?
 also available as an eBook
What Mary Alice is reading
For me this followed a cardiac crisis and recovery and I loved the book. I still think about this book all the time. A classic question and thoughtful fictionalized revalation on our 21st century. Michael Connelly delivers another solid winner with Blood Work whose protagonist, retired FBI profiler Terry McCaleb, reluctantly emerges from retirement to investigate the death of a women killed in a convenience store hold-up. The murdered women, it seems, was the donor of the heart that McCaleb received in the life-saving transplant that caused his retirement. From this startling premise, Connelly constructs a brilliant plot filled with the authenticity and inventiveness that is Connelly’s hallmark.
A World Book Night pick as well
also available as an eBook
What Margo is reading
Swedish bestseller Lackberg's worthy second thriller set in the coastal town of Fjallbacka (after The Ice Princess) opens with a grim discovery-the naked fresh corpse of Tanja Schmidt, a German tourist, on top of the skeletal remains of two young women, later identified as Mona Thernblad and Siv Lantin.... The troubled Hults, from conniving founder (known as the Preacher) to philandering spouses, show a Ross Macdonaldesque love of twisted family relationships, while Lackberg's colorful, diverse police force, staffed with the competent, the incompetent, and the merely distracted, recalls the humanist touch of Dutch author Janwillem van de Wetering.
Also available as an eBook
What Lynne is reading
Michael Stanley's Death of the Mantis is one of the true finds of the season and nominated for an Edgar. Set in a Botswana far different than the one lovingly portrayed by Alexander McCall Smith, this wonderful mystery probes the misunderstandings between the ruling class and the indigenous Bushmen, who have been increasingly marginalized as their property has been appropriated. Series hero, Detective Kubu, confronts this conflict directly when he investigates the apparent murder of another official. But police work is only one aspect of Kubu’s life: he has a wife and infant who demand his presence at home, which serves to create additional tension. I can’t recommend highly enough this poignant novel juxtaposing the demands of life and love.
Also available as an eBook
What Richard is reading
A series of inexplicable events in the life of physicist turned wealthy hedge fund guru Alex Hoffman starts him thinking that he mentally ill in Harris’s gripping thriller. A book he didn’t order arrives; an intruder enters his house seemingly bypassing all of his extensive security systems; and, more ominously, the automated trading system he’s developed seems to be acting erratically. Plenty of interesting info on the financial realm plus a suspenseful plot adds up to a winner for Harris.
Also available as an eBook
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