In her haunting new Victorian novel, Anne Perry brings to rich and passionate life the city that she has made her own. Once more she shares the intimacy of London's opulent drawing rooms and guides readers through gaslit thoroughfares that echo with hooves on cobblestones, the cries of street vendors, the shouts of newsboys reporting the headlines . . . of two beautiful women found strangled in the studio of a well-known London artist. One of the victims is the wife of Hester Monk's colleague, surgeon Dr. Kristian Beck, a Viennese emigre who swiftly becomes the principal suspect. Now investigator William Monk and his wife seek evidence to save Beck from the hangman, hoping to penetrate not only the mystery of Elissa Beck's death, but the riddle of her life.

In Slaves of Obsession, Anne Perry thrusts her returning hero, William Monk, into the midst of the American Civil War. Monk is not choosing sides in this war based on the convictions of the Union or the Confederacy. Instead, he must put aside his principles to get to the bottom of a complex case involving gun smuggling, blackmail, and murder.

In this historical mystery "lite," Wilkie Collins and his mentor, Charles Dickens, aided by Charles Dodgson, investigate the murder of one of Dodgson's fellow Oxford dons. As in other
novels in this series (The Detective and Mr. Dickens, etc.), Dickens's mistress, the actress Ellen Ternan, plays a key role--here disguised as a barmaid at an Oxford pub, where she's planted in hopes she'll overhear members of the odd circle of dons that included the victim reveal some clue to his murder.

In Bedford Square, a freshly dead body is found on the doorstep of the home of a prominent General. This is the 21st in the series and I really enjoyed this one!

This is a sequel to "The Alienist" (1994). The characters from the previous novel are hunting for a serial killer. "Stevie Taggert--nicotine addict, reformed street tough and protege of {Dr. Laszlo Kreizler}-- . . . tells the story 22 years after the fact. . . . The year is 1897, and the United States and Spain are gearing up for war. Someone has clobbered the wife of a senior Spanish diplomat in Central Park and stolen her baby girl. . . . The perpetrator turns out to be one Libby Hatch, an apparently dutiful wife, bereaved motherand dedicated nurse who is, it turns out, a serial child killer, double husband murderer, {and poisoner}."

Dianne Day's new Fremont Jones mystery set in San Francisco two years after the Great Earthquake. The first in this series was THE STRANGE FILES OF FREMONT JONES and was a huge success. One reviewer said foggy period atmosphere, a dash of dangerous romance, and several rousingly good-natured action scenes. In this story, Fremont and Michael Archer have committed to being "partners" in their lives and work and sometimes have difficulty separating the two.

THE FALCON AT THE PORTAL By Elizabeth Peters

This is the 11th puzzle for Amelia Peabody and these books are very popular! As the 1911 digs begin, the group have arrived in Eqypt for their yearly archaeological excavation. It should be joyous as a wedding is planned but soon there is an accusation of selling ancient artifacts and the excitement begins.

THE TITANIC MURDERS
by Max Allan Collins

Celebrity mystery writer Jacques Futrelle was among the many passengers on the R.M.S. Titanic in April of 1912. He was also one of the 1,500 who did not survive but what if his crime-solving talents had been engaged before it went down???

DEATH AT ROTTINGHAM
by Robin Paige

The first book I read in this series was called DEATH at GALLOWS GREEN and was unique to me because it also featured a character named Beatrix Potter! (before she became a writer) This one features the heroine, Kathryn and her newly lorded husband, Charles, at a seaside hamlet for a rest...a hamlet that was once a smuggler's cove. Guess who helps out this time????

In Manhatten in 1895, police detective John "Dutch" Tonneman and his friend, Esther track a killer with ties to both the dark side of the city and the highest political offices. Written by MAAN MEYERS.

THE HOUSE ON MULBERRY STREET

SISTERS OF CAIN
by MIRIAM GRACE MONFREDO

In Washington City in 1862, President Lincoln rallies the Union troops for the largest single campaign of the Civil War. And two sisters from Seneca Falls take their places among the players of history, sparked by the fires of conviction.

As part of the new special intelligence force of the Treasury, Bronwyn Llyr finds herself undercover and behind the lines. Her sister Kathryn volunteers as a nurse for the Union Army. In the heart of enemy territory and in the thick of battle, the two sisters must solve a baffling mystery, and thwart a Rebel conspiracy that threatens both their lives-and the entire outcome of the war

BROTHERS OF CAIN
by MIRIAM GRACE MONFREDO

"It is 1862 Virginia. During the tumultuous "Seven Days" battles of the Peninsula Campaign, federal troops prepare to capture Richmond. And on unfamiliar land, dotted with Rebel campfires, young courier Seth Llyr finds himself lying in a muddy ditch with no clear memory of how he had come to be there...and a very clear idea of where he would soon end up: as a prisoner of war." "Undercover agent Bronwen Llyr is working side-by-side with her sister Kathryn, a volunteer nurse for the Union Army, when they hear news of their brother, Seth. Driven by moral conviction, Bronwen must engineer Seth's flight from Libby Prison before the date set for his hanging. But as time escapes her, so too does hope for young Seth." As the harsh reality of war burns all too close to home, it is the sisters who fight for the brothers in their own battle of right and wrong, of love and war.

ESCAPADE

Here is yet another excellent book featuring Sherlock and written from a totally different perspective by Walter Satterthwait, one of my favorite authors. I had heard a lot about this book and didn't think I would like it. I like Mr. Satterthwait's series set in the Southwest very much and couldn't feature liking a victorian mystery by him. I was in for a very pleasant surprise. This story has both Sherlock Holmes and Harry Houdini plus an extremely likable Pinkerton detective and I enjoyed it from cover to cover. I can highly recommend it.