The Cut

Judging from the response to an earlier blog post recommending a Jack Reacher read-alike, library patrons really didn't like the idea of Tom Cruise as the star of the new movie. Never fear! Lee Child fans can take heart that there are more cool heroes out there, just waiting to be discovered. George Pelecanos, novelist and writer/producer of the hit HBO show The Wire, has recently started a series starring returned Iraq War veteran, Spero Lucas. The Cut is the first installment.

Lucas returns to Washington D.C. after his years of service and starts work as an investigator for a defense attorney. Lucas finds his niche in his side job as a "finder." He finds stolen property for people, no questions asked, for a 40% fee. As you can imagine, the type of clients who need this service can be a bit sketchy. In fact, in this case, the client is an imprisoned drug dealer looking to recover stolen deliveries of marijuana. Lucas stylishly blazes his way across D.C., making plenty of time to enjoy wine, women and song along the way.

Keep an eye out for The Double, the second book starring Spero Lucas, that is due out this year.

~Susannah

Move over Reacher, there's a new guy in town!

Have you already read all the Jack Reacher novels from Lee Child? Would you like to meet another ex-military hero that can hold his own with a little bravado and even a little swagger? Or maybe the thought of Tom Cruise playing Reacher in the upcoming movie adaptation has you looking for a new hero? Maybe it's time to check out Army Ranger Quinn Colson, star of a new series from Ace Atkins. Colson has the confidence and competence that makes  Reacher so appealing, but with slightly more humility and a lot more charisma.

In The Ranger, Quinn Colson takes leave from the army to return to his hometown in Jericho, Mississippi for his uncle's funeral. His uncle, Sheriff Hampton Beckett, supposedly killed himself. With the help of deputy Lille Virgil, Quinn starts to investigate in order to find out what really happened. The cast of characters in this action packed mystery includes ex-girlfriends, army buddies, meth dealing criminals, corrupt politicians and sinning preachers. If you like The Ranger, Colson's story continues in The Lost Ones.

Mysteries of the Southwest

Several readers have written in to the Personalized Good Reads service asking for mysteries set in the Southwest. Most people using the service are avid readers and have already exhausted the complete works of Tony Hillerman and J. A. Jance. While I was thinking of a reply for the patron, I came across Steven F. Havill's latest book, One Perfect Shot. This book is a prequel to a long running series set in Posadas County, New Mexico. The main character is an Deputy Sheriff Bill Gastner and Estelle Reyes is a new hire for the department. This prequel does an excellent job of setting the stage for a series - solid plot, well defined characters, a great sense of the place. I went on to pick up another book in the series, Double Prey, to find Estelle Reyes-Guzman as a seasoned Deputy Sheriff. I'm looking forward to going back at my leisure to fill in the missing years.

Read on for more mystery series set in the Southwest.

Cool Off with White Heat

Are you getting tired of the summer heat? Do you feel like a little cool weather would be refreshing? For those of us unable to take a trip to cooler climes, maybe we can be satisfied just reading about snow, ice and blizzards...

In her debut novel White Heat, M.J. McGrath takes us deep into the Arctic tundra. Edie Kiglatuk, half Inuit and half Caucasian, lives on Ellesmere Island and works as a hunting guide. Edie is always at odds with the patriarchal establishment and things get worse when a tourist is murdered on her watch.

Gritty Crime Fiction

When Ian Rankin finished up his Inspector Rebus series, I was devastated. I had followed his career over the span of 17 books and almost 20 years. I couldn't imagine another author capturing that same feel - the underbelly of Scotland, the dourness and the grit. I'm thrilled to have found Denise Mina's series featuring Alex Morrow, a tough, female detective inspector. The Glasgow backdrop makes a change from Rankin's Edinburgh and Mina does a great job with the dialog. You can hear the strangulated vowels leap off the page as you read.

Still Midnight, the first in the series, opens with a home invasion and kidnapping. The criminals are inept and unsure of themselves. The situation is almost funny, until an accidental shot ups the stakes. DI Alex Morrow is assigned to the case, but not in the leading role she feels she deserves.

Jack Gantos - A New Favorite

So I may be a bit late to the party...but I never read anything by Jack Gantos before. Not his popular Rotten Ralph picture books, not his Jack Henry series, not even his Joey Pigza series. Somehow, this award winning author was never on my radar. However, after reading Dead End in Norvelt, Jack Gantos is a new favorite. Even if you don't often read children's books, I urge you to pick up a copy of this one. Read it or listen to the audiobook, read by the author himself. Either way, the voice of 12 year old Jack Gantos will stay with you long after you finish.

The town of Norvelt, Pennslyvania doesn't offer much excitement for Jack Gantos in the summer of 1962. The school holidays look bleak when Jack is grounded for accidently shooting off his father's WWII rifle. The only way Jack can escape the house is by helping his arthritic elderly neighbor, Miss Volker. What follows is a hilarious mix of mysterious events, hijinks and small town zaniness.

Never Enough Nordic Noir

I'm always on the lookout for another Nordic Noir that catches my eye - so special thanks to my Goodreads friend for giving The Keeper of Lost Causes a 5-star review. I had seen this one come through the library, but it took a friend's rating to inspire me to read it. Jussi Adler-Olsen, winner of The Glass Key award, is promoted as Denmark's #1 crime writer. This is his first book published in the United States. The Keeper of Lost Causes is part thriller, part police procedural and entirely worth reading.

In a Single Sitting

I have seen entire blogs and websites devoted to books read in a single sitting. Really? People have that much time that they can read all their books in a single sitting? Alas, I don't seem to have that much time. When I do read a book in a single sitting, it stands out as something special. I had heard of the Noah Braddock Private Investigator series, but I was a bit skeptical. A surfing PI seemed like a bit of a stretch. When Liquid Smoke came into the library, the cool cover caught my eye (I know...how shallow!) and I thought I'd give it a go.

Noah is approached by a lawyer looking for help with her client, an inmate on death row in San Quentin. Noah is reluctantly drawn into the case when he hears the prisoner is Russell Simington, his biological father he never met. Simington has a reputation as a remorseless, cold blooded killer who made his career as a gun for hire. The family reunion sets events in motion with unforeseen and tragic consequences.

The Girl in the Green Raincoat

Think "Rear Window," but with a pregnant private investigator confined to bed rest in her third trimester of pregnancy. In The Girl in the Green Raincoat, Baltimore native, Tess Monaghan still manages to get herself in plenty of trouble even when she doesn't leave her room. While suffering through her confinement, Tess watches dog walkers in the park every afternoon. One day, Tess spies a little dog running off without his owner. Tess can't rest until she finds out what happened to the missing woman.