Archives de catégorie : Mystery

THE WHARTON PLOT de Mariah Fredericks

Mariah Fredericks’ mesmerizing novel follows renowned novelist Edith Wharton in the twilight years of the Gilded Age in New York as she tracks a killer.

THE WHARTON PLOT
by Mariah Fredericks
Minotaur Books, January 2024
(via Levine Greenberg Rostan)

New York City, 1911. Edith Wharton, almost equally famed for her novels and her sharp tongue, is bone-tired of Manhattan. Finding herself at a crossroads with both her marriage and her writing, she makes the decision to leave America, her publisher, and her loveless marriage.

And then, dashing novelist David Graham Phillips―a writer with often notorious ideas about society and women’s place in it―is shot to death outside the Princeton Club. Edith herself met the man only once, when the two formed a mutual distaste over tea in the Palm Court of the Belmont hotel. When Phillips is killed, Edith’s life takes another turn. His sister is convinced Graham was killed by someone determined to stop the publication of his next book, which promised to uncover secrets that powerful people would rather stayed hidden. Though unconvinced, Edith is curious. What kind of book could push someone to kill?

Inspired by a true story, THE WHARTON PLOT follows Edith Wharton through the fading years of the Gilded Age in a city she once loved so well, telling a taut tale of fame, love, and murder, as she becomes obsessed with solving a crime.

“Superb . . . Thanks to a literary plot laced with arch wit and precise put-downs, appearances by Wharton’s famous friends (including Henry James and the Vanderbilts), and an eclectic assortment of the upper crust in the waning days of a varnished era, Fredericks hits this one out of the park.”―Library Journal (Starred Review)

“THE WHARTON PLOT a vivid, fascinating, entertaining mystery. Readers looking for a bit of history with their suspense will be gripped.”―Publishers Weekly

« Fredericks’ elegantly written narrative gives a lively look at an author way ahead of her time. »―Kirkus Reviews

« Written with grace and wit, THE WHARTON PLOT is a pleasure to read. »―Wall Street Journal

« Based on the real murder of Phillips, Fredericks’ latest will especially appeal to bibliophiles, who will enjoy reading tidbits about the real-life authors who appear. »―Booklist

Mariah Fredericks was born, raised, and still lives in New York City. She graduated from Vassar College with a degree in history. She is the author of the Jane Prescott mystery series, which has twice been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, as well as several YA novels.

Le cozy mystery MANGO, MAMBO AND MURDER de Raquel V. Reyes bientôt adapté en série

Le studio de production mexicano-américain Gato Grande/Amazon MGM Studios adaptera le cozy mystery MANGO, MAMBO AND MURDER de Raquel V. Reyes, premier volet de la série Caribbean Kitchen Mysteries, en série TV sous le titre Miami Spice. A l’origine du projet, le scénariste et producteur cubano-américain Art Alamo qui a travaillé sur la série New York Police judiciaire.

D’après la PDG de Gato Grande, Carla Vargas Gonzalez, Miami Spice sera une série latino-américaine captivante à l’esprit mordant, comparable à Big Little Lies. (Lire l’article de Variety)

Dans le roman, Miriam Quiñonez-Smith, chercheuse en anthropologie de l’alimentation, met de côté sa carrière universitaire pour aller s’installer dans le quartier de Coral Shores à Miami avec son mari et son fils. Après avoir trouvé un emploi temporaire en tant qu’experte en cuisine caribéenne dans une émission de télévision matinale, elle se retrouve mêlée à une affaire de meurtre. Les soupçons se portent sur un herboriste cubain controversé, et l’inspecteur chargé de l’enquête requiert son aide pour infiltrer la communauté hispanophone et le milieu social de Coral Shores, ce qui la met elle-même en danger.

“Raquel V. Reyes’s series debut, MANGO, MAMBO, AND MURDER, furthers my belief that the cozy mystery has become one of the most diverse, and most vibrant, in contemporary crime fiction.” —The New York Times

« A vibrant, diverse, LGBTQ-inclusive cast and Raquel Reyes’s deft balance of sensitive topics and frothy intrigue make this a standout. » —BookRiot

“[A] refreshing debut and series launch . . . [with] well-defined characters and [a] vibrant social scene. Mouthwatering recipes round out the volume.” —Publishers Weekly

Les droits de langue française des trois tomes qui composent actuellement la série sont disponibles.

THE CLOCK STRUCK MURDER de Betty Webb

One woman’s trash is another woman’s—lost Chagall masterpiece?!?

THE CLOCK STRUCK MURDER
by Betty Webb
Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks, April 2024

Expat Zoe Barlow has settled well into her artist’s life among the Lost Generation in 1920s Paris. When a too-tipsy guest at her weekly poker game breaks Zoe’s favorite clock, she’s off to a Montparnasse flea market to bargain with the vendor Laurette for a replacement. What Zoe didn’t bargain for was the lost Chagall painting that’s been used like a rag to wrap her purchases! Eager to learn whether Laurette has more Chagalls lying about like trash, Zoe sets off to track her down at her storage shed. With no Laurette in sight, Zoe snoops around and indeed finds several additional Chagalls—and then she finds Laurette herself, dead beneath a scrap heap, her beautiful face bashed in.

With Paris hosting the 1924 Summer Olympics, the police are far too busy with touristrelated crimes to devote much time to the clock seller’s murder. After returning the paintings to a grateful Marc Chagall, Zoe begins her own investigation. Did the stolen paintings play any part in the brutal killing? Or was it a crime of passion? Zoe soon discovers that there were many people who had reason to resent the lovely Laurette. But who hated the girl enough to stop her clock permanently? When Zoe discovers a second murder victim, the pressure is on to find the killer before time—and luck—run out.

As a journalist, Betty Webb interviewed U.S. presidents, astronauts, and Nobel Prize winners, as well as the homeless, dying, and polygamy runaways. The dark Lena Jones mysteries are based on stories she covered as a reporter. Betty’s humorous Gunn Zoo series debuted with the critically acclaimed The Anteater of Death, followed by The Koala of Death. A book reviewer at Mystery Scene Magazine, Betty is a member of National Federation of Press Women, Mystery Writers of America, and the National Organization of Zoo Keepers.

THIS GIRL’S A KILLER d’Emma C. Wells

Meet your new best friend (who also just happens to be a serial killer). For readers of Finlay Donovan is Killing It and The Bandit Queens comes a bright and biting thriller following Cordelia Black, a best friend, a businesswoman, and, in her spare time, a killer of bad men.

THIS GIRL’S A KILLER
by Emma C. Wells
Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks, October 2024

Ask Cordelia Black why she did it. The answer will always be: He had it coming.

Cordelia Black loves exactly three things: Her chosen family, her hairdresser (worth every penny plus tip), and killing bad men.

By day she’s an ambitious pharma rep with a flawless reputation and designer wardrobe. By night, she culls South Louisiana of unscrupulous men—monsters who think they’ve evaded justice, until they meet her. Sure, the evening news may have started throwing around phrases like « serial killer, » but Cordelia knows that’s absurd. She’s not a killer, she is simply karma. And being karma requires complete and utter control.

But when Cordelia discovers a flaw in her perfectly designed system for eliminating monsters, pressure heightens. And it only intensifies when her best friend starts dating a man Cordelia isn’t sure is a good person. Someone who might just unravel everything she has worked for.

Soon enough Cordelia has to come face to face with the choices she’s made. The good, the bad, and the murderous. Both her family, and her freedom, depend on it.

Emma C. Wells loves anti-heroes, dark humor, witty banter, and ride-or-die friendships. Twisty relationships are her kryptonite (or catnip—depending on how you look at it) and her favorite characters are often called unlikable (but at least they’re never boring). Emma enjoys camping, yoga, researching spooky folklore, and collecting copies of Wuthering Heights from used bookstores.

WHO BY FIRE de Greg Rhyno

Dame Polara has spent her life running from her father’s shady job as a PI. Now she must rely on the skills he taught her if she’s to protect herself and the people she care about most.

WHO BY FIRE
by Greg Rhyno
Cormorant Books, February 2024
(via The Rights Factory)

Haunted by a childhood spent picking locks, tailing suspects, and helping her hard-boiled PI father solve cases, Dame Polara has spent most of her adult life running from his shady profession and the memories she associates with it. What Dame wants now is simple — her safe job preserving heritage buildings, adequate care for her father’s mounting health complications, and to raise a family of her own. But life doesn’t seem to be going her way.

After serving her an eviction notice, Dame’s landlord offers her an alternative: she can keep her apartment if she investigates his mysterious wife, whom he suspects of cheating. When the investigation uncovers a serial arsonist burning down the very buildings Dame fights to preserve, she finds herself pulled right back into the seedy underworld of her father’s old profession. Now, she must rely on the skills he taught her if she’s to protect herself and the people she cares about most.

Greg Rhyno is the author of To Me You Seem Giant. This debut novel was nominated for a ReLit Award and an Alberta Book Publishing Award. His writing has appeared in a number of journals including Hobart, Riddle Fence, and Prism International. He completed an MFA at the University of Guelph and lives with his family in Guelph, Ontario.