MobileRead February 2016 Book Club Nominations

[WT Sharpe]

Help us select the book that the MobileRead Book Club will read for February, 2016.

The nominations will run through midnight EST January 26 or until 10 books have made the list. The poll will then be posted and will remain open for five days.

Book selection category for February is: Mystery

In order for a book to be included in the poll it needs THREE NOMINATIONS (original nomination, a second and a third).

How Does This Work?
The Mobile Read Book Club (MRBC) is an informal club that requires nothing of you. Each month a book is selected by polling. On the last week of that month a discussion thread is started for the book. If you want to participate feel free. There is no need to "join" or sign up. All are welcome.

How Does a Book Get Selected?
Each book that is nominated will be listed in a poll at the end of the nomination period. The book that polls the most votes will be the official selection.

How Many Nominations Can I Make?
Each participant has 3 nominations. You can nominate a new book for consideration or nominate (second, third) one that has already been nominated by another person.

How Do I Nominate a Book?
Please just post a message with your nomination. If you are the FIRST to nominate a book, please try to provide an abstract to the book so others may consider their level of interest.

How Do I Know What Has Been Nominated?
Just follow the thread. This message will be updated with the status of the nominations as often as I can. If one is missed, please just post a message with a multi-quote of the 3 nominations and it will be added to the list ASAP.

When is the Poll?
The poll thread will open at the end of the nomination period, or once there have been 10 books with 3 nominations each. At that time a link to the initial poll thread will be posted here and this thread will be closed.

The floor is open to nominations. Please comment if you discover a nomination is not available as an ebook in your area.


Official choices with three nominations each:


(1) The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner [WT Sharpe, issybird, GA Russell]
Goodreads / Amazon Au / Amazon Ca / Amazon UK / Amazon US

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:
California lawyer Perry Mason takes client Eva, hated as "all velvet and claws" by his secretary Della Street. Her husband George Belter is behind tabloid editor Locke, blackmail of Congressman Harrison Burke at bungled robbery with Eva, and takes bullet to the heart after bath. Forged will benefits nephew Carl, engaged to secretive housekeeper Veitch's daughter.

From Wikipedia:
The influence of the television series has given the general public the impression that Mason is highly ethical. In the earliest novels, however, Mason was not above skulduggery to win a case. In The Case of the Counterfeit Eye (1935) he breaks the law several times, including manufacturing false evidence (glass eyes). Mason manipulates evidence and witnesses, resulting in the acquittal of the murderer in The Case of the Howling Dog (1934). The Case of the Curious Bride (1934) is

… a good Perry Mason except for one great flaw, which the author would scarcely have been guilty of later on: he tampers with the evidence, by having a friend move into an apartment and testify to the state of the doorbells. … One is left with the uncomfortable idea that maybe the murder did not take place as Mason reconstructs it.

— Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime

In the later novels, the only crime which he can be seen to commit might be illegal entry, when he and Paul Drake are searching for evidence. And even then, he would expect to put up a strong and effective defense leading to an acquittal. Hamilton Burger is constantly under the impression that Mason has done something illegal, but is never able to prove it.

(2) Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne [issybird, bfisher, DrChiper]
Amazon / Kobo / OverDrive

Spoiler:

From Amazon:

In A.D. 664, King Oswy of Northumbria has convened a synod at Whitby to hear debate between the Roman and Celtic Christian churches and decide which shall be granted primacy in his kingdom. At stake is much more than a few disputed points of ritual; Oswy's decision could affect the survival of either church in the Saxon kingdoms.

When the Abbess Etain, a leading speaker for the Celtic church, is found murdered, suspicion falls upon the Roman faction. In order to diffuse the tensions that threaten to erupt into civil war, Oswy turns to Sister Fidelma of the Celtic Church (Irish and an advocate for the Brehon Court) and Brother Eadulf of the Roman church (from east Anglia and of a family of hereditary magistrates) to find the killer. But as further murders occur and a treasonous plot against Oswy matures, Fidelma and Eadulf soon find themselves running out of time.

(3) The Blackhouse by Peter May [JSWolf, bfisher, treadlightly]
Amazon UK / Amazon US / ebooks.com / Google / Kobo UK / Overdrive / Overdrive / Overdrive

Spoiler:

From acclaimed author and television dramatist Peter May comes the first book in the Lewis Trilogy—a riveting mystery series set on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, a formidable and forbidding world where tradition rules and people adhere to ancient ways of life.

When a grisly murder occurs on the Isle of Lewis that has the hallmarks of a killing he's investigating on the mainland, Edinburgh detective and native islander Fin Macleod is dispatched to see if the two deaths are connected. His return after nearly two decades not only represents a police investigation, but a voyage into his own troubled past. As Fin reconnects with the places and people of his tortured childhood, he feels the island once again asserting its grip on his psyche. And every step forward in solving the murder takes him closer to a dangerous confrontation with the tragic events of the past that shaped—and nearly destroyed—Fin's life.

The Blackhouse is a thriller of rare power and vision that explores the darkest recesses of the soul.

(4) Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippmann [obs20, Dazrin, JSWolf]
Amazon US

Spoiler:

In a city where someone is murdered almost every day, attorney Michael Abramowitz’s death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer’s notoriety—and his taste for illicit midday trysts—make the case front-page news in every local paper except the Star, which crashed and burned before Abramowitz did. A former Star reporter who knows every inch of this town—from historic Fort McHenry to the crumbling projects of Cherry Hill—now unemployed journalist Tess Monaghan also knows the guy the cops like for the killing: cuckolded fiancé Darryl “Rock” Paxton. The time is ripe for a career move, so when rowing buddy Rock wants to hire her to do some unorthodox snooping to help clear his name, Tess agrees. But there are lethal secrets hiding in the Charm City shadows. And Tess’ own name could end up on that ever-expanding list of Baltimore dead.

(5) Midnight Riot(US)/Rivers of London(UK) by Ben Aaronovitch [CRussel, bfisher, issybird]
Goodreads | Amazon UK / Amazon US / Audible / Kobo

Spoiler:

From Amazon US:
Review
“Fresh, original and a wonderful read. I loved it.”—Charlaine Harris

“Midnight Riot is what would happen if Harry Potter grew up and joined the Fuzz. It is a hilarious, keenly imagined caper.”—Diana Gabaldon

“Filled with detail and imagination . . . Aaronovitch is a name to watch.”—Peter F. Hamilton

“The perfect blend of CSI and Harry Potter.” --io9.com

“Aaronovitch has created a fun and funny character in Grant, who displays wit more than snark (a welcome attitude) and shows he can think on his feet. . . . It's a great start to what will hopefully be a long series of adventures.”--SFrevu.com

From AmazonUK:
My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden ... and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying.

From GoodReads:
Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London's Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he'll face is a paper cut. But Peter's prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter's ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.

(6) Deadly Appearances by Gail Bowen [HomeInMyShoes, CRussel, WT Sharpe]
Goodreads

Spoiler:

Andy Boychuk is a successful Saskatchewan politician – until one sweltering August afternoon when the party faithful gather at a picnic. All of the key people in Boychuk’s life – family, friends, enemies – are there. Boychuk steps up to the podium to make a speech, takes a sip of water, and drops dead. Joanne Kilbourn, in her début as Canada’s leading amateur sleuth, is soon on the case, delving into Boychuk’s history. What she finds are a Bible college that’s too good to be true, a woman with a horrifying and secret past, and a murderer who’s about to strike again.

(7) Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey [BenG, CRussel, Mims]
Amazon US / Audible / Faded Page / Online PD

Spoiler:

From Amazon:
Brat Farrar has been carefully coached to assume the identity of Patrick Ashby, heir to the Ashby fortune who disappeared when he was 13. Just when it seems that Brat will pull off the deception, he discovers the truth about Patrick's disappearance, a dark secret that threatens to tear apart the family and jeopardize Brat's carefully laid plans. Called "the best of its kind" by the New Yorker, Josephine Tey's classic is a tale of unrelenting suspense and tension.

From New Statesman:
“Josephine Tey enjoys a category to herself, as a virtuoso in the spurious . . . the nature of the deception on this occasion is too good to give away.”

(8) The Apothecary Rose by Candace Robb [DrChiper, WT Sharpe, sufue]
Goodreads

Spoiler:

The Owen Archer mysteries (including the short story "The Bone Jar") are set in England in the late 14th century. Owen Archer is a spy for John Thoresby, Archbishop of York and sometime Lord Chancellor of England. Owen is ably assisted in his sleuthing by an ensemble of York residents who include his wife, the Apothecary Lucie Wilton; Bess Merchet, proprietor of the York Tavern; Magda Digby, midwife; and Brother Michaelo, the Archbishop's secretary.

(9) Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler [BenG, Mims, Dazrin]
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Kobo

Spoiler:

This mystery features the impending retirement of a Scotland Yard detective and the death of another. When Arthur Bryant is apparently blown up, his erstwhile partner, John May, begins reflecting on their first case together more than 60 years earlier. May, a raw recruit of 19, and Bryant, a 23-year-old detective, became the core of the Peculiar Crimes Unit, created to handle cases that were too important to ignore, yet that somehow seemed disproportionately insignificant in the face of the hundreds of civilians killed each night during the Blitz. Both men had been hurried through training and were suddenly faced with the strange case of the Palace Phantom, a killer victimizing the cast in an elaborate production of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld. May was both intrigued by and dismayed at Bryant's methods and seeming flights of fancy. He used everything from crime-scene forensics to spiritualists to help him build his case. Fowler skillfully shifts the action between 1940 and the 21st century, building suspense and growing awareness as each case comes to its respective climax. Not surprisingly, they are connected. The details of wartime London and the destruction and deprivation of daily life are vividly conveyed. Today's teens will identify with the young lives so drastically affected by the war while following the clues, and red herrings, to a satisfactory conclusion.

(10) Ovid by David Wishart [sufue, Dazrin, BenG]
Goodreads | Amazon UK / Amazon US / Kobo UK

Spoiler:

It's available both at Amazon US ($4.99 or free with KU) and Amazon UK (£4.99), and also at Kobo UK (also £4.99).

From Goodreads:

When young aristocratic layabout Marcus Corvinus is approached by the stepdaughter of the exiled and now dead Roman poet Ovid and asked to clear the return of the ashes for burial, he cheerfully agrees; there should, he thinks, be no problem. Only when he makes the application to the imperial authorities it’s turned down flat. So what, Corvinus asks himself, did Ovid do that was so bad that they won’t even allow his bones back into Italy?

Nominations for February are now closed.

[WT Sharpe]

Wondering if a particular book is available in your country? The following spoiler contains a list of bookstores outside the United States you can search. If you don't see a bookstore on this list for your country, find one that is, send me the link via PM, and I'll add it to the list. Also, if you find one on the list that is no longer in operation, let me know and I'll remove it from the list.

Spoiler:

Australian
Angus Robertson
Booktopia
Borders
Dymocks
Fishpond
Google

Canada
Amazon. Make sure you are logged out. Then go to the Kindle Store. Search for a book. After the search results come up, in the upper right corner of the screen, change the country to Canada and search away.
Google
Sony eBookstore (Upper right corner switch to/from US/CA)

UK
BooksOnBoard (In the upper right corner is a way to switch to the UK store)
Amazon
Foyle's
Google
Penguin
Random House
Waterstones
WH Smith

*** Deadly Appearances by Gail Bowen [HomeInMyShoes, CRussel, WTSharpe]
Goodreads

Spoiler:

Andy Boychuk is a successful Saskatchewan politician – until one sweltering August afternoon when the party faithful gather at a picnic. All of the key people in Boychuk’s life – family, friends, enemies – are there. Boychuk steps up to the podium to make a speech, takes a sip of water, and drops dead. Joanne Kilbourn, in her début as Canada’s leading amateur sleuth, is soon on the case, delving into Boychuk’s history. What she finds are a Bible college that’s too good to be true, a woman with a horrifying and secret past, and a murderer who’s about to strike again.

* Perry Rhodan Lemuria 1: Ark of the Stars by Frank Borsch [tweety]
No links provided.

Spoiler:

After a tragic accident Perry Rhodan discovers a huge space ship, two miles long and traveling almost at the speed of light. The ship turns out to be an ark, carrying a population of humans who set out on their journey 55,000 years ago, from Earth - Lemurians, the legendary forefathers of mankind.

But Rhodan is not the only one to have noticed the ark. A ship of the Akons, Earth's arch enemies, has also set its sights on this galactic mystery ...

*** The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner [WT Sharpe, issybird, GA Russell]
Goodreads / Amazon Au / Amazon Ca / Amazon UK / Amazon US

Spoiler:

From Amazon:
Thanks to a bungled robbery at a fancy hotel, the already-married Eva Griffin has been caught in the company of a prominent congressman. To protect the politico, Eva's ready to pay the editor of a sleazy tabloid his hush money. But Perry Mason has other plans. He tracks down the phantom fat cat who secretly runs the blackmailing tabloid — only to discover a shocking scoop. By the time Mason's comely client finally comes clean, her husband has taken a bullet in the heart. Now Perry Mason has two choices: represent the cunning widow in her wrangle for the dead man's money — or take the rap for murder. (261 pages.)

From Wikipedia:
The influence of the television series has given the general public the impression that Mason is highly ethical. In the earliest novels, however, Mason was not above skulduggery to win a case. In The Case of the Counterfeit Eye (1935) he breaks the law several times, including manufacturing false evidence (glass eyes). Mason manipulates evidence and witnesses, resulting in the acquittal of the murderer in The Case of the Howling Dog (1934). The Case of the Curious Bride (1934) is

… a good Perry Mason except for one great flaw, which the author would scarcely have been guilty of later on: he tampers with the evidence, by having a friend move into an apartment and testify to the state of the doorbells. … One is left with the uncomfortable idea that maybe the murder did not take place as Mason reconstructs it.

— Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime

In the later novels, the only crime which he can be seen to commit might be illegal entry, when he and Paul Drake are searching for evidence. And even then, he would expect to put up a strong and effective defense leading to an acquittal. Hamilton Burger is constantly under the impression that Mason has done something illegal, but is never able to prove it.

*** Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippmann [obs20, Dazrin, JSWolf]
Amazon US

Spoiler:

In a city where someone is murdered almost every day, attorney Michael Abramowitz’s death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer’s notoriety—and his taste for illicit midday trysts—make the case front-page news in every local paper except the Star, which crashed and burned before Abramowitz did. A former Star reporter who knows every inch of this town—from historic Fort McHenry to the crumbling projects of Cherry Hill—now unemployed journalist Tess Monaghan also knows the guy the cops like for the killing: cuckolded fiancé Darryl “Rock” Paxton. The time is ripe for a career move, so when rowing buddy Rock wants to hire her to do some unorthodox snooping to help clear his name, Tess agrees. But there are lethal secrets hiding in the Charm City shadows. And Tess’ own name could end up on that ever-expanding list of Baltimore dead.

*** The Blackhouse by Peter May [JSWolf, bfisher, treadlightly]
Amazon UK / Amazon US / ebooks.com / Google / Kobo UK / Overdrive / Overdrive / Overdrive

Spoiler:

From acclaimed author and television dramatist Peter May comes the first book in the Lewis Trilogy—a riveting mystery series set on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, a formidable and forbidding world where tradition rules and people adhere to ancient ways of life.

When a grisly murder occurs on the Isle of Lewis that has the hallmarks of a killing he's investigating on the mainland, Edinburgh detective and native islander Fin Macleod is dispatched to see if the two deaths are connected. His return after nearly two decades not only represents a police investigation, but a voyage into his own troubled past. As Fin reconnects with the places and people of his tortured childhood, he feels the island once again asserting its grip on his psyche. And every step forward in solving the murder takes him closer to a dangerous confrontation with the tragic events of the past that shaped—and nearly destroyed—Fin's life.

The Blackhouse is a thriller of rare power and vision that explores the darkest recesses of the soul.

*** Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne [issybird, bfisher, DrChiper]
Amazon / Kobo / OverDrive

Spoiler:

From Amazon:

In A.D. 664, King Oswy of Northumbria has convened a synod at Whitby to hear debate between the Roman and Celtic Christian churches and decide which shall be granted primacy in his kingdom. At stake is much more than a few disputed points of ritual; Oswy's decision could affect the survival of either church in the Saxon kingdoms.

When the Abbess Etain, a leading speaker for the Celtic church, is found murdered, suspicion falls upon the Roman faction. In order to diffuse the tensions that threaten to erupt into civil war, Oswy turns to Sister Fidelma of the Celtic Church (Irish and an advocate for the Brehon Court) and Brother Eadulf of the Roman church (from east Anglia and of a family of hereditary magistrates) to find the killer. But as further murders occur and a treasonous plot against Oswy matures, Fidelma and Eadulf soon find themselves running out of time.

*** Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch [CRussel, bfisher, issybird]
Goodreads | Amazon UK / Amazon US / Audible / Kobo

Spoiler:

From Amazon US:
Review
“Fresh, original and a wonderful read. I loved it.”—Charlaine Harris

“Midnight Riot is what would happen if Harry Potter grew up and joined the Fuzz. It is a hilarious, keenly imagined caper.”—Diana Gabaldon

“Filled with detail and imagination . . . Aaronovitch is a name to watch.”—Peter F. Hamilton

“The perfect blend of CSI and Harry Potter.” --io9.com

“Aaronovitch has created a fun and funny character in Grant, who displays wit more than snark (a welcome attitude) and shows he can think on his feet. . . . It's a great start to what will hopefully be a long series of adventures.”--SFrevu.com

From AmazonUK:
My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden ... and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying.

From GoodReads:
Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London's Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he'll face is a paper cut. But Peter's prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter's ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.

** Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey [JSWolf, fantasyfan]
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Google Play / Kobo UK / Kobo US / Overdrive

Spoiler:

Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

* Quiller Barracuda by Adam Hall [GA Russell]
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble

Spoiler:

Publishers Weekly says: Like his counterparts James Bond and Matt Helm, Quiller is a secret agent survivor of the '60s. Since his debut a quarter century ago in the Edgar-winning The Quiller Memorandum , Hall's agent-with-no-first-name has carried out his assignments for "the Bureau," a top-secret British counter-intelligence agency, with an efficiency and emotional detachment that is at once chilling and fascinating. Aside from the requisite involvement with beautiful women on every assignment, Quiller shows few of his peers' idiosyncrasies; the job's the thing to Quiller, and the job this time takes him to Miami, where the Bureau's station agent has begun behaving strangely. No sooner does Quiller arrive than the man disappears, and the shadowy outlines of a vast and frightening mind-control conspiracy begin to surface. This taut, sophisticated thriller involves Quiller in the American presidential campaign, a large-scale cocaine smuggling operation and a network of Mafia killers, who threaten his life and (worse yet from his viewpoint) create a strong possibility that he will be pulled off the job before it is finished. A sure-fire pleaser for espionage fans.

*** The Apothecary Rose by Candace Robb [DrChiper, WT Sharpe, sufue]
Goodreads

Spoiler:

The Owen Archer mysteries (including the short story "The Bone Jar") are set in England in the late 14th century. Owen Archer is a spy for John Thoresby, Archbishop of York and sometime Lord Chancellor of England. Owen is ably assisted in his sleuthing by an ensemble of York residents who include his wife, the Apothecary Lucie Wilton; Bess Merchet, proprietor of the York Tavern; Magda Digby, midwife; and Brother Michaelo, the Archbishop's secretary.

*** Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey [BenG, CRussel, Mims]
Amazon US / Audible / Faded Page / Online PD

Spoiler:

From Amazon:
Brat Farrar has been carefully coached to assume the identity of Patrick Ashby, heir to the Ashby fortune who disappeared when he was 13. Just when it seems that Brat will pull off the deception, he discovers the truth about Patrick's disappearance, a dark secret that threatens to tear apart the family and jeopardize Brat's carefully laid plans. Called "the best of its kind" by the New Yorker, Josephine Tey's classic is a tale of unrelenting suspense and tension.

From New Statesman:
“Josephine Tey enjoys a category to herself, as a virtuoso in the spurious . . . the nature of the deception on this occasion is too good to give away.”

*** Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler [BenG, Mims, Dazrin]
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Kobo

Spoiler:

This mystery features the impending retirement of a Scotland Yard detective and the death of another. When Arthur Bryant is apparently blown up, his erstwhile partner, John May, begins reflecting on their first case together more than 60 years earlier. May, a raw recruit of 19, and Bryant, a 23-year-old detective, became the core of the Peculiar Crimes Unit, created to handle cases that were too important to ignore, yet that somehow seemed disproportionately insignificant in the face of the hundreds of civilians killed each night during the Blitz. Both men had been hurried through training and were suddenly faced with the strange case of the Palace Phantom, a killer victimizing the cast in an elaborate production of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld. May was both intrigued by and dismayed at Bryant's methods and seeming flights of fancy. He used everything from crime-scene forensics to spiritualists to help him build his case. Fowler skillfully shifts the action between 1940 and the 21st century, building suspense and growing awareness as each case comes to its respective climax. Not surprisingly, they are connected. The details of wartime London and the destruction and deprivation of daily life are vividly conveyed. Today's teens will identify with the young lives so drastically affected by the war while following the clues, and red herrings, to a satisfactory conclusion.

*** Ovid by David Wishart [sufue, Dazrin, BenG]
Goodreads | Amazon UK / Amazon US / Kobo UK

Spoiler:

It's available both at Amazon US ($4.99 or free with KU) and Amazon UK (£4.99), and also at Kobo UK (also £4.99).

From Goodreads:

When young aristocratic layabout Marcus Corvinus is approached by the stepdaughter of the exiled and now dead Roman poet Ovid and asked to clear the return of the ashes for burial, he cheerfully agrees; there should, he thinks, be no problem. Only when he makes the application to the imperial authorities it’s turned down flat. So what, Corvinus asks himself, did Ovid do that was so bad that they won’t even allow his bones back into Italy?

Nominations for February are now closed.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Hoping to see some mysteries from strange countries.

It's a category I need to read for my challenge.

I'll nominate Deadly Appearances by Gail Bowen

Spoiler:

Andy Boychuk is a successful Saskatchewan politician – until one sweltering August afternoon when the party faithful gather at a picnic. All of the key people in Boychuk’s life – family, friends, enemies – are there. Boychuk steps up to the podium to make a speech, takes a sip of water, and drops dead. Joanne Kilbourn, in her début as Canada’s leading amateur sleuth, is soon on the case, delving into Boychuk’s history. What she finds are a Bible college that’s too good to be true, a woman with a horrifying and secret past, and a murderer who’s about to strike again.

This appears to be available at amazon in Canada, United States, Australia and United Kingdom, although the price is scary in some cases. Hopefully libraries have it as well. Mine does, but it's an author from my home city.

[tweety]

Old favorite back from the past, well future.

I'll nominate Perry Rhodan Lemuria 1: Ark of the Stars by Frank Borsch

Spoiler:

After a tragic accident Perry Rhodan discovers a huge space ship, two miles long and traveling almost at the speed of light. The ship turns out to be an ark, carrying a population of humans who set out on their journey 55,000 years ago, from Earth - Lemurians, the legendary forefathers of mankind.

But Rhodan is not the only one to have noticed the ark. A ship of the Akons, Earth's arch enemies, has also set its sights on this galactic mystery ...

This is available from Amazon.co.uk & Amazon.de so I'm sure it is available else where as epub as well.

Amazon.co.uk Goodreads

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Hoping to see some mysteries from strange countries.

It's a category I need to read for my challenge.

I'll nominate Deadly Appearances by Gail Bowen

This appears to be available at amazon in Canada, United States, Australia and United Kingdom, although the price is scary in some cases. Hopefully libraries have it as well. Mine does, but it's an author from my home city.

Price is indeed a bit steep. However, it's available in my BC Library for download, so I'll second it. (And meanwhile add a hold for it at the library!)

[GA Russell]

I really like Tom's recent suggestion of an early Perry Mason, but I'll let him choose which one gets nominated.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I really like Tom's recent suggestion of an early Perry Mason, but I'll let him choose which one gets nominated.

Which one? It's got to be the first in the series. There is no other unless the first has been read for the group and then it's the second and so on.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Which one? It's got to be the first in the series. There is no other unless the first has been read for the group and then it's the second and so on.

Some series benefit from being read in order; others, it doesn't really matter. I suspect Perry Mason's in the latter category.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I really like Tom's recent suggestion of an early Perry Mason, but I'll let him choose which one gets nominated.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Which one? It's got to be the first in the series. There is no other unless the first has been read for the group and then it's the second and so on.

Originally Posted by issybird

Some series benefit from being read in order; others, it doesn't really matter. I suspect Perry Mason's in the latter category.

Did someone say Perry Mason? First of the series?

"You'll find that I'm a lawyer who has specialized in trial work, and in a lot of criminal work...I'm a specialist on getting people out of trouble. They come to me when they're in all sorts of trouble, and I work them out...If you look me up through some family lawyer or some corporation lawyer, he'll probably tell you that I'm a shyster. If you look me up through some chap in the District Attorney's office, he'll tell you that I'm a dangerous antagonist but he doesn't know very much about me."

— Perry Mason, The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933).

I nominate The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner.
Goodreads / Amazon Au / Amazon Ca / Amazon UK / Amazon US

Spoiler:

From Amazon:
Thanks to a bungled robbery at a fancy hotel, the already-married Eva Griffin has been caught in the company of a prominent congressman. To protect the politico, Eva's ready to pay the editor of a sleazy tabloid his hush money. But Perry Mason has other plans. He tracks down the phantom fat cat who secretly runs the blackmailing tabloid — only to discover a shocking scoop. By the time Mason's comely client finally comes clean, her husband has taken a bullet in the heart. Now Perry Mason has two choices: represent the cunning widow in her wrangle for the dead man's money — or take the rap for murder.

From Wikipedia:
The influence of the television series has given the general public the impression that Mason is highly ethical. In the earliest novels, however, Mason was not above skulduggery to win a case. In The Case of the Counterfeit Eye (1935) he breaks the law several times, including manufacturing false evidence (glass eyes). Mason manipulates evidence and witnesses, resulting in the acquittal of the murderer in The Case of the Howling Dog (1934). The Case of the Curious Bride (1934) is

… a good Perry Mason except for one great flaw, which the author would scarcely have been guilty of later on: he tampers with the evidence, by having a friend move into an apartment and testify to the state of the doorbells. … One is left with the uncomfortable idea that maybe the murder did not take place as Mason reconstructs it.

— Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime

In the later novels, the only crime which he can be seen to commit might be illegal entry, when he and Paul Drake are searching for evidence. And even then, he would expect to put up a strong and effective defense leading to an acquittal. Hamilton Burger is constantly under the impression that Mason has done something illegal, but is never able to prove it.

[issybird]

I'll second Velvet Claws.

[GA Russell]

I third Velvet Claws.

[obs20]

How about Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippmann

[JSWolf]

I'll nominate The Blackhouse by Peter May.

From acclaimed author and television dramatist Peter May comes the first book in the Lewis Trilogy—a riveting mystery series set on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, a formidable and forbidding world where tradition rules and people adhere to ancient ways of life.

When a grisly murder occurs on the Isle of Lewis that has the hallmarks of a killing he's investigating on the mainland, Edinburgh detective and native islander Fin Macleod is dispatched to see if the two deaths are connected. His return after nearly two decades not only represents a police investigation, but a voyage into his own troubled past. As Fin reconnects with the places and people of his tortured childhood, he feels the island once again asserting its grip on his psyche. And every step forward in solving the murder takes him closer to a dangerous confrontation with the tragic events of the past that shaped—and nearly destroyed—Fin's life.

The Blackhouse is a thriller of rare power and vision that explores the darkest recesses of the soul.

Overdrive: https://www.overdrive.com/media/1322985/the-blackhouse
Overdrive: https://www.overdrive.com/media/1097501/the-blackhouse
Overdrive: https://www.overdrive.com/media/532403/the-blackhouse
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Blackhouse-Lew...the+blackhouse
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/...d=yzkTAgAAQBAJ
ebooks.com: http://www.ebooks.com/1741317/the-blackhouse/may-peter/
Kobo UK: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-gb/eb...e-blackhouse-4
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackhouse-B...the+blackhouse

[issybird]

I've seen a recommendation of the series here, so I'd like to nominate the first book, Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne. From Amazon:

In A.D. 664, King Oswy of Northumbria has convened a synod at Whitby to hear debate between the Roman and Celtic Christian churches and decide which shall be granted primacy in his kingdom. At stake is much more than a few disputed points of ritual; Oswy's decision could affect the survival of either church in the Saxon kingdoms.

When the Abbess Etain, a leading speaker for the Celtic church, is found murdered, suspicion falls upon the Roman faction. In order to diffuse the tensions that threaten to erupt into civil war, Oswy turns to Sister Fidelma of the Celtic Church (Irish and an advocate for the Brehon Court) and Brother Eadulf of the Roman church (from east Anglia and of a family of hereditary magistrates) to find the killer. But as further murders occur and a treasonous plot against Oswy matures, Fidelma and Eadulf soon find themselves running out of time

Amazon Kobo OverDrive

[bfisher]

I second Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne

I second The Blackhouse by Peter May