Impressive is the debut of David Carnoy with the surprisingly complex and sophisticated "Knife Music" (ParkMadison Press, 978-0-615-24325-2). Its a combination legal/medical novel, so neatly plotted it seems the first-timer might have... Read More

FOR A MEMORABLE DEBUT, see Greek policeman Andreas Kaldis and his creator, Jeffrey Siger, in "Murder in Mykonos" (Poisoned Pen Press, 978-1-59058-581-8), the first of a projected series based in the Greek Isles. Siger lives part-time on... Read More

In "The Pain Nurse" (Poisoned Pen Press, 978-1-59058-624-2), Jon Talton manages to make a big city hospital seem as creepy as a haunted mansion. A SAVAGE KILLER IS ON THE LOOSE, a knife-wielding derelict sneaks into the hallways, the... Read More

You wont find more exotic characters and setting, or a more complex (and powerful) political theme, than Eliot Pattison serves up in "The Lord of Death" (Soho Crime, 978-1-56947-579-9). Its set in Tibet, where Shan Tao Yun, a former... Read More

Imagine if Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series was set in Australia and you’ll get a fair idea of Garry Disher’s series featuring Inspector Hal Challis. In "Blood Moon" (Soho Press, 978-1-56947-563-8), the latest entry which teams... Read More

You can always tell when a pro is clicking on all cylinders. "Smoke and Whispers" (Soho Constable, 978-1-56947-564-5), Mick Herrons fifth novel, crackles from the start as writer Sarah Tucker arrives in northern England to identify the... Read More

Sharon Potts does such a solid job in the first half of "In Their Blood" (Oceanview, 978-1-933515-62-5) that the second half, especially the superheated climax, suffers by comparison. Young, spoiled Jeremy Stroeb returns from Europe and... Read More

Tanguy Viel has been much praised in his native France, where "Beyond Suspicion" (New Press, 978-1-59558-156-3) was a bestseller. Its a lyrical, mesmeric story of KIDNAPPING AND BETRAYAL, more a long short story than a novel, and more of... Read More