New Crime & Mystery Fiction Titles From Five Star 06 Jan-March

File Updated: 15/12/2006

New Crime & Mystery Fiction Titles From Five Star JAN-MARCH 06

Rex Anderson Lawnmower Blues Published January 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 159414320X

Tony Aapt would do almost anything to get out of the Private Investigations business he inherited from his grandfather, along with a pile of debt, so he reluctantly subsists on wife- or husband-watching. Suddenly, what appears to be a big break arises: fifty-something Maggie Hawk retires from bartending and hires Tony, with a high retainer, to investigate the murder of her husband, and the theft of his very valuable invention. But, there are problems: the husband died thirty-three years ago, a year or so before Tony was born; he was obviously a suicide. Maggie's determined, though, and Tony's broke, so he takes the case - and Maggie's big cheque - and wings it. Although, Tony goes into the investigation certain there's not much point in it, he surprises himself by stumbling onto indications that Maggie may be correct that her husband's supposed suicide was really a murder. So many indications, in fact, that suddenly he's confronted with a choice: he can sell himself, or he can die.

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Suzanne Barr Sight Unseen Published February 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594143005

After young Richard's mother dies, he overhears wealthy family friends Ashton and Iris Burke saying that they could not take him into their home. He is later adopted by the Johnsons, but hates the working class life he endures throughout his childhood. Richard goes to college and studies architecture, the same profession as Ashton Burke. Richard worms his way back into the Burkes' life when their architectural firm is most vulnerable after a faulty cement accident. Ashton Burke is thrilled when he hires Richard Johnson, because not only did he bring a Pentagon contract with him, but he seems to be the perfect man for his daughter, Susan. Ashton arranges for them to meet. Everything seems to fall into place for Susan and Richard as they fall in love and marry. However, the family's world gets turned upside down when Susan and Richard's infant daughter, Ashley Rose, is kidnapped. They race against time - and the kidnapper - to recover their precious child...but what they find out is more chilling than they ever imagined.

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L L Bartlett Murder on the Mind Published March 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594143587

Jeff Resnick hardly knew his well-heeled half-brother. But after suffering a fractured skull in a vicious mugging, he reluctantly accepts the fact that he has a long and brutal recovery to face - and his closest of kin can provide him with the time and place to do it. Now, Jeff is haunted by unexplained visions of a heinous crime - a banker stalked, killed and eviscerated like a ten-point buck. When Matt Sumner's murder is discovered, a still-recovering Jeff realises this was what he had seen. Jeff must not only convince himself of his new-found psychic ability, but also his sceptical brother, Richard Alpert. Since Sumner was Richard's banker, both brothers have a stake in finding out what happened. With Richard's reluctant help, Jeff's investigation leads him to Sumner's belligerent family and hard-nosed business associates, none of whom want him snooping around. When Jeff discovers a second victim, he knows he must relentlessly chase his quarry, even if it means risking his brother's life.

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Steve Copling The Shooting Season Published January 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594143242

Cunning and elusive, a serial sniper hits a new city every July 24th. Everett, Washington was first, then Tempe, Arizona. In year three, he brought his terror to Brighton, Colorado. Different cities, same pattern: first a doctor is shot, then a lawyer, a judge, and finally the lead homicide detective. Twelve victims and no evidence, except for the bullet casings mailed to the police chief in each city. A single thumbprint on each casing belongs to Billy Ray Jackson, a criminal from Nashville who hasn't been seen since before the first murder. When the sniper hits Plano, Texas, to begin his fourth shooting season, homicide detectives Greg Rush and Rick Chinbroski team with the FBI to hunt for the killer. No-one understands that Plano is the shooter's last stop - that Plano's top homicide team was the target all along, and that a thirty-year-old debt won't be paid in full, until the last shot is fired. This is a story of revenge, of how one boy's betrayal sent his best friend's life spiraling to the brink of insanity. For Greg Rush and Rick Chinbroski, that betrayal costs more than either could imagine.

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Mat Coward Open And Closed Published February 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594142742

As well as being author of the Packham and Mitchell mysteries, Mat Coward is a Dagger- and Edgar-nominated short story writer, whose collection, Do the World a Favour and Other Stories, was published by Five Star Publishing.
Coward lives in Somerset, in the UK, and writes children's fiction, science fiction, and humour. His latest book is a guide to the writing life called Success and How to Avoid It.

Praise For Mat Coward's Previous Work:
For Over and Under:
"One of the funniest writers in the history of crime fiction ... a nicely twisted whodunit." Jon L. Breen, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
"The Packham and Mitchell stories are like a breath of fresh air ... The writing is easy paced and light-hearted ... What it does supply in abundance is that rare commodity-entertainment." -Tangled Web

For In and Out:
"Light and clever."
"Immensely enjoyable ... a rare treat ... one of the most original, engaging, and likeable detectives to come down the pike in many a year. In the pantheon of British detectives, he belongs right up there with Frost, Morse, and Dalgliesh." Booklist
"Mat Coward writes with a droll wit ... In & Out is a light-hearted mystery that I can recommend to anyone, whether they prefer cozy or hard-boiled." Deadly Pleasures

For Up and Down: "Auspicious debut." Library Journal
"Impressive debut." Booklist

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L F Crawford Fortune Cookie Karma Published January 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594143110

The murder of a Beverly Hills psychic - fifth victim of the Ice Pick Killer - drafts Detective Art Murry and his partner Billy Kidman into a special LAPD task force. But, when Murry's intuition turns to psychic flashes, he sees a vision of his girlfriend, Medical Examiner Mary Eclair. She's dead, ice picks through her hands and feet. To try and save the woman he loves, Murry alienates his boss and his partner, risking his job and his life to find the killer. The Ice Pick Killer has his own troubles. A burglar cleaned out his safe: cash, jewellery and the set of ice picks intended for his next victim. To protect his identity, he must get the picks back. Ice Pick already has his next victim - Mary Eclair - in his sights. While Murry follows a slim thread from a reported burglary to a dead thief, Ice Pick sets the trap for Eclair. The breakneck pace hurtles the reader from murder on the first page to an explosive, skin-prickling conclusion.

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Denise Dietz Chain a Lamb Chop to the Bed Published March 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594144222

An Ellie Bernstein/Lt Peter Miller Mystery
In Colorado Springs, Peter Miller, homicide detective with the CSPD, invites Ellie Bernstein to vacation with him for a stress-free week at a ranch. Just before they leave, an elderly man is killed in his home. The face on the victim's advertised for sale painting was slashed with a knife - and the woman with the slashed face is a dead ringer for Ellie. A dead body found near the ranch's ravine would ordinarily jump-start Ellie's sleuthing skills, but this time she's in unfamiliar territory. She's never been to Aspen before, she knew and adored the victim - a world-renowned Aspen artist - and, to make matters worse, his wife seems to be missing. Ellie desperately needs to find the 'art patron' who murdered her friend, and she needs to make friends with a black stallion named Satan.

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Jan Grape Dark Blue Death Published March 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594144230

A Zoe Barrow Mystery
Austin Police officer Zoe Barrow is assisting in role-playing for the new police cadets at the Police Department's Training Academy, when a cadet comes running up to say one of the cadets has been killed. Zoe finds herself thrust into a case involving a sick-minded individual who uses a high-powered rifle to execute from a distance, then has an encounter with the body afterwards. As other female officers are killed, the FBI is called in to help. Zoe's partner, Sergeant Harry Albright, is scornful of their involvement, while Zoe welcomes all help. In the meantime, Zoe's husband Byron Barrow, who remains in a semi-vegetative state, disappears from the nursing home where he lives, along with two other patients. Has he been kidnapped for ransom? Or has someone she'd put in prison planned to get back at her? As the body count rises and Zoe and Harry struggle to catch the sniper, Zoe is drawn into a battle of wills with Byron's parents. Can Zoe handle the heat, find the sniper, and survive another tension-filled week?

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John J Lamb Echoes of the Lost Order Published March 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594143218

A Steve and Victoria MacKinnon Mystery.
When Stephen MacKinnon became the Chief of Police of Talmine, a small and peaceful town, he hoped he was leaving the stressful life of murder investigation behind. But then, an unidentified female body dressed in a Confederate uniform is found at a Civil War re-enactment battle held in the town's park. Aided by his wife, a former crime analyst, MacKinnon begins an investigation that puts his job and their lives in danger. MacKinnon learns the dead woman was a former employee of the Library of Congress and may have stolen Robert E. Lee's 'Lost Order' - a message found by Union troops that changed the course of the Civil War, the bloody battle of Antietam. More than 140 years have passed since that battle, yet the Lost Order still seems to have an ability to generate death and suffering. The killer will stop at nothing to possess the valuable document - and MacKinnon must place himself in the line of fire to catch the murderer.

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C S Laurel B Quick Published February 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594143803

William Shakespeare Yates, English professor and not-quite-recovering alcoholic, just wants some peace. Lythia Springs, Colorado, nestled comfortably far enough from the ski resorts yet close enough to nowhere, has so far managed to avoid turning into the hustling, bustling tourist traps dotting the state. Even Bile College - the city's bid for revitalisation fifty years ago - hasn't managed to attract a rowdy crowd. But Bill's not getting off that easily. The dean hates him, he can't find that special someone (despite his diligent attempts in every bar from Lythia to nearby Cowpattie), his MG convertible is on the brink of total collapse - and someone has just tossed a body into the Nugget River right in front of him. He doesn't know it yet, but Bill's rash decision to jump in after the body will net him more than just a sopping wet, unconscious, but still alive Brian Quick, blond Adonis and Bile student featured heavily in Bill's fantasies. Then another student is found hacked up with an axe, and rumours of drug trafficking start flying. And both B. Quick and an internationally renowned artist living in town seem intent on winning Bill's romantic affections. Bill quickly finds himself caught in someone else's intricately drawn net, and he's looking like the perfect patsy for murder.

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Maggie Sefton Dying to Sell Published January 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594143102

Estate Agent Kate Doyle knew divorce was messy, but she didn't expect it to be bloody. Kate agrees to sell the home of old friends who're locked in bitter wrangling, and manages to keep the peace long enough to get signatures on contracts. She congratulates herself on what will be an easy sale in this Colorado college town. However, Kate's celebration turns to horror, when she walks into the lawyer-client's study to find him brutally murdered: stabbed in the throat. The prime suspect is Kate's close friend, the spurned wife, who begs Kate to help her. Kate's meddling turns up some surprising suspects. The successful lawyer deceived numerous ex-lovers, as well as his wife. He'd also played off one land developer against another, dangling a choice tract of land as bait. Businesses were ruined and fortunes lost. Had the loser taken revenge on the wily lawyer? Or had an ex-lover killed in jealous rage? Kate's real estate licence helps her dig into the clever lawyer's dealings, as she sifts clues from cyber space to crawl space. Unfortunately, her snooping tempts the killer to exercise his own licence - to kill.

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Harry Shannon Eye of the Burning Man Published February 2006 by Five Star at Ł17.99 ISBN: 1594143811

A Mick Callahan Novel
Psychologist Mick Callahan, flawed hero of Harry Shannon's taut thriller "Memorial Day", wants to escape his violent past. He's finally back in the game, with a successful radio show, a new girlfriend and money in the bank. And then along comes Mary, the young drug addict who saved his life in Dry Wells. Mick Callahan is the kind of man who pays his debts, even if that means putting everything on the line. When Mary is abducted from his home all hell breaks loose. Callahan gathers his eccentric friends, sets out to find her and ends up confronting a gang of vicious psychopaths at Nevada's bizarre Burning Man Festival.

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