Harlequin Worldwide Mystery Titles for January 2011

eHarlequin.com has announced the January 2011 titles for their Worldwide Mystery imprint, your partner in crime. Amateur sleuths, traditional cozies, police procedurals and private-eye fiction, written by award-winning authors. For more information or to purchase any of the books below, click on the book title or book cover. (Previous months titles can be found on the backlist page.)

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Echoes of Mercy by Lynette Hall Hampton
A Willa Hinshaw Mystery (2nd in series)

Moments after Elva Kingfield placed flowers beside her late husband's tombstone, an explosion sent associate pastor Willa Hinshaw dodging chunks of hurling granite. Later, when Elva, who believes her dead husband's ghost is roaming the halls of her estate, falls mysteriously ill and her housekeeper is stabbed to death, Willa can't accept that the violence is simply random.

Upon discovering that someone is looting Elva's valuables, plus the strange behavior of the widow's feuding family members, Willa is convinced that somebody wants Elva dead. Determined to do whatever she can to keep the kind woman out of harm's way, she ignores ominous threats telling her to mind her own business … or else. Willa's got all the help she needs from Above—it's the danger below that's got her worried.

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Frame Work by Anne G. Faigen
Non-series

Danger was not on the itinerary when Professor Sarah Brandau set out for a literary conference in historic Prague, accompanied by her spunky grandmother, Edith. While exploring the city's quaint back streets, the duo purchase a lovely piece of artwork from an antiques store and make a stunning discovery—hidden behind the painting is a sketch by famous Impressionist-era artist Mary Cassat.

A desperate phone call from the store clerk insisting they return the print immediately concerns and intrigues the women—especially when the man goes missing.

Soon Sarah and her grandmother connect the valuable Cassat sketch to a vast European art-smuggling network operating out of the city. But the thieves are just part of a bigger, more sinister link to decades-old Nazi secrets. A ruthless war criminal and mastermind is hiding in plain sight. And when Sarah uncovers the truth, this magnificent city may become the last place on earth she ever sees …

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The Crying Girl by Glen Ebisch
A "Roaming New England" Mystery (1st in series)

As editor of a popular magazine that spotlights offbeat New England attractions, Amanda Vickers is intrigued by a call from an old college professor about a haunted New Hampshire inn. When she later hears that the woman has died under mysterious circumstances in the basement of this mysterious Shadsborough Inn, Amanda and her associate Marcie decide to investigate.

It seems the inn recently acquired a resident ghost—a crying girl, whose sobs can be heard late at night. Getting to know the locals, Amanda suspects there's a connection between this supposed apparition and a missing teenager. She's not sure if the teen is dead or alive, but Amanda is convinced there's something very dark and dangerous happening in this picturesque White Mountain town. But as she gets closer to exposing the truth about the old inn and its secrets, she fears she's walked straight into a killer's trap … without a ghost of a chance for escape.

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One Last Good-Bye by Joyce and Jim Lavene
A Sharyn Howard Mystery (2nd in series)

Half a century ago, in Sheriff Sharyn Howard's small Colorado town, a Navy plane piloted by a local war hero plunged mysteriously into a Diamond Mountain lake. The plane and the two servicemen inside were never recovered. Now a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer has come to investigate the decades-old crash—and disappears. As the sheriff supervises the dredging of the lake, she gets more than she bargained for. They find the missing author, his submerged pickup, the missing plane—and clear evidence that all three men were murdered.

Are the two tragedies connected? Were there secrets about the downed plane that cost another man his life? The sheriff hasn't ruled out a linking motive in the murders, but as she investigates crimes both past and present, she tangles with a clever adversary determined to stop the investigation dead in its tracks.

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The Perfect Woman by James Andrus is Today's Featured Free Kindle Mystery

MystereBooks is pleased to feature a mystery title that is currently available in Kindle eBook format for free from Amazon.com. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically only until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so download it today!

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The Perfect Woman by James Andrus
A John Stallings Mystery (1st in series)
Pinnacle (Kindle eBook)
Download Link

About The Perfect Woman (from the publisher): One Man's Obsession ...

Pharmacy clerk William Dremmel is hooked -- on drugging pretty young women and lulling them into slow, blissfully quiet deaths. Then he packs his victims in luggage -- a nod to the cops that he works alone. Dremmel's no fool, he's also a college professor. He just likes using his intellect for darker purposes ...

Is Another Man's Anguish ...

Haunted by his own daughter's unsolved disappearance, Detective John Stallings is committed to finding runaways and busting their abductors. When a series of girls is found dead and stuffed into duffle bags, he's consumed with capturing "The Bagman" -- at the risk of his marriage, his career, and possibly his tough-as-nails partner, Patty Levine ...

And Neither Intends To Give Up

As The Bagman grows more brazen in his crimes, the clues line up. But when he draws terrifyingly close to Patty, Stallings is determined to play by his own rules -- and they won't be pretty -- or quiet ...

Read the first chapters of The Perfect Woman below.

Firsts on the 1st: New Series Characters Being Introduced in January 2011 Mysteries

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books recently updated its list of January 2011 hardcover mysteries as well shelved new January paperbacks on The Mystery Bookshelf.

In this series of monthly posts, which we call Firsts on the 1st, we're introducing readers to new series characters who will make their mysterious debut during January.

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Title: Frozen Assets
Author: Quentin Bates
Series Character: Gunnhildur Gisladottir
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Sergeant Gunnhildur Gisladottir ("Gunna the Cop") is a police officer in Iceland.

Her first case: A body is found floating in the harbor of a rural Icelandic fishing village. Was it an accident, or something more sinister? It’s up to Officer Gunnhildur, a sardonic female cop, to find out.

Her investigation uncovers a web of corruption connected to Iceland’s business and banking communities. Meanwhile, a rookie crime journalist latches onto her, looking for a scoop, and an anonymous blogger is stirring up trouble. The complications increase, as do the stakes, when a second murder is committed.

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Title: India Black
Author: Carol K. Carr
Series Character: India Black
Format: Trade Paperback

What we know about the character: Madam India Black runs a brothel in late 19th century England.

Her first case: When Sir Archibald Latham of the War Office dies from a heart attack while visiting her brothel, India is unexpectedly thrust into a deadly game between Russian and British agents who are seeking the military secrets Latham carried.

Blackmailed into recovering the missing documents by the British spy known as French, India finds herself dodging Russian agents -- and the attraction she starts to feel for the handsome conspirator.

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Title: To Have and to Kill
Author: Mary Jane Clark
Series Character: Piper Donovan
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Piper Donovan works in the family bakery, Icing on the Cake, in New Jersey.

Her first case: Piper never imagined that decorating wedding cakes could be so dangerous! A struggling actress with no immediate prospects and a recently broken engagement, Piper moves back in with her parents to take stock of her life. She steps tentatively into the family bakery business and finds herself agreeing to create a wedding cake for the acclaimed star of a daytime television drama. But soon someone close to the bride-to-be is horribly murdered and it seems that that someone is ruthlessly determined to stop the wedding.

With the help of her former neighbor, Jack, a handsome FBI agent with a soft spot for the gorgeous cake-maker, Piper moves closer to the truth. And as she narrows in on a suspect, she realizes that it's hotter in the kitchen than she may be able to handle.

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Title: The October Killings
Author: Wessel Ebersohn
Series Character: Abigail Bukula
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Abigail Bukula is an attorney with the South Africa Justice Department.

Her first case: Abigail was fifteen when her parents were killed in a massacre of anti-apartheid activists by white security forces. A young soldier spoke up in her defense, and she was spared. Now she’s a lawyer with a promising career in the new government, but she’s never forgotten Leon Lourens, the soldier who saved her. Twenty years later, he comes to her for help: Someone is killing off members of the team who killed her parents, and Leon is one of two still alive.

Abigail turns to Yudel Gordon, an eccentric, nearly retired, white prison psychologist, for help. To save Leon’s life they must untangle the web of politics, identity, and history before the anniversary of the raid—only days away.

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Title: Hollywood Forever
Author: Susan Goldstein
Series Character: Samantha Crowley
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Samantha Crowley is the wife of a bestselling novelist in Beverly Hills.

Her first case: April is a lovely month in Beverly Hills, but things aren't going well for Samantha, who thought her perfect world would never collapse. Her superstar husband, Benjamin, wants a divorce and everyone in Beverly Hills wants a piece of the action—from real estate agents to greedy divorce attorneys. However, Samantha has ideas of her own to even the score.

While she pursues a less conventional approach to divorce, her path crosses with someone who has an entirely different agenda for her. People are dying suddenly with one thing in common: Samantha. When the cops call it murder, all clues lead to Sam. The good life has become life on the run.

Samantha needs to summon ingenuity and nerve to stay one step ahead of both the law and a killer. Can she trust old friends and the "white knight" who has mysteriously appeared in her life?

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Title: Falling More Slowly
Author: Peter Helton
Series Character: Liam McLusky
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Liam McLusky is a Detective Inspector in Bristol (England).

His first case: McLusky, freshly transferred from Southampton to Bristol and just recovered from an injury in the line of duty, has no time to settle in before catching a major case. Everyday objects that have been transformed into explosive devices are being left across Bristol, maiming or killing those who pick them up.

McLusky must figure out who the killer is, while navigating the fraught internal politics of his new post. Meanwhile, an ex-partner moves into the city to study—and keep tabs on him.

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Title: Where Death Delights
Author: Bernard Knight
Series Character: Richard Pryor
Format: Trade Paperback

What we know about the character: Richard Pryor is a forensic pathologist in 1950s England.

His first case: Returning from Singapore, Pryor uses his "golden handshake" to set up in private practice with scientist Angela Bray in Britain's Wye Valley. A friendly coroner gives them a start, and when two women both claim that human remains found near a reservoir are their relatives, the dilemma is given to them to investigate.

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Title: A Gift for Murder
Author: Karen McCullough
Series Character: Heather McNeil
Format: Hardcover

What we know about the character: Heather McNeil is the assistant to the director of the Washington DC Market Show Center.

Her first case: For fifty-one weeks of the year, Heather loves her job. But the Gift and Home trade show, the biggest show of the year at the center, is a week-long nightmare. This year’s version is being worse than usual. Misplaced shipments, feuding exhibitors, and malfunctioning popcorn machines are all in a day’s work. Finding the body of a murdered executive dumped in a trash bin during the show isn’t. The discovery tips Heather’s life—personal and professional—into havoc.

The police have reason to suspect the victim’s wife killed him, but Heather doesn’t believe it. She’s gotten glimmers of an entirely different scenario and possible motive, but questioning exhibitors about the crime doesn’t make her popular with them or with her employers. Still, other lives might be at risk, and if she doesn’t identify the murderer before the show ends, the culprit could well remain free to kill again.

Her only help comes from a company executive with ulterior motives and the Market Center’s attractive new security officer, Scott Brandon. Despite opposition from some of the exhibitors, her employers, and the police, Heather seeks to expose the killer before the show ends. To solve the mystery she will have to risk what’s most important to her and be prepared to fight for answers, her job, and possibly her life.

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Title: Murder Your Darlings
Author: J. J. Murphy
Series Character: Dorothy Parker
Format: Mass Market Paperback

What we know about the character: Dorothy Parker is an amateur sleuth in Manhattan during the Roaring 20s.

Her first case: One morning legendary wit Dorothy discovers someone under Manhattan's famed Algonquin Round Table. A little early for a passed out drunk, isn't it? But he's not dead drunk, just dead. When a charming writer from Mississippi named Billy Faulkner becomes a suspect in the murder, Dorothy decides to dabble in a little detective work, enlisting her literary cohorts.

It's up to the Algonquins to outwit the true culprit-preferably before cocktail hour-and before the clever killer turns the tables on them.

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Title: If I Never See You Again
Author: Niamh O'Connor
Series Character: Jo Birmingham
Format: Trade Paperback

What we know about the character: Jo Birmingham is a Detective Inspector with the Dublin Police Department.

Her first case: Single mum, streetwise detective, and spiky as hell. Recently promoted, she is one of the few female detective superintendents on the Dublin police force. But with a failed marriage behind her and two young sons at home, trying to strike the right work-life balance has run her ragged.

When Jo identifies the missing link in a chain of brutal killings, she comes under fierce scrutiny from her male colleagues in the force, especially her boss and ex-husband Dan Mason. But as the body count rises, so do the body parts. As fear stalks the city, it soon becomes obvious both to the police and to the media that a serial killer is at large.

And so Jo embarks on a terrifying psychological journey to find out who the killer is, and how he is choosing his victims. Soon she is involved in a deadly game in which there are no rules. Because the killer is waiting for her ...

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Title: Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun
Author: Lois Winston
Series Character: Anastasia Pollack
Format: Trade Paperback

What we know about the character: Anastasia Pollack is a crafts editor for American Woman magazine.

Her first case: When Anastasia's gambling-addicted husband permanently cashes in his chips in Vegas, her life craps out. She's left with two teenage sons, a mountain of debt, and her nasty, cane-wielding Communist mother-in-law. Not to mention a loan shark demanding fifty thousand dollars.

Anastasia's job makes life even stickier when she discovers the dead body of über-ambitious fashion editor Marlys Vandenburg hot-glued to Anastasia's office chair. Marlys collected enemies and ex-lovers like Jimmy Choos. When evidence surfaces of an illicit affair between Marlys and Anastasia's husband, Anastasia becomes the prime suspect. Can she sew up the case and keep herself out of jail before the real killer puts a permanent end to her investigation?

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For a list of more mysteries scheduled for publication during January, please visit our New Mysteries home page. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf, where you can discover a library of new mysteries, also updated with January 2011 releases.

Please also visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

Harlequin Mira Mystery and Suspense Titles for January 2011

eHarlequin.com has announced the January 2011 titles for their Mira imprint, the brightest stars in women's fiction. From all titles available, we've only listed those that are mystery, thriller, or suspense on this page. For more information or to purchase any of the books below, click on the book title or book cover. (Previous months titles can be found on the backlist page.)

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Against the Wind by Kat Martin
The Raines of Wind Canyon (1st in series)

They were known as the "no-account Raines boys" but they've grown into successful, honorable men and everything they have, they've fought for tooth and nail. Now each of the three brothers has one last obstacle to overcome to claim what's eluding them: love.

Secrets don't stay buried long in cattle country. Sarah Allen, the beautiful girl who humiliated Jackson Raines in high school, is back in town. Not so long ago, she couldn't wait to leave Wind Canyon, Wyoming, in her dust. But, recently widowed, she has nowhere else to go and finds herself on Jackson's ranch. And despite everything, Jackson's finding himself reluctant to get rid of her.

Sarah brings her own kind of trouble, and he can't resist trouble. Enemies of her dead husband show up making threats, thinking she has something they're owed. They're not taking no for an answer, but what they will take is the one thing she has left—her daughter. Jackson's the only one who might be able to save little Holly and bring her home.

Other purchase options:

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Indefensible by Pamela Callow
A Kate Lange Mystery (2nd in series)

When Elise Vanderzell plummets from her bedroom balcony one gorgeous summer night, her children awaken to a nightmare.

Their mother is dead.

Their father is charged with her murder.

Lawyer Kate Lange knows all about nightmares. She's survived the darkest period of her troubled life and the wounds are still raw. Now she's been handed a case that seems utterly unwinnable: defending her boss, high-profile lawyer Randall Barrett. A prosecutor's dream suspect, Randall is a man who was cuckolded by his ex-wife. A man who could not control his temper. A man who had argued bitterly with the victim the previous day in full view of the children.

With limited criminal law experience, Kate finds herself enmeshed in a family fractured by doubt. Randall's teenage son is intent on killing him. His daughter wants only to feel safe again. And the entire legal community would like nothing better than to see Randall receive a public comeuppance. As Kate races to stay a step ahead of the prosecution, a silent predator is waiting for the perfect time to deal the final blow.

Other purchase options:

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Dark Harvest by Karen Harper
The Ohio Amish Trilogy (2nd in series)

Policewoman Kat Lindley is running from the big-city job that nearly got her killed, and from memories of the abused boy she failed to save. She agrees to undertake a dangerous masquerade within the peaceful Amish community of Maplecreek, desperate to save its children.

Widower Luke Brand is a leader in the Amish community. But his people are under attack from unknown assailants. The community is reluctant to turn to the outside world—until a particularly vicious assault forces Luke to seek help.

Together Luke and Kat are determined to bring justice to the perpetrators, while struggling to suppress the unspoken and forbidden feelings growing between them. But when the case takes a deadly turn, Kat must race to uncover the menace that threatens the people she has grown to deeply respect—before Luke becomes the next victim.

Other purchase options:

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Reviews of Mystery and Suspense Books for Kids, New This Week on Book Trends (110101)

Book Trends, a review site for young adult and children books, published several new book reviews this past week. We're presenting here a summary of those in the mystery/suspense/thriller category.

Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher by Wendelin Van Draanen. The thirteenth book in the Samantha "Sammy" Keyes series, recommended for readers aged 10 to 12. Lexile measure: N/A (but other books in the series range from 650L to 850L). Reviewed by a 6th grade student, who writes, "I love the way [the author] keeps you tied in to the story and you'll even melt into the story like I did. ... If you don't read it, you'll surely miss out on the fun ..." (Read the entire review.)

For more reviews of children and young adult books of all genres, visit Book Trends; their reviews will amaze you! You can also follow Book Trends on Twitter.