Saturday Top 5 from the Mystery Ladies

Here in the store, we each have pet sections to keep up, so each of us becomes an expert in some particular genre.

We all know, for instance, that mystery fans should always be referred to Barbara or Marenda for recommendations—thus, we've dubbed them The Mystery Ladies, and asked them to come up with a list of their favorite new additions to the mystery & suspense aisles.

Top 5 New Mystery & Suspense Novels

Grave Goods, by Ariana Franklin.

Ariana Franklin's third book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series takes us to medieval England. Very gothic, with a great sleuth: Adelia Aguilar, who acts as the 12th-century version of a forensics expert.

First in this series was Mistress of the Art of Death, followed by The Serpent's Tale.

The Bellini Card, by Jason Goodwin.

Another third-in-a-series mystery, The Bellini Card follows the progress of Yashim from the Edgar-winning The Janissary Tree. Set in 1840s Istanbul, this mystery centers upon an art theft.

Aside from The Janissary Tree, Yashim also appears in the second book in this series, The Snake Stone.

Last Child, by John Hart.

This time, Marenda recommends a modern-day mystery, set in North Carolina.

By the same author: Down River (another Edgar winner), and The King of Lies.

The Memory Collector, by Meg Gardiner.

Barbara loves Meg Gardiner, but claims it has nothing to do with Ms. Gardiner hailing from Santa Barbara.

Another of Barb's favorite Meg Gardiner mysteries is The Dirty Secrets Club; for more titles by Meg Gardiner, click here.

Awakening, by S. J. Bolton.

From the cover description:

Clara Benning, a veterinary surgeon in charge of a wildlife hospital in a small English village, is young and intelligent, but nearly a recluse. Disfigured by a childhood accident, she generally prefers the company of animals to people. But when a local man dies following a supposed snakebite, Clara's expertise is needed. She's chilled to learn that the victim's postmortem shows a higher concentration of venom than could ever be found in a single snake—and that therefore the killer must be human.

Of S. J. Bolton, Barb says, "British author. Absolutely wonderful."

From Barb, this is high praise. Honestly.
More from S. J. Bolton here.