• an essay by Keith Snyder

The Earthquake Bird
by Jones, Susanna
(Mysterious, $22.95, 0892967420) "The writing here is superb and the character development intense. Jones's imagery and language spin an ethereal tapestry of suspense and intrigue." - Shannon Andreson, Bookmarks, Corning, NY

Death is a Cabaret
by Morgan, Deborah
(Prime Crime, $5.99, 0425182029) "This paperback original mixes The Great Gatsby with a group of antique dealers at an auction on Mackinac Island. There is also a fascinating subplot about agoraphobia. All in all, an unusual mystery from a first-time author." - Jean Utley, Book'em Mysteries, S. Pasadena, CA

Desert Noir
by Webb, Betty
(Poisoned Pen, $24.95, 1890208701) "The desert locale for this debut mystery is fascinating. Lena Jones is a gruff, tough P.I. of the hard-boiled school, one who can handle abusive cons and criminals easily. But she's haunted by her childhood abandonment and searches for clues to her family and the bullet scar on her forehead." - Ellen Davis, Dragonwings Bookstore, Waupaca, WI

Glare Ice
by Logue, Mary
(Walker, $23.95, 0802733719) "In the third novel of the series, Deputy Sheriff Claire Watkins investigates murder & domestic violence in a small town in Wisconsin. The characters in this story are very convincing & the plot takes some very unexpected turns before reaching a highly climactic ending." - Amanda Parker, J.W.Beecroft Books & Coffee, Superior, WI

Man and Wife
by Klavan, Andrew
(Forge, $24.95, 0765302152) "A riveting plot of marital secrets and murder keeps the reader barreling forward, but the real mysteries are found in the complex motivations of Andrew Klavan's multi-dimensional characters. Reading groups will find plenty of discussion points in his masterful handling of the ethical and moral issues at the core of the story." - Terry Whittaker, Viewpoint Books, Columbus, IN

Enoch's Portal: A Stephan Raszer Investigation
by Hill, A.W.
(Champion, $25.00, 1891400584) "In his debut novel, Hill takes a daring leap into an unknown world as dark and scary as any faced by his protagonist: the genre-bending occult/detective/thriller novel. Stephan Raszer, cult-busting private eye, comes on like a cross between Mike Hammer and Fox Mulder. Not content with smoky stakeouts and beating leads out of informants, Raszer is a new kind of gumshoe for a New Age. He knows that behind every religious con there lurks the possibility of real forces with real powers to be reckoned with. We follow the shamanic shamus to Prague, where he is trying to rescue a Hollywood wife before she commits suicide in a bizarre death-cult ritual. Will he discover what's really going on before it's too late? Hill's swift and nimble prose falls like poetry on the mind's ear, and he drops enough occult references to induce just about anyone into picking up a sacred text and doing some sleuthing of their own." - Erik Johnson, Book Soup, W. Hollywood, CA

Three for a Letter
by Reed, Mary and Eric Mayer
(Poisoned Pen, $24.95, 1890208825) "This is a most unusual mystery set in the early years of formalized Christianity. The entire set of characters is odd: the protagonist is a eunuch with a daughter; one suspect is a dwarf mime; there are an eccentric host and wily women and a vindictive empress; Emperor Justinian lurks in the background; and witches and various nabobs are stalking around. I have never seen such a crazy group of characters in one story, and yet the authors deal with the complexity, cultural setting, and plot intricacies with aplomb. If you're interested in history and unusual mysteries, this will hold your attention and leave you breathless!" - Bob Spear, The Book Barn, Leavenworth, KS

Desert Autumn
by Craft, Michael
(Minotaur, $24.95, 0312280343) "Craft's new series dazzles, delights, and delivers a mesmerizing puzzle full of wit, red herrings, and engaging characters. Desert Autumn heralds a welcome new mystery series." - Erik Swallow, Lambda Rising Bookstore, Norfolk, VA

Four Corners of the Night
by Holden, Craig
(Dell, $7.50, 0440224748) "A gem from a few years back. More than just a suspense novel, it recounts the search for an abducted young girl and also speaks to how the investigation affects Mack Steiner -- his family and his friends. A tale told in the past and the present, this book grabs you and will not let you go until you know the whole truth." - Sheri Kraft, Alibi Books, Glenview, IL (Holden's new book, The Jazz Bird, is just out to raves; it's on the Jan./Feb. Book Sense 76.)

Dashiell Hammett: Complete Novels (Red Harvest/The Dain Curse/The Maltese Falcon / The Glass Key/The Thin Man)
by Hammett, Dashiell
(Library of America, $35, 1883011671) "In large, clear type on fine cream-colored paper, Spade and Archer and Nick and Nora crack wise, play it cool, get hot, get shot at, and sleuth through America's Depression era underworld labyrinth." - Don Gardner, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA

Justice Hall
by King, Laurie R.
(Bantam, $23.95, 0553111132) "Justice Hall is the name of a magnificent English country house. Theology professor Mary Russell and her husband, the redoubtable Sherlock Holmes, end up being invited there by some old friends. The Holmeses knew the cousins as Ali and Mahmoud, Arabian terror fighters of the first order. It is, therefore somewhat nonplussing to find out that the cousins are members of the Hughenfort family, previously employed by the English secret service in Arabia (i.e., Holmes's brother Mycroft). Someone is trying to kill off the Hughenforts to gain control of Justice Hall and its accompanying dukedom, and the family is in dire need of the Holmeses' help to find the perpetrators. A great read." - Kathy Ashton, The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT

Dirt
by Doolittle, Sean
(Uglytown, $15, 096634734X) "The hapless Quince Bishop is drifting through life minding his own business when ecoterrorists crash his best friend's burial service and, next thing you know, Quince is up to his hips in trouble. Shenanigans in the big business of funerals and an enticing love interest help keep this first novel rolling along at a good clip. Definitely a page-turner for fans of Carl Hiaasen and Robert B. Parker." - Linda Hillegass, Lee Booksellers, Lincoln, NE

Hard Road
by D'Amato, Barbara
(Scribner, $23, 0743200950) "If you are a fan of mysteries, the great city of Chicago, and the Wizard of Oz, then this book is a triple winner. Without a doubt, Barbara D'Amato is the best Chicago mystery writer." - John Presta, Reading on Walden Bookstore, Chicago, IL

Yeats is Dead
by O'Conner, Joseph editor
(Knopf, $23, 0375412972) "A serial novel that actually works. Fifteen Irish writers collaborated on this lark about the search for a lost manuscript by Joyce. It's full of great characters, the best two being the most unlikely mob bosses, Mrs. Bloom and Mrs. Blixen." - Terry Cain, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City, IA

Free Love
by Meyers, Annette
(Warner, $6.99, 0446609218) "The first in the Olivia Brown mystery series is so much fun. How can you lose with an amateur sleuth who is a sonnet-writing poet (in the style of Edna St. Vincent Millay) and is a proponent of free love and experimental acting. The bootleg gin runs freely, everyone is just back from the WWI front in France, and the bohemian lifestyle of the Village is in full swing. There's lots of name-dropping of famous people and events of the time period, from Eugene O'Neill to Irish street gangs. Olivia Brown is a character I will not tire of for a long time." - Fred Powell, Main Street Books, Frostburg, MD (Book Two is in hardcover: Murder Me Now)