Titanium Noir

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway is a genreblend of science fiction and detective series. 

Cal Sounder is a detective who works with the police on sensitive cases - those involving Titans. Titans are the superrich who have taken T7 therapy to expand their lives, a side effect of which is to make people extremely tall. 

When Roddy Tebbit, a professor and Titan is found dead, Cal is called. Tebbit does not fit the usual profile of a Titan but his height says he is one. How did someone on a professor salary pay for the ridiculously expensive therapy? Why did Stefan Tonfemecasca, the man who controls the technology and who gets to use it, allow Tebbit to become a Titan?

Harkaway has created a moody noir setting in both the underbelly of the city and in the supertalls where the Titans live. This is a great combination of noir and science fiction. Fun read!

Harkaway, Nick. (2023). Titanium Noir. New York: Knopf.

Journey to Munich (Maisie Dobbs #12)

Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear is the twelfth book in her historical mystery series featuring Maisie Dobbs.

It is 1938. Maisie Dobbs is back in London after time spent in Spain, once again being a nurse in a war. She is still recovering from a personal loss. When she returns to London, she is not sure where she belongs. Her old flat is rented out and her house has too many memories. She finds herself walking toward her old office when she encounters a man with whom she used to work.

Robert MacFarlane is no longer with Scotland Yard. He now works for the Secret Service. And he has a job for which he needs Maisie's help. Having no plans of her own, Maisie agrees to a meeting.

The German government has been holding a British man in one of their prisons - at Dachau. They have agreed to release him, but only to a relative. Unfortunately, the man's only relative - his daughter - is not well enough to travel. And she does (slightly) resemble Maisie. The man is a boffin, or engineer, and England needs him for the likely war with Germany. Luckily, the Germans do not know how valuable an asset they have captured.

Maisie will come in contact with the Nazi machine, in a city cowed by fear. On top of her assignment, she will be asked by a family friend to look in on his daughter who is rumored to be in Munich, and ask her to come home - a request that will put Maisie in more danger as she is going not as herself but as Edwina Donat.

Winspear is an amazing writer. Of the one hundred plus books I read each year, this is one of my favorite series. Maisie Dobbs is one of the best protagonists in fiction. Read this series from the beginning. Read it now! Go on, run to your library or bookstore and get started!

Winspear, Jacqueline. (2016). Journey to Munich. New York: Harper.

Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3)

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (a pseudonym for JK Rowling) is the third book in the Cormoran Strike series. Strike is a private investigator in London. He and his assistant, Robin Ellacott, have a lot of cases after the publicity of two previous cases.

As Robin gets to work one morning a messenger is waiting with a package addressed to her. She signs the sheet and takes it up to the office. But it is does not contain the disposable cameras she ordered - it holds a human leg.

With the police focusing on only one possible suspect, Cormoran and Robin start their own investigation into the dark and twisted world of three men who may be involved - all of whom have a reason to target Strike and the people around him.

Galbraith is a masterful storyteller. Both Cormoran and Robin are great character though very different. Mystery and suspense readers who have not discovered Robert Galbraith would be wise to run to the nearest library and start reading the first book.

Galbraith, Robert. (2015). Career of Evil. New York: Mulholland Books.

The 7th Woman (Paris Homicide Mystery #1)

The 7th Woman by Frederique Molay is the first book in her Paris Homicide Mystery series - set in Paris around the Chief of Police Nico Sirsky.

Nico Sirsky is the head of the Paris Criminal Investigation Division, the famous Brigade Criminelle, tasked with catching the worst criminals in Paris. Working with teams of detectives and the medical examiner, Nico will have to find a serial killer.

When the first body appears, they don't know it is a serial killer, so they start looking at the family and friends of the victim. When the second woman if found, a note tells them that there will be seven bodies in seven days.

Molay's novel gives readers a look inside detective work in France - which is much different from the process here in the US. Her detective is competent and surrounded by helpful coworkers. Her killer is sadistic and likes to play games with the police. If you are a fan of France or mysteries, read it.

Molay, Frederique. (2012). The 7th Woman. New York: Le French Book.

The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2)

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith is the second book in the Cormoran Strike mystery series. Strike is an ex-Army private investigator who is doing better after the publicity of his last case.

Since Strike solved the mystery of the death of a famous actress, he is a popular choice for a private eye. He has numerous cases - mostly messy divorce or cheating cases. With the help of his secretary and assistant, Robin, he is doing well.

When the wife of author Owen Quine hires Strike to find her husband she is under the assumption that he is off finishing a book. While she doesn't have money to pay for Strike's services, she assures him that her husband's agent will pay. Besides, she is sure he is at a writer's retreat somewhere.

Owen Quine disappeared after turning in his latest manuscript. He thinks it is brilliant - others think he will be taken to court for libel. The book, Bombyx Mori, may give quite a few people motive for murder - if they have read it.

Cormoran and Robin have their work cut out for them on this case. Galbraith has created two great characters who readers will follow through many a strange and twisty mystery.

Galbraith, Robert. (2014). The Silkworm. New York: Mulholland Books.

The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1)

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith is (hopefully) the first book in the Cormoran Strike detective series. Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for JK Rowling.

Cormoran Strike is a private detective. He is not having much luck in business at the moment and he has just left his girlfriend to move into his office. He had been using a temp service for a secretary but can no longer afford to pay her - but forgot to cancel the service.

When Robin shows up for her first day of work for a PI, she just misses being run over by a beautiful woman leaving the building. When she gets to the top of the stairs, she is not missed by Strike, who knocks right into her.

Now Cormoran's luck might be changing. Robin seems like much more than a secretary and suddenly he has a new client - one who can pay.

John Bristow found Strike in the yellow pages and remembered his name from childhood. Strike was friends with John's older brother. And now that he needs help, Strike seems like the best option. John's sister, the supermodel Lulu Landry died three months ago. The police ruled it a suicide, but John is convinced she did not jump to her death. He hires Strike to prove it.

Galbraith is a great writer who weaves this mystery like a master. Anyone who likes mystery will love this book and hope for more featuring Cormoran Strike.

Galbraith, Robert. (2013). The Cuckoo's Calling. New York: Mulholland Books.

Year of the Demon (Fated Blades #2)

Year of the Demon by Steve Bein is the second book in his Fated Blades series - revolving around ancient Samurai swords created by the Inazuma, who put so much into each blade he created that the blades were though to have magical properties.

Detective Sergeant Oshiro Mariko of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department works in narcotics. She is famous in the papers for a sword fight she had against a yakuza enforcer that ended in his death. In her latest case she is about to join a SWAT raid of a drug buy at a warehouse owned by the Kamaguchi-gumi.

Okuma Diagoro is a Samurai who lives in the late 1500s. He inherited the sword, Divine Victory Unsought, from his father. The sword will help the wielder win every battle - as long as it is an honorable fight and not for glory.

Kaida, an Ama diver who lives in a fishing village in the late 1400s. She is a young girl who spends her days diving for oyster and abalone. But she dreams of getting out of her village where her step-sisters make her life hell. Her only consolation is that she is a better diver than they are, even with only one hand. When outsiders come to her village in search of something lost, she may get her wish.

All three main characters, separated by time, are linked by either Glorious Victory Unsought, or by a demon mask that seems to seek the sword. Each of their lives will be greatly changed by the intention that apparently comes from the mask by altering the desires of its wearer.

Bein has created an amazing series combining mystery, Japanese history, and compelling characters. This series will appeal to many readers and each one will likely wait impatiently for the next installment of the Fated Blades series. This is a read-alike for the Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hern.

Bein, Steve. (2013). Year of the Demon. New York: A Roc Book.

In Harm's Way (Walt Fleming #4)

In Harm's Way by Ridley Pearson is the forth book in his Walt Fleming series about a Blaine County Idaho sheriff.

Fiona Kenshaw has been in Ketchum for a few years now. She is a fishing guide, photographer, part-time deputy and crime photographer for Sheriff Walt Fleming. Though they have known each other for a while, Walt knows nothing of Fiona's past.

When Fiona rescues a kid from the river, she begs Walt to pressure the newspaper to keep from running her picture. But the picture runs. Now Fiona is scared of something but will not let Walt help her.

When a house is broken into, the sheriff's department begins a hunt for a mountain man. Each summer the area has many people living in the state and national parks and someone is breaking into homes to find food and clothing.

Both story lines may be connected as Pearson's other series main character, Lou Boldt - Seattle police detective, comes to Sun Valley to question two people in a murder case.

Pearson fans will love the overlap of his two most loved characters. Mystery and suspense fans will enjoy a complex mystery. And fans of the Walt Fleming series will rejoice in the relationship between two of the characters finally getting past the awkward stage.

Pearson, Ridley. (2010). In Harm's Way. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Killer Summer (Walt Fleming #3)

Killer Summer is the third book in the Walt Fleming series by Ridley Pearson. Walt is a sheriff in Idaho's Sun Valley area.

Due to the wealth of the residents of Sun Valley, Walt covers events most small-town sheriffs don't have to deal with. The upcoming wine auction is one such event.

Three bottles of wine that are said to have been given to John Adams by Thomas Jefferson will be on sale at the auction. But before the security agency delivering them can even reach town, the man is hijacked and killed. Luck keeps the robbers from getting the bottles - luck and Walt Fleming.

Now Walt must keep the wine safe until the sale. When a PhD Candidate turns up and states that the bottles are fake, the mystery grows.

Pearson has written a twisting, well thought-out plot that takes readers from what seems a straight forward heist to a much more elaborate plan by the bad guys. Walt Fleming and the other characters in the series are endearing with their flaws and quirks.

Pearson, Ridley. (2009). Killer Summer. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Killer View (Walt Fleming #2)

Killer View is the second book in Ridley Pearson's Walt Fleming series about a sheriff in the Sun Valley area of Idaho.

When a phone call is placed to 911 sending a search team up the mountain to find a missing skier, one of the searchers is found dead at the bottom of a drop off. Walt is convinced that the death was no accident and evidence backs him up.

When the man was killed he was wearing his brother's coat - Mark Aker is the local vet. His brother, also a vet, borrowed his coat for the search. Then a young woman is abducted - and he works for Mark Aker at his veterinary clinic. By the time Walt sees the connections to Mark, Mark himself has been kidnapped.

Combining mystery, politics, outdoor adventure and more, Pearson's Walt Fleming books are a great read for lovers of the outdoors and/or mysteries. Readers will have a vested interest in what happens next in the life of Walt Fleming.

Pearson, Ridley. (2008). Killer View. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Killer Weekend (Walt Fleming #1)

Killer Weekend is the first book in Ridley Pearson's Walt Fleming series. Walt is the sheriff of Blaine County, Idaho - the area around the Sun Valley ski resort.

Eight years ago, as a rookie, Walt saved the life of Elizabeth Shaler. Her family has had property in Sun Valley for generations, but her home is in New York City. She is the current Attorney General of New York and back in Sun Valley to announce her bid for President of the United States.

Though she brings a team of FBI and Secret Service with her to Sun Valley, Walt is the local officer and will be included in any protection detail. When credible threats on Shaler's life are discovered, Walt will do everything in his power to save her life once again. But the hired hit man he is going up against is a professional.

Combining a great Sheriff, politics, too many different law enforcement agencies, big egos, and a suspenseful plot, Pearson is a master storyteller.

Pearson, Ridley. (2007). Killer Weekend. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

The Burnt Houes (Decker & Lazarus #16)

The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman is the sixteenth book in her series about police officer Peter Decker and his (now) wife Rina Lazarus. The series is excellent for any fans of mystery or for readers who would like to read / learn more about Judaism.
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In the first book, The Ritual Bath, Decker is introduced to the world of Orthodox Judaism and the woman with whom he will spend the rest of his life. The series goes on from there advancing both their relationship and Decker's immersion into Judaism.
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In The Burnt House, Decker finds himself with a huge disaster on his hands. An airplane carrying 47 passengers crashes into an LA apartment building. Along with the obvious problems, it seems that one of the reported victims of the crash cannot be confirmed to have been on the plane.
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During the recovery an extra body is found that is not the missing woman but likely someone who was murdered in or near the apartment building. Decker and his coworkers, including recurring characters Marge Dunn and Scott Oliver, will be tasked with solving one murder and one possible missing person case who may have more in common than they first think.
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Here is a list of the series so far:
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1. The Ritual Bath
2. Sacred and Profane
3. Milk and Honey
4. Day of Atonement
5. False Prophet
6. Grievous Sin
7. Sanctuary
8. Justice
9. Prayers for the Dead
10. Serpent's Tooth
11. Jupiter's Bones
12. Stalker
13. The Forgotten
14. Stone Kiss
15. Street Dreams
16. The Burnt House
17. The Mercedes Coffin, aka A Cold Case
18. Blindman's Bluff
19. Hangman
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Kellerman, Faye. (2007). The Burnt House. New York: William Morrow.

An Incomplete Revenge (Maisie Dobbs #5)

An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear is the fifth Maisie Dobbs book. The series has a similar feel to Agatha Christie mysteries and takes place in England in the early 1900s.

When Maisie is asked to look at the village surrounding a farm that may be purchased by the Compton Corporation, she thinks is will be a fairly straight forward assignment.

It so happens that her assistant, Billy Beale, and his family go to that very village in Kent each hops-picking season. She plans to meet him there and instead of a quiet village, finds a web of lies and arson that seems to encompass the whole town.

The dynamic of the town, changed by the arrival of pickers from London as well as a group of Roma (Gypsies), is private and suspicious of outsiders. It seems the villagers never go over a Zeppelin attack during the war.

Winspear writes a great story that winds its way through layer after layer of mystery as Dobbs reconstructs what happened in the village - something that could make even the vicar lie about the past.

Winspear, Jacqueline. (2008). An Incomplete Revenge. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
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Birds of a Feather (Maisie Dobbs #2)

Birds of a Feather is the second book in Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs mystery series.

Maisie Dobbs is a classic detective in the early 1900s in London. In this second book, Maisie and her assistant Billy are hired to find a runaway daughter - Charlotte Waite.

Once they start looking for Charlotte, Maisie and Billy notice that three of her friends have recently died - two apparently murdered by the same person.

Ms. Dobbs must find out what the four women have in common other than attending school together before the war. Why after all of these years are they apparently being targeted by someone. And where is Charlotte Waite? Is she in hiding or is she the killer?

For anyone interested, the audio book version read by Kim Hicks in a series of brilliant British accents.

Winspear, Jacqueline. (2004). Birds of a Feather. New York: Pengiun.

Northern Lights

Northern Lights by Nora Roberts is a detective mystery that takes place in Alaska.

Nate Burke was a Baltimore cop for 11 years. When his partner was killed in the line of duty his survivors guilt drove him out of the force. For a change of pace he applied for a job as the chief of police in Lunacy, Alaska.

Hoping for crimes no more serious that public drunkenness, Nate is in for a shock. When three climbers are stranded on No Name mountain they discover a body. Now strange events are happening all over Lunacy and Nate has to find out which of the Lunatics killed the Ice Man - while also dealing with everyday Alaska - moose, bears, weather, etc...

Roberts captures the feel and characters of Alaska in this mystery - the thrill of the land, the lunacy of people who would live in such harsh conditions, and the beauty of community in a small town where people have to rely on each other to survive.

Roberts, Nora. (2004). Northern Lights. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs #1)

Maisie Dobbs, created by Jacqueline Winspear, is a detective to rival Agatha Christie!

Maisie, who grew up on the south side of the Thames, has just lost her mother. Her father is consumed with grief and worried about money (the savings for Maisie's schooling spend on trying desperately to save her mother). When he suggests that she take a position in the house of Lord and Lady Compton, Maisie becomes a maid.

Lady Rowan Compton, encouraged by her friend Dr. Maurice Blanche, see that Maisie continues her studies. She learns enough to be accepted at Cambridge. When the Great War begins and England needs more nurses to tend to the injured young soldiers, Maisie volunteers and is sent to France.

Ten years later, in 1929, Maisie has just opened her own detective agency. Her first assignment seems to be an open and shut case of infidelity, but all is not as it seems on the surface. Before the case is solved, other questions will arise that will lead Maisie back to emotions she thought she left behind at the end of the war.

Jacqueline Winspear was awarded or nominated for four awards for Maisie Dobbs - her first novel. She is a writer who captures the interest of readers and doesn't release them until long after the last page.

Winspear, Jacqueline. (2003). Maisie Dobbs. New York: Penguin Books.

Free Fall (Mark Beamon #3)

In Free Fall, Kyle Mills' third book staring FBI agent Mark Beamon, Mark takes his first private client. As he is currently on suspension from the FBI, he has some free time on his hands.

Tristan Newberry works a government agency, searching a warehouse for missing files. He has no idea who hired him or what he is looking for - only that there is a misfiled FBI file in the middle of a ton of Department of Agriculture files. When he finds the file, he wishes he had never read it - or stolen it from the warehouse.

When an old friend, Darcy, of Tristan shows up unexpectedly, he takes her up of her offer to blow off work and go rock climbing for few days. Getting out of town sounds like a safe plan. But when their camp is surrounded and they are transported to a house for "questioning," Tristan knows he should not have involved Darcy.

Their captors underestimate Darcy. As the world's best female rock and mountain climber, she has the strength to fight back.

Now Mark Beamon has been hired to find Darcy. But who hired him? Once again drawn into the world of politics - the world he hates - Mark must try to decipher the real motives behind the stories he is being told - before the other who are after Darcy find her first.

Mills, Kyle. (2000). Free Fall. New York: Harper Collins.

Storming Heaven (Mark Beamon #2)

In the second Mark Beamon book, Storming Heaven, Kyle Mills creates a new religion.

Beamon has been relocated to the FBI office in Flagstaff, Arizona. When a prominent business figure and his wife are murdered and their daughter apparently abducted, Mark and his new staff must fight the clock to find her. Kidnap victims' chances of survival decrease by 50 percent each day they are not rescued.

Along with settling into a new town and working on a high profile case, Mark needs to learn about the fastest growing church in the world - the Church of the Evolution - which is based in Flagstaff. Albert Kneiss (pronounced "nice") has convinced millions of people that he is the next visitation of the messiah. According to the new version of the Bible, Jesus came and delivered God's message (the New Testament) in a language that was appropriate for the time period. Kneiss is now here to update the message to humanity's new intelligence level, taking into account advances in science.

If Beamon goes up against the Kneissians in his investigation, he will have a hell of a fight. Most members are prominent in the community and in positions of power.

Mills, Kyle. (1998). Storming Heaven. New York: HarperCollins.

Rising Phoenix (Mark Beamon #1)

Rising Phoenix is the first book in the series featuring FBI agent Mark Beamon by author Kyle Mills.

Mark Beamon is known as the best investigator in the FBI. He is also known as the biggest pain in the but for a supervisor to work with. At the beginning of the novel he has once again upset the balance of power and is about to be demoted and reassigned.

But when a group calling itself CDFS - Committee for a Drug-Free Society - places adds in the nations most popular newspapers claiming that they are going to poison the drug supply, Mark is chosen to head the investigation.

When people start dying in large numbers, the pressure on Mark to find CDFS increases. He will either find them or become the scapegoat.

Mills, Kyle. (1997). Rising Phoenix. New York: HarperCollins.

False Impression

False Impression by Jeffrey Archer is an intriguing race through the world of fine art.

Anna Petrescu is an art expert who works at appraising art for a bank. The owner of the bank, in fact, only allows large loans to be secured with art - with the hope that instead of being able to pay back the loan, he will add another priceless painting to his private collection. He is currently being investigated by the FBI.

Anna doesn't realize her boss is a crook. She loves art and likes her job because it allows her a look at art in museums and private collections all over the world.

Beginning on September 10, 2001 False Impression takes readers on a thrilling ride through the world of high priced art on three continents, the attack on the world trade center, the mind of an assassin, and a family who has been collecting art for centuries. The novel is filled with art history trivia.

Archer, Jeffrey. (2006). False Impression. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks.