Mystery: 1995-1999

• The Long Firm by Jake Arnott. First published in Great Britain by Hodder and Stoughton. Published in the United States by Soho Press Inc., New York:1999. A compelling account of a Jewish homosexual gangster in post-war London. Known as "The Torture Gang Boss", Harry Starks has an insidious way of ensnaring individuals into his business affairs. His story is told by a variety of "associates": a former lover, a passe ´actress, a dissolute high-level politician, a hard luck criminal, and a sociologist . Harry is always the master of the situation, yet those who are enmeshed in his web of crime are rewarded with both favor and ruin. A fascinating read and one of the year's best novels.

• A Clue for the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall New York: Bantam Books, 1999. A nationally syndicated columnist, "The Puzzle Lady", and her niece relocate from New York to a rural New England town. Within months of their move, a young woman is found murdered in the town cemetery. The Police Chief initially pursues a lead found on the body which may be a crossword puzzle question. He enlists the aid of The Puzzle Lady who consults with her niece on the case. The Puzzle Lady is an adorable eccentric lush who is always one step ahead in the investigation. This book is a hysterical read. I look forward to the sequel in January 2000.

• The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi.
  Translated by Deborah Boliver Boehm 1998. Soho Press International, New York. Originally published in 1948 under the title Shisei Satujin Jiken and received the mystery club writers award of Japan in 1949. This is a classic mystery novel embroiled with mesmerizing plot twists relentlessly leading the reader to dead-end conclusions until the case is solved and explicated thoroughly at the end of the book. A young medical student becomes entranced with a full-bodied tattooed woman who he meets at a tattoo society contest. His future lover fears for her life and sends him important photographs which he must hide. Eventually, her mutilated corpse is discovered and the students brother, a prominent investigator for the Tokyo Police becomes involved in the case. Within the backdrop of post-war Japan we are thrust into a difficult murder case enmeshed within the esoteric world of Japanese tattoo art. A must-read classic mystery.

• Honeymoon to Nowhere by Akimitsu Takagi. Soho Press, New York 1999. Translated by Sadako Mizuguchi. Originally published in Japanese as Zero No Mitsugetsu. Copyright 1965. First published in English translation in Australia by the Anthos Publishing Company. A prominent lawyers daughter becomes romantically involved with an obscure university professor whose family was involved in right-wing political activities during World War Two. Despite her fathers objections, she marries this man, who is mysteriously murdered the night of their honeymoon. The history of her late husband and his personal finances are slowly revealed and bring suspicion upon a number of individuals who were linked to the victim. The case is investigated by a state prosecutor who is also the husband of the bride's close friend. A constant unwinding array of facts eventually leads to the disclosure of the murderer who is outdone in the final pages of the book. A traditional crime novel, devoid of the todays heinous criminals, is both refreshing and difficult to solve.

• Bloody Waters by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera. A Cuban-American private detective investigates an illegal adoption where the birth mother must be found for a medical emergency transplant. Lupe Solano is spicy, beautiful, and very resourceful. This is the first book in the Lupe Solano series, and we are introduced to a entertaining lead character who is willing to risk great danger to achieve her investigative goals.

• Blood Work by Michael Connelly Little Brown Boston:1998. A retired FBI agent recovering from a recent heart transplant discovers that his donor is a recent murder victim. The victims' sister enlists the aid of the agent in finding the murderer. After pursuing a number of dead-end leads, and encountering friction from the local police,the FBI agent stumbles across a previously overlooked clue which shifts the story into high gear. This is one of Connelly's best and his most original plot.

• Archangel by Robert Harris Random House, New York,1999. A history professor attending a seminar in contemporary Moscow is informed by former bodyguard of Joseph Stalin's that he is in possession of the dictator's secret papers. A search ensues, the professor following a hazardous path in which he is pursued by former high ranking Communists and Russian law enforcement officials. The novel retains its suspenseful intensity to the very last sentence: this is the authors best writing to date.

• The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva. Villard Books, New York 1996. One of the best spy novels I have read. A plot full of surprise whose conclusion is totally unexpected. Based on historical fact and set during World War Two, an American engineer works with the British developing artificial harbors for the Normandy invasion. A former professor also works on the project and tries to the prevent the Germans from discovering the Allies plans. A totally enveloping book.

• The Mark of the Assassin by Daniel Silva. New York, Villard Books, 1998. Although the style of the authors most recent novel is less intense than his previous book, The Unlikely Spy, it offers a compelling plot. An American airliner is shot down by a Palestinian terrorist . A CIA officer who has retired from "the field" (undercover) investigates the crime which leads to a hunt for a notorious assassin. It appears that the assassin is intertwined with international leaders including individuals close to the President of the United States. A cliff hanger right to the end.

• The Genesis Code by John Case Fawcett Columbine: New York, 1997. A child and his mother are mysteriously murdered by an arsonist. The woman's brother, a high level private detective, investigates the murder and discovers that the arsonist has a connection to a powerful Cardinal in the Catholic Church. Supported by an intriguing and sinuous plot line, this book is a page-turner embellished with solid style.

• The Luneberg Variation by Paulo Mausenrig. Translated from Italian by Jon Rothschild. Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux New York 1997. Originally published in Italian by Adelphi editizioni s.p.a. Milan 1993. A gripping tale revolving around an unorthodox chess variation, "The Luneberg Variation". Taking place in present day Germany, the book at first focuses upon the recent untimely death of a former chessmaster and esteemed figure in the European chess world. Recalling the last days of his life, the chessmaster is playing a game against his traveling companion in which he decides to use "The Luneberg Variation", a chess strategy which he had criticized in the chess magazine of which he is the editor. A young man enters their train compartment and offers suggestions on how the chessmaster should proceed in the game. The story of the young man's life unfolds and a connection between the chessmaster and the young man evolves into a chilling and sinuous tale of an unrequitable chess rivalry.

• The Killing Floor by Lee Child. G.P. Putnam and Sons New York 1997. Absolutely riveting from the first page. A drifter is accused of murder in a small southern town in Georgia. As the plot unravels, the drifter is exonerated and turns sleuth in a case which involves the United States Government. The drifter, a macho ex-military policeman, terrorizes his assailers in a very intense and violent effort to solve a crime which has international importance.

• Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William R.Maples, Ph.D and Michael Browning. Doubleday New York 1997. This non-fiction book is a must read for crime novel enthusiasts. We are lead into the world of an important forensic anthropologist, who examines the remains of crime victims. In this fascinating account, we learn how the bone structure of a crime victim can reveal the murder method, and disallow previous assumptions about the crime. Dr. Maples has also examined the skeletal remains of individuals such as The Elephant Man, the serial murderer Ted Bundy, Czar Nicholas, the last Tsar of Russia, and his family and servants. Not advisable reading for those with weak stomachs!

• A Firing Offense by David Ignatius. Random House: New York 1997. This is the best suspense novel I have read this year. Intriguing from the first page, the reader is lead into a world dangerously awash with journalism and espionage. The novel is centered on the career of a rising young journalist whose uncovering of a foreign government scandal threatens to jeopardize his own career. A must read for suspense addicts.

• The Cezanne Chase by Thomas Swan. New Market Press New York 1997. A vicious plot to destroy most of the world's Cezanne self portraits is masterminded by a Norwegian ex-pharmacist with a dubious and violent past. Scotland Yard is brought into the case, which becomes a whirlwhirl chase through America, England and France to apprehend the vicious artwork destroyer. Well written, with thorough descriptions of art restoration.

• The Shadow Man by John Katzenbach. Ballantine Books 1995.An elderly Jewish enclave of Holocaust survivors in Miami is threatened by the reappearance of "The Shadow Man", a fellow Jew who turned in Jews to the Nazis in Berlin. Compelling and intriguing to the last page. Nominated for the Edgar Award best novel of 1995.

• Pest Control by Bill Fitzhugh. Avon Books: New York 1997. A zany and comical suspense novel about a professional bug exterminator who is mistaken for international assassin. Living in New York and temporarily unemployed, this "exterminator" is foolishly given a "contract"- and his unwitting success makes him the subsequent target of an international manhunt. Totally off... a first novel by the author.

• Dog Days by Daniel Lyons Simon and Schuster, New York 1998. An irreverent and hilarious story about two computer nerds living in '80s Boston. As successful employees of a software company, they live a typical life of the young and well paid: long work hours, high credit card balances, low cash flow, and frequent restauranting. As outsiders in the predominantly Italian North End, they are treated as interlopers: the main character's BMW is deliberately trashed several times. They eventually seek revenge by stealing the pet dog of a local crime figure who had ordered the BMW assault. A crazy chase ensues, as the two main characters and a girlfriend flee. Lots of contemporary humor within a free wheeling contemporary style by the Boston based journalist.

• The Ultimate Rush by Joe Quirk. Rob Weisbach Books William Morrow and Company Inc. New York: 1998. The roller-blading hero of this very 90's fast -paced suspense novel finds himself embroiled in a securities fraud scheme, in which he becomes a dangerous and expendable link. As a dark-side computer hacker, he uses his skills and the aid of his blue-haired girl friend to save himself and expose the security fraud perpetrators. The setting is contemporary San Francisco, and we are given an intimate into the urban subculture of music, skateboarding, rollerblading, and computer hacking. The authors first novel progresses in continuous irreverence for mainstream society. Funny and very candid.

• Easy Money by Jenny Siler.H. Holt and Co, New York 1999. In this debut suspense novel, a young female "driver" based in Florida's Key West receives a dangerous "pickup"- a floppy disk containing sensitive information. She narrowly escapes after receiving the disk- her contact is murdered shortly after the delivery. While on the run, the main character tries to discover why the information on the disk is so valuable- and more importantly- who wants the information to remain secret. The author writes in a highly colorful style infused with sharp turns in the plot. This novel is an excellent debut, hopefully followed by books of the same calibre.

• Tight Shot by Kevin Allman. A Hollywood mystery St.Martins Press 1995. A flamboyant mystery,with a disheveled movie columnist as sleuth, based on the "suicide" of a prominent Hollywood producer.

• The Death and Life of Bobby Z by Don Winslow. Alfred Knopf New York 1997. Tim Kearney, an ex con, and veteran of the Persian Gulf War, is sent across the Mexican border to impersonate a well known drug dealer. The setup gets boggled, resulting in his pursuit by a vindictive Mexican drug lord, law enforcement officials, and motorcycle outlaws. A fast page turner with short chapters in which "Bobby Z" constantly outwits his pursuers. One of the summers best reads.

• Bodies Electric by Colin Harrison,Crown Publishers,1993. A young fast track executive becomes involved with an indigent Hispanic woman on the run from her abusive husband. Intense and fast paced.

• The Man Who Understood Cats by Michael Allen Dymmoch. St Martin's Press 1993. A psychiatrist's patient is found dead in his apartment- an apparent suicide. His psychiatrist,however, takes on the role of both suspect and sleuth in this engaging mystery novel. Thomas Dunne, the detective in charge of the case,works with the psychiatrist to solve the murder,and at the same time suspects him of the crime. A real "who-dun-it?" with a surprise ending. The authors first novel.

• Elvis,Jesus,and Coca Cola by Kinky Friedman Simon and Schuster 1993. Written by the irreverent leader of The Texas Jewboys,the novel is a continous series of one-liners, with a New York backdrop. Kinky and his illustrious Village Irregulars try to solve how a missing film of a recently deceased friend ties in with the murder of one of Kinky's former girlfriends. If you can't handle ethnic and religious humour, pass on this one.Visit the Kinky Friedman Site for more info on this author. Have a good laugh-read some of My Favorite Kinky Friedman Quotes.

• When the Cats Away by Kinky Friedman Beech Tree Books William Morrow 1988. In this hilarious novel with intriguing subplots,Kinky intially gets a call from a friend with a request to find her lost cat. The plot thickens,and Kinky finds his life threatened and has a run-in with the Columbian cocaine cartel...

• Greenwich Killing Time by Kinky Friedman. Beech Tree Books 1986. Kinky's good friend Mcgovern is charged with murder and goes into hiding when the murder weapon is found in his apartment. A cast of suspects from the bisexual underworld keeps Kinky on a hunt for the real criminal.

• The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover by Kinky Friedman. Simon and Schuster 1996. In his latest novel,Kinky gets a call from a distraught woman to find her missing husband. Meanwhile, Kinky's , Mcgovern, seems to be suffering from illusions of men following him. Are the two connected?

• Unorthodox Practices by Marissa Piesman. Simon and Schuster 1989. A Nina Fischman Mystery. Two old friends of Nina's mother, Ida, have died prematurely. Both lived in cooperative apartment buildings in which the real estate value has greatly appreciated. Is there something odd about the lack of cockroaches in both of the old ladies apartments-especially when they are located in the heart of New York? Liberal Nina gets romantically involved with an Orthodox Jewish lawyer to help solve this case in the first book of this very funny mystery series.

• Survival Instincts by Marissa Piesman. Delacorte Press New York,1997. A hilarious mystery novel set in New York. Nina Fischman has broken-up with her Los Angeles boyfriend and comes back to New York to resettle, temporarily living with her mother. The two of them make a great Jewish mother-daughter comedy team and together are sleuths for solving a murder involving a former male friend.

• The Poet by Michael Connelly. Little and Brown Company 1996. The authors best work to date- a stylistically coherent and intriguing novel that keeps the reader confounded to the end of the book. The main character, a newpaper reporter, investigates the alleged suicide of his policeman twin brother. This leads him down a wild investigative path full of inconclusiveness. One of the best mysteries I have read.

• Trunk Music by Michael Connelly. Little Brown and Company 1997. The latest of the Harry Bosch series. A dead body discovered in a Rolls Royce in Los Angeles brings Bosch to suspect a Mafia hit. The detective follows his leads to Las Vegas, where he reinvolves himself with a former girlfriend who has links to the case. An intense convoluted plot-one of the best in this excellent series.

• The Hollow-eyed Angel by Janwillem van de Wetering. New York Soho, 1996. A truly Zen mystery. A Dutch police chief comes to New York to investigate the murder of a Dutch national who was the uncle of an auxiliary policeman on his staff. Stream of conciousness writing-unlike any mystery I have read. A mystery to the last sentence.

• The Girl with Botticelli Eyes by Herbert Lieberman. St.Martin's Press 1996. A disguised madman slashes two obscure Botticelli masterpieces and causes irreparable damage to one of the canvases. Despite the threat of future destruction of Botticelli's works,The New York's Metropolitan Museum Of Art is launching a Botticelli exhibition showing not only the collected works of Botticelli, but previously unexhibited art works by the great master. The curator of the show becomes involved with tracking down the art criminal,who turns out to be the leader of the neo-fascist movement in Italy and a descendant of one of Italy's prominent families. Lieberman's style is engaging and full of colorful description. Caveat: there are detailed descriptions of the art criminals "museum pieces" which can be exceptionally shocking to a civilized mind.

• Death is Now My Neighbor by Collin Dexter. Crown Publishers New York, 1996. The latest Inspector Morse mystery novel. Aside from being an excellent vocabulary builder, the novels intricate plot make it an enjoyable page-turner. The funny and witty Inspector Morse stands in humorous contrast to his underling Lewis. Lots of good references to classical music.

• Song of Stone by Iain Banks. Simon and Schuster:1998. New York. A futuristic war novel by one of Britain's finest novelists. Civil war has broken out in Britain(?), although the author has not specifically named the country in which the novel is set. The main character, descended from the aristocracy, is fleeing his castle with his lover. They are caught at a roadblock and forced back to the castle with a group of soldiers led by a female Lieutenant. The psychological interplay between the Lieutenant, the main character and his lover; his own inner reflections regarding his past and present lives are the basis of the story. The novel is written in gripping detail, in a highly polished literary style. Mr. Banks is truly one of the finest authors of our time.

• Complicity by Iain Banks Nan A. Talese Doubleday Books 1993. A coke-snorting, chain smoking newspaper reporter becomes involved in tracking down a murderer whose victims have high profiles in politics and industry. A very violent novel, by one of Britains leading novelists.There are excellent interviews with the author on Spike , a British Cyberzine.

• The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Harcourt, Brace and Company. New York, San Diego, and London: 1999. An aging fencing master is living in mid-nineteeth century Spain amid revolutionary ferment. Although he is a symbol of a bygone era, he comports himself with dignity and continues to cling to a unflinching code of honor.The Fencing Master takes on a new student-a ravishingly beautiful woman with whom he falls in love. His mysterious student abruptly stops her fencing lessons and is no longer part of the master's life. Events unfold as revolutionary tides arise and the Fencing Master's life becomes affected by both the history that surrounds him and the mysterious disapearance of his former fencing student. My favorite of his novels at this date.

• The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte Harcourt and Brace 1990.Originally written in Spanish and a best seller in both France and Spain. A sophisticated well written murder mystery-novel centered around a Medieval painting. A young art restorer uncovers a secret message beneath the surface of the painting: "who killed the knight?" The subjects in the painting are playing chess, and a chess master is called in to analyze the chess position of the painting in order to discover the knight's murderer. The art restorer and her friends are threatened by a secret assassin who communicates by chess moves. The novel's characters travel within Madrid's artistic subculture. An urbane European style and a worthwhile read.

• Dog Eat Dog by Edward Bunker St. Martin's Press 1996. This crime novel is written by a rarer breed of novelist-an ex criminal who experienced a life of crime firsthand . The book focuses on the life of a career criminal from an upper middle class background who has just been "raised" from prison. He is greatly revered by two other former inmates, who he joins on the "outside" to commit the "ultimate crime" and escape to a life of leisure. The author gives us glimpses into the criminal mind, and the underworld criminal network. A compelling plot holds us throughout the book. Edward Bunker was the screenwriter for the films, Straight Time , starring Dustin Hoffman, which is based on his book, No Beast So Fierce , and Runaway Train.