A Death in Vienna by Frank Tallis (Random House, $16)
Set in the early 1900’s when forensic psychology is almost unheard of, a brutal homicide taps the resources of two sleuths of different talents and disciplines. A murder is committed in a locked room, with no apparent means of escape, and adding to the mystery, the victim turns out to have been a spiritual medium. The lead detective, Oscar Rheinhardt enlists the help of his friend Dr. Max Lieberman, a psychologist trained by Sigmund Freud. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will especially enjoy trying to figure this one out. A second in the series of Max Lieberman mysteries is also available, Vienna Blood. I hope these are the first in a long series! – Anne

 Cover of A Death in Vienna
   
The Art of Detection Laurie R. King (Bantam, $24.00)
Homicide detective Kate Martinelli is back with a case straight out of Sherlock Holmes. The investigation of a bizarre murder in San Francisco leads Martinelli to a group of Sherlock Holmes re-enacting fans. The murder has similarities to past Holmes cases and possibly even an unseen century-old manuscript. This is the best Kate Martinelli yet – on a par with the Mary Russell series, don’t miss it. –Anne
   

Heartstone by D.C. Brod (Five Star, $25.95)
St. Charles author extraordinaire D.C. Brod’s new novel Heartstone has all the elements of a good story– mystery, adventure, and action. The tension builds page by page in this modern day Arthurian quest tale. Danger hovers over Maxine Pike with the bequeathal of a heartstone from her missing and feared dead archeologist father Ben. In Chicago, in London and on Alyssum, a small island off the coast of Lands End, England, she encounters a ring of people who will stop at nothing to gain possession of the stone. Fans of Deb Brod’s books will enjoy this new offering. Those new to her work will become fans. – Marilou
   

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (Penguin, $14.00)
Birds of A Feather (Penguin, $14.00)
Pardonable Lies (Henry Holt, $23.00)
Messenger of Truth (Henry Holt, $24.00)

The “Masie Dobbs” series is a perfect combination of psychology combined with investigation. A young London girl comes of age during the Great War, ten years later, in the spring of 1929, opens her own detective agency and faces the effects of the war as she solves mysteries. All three in the series are perfectly done! –Anne

Jacqueline Winspear’s fourth Maisie Dobbs novel, Messenger of Truth, is the best in the series so far. Maisie’s latest investigation into the death of an artist reaches beyond the death and into the pasts of many of the family and friends of the deceased. As usual, Maisie finds parallest to her own experiences in the war. The characters in all of these novels have depth and keep the reader interested to the last page.–Anne
   
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Simon & Schuster, $15)
The Thirteenth Tale is an impossible-to-put-down novel! It is a combination of mystery, fantasy and discovery of self. Vida Winter is an aging author with a mysterious past, made more so by the “missing 13th tale,” her last novel that written but then suppressed. Margaret Lea is rare book dealer chosen by Vida to tell her life story before she passes away. This book grabs you in such a way that it is hard not to sneak a premature peak at the ending, which the Miss Winter’s biographer admonishes the reader not to do. With a great twisting conclusion this is a one sure to keep you from your household chores and sleep. – Anne
   

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