If youve ever wondered whether the old Charlie Chan books by Earl Derr Biggers were better than the series of B-movies cranked out in the 1930s, "The House Without a Key" (Academy Chicago, 978-0-89733-579-9), first published in 1925,... Read More

Brian Evenson will stump you-one is tempted to say literally-with "Last Days" (Underland Press, 978-0-9802260-0-3), and for that some readers will give him a hand, and maybe a finger or toe as well. In this mystery-horror combo, the... Read More

Tough, you say you want tough? Tough as nails? How about Mike Hammer on steroids tough? In "A Pure Double Cross" (Blue Steel Press, 978-0-9743199-1-9), even tough guy Hal Schroeder’s landlady is tough. When he tracks bloody footprints... Read More

The prolific Swedish novelist Inger Frimansson scores again with "Island of the Naked Women" (Pleasure Boat Studio, 978-1-929355-56-3), a somewhat bleak psychological picture of the relationships and tensions on a milk farm that EXPLODE... Read More

Impressive is the debut of David Carnoy with the surprisingly complex and sophisticated "Knife Music" (ParkMadison Press, 978-0-615-24325-2). Its a combination legal/medical novel, so neatly plotted it seems the first-timer might have... Read More

FOR A MEMORABLE DEBUT, see Greek policeman Andreas Kaldis and his creator, Jeffrey Siger, in "Murder in Mykonos" (Poisoned Pen Press, 978-1-59058-581-8), the first of a projected series based in the Greek Isles. Siger lives part-time on... Read More

You wont find more exotic characters and setting, or a more complex (and powerful) political theme, than Eliot Pattison serves up in "The Lord of Death" (Soho Crime, 978-1-56947-579-9). Its set in Tibet, where Shan Tao Yun, a former... Read More

Imagine if Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series was set in Australia and you’ll get a fair idea of Garry Disher’s series featuring Inspector Hal Challis. In "Blood Moon" (Soho Press, 978-1-56947-563-8), the latest entry which teams... Read More