It always seems to be dark out or raining in Nicci French’s thriller, appropriately named Blue Monday, the first in a new series featuring Frieda Klein, a loner psychotherapist who, we’re quick to find out, needs her space.

Ambiance and setting ring large in this sometimes terrifying tale. Not the least of the drama is the contrast in moods between the drab London streets and the warm, cozy atmosphere that Frieda creates for herself and her patients. In her solitary apartment, there’s always a comfy couch, a book waiting in the lamplight and a fire ready to be lit to dispel the gloom. Bedraggled patients always get to dry off and warm up, and Frieda’s cool distance and willingness to listen all but compel them to disgorge their secrets and complaints.

When five-year-old Matthew goes missing, it doesn’t take long before the strange circumstances of the abduction reach back and connect to a similar tragedy—the kidnapping of a young girl 25 years earlier. To make matters worse, one of Frieda’s patients is describing ferocious, odd dreams involving a young boy who, in the patient’s description, is remarkably similar to the kidnapped Matthew. Frieda’s tidy and solitary world turns upside down as her concerns about her patient’s dreams worm their way into her mind and force her to move out of her cozy circle of calm. She reports her worries to authorities and eventually joins a gritty, purposeful London police inspector in a race to find the child and trap a kidnapper.

This twisted, ferocious story tangles around the reader, pitting a controlled, predictable world against one of darkness, paranoia and the passions of characters who can’t escape their pasts or vanities. Flawed and unforgettable characters move throughout these pages, going about their lives, stuck in their own vulnerabilities but still struggling to have their voices heard.

Readers looking for a magical cure-all may be surprised when the pages disclose not-so-sunny twists. Still, a Christmas celebration like you’ve never seen, peopled with the odd and fragmented people of Frieda’s newly expanding world, offers an emotional and satisfying scene as the book winds down. Suspenseful writing and marvelous descriptions make this series one to follow and Blue Monday an addictive read.

Books come and go, and mysteries are prolific in the fiction category—but some stand out above the others. There’s nothing quite like a suspenseful tale well told.

Stephen Gallagher’s The Bedlam Detective is his second book to feature Sebastian Becker (after The Kingdom of Bones), an investigator for the Crown who is charged with discovering who among the affluent population may be deemed insane and therefore unable to manage their own affairs. It is 1912 in England, and Becker arrives in the village of Arnmouth to visit Sir Owain Lancaster’s estate and determine whether the once-rich landowner may be responsible for the murder of two young girls who were found dead on his estate grounds.

Sir Owain is the number-one suspect, possibly guilty of both madness and murder. His personal journals tell a creepy tale that winds throughout the story, describing dragons and monsters that he claims pursued him during an adventure into the Amazon some years back, when nearly everyone in his party was murdered, including his own wife and son. He still sees beasts no one else can see and says they have committed the recent murders.

For those who love a tale of phantoms, this engrossing book has it all. One can sense terror hiding in a derelict country cottage in Arnmouth or lurking on the mist-shrouded streets of London. Each character is vividly drawn here, including Evangeline, an energetic young suffragette, and her childhood friend, Lucy. Both girls were past victims of the mysterious killer, who left them both for dead—although they are still very much alive. Becker, too, is beset by demons of his own. He must survive a personal tragedy that leaves him to cope with straitened financial circumstances as well as the future of his troubled but brilliant young son.

Throughout The Bedlam Detective, sanity and madness are intertwined and the line between truth and fantasy is paper-thin. Near the book’s end, readers are treated to a hair-raising hallucinatory trip in which butterfly specimens come alive in glass cases; the eyes of a stone carving move; and ghosts speak. Filled with precise yet haunting prose, The Bedlam Detective will shock and sustain readers, keeping them on the edge of their seats.

Crime and politics in sub-Saharan Africa keep a tight hold on readers of Those Who Love Night, a truly fine mystery by acclaimed author Wessel Ebersohn. This tense, elegantly written narrative is the second in a series starring Abigail Bukula, a young South African lawyer in her country’s Department of Justice.

Bukula sets out to unravel a twisted skein of terror in Zimbabwe after she is informed that a cousin she never knew existed is reportedly imprisoned in a jail known for its brutality and corruption. Known for her outspokenness and determination, she agrees to help a naive young Zimbabwean lawyer who is defending the prisoner and the rest of his group—the Harare Seven—who are being held as radicals and resisters by the country’s new dictatorial government. Leaving her husband and safe environment behind, Bukula travels to Zimbabwe to learn the truth about her cousin and help the dissidents, thus sparking a tangled series of events and illuminations—and propelling her headlong into grave peril, as her every move is known by the government in power. The iron fist in a velvet glove is worn by the powerful and mesmerizing Jonas Chunga, in charge of public relations in the regime’s Central Intelligence Organization. He is physically and emotionally drawn to Bukula—and the feeling is mutual—but there may be terrible reasons for Chunga’s attraction.

The extraordinary and aggressive Bukula discovers herself suddenly vulnerable, and a violent death of her host, lawyer Krisj Patel, serves only to further sever her connection to safety. Help unexpectedly arrives in the form of Yudel Gordon, a South African corrections officer with whom Bukula has worked in the past. Along with his initially reluctant wife, Rosa, Yudel jeopardizes life and limb to help Bukula discover the truth behind the Seven’s imprisonment. Rosa, who initially appears almost as a footnote to the story, develops a depth and importance that enhances and enlarges this terrifying, unrelenting and provocative tale that reaches back into the depths of Bukula’s family history.

Author Wessel lets us linger on each fascinating character who plays a role in Those Who Love Night. We hope to hear more from Bukula and her talented creator in the future.

Author Tessa Harris is sure to garner a host of followers for her new mystery series featuring Dr. Thomas Silkstone, anatomist and forensic detective. The Anatomist’s Apprentice opens at a time in late 18th-century England when many scientists pioneering in the new fields of dissection and anatomy have become fascinated by the field’s forensic possibilities and are increasingly being called to crime scenes to help determine cause of death in possible cases of murder.

Against this historical backdrop, Dr. Silkstone finds himself drawn away from his laboratory and classroom to assist in exhuming and examining a corpse at the request of the victim’s sister Lydia, who fears that Lord Edward Crick may have been murdered. Even more shockingly, she secretly fears the perpetrator may have been her own husband. Silkstone must isolate and identify the substances present in the victim’s body. He also must identify the people who had the means and motive to ensure that Edward would breathe his last breath at their secret behest.

When Silkstone falls in love with Lydia, he finds no solace when her husband, Captain Farrell, is arrested for the murder: He believes the man to be innocent. He must carefully investigate all those with close connections to the murdered man, including Lady Crick, Lydia’s weak-minded mother; the maidservant, Hannah Lovelock, whose own daughter has recently died tragically; Lord Edward’s cousin, Francis Crick, once a suitor to Lydia; and Captain Farrell’s own lawyer, James Lavington, a longtime tenant on the estate with an agenda of his own.

The descriptions in The Anatomist’s Apprentice will boggle readers’ minds: There are shelves of flasks, flagons, bottles, jars and other containers of herbs, leaves, oils, creams, lotions, plants, fungi and odd-smelling roots. These tools are the sort cultivated and understood not only by doctors and scientists, but by farmers and plainspoken folk who use them routinely—and sometimes not so routinely—in their daily lives.

Difficult as it is to imagine that men were attracted to women as seemingly useless and docile as Lady Crick, this is a novel of its time, and Dr. Silkstone must work through his own horrible suspicions as he seeks to protect Lydia while proving her husband’s innocence. Tricks, twists and turns prevail throughout the story. The author’s detailed research on the historical era pays off handsomely in this engrossing, lively and satisfying series debut.

Originally published in Norway in 2009, The Leopard finds detective Harry Hole attempting to forget gruesome memories connected to the depraved psychotic whom readers met in The Snowman (published in the United States in May 2011). After the killer held Harry’s fiancé and her son captive, she decided marrying the detective was too dangerous, and she backed out of the wedding. Weary and emotionally battered, Harry sets about losing himself on the streets of Hong Kong, where he falls prey to an opium addiction while building up an impressive gambling debt to local gangsters.

When Harry’s boss is faced with another bizarre murderer (who selects victims seemingly at random), he sends beautiful detective Kaja Solness to locate and bring Harry back to Oslo. Harry reluctantly agrees, but only after Kaja plays the trump card of his seriously ill father who hasn’t got long to live. Eventually, Harry discovers that each of the murderer’s victims spent the night in a secluded mountain cabin. Now, a seriously sadistic and inventive killer is disposing of everyone who stayed there—and just killing the victims is not enough; a nightmarish torture device from the Congo is employed with diabolical precision. As Harry follows the convoluted trail toward the killer, there are plenty of red herrings to keep him, and readers, off balance.

This taut thriller by worldwide bestseller Jo Nesbø features finely drawn characters and enough twists to continually surprise; it is likely that readers will think they have identified the murderer, only to discover otherwise. Considering all the horrors he has been forced to witness, Harry’s tired, cynical personality makes sense—yet it is his humor that makes him real. There are additional layers of realism and emotional depth to this dark mystery: political infighting as agencies compete for dwindling resources; Harry’s struggle with addiction; and the process of coping with a dying parent. Though it can be a struggle to keep track of the numerous characters, the effort is well worth it. The subplots are eventually brought together in such a way as to satisfy the reader, but leave room for more action from our intelligent (if jaded) hero.

Sandy has worked for small town newspapers and reviewing books for more then twelve years.

Mystery fans will be delighted to learn that Margaret Maron has penned a new book in her long-running Deborah Knott series. Three-Day Town is unique because Knott meets up for the first time with Lt. Sigrid Harald, who has crossed over from another of Maron’s popular series for a double delight.

Judge Deborah Knott and hubby Dwight have been married a year, and they’re finally getting to leave North Carolina and take their honeymoon—a week in New York City, in an apartment loaned to them by an in-law. They arrive on the eve of a winter snowstorm and anticipate a week of walking, museums, theater and other honeymoon activities. Dwight soon discovers New York’s famous Fairway Market, and the pair settle in with grocery bags of delicious goodies for some overdue time together.

But soon a small glitch introduces big trouble. Deborah has brought a mysterious wrapped package to deliver at the request of a distant relative. The intended receiver, Anne Harald, is on a trip, so her daughter, Lt. Sigrid herself, phones to inquire about the item. She asks Deborah to open the package, which turns out to be an intricate bronze statuette depicting male bodies intertwined in Kama Sutra-like positions. This surprise brings Sigrid calling to retrieve the strange object, but she arrives on the heels of a murder in the couple’s loaner apartment: The building’s “super” is dead and the statuette has gone missing. An assortment of apartment residents with stories to tell; a gaggle of elevator men and building staff; and a second death add to the fast-thickening plot.

Three-Day Town is number 17 in the series, but Maron writes with such skill that new readers can open the book and fly, right from page one. Related characters slide in easily, with earlier occurrences woven throughout the story—so newcomers to the series won’t be lost. Maron’s loyal fans will love this new pairing of the outgoing, garrulous Deborah with the slim, grey-eyed and serious-minded Sigrid.

Author Maron’s strong suit, as always, is her impeccable sense of place. She beautifully evokes the scenes and sounds of the Big Apple, from the bustle of Times Square and glitter of Broadway to the mountains of trash bags piled high on the streets after a big storm. This enjoyable entry is a great walk in the park—make that Central, of course, with snowflakes.

“The body slid heavily from the table and for a brief moment seemed to hang in the air, then broke the water’s surface with a tremendous crash. For a moment, not longer, a white ghost seemed to linger just beneath the surface, but before anyone could be sure they had seen a final glimpse of the ensheeted body it was already speeding toward the depths.”

This salty description in A Burial at Sea is one of many atmospheric touches in the fifth book in author Charles Finch’s Victorian mystery series. For the newly initiated, the series features Charles Lenox, Member of Parliament and (possibly) retired amateur detective. Here, Charles is on a mission to Egypt and the newly built Suez Canal at the urgent request of his brother, Edmund, a staid civil servant—and member of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

This seaworthy mystery adventure starts out mildly enough, but after a snowy, lamplit meeting between Charles and Edmund, Charles boards the ship Lucy, bound from London to Egypt and Port Said. He travels on what the ship’s crew believes is a diplomatic journey, but is really a clandestine mission meant to counter France’s influence in the newly burgeoning port. There’s murder aboard ship, however, and Lenox finds his detective skills pressed into service by the ship’s captain. He is soon investigating the ship’s logs, decks and wardrooms— even climbing to the crow’s nest—for clues to a brutal killer.

In this descriptive tale, the mystery and mayhem are equalled by the fascinating lore and adventure of life at sea in the 1870s. Readers are treated to first-class descriptions of all things nautical and seaworthy, including spars and songs and storms at sea; which deck is which and who goes there; and even a breathtaking game of Follow the Leader, where crew members outdo each other with death-defying acrobatics from the mizzenmast and crow’s nest.

Sandwiched in between the grog and salt beef rations, there’s shipboard gossip that hints at mutiny, mermaids and more, but talk is valuable in this contained community and may contain clues to the identity of the murderer. Lenox must listen carefully and take caution for his own life.

Readers of this expertly written adventure will welcome the change of venue from the parlors of England’s genteel classes to excitement on a seagoing vessel. Reef the mainsails! Ship ahoy!

In Ranchero, a wonderfully original debut novel by Rick Gavin, former cop-turned-repo man Nick Reid speeds across the back roads of the Mississippi Delta in pursuit of a stolen 1969 Ranchero, painted a glorious Calypso Coral.

Nick had been driving the Ranchero himself, but it actually belongs to his eccentric elderly landlady Pearl, a widow of open heart and stubborn temperament. Nick was out to repossess a flat screen TV from a fellow named Percy Dwayne Dubois. But Percy Dwayne attacked Nick with a shovel, then disappeared in a cloud of calypso coral dust.

Nick had promised to love, honor and maintain Pearl’s pristine Ranchero, and he takes his promise seriously. There’s nothing for it but to chase down the car and the thief, who turns out to be just the tip of the Dubois iceberg. Nick and his 350-pound buddy, Desmond, drive off in hot pursuit through a tangle of Delta back roads and unforgettable scenery, where “everything was slower and hotter, the local manners approached baroque, and racing down a Delta road with crop dusters on the horizon was like driving into 1952.”

The story is peopled by folks stuck a few rungs lower than, say, a Damon Runyon-meets-Ma Kettle of an earlier era—although they retain that basic outlandishness. Author Gavin keeps the momentum going with escalating accidents and incidents, as violence mixes with a whole lot of stupidity to gain our hero a chance to reclaim the vehicle. Nick also contends with his boss, a crazy Lebanese man named Kalil, whose prized stuffed mountain lion appears to have been stolen. But everybody knows everybody down in the Delta, and we just know that cat will turn up again.

As one mile leads to another, then another, more members of the lowlife Dubois clan come out of the woodwork, and soon Desmond’s Geo Metro is full of misfit Delta crackers, each with an ax to grind or a suggestion to make. (Whether they’re helping or squashing Reid’s chances of reclaiming the Ranchero is up for grabs.) One drug dealer leads to another, leading to scenes of grit and squalor touched by the humor of misfits who inhabit a crazy world of their own. Nick admits to “the passing conviction that a niggling sort like me would never make anything happen quite the way I wanted it to. That view of the world is as much of the Delta as the black loam and the mosquitoes.”

Ranchero is a marvelous, scruffy and hilarious read.