July Treasures in My Closet

There are eleven books in my closet, just waiting for their publication dates in July. It's an enticing stack of books. If you're interested, now is the time to place holds at your local public library or order it from your favorite bookstore.

David Handler's The Sour Cherry Surprise is on the top of the pile. It's the latest Berger and Mitry Mystery. Desiree Mitry, the resident trooper of Dorset, Connecticut, has broken up with film critic Mitch Berger. When she's overwhelmed by a crime spree on Sour Cherry Lane, and discovers a major drug cartel, fans know that Mitch will find a way to work himself into the investigation.

Victoria Houston's Dead Hot Shot takes readers to Wisconsin, where Chief of Police Lew Ferris can't even enjoy Thanksgiving with retired dentist, Doc Osborne, before the bodies pile up.

Retired detective Mike Garrity's cancer is in remission in Thomas B. Cavanagh's Prodigal Son. Just in time to become a suspect when a mother vanishes, and her son is murdered.

There's a great deal of buzz about Kathryn Casey's debut mystery, Singularity. Casey, who has written four successful true crime books, turns to fiction for the story of a single mother who is one of the few female Rangers in Texas history. When she begins to close in on the murderer of one of Texas's wealthiest businessmen, she could be the next target.

Six Good Innings by Mark Kreidler is for those of us who love baseball in any form. It's the story of Toms River, New Jersey, known for the exploits of its Little League champtions. What kind of pressure is there for the latest group of young players to add to Toms River's reputation?

Volk's Shadow brings the return of Brent Ghelfi's character, Colonel Alexei Volkovoy, covert agent of the Russian Army, and a major player in the Moscow underworld, in a struggle against terrorists and crime.

David Rosenfelt destroys Tim Wallace's life in teh standalone novel, Don't Tell a Soul. Wallace's wife died in a boating accident, and the cops suspect he killed her. When he goes to have a drink on New Year's Eve, he doesn't need a drunken stranger to confide he murdered a girl. What's the connection to his wife's death?

Southern gal Sarah Booth Delaney heads to Hollywood in Carolyn Haines' Wishbones. When Sarah sets off to take her shot at stardom, she runs into rivalries and accidents. Maybe she needs to dust off her P.I. business.

Like Rosenfelt, Evan Kilgore knows how to ruin a man's life. In The Children of Black Valley, Sam is raisng his second son, a boy who never knew the brother that disappeared. When the worst happens, and Daniel also disappears, Sam sets out on a worldwide search.

In Nox Dormienda (A Long Night for Sleeping), Kelli Stanley starts a series, and the first of a new kind of historical fiction. In 83 A.D., Arcturus, the doctor and problem-solver who serves as doctor and friend to Agricola, governor of Britannia, must help his friend out of a jam that could lead to civil war. The setting of Roman Britain for a hard-boiled historical mystery makes this novel Roman Noir.

If you're in a book club that discusses serious literature, or still in college, Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Novels Like a Professor might be perfect for you. It's the key to the language of the novel for those who want more insight and more pleasure from reading.

And, from the June stack, Jim recommends The Water's Edge by Daniel Judson. He said, "It's a must read mystery, filled with suspense and drama."

July's looking like a good month, just from the treasures in my closet. Wait until I give you a sneak peek at the other July titles tomorrow.