Mystery Series Lineup, April 1, 2012

Brown, Rita Mae & Sneaky Pie Brown. The Big Cat Nap: The 20th Anniversary Mrs. Murphy Mystery. Bantam. Apr. 2012. c.224p. ISBN 9780345530448. $26. M

Suspicious car accidents leave Harry and her four-legged friends (Hiss of Death) pondering the causes. Drag racing ensures a speedy read. [See Prepub Alert, 9/30/11.]

Cleland, Jane K. Dolled Up for Murder: A Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Apr. 2012. c.304p. ISBN 9781250001849. $24.99. M

Someone wants an antique doll collection enough to kill for it. Antiques dealer Josie (Deadly Threads) must solve this quickly to save her kidnapped employee. The seventh in a winning cozy series. [See Prepub Alert, 11/14/11; library marketing.]

Doherty, Paul. Bloodstone: A Brother Athelstan Medieval Mystery. Cr è me de la Crime: Severn House. Apr. 2012. c.240p. ISBN 9781780290164. $28.95. M

Brother Athelstan’s (The House of Shadows) worst fears are confirmed when a serial killer is linked to the theft of a cherished relic in this late-14th-century case. [See Prepub Alert, 11/14/11.]

Grace, Margaret. Mix-Up in Miniature: A Miniature Mystery. Perseverance: John Daniel. Apr. 2012. c.248p. ISBN 9781564745101. pap. $15.95. M

Dollhouse expert Gerry and her tween granddaughter (Monster in Miniature) search for the tiny clues to the murder of a fellow collector.

Hays, Anthony. The Stolen Bride: An Arthurian Mystery. Forge: Tor. Apr. 2012. c.352p. ISBN 9780765326294. $25.99. M

King Arthur sends Malgwyn (The Beloved Dead) to investigate the murder of Doged, a local ruler who had potentially rich gold deposits in his region. Relish Hays’s new take on legends.

McKevett, G.A. Buried in Buttercream: A Savannah Reid Mystery. Kensington. Apr. 2012. c.304p. ISBN 9780758238122. $24. M

Longtime favorite PI Savannah Reid’s (A Decadent Way To Die) own nuptials are thrown off when the wedding planner drowns in a most suspicious fashion.

Mackenzie, Jassy. The Fallen: A Jade de Jong Investigation. Soho Crime. Apr. 2012. c.308p. ISBN 9781616950651. $25. M

South African PI Jade is on vacation in St. Lucia in the third entry of this gritty, red-hot series (Stolen Lives). When her patient scuba diving instructor is murdered, Jade is determined to find the killer. [See Prepub Alert, 11/14/11.]

Page, Katherine Hall. The Body in the Boudoir: A Faith Fairchild Mystery. Morrow. May 2012. c.280p. ISBN 9780062065483. $23.99. M

The 20th entry in Page’s Agatha Award‚ winning series (after The Body in the Gazebo) has caterer and amateur sleuth Faith Fairchild recalling 1990, when she almost became a hit-and-run victim on her wedding day.

Perry, Anne. Dorchester Terrace: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel. Ballantine. Apr. 2012. c.336p. ISBN 9780345510624. $26. M

Best-selling author Perry brings back longtime Victorian-era favorites the Pitts (Treason at Lisson Grove). A traitor is hidden in the very ranks of the Special Branch, and when a retired spy is murdered, the couple know time is running out for his unit’s mission.
[See Prepub Alert, 9/30/11.]