MYSTERY
BIOGRAPHIES:
Allen Pinkerton: The Original Private Eye Josephson. Judith P. "...filled with anecdotal accounts of cases involving counterfeiters, bank robbers, Civil War spies, western outlaws, and militant unionists...Although these gripping stories dominate the narrative, Pinkerton's private life and dynamic, if contradictory, personality are not neglected.”
An Autobiography: The Agatha Christie Mystery. Christie, Agatha 8 “Many funny family stories are recounted in this book, as well as some painful life experiences in Agatha's adult life. Yet, she still manages to keep cheerfulness, and a somewhat balanced attitude, which is refreshing.”
SHORT STORIES
The Queen of the Cold-Blooded Tales. Brown, Roberta Simpson “These 23 original, horrific tales of vengeful spirits and supernatural creatures are made all the more sinister by comfortable, contemporary settings. A tiny spot of blood on a pillowcase, a summer camper's prank on his counselor and a hotel clerk's failure to place a wake-up call--all result in surprising and chilling endings.”
Phantom Animals. Cohen, Daniel “This collection contains stories of rabbits, tigers, bulls, dogs and cats--tales of ghostly pets and animal poltergeists sure to thrill.”
Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones. Schwartz, Alvin “Gathered from ancient folklore and ghoulish sources, this collection of 25 bone-chilling tales will keep listeners on the edges of their seats.”
Night Terrors: Stories of Shadow and Substance. Duncan, Lois, ed. “Lois Duncan, a master of the thriller, knows what makes for great suspense writing. And her extraordinary selection of short stories, featuring 11 all-new tales by a first-class crew of young adult writers, is full of chills, surprises, and terrors--all the stuff that the most frightening nightmares are made of.”
Detective Stories. Pullman, Philip, ed. + “A collection of detective stories chosen by Philip Pullman include such authors as Agatha Christie, Isaac Asimov, and Ellery Queen. Mystery lovers with a taste for the classic will find plenty to read.”
Petty Crimes. Soto, Gary 7 “In ten short stories, Soto (Buried Onions, 1997, etc.) presents a kaleidoscope of Mexican-American adolescents and the bullies they confront bullies ranging from tough, menacing teens to life's unavoidable truths.”
Tantalizing Locked Room Mysteries. Asimov, Isaac “Introduction: "No one done it" / Isaac Asimov -- The murders in the Rue Morgue / Edgar Allan Poe -- The adventure of the speckled band / Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- The problem of Cell 13 / Jacques Futrell -- The light at three o'clock / MacKinlay Kanton -- Murder at the automat / Cornell Woolrich -- The exact opposite / Erle Stanley Gardner -- The blind spot / Barry Perowne -- The operator / Jack Wodhams -- The Leopold locked room / Edward D. Hoch -- Vanishing act / Bill Pronzini and Michael Kurland.”
NONFICTION
Crime Lab 101: Experimenting With Crime Detection. Gardner, Robert “Young investigators will love this inside look at crime detection and forensic science. With 21 experiments kids can perform, this book explains many of the techniques police labs use to solve crimes. Stories about famous crime stoppers and unusual cases round out the book.”
Incredible Captures. Morgan, Bill “A collection of true accounts of incredible captures describes the six-year search for the men who pulled off the Brinks armored car robbery, the solving of the largest hotel robbery in history, and other crimes.”
Detective Dictionary: a Handbook for Aspiring Sleuths. Ballinger, Erich “This irreverent A to Z look at all aspects of the detective game is one that will have middle-graders snickering while they learn. Some entries are far more serious than others, but all focus on crime, criminals, and the process of their detection.”
Kids In and Out of Trouble. Hyde, Margaret “An examination of teenage crime discusses the ways boys and girls interact with the law today, the juvenile justice system, hot lines available for help, detention centers, and foster homes.”
Sleuths, Sidekicks and Stooges: An Annotated Bibliography of Detectives, Their Assistants and Their Rivals in Crime, Mystery and Adventure Fiction 1795-1995. Green, Joseph “Locating information about specialized fictional characters can be difficult, hence the need for this substantial volume. Eight thousand series characters who appear in both British and American mysteries are featured. An entry on one character may have up to 18 separate components, including prose description, his / her nationality, and a list of authors who have used the character.”
Talking Bones. Thomas, Peggy “This book attempts to provide some basic information on how different types of evidence are used to solve crimes, but the text mainly consists of numerous anecdotal crimes.”
Fingerprints and Talking Bones. Jones, C.F. “This book attempts to provide some basic information on how different types of evidence are used to solve crimes, but the text mainly consists of numerous anecdotal crimes.”
Art in Crime Writing: Essays on Detective Fiction. Benstock, Bernard, editor
Writing Mysteries: A Handbook By the Mystery Writers of America. “Have you thought of joining the ranks of the world's top mystery writers? Sue Grafton, queen of the Alphabet Mysteries (A Is for Alibi, B Is for Burglar, and so on), and co-editors Jan Burke and Barry Zeman cover everything it takes to write a successful mystery, from preparation to specialties. The ingredients for brewing up an unforgettable plot and compelling characters, choosing a point of view, infallible structure, dialogue that works, and rippling pacing, are served up here in a host of contributions from some of the most respected writers in the genre.”
Great Unsolved Cases. Madison, Arnold “Discusses mysteries still surrounding three well-publicized cases: the case of Jack the Ripper, the Lindbergh kidnapping, and the disappearance of Flight 967.”
Art Fraud Detective. Nilsen, Anna “The Museum of Art has a big problem. Some of the museum's priceless masterpieces have been stolen and replaced by cunning forgeries! Are your eyes sharp enough to spot the differences between the fake and the real Rousseau? Hone your detective skills and find the tell-tale clues that will help the police track down the master forgers, and bring back the missing masterpieces. This one-of-a-kind book combines a mystery story, fun spot-the-difference puzzles, and a fantastic introduction to some of the world's greatest art.”
Crime and Punishment: Law and Order. Macdonald, Fiona 7 & 8 “Traces the history of crime and punishment from 3200 B.C. to the present and discusses how and why the laws which govern people's behavior were created.”
HISTORICAL MYSTERIES
The Ghost Cadet. Alphin, Elaine Marie * “Twelve-year-old Benjy Stark is sent to Virginia to visit a grandmother he has never met. When he decides to study the Civil War battlefield near his grandmother's house, he meets Hugh McDowell--the ghost of a cadet killed over 100 years ago--who is doomed to haunt the battlefield until he finds his family's treasured gold watch.”
The Case of the Lion Dance. Yep, Laurence “When $2000 is stolen during the opening of a restaurant, Lily and her aunt, a Chinese American movie actress, search for the thief throughout San Francisco’s Chinatown.”
The Demon in the Teahouse. Hoobler, Dorothy 8 “In eighteenth-century Japan, fourteen-year-old Seikei, a merchant's son in training to be a samurai, helps his patron investigate a series of murders and arson in the capital city of Edo, each of which is associated in some way with a popular geisha.”
The Ruby in the Smoke. Pullman, Philip “In nineteenth-century London, sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart, a recent orphan, becomes involved in a deadly search for a mysterious ruby.”
The Tiger in the Well. Pullman, Philip “In London in 1881, twenty-four-year-old Sally finds her young daughter and her possessions assailed by an unknown enemy, while a shadowy figure known as the Tzaddik involves her in his plot to defraud and exploit the hordes of Jewish immigrants pouring into the country.”
Gallows Hill. Duncan, Lois “Sarah Zoltanne is new in town, dragged from California to Missouri by her mom, who is in love with a local teacher. Sarah is miserable, but after she plays a fortune-teller at a school event, popular Eric Garret enlists her to make fortune-telling a side business. When the fortunes start coming true, and Sarah begins having dreams about the Salem Witch Trials, reality becomes frightening and dangerous.”
Never Trust a Dead Man. Vande Velde, Vivian “Wrongly convicted of murder and punished by being sealed up in the tomb with the dead man, seventeen-year-old Selwyn enlists the help of a witch and the resurrected victim to find the true killer.”
The Seventh Knot. Karr, Kathleen “Two brothers touring Europe in the 19th century become embroiled in a mystery involving Albrecht Durer's knot woodcuts and a secret German society when they go in search of their uncle's enigmatic missing valet.”
Shakespeare’s Secret. Broach, Elise “Hero has always hated her Shakespearean-based name, for, as her new sixth-grade classmates are quick to tell her, it's better suited to a dog than to a girl. Resigned to their constant teasing, she concentrates instead on her newfound friendship with her kindly, if somewhat eccentric, elderly next-door neighbor. Mrs. Roth tells Hero about the missing "Murphy Diamond," a precious jewel that supposedly disappeared from the house where Hero now lives. Mrs. Roth has the necklace that once held the diamond, an heirloom that possibly once belonged to Anne Boleyn, and she is convinced that it is still hidden in the vicinity. She and Hero set out to find what the police could not, and, with help from Danny, a popular yet self-assured eighth grader who befriends them both, they succeed. Only then do the real connections among the three of them come to the surface and change their lives forever.”
North by Northanger. Bebris, Carrie “Awaiting the birth of their first child, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy find their situation compromised by challenges to the family fortune, the arrival of Darcy's imperial-minded aunt, and the discovery of a family heirloom that holds the key to a secret conspiracy.”