Great Audiobooks for the Whole Family

This month the library is highlighting its audiobook collection! Try a book on CD, Playaway, eaudiobook, and now MP3!  MP3 audiobooks are easier to handle and keep track of because the whole book is on just one or two discs.

I listen to audiobooks in my car--it's how I get an extra book in a week.  I really like a lot of different genres including mysteries, fantasy, history, and especially young adult titles.  The teen collection has tons of great choices including some of my favorites.

The following are some really fantastic choices that I would suggest for audio lovers:

Nevada Barr--Anna Pigeon Series--Track of the Cat--Mystery

Terry Brooks--Shannara Series--Sword of Shannara--Fantasy
Terry Brooks--Genesis of Shannara Series--Armageddon's Children--Fantasy
Daniel James Brown--The Boys in the Boat--Non-Fiction
*Jim Butcher--Cinder Spires Series--The Aeronaut's Windlass--Fantasy
Jim Butcher--Dresden Files--Storm Front--Mystery
Bill Bryson--A Walk In The Woods--Non-Fiction

Suzanne Collins--Hunger Games Trilogy--Hunger Games--Young Adult
*Diana Gabaldon--Outlander Series--Outlander--Historical, Fantasy
Laura Hillenbrand--Unbroken: WWII Story of Survival...--Non-Fiction
Sara Paretsky--V. I. Warshawski Series--Indemnity Only--Mystery
*Richard Peck--Grandma Dowdel Series--A Long Way from Chicago--Yng Adult
Kathy Reichs--Temperance Brennan Series--Deja Dead--Mystery
*J. K. Rowling--Harry Potter Series--H Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone--Juve
Rebecca Skloot--The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks--Non-Fiction
Jonathan Stroud--Bartimaeus Series--The Amulet of Samarkand--Juvenile
***Elizabeth Wein--Code Name Verity, Rose Under Fire--Young Adult
*Westerfeld, Scott--Leviathan Series--Leviathan--Young Adult
Moira Young--Dustlands Series--Blood, Red Road--Young Adult

These are all wonderful but my absolute favorites are marked with a *.

Super Sleuths to the Rescue!

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created beloved super sleuth, Sherlock Holmes in 1890. If you have not read this mystery series, now is a GREAT time to listen. Brilliance audio created a Complete Sherlock Homes CD Book.  Complete means it includes more than 60 Sherlock Holmes stories. There are 3 CD books and the first CD book has 18 discs. Sherlock, an iconic hero, uses his immense powers of observation to solve complex crimes. He can see a simple clue; a smudged print on a window sill, a stray hair, or detect that dust was moved and determine who committed the crime, how they did it and why. Sherlock's deductive skills are simply amazing! He can solve a complex crime in no time at all.  If you love super sleuths this is a not to be missed collection. 

Still not sure this is the book for you? Then consider the narrator, Simon Vance. Simon is one of the best narrators in the business.  He has narrated 100's of books including winning the best voice award for Stieg Larsson's Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. He is a multi-award winner for his narrations. When his narrative skills are combined with the fantastic stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle there's no way to lose. Sherlock always gets the villain. 

If you enjoy mysteries with great sleuths... you may enjoy  these stories.

From Doon With Death by Ruth Rendell
This legendary crime fiction debut novel written by Rendell introduces readers to Inspector Wexford the clever detective who investigates the demise of the timid house wife, whose body ends up brutally mangled in the woods. His intriguing character, great deductive skills make for a dazzling suspenseful read.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
This mesmerizing classic detective novel is the debut of brilliant Detective Hercule Poirot. He is faced with a locked door murder of Emily Inglethorpe, a wealthy woman who was poisoned in her locked bedroom. How someone is able to enter her room, poison her and escape without anyone seeing them is quite a mystery.

Explore Your Wild Side! Mystery Series in the Great Outdoors

This month the library is highlighting our large and extremely diverse mystery novel collection.  I wanted to share a few of my favorites plus come up with some kind of theme.  It turns out that most of my selections relate to the outdoors in some way--whether it is about wildlife, environmental concerns, or just the grandeur of mother nature.  So, enjoy some great mystery series and explore our big, beautiful, planet from the comfort of your favorite chair.

*= my favorites

Sarah Andrews--Em Hansen is a forensic geologist in the western United States--Tensleep is the first in the series.

Sandi Ault--Jamaica Wild is a resource-protection agent for the Bureau of Land Management in northern New Mexico--Wild Indigo.

*Nevada Barr--Anna Pigeon is a law enforcement ranger at various National Parks in the U. S.--Track of the Cat.

Pamela Beason--Summer "Sam" Weston is a wildlife biologist and free-lance writer in North America--Endangered.

C. J. Box--Joe Pickett is a game warden in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming--Open Season.

Paul Doiron--Mike Bowditch is a game warden in the wilds of Maine--The Poacher's Son.

*Tricia Fields--Josie Gray is a west Texas police chief in small-town Artemis on the Mexican border--The Territory.

Joseph Heywood--Grady Service is a Dept. of Natural Resources Conservation officer in Michigan--Ice Hunter.

*Tony Hillerman/Anne Hillerman--Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are Navajo Tribal Police in the Four Corners area of Arizona and New Mexico--The Blessing Way.

*J. A. Jance--Joanna Brady is the sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona in the small desert town of Bisbee--Desert Heat.

Craig Johnson--Walt Longmire is the sheriff in Absaroka County, Wyoming--The Cold Dish.

William Kent Krueger--Cork O'Connor is a Irish/Native American former sheriff in northern Minnesota--Iron Lake.

*Virginia Lanier--Jo Beth Sidden is a bloodhound trainer and search and rescue handler in the Okefenokee Swamp area of Georgia--Death in Bloodhound Red.

Keith McCafferty--Sean Stranahan is a painter, fly fisherman, and P.I. in the Madison River area of Montana--The Royal Wulff Murders.

Skye Kathleen Moody--Venus Diamond is a small but mighty U. S. Fish and Wildlife agent in Washington--Rain Dance.

Kinley Roby--Harry Brock is a painter, naturalist, and P.I. on an island in southwest Florida--Death in a Hammock.

Kirk Russell--Ex-DEA agent John Marquez is an undercover warden with the CA Dept. of Fish and Game--Shell Games.

*Jessica Speart--Rachel Porter is an apolitical U. S. Fish and Wildlife agent starting in New Orleans, Louisiana--Gator Aide.

*Dana Stabenow--Kate Shugak is a part Aleut investigator in remote southeast Alaska--A Cold Day for Murder. (Fantastic heroine!)

Randy Wayne White--"Doc" Ford is an ex-operative, marine biologist on Sanibel Island, Florida--Sanibel Flats.

Native American Mystery Series Part 2

To help honor Native American literature, we highlighted mystery series Volume One in November.  This is Volume Two.  The following contain a Native American protagonist and/or are written by a Native American author.  These books are as unique as the many tribes and nations in North America plus some of the best mysteries around.  So if you like history, action, and interesting and quirky characters, try these great series!

William Kent Krueger--Iron Lake--Cork O'Connor is a part Irish and part Ojibwe former sheriff in Aurora, Minnesota.

M. J. McGrath--White Heat--Edie Kiglatuk is an Inuit hunter and guide in the wilds of the Arctic.

Mardi Oakley Medawar--Death at Rainy Mountain--Tay-Bodal is a Kiowa healer in late 19th century Oklahoma.

Mardi Oakley Medawar--Murder on the Red Cliff Rez--Karen Charboneau is a Chippewa artist and Tracker in Northern Wisconsin.

Kirk Mitchell--Cry Dance--Emmett Quanah Parker is a Comanche BIA Agent and Anna Turnipseed is a Modoc FBI agent in the Western United States.

Thomas Perry--Vanishing Act--Jane Whitefield is a Seneca "guide" in Upstate New York.  She helps people in mortal danger disappear.

William Sanders--Next Victim--Taggart Roper is a Cherokee writer and private eye in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Susan Slater--The Pumpkin Seed Massacre--psychologist Ben Pecos is a Pueblo Indian in New Mexico.

Dana Stabenow--A Cold Day for Murder--Kate Shugak is an Aleut/Russian investigator in remote Niniltna, Alaska.

Aimee Thurlo--Blackening Song--Ella Clah is a Navajo FBI Agent/special investigator in Shiprock, New Mexico.

J. F. Trainor--Dynamite Pass--Angela Biwaben is an Anishabe princess and ex-embezzler in Minnesota.

Robert Westbrook--Ghost Dancer--Howard Moon Deer is a Lakota Sioux graduate student studying in New Mexico.

Scott Young--Murder in a Cold Climate--Mateesie Kitologitak is an Inuit Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman in Canada.

If you missed Volume One go here.

Try SearchOhio for books not in our catalog.

Native American Heritage Month 2015--Mystery Series Part 1

November was Native American Heritage month and to help honor Native American literature, we are highlighting mystery series.  The following contain a Native American protagonist and/or are written by a Native American author.  These books are as unique as the many tribes and nations in North America plus some of the best mysteries around.  So if you like history, action, and interesting and quirky characters, try these great series!

Sandi Ault--Wild Indigo--Jamaica Wild is a Pueblo Indian and Bureau of Land Management agent in New Mexico.

Peter Bowen--Coyote Wind--Gabriel Du Pre' is a Metis' cattle inspector in Montana.

Lu Clifton--Scalp Dance--Lt. Sam Chitto works for the Choctaw Nation Tribal Police in Oklahoma.  This is a new series.

Margaret Coel--The Eagle Catcher--Vicky Holden is an Arapaho attorney on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

Priscilla Cogan--Winona's Web--Winona Pathfinder is a Lakota medicine woman--she lives on the Leelanau Pennisula along Lake Michigan.

James D. Doss--The Shaman Sings--Charlie Moon is a Ute Tribal Police investigator in Granite Creek, Colorado.

Kathleen O'Neal Gear--The Visitant--Browser is a 13th century Anasazi war chief in the Chaco Canyon area of New Mexico.

Hartley GoodWeather (aka Thomas King)--Dreadful Water Shows Up--Thumps DreadfulWater is a Cherokee photographer in Chinook, Montana.

Tony Hillerman--The Blessing Way--Lt. Joe Leaphorn and officer Jim Chee are Navajo Tribal Police in Arizona and New Mexico.

Anne Hillerman--Spider Women's Daughter--she is continuing her father Tony's series.

Micah S. Hackler--Legend of the Dead--Part Navajo Gabe Hanna is a deputy in the Sheriff Cliff Lansing mysteries.

Jean Hager--The Grandfather Medicine--Mitch Bushyhead is a Cherokee police chief of Buckskin, Oklahoma.

Jean Hager--Ravenmocker--Molly Bearpaw is a half Cherokee Civil Rights investigator in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Sara Sue Hoklotubbe--Deception On All Accounts--Sadie Walela is a Cherokee banker in North East Oklahoma.

The rest of this list will continue in a couple of weeks.

Try SearchOhio for books not in our catalog.

Udderly Good Reads!

The cow is of the bovine ilk; one end is moo, the other milk.
--Ogden Nash

July 15th was Cow Appreciation Day!  No, really it was.  So, to help celebrate and honor our bovine friends (or just read cool cow books), try one of the following moo-tivating titles:

Going Bovine by Libba Bray--All 16-year-old Cam wants is to get through high school. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: a terminal diagnosis of "mad cow" disease. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips.

Till the Cows Come Home by Judy Clemens--Stella Crown works hard and loves her life. She runs her own dairy farm, rides her Harley on the weekends, and has enough friends to suit her just fine.  But on her 29th birthday, things start to change. A neighborhood child dies and a string of mysterious disasters place Stella and her farm in peril.  Stella must find her enemy before anyone else, including herself, ends up dead.

Holy Cow by David Duchovny--David Duchovny's witty fable about a cow, a pig and a turkey's hilarious and moving farm-break to save themselves from the cruelty of human consumption.

The Cow's Tale by Dorothy J. Franke--the true story of the author's life on a dairy farm, as a city girl married to a he-wants-to-be-a-farmer. Unfortunately for her, she had no background in farming so she had to learn everything the hard way.

Cows of Our Planet by Gary Larson--a Far Side Collection.

Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan--If you think you've seen it all -- WORLD WAR Z, THE WALKING DEAD-- you haven't seen anything like this. From the twisted brain of Michael Logan comes Apocalypse Cow, a story about three unlikely heroes who must save Britain . . . from a rampaging horde of ZOMBIE COWS! Followed by World War Moo.

The Jesus Cow by Michael Perry--Life is suddenly full of drama for low-key Harley Jackson: A woman in a big red pickup has stolen his bachelor’s heart, a Hummer-driving predatory developer is threatening to pave the last vestiges of his family farm, and inside his barn is a calf bearing the image of Jesus Christ. 

The Complete Cow by Sara Rath--This is a lighthearted yet serious look at dairy and beef cows of the world.  From ancient myths to a breed encyclopedia to a whimsical look at the fun pop culture surrounding famous cows, this books has it all.   

Cow: a Bovine Bio by Florian Werner--She is everywhere: as a vehicle for both farmers and advertisers, a subject for research scientists and poets, and ever-present in the form of lucky charms, children's toys, or simply as a tasty sandwich-filler. The female of the bovine species is revered as sacred or reviled as stupid, but one thing she never inspires is indifference. Combining a myriad of richly entertaining anecdotes and an abundance of illuminating discoveries, Werner presents the curious cultural history of that most intriguing of animals: the cow.

From Page to Screen: Hitchcock

May 13th was the 108th birthday of Cornish playwright and writer Daphne du Maurier. She spent her childhood sailing, traveling, and writing stories. One day she and her sister found an abandoned mansion called Menabilly and Daphne was fascinated by the gloomy stone building near the sea.

When she wrote her novel Rebecca, she used the crumbling estate as the setting and called it Manderley.  When Rebecca was published in 1938, it became an immediate best-seller. Du Maurier made enough money from the novel, and the film based on it, to buy Menabilly herself.


Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca (won the Best Picture Oscar in 1941) and Jamaica Inn, and the short story “The Birds”. 

Try some of the following great Hitchcock movies and the wonderful books they were based on:

The 39 Steps (1935)—The 39 Steps by John Buchan

Secret Agent (1936)—2 stories in Collected Stories by W. Somerset Maugham

Sabotage (1936)—The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

The Lady Vanishes (1938)—The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White

Rebecca (1940)—Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Suspicion (1941)—Before the Fact by Frances Iles

Spellbound (1945)—The House of Dr. Edwardes by Francis Beeding

Stage Fright (1950)—short story “Outrun the Constable” by Selwyn Jepson

Strangers on a Train (1951)—Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith and included in Patricia Highsmith: Selected Novels and Short Stories

Rear Window (1954)—short story “It Had to Be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich

To Catch a Thief (1955)—To Catch a Thief by David Dodge

The Trouble with Harry (1955)—The Trouble with Harry by Jack Trevor Story

Vertigo (1958)—D’Entre les Morts by Boileau-Narcejac

Psycho (1960)—Psycho by Robert Bloch

The Birds (1963)—short story in The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier

Marnie (1964)—Marnie by Winston Graham

Topaz (1969)—Topaz by Leon Uris

Family Plot (1976)—The Rainbird Pattern by Victor Canning


Try SearchOhio for any titles not available at the library.

The Pony Express is 155-years-old--Celebrate with Some Great Western Mysteries!

The Pony Express began delivering mail in April 1860.  Each rider rode between 75 to 100 miles, at an average speed of 10 mph.  The riders switched horses every 10-15 miles and the 1800+ mile trip between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California took about 10 days.  The Pony Express became obsolete in October 1861 with the debut of the telegraph.

According to Stuart Rosebrook of "True West Magazine", "the definition of the Old West is changing and moving further and further into the 20th century.  The three genres that are growing every year in Westerns are Mystery, Romance, and Frontier, all of which are pushing their heroes and heroines well into the 21st century."

Try some of the following award-winning and genre-blending Western novels:

Mysteries

Stone Cold by C. J. Box--latest in the series starring Joe Pickett, Wyoming game warden and government troubleshooter.

Light of the World by James Lee Burke--latest in the Dave Robicheaux series.  Two Louisiana detectives, vacationing in Montana, are stalked by a diabolical killer.

Night of the White Buffalo by Margaret Coel--in the latest Wind River, WY mystery, Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Fr. O'Malley confront a ruthless killer.

Half in Love with Artful Death by Bill Crider--Texas Sheriff Dan Rhodes must deal with vandals, meth-cookers, and murder in this 21st series entry.

Frog Music by Emma Donaghue--a murder mystery set in 1876 San Francisco from an award-winning author.

The Old Gray Wolf by James D. Doss--Colorado rancher and tribal investigator Charlie Moon goes up against the mob in this latest in the series.

Blood Sweep by Steven Havill--more adventures of the sheriff's department in Posada County, located in the boot heel of New Mexico.

Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman--award-winning author continues her dad's Leaphorn and Chee series in this new Navajo Country mystery.

Remains of Innocence by J. A. Jance--latest in the Sheriff Joanna Brady series set in the desert of Cochise County, Arizona.

Any Other Name by Craig Johnson--the newest in the Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire series.

Bad Country by C. B. McKenzie--multiple award-winning debut about a former rodeo cowboy turned P.I. in a remote corner of Arizona.

Above by Isla Morley--psychological thriller about a young Kansas girl imprisoned for years to await the apocalypse along with her insane captor.

Next time we will explore some romantic and historical novels of the West.

Women of Mystery Part 2: Culinary Mysteries and Humorous Mysteries

This week we will cover a couple of other mystery sub-genres featuring women detectives.  These two categories mostly fall under the designation of a cozy mystery.  What is a cozy mystery you say?  The following are some characteristics of a cozy:

--the crime solver is usually a female, amateur detective.
--the mystery is usually set in a small town or village.
--the sleuth usually has a friend or family member that is in law enforcement.
--most cozies are part of a series.
--the series characters are almost always likable.
--these are considered gentle books with no graphic sex, violence, or language.
--these tend to be fast-paced, with several twists and turns throughout.
--the cozy mystery puts an emphasis on plots and character development.

Lately, authors of what are considered cozy mysteries are adding more graphic language and adult situations so beware.

To read more about cozy mysteries, go to this fabulous resource: www.cozy-mystery.com.

Snoops Du Jour

Female sleuths in culinary mysteries.

Jessica Beck--Glazed Murder

--Suzanne Hart is a coffee shop owner in April Springs, N. C.  She is a nosy sleuth with a quirky cast of supporting characters.  Recipes included.

Cleo Coyle--On What Grounds?

--Clare Cosi is the owner of a coffee shop in Greenwich Village, N.Y.  This series is about coffee as much as it is about crime.

Diane Mott Davidson--Catering to Nobody

--Goldy Bear Schulz is a caterer in Aspen Meadows, CO.  These are lively and fun mysteries with delicious recipes.

Joanne Fluke--Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

--Hannah Swensen runs the Cookie Jar bakery in small-town Minnesota.  These are funny and quirky mysteries.

Sharon Kahn--Fax Me a Bagel

--Ruby Rothman is a Rabbi's widow in Texas in this fast-paced and funny series.  It is full of quirky characters and Jewish humor.

G. A. McKevett--Just Desserts

--Savannah Reid is a Southern, food-loving, plus-sized police officer.  She loves solving crime as much as she loves food.

Tamar Myers--Too Many Crooks, Spoil the Broth
--Magdalena Yoder is a Mennonite inn keeper in Hernia, Pennsylvania.  These are lighthearted and witty mysteries.

Katherine Hall Page--The Body in the Belfry
--Faith Fairchild is a caterer and minister's wife in a quaint Massachusetts town.  These are great, leisurely mysteries.

Wry Detectives

Female sleuths in humorous mysteries.

Margaret Chittenden--Dying to Sing

Charlie is a 30-something Country/Western club owner in California.  She is divorcee with attitude and bright, orange hair.  These are fun and sassy reads.

Jill Churchill--Grime and Punishment

--Jane Jeffry is a widowed, single mom in suburban Chicago.  This series has believable characters and is funny from start to finish.

Janet Evanovich--One for the Money

--Stephanie Plum is a big-haired, smart-mouthed, bumbling bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ.  She lives in the "Berg" with a nutty family and goofy friends.

Joan Hess--Malice in Maggody

--Arly Hanks is police chief in the Ozark town of Maggody, Arkansas.  These are bawdy and cheerful mysteries.

Marne Davis Kellogg--Bad Manners

--Lily Bennett is a U. S. Marshall in Roundup, Wyoming.  This is a witty, sexy, and action-packed series.

Sarah Strohmeyer--Bubbles Unbound

--Bubbles Yablonski is hair dresser studying journalism in North Carolina.  She is a sexy, irrepressible heroine who loves her high heels.

Kathy Hogan Trocheck (Mary Kay Andrews)--Every Crooked Nanny

--Callahan Garrity is an ex-cop who owns a cleaning business in Atlanta, Georgia.  She is surrounded by wacky friends and family.

Lois Winston--Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun

--Anastasia Pollack is an editor for a craft magazine in New Jersey.  These are dead-pan droll and hilarious cozy mysteries.

Women of Mystery Part 1: Native American Sleuths and Sleuths with Odd Jobs

I recently attended a workshop on women in the mystery genre, so, I thought I'd pass along some excellent reads.

Native American She-Sleuths

All mysteries involving women of Native American descent.

Margaret Coel--The Eagle Catcher
--Vicki Holden is an Arapaho attorney on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.  She and Catholic priest Father John O'Malley solve crime and help their people.

Jean Hager--Ravenmocker
--Molly Bearpaw is a Civil Rights investigator on tribal lands in rural Oklahoma.  This series explores Cherokee culture and history with compassion and humor.

Sara Sue Hoklotubbe--Deception On All Accounts
--Sadie Walela is a Cherokee banker in Northeastern Oklahoma.  This series is action-packed with a little romance and has a diverse supporting cast.

Thomas Perry--Vanishing Act
--Jane Whitefield is a Seneca "guide" in Upstate New York who helps people in mortal danger disappear.  "If Tony Hillerman reinvented "The Equalizer", she would be Jane."

Dana Stabenow--A Cold Day For Murder
--Kate Shugak is a part Aleut, part Russian investigator in Niniltna, Alaska.  Excellent series, great characters, and explores the wilds of Alaska.

Aimee Thurlo--Blackening Song
--Ella Clah is a FBI agent and special investigator on the Navajo Reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico.  Well researched series that combines modern police work with Native mysticism.

Women At Odds

All female sleuths with unusual and/or interesting occupations.

Susan Wittig Albert--Thyme of Death

--China Bayles is a former corporate lawyer who leaves the big city to open a herb shop in the West Texas hill country.  This is a mystery with recipes and lots of interesting facts about herbs.

Sarah Andrews--Tensleep

--Em Hansen is a forensic geologist in the Western United States.  She starts out in the oil industry and moves on to helping law enforcement solve crimes.

Nancy Bartholomew--The Miracle Strip

--Sierra Lavotini is an exotic dancer in Panama City, Florida.  She is a good Catholic girl from Philadelphia, far from the eyes of her policemen/firemen family.  Wild characters and snappy dialogue will tickle your funny-bone.

Lyn Hamilton--The Xibalba Murders

--Lara McClintoch is a Toronto antiques dealer who travels all over the world.  Well researched and interesting tidbits on other cultures and locales.

Charlaine Harris--Shakespeare's Landlord

Lily Bard is a house-cleaner and martial artist in Shakespeare, Arkansas.  Running from a horrific past, Lily is tough as nails and somewhat unapproachable but she will grow on you.  

Sue Henry--Murder on the Iditarod Trail

--Jessie Arnold raises and races sled dogs in Alaska.  Full of meticulous research and interesting facts on Alaska, dogs, and mushing.

Virginia Lanier--Death in Bloodhound Red

--Jo Beth Sidden is a bloodhound trainer and fugitive tracker in the Okefenokee Swamp area of Georgia.  She is stubborn and self-reliant in a male dominated law enforcement field.  Excellent series!

Jessica Speart--Gator Aide
--Rachel Porter is an US Fish and Wildlife Officer in the southern United States.  She is tough, opinionated, and fights for the environment and not the politicians.

All of the titles listed are the first in each series.  If the library does not own any copies then we can get them for you through Search Ohio.

Next time I will highlight the ladies of cooking and humorous mysteries.

Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #1) by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #1) by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

Enter Wellington Book, Esquire (or Welly as Eliza prefers to say) is an archivist, content in his case files and seeming encyclopedic knowledge. His new partner is Eliza D Braun, a New Zealander field agent with a preference for bullet-proof fashion and a penchant for clever devices, preferably those that explode in some manner. Together they must discern why Londoners have been disappearing only to return minus blood, bone, or skin and what this has to do with a nefarious secret society (aren’t the all) called the Phoenix Society.

Steampunk as a genre has been ending towards formulaic over the past few years, so it is especially wonderful to see a story that provides an excellent tale within that framework. The story itself has a nice little mystery with some interesting character development and more than enough explosions and gun fights to keep things exciting.

I would also suggest finding this on audio. James Langton narrates the story and does an excellent job with the various accents that occur. As a side note, I think it is an unwritten law that a librarian has to enjoy a character that is a librarian whose name is books. Thankfully Ballantine and Morris make it very easy to obey this law.