Death Angels by Ake Edwardson

In Gothenburg, someone is brutally killing young male tourists from England. Similarily, in London, men from Sweden are turning up dead. Erik Winter, Sweden's youngest ever Chief Inspector, heads the case there, while in London Steve Macdonald is investigating. The connections seem to be the degree of violence, the staging of the crime scenes and the choices of victims. Winter heads to London, figuring that liaisoning with Macdonald can only help solve the crimes. Will the detectives be able to find the murderer before he kills again? Death Angels is the first book in the Erik Winter series. Three subsequent books have already been published in English. While Death Angels is important because it shows the beginning of Winter's career as a Chief Inspector, I enjoyed some of the other books in the series more, such as Frozen Tracks.

Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly

Detective Harry Bosch is investigating the death of John Li, murdered in his liquor store in south Los Angeles. It appears Li was killed by a member of the Chinese triad. But then the case takes a personal turn for Bosch when his teenage daughter, Madeline, is kidnapped in Hong Kong, where she lives with her mother. Bosch suspects that Madeline's disappearance is connected with his case in Los Angeles, especially since he received a phone call to back off the Li case right before finding out about her abduction. As Bosch rushes to Hong Kong to get Madeline back, he knows the case at home might fall apart. Bosch, however, must rescue his daughter, no matter the cost. Nine Dragons is the first full-length original Harry Bosch book since 2006 and is a pivotal book in the series. It's been a long wait to see Bosch in action, but definitely worth it.

Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander

Emily has just remarried and is on her honeymoon in Constantinople with husband, Colin Hargreaves. When a young women, Ceyden, from a harem is found murdered, Emily and Colin are asked by the victim's father to find the killer. Emily goes between the palaces of Topkapi and Yildiz questioning servants and the women of the harems. She finds most of the women tight-lipped, yet is able to find out some details about Ceyden's life. Emily also encounters Roxelana, a woman who wants her help in escaping the confining life of a harem. In this fourth book of the Lady Emily series, Alexander brings the role of women in the Ottoman empire in the late 1800's to life.

Dark Mirror by Barry Maitland

At the London Library, a woman named Marion Summers collapses and dies from arsenic poisoning. Marion was working on her PhD at London University, concentrating her studies on Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. She also led a very private life, without her friends and family knowing much about her personal life--including where she was living. Newly promoted, DI Kathy Kolla delves into Marion's movements and research to find out who wanted her dead. With an ex-con stepfather, a possibly jealous supervisor and a secret lover, suspects abound. I throughly enjoyed this latest book in the sometimes hit-or-miss Brock and Kolla series. Since Maitland focuses more on the details of the investigation than the lives of the detectives, it helps to be interested in the topic. In this case I am, and I think it's one of his best.

The Wrong Mother by Sophie Hannah

Last year, working mother Sally Thorning spent a week at a hotel with a man named Mark Bretherick. Originally, Sally was supposed to go away on a business trip. But when the trip was cancelled, she decided to take a break from her family and go away. That's where she met Mark. Now, a year later, as she's watching the news one evening with her husband, Nick, she sees a report about a local man named Mark Bretherick whose wife, Geraldine, committed suicide after murdering their six-year-old daughter, Lucy--except the man on the screen looks nothing like the Mark she knew. This is also frightening because her Mark had a wife named Geraldine and a daughter Lucy. Not wanting to get involved, Sally tries to anonymously contact the police with what she knows. Then Sally realizes she's being followed. Is she in danger? Interspersed with Sally's story is that of DC Simon Waterhouse and his old female colleague, Charlie Zailer, who are trying to investigate the deaths. Also included in the novel are Geraldine Bretherick's diary entries. Will the police be able to untangle the personal lives of those involved before serious harm comes to anyone else? Another psychological novel with a maternal bent from author Sophie Hannah. In addition, this is the third book to feature Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer.

There Goes the Bride by M.C. Beaton

Agatha Raisin's ex-husband, James Lacey, is getting married to a much younger woman, Felicity Bross-Tilkington. Suddenly, Felicity is shot to death just before the wedding. Agatha is considered a suspect because she was overheard telling James to shoot Felicity to get out of marrying her. Still, Agatha is hired by Olivia, Felicity's mother, to find out who murdered her daughter. Agatha, along with the other detectives from her agency and friends like Sir Charles Fraith, attempt to find the killer as more bodies pile up. Agatha also is still trying to find love and wonders if her best detecting days are behind her. I so love this cozy mystery series even after twenty books.