May 26, 2009 — Book critic Maureen Corrigan recommends five gripping works of fiction to keep you on the edge of your seat this summer. From serial killers to stashed jewels to snakes on the loose, these mysteries have it all.
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The Scarecrow ()
For Summer Sleuths: Best Mystery, Crime Novels
May 26, 2009 — Book critic Maureen Corrigan recommends five gripping works of fiction to keep you on the edge of your seat this summer. From serial killers to stashed jewels to snakes on the loose, these mysteries have it all.
Starting when I was a kid of about 8 or 9, the greatest summer pleasure I could imagine was sitting in the afternoon shade on the stoop of my Queens, N.Y., apartment building, a Tupperware pitcher of Tang (the drink of astronauts!) by my side and a mystery novel in my hand.
Other kids were getting sweaty playing slap ball or tag in the alleyways between the apartment houses; I, meanwhile, was transported far away from the noise and grime of the city to an eternally leafy suburb known as River Heights. That's because, of course, the mystery novels I was reading back then were all Nancy Drews.
The years have gone by and summer is now as hectic as the rest of the year, but whenever I think back to the drowsy delights of summer vacations, a blue roadster and a certain titian-haired sleuth pop into my head. Maybe that's why I was so thrilled to discover, in advance of this summer reading season, five new books for grown-up mystery lovers.
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'The Scarecrow'
The Scarecrow, by Michael Connelly, Little, Brown, Hardcover, 448 pages, List Price: $27.99
'The Shanghai Moon'
The Shanghai Moon, by S.J. Rozan, St. Martin's Minotaur, Hardcover, 384 pages, List Price: $24.95
'Awakening'
Awakening, by S.J. Bolton, Minotaur, Hardcover, 352 pages, List Price: $25.95
'The Way Home'
The Way Home, by George Pelecanos, Little, Brown, Hardcover, 336 pages, List Price: $24.99
'Black Noir'
Black Noir: Mystery, Crime and Suspense Fiction by African-American Writers, edited by Otto Penzler, Pegasus, Paperback, 336 pages, List Price: $14.95
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