On the nightstand

Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill. This is the fourth in the series featuring the septuagenarian / Laotian / coroner / hero of the revolution/host to the spirit of a 1,000 year old shaman Dr. Siri Paiboun. Set in 1977, the story is mostly about staving off a military coup, but includes solving a murder or two along the way. Cotterill lives in Thailand.


The Ever-Running Man by Marcia Muller. Sharon McCone is back at it with a bomb set by a shadowy figure. McCone's firm is hired by her husband's security firm to track down the ever-running man who keeps leaving the devices at their various offices. Muller just keeps getting better according to reviewers.



Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley. This is the 10th Easy Rawlings book for Mosley. Set in 1967 Los Angeles, Easy is out to help an angry WW II vet trying to make his home in postwar LA. "Searing and moving," according to Publisher's Weekly.



The Red Dahlia by Lynda La Plante. The second Detective Inspector Anna Travis finds the unsolved Black Dahlia murder turning up in London 50 years later. "A must-read for hard-boiled aficionados not afraid to follow the blood spatters whereever they may lead." (Emily Melton, Booklist)




Tango for A Torturer by Daniel Chavarria. Starred reviews and a lurid cover, who could ask for more. Set in "sultry, sensuous, mysterious" Havana, this story from Uruguayan Chavarria, follows his Edgar Award winning Adios Muchachos.



Act of Treason by Mark Flynn. "... a fun, finger-blistering page-turner." Move over Tom Clancy, CIA superagent Mitch Rapp is hunting for a killer in the final weeks of a presidential campaign; can a conspiracy that runs from a global network to the Oval Office be far behind? More believable every day.


Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi. "Brent Ghelfi writes like Dostoevsky's hooligan great-grandson on speed. Highly recommended." --Lee Child. It doesn't get any better than that for me.