“Return to Sender,” by Craig Johnson (Viking)
In the acknowledgements to “Return to Sender,” Craig Johnson writes, “I’m always looking for interesting stories that exemplify the unique area in which I live.” So when Johnson learned the longest postal route in the country was in Wyoming, he thought, that was a challenge for Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire.
In Longmire’s 21st saga, the sheriff goes undercover to find out why Blair McGowan, who drives the 307-mile route, has disappeared. His search takes him to a wacko cult in the desert run by a scamster, and that of course puts the sheriff in deadly danger. Walt is 70, but he still has it. He fights, he shoots, and he drives a Bluebird bus through the red desert that is a Wyoming homage to Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters.
Not to worry if Longmire makes it out alive, because book No. 22 is in the works.
“Mob Queen,” by Erin Bledsoe (Blackstone Publishing)
Bugsy Siegel’s mistress, Virginia Hill, was the stuff of legend. A poor Southern girl who became the equal of some of the underworld’s most fearsome bosses, she lived a life of wealth and excitement — and danger. No wonder author Erin Bledsoe chose to write a novel about her. “Mob Queen” is filled with period detail about the fast-talking Hill, who used her wit, fearlessness and body to climb the ranks of America’s mobdom, from the 1920s to the 1950s. At the height of her power, she was entangled with Siegel in a dangerous affair that ended with his death. Did she instigate it? Read and find out.
“The Runner,” by Lloyd Devereux Richards (HarperCollins)
Martin Gabriel is running for his life. Working as an assistant to a high-tech Mafia-like character named Ben, he is caught up in a shoot-out with customs officials. Unharmed, Martin goes on the run. Ben believes Martin has stolen a thumb drive with critical information about a nuclear deal with international terrorists and unleashes a network of killers to catch him. And he isn’t the only one chasing Martin, who is also being pursued by the FBI.
Martin takes off with long-time friend Steve, who is driving cross-county in a blizzard to California. They’re joined by an FBI agent disguised as a pretty hitchhiker. Martin’s not in the clear, since a network of killers knows where he is.
Filled with plenty of shootouts and would-be killings, “The Runner” is an action-packed mystery. The climax, however, is a bit disappointing.
“An Enemy in the Village,” by Martin Walker (Knopf)
Ah, to be the chief of police in a small French town! Bruno rides his horse, walks his dog, gardens and spends hours preparing gourmet meals when he’s not dining with friends in fabulous restaurants. Oh, and he solves crimes, too.
In “An Enemy in the Village,” Bruno discovers the body of a suicide victim, a woman who suffered depression due to a miscarriage. In the car beside her are three letters: one to her husband, one to her attorney and the third to her business partner. An empty bottle of sleeping pills is beside her. It’s all cut and dried. But we know it isn’t, because Bruno’s not comfortable with the suspicion of suicide.
Meanwhile, he must deal with a philandering cop as well as demands that he resign amid charges of corruption. Then there’s all that food to be prepared and eaten. No. 21 in the Bruno Chief of Police series, “An Enemy in the Village” is charming and delectable and will send you running to the nearest French restaurant.
