Dying To Call You: A Dead-end Job Mystery, Elaine Viets; Signet

“While making the best of her new telemarketing job, Helen Hawthorne thinks she hears a murder on the other end of the line-and must avoid a close call with a killer.”

Liz’s Note: One of the great things about this humorous series is knowing that the author has actually worked all of the “Dead End” jobs she writes about. Reading about the people on the other end of those annoying telemarketing calls is eye opening as well as very entertaining.

Burglar In The Library: A Bernie Rhodenbarr Mystery, Lawrence Block; Dutton

“Bernie Rhodenbarr returns in the eighth installment of Lawrence Block’s bestselling Burglar series. After his girlfriend dumps him to marry another, Bernie follows the couple to a New England Inn with his sights set on an autographed first edition copy of Raymond Chandler’s “The Big Sleep,” located in the Inn’s library. But when a dead body appears and all the guests remain snowbound, it’s up to Bernie to solve the case!”

Liz’s Note: Another thoroughly enjoyable entry in this very funny series. In describing this book the author says “Think Agatha Christie at Fawlty Towers”, and that is certainly the perfect description. Bernie is a delightful character and the setting will remind fans of the classic house party mysteries of the past.

Murder With Peacocks (A Meg Lanslow Mystery), Donna Andrews; St. Martin's Minotaur

“Three Weddings…And a Murder So far Meg Langslow’s summer is not going swimmingly. Down in her small Virginia hometown, she’s maid of honor at the nuptials of three loved ones - each of whom has dumped the planning in her capable hands. One bride is set on including a Native American herbal purification ceremony, while another wants live peacocks on the lawn. And, in whirl of summer parties and picnics, Southern hospitality is strained to the limit by an offensive newcomer who hints at skeletons in the guests’ closets.”

Liz’s Note: Looking for a funny mystery? The Meg Langslow series is a hoot. Murder With Peacocks won the St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Contest.

Son Of The Mob, Gordon Korman; Hyperion Books For Children

“Seventeen-year-old Vince’s life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent.”
Robin’s Note: Korman’s entertaining Son of the Mob is a wild ride through how difficult it would be to date the daughter of the man determined to bring down your own father for his many crimes.  Korman is always funny, and this book is no exception, and you end up rooting for both sides because they genuinely appealing.

The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie; Little, Brown Young Readers

“Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.”
Robin’s Note: Sherman Alexie is an extraordinary storyteller—he goes from being hilariously funny to heartbreaking in only a few paragraphs.  This is his first novel aimed at teens, and its incredibly charming.  Junior, the lead, has a strong, sarcastic voice, which leads to many a laugh out loud scene, but the circumstances of his life show you why he needs it: alcoholism is rampant on the reservation where he lives, and the pressure of being perceived as betraying his friends and community at the same time as trying to fit in to an new school is crushing at times.  If you like his style, you should also check out his short story collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and novels for adults.

Love As A Foreign Language #1, J. Torres, Eric Kim; Oni Press

“Joel hates Korea. Why he agreed to teach there defies his comprehension. He can’t wait to return to normal life. His year of teaching is almost over and then he’ll finally be free. But Joel’s life is about to go from dark dreams to cotton candy kisses and it’s all because of Hana. The very sight of this girl sends him flying straight to cloud nine, but won’t another year in Korea send him crashing back down?”

Robin’s Note: This graphic novels series, now available in two omnibus editions that complete the series, is charming, hilarious, and balances just enough plot with an equal part unabashed heart.  The fish-out-of-water element in the story show Joel’s isolation, and provides a lot of the humor, but his budding romance with Hana turns his world upside-down in the best possible way.  Great for anyone who knows what it’s like being a bit lost in a foreign landscape, and also how wonderful it is to find a connection anyway.  This is a lesser know graphic novel series (undeservedly!) and the romance and humor combination appeal widely.

The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel, Jasper Fforde; Penguin (Non-Classics)

“England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in Wordsworth poems, militant Baconians roam freely spreading the gospel that Bacon, not Shakespeare, penned those immortal works. And forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. This is all business as usual for brainy, bookish (and heat-packing) Thursday Next, a renowned Special Operative in literary detection — that is, until someone begins murdering characters from works of literature.”

Robin’s Note: The Thursday Next series, which starts with this first volume, is both a thrilling chase through literary crime as well as a hilarious jab at literary theory, history, and academia.  While the jokes can be more academic, the feeling of these books is as far from typical “literary fiction” as you can get.  Thursday Next is a no-nonsense, hard-bitten civil servant, and her adventures in and out of the famous works of fiction are never boring.