Mass Murder Returns
Mysteries & Crime
Novels Set in
Massachusetts (2000-2003)
Barnes,
Linda.
The Big Dig (2002)
Boston PI Carlotta Carlyle is
simultaneously investigating a fraud on
Boston's Big Dig project and
moonlighting on a missing person case.
The mysterious death of a construction
worker puts Carlotta in over her head.
Barnes,
Linda.
Flashpoint (2001)
Carlotta Carlyle is hired to provide
security advice to an elderly woman
struggling to keep her rent-controlled
apartment. The dies suddenly, casting
suspicion on the neighbor who hired
Carlyle, as well as the building's
landlord. When a music-industry mogul
hires Carlyle to investigate the woman's
genealogy, things get complicated.
Craig,
Phillip.
A Vineyard Killing: a Martha's Vineyard
Mystery (2003)
Former Olympic fencing champion turned
real estate developer Donald Fox has
targeted the island for his newest
moneymaking scheme, planning to force
owners to sell cheap. When Fox's brother
is shot, it's unclear whether he was
really the intended victim. Fisherman,
part-time investigator, and Vineyard
homeowner J.W. Jackson investigates.
Dobson,
Joanne.
The Maltese Manuscript (2003)
Feminist author Sunnye Hardcastle comes
to Enfield College in Massachusetts to
speak on the hard-boiled women's
detective novel. Soon, expensive texts
and manuscripts start to disappear from
the college. Professor Karen Pellitier
hides Sunnye from the police, and a
murder further muddies the semester.
Dobson,
Joanne.
Cold and Pure and Very Dead (2000)
When literature professor Karen
Pelletier proclaims a book written in
the 1950s as the greatest book of the
20th century during an interview with a
reporter, it quickly becomes a
bestseller. Everyone wants to know what
became of its long-vanished author,
Mildred Deakin. The reporter tracks
Deakin down, and winds up dead. When
Deakin is arrested for murder, Karen
investigates.
Lehane,
Dennis.
Shutter Island (2003)
The year is 1954. Federal marshals Teddy
Daniels and Chuck Aule are sent to a
penal colony for the criminally insane
to find female prisoner who has
apparently disappeared. Teddy also has
an ulterior motive: the man who killed
his wife is also incarcerated there.
Things are rarely what they seem as
Chuck and Teddy dig deeper into the
secrets that the island holds.
Lehane,
Dennis.
Mystic River (2001)
When Jimmy Marcus's daughter is found
dead, his childhood friend Sean Devine
is assigned the case. Sean's personal
life unravels as his investigation
throws him back into a world of violence
and pain he'd left behind.
Parker,
Robert B.
Back Story (2003)
Spenser tries to solve a 30-year-old
murder as a favor to an old friend. A
lack of clues and a missing FBI
intelligence report force Spenser to
reach out in every direction, testing
his resourcefulness and his courage.
Parker,
Robert B.
Shrink Rap (2002)
Boston P.I. Sunny Randall hits the road
to protect a bestselling author,
uncovering a world of dark secrets and
some disturbing truths about herself.
Peale,
Cynthia.
The White Crow: a Beacon Hill Mystery
(2002)
A pillar of Victorian Boston society is
found dead following a séance at the
home of a famous spiritualist. Caroline
Ames, a would-be believer, and her
brother Addington, a confirmed skeptic,
investigate.
Peale,
Cynthia. Murder at Bertram's
Bower (2001)
In 1892, two residents of a Boston home
for wayward women are murdered, amateur
sleuths Caroline Ames and her brother
Addison work to clear the name of Agatha
Montgomery, the home's matron.
Riggs,
Cynthia.
The Cranefly Orchid Murders (2002)
92-year-old Victoria Trumbull, amateur
sleuth, and her young assistant look for
a rare plant that might provide clues to
the murder of a local attorney.
Tapply,
William.
Shadow of Death (2003)
Boston attorney Brady Coyne hires a P.I.
to determine if a political candidate's
husband is having an affair, and the P.I.
winds up dead. Brady discovers a
decades-old tragedy as he investigates
the murder.
This is only a small sampling of
available titles. To find more
Massachusetts mysteries, go to our
NoveList database. Click on "describe
a plot," then do a search for "Massachusetts
and mysteries."
Compiled by B.
Hinton
November, 2003
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