Mystery Paperbacks Make a Great Gift -- Here Are Some Favorites. 

Samantha Kincaid, the formidable heroine of Alafair Burke's legal thriller, Judgment Calls, offers her expert suggestions for the mystery lover.  

Angel’s Flight, by Michael Connelly: Perhaps my favorite entry in one of the very best series around. When Harry Bosch investigates the murder of high-profile, LAPD-suing attorney Howard Elias, he finds himself in the middle of a political firestorm that makes the kind of crap I deal with look tame. Connelly is always a plot and character pro, but the way he brings post-Rodney King Los Angeles off the page in Angel’s Flight is truly masterful.

Cold Hit, by Linda Fairstein: Finally, in Alex Cooper, I have found a likeable prosecutor in crime fiction. I enjoyed this book in particular. Fairstein’s depiction of the Manhattan art scene actually made me miss the place a little.

In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead, by James Lee Burke: This one’s actually my father Martin’s favorite. Robicheaux’s conversations with a dead confederate soldier bring this book into a category of its own.

Two for the Dough, by Janet Evanovich: In retrospect, the best part of my honeymoon with Shoeboy was reading this series poolside. I laughed out loud every five pages, and it wasn’t just from the mai tais.

Mystic River, by Dennis Lehane: Ok, so maybe everyone has already read this one now that Hollywood has put all those good looking actors on the cover. But, just in case, I had to include it. It really is that good. And so is the movie.

The Ice Harvest, by Scott Phillips: I’m still working on this one, but so far, so great. Funny, cool, and ironic. Elmore Leonard went to Kansas.

Tell No One, by Harlan Coben: Coben’s Myron Bolitar series is way up there on my list of favorites, but in this stand-alone, he takes his work to a new level of complexity. Warning: start this one on a Saturday morning. I nearly fell asleep during a morning jury selection because I was up all night turning the pages.

Echo Burning, by Lee Child: I know, it’s really more of a thriller than my usual whodunit’s. But I can’t help it. Jack Reacher is hot. Is it possible to be in love with a fictional character?

Funny Money, by James Swain: I’m not much for gambling, but when I read James Swain, I feel like a Vegas insider. Full of scams, schemes, and swindles, Swain’s work is fresh and fun and makes you swear you can smell the cigarette smoke of a casino in the pages.

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg: This is the first book I remember loving so much that I wanted to read it over and over and over again. So I did, and I still do. If you haven’t discovered this classic, do so today. Then share it with every child you know. Before there was Harry Potter, there were Claudia and Jamie.

Best,
Samantha Kincaid