It's a mystery

Spring weather keeps me away from the computer.  Being outside enjoying the  lovely flowers and shrubs is  more compelling than writing it seems.  4 newer book of mystery and suspense that have crossed my desk recently are THE BONE YARD (Morrow 978-0-06-180678-0) by Jefferson Bass, A LESSON IN SECRETS (Harper 978-0-06-172767) by Jacqueline Winspear, WHEN THE THRILL IS GONE (Riverhead Press978-1-59448-781-1) by Walter Mosley, and COLD WIND (Putnam 978-0-399-15735-6) by C.J .Box.  A very disparate group.
The Box is another  Joe Pickett book and involves many characters we have met before.  This time Joe' mother-in-law is accused of murder.The case also involves Nate Romanowski, revenge  that goes awry, family problems and lots of buried secrets.  I enjoy the way Box matures his characters and lets them get on with their lives instead of freezing them in time.  His characters are well drawn and the sense of place in his books is awesome.   There are some surprising twists to this and a rather high body count, but it is vintage Box.
Leonid McGill is back in the Mosley book and as world weary as ever  and the current economy  has him in need of a case to solve.  His family life is still complicated by the fact that he and his wife live seemingly separate lives and she has a new lover. His children are a source of joy and trepidation plus one of his good friends is dying of cancer and  McGill has taken him in to his home to care for him.And his associates are still dangerous and deadly as are his clients. This caper involves two sisters, an enigmatic husband  who is extremely reclusive and terribly rich and some strange deceptions.  McGill enlists some of his past shady connections to get to the bottom of this case.  Mosley really makes his characters come alive.
Why I have not read any Winspear before is a mystery in its own right,   This charming and fast paced novel is one of the Maisie Dobbs series set in England in 1932 -  the year I was born.  Maisie is a thoroughly modern and independent type who is clever, intelligent and on her first assignment for the British Secret Service.  Maisie goes undercover in Cambridge as a professor to check out rumors of Nazi party activity.  Well, there are murders, attempted murders,suspicious characters, red herrings galore, and sprightly dialogue.  Maisie uncovers a lot of intrigue and proves herself to be a resourceful person.  The look at the era is well handled. I will definitely be reading more by this author.  There are seven previous novels for starters.
Jefferson Bass ( the writing team of Dr.  Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson) has added another exciting and rather gruesome forensic foray into murders and mayhem.  This time Dr.Brockton joins a colleague in Florida who is trying to prove that her sister did not commit suicide, but was in fact murdered by her husband.,
Well, a few more bodies and bones turn up and their investigation takes on  another case as well..  This one is about  a lot of bones that a dog has dug up that may belong to youth who died at a state corrective juvenile facility.  This investigation crosses state lines as well as crossing some people who with not to be crossed and the investigation becomes dangerous as well as productive.  Past actions and crimes are uncovered that pertain to their investigation.  And they are able to solve the killing of the sister.
Suspense.  Action .It is all here .  Incidentally, this book mirrors a real life investigation of alleged murders and beatings that supposedly occurred at an actual Florida youth institution.  Suspense at its best.
Incidentally, the Laura Lippman book, I'D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE, is now available in trade paper.(Morrow 978-0-06-207075-3).  This is the one where a man on death row manages to insinuate himself back in to the life of a girl he kidnapped when she was a teenage.  Psychological terror and guilt and courage come alive here. If you missed it first time round, here is your opportunity to catch up.