Mysteries abound for spring reading

An obituary writer continues to pursue her goal of a front-page story in "Scoop!" by Hannah Dennison.

Vicky Hill lives in a sleepy English town, Gipping-on-Plym, full of farmers and not much else. Vicky is assigned to write obituary stories, but longs to get the scoop on a real story. At a funeral of a hedge cutter who somehow died after clipping a power line, Vicky suspects foul play. The deceased's sister believes her brother's body was moved - he wouldn't have cut there when signs were clearly posted and he wasn't supposed to be in the area. Then when a fistfight breaks out between a doctor who might be a bit too hands on with his patients and another man, Vicky sees the doctor mugged shortly afterward. As Vicky goes in search of her scoop she finds shady dealings going on, a paramedic who wants to woo her, a handsome sailor Vicky would rather woo, and more than a bit of danger.

Vicky's story is a cozy mystery with a dash of Bridget Jones-type humor thrown in. Fans who enjoy a mystery yarn without the violence should check this one out and its predecessor, "A Vicky Hill Exclusive."

"Scoop!" is published by Berkley. It is $6.99 and 300 pages long.

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Andrew Gross returns with another story of Detective Ty Hauck in "Don't Look Twice."

Ty and his daughter, Jessie, are caught in the middle of a drive-by shooting that leaves them both shaken and the man behind them in line dead. But who was the target? The convenience store worker? Ty? Or the man in line, who turns out to be a Department of Justice worker. At first it seems like an act of retribution by a gang member for an accidental death, but as Ty investigates more, things don't add up. It's looking more and more like the gang retribution angle is a cover-up for something else, something the Department of Justice worker may have been involved in, and a shady gambling scheme at a casino. But the deeper Ty gets, he finds more and more powerful players in the case, a personal link and someone who is willing to kill for money and power.

This is a fast-paced book of twists and turns, and just when it looks like the case is wrapped up, it isn't. Lovers of a good mystery should pick this one up.

"Don't Look Twice" is published by William Morrow. It is $25.99 and 376 pages long.

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A story of gumshoes and Hollywood mixes in Daniel Depp's "Loser's Town."

David Spandau is an ex-stuntman with the heart of a cowboy who now works for a private investigation service. Summoned by an actor's handlers, he finds Bobby Dye, who supposedly is getting threatening letters from someone. Spandau is skeptical, and Dye lets the truth slip - he is being blackmailed by Richie Stella, a nightclub owner who wants to get into the movie business. Stella also does drug dealing on the side and knows powerful friends. He has some photos against Dye that he will let slip unless Dye works in Stella's movie, which would be career suicide. Dye wants Spandau to make Stella back off, and Spandau journey into the seedy side of Hollywood has more than a few twists and turns along the way.

Depp's cast of characters are fantastic, switching between Spandau (who I picture as Mickey Roarke for some reason) to the lives of the small-time criminals Stella hired, to a short but scary Irish friend of Spandau, and back. Depp's dialogue snaps and his insider story of the pitfalls of Hollywood is intriguing. A writer reminiscent of Elmore Leonard meets Quintin Tarintino, Depp's world of characters begs for a sequel.

"Loser's Town" is published by Simon and Schuster. It is $25 and 290 pages long.

Contact Amy Mendenhall at amendenhall@newsandsentinel.com