Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho premiered in theaters on June 16, 1960, fifty years ago. I still remember sitting slouched down in my seat, ready to cover my eyes. You just knew as Janet Leigh pulled into the Bates Motel something wicked was coming her way. They don't call Alfred Hitchcock the Master of Suspense for nothing! He created terror in your heart, kept you at the edge of your seat, waiting, waiting...then sent you reeling back because you didn't see that coming!

If you have never read a Nicci French novel, now is the time to give it a try! This husband-wife team consistently write such fantastic British suspense fiction that as soon as you read the first page, you can barely put the book down until you reach the last. In this newest novel, The Other Side of the Door, a young woman finds her summer fling boyfriend dead and proceeds to do everything that she can to hide the body and remove all traces of evidence. As the story moves quickly along, you'll find yourself thinking that you know what's happened only to reach the twists at the end of the novel that always manage to surprise. This is definitely not a book to be missed.

• The Covenant by Naomi Ragen
• White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith
• Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure and the Man Who Dared To See by Robert Kurson
• Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Mind of an Extraordinary Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet

Janet Rudolph of Mystery Fanfare announced her picks for Best Mysteries of 2009. Her number one choice: Dog On It by Stephen Quinn.

Fans of Denise Mina or Minette Walters should try:

• Mallory's Oracle by Carol O'Connell
• A Perfect Evil by Alex Kava
• Judgment Calls by Alafair Burke
• Detective Inspector Huss by Helen Tursten
• Echoes of Lies by Jo Bannister
• Dead Wrong by Mariah Stewart
• Death's Autograph by Marianne MacDonald
• Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman

This month, the Canton Seniors Book Group will discuss the Everyone's Reading 2010 selection, Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow.  Copies of the book will be distributed at the January 27, 2010 meeting or can be picked up at the Canton Public Library's Adult Reference Desk after January 27th.  Participants must register with the Senior Adult Department at the Summit by calling 734-394-5485. If you have questions, contact Joyce Simowski or Elaine Skrzynski at the Canton Public Library (734-397-0999).

The North American Branch of the Association of Crime Writers announced that The Turnaround by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown), has been named the winner of the organization's annual Hammett Prize for a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing.

F. Paul Wilson's latest Repairman Jack book, Ground Zero, will be released this week. In his recent newsletter, Wilson described the book: "A woman has been posting anonymously on 9/11 Truther sites...you know, the folks (like Van Jones) who think the Trade Tower attack was all a government conspiracy. Well, she says they're right about the conspiracy, but it wasn't Bush or Cheney manufacturing a second Pearl Harbor to get us into Iraq...and it wasn't Big Oil...and it wasn't the New World Order… The truth is stranger, darker, and more evil than anyone can imagine. Those behind the plot will do anything to stop her. But they've made a fatal miscalculation. They don't know about Jack. ...They don't know this woman has a guardian who is armed to the teeth and can be just as cold-blooded as they. Maybe more so. Many Truths are revealed in GROUND ZERO .

Do you need something to keep your mind awake and alert during a long commute? Or perhaps a thrilling tale to make your boring household tasks go by a bit more quickly? These suspenseful audiobooks are just the thing to keep you  on the edge of your seat.

For several months now David Cole has been interviewing Canadian writers of crime, mystery, and/or suspense for Mystery Fanfare in his column Cool Canadian Crime. Cole recently interviewed Vicki Delany, a favorite of mine. Scare the Light Away Delany's debut novel was highly acclaimed when it was published in 2005.

The Crime Writers Association has announced the 2009 CWA Gold Dagger Awards' shortlist.  The winners will be announced on October 21, 2009 at the SpecSavers Crime Thriller Awards in London and will be shown on ITV3 later in the month.

If you like mysteries where all of the main characters are stuck in some kind of confined environment (a large, scary, old house) trying to solve some kind of crime or love the Agatha Christie novels when Poirot dramatically explains the crime's solution at the end of his books to the group of suspects, should enjoy these authors/characters:

Margery Allingham's Albert Campion 

Carolyn Hart's Henrie O'

M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin 

The 7th Annual Kerrytown BookFest is coming to the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market on Sunday, September 13 from 11:00AM-5:00PM. Jane & Michael Stern, authors of Roadfood will speak at Noon and at 2:00PM Aunt Agatha's presents Mysteries to Cook By with JoAnna Carl, Julie Hyzy, and Miranda Bliss a.k.a. Casey Daniels. Featured guest, Jeffery Deaver will speak at 4:00PM.

If you like Kay Hooper, author of romantic suspense you might also enjoy these authors:

The Private Eye Writers of America announced the nominees for the 28th. Annual Shamus Awards on Friday. Eleven of the fifteen novels nominated are available at our library. Which book(s) do you choose for the three categories: Best Hardcover, Best First PI Novel, and Best Paperbook?

Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta mystery series is coming to the big screen. None other than Angelina Jolie will play Ms. Scarpetta. Producers Mark Gordon and Geyer Kosinski are hoping for a franchise out of Ms. Cornwell's books, though none of the films will necessarily follow the plotline of any particular tome. According to Variety,

This film won't be tied to a specific Cornwell mystery title. Much the way that Jason Bourne morphed into an action hero in plots not rigidly locked into the Robert Ludlum book series, the opera-loving coroner Scarpetta will be the lead in a suspense thriller in the vein of "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Seven."

Are you looking for someone new to read? Maybe a new mystery author? I'm hoping I'll find time to read at least one of these five titles this summer. Meredith Cole won the St. Martin's/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Competition. Let us know what you think.

Angel's advocate by Mary Stanton

Bait by Nick Brownlee

Hangman blind by Cassandra Clark

Stephen King is literally the 'Master of Horror', but if you have read everything he's written and you're looking for new authors try Dean Koontz's SHATTERED , THE ICE HOUSE by Minette Walters, F.

Forensic science(often shortened to forensics) is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system.  Aaron Elkins' Gideon Oliver is a forensic anthropologist, Eve Duncan featured in Iris Johansen's books is a forensic sculptor. Kathryn Fox has a new series featuring pathologist and forensic physician, Dr.

Greg Iles’ stories have been described as terrifying, suspenseful, and intense, words which also describe Jefferson Bass's FLESH & BONE, DEJA DEAD by Kathy Reich, Alex Kava's A PERFECT EVIL, DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER by  Jeff Lindsay, or  Karin Slaughter's BLINDSIGHTED.