Best of
Mystery-Thriller

1989

Rules of Prey


John Sandford - 1989
    You are about to meet Lucas Davenport, the police detective in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who does it his way. The "maddog" murderer who is terrorizing the Twin Cities is two things: insane and extremely intelligent. He kills for the pleasure of it and thoroughly enjoys placing elaborate obstacles to keep the police befuddled. Each clever move he makes is another point of pride. But when the brilliant Lieutenant Davenport--a dedicated cop and a serial killer's worst nightmare--is brought in to take up the investigation, maddog suddenly has an adversary worthy of his genius.Librarian's note: the first five books in the Lucas Davenport series are #1, Rules of Prey, 1989; #2, Shadow Prey, 1990; #3, Eyes of Prey, 1991; #4, Silent Prey, 1992; and #5, Winter Prey, 1993.

A Time to Kill


John Grisham - 1989
    In this searing courtroom drama, best-selling author John Grisham probes the savage depths of racial violence, as he delivers a compelling tale of uncertain justice in a small southern town, Clanton, Mississippi. The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. That is, until her black father acquires an assault rifle and takes matters into his hands.For ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life, and then his own.

Three Complete Novels: A is for Alibi / B is for Burglar / C is for Corpse


Sue Grafton - 1989
    The award-winning mysteries all feature former cop turned detective, Kinsey Milhone, one of the most loved heroines of modern mystery fiction.

Straight


Dick Francis - 1989
    A jockey becomes the sole inheritor of his late brother's business, horse, mistress, and enemies.

Game, Set, Match,


Len Deighton - 1989
    PBS will be airing a Mystery! series based on the trilogy this winter.

China Blues


Ki Longfellow - 1989
    As the young Louis Armstrong blows his horn in the infamous Blue Canary, impetuous Nob Hill Socialite Elizabeth Stafford Hamilton plunges into a reckless affair with mysterious Li Kwan Won. Unknown to Lizzie, Li is the overlord of the city’s vast bootlegging empire—and archenemy of her powerful husband, the San Francisco district attorney. Suddenly Lizzie’s privileged, upper-crust life is shadowed by danger and intrigue—as she’s trapped between her lover and her husband while they battle for control of the city.Eio Books has reissued Ki Longfellow's first novel, published by Harper Collins in England in 1989.

Shadow Hunter


Geoffrey Archer - 1989
    Phil Hitchens is its distinguished British commander - who has broken away from a NATO exercise and embarked on his own darkly vengeful and deadly mission. Shadowhunter is the codename of the desperate sonar search for HMS Truculent, last seen heading for the Kola Inlet where the cream of Soviet sea power lies unsuspecting at anchor. Shadowhunter is Geoffrey Archer's nail-biting, authentic thriller of undersea battle and international tension - a chillingly credible account of the world brought to the brink of catastrophe.

The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 3


Arthur Conan Doyle - 1989
    His plots are always direct and refreshingly lucid, and the narrative has a velocity that sweeps you along right to the end. This was no doubt a large part of his immense worldwide success. Not surprisingly, each time he tried to end the series, his fans would howl in protest. But, as he says in the preface to his last collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, all good things must come to an end. And so it is with this series, as we have now arrived at the end of the Sherlock Holmes tales, Conan Doyle's most magnificent creation.This last volume contains one novel, The Valley of Fear, and two collections of short stories: His Last Bow and The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes.

The Early Spenser (Spenser, #1-3)


Robert B. Parker - 1989
    Includes The Godwulf Manuscript, God Save The Child, and Mortal Stakes.

Painting the Darkness


Robert Goddard - 1989
    When the creak of the garden gate heralds the arrival of an unexpected stranger, he is puzzled but not alarmed. He cannot know the destruction this man will wreak on all he holds most dear.The stranger announces himself as James Norton, but claims he is in reality Sir James Davenall, the man to whom Trenchard's wife Constance had been engaged, and who had committed suicide eleven years ago. Sir Hugo, James's younger brother, and his mother, Lady Catherine, refuse to recognise Norton and force Trenchard - who fears the loss of his wife's affections - into an uneasy alliance against him. But Trenchard must plumb the depths of his own despair before the dark secrets of the Davenall family can finally, shockingly, be revealed...

The Fool's Run


John Camp - 1989
    LuEllen is his lover, and his favorite partner in crime. Their playing field in on the cutting edge of high-tech corporate warfare. This time they've been hired by a defense industry corporation to destroy its business rival through computer sabotage. If Kidd and LuEllen can pull it off, they'll reap millions. It's the sting of a lifetime. One false move and it's a lifetime sentence. As the takedown unfolds, everything goes according to plan. But their string of successes turns into a noose when the ultimate con artists find themselves on the wrong end of the ultimate con...

All Around the Town


Mary Higgins Clark - 1989
    Her fingerprints, however, are everywhere. When she asks her sister, attorney Sarah, to mount her defense, Sarah in turn brings in psychiatrist Justin Donnelly. Kidnapped at the age of four and victimized for two years, Laurie has developed astounding coping skills. Only when the unbearable memories of those lost years are released can the truth of the crime come out—and only then can the final sadistic plan of her abductor, whose obsession is stronger than ever, be revealed.

Skin Tight


Carl Hiaasen - 1989
    His now-deceased intruder carries no I.D., and as a former Florida state investigator, Stranahan knows there are plenty of potential culprits. His long list of enemies includes an off point hit man, a personal injury lawyer of billboard fame, a notoriously irritating TV journalist, and a fumbling plastic surgeon.Now, if he wants to keep fishing into his golden years, Stranahan has no choice but to come out of retirement to close this one last case...

Kill the Story


Jahnna N. Malcolm - 1989
    In Kill the Story, the pair expose a blackmail/shoplifting operation in one of the sororities at Amanda's trendy private high school. In Play Dead, Amanda and her friends become part of a professional theater company in order to solve an attempted murder.

Death Roll


Sam Llewellyn - 1989
    In shark-infested seas and in the heat of bitter rivalry, the last thing needed is a man in the water...

Reader's Digest Best Loved Books For Young Readers: Great Cases Of Sherlock Holmes (Best Loved Books For Young Readers)


Reader's Digest Association - 1989
    This is the Reader's Digest condensed [abridged] version of the book.Contents:The Adventure of the Copper BeechesThe Adventure of the Dancing MenSilver BlazeThe Adventure of the Speckled BandThe Reigate SquiresThe Adventure of the Blue CarbuncleThe Man With the Twisted LipThe Red-Headed League

Three by Cain: Serenade/Love's Lovely Counterfeit/The Butterfly


James M. Cain - 1989
    Cain hammered high art out of the crude matter of betrayal, bloodshed, and perversity.