Onion Street
By Reed Farrel Coleman

Coleman’s latest—a prequel to the award-winning Moe Prager series—is a slam-dunk recommendation for readers drawn to smart, gritty crime fiction with label-defying characters. Onion Street chronicles Moe’s introduction to crime solving, showing him emerging from aimlessness and barreling toward purpose as his intuition for connecting crime dots is awakened. A Brooklyn College student in tumultuous 1967, Moe hasn’t become entangled in the radical movements sweeping campuses (mostly because he’s apathetic).

One Last Job: 6 Crooks Who Should Have Quit While They Were Behind
By Bill Ott

Advice to all good-hearted crooks who want to get out of the game: don’t do “one last job.” It won’t work. Never Does. Never. It doesn’t matter what the reasons may be—help the kids you abandoned, get back together with the ex-wife you still love, put together a stash and hightail it for Costa Rica—by the end of job, you’ll either be dead or worse off than when you started. The chimerical one last job offers only a one-way ticket on the Oblivion Express. Don’t believe it? Follow the thin red line of these noir heroes from illusion to reality.

Boot Tracks . By Matthew F. Jones. 2006. 208p. Europa, paper, $14.95 (9781933372112).

Sleuths on Screen: 15 Famous Detectives and the Actors Who Played Them
By Ben Segedin

Adapting popular crime series for television and the movies comes with the challenge of casting the correct actors in the part of beloved characters. Casting the wrong actor in a role can condemn a series to a single outing, but good casting can create a franchise (and make billions of dollars, as in the case of James Bond—$6 billion and still counting). The actor is often the character since many more people may see the movies than will read the books. The actor in a crime series will forever define the character—until he or she is replaced by a younger actor. The James Bond series has survived and prospered using numerous actors in the starring role. Other franchises keep trying to find the perfect actor for the part. The Jack Ryan series is about to feature its fourth Jack Ryan in five films. Some characters transcend nationalities.

At Leisure with Joyce Saricks: Crime for Armchair Travelers
By Joyce Saricks

Like you, I look forward to Booklist’s Mystery Showcase every May. Not only do I devour the reviews—and reserve far more titles than I’ll ever have time to read—but I also eagerly anticipate discovering Bill Ott’s chosen location for his Hard-Boiled Gazetteer. Over the past 15 years, he’s taken us across the U.S. (for example, Chicago, Southern California, New York City, Pacific Northwest) and to international locales from Italy to Scandinavia, Great Britain, Russia, and beyond.

The hard-boiled crime novel may have originated here in the U.S., but it has clearly gone international. We can read about grisly murders, intriguing investigations, and dangerous characters around the world.

Everybody Must Get Stoned: 8 Mysteries That Will Give You a Killer Contact High
By Keir Graff

Solving crimes requires clear wits and steely concentration—two qualities that can be hard to come by when you’re zonked out of your gourd on hindu kush, marching to the beat of Bolivian marching powder, or amped to the eyeballs on speed. Sleuths may have sipped martinis or bourbon once upon a time, but, these days, they’re just as liable to be battling a serious case of cotton-mouth. They’re also just as likely to be botanists or drug dealers as detectives.

Almost Criminal . By E. R. Brown. 2013. Dundurn, paper, $17.99 (9781459705838).

Tate MacLane isn’t a user—in fact, he’s almost too clear-headed for his own good.

No Clue Where to Shelve These: 6 Women’s Fiction Novels That Think They’re Mysteries
By Rebecca Vnuk

Women’s fiction is the hardest genre to pin down—probably because it’s not even a genre, per se, it’s actually a “reading interest.” Women’s fiction books can be funny, sad, suspenseful, historical, and, yes—even mysterious. Following are six novels that couldn’t quite decide whether they wanted to be women’s fiction or straight mystery. Although most of these books have been billed as mysteries (and may even be so branded on the cover), libraries should consider shelving them in general fiction, as die-hard mystery fans may be less than impressed.

As Husbands Go . By Susan Isaacs. 2010. Scribner, paper, $15 (9781416573081).