Hi everybody! This is the second part of my “crime fiction fall 2019 books by DC-area authors” list, and you know what? It really needs a catchier title. I’ll think about that for next year but, in the meantime, check out these wonderful books below. (You can read part one HERE.)

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Daniel M. Ford, Body Broker (Sept. 1). Let’s start this list with a book that, chronologically, should have been included in part one, but I completely spaced, so here we are. Ford, a graduate of George Mason University’s stellar MFA program, has published poems and a fantasy trilogy, and now he tries his hand at crime fiction with Body Broker. The book introduces Jack Dixon, a college dropout, former cop, and ex-cook who lives a quiet life in rural Maryland. But when a teenager goes missing, Jack finds himself in the midst of an investigation that threatens to destroy his new life. The publisher, Santa Fe Writers Project, has earned a lauded, lovely reputation, and readers will look forward to learning more about Jack Dixon and what other books SFWP has to offer.

Ellen Crosby, The Angel’s Share (Nov. 5). Former journalist Ellen Crosby has one of the most successful mystery series on the market today, and The Angel’s Share, the 10th in her Wine Country Mysteries, continues that success — the novel was recently called “enthralling” by the notorious grumps at Kirkus. Lucie Montgomery, Crosby’s protagonist in the series, attends a Thanksgiving party thrown by the wealthy family that owns the Washington Tribune, a fictional DC newspaper. By the party’s close, a body is discovered in the basement and, amid startling revelations about both her family and American history, Lucie needs to find the murderer.

Bill Rapp, The Budapest Escape (Nov. 12). Rapp’s latest thriller places the reader squarely at the ending days of the Cold War. In 1989, an American diplomat named Karl Rosman is stationed in Berlin and becomes acquainted with a group of dissidents hoping to reach out to Western countries. When one of the dissidents is killed, Rosman finds himself enlisted in their efforts and, soon after, a target of East Germany’s feared Stasi. Rapp is a veteran of historical fiction, and readers will enjoy his brisk combination of history and action.

Con Lehane, Murder Off the Page (Nov. 19). Lehane is a favorite in the DC crime fiction community, and his third book in the 42nd Street Library mysteries finds series protagonist Raymond Ambler trying to clear the name of his friend Brian McNulty (who just happens to be the protagonist of Lehane’s other series). Lehane’s books have earned praise from both readers and reviewers, and his close attention to detail when it comes to New York City and libraries will appeal to fans of that city and bibliophiles alike.

LynDee Walker, Leave No Stone (Nov. 19). Walker has been on an absolute tear. The prolific author of the popular Nichelle Clark series recently relaunched and continued that series with a darker look, and also started a new series with a compelling protagonist, the Faith McClellan novels. In Leave No Stone, the second book in the new series, Texas Ranger McClellan and her veteran partner are hunting down a smart serial killer who specializes in sadism. Longtime fans of the Clark books will love the chance to read Walker’s development of a new strong female protagonist.

Crime Travel, edited by Barb Goffman (Dec. 8). Crime Travel is an anthology in which every story features some aspect of time travel. The 15 contributors have won nearly every short-story award for crime fiction out there, and Crime Travel is edited by multiple-award-winner Goffman. The anthology will be published on December 8th, otherwise known as “Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day.” I had no idea such a day existed, although maybe I’ve celebrated it before?

Eliza Nellums, All That’s Bright and Gone (Dec. 10). Six-year-old Aoife, the narrator of Nellums’ lauded debut, is determined to find out who murdered her big brother, Theo, and why her mother is in the hospital. All That’s Bright and Gone has earned high praise, including a starred review in Publishers Weekly, and readers intrigued by family drama and unreliable narrators will find much to love here.

Sherry Harris, Sell Low, Sweet Harriet (Dec. 31). Harris has carved out a name for herself in the cozy mystery world with her engaging, humorous Sarah Winston mysteries. In Sell Low, Sweet Harriet, the eighth book in the series, Winston finds herself spearheading the selling of an estate that belonged to two retired CIA agents. Add in an intruder break-in, a hidden camera, and a new assistant who was a former FBI hostage negotiator, and Winston may just end up with more than she can handle.

E.A. Aymar’s new novel is The Unrepentant.

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