Mystery Notes

In Burning Moon: A Wil Hardesty Novel, the fifth entry in the acclaimed series by Shamus winner Richard Barre (Blackheart Highway), the sinking of a fishing boat in a squall off the California coast sends PI Hardesty on a harrowing quest for justice that leads back decades to the collapse of South Vietnam. Blurbs from Dennis Lehane, S.J. Rozan and Don Winslow will help propel sales. (Capra [www.caprapress.com], $25.95 330p ISBN 1-59266-011-8)

A bungled kidnapping by two inept psychiatrists sets the tone for The Ablative Case, a lighthearted stand-alone from Anthony winner Ralph McInerny, creator of Father Dowling and author of Emerald Aisle (Forecasts, Sept. 24, 2001) and other titles in his Notre Dame mystery series. Can the staff of Lyndon Johnson Community College, where the intended victim works in financial aid, cope with the spiraling mayhem? (Five Star, $25.95 240p ISBN 0-7862-5234-0)

Linda Berry's Death and the Ice Box: A Trudy Roundtree Mystery, the third in the series after Death and the Hubcap (2000), presents the Ogeechee, Ga., police officer with a particularly perplexing case. When the body of Karen Willard, who disappeared 30 years earlier after a wedding shower in her honor, turns up in an abandoned refrigerator, Trudy must delve into the past for answers. (Five Star, $25.95 248p ISBN 0-7862-5233-2)

Leap Day and Other Stories collects 14 mostly nonseries tales by Francis M. Nevins, a crime author also admired for his scholarly nonfiction, such as his Edgar-winning biography of Cornell Woolrich. Jon L. Breen provides an appreciative and informative introduction. (Five Star, $25.95 208p ISBN 0-7862-4321-X)