A New Omnibus of Crime, edited by Tony Hillerman and Rosemary Herbert, is a worthy successor to Dorothy L. Sayers's classic Omnibus of Crime (1929). Primarily a reprint anthology, it includes three original tales by Catherine Aird, Jeffrey Deaver and Alexander McCall Smith. (Oxford Univ., $30 464p ISBN 0-19-528214-6)
On the road to promote a new and improved product for a cereal company, smart and savvy Cora Felton (aka the Puzzle Lady) must contend with a murderous stalker in Parnell Hall's Stalking the Puzzle Lady: A Puzzle Lady Mystery, the seventh entry in this popular series. Agent, Donald Maass. (Bantam, $24 320p ISBN 0-553-80417-0) Crossword fans will also embrace Nero Blanc's A Crossworder's Delight, which includes chocolate recipes with ingredients that appear as puzzle answers. (Berkley Prime Crime, $10 176p ISBN 0-425-20656-4)
In Isis Crawford's third culinary cozy to feature caterer Libby Simmons, A Catered Christmas: A Mystery with Recipes, Libby and sister Bernie take on a group of cutthroat chefs competing on a local TV program after the murder of the show's host. While lacking the superb wit of Diane Mott Davidson, this will appeal to those with a taste for slapstick comedy. Agent, Evan Marshall. (Kensington, $22 320p ISBN 0-7582-0687-9)
British TV producer Mark Gatiss's tongue-in-cheek debut, The Vesuvius Club: A Bit of Fluff, introduces Lucifer Box, an Edwardian assassin/secret agent who finds murder, depravity and plenty of weird adventure in Naples, Italy. While the publisher bills the novel as "part James Bond and part Austin Powers," Box exhibits little of Bond's suavity and sophistication, and the sketchy efforts at erotic humor aren't up to even Austin's low standard. Despite a glowing blurb from Stephen Fry, this is a bit of a clinker. Agent, Caroline Chignell (U.K.). (Scribner, $13 paper 240p ISBN 0-7432-8394-5)
Lennon is the hapless wheelman, the getaway driver in a Philadelphia bank robbery that goes awry, in The Wheelman, journalist Duane Swierczynski's fast-paced but confusing first novel. In an effort to find the man responsible for betraying him, Lennon runs up against the Russian and Italian mafias, a hired gun working for the mayor, a corrupt ex-cop and lots, lots more. Despite a rave from Ken Bruen, don't expect a plot that makes much sense. Agent, David Hale Smith. (St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95 224p ISBN 0-312-34377-9)
Longtime fans will be more engaged than newcomers by Robert Greer's run-of-the-mill CJ Floyd mystery, Resurrecting Langston Blue, in which the Vietnam vet turned bail bondsman must deal with a threatening figure from his past and track down a missing army sergeant who may be connected to a Colorado senatorial candidate's murder. Improbable situations lessen the suspense, while the closing cliffhanger will leave many indifferent. (North Atlantic/Frog, $23.95 390p ISBN 1-58394-136-3)
Ellery Queen fans will welcome The Adventure of the Murdered Moths and Other Radio Mysteries, a collection of 14 classic golden age radio plays issued in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen's creators, Fred Dannay and Manfred Lee. Sherlockians will relish "The Adventure of Mr. Short and Mr. Long," which presents a solution to one of Dr. Watson's legendary untold tales. (Crippen & Landru [www.crippenlandru.com], $29 294p ISBN 1-932009-14-0; $19 paper ISBN 1-932009-15-0)
