Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2006, Mystery

Publishers Weekly has announced their picks for the Best Books of 2006. Among them are 6 mystery novels.

A Corpse in the Koryo, by James Church. Written by a former intelligence officer, this book is set in North Korea. A state security officer must attempt to solve a case, while trying to figure out who in the military and itelligence communities wants him to fail. A first novel.

Silence of the Grave, by Arnaldur Indriason. A translation, originally published in Icelandic, and set in Iceland. A detective explores the mystery of a body found at a building site, apparently buried 50 years ago.

Two Time, by Chris Knopf. The sequel to his novel The Last Refuge, again featuring ex-boxer and retired engineer Sam Acquillo. He investigates the death of a millionaire killed by a car bomb on the east end of Long Island.

The Summer Snow, by Rebecca Pawel. The fourth book in her series featuring Lieutenant Carlos Tejada. Set in Spain after World War II.

Impulse, by Frederick Ramsay. A Phoenix mystery writer is the chief suspect in the murder of his wife. He decides to attend his 50th high school reunion in Baltimore, where he is challenged to solve the mystery of four students who disappeared 25 years ago.

All Mortal Flesh, by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Her fifth novel featuring a helicopter pilot turned Episcopal priest.

Up-And-Coming: Best First Novel Winners

Tired of being the last one to find out about the great new mystery authors? Check out these nominees for the 2006 Edgar Awards for Best First Novel by an American Author. The Edgar Awards are the top awards in the mystery field, being given by the Mystery Writers of America.

The winning novel was Officer Down, by Theresa Schwegel. An officer wakes up in the hospital after her and her partner get into a gunfight with a suspected child molster. She is told that her partner was shot and killed. With her gun. And there's no evidence now that anyone was at the scene but her and her partner!

The other nominees were:
Die a Little, by Megan Abbott. Set in 1954, a schoolteacher is happy when her brother finally falls in love and marries a Hollywood seamstress. She begins to suspect that her brother's new wife is hiding a dark secret, though, and decides to risk everything to uncover the truth.

Immoral, by Brian Freeman. Two teenage girls go missing a year apart. A detective must follow a trail of clues from Duluth to Las Vegas to try to solve the mystery.

Run the Risk, by Scott Frost. In this first book of a projected series, Los Angeles detective Alex Delillo must stop a serial-killer bomber who plans to set off a bomb during live TV coverage of the annual Pasadena Rose Parade. Scott Frost is probably best known as the co-writer for the television show Twin Peaks.

Hide Your Eyes, by Alison Gaylin. A New York City woman has to help track down two men she sees dumping an ice chest in the Hudson River, which turns out to hold the corpse of a mutilated child.