Cute canine sleuths, the glamour of Gilded Age Broadway and a prickly, private librarian—this month's column has something for every kind of cozy reader.

★The Unkindness of Ravens

Greer Hogan left her life in New York City behind after her husband's murder. Starting over as a librarian in the village of Raven Hill has offered some distance from that trauma—until she finds her best friend dead in the library. Greer is still considered an outsider in the tightknit village, so she leans on her own research skills to find her friend's killer while coming to grips with uncomfortable truths about her husband's death. The Unkindness of Ravens pushes the boundaries of cozy mysteries: It's moody and tense, literary and urbane, and an edgy delight to read. Author M.E. Hilliard is herself a librarian, and she gets the job's balance of fun and drudgery note-perfect. Yes, there are bake sales and charming patrons, but there are also a lot of repetitive tasks and the occasional creep. Analytical and not overly social, Greer keeps to herself, even shying away from the reader at times, which only serves to heighten the suspense. Nods to Trixie Belden, Kinsey Millhone and Edgar Allan Poe tempt the reader to relax into the novel's bookish atmosphere, until a fast-paced conclusion that's truly surprising whips things to a close. The Unkindness of Ravens is an exciting debut, and I'm already eager for another installment.

Animal Instinct

When private investigator Corey Douglas was still a police officer, he responded to a domestic violence call in which he could do nothing to help the victim, Lisa Yates. Now, years later, Lisa has died in an unsolved shooting, and Corey decides to try and right a past wrong by solving her murder. Animal Instinct, David Rosenfelt's second K Team novel, builds suspense by shifting points of view between Corey's team and their extremely dangerous enemies, who are always a step ahead. Lisa's job at a medical records company makes for a very data-centric thriller, but plenty of muscle is exerted as well, by dogs as well as humans. Rosenfelt has artfully spun off Corey and his K-9 partner, Simon Garfunkel, from his hit Andy Carpenter series, and Andy appears here in more than a mere cameo, which adds to the fun.

Death of a Showman

Death of a Showman finds lady's maid Jane Prescott on Broadway, chaperoning her rich employer, Louise Tyler, to rehearsals of a show Louise has been persuaded to invest in. Jane's not thrilled to be there; her passionate dalliance with composer Leo Hirschfeld abruptly ended when he married a chorus girl, but that doesn't stop him from flirting with every woman he sees. It's almost a welcome distraction when the show's tough-guy producer, Sidney Warburton, is murdered. Author Mariah Fredericks has clearly done her research on Gilded Age New York and its colossal theaters, because she creates a real sense of being behind the scenes and behind the curtain. The murder is nearly upstaged by the drama, backbiting and infighting among the cast and crew, but it's all told with understated elegance.

In Bannalec's The Granite Coast Murders, Commissaire Dupin remains singularly unengaged during his Brittainy coast vacation until a local deputy is attacked, a tourist vanishes, and a corpse disrupts everyone's sun and fun (30,000-copy first printing). In Fredericks's Death of a Showman, lady's maid Jane Prescott learns in summer 1914 that a former beau has written a Broadway musical, but then the producer ends up dead (30,000-copy first printing). In Harris's What the Devil Knows, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is brought in to investigate when the lead investigator in the gruesome 1811 Ratcliffe Highway murders is himself dispatched. Hillerman's Stargazer brings back Officer Bernadette Manuelito, on the trail of an old roommate who's gone missing, though husband Jim Chee isn't sure Bernie should investigate (100,000-copy first printing). For the next Mystery Writers of America story collection, New York Times best-selling author Koryta gathers works by Michael Connelly, Attica Locke, and others that detail what happens When a Stranger Comes to Town (50,000-copy first printing). In Animal Instinct, second in a series Rosenfelt spun from the Shamus Award-winning "Andy Carpenter" series, the K Team investigate the murder of a woman Corey burningly regrets not having been able to protect from her abusive boyfriend when he was on the force (75,000-copy first printing). Bookseller Delaney Nichols is thrilled to be invited to outrageous socialite Shelaigh O'Connor's treasure hunt, but robbery, murder, and Shelaigh's kidnapping put a damper on things in Shelton's Deadly Editions (30,000-copy first printing). While Tsarevich Nicholas travels to England for royal wedding, look-alike cousin Prince George is attacked, and private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are called in to protect the future—and final—tsar in Thomas's Dance with Death (30,000-copy first printing). In Murder on Wall Street, Thompson brings back beloved midwife Sarah Brandt and her PI husband Frank Malloy for their 24th outing..

In Edgar finalist Rosenfelt's winning sequel to 2020's The K Team, former police officers turned PIs Corey Douglas and Laurie Collins look into the shooting death of Lisa Yates on a street in Paterson, N.J. While on the Paterson PD, Corey was called to a domestic dispute involving Lisa and her live-in boyfriend, Gerald Kline. It was obvious that Gerald had hit Lisa, but she refused to press charges. Regretting he didn't do more, Corey is sure Gerald had Lisa killed. Though lacking a client, Corey and Laurie, who's the wife of defense attorney Andy Carpenter, the author's main series lead, decide to investigate anyway to get justice for Lisa. Rounding out the team are investigator and muscle Marcus Clark and Corey's K-9 partner, German shepherd Simon Garfunkel. The believable plot takes surprising twists as the insightful private detectives uncover an intricate conspiracy that reaches beyond a spurned lover. Andy becomes involved when Corey is arrested for a second murder. Rosenfelt smoothly mixes humor with a sharp plot and appealing characters. This series deserves a long run. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (Apr.)Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the title of the author's previous book.