DAYTON, Ohio - Looking for some titles to add to your summer reading list? Here are some superb crime/mystery novels that have just been issued or are coming out soon.
* "Golden Prey" by John Sandford (Putnam, 392 pages, $29)
The Prey series surges onward. Lucas Davenport begins a new career as a U.S. marshal. He is tracking a relentless killer who has stolen millions from a Honduran drug cartel. He hopes to catch this guy before the cartel's assassins do. One hired killer is a woman. She brandishes an array of lethal power tools.
* "Proving Ground" by Peter Blauner (Minotaur, 359 pages, $26)
A prominent lawyer is murdered on the street. A pair of detectives, a young Hispanic woman and a wily old fellow who is slated to retire soon, are on the case. Meanwhile the dead man's son, a troubled military veteran, is seeking the truth about his father. Blauner executes a savagely clever twist.
* "Every Night I Dream of Hell" by Malcolm Mackay (Mulholland Books, 289 pages, $26)
Malcolm Mackay writes crime novels that teem with criminals. Set in Glasgow, Scotland, this one is told from the viewpoint of a gangland enforcer named Nate Colgan. Nate can be extremely violent, but he still has feelings. Darkly entertaining.
* "Stockholm Delete" by Jens Lapidus (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Original, 505 pages, $17)
Jens Lapidus follows up his stunning Stockholm Noir trilogy with a densely complex murder mystery that swirls with intrigue. A man is found murdered. His identity is unknown. A young man is found nearby, gravely injured. He becomes the No. 1 suspect. A lawyer risks her career to defend him. This sizzles.
* "No Middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Short Stories" by Lee Child (Delacorte Press, 418 pages, $27)
If you enjoy Lee Child's series that features his wandering modern knight Jack Reacher, you'll want to grab this one. A number of these pithy tales show us a young Jack Reacher. His brother even makes some appearances. These stories hit as hard as a quick flurry of Jack Reacher fisticuffs.
* "Exit Strategy" by Steve Hamilton (Putnam, 291 pages, $26)
Nick Mason left prison early after the crime boss inside the prison arranged for him to be set free. Now he commits evil on his benefactor's behalf. Nick is desperate to develop some sort of an "exit strategy." He'll do almost anything to break free from this sinister world.
* "The Long Drop" by Denise Mina (Little, Brown, 236 pages, $28)
In the 1950s, a serial killer terrorized Glasgow, Scotland. When he was finally caught, he insisted on acting as his own lawyer at the trial. This really happened. Denise Mina applies her immense talent to forging a fictional adaptation of this genuine horror story.
* "Need You Dead" by Peter James (Macmillan, 421 pages, $27), available June 6
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace has a new case: A woman was found dead in the bathtub. She was having a clandestine love affair. Did her lover do it? Or was it the eBay shopper who was stalking her after a failed transaction? With Peter James there's always another layer of mystery to peel away.
* "The Force" by Don Winslow (William Morrow, 482 pages, $28), available June 20
Don Winslow follows up his epic novel "The Cartel" with another incendiary tale of corruption, drugs and unspeakable violence. This one centers on a squad of New York City cops who have developed a lucrative sideline stealing money and drugs from criminals. This story is so hot, I was almost expecting the pages to spontaneously burst into flames.
* "The Child" by Fiona Barton (Berkley, 363 pages, $26), available June 27
The skeleton of an infant was found buried at a construction site. Newspaper reporter Kate Waters digs in to the story. Who was the child? How did she get there? What other dark secrets were concealed along with her?
Vick Mickunas writes for the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News.