The Last Grudge by Max Seeck,
translated by Kristian London
The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg,
translated by Tara Chace
The Cliff’s Edge by Charles Todd
Last Seen in Lapaz by Kwei Quartey

T. S. Eliot was wrong. February, cold and grim, is the cruelest month, and though also the shortest, it’s not short enough. We should be grateful to the holiday-industrial complex for concocting events like Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl to help us get through it, not to mention tomorrow’s Daytona 500 and Presidents’ Day weekend.

But if you’re not a NASCAR fan and that Monday off doesn’t suffice, maybe these books will ease the winter doldrums. As happens in crime fiction, an outsider or two turn up, along with secrets from the past that have fatal repercussions.