Dear Burning Questions,

I enjoyed the Mitford series and am wondering if you could recommend another series that is similar.

L. Diedrich
Kennewick, Washington

Though Jan Karon's best-selling Mitford Years series ended with 2005's Light from Heaven, you don't have to turn to another author to find similar fare. Home to Holly Springs, a new novel starring Episcopal priest Father Tim, will be published by Viking on October 30. The redoubtable 70-something cleric is headed to his home state of Mississippi for at least three more adventures, says Karon, who promises that the new series offers "a whole new landscape of feeling and surprise."

While you're waiting, BQ recommends that you check out Philip Gulley's Harmony series, Ann B. Ross' Miss Julia books, Joan Medlicott's Ladies of Covington novels or anything by Debbie Macomber.

DEAD RIGHT

Dear Burning Questions,

I've been waiting and waiting for Patricia Cornwell's Book of the Dead. I've had a request at our Cuyahoga County, Ohio Library for at least eight months. What happened?

Marie Mikols
North Royalton, Ohio

Let's look on the bright side—at least you'll rank high on the list of holds when the book arrives at the library. And, believe it or not, that time is finally coming. Cornwell's latest entry in her best-selling Kay Scarpetta mystery series is now scheduled for publication on October 23. This outing is set in Charleston, South Carolina, where Scarpetta has opened a private forensic pathology practice, with her old pal Pete Marino and her niece Lucy as partners. When several victims of violent murders begin to show up on the "book of the dead" (the morgue log), it's time for Scarpetta to join the hunt for the killer.

As to those previously announced publication dates for The Book of the Dead, it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind, right?

AMBER ALERT

Dear Burning Questions,

Can you tell me if Random House will continue to reprint the Trixie Belden mystery series? They reprinted the first dozen or so, and even started a new Trixie fan club, but there hasn't been one for a while.

Don West
Washington, D.C.

Since you're not the first person to contact BQ with a question about Trixie's mysterious disappearance, we decided to snoop around and find out what became of "America's favorite girl detective."

Trixie first appeared in 1948 in The Secret of the Mansion and became so popular that she continued her capers (along with her wealthy neighbor, Honey Wheeler) through 38 more books, right up through The Mystery of the Galloping Ghost (1986). Golden Books editor Jennifer Arena had been a devoted fan of the books as a child and came up with the idea of reprinting them. Random House, which purchased Golden Books in 2001, supported the plan and began re-issuing the books in 2003. After number 15, The Mystery on the Mississippi, came out in 2006, however, Trixie's readers were left with a real cliffhanger. What gives? "Random House Books for Young Readers decided to stop the re-publication of Trixie Belden at the 15th book in the series but we do hope young readers will enjoy those titles that are now back in print," a publicist tells us. Those not happy with Trixie's sudden exit might want to check their local public libraries to find previously published books in the series.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Dear Burning Questions,

My mystery book discussion group loved reading Joanne Dobson's series featuring English professor Karen Pelletier, but it has been a long time since we've heard anything about Ms. Dobson. Is she still writing? And, if so, will there be another Karen Pelletier episode?

Jo Bagelmann
Waverly, Iowa

"I'm really pleased that readers are interested!" said Dobson, who is an Emily Dickinson scholar and English professor at Fordham University. Though her current project is a historical novel, she said she eventually plans to revisit her beloved Enfield College professor/sleuth, Karen Pelletier, in a sixth installment of the series tentatively titled Death Without Tenure, though the book has not yet been written. The novel will focus on—surprise, surprise—Pelletier's consideration for tenure, a truly suspenseful event for anyone in academia.

ODD COUPLE

Dear Burning Questions,

Elizabeth Peters' latest Amelia Peabody novel, coming out later this year, is co-authored with Rita Mae Brown. Does that mean that Ms. Peters is no longer going to do the series? I am not particularly happy with the intrusion of another author.

Janet Milici
Woodbridge, Connecticut

Elizabeth Peters and Rita Mae Brown? Well, it's true that cats (who play central roles in Brown's Sneaky Pie mysteries) were revered in Egypt, the setting for Peters' novels about turn-of-the-century archaeologist/sleuth Amelia Peabody. However, Sharyn Rosenblum, Peters' publicist at Morrow, tells BQ that this unlikely pairing is, well, unlikely, to say the least: "Dr. Barbara Mertz will be writing the books as she always does." (Mertz being Elizabeth Peters' real name.)

However, you won't be as happy to hear that we have another correction for you: There will be no fiction from Peters, who turns 80 on September 29, "for several years actually," according to Rosenblum. Instead, there will be new editions of two books on Egyptology the prolific author has written under her real name. "We are releasing Temples, Tombs and Hieroglyphs in December and then Red Land, Black Land in March 2008. Dr. Mertz has been so eager these last many years to revise and republish them," says Rosenblum.