A friend of mine is a librarian. She and the others at the libraries are VERY well read.
When I want to find a new book of a particular type (such as mystery novels by British women writers), I just ask her. If she isn't familiar with the genre, she asks a colleague.
My librarian friend turned me onto Laurie R King, an authoress in California who has written a few series of novels including a whole new take on Sherlock Holmes from the prospective of Mary Russell, a highly intelligent young woman who becomes his detection partner when Holmes is in his fifties. Brilliantly written.
Carousel - Thanks for the reccos. I just joined GoodReads. Looks good!