D. C. Dead: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods

Stone and buddy Dino are off to Washington, DC in response to the First Lady's request for their talents in an official capacity. Stone and Dino team up with CIA agent Holly Barker in a murder -suicide investigation that was started a year ago. Exposed to Washington elite, scandals, power- plays and more murders, Stone and Dino try to ferret out the truth without tainting the President and his First Lady. Pretty interesting reading with a little side story about an FBI agent with revenge on his mind. A good story.

The Knight by Steven James

A psychotic killer is on a roll and Agent Patrick Bowers is hot on the trail, he thinks. Thanks to step-daughter Tessa and her Rubik's cube, Patrick gets help leading to the identity of the madman. Time is running out and Patrick finds himself the murderer's victim. Will he be able to overcome this villain? Is Tessa ready to search for her birth father? Does the clever murderer have inside information? A good read.

Cry in the Night by Colleen Coble

Bree Matthews leads search and rescue with her dog Samson in Rock Harbor, Michigan a small community, close to the reservation. Babies have been disappearing. When Bree discovers a tiny little girl in the snow, her maternal instincts kick in and she wants to try to adopt the baby over her husband's objections. Nevertheless, she searches for the baby's mother. When she seems to see her deceased first husband she is convinced he is just someone who looks like Rob did. But when someone tries to kidnap Davey, her son, she is frightened. Her husband is having trouble at work with the forest service. His sister is mixed up with someone who doesn't seem dependable. An autistic adult, Victor, is blamed for the death of a neighbor. This is all very confusing, but evil does not prevail. Not a bad read.

Bridges to New Beginnings by David Freligh

Middle-aged Kim Johnson has created her own style of "witness protection program" and has ended up in Winterset, Iowa to start her new life. The product of a deaf and alcoholic mother; segueing into a disastrous marriage, she has finally escaped and is ready to remake her life. Coming from California, the middle of the midwest is extreme culture shock, yet a welcome from Kim's previous life. She gets a job, rents an apartment and begins to make many friends. One of these is a well-adjusted deaf young woman who plans to marry her childhood sweetheart and lives with her shy dad. Mom is out of the picture. Kim's journey to peace in her life, the desire to forgive and be forgiven, is heading in the right direction. Will Kim be able to be content in the middle of Iowa? Can she forgive her mother? Will she apologize to her ex-husband? Is there a chance for a new life for Kim? A pretty good read.

Shelter: a Mickey Bolitar novel by Harlan Coben

Mickey Bolitar has only been in school a few weeks and his girl friend Ashley has disappeared. Being new in town, Mickey has not yet made many friends. To make matters worse, he is living in his uncle's house since his father died in an auto accident and his mother has been in rehab. Mickey can't understand where she could have gone and when a pair of unlikely teens come to his aid, it is hard to let his guard down. You know how teens are, wanting to keep problems to themselves.... When a little old lady who everyone thinks is dead appears in her doorway and tells him his father may be alive, Mickey's life gets more complicated. Coben writes a compelling and believable tale of differences, bullying and secrets. A good read.

Lethal by Sandra Brown

Widow Honor Gillette lives with her four-year-old daughter Emily on the bayou in southern Louisiana. Her late husband, Eddie, was a police officer killed in a horrific auto accident. When Emily tells Honor there is a sick man outside, life is turned upside down for Honor. On the run for a travesty he claims he didn't commit, Lee Coburn is running from the law and searching for something he is sure Honor's husband has hidden. Honor has no idea what Eddie might have hidden, but her faith in trusted friends of the family is destroyed and she doesn't know what to believe. Her goal is to prove that Eddie was a "clean" cop, not tainted with the corruption of the darker side of life, human trafficking, drugs and guns. Brown writes a fast-paced page-turner of a suspense thriller. Hard to put down.

Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs

Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist, is in Montreal, Canada. When she is called to an autopsy of a Jewish man , possible suicide, she finds herself involved with international intrigue when a stranger hands her a photo of a skeleton. Detective Andrew Ryan has reason to go to Israel on a case that seems to be connected with Tempe's case so she tags along. In the meantime, she has acquired some old bones said to have come from an Israel archaeological dig, and people have been dying. Is her life in danger? Why are these old bones of such interest? Is the answer in Israel? Reichs puts together a fine tale of intrigue, romance, and murder. This reader had a hard time putting the book down.

Sacred Acre by Mark Tabb

Ed Thomas' story is one of the great ones. Raised by a Christian mother, an alcoholic father, Ed is determined to do God's will. He feels called to live the life many only pretend to. A hero, a father-figure, a husband and father, Ed Thomas is the coach we all would like to have had in our life, in our children's life. After thirty-three years of devotion to his work as a coach, as a church member, as a decent person, he is shot down, murdered. The response of his family and his community is an inspiration to all of us who wonder why bad things happen to good people.

The Drop by Michael Connelly

Harry Bosch and partner are called to a death scene that is loaded with political implications. The son of councilman and nemesis Irvin Irving is found dead after an apparent fall from the seventh floor of a hotel. The question is, did he jump or was he helped? Irving wants Bosch to find out what happened no matter what the outcome. But does he really mean it? Meanwhile, Bosch and partner have just gotten a lead on an old cold case that he wants to clear. The pressure is on, making Harry re-think his decision to continue working on cold cases. Will he retire when these cases are completed? His teen-aged daughter at home is making him consider his future. Connelly writes an action packed, thought-provoking mystery that this reader hated to have end. A great read.

Say When by Elizabeth Berg

Griffin is stunned when Ellen tells him she wants a divorce. What is wrong? he wants to know. Ellen isn't sure, but wants to take some time to think things over. Their young daughter, Zoe, is quite precocious, old enough to know something is wrong, but not sure what to do about it. Ever hopeful that things will turn out alright. It is Thanksgiving. Griffin has taken a job playing Santa at the mall a couple of nights a week and is getting plenty of time to do some thinking of his own. Perseverance pays off, Zoe gets a puppy, forgiveness is in the air. A good read.

Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller

Emma is grief stricken. Her mother has just been buried and it seems as though everyone she has been close to has left her in one way or another. Concerned about her grandmother, who home she shares, she tries to put herself together. Her married sister has other plans however, and doesn't want to wait. When Adam, her lost love, returns she is more fearful of being hurt than ever. A new player, Mark, arrives on the scene, smooth as can be with ulterior motives. Will Emma find solace? Can she learn to trust God with her life? Another good Amish tale of forgiveness and love.

Satanta's Woman by Cynthia Haseloff

Adrianne Chastain, wealthy widow and grandmother in her mid-30s, is victim of an Indian raid. Stolen by Kiowa Chief Satanta, along with her granddaughter, they accept that their hope of survival is to do as the Indians ask. What follows is a tale of the perseverance of Adrianne, the adaptability of young children, and the blooming of adult love between two unlikely humans. A very good read.

"V" Is For Vengeance by Sue Grafton

Private Investigator Kinsey Millhone is about to get caught up in the most tangled web of illegal acts, one of which leads to personal disfiguring. People borrowing money from loan sharks, professional shoplifters, husbands with a wandering eye and a dirty cop. All of these lead to a very sinister bad guy, who really wants to lead a better life. Grafton writes a thrilling page-turner, leaving one wanting to know what happens next even as "The End" is stated. Surely Grafton's next book will be the sequel. Read this book now!

Springwater Wedding by Linda Lael Miller

Divorcee Maggie McCaffrey has returned home to turn in the historical Springwater Station into a bed and breakfast. This also brings her into contact with former lover J. T. Wainwright, divorced with a six-year-old son. J. T., renovating the old homestead, is also helping the town marshall out with mysterious cattle thieves, deaths and a murder. When Maggie finds a document relating to J. T.'s property, things begin to make sense. Rustlers, murderers, internet romance, and young love blend together to create a good modern western story.

McKettrick's Choice by Linda Lael Miller

Holt Mckettrick is about to get married to a mail-order bride when he receives word of John Cavanaugh's distress and his friend Gabe is in jail. Off he runs to solve the problems leaving his bride-to-be. Meanwhile down at the ranch, Lorelei Fellows is burning her wedding dress in defiance to her father and a groom who bedded the maid on the morn of the wedding. Holt and Lorelei are two fiery adults, knowing their own minds, stubborn and willful, a match made in heaven. Miller writes an exciting and page-turning tale of love and adventure in the early west.

The Secret Santa by Annette Mahon

Mele Pitman is working hard to get her degree and doesn't need to be thinking about matrimony. Her matchmaking Aunty Deni has other plans and when Ben Mendoza is invited to the family Thanksgiving dinner Mele finds her heart and head thinking about Ben instead of school. When little gifts and surprises appear, she wonders who the gift-giver could be. A nice little novel of love and romance.

The Last Chance Cafe by Linda Lael Miller

Hallie Royer, single mom and desperate, is on the run from the bad guys. When her old truck breaks down in a Nevada snow storm, she and the girls wade into the Last Chance Cafe and in turn meets Chance Qualtrough who takes her under his wing. Fearing discovery, she evades the law hoping to earn enough money to take her and the girls even farther from the danger she risks but Chance knows she is hiding something. Miller takes the reader on a merry chase, page after page, wanting the good guys to win in the end. I liked the story.

City of Whispers by Marcia Muller

When PI Sharon McCone receives an e-mail from her brother asking for help, it is the last thing she wants to do. Darcy Blackhawk is the black sheep of the family, a long list of faults, but she wants to reach out to him anyway. When she searches for him, not an easy task, an unsolved murder comes to light, a kidnapping takes place and people are dying. Determined, McCone plugs away, one clue leading to the next. Will she find Darcy before it is too late? Not a bad read.