The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall

Mennonite Annie Martin loves the Plain way. Her Daadi relies on her for help when he is sick, or needs help with his chickens. He also lives next to an Amish family that has had some bad luck and they both have helped the Zook family out over the past years. Twenty-year old Annie and her mother need a break from each other and Annie has returned to her Daadi's farm to think and pray. While there, she gets reacquainted with Aden Zook and sparks fly. Will this Mennonite girl and Amish boy fall in love? What will the families do? Can they see their way clear to a happy ending? A good little story.

Taken by Robert Crais

Touted in the city newspaper as the "Greatest Detective Ever," Elvis Cole is contacted by the mother of a missing girl, sure that he can find her. Of Hispanic background, Krista is an honors student due to graduate in two weeks, and her mother is positive that her boyfriend has talked her into an escapade that may even include marriage. Cole and Pike find the place where Krista and her boyfriend were abducted and fear the young couple have been taken by bajadores who steal illegal immigrants and contact the families for ransom. Crais writes a fast-moving, action packed adventure that introduces Pike's friend Jon Strong, mercenary. A great read.

Dirt by Stuart Woods

Into the world of gossip and slander, lies and videotapes, Stone Barrington goes hot on the tails of Amanda Dart's tormentor. With the help of his able-bodied friend and police detective Dino they track the malicious attacker in the city of New York. Interesting with a lot of twists and turns.

Sold by Patricia McCormick

McCormick follows the journey of a young Nepalese hill girl whose step-father sells her into a life of prostitution. Lakshmi lives a peaceful, predictable life, simple in it's requirements. So poor, her mother starves herself in order to feed her children. A step-father whose main interest is gambling away any money they might accrue. Shocked into the requirements of the hard and cruel life of a prostitute, Lakshmi is numb most of the time, seeing familiar faces leave with no word of their destination. One day, hope is extended to her in the form of a white man from America.

Bel-Air Dead by Stuart Woods

Stone Barrington and friend Dino find themselves hob-nobbing with the rich and famous in California. Arrington has contacted Stone to investigate a business deal she is thinking of making by selling Centurion Studios, her late husband's investment in order to buy a neighboring horse farm. When stockholders of Centurion Studios begin to die as in murdered, Stone steps up his investigation. Another Barrington novel of life among the privileged.

Whispers at Midnight by Karen Robards

Carly Linton returns to her home town with friend Sandra Kaminski to turn her grandmother's house into a bed and breakfast. Old heartthrob Matt Converse is now the sheriff and still stirs the embers of her crush. Matt is looking for a missing young woman whose body is found buried on Carly's property, putting Matt and Carly into close proximity to each other. Love is bound to burst into flame.

Love Finds You in Nazareth, Pennsylvania by Melanie Dobson

Dobson writes of the Moravian community in Pennsylvania, 1754. Christian and Susanna Boehler want to bring the word of God to the natives, but the eastern mountains in Pennsylvania are untamed with settlers fearing the Indians, and the British wanting the settlers to take sides. Life in the community of Nazareth, Pennsylvania was similar to the Amish, yet different. An interesting tale of early American history.

The Senator's Wife by Karen Robards

The second Mrs Honneker is a lot younger than the Senator who has three children older than Ronnie. Thinking she would be satisfied with money, parties, clothes, and all the things that go with being in the public eye, Ronnie has found she is dissatisfied with her life. When political strategist Tom Quinlan, young, handsome, unmarried and a "real hunk", is hired to improve the senator's political image, Ronnie finds herself thinking unmarried thoughts. At the same time, another story is going on in the area. Two women have been found murdered and a friend of theirs is frightened for her life. Afraid that she will be next. How are these two stories connected? Will Tom weaken and fall under the spell of Ronnie Honneker? Will Ronnie kiss her glamorous life good-bye? Another good read. A page-turner.

Dark Harbor by Stuart Woods

When Stone Barrington's cousin, Dick Stone, dies and leaves everything pretty much in Stone's hands and omitting Dick's brother from his will, all heck breaks loose. Originally considered a double murder, suicide death, clues lead Stone to believe that all three members of Dick's family were murdered. Natives of the island in Penobscot Bay feel threatened when young women begin to be assaulted and murdered. Stone calls in friends from home including Lance and Holly from the CIA and close friend Dino, police investigator. A group called the "Old Farts" and friends, former work acquaintances of Dick also think there is more to the mystery than everyone is seeing. Woods writes a twisted tale of family secrets and serial murders.

Vanished by Karen Robards

Assistant District Attorney Sarah Mason is still looking for her daughter, Lexie, who went missing seven years ago. Stuck in her life, she finds it impossible to enjoy anything, fearful that she didn't deserve to be happy. She is a workaholic, keeping her "free time" anything but free. Her close friend Jake, a private investigator, is very concerned about her and her health. When she witnesses a robbery/murder she is injured and the feeling is someone is out to get her. Robards spins a tale of angst, fear, secrets and determination. A great read.

The Sentry by Robert Crais

Joe Pike is inadvertently involved in what he thought was gang warfare when he comes to the rescue of Dru Rayne and her uncle in their little cafe. Attracted to Dru, Joe says he will take care of the problem and this is where the problems begin. Crais writes an exciting thriller of murder, violence and secrets that will keep the reader turning the pages to the end.

Strategic Moves by Stuart Woods

Stone is his usual self, looking out for his clients and laying the girls. Foreign intrigue, lots of dialogue, and is more or less double crossed by Lance Cabot of the CIA. Not one of Woods' best.

Shattered b y Karen Robards

Attorney Lisa Grant quits her job and goes home to care for her terminally ill mother. Getting a job is necessary and District Attorney Scott Buchanan, old time friend and neighbor, hires her as a research assistant. When their egos clash, Lisa gets sent to the basement to work cold case files. Coming upon a picture that looks amazingly like herself, Lisa is drawn to the case and decides to investigate further. A series of accidents and mishaps raise questions. Are these things happening because Lisa is looking into the case? Secrets are exposed endangering Lisa and her mother. What is the connection between this old disappearance case and Lisa's family? A great story, keeps the reader turning the pages.

Shoot Him If He Runs by Stuart Woods

Stone is invited to the White House for a dinner. And he is requested to have a bag ready with clothes for a warmer climate. The CIA is looking for a man believed to still be alive and living in the Caribbean on St. Marks, one of the islands. With two friends and another agent, Holly Barker, they find themselves on a "vacation" while trying to ferret out the wanted man. Lots of twists and turns, secrets and devious plots, Woods writes an exciting thriller.

Pursuit by Karen Robards

Rookie lawyer Jessica Ford collects the First Lady and tries to take her back home. On the way there is a terrible auto accident killing the First Lady and throwing Jessica from the car. Secret Service Agent Mark Ryan discovers her at the scene and follows her to the hospital. Jessica wakes up to a hazy figure attempting to inject something in her iv. Screaming, throwing herself from the bed, jerking out the catheter, Mark hears her from the hall and rushes to her room. No one seems to believe Jessica and when she is discharged from the hospital, she is taken to a secure place, she thinks. Meeting with her employer to discuss what she thinks she knows, he tries to kill her, and jumps from a 20-story window. What does Jessica know? Is is safe to trust Mark Ryan? What was the First Lady doing at the shady bar in the first place? A very twisted, romantic thriller. A good read.

The Short Forever by Stuart Woods

Stone finds himself in London, supposedly looking for the niece of his client, but manages to run into a couple of "old" girlfriends and get distracted. In between distractions, he manages to figure out that his client is not who he seems to be and that there is more going on that appears. Also, he attends a party at an old lover 's place in the country. The lover and her fiance include the party-goers in a sailing event. When the fiance is knocked overboard and drowns, Stone isn't sure but he thinks it is accidental. A couple of more bodies show up, adding more questions to the case. Stone is fairly unruffled with all the commotion and seems to lose only his raincoat. Not a bad little adventure.

The Wonder of Your Love by Beth Wiseman

Katie Ann Stoltzfus is resigned to life as a single mother when her husband leaves her to go back to his mistress. In the meantime, Katie Ann's husband dies unexpectedly, leaving many questions unanswered. Her Englisher neighbor, Martha, has "adopted" baby Jonas and serves as his grandmother. When Eli Detweiler, a widower with six grown children, visits family in Canaan there is an attraction between the two. Eli, expecting to travel now that his family no longer needs him, resists the attraction. Katie, still mourning the state of her husbandless life, also resists the attraction. But friends and family have other ideas. A good second book in the series.

Sleepwalker by Karen Robards

Detective Micayla Lange has nightmares about the night her mother was murdered in front of her older sister and herself to the point of sleepwalking. She is house-sitting for her uncle Nicco while they are on a New Year's trip to the south. Awakening after yet another nightmare, she is disoriented. Returning to her room, she hears noises that draw her back downstairs to her uncle's office. Interrupting a burglary leads to discoveries about her uncle, leading her to "switch" loyalties and a run for her life in the midst of a freezing Lake Erie winter. A thriller for sure, exciting to the last page.

Something Old by Dianne Christner

Katy Yoder is all grown up now, but as a youngster, she and two of her friends pledged to share a dwelling and be on their own. Now that time has arrived. Megan is still going to school and is not sure what she wants to do with her life. Lil seems to be attracted to worldly things and wants to discard her prayer cap, of all things. Katy also thinks her love for Jake Byler is over but when he returns to the community and the church, she has to re-think her feelings. A nice little novel of romantic love and problems with young Mennonites.

Break Down by Sara Paretsky

Private Investigator/lawyer Victoria Warshawski responds to her cousins call for help locating some missing teens. Enthralled by fictional character Carmilla, Queen of the Night and shapeshifter, the girls end up in an old cemetery performing a rite of their own. When V. I. finds them, she also finds a newly dead body. Secrets, secrets, secrets. V. I. also responds to a friend's call for help only to find her crumpled form on the floor of a church. Questions, questions, questions. There seems to be a connection between the two, but what is it? A clever tale of intrigue among the wealthy and not so wealthy. A good read.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

The author takes the reader back to 1942 and forth to 1986 in the life of Henry Lee, Chinaman in Seattle, Washington. Henry is reminded of his past when The Panama Hotel is re-opened and a cache of Japanese belongings from 1942 are found. His wife has passed away and the memories are bitter sweet as he recalls his Japanese friend Keiko and the days during the war, when the Japanese Americans were interred in concentration camps. Father-son relationships, first loves, and prejudice are explored. A good read, historically correct.

Married to a Stranger by Patricia MacDonald

Emma Hollis, is wealthy, has a good job and is pregnant. Having only known her fiance six months, and circumstances considering, Emma and David Webster are getting married the sooner the better. Emma doesn't really know anything about David and when she is attacked in their honeymoon cottage by an axe-wielding masked intruder, she begins to wonder if she knows David at all. Secrets abound. Tension builds. People disappear. What is going on? Not a bad story.

The Captain and The Candles by Gary Jay Pool

Captain James Lang finds himself in the middle of an abolitionist war. An honorable man, he tries to do the right thing, yet finds himself blocked by members of society who fail to walk the talk, and is tempted at every turn. An interesting tale of the early Iowa, Missouri and Kansas years.

Cape Perdido by Marcia Muller

Secrets. Jessie and Fitch find themselves in the middle of an ecology fight over water rights with an under current of friction they don't understand. When people begin disappearing and the old mill works burns down, tension mounts. An ok read.

Half Broke Horses: a novel by Jeannette Walls

Lily Casey Smith was a real person. This novel is a fiction based on fact that illustrates what a strong-minded woman could do in the early part of the 20th century. Lily is a school teacher at fifteen and later travels to Chicago to further her education. Feeling confined by buildings and people, Lily returns to the west. The trials and tribulations this woman experiences would inspire any one. Fearless and determined, she was truly a pioneer.