Flashback by Nevada Barr

Park Ranger Anna Pigeon is filling in temporary duty at Dry Tortugas National Park in southern Florida. Enjoying the sun, Anna is settling in for some quiet time. Upon receiving a packet of letters from her sister written by a great-great aunt who lived at the fort with her career soldier husband, Anna spends her quiet evenings catching up on history. The tranquility is broken when a ranger fails to report in after his shift. Which follows a mysterious boat explosion. Feeling out of sorts and foggy, Anna tries to keep her wits about her, but secrets abound and mysteries are revealed. Not a bad read.

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

A story of a man who is driven to share his life with wolves to the exclusion of his family, Picoult shares each character's story by chapters. The main character, Luke, is the "alpha male". Always comparing his human life, considered by him inadequate, to the life of a member of a wolf pack. Which in turn causes his family to deteriorate. His daughter, Cara, has chosen to live with her father when her mother marries again, and has twins, creating a "new" family. When Cara and Luke are involved in a terrible accident putting Luke in ICU with no chance of recovery, Cara wants to try everything she can to keep him alive. Cara's brother, Edward, left home at eighteen in a fit of pique at Luke. His mother has asked him to return to the states to Luke's bedside. Picoult weaves a tale of a human family and with life in a wolf pack, comparing the sameness and the differences, the responsibilities and the love or lack of it. A page-turner; a psychological puzzle as each character struggles to understand their place in this imperfect world.

Hunting Season by Nevada Barr

Ranger Anna Pigeon has been in charge of the Natchez Trace Park for seven months now. Normally a quiet strip of environmental flora and fauna, with traces of ancient history in evidence, all heck breaks loose when a park aide notifies Anna of a body at the Mt. Locust site. The nearly naked body is no tourist, but a local man, and the clues surrounding the deceased suggest lurid details to the imagination. Caught between a disgruntled employee and a candidate for sheriff who obviously has his own agenda, Anna becomes aware that not all is well in the state of Mississippi. There are threats on her life and her personal time is guarded and lonely. Barr writes a compelling and thrilling tale of a park ranger in the south.

Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs

Temperance Brennan is called to a crime scene at a landfill next to the NASCAR raceway in Charlotte, Tenn. An old oil barrel loaded with a body and lots of asphalt has been uncovered and Temperance's job is to identify the victim and cause of death. When the FBI shows up and claims the body, the forensic materials and files, tempers begin to fray. There is more going on here than appears and the FBI is less than forthcoming. Secrets are uncovered. People are missing. Bodies are uncovered. A page-turner to the end. A good read.

Guarded: a novel by Kirsten Lasinski

Emily Blyton feels alone in this world. No husband, her daughter has gone to New York City to "escape her mother," and Emily has had to depend on herself. When the local library asks her to do a genealogical profile for them, she makes a startling discovery, shaking Emily's world. Lasinski writes an emotional tale of mother-daughter love and their search for true love.

Chasing the Sun by Kaki Warner

Jake Wilkins returns home after spending several years abroad only to learn he has a young daughter, Kate and the mother a woman he doesn't remember. Daisy Etheridge remembers Jake alright and she is not a happy camper. Escaping San Francisco, eluding authorities, and on a mission, Daisy needs some money to go to Rome to study singing and help take care of her daughter while she studies. Jake's family surrounds Daisy with welcoming care and hope that Daisy and Jake can work things out. Kaki Warner ends this series with excitement and page turning suspense, entertaining dialogue and believable characters. A good read.

Open Country by Kaki Warner

Molly McFarlane has rescued her dead sister's children from their nasty step-father and now they are headed for California, where she hopes to get a job using her nursing skills. The train they are riding on derails, killing two and critically injuring a third man, and Molly learns the railroad will give $300 in death benefits to the families of the dead. Seeing an opportunity, she marries the badly injured man, thinking of using the money to finish the children's and her trek west. Well, the man, Hank Wilkins, doesn't die. And he can't remember anything. When Brady Wilkins shows up to see what has happened to Hank, he is surprised to learn that Hank now has a wife and two children. While Hank is recuperating and to assist Brady's wife Jessica, with her pregnancy, Molly settles in at the ranch knowing that sooner or later, everyone will find out what she has done. Warner composes an exciting and entertaining second in the series, a really great read.

Open Country by Kaki Warner

Jessica Thornton, 26 year-old from England, meets the West face to face with the band of brothers whose last name is Wilkins. Jessica is running from a nasty brother-in-law who raped and abused her and left her pregnant. Now she is searching for her brother who is out in the west, somewhere. When she accidentally accosts Brady Wilkins at a stage stop, things do not get off to a good start. Then when the stage crashes, killing the driver and another man, Brady sets off on an injured horse for help. Warner writes a fast-moving, believable (mostly ;-)) story of love and romance in the mid-1800's. The Wilkins brothers, Brady, Hank and Jake, are hard-working ranchers who are finally making ends meet. They take in the surviving passengers at the ranch until they can continue their journey west, and life gets complicated. A great read.

The Rapids by Carla Neggers

Diplomatic Security Agent Maggie Spencer just wants to do her job: nailing fugitive Nicholas Janssen. But US Marshal Rob Dunnemore sticks to her side, also wanting a piece of Janssen. When Maggie responds to anonymous messages leading her back to the states, Rob joins her and they are both walking into a trap. Lots of government intrigue, a couple of murders, and an assassin looking for ten people on a "to-do-list." An ok read.

Sonoma Rose by Jennifer Chiaverini

Rosa Diaz Barclay ponders her future, married to a man who abuses her, longing for a past love that didn't work out, and concerned for her children who can't survive due to a disease that can't be diagnosed. Rosa, faithful to her Catholic upbringing, tries to be the wife the church asks her to be but her life is miserable. When a neighbor encourages her to leave the abusive situation she is in, she is helped by the one person she was never to speak of again, a former lover. They escape in a downpour to begin a new life in the wine country of Sonoma county. The search for help for her children's illness is directed to a new doctor that seems to have the answers. Will Rosa and Lars be able to remain together and raise the children, two of which are his? Will her husband, imprisoned for bootlegging, find them? Can they keep their secrets? A good read.

Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve

Thinking was different 40, 50 years ago. What happened at home, stayed at home. Women were to obey. What happened to Maureen and Harrold English could have happened to someone we knew. This is the story of Maureen who takes her life in her own hands and flees an abusive husband. Shreve writes from the perspective of Maureen's own words, giving insight into the thinking of a woman who feels she has no other way out. A riveting tale of passion, of love and a murder.

Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder

A claustrophobic's worst nightmare. Seventeen-year-old Alexa Marcus has been kidnapped and is buried alive, her only communication to the outside world is with her kidnapper. The ransom is vague. Her father doesn't want to share with "private spy" and family friend Nick Heller, any of the reasons Lexi might have been abducted. When Alexa appears in a live-streaming video-cam on the Internet it is apparent she is in big trouble. Nick, helped with ex-lover Diana Madigan, trace down the many leads with lies, secrets, and subterfuge preventing Nick from moving forward. With the FBI after Alexa's father for information he has, the pressure from highly placed individuals is intense. A good read, thrilling, holding your attention to the end.

Truth or Dare by Jayne Ann Krentz

Upscale interior designer and psychic Zoe Luce Truax and private investigator Ethan Truax are trying to settle in to married life in Whispering Springs, but Zoe is concerned that Ethan will think she is going crazy with her intuitive ability and Ethan is troubled that Zoe will be dissatisfied with her life in this small community they have moved to. Zoe thinks someone is stalking her and possibly her friend Arcadia. Ethan is dealing with a disgruntled subject of his investigation. The both of them are dealing with their intended home which is currently painted flamingo pink. Rather amusing tale of married life when opposites attract.

The Queen by Steven James

FBI agent Patrick Bowers is in Wisconsin investigating a report that serial killer Travis Reiser was in the area when he gets a call from headquarters to report to a small northern town to supervise the investigation of a suspected murder/suicide. Bowers is trying to balance his work and life and this makes it even more difficult. Stepdaughter Tessa is still disturbed by the memory of killing her attacker. Lien-hua and Patrick seem to be going through the dance of love me, love me not? Patrick's brother Sean's marriage may be on the rocks. To top it off, there may be a high-tech conspiracy to inflame tension in the Middle East. Lots going on here. A good read.

The Diary by Eileen Goudge

Two daughters are going through their mother's things when they discover a diary. Reading it they discover that their mother may have loved another. Goudge tastefully covers all the emotions a child might feel learning a parent's secrets. A bitter sweet ending. A good read.

A Devil is Waiting by Jack Higgins

The President's life is being threatened if he goes to London. New intelligence captain Sara Gideon is the agent investigating the threats. Lots of intrigue, mayhem. Ok read.

The Death Pit by Tony Strong

Scholar Terry Williams is working on her thesis, which leads her to Iverness, Scotland. Researching Catherine McCulloch, a 17th Century woman burned at the stake as a witch, Terry finds the community concerned with the death of a young woman reported to be Wiccan. A tale of secrets and lies.

Gun Games by Faye Kellerman

Fifteen-year-old Gabriel Whitman is a very talented musician. Living with friends of his father, LAPD lieutenant detective Decker and his wife, Rina, Gabe has been home-schooled and will be going to Julliard or Harvard in the fall. In the meantime, he has few friends. When another teen is believed to have committed suicide, Decker is contacted by the mother who is certain her son did not kill himself. When another student commits suicide, Decker finds himself uncovering a group of privileged teens who like to play mean and nasty. Realizing that he does not really know Gabe, Decker tries to draw closer to him. A twisted tale of fear and loneliness, strange alliances, a good read.

The Look of Love by Mary Jane Clark

Piper Donovan is off to California to bake a cake for a wedding. Never mind that she is at heart an actress wanna-be, she is still talented enough to bake a beautiful cake. Her father is over protective and wants her to stay home. Her boyfriend, Jack Lombardi, realizes it has been too short a time since her last love relationship, so he wavers back and forth about his place in Piper's life. Things at the spa, Elysium, are not going well. Catering to the rich and famous, Piper arrives on the eve of a brutal murder. Clark writes a tale of beautiful people, jealousy and murder.

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

Meredith Martin DeLinn is mortified. Her husband is in prison for a ponzi scheme, her kids are not understanding her, and the person who used to be (used to be the point here) her best friend is giving her a place to stay. Will Meredith find happiness? Will she and Connie renew their friendship? Can life get better? A so-so read.