Killer Instinct by S.E. Green 272 pages

If you liked the T.V. show Dexter, you will like this book. Lane is the teenage girl version of Dexter. She has a secret obsession with serial killers. When a serial killer comes to her hometown, Lane gets involved in the hunt. 

This was read by Emily Woo Zeller. 

Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton 343 pages

Several women are killed and Hamish Wolfe, a young and handsome doctor is convicted of the crimes and sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Hamish swears a blue streak he is an innocent man. And sometimes you believe him and sometimes not. Maggie Rose is a true crime writer and an attorney notorious for getting serial killers released independent of guilt, or innocence. She only cares that the conviction was just. Or at least that’s how it seems.  And Detective Constable Pete Weston is the officer who arrested Wolfe and gained a promotion because of it. So maybe he’s just concerned because he has a vested interest in protecting his conviction. Hard to tell.

All three characters are entangled in a web of lies, secrets and their own agendas. Along with several just as intriguing supporting characters, Daisy in Chains is an atmospheric, fast paced, psychological mystery that will entertain from the first page to the last. Seriously good read!

Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline 417 pages

I enjoy Lisa Scottoline's Rosato and Associates books so I will try not to hold this book against her. I have to admit, the whole time I was reading it, I felt like a was reading a poorly written Jodi Piccoult novel.
Christine Nilsson is a young teacher whose husband is infertile.  They really want a family so they choose an anonymous sperm donor.  Every thing seems to be going fine until the man arrested as a serial killer of young nurses bears a strong resemblance to their donor.  Here is where the story goes off the rails, in my opinion.  Christine puts her marriage and her life at risk when she decides to find the identity of the donor and prove he is not guilty. 1st, she impersonates a reporter, then a paralegal to gain access to the prison and to interview witnesses.  Some may argue that this shows what a strong woman she is and how resourceful teachers are.  On the other hand, I thought she was irresponsible and did not take into consideration the reprecussions of her actions.  This book does include book club discussion materials for those who want to debate the point!

Made For You by Melissa Marr 384 pages

This book is told in three perspectives: Eva, Grace, and Judge.

Eva Tilling wakes up in a hospital bed after being hit by a car walking home one night. She also discovers that she has a new skill, she can see how a person will die when they touch her. During her recover, Eva reconciles with an old friend, Nate, who is hired to help Eva.

Grace Young is Eva’s best friend who is an outsider, having come to North Carolina from Pennsylvania. Eva’s friends accept Grace because of Eva.

Judge is obsessed with Eva. He is also killing girls trying to send messages to Eva through flowers.

With the help of Nate and Grace, Eva uses her new skill to determine who the next victims will be. Will the trio be able to solve the murders before they are next?

This book is a Gateway Award nominee and was read by Shannon McManus, MacLeod Andrews, and Samantha Quinn. This book was intense and hard to put down. 

Field of Prey by John Sandford 392 pages

John Sandford’s Buried Prey had just been released when I began the Prey series. I started with the first book and I read them all in order over a few months span and except for book club books they were the only books I read. I literally ate, breathed and slept Lucas Davenport and the officers of the BCA. I felt bereft when it was over.

In the latest installment, Field of Prey several bodies are found in a cistern in the middle of a corn field. Eventually they discover that the victims had been killed over a period of time dating back almost twenty years. Sandford introduces a new character, detective Catrin Mattsson who investigates with Lucas the Black Hole Killer as he has been named.

Field of Prey is vintage Sandford: fast paced, action packed, with enough twists and turns to keep your attention until the very end. A great part of the allure of the Prey books is the relationship that you develop with the characters as they grow and evolve. For that reason this is one series that I would recommend that you start with the first book and read them in order. 

Waiting For Wednesday by Nicci French 372 pages

Waiting for Wednesday is the third book in the Frieda Klein series by husband and wife writing team Nicci Gerard and Sean French. Frieda is a psychotherapist who sometimes works with the police to solve crimes. In this installment Ruth Lennox, wife and mother of three is found murdered in her own home. The ensuing investigation reveals that Ruth was leading a secret life, the unveiling of which, throws her emotionally wounded children into Frieda’s life and home. Simultaneously, a chance remark sends Frieda on a separate investigation where she meets up with a retired journalist working on a series of missing girl reports.

I read the previous two books in one sitting but this one took a moment to get into. Way too much going on, and Frieda seemed to be losing her mind, although to be fair she was nearly killed in Tuesday’s Gone by a psycho first introduced in Blue Monday—you really need to read these in order—but eventually I got to the can’t-put-it-down stage. I can’t wait until Thursday to find out what happens next. 

Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes 438 pages

 Annabel doesn’t have much of a life. She is a police analyst, she lives alone but for her cat, she has no friends and she takes care of her aging mother. When she discovers her neighbors decomposing body in the house next door and realizes that nobody even missed her she begins an investigation to determine how many people actually die alone and forgotten. She is appalled at the inordinate amount she discovers in her town. Using her skills as an analyst she discovers a pattern and realizes that something is not quite right.

Human Remains alternates between Annabel’s narration and the actual killer’s although I’m not quite sure you can call him a killer since the victim’s all commit suicide. But he does play a part.

This is another case of choosing a book based on an author’s previous work and while it had an unusual and original premise it didn’t quite measure up to her earlier work. Too many bodies probably.