Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Miessner 386 pages

Fifteen-year-old Emmy Downtree dreams of being a designer of bridal gowns.  She spends a good part of her time dreaming and drawing.  However, life has a way of interfering in our dreams.  WWII is coming and Emmy and her younger sister, Julia, are evacuated out of London.  They find themselves at the home of "Aunt" Charlotte in the rural English countryside, a nearly idyllic situation.  Except for Emmy, who must get back to London as she has been offered an apprentice position with a designer.  Their lives change forever when young Julia insists on running away with Emmy.  You see, it is the beginning of the Luftwaffe bombing of London and the world as they know it is about to be destroyed. A cruel twist of fate separates the girls, now orphans.  Will they survive, and if so, will they ever be reunited?  And when Fate plays it's wicked tricks, how much of another's fate can we take the blame for? A must read for fans of WWII historical fiction.  Reader's guide included.

Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O'Conner 334 pages

This is a quick and easy read, perfect for a hot summer's day.  One of the reviews said " If Janet Evanovich and Maeve Binchey wrote a book together... This would be the result."  This statement may be a bit of an exaggeration, but none the less, Siobhan O'Sullivan has her hands full.  Not only is she the guardian for her 5 brothers and sisters since their parents were tragically killed, but she runs the family bistro and is famous for her brown bread.  Then her brother, James is accused of murder!  She decides to find the real murderer while juggling all her other duties and trying to decide between the local Garda and the movie star handsome American.  Sound familiar?  1st in a new series and I will read have no problem reading the next one.  BTW...blogged while drinking a bicyclist @ Free State  Brewery in Lawrence.  Aw gawd, isn't retirement grand!?!

A Murder in Time By Julie McElwain 765 pages

This debut novel by Julie McElwain is also the 1st Library Big Read - "The first ever global eBook club".
Kendra Donovan is an exceptional FBI agent in the 21st century. After half her team is wiped out in a disasterous raid, an FBI mole is discovered and she is severely wounded, Kendra goes rogue.  She travels to England to assassinate the man responsible for this disaster.  However, after being nearly assassinated herself, she is transported to 1815 England!  Mistaken for a Lady's maid, she relies on her knowledge of history to survive.  Soon, though, she is able to use her skills and knowledge to help catch a serial killer.  Spoiler alert!! This is the first in a series and a cliff hanger.  Well worth the 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!

The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews 451 pages

I highly recommend this book as a great summer beach read. Riley Griggs is following a summer tradition and coming home to Belle Isle. Her family have been residents and land owners for centuries.  But this summer will be like none other.  This is the summer when Riley and her husband will break the news to their daughter that they are divorcing.  But Riley's husband doesn't show and instead she is met by a process server.  Riley will need the support of her old friends and family.  By the time Labor Day rolls around and hurricane season blows in, old secrets will have been revealed and lives changed forever.

Extreme Prey by John Sandford 406 pages

This mystery novel is the latest in the Prey Series with Lucas Davenport.  Lucas is at loose ends and renovating his lake house when he gets the call from his friend the Govenor.  The  Govenor has been hearing disturbing rumors about a threat to female presidential candidate Bowden, on the campaign trail in Iowa.  The local authorities have investigated but Davenport's particular brand of expertise is needed.  Little does he know the hell-hole of crazies he has just stepped into.  Political emotions run hot and when you've, literally, already lost the farm, what else do you have to loose?  This is a real page turner so clear your calendar!

Time of Fog and Fire by Rhys Bowen 277 pages

This is the latest in the Molly Murphy series.  Molly's husband, NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan, is on the outs with his bosses, so when an offer comes from Secret Servce Director John Wilkie to do some undercover work, Daniel jumps at the chance.  It is so secret, he cannot even tell Molly where he is going!  But she spots him on a newsreel at the cinema!  He is at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.  When she then receives a cryptic letter from him, she and Baby Liam take the train across country to track Daniel down.  When she arrives, she is told Captain Sullivan has met an untimely death! Oh!  Say it ain't so!  Molly is taken under the wing of influential San Franciscan and Nob Hill resident Bella Rodriguez.  But all is not as it seems and just when Molly thinks she has the pieces to solve the puzzle,  the San Francisco earthquake hits and chaos ensues.  Will she ever make it back to New York with her family intact?
An interesting side note:  While reading this I noticed an error.  Molly's train stops in Council Bluffs, IA, then crosses the Mississippi River into the western frontier.  Not!  So I e-mailed the author and received a prompt reply:

Oh dear. So many people have caught this error. Sorry. The embarrassing thing is that I have driven across that bridge a couple of times so I should have known better. Also my manuscript is read by a whole line of editors who should have checked my facts.

At least she got to San Francisco safely?

Best wishes

Rhys Bowen

Cool, right?!

Endangered by C.J. Box 369 pages

This is a real page turner so be prepared!  Once again, Game Warden Joe Pickett is in it up to his eyeballs.  1st of all, daughter April, the wild child, has been found on the side of the road, severely beaten with head trauma.  Boyfriend Dallas Cates, youngest son of the despicable Cates family, is the primary suspect but he has an alibi!  Thrown by a bucking bull, he is laid up with broken ribs and other injuries. Meanwhile, someone has ambushed Nate Romanowski and he is near death, but where is his companion, Liv Brannon?  And this is just the drama in Joe's private life!  Someone has wiped out LEK 64, a brace of grouse that the Feds have been monitoring as a possible endangered species.  Can Joe solve this crime and keep it together for his family?  Well.....we are talking Joe Pickett!

In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward 311 pages

I usually enjoy reading debut novels.  It is sometimes a great way to discover a new favorite author.  However, I found this novel to be a disappointment.   In my opinion, the characters were not fleshed out enough for me to identify with.  The story did not draw me in.  Overall, a thumbs down.
In Derbyshire, England, in 1978, two young girls are kidnapped on their way to school.  One is found several hours later, traumatized, but otherwise unharmed.  The other is never found. Fast forward thirty years later.  The mother of the missing girl commits suicide.  Days later, a teacher from the school ( not the girl's teacher) is found strangled in the woods.  Rachel, the surviving girl, is now a genealogist.  She uses her research skills to see how the recent deaths could be tied to the kidnapping.  In the process, she also uncovers some family secrets.  Has she also put herself in danger?

Blackout by David Rosenfelt 274 pages

I really enjoy David Rosenfelt's books and this one did not disappoint!  Doug Brock is a New Jersey State Police Officer who suffers a traumatic head injury while conducting an investigation " off the books." The fact that he cannot remember the last 10 years does not diminish the pull of the investigation.  He knows it was huge, he knows he was close, and he knows and trusts that his partner Nate and his ex-fiancé, Jessie, will help him get back on track.  Gangsters have partnered with terrorists to wreak catastrophic damage and worse yet, they have help from the inside.  Can Doug and friends  unravel it all in time?

As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark 278 pages

I love Mary Higgins Clark!  It could have something to do with the huge emerald ring she wears...or it could be that she writes solid, clean mysteries.  Stories that hold your interest without all the sex and violence drama.  They do not call her the Queen of Suspence for nothing.  This one is the newest in the Alvira and Willy series.  Television journalist Delaney Wright is covering the sensational trial of Betsy Grant, accused of murdering her husband who had been suffering from early onset Alzheimer's.  Betsy is a very sympathetic character who truly loved her husband  and took excellent care of him.  But did she do it? Or was it the step-son who is deep in debt and stands to inherit $15 million?
Meanwhile, Delaney asks her friends Alvira and Willy to help her find her birth mother.  What they uncover is a bit shocking!  Will everyone live happily ever after?

The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris 439 pages

This is the second Kristina McMorris novel I have read and, honestly, it took me a while to get into this one, but it was worth it.  The author flips back and forth from the present to pre-WWII, even using different print fonts!  Audra is a young widow trying to raise her son, Jack.  Jack has night terrors and seems obsessed with WWII.  When finally asked by his therapist how he knows so much about WWII, Jack replies, " Because I was there."   On the flip side we have Vivian, daughter of an American diplomat living in London.  Vivian is having a secret affair with a German student, Isaak, but when war begins to break out, Vivian returns to the United States and Isaak must return to Germany and try to help his family escape the Nazi's.  What is the connection between these two stories?  Ah, you don't really expect me to tell you, do you?  That would spoil the read for you!  Just be sure you read the Author's Notes at the end.  Discussion questions are also included so this would be perfect for a Book Club.  Caution:  this was an Interlibrary Loan.  SJPL does not own this book.

Off the Grid: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box 371 pages

Wyoming Govenor Spencer Rulon is about to leave office, but before he does, he has one more assignment for his "Special Liaison to the Executve Branch" Game Warden Joe Pickett.  Surprisingly, he sends Joe off to Wyoming's Red Desert in search of his " off the grid" buddy Nate Romanowski. Nate has been approached by men claiming to be federal agents and promised forgiveness for past crimes .  All he has to do is make a connection to fellow falconer Ibby.  Sounds simple, right?  Not so much.  There is a rogue killer bear headed their way, suspicious, possibly terrorist activity, in the area and unbelievably, Joe's daughter Sheridan is mixed up in the mess. Will they all make it out alive? 

NYPD Red 4 by James Patterson 332 pages

I know I have sworn off James Patterson for a while but I am not sorry I read this book.  It was a quick read ( all of  Patterson's are) and it held my interest.  Red 4 is an elite group of detectives  called upon to handle cases involving New York's rich and          (in)famous.  This time, a hot young actress has been murdered on her way to a red carpet premiere and the $8 million emerald necklace she was wearing ripped from her body.  Detectives Zack and Kylie are former lovers, now partners, and are tasked with solving the murder/theft.  However, it could be he greatest obstacle to their success will be handling all the personal issues in their lives!  Hang on for a fast paced ride from page one!

Killing Trail: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima 311 pages

This was an amazing debut novel!  I read it in one day.  Mattie Cobb is a Deputy Sheriff in the small community of Timber Creek, Colorado.  Her partner is K-9 police dog Robo.  The body of a young girl is found partially buried in the woods, guarded by her wounded Bernese mountain dog.  This is the loose thread that unravels a story of drug trafficking, murder, domestic violence and animal abuse in this quite rural community.  The first in a series, I look forward to reading the next.  Mattie and Robo are a refreshing duo and Margaret Mizushima's writing, while captivating, is not the stuff of nightmares.  Read this book, but do not expect to put it aside easily!

Come Hell or Highball by Maia Chance 307 pages

Poor Lola!  Lola, Lola, Lola! Lola is a high society matron in 1923 and her cheating lowlife of a husband dies of a heart attack but leaves her penniless!  How dare he!  Lola has only managed to survive the marriage by having alcohol, chocolate and mystery novels.  (My kind of woman!) Now what is to become of her?

Lola manages to soldier on by partnering with her sturdy and worldly Swedish cook, Berta, and agrees to find a certain reel of movie film for one of her husband's former mistresses.  What happens next is a hilarious key-stone cop type of adventure!  Berta falls for a gangster, Lola has someone trying to kill her, causing her to hang by her girdle from a gargoyle, and finds herself attracted to the P. I. who is following her.

I loved this book because rather than being a dark, psychological thriller, it was a funny, charming mystery.  It made me laugh out loud!  Just like Janet Evanovich! 

The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris 327 pages

This is a story that begins in Dublin, Ireland, 1919, moves to New York, Leavenworth, Alcatraz Island, and back to Dublin, all so a young Irishman, Shan Keagan, can learn the true meaning of family.  Shanley Keagan was a twelve-year-old orphan, living in the care of his Uncle Will, a drunk on the dole.  Shan, a natural comedian and talented singer, was able to supplement their income by performing in pubs.  But when the dole dries up, Uncle Will decides they should go to America, in search of Shan's real father, an American sailor.  Uncle Will dies just as the ship docks at Ellis Island and Shan must rely on the kindness of strangers to survive in the United States.  He becomes a part of the Capello family and in a series of strange improbable events, Shan aka "Tommy" ends up in Alcatraz, the prison from which no one escapes! But Shan does indeed escape, and not alone!  No more spoilers......if you want to know the rest of the story, you will just have to read and enjoy!

The Girl Who Disappeared Twice, The Line Between Here and Gone, The Stranger you Know by Andrea Kane (Forensic Instincts Series) 1123 pages (3 books)

 I decided to blog about the 1st three books in this series all together.  This is a great murder mystery series full of interesting and diverse characters. Casey is the owner of Forensic Instincts, a group of investigators who work inside and, when necessary, outside the law.  Casey is a behavior analyst, Marc is a former Navy SEAL and FBI agent, Hero is a human scent evidence bloodhound, Patrick is a retired by the book FBI agent, Ryan is a super tech guy, Clair is a claircognizant, and let's not forget Hutch, Casey's hot FBI boyfriend who is always there when she needs him. Between them they have all the tools to solve cold cases, and hot new ones that come their way.  This series is a real page turner. If you like murder mystery thrillers, read these books!