Updates

"Two years after Abigail Sutton’s husband walked out of their apartment, his body was found at the bottom of an isolated ravine. For two years, Abigail had stopped living. She now feels freed, and she sets out to change her life. Abigail settles in the small town of Spookie and buys a fixer-upper house rumored to be haunted. Edna was the former owner of the house, or was she? Edna died of natural causes, or did she? Edna’s sister, Emma, and Emma’s twins left the town, or did they? The questions, the secrets, and the mysteries keep accumulating." - E.

"Unwed, thirtyish Poppy McGuire has opted to stay in her small hometown to watch over her widowed but quite capable father. Small town gossips have labeled Poppy an 'old maid.' Independent Poppy ignores the gossips and sets about to find the murderer of the town’s 'old monied' Geneva Woodward. Soon Poppy partners with Alex Montero, a widowed, thirtyish, reticent, and retired Baltimore police detective with secrets of his own. The town contains a collection of colorful characters as well as suspects. An engaging and enjoyable mystery. " - E.

"Private investigator, Angelina Bonapaarte, and her assistant, Bobbie Russell, investigate a run-away husband and father with multiple identities, Mafia connections, and a fake obituary. Many twists in the plot. Good character development. The pertinent quotations from Shakespeare, Seneca, Weil, et al. that begin each chapter enhance this always suspenseful read." - E. Pasquali

4/4 stars.

"Diana St. James, mother, career woman, soon to be ex-wife, and compulsive routine follower decides to chuck it all and spend a year traveling through Europe. Diana starts her 'adventure' in Paris. Her itinerary is planned down to the minute, commencing with the masquerade ball at Versailles. Her adventure takes an unpleasant turn when she becomes the prime suspect in a murder and jewel theft. I didn’t find Diana a sympathetic character, otherwise, a fast moving and engaging read." - E. Pasquali

2/4 stars.

"'It is often in the space between things we think are irreconcilably different that the most interesting connections are made. That space is where poems live.' Orly a young child, and our heroine lives through the earliest scenes of Hitler's bewildering regime as it tore apart her family home, the place she is growing into a person living inside a community unit she knows and depends on with its love, a love which propels her to survive into a new world.

"London Rose turns down a marriage proposal to start a new job as social director on a Hungarian river cruise. For London, travel 'is life itself.' While London is adjusting to the challenges of her new job, a greater challenge confronts her, solving the murder of a passenger before she is charged with the crime. A fast paced, enjoyable read enhanced by descriptions of the sites of Hungary." - E. Pasquali

3/4 stars.

"Best friends, Mona and Vicki, start their own business selling their jam and honey products. When their shop burns down, and a neighbor, Collin MacInroy, is found dead in the shop’s basement, the police have a case of arson and murder on their hands. Vicki’s brother, Leo, is the police investigator, and Mona is the prime suspect. An engaging, fast read." - E Pasquali

2/4 stars.

"This is the latest book in a series about Hannah Swenson, who runs a cookie shop and solves mysteries. Come for the murders but stay for the recipes. The title one sounds fantastic and there are over two dozen more recipes sprinkled throughout the story." - N. McGill

3/4 stars.

"The story of the selling of a Catskill resort in the 1960's. This nostalgia tale tells of the change of traditions, when families ran to the Catskills for the summer to escape the heat of NYC. It tells the story of the Goldmans and Weingold families each with their own memories of their experiences at the hotel. It is a nice read, especially if you grew up in the 60s." - C. Daley

3/4 stars.

"Anna Qu makes herself open and vulnerable in her memoir. It was heartbreaking to read about the lack of love her mother showed for her. At the age of five, her mother leaves her in China to be taken care of by her grandparents while her mother moves to America to achieve the American dream. Once she is finally reunited with her mom, she has no relationship with her mother and feels inferior to her half siblings.

"A short and fast read with an ending I never predicted. It starts out with a newly married couple, and the husband disappears after the company he works for is in trouble with the FBI. The wife and her 16 year old step daughter have to work past the struggles in their relationship to work together to solve his disappearance and determine his innocence. The book truly shows the love of a parent/step-parent." - J. Cipolla

4/4 stars.

"The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a most engaging book about 69 year old man whose wife has just died. He finds a charm bracelet among her belongings and seeks to discover the meaning of each charm. This leads to adventures around the world and a complete change in Arthur and his relationships." - L. Gerber

4/4 stars.

"The Paper Palace is the family summer home that Elle and her family have visited every summer for most of her life. The story begins with a night at the Paper Palace that Elle, at the age of 50, both regrets and desires more of. This intricate novel takes us back in time to understand the crossroads in which Elle finds herself at the beginning of the novel. Each character’s story revolves around love: love for self, love for family members, the desire to be loved.

"This is the third novel in the award-winning Ellery Hathaway crime/mystery series. FBI agent Reed Markham is haunted by one painful unsolved mystery - who murdered his mother while he was still an infant? He has reopened the cold case, and enlisted the help of Ellery Hathaway (current police officer; former child abduction victim whom he rescued many years earlier) in solving this case. Ellery, meanwhile, is grappling with her own troubles, including attempts by her biological father to reconnect.