“Eleven on Top” by Janet Evanovich

Eleven on Top Janet Evanovich Poor Stephanie Plum! Bounty hunting, never her dream career, just isn’t doing it for her anymore. After rolling in garbage one time too many, she quits her job at her cousin Vinnie’s office, and tries to find something better. Which turns out to be easier said than done. Although the […]

“Matter of Time” by J.E. Nice

Matter of Time JE Nice In “Matter of Time,” dragons and humans co-exist in harmony–sort of. They live in the same city and work together, and the current king, chosen by humans and dragons alike, is a dragon, and everything seems great. Except for the screams and the disappearances. Something is definitely going on, but […]

“A Scone to Die For” by H.Y. Hanna

A Scone to Die For H.Y. Hanna Gemma gave up her high-powered job in Sydney and moved back to Oxford to open a tea room. But she soon becomes embroiled not just in scones and toast, but in murder. “A Scone to Die For” is pretty much the quintessential cozy mystery. It has an uber-cute […]

“Tricky Twenty-Two” by Janet Evanovich

Tricky Twenty-Two Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum, the world’s worst bounty hunter, rides again. This times she goes back to college, to untangle a plot involving a misbehaving frat, an obsessed dean, and a crazy professor. Plus some of Trenton’s finest businessmen are getting whacked (so what else is new), Ranger is being his usual inaccessible […]

“Brand New Friend” by Kate Vane

Brand New Friend Kate Vane Paolo (real name: Paul), a BBC journalist, discovers that an old college friend from his activist days is really an undercover police officer, who may or may not have “gone native.” Paolo ends up getting drawn back into their circle, and investigating old and new murders as he questions who […]

“Rowan’s Well” by CJ Harter

Rowan’s Well CJ Harter Is Mark Strachan a guy who’s had a tough hand dealt in life? Or a sociopath? “Rowan’s Well” follows the story of Mark and Will from when they become roommates in college to when Mark commits a shocking, unforgivable crime, and everyone has to pick up the pieces afterwards. It’s a […]

“Career of Evil” by Robert Galbraith

Career of Evil Robert Galbraith In “Career of Evil,” the third Cormoran Strike book, Galbraith/Rowling takes a decidedly macabre turn. While “The Cuckoo’s Calling” and “The Silkworm” were not without their gruesome aspects, they were as much satires of the entertainment industry in its various facets–modeling, tabloid reporting, fashion, publishing–as they were crime novels. “Career […]

“Tormented” by Susan Clayton-Goldner

Tormented Susan Clayton-Goldner With the plot of a priest in love with a woman who dies right after he confesses his love to her, you might be forgiven for thinking that “Tormented” is some kind of lurid story about priestly misdeeds. But, while priestly misdeeds do take place, the book is not titillating trash but […]

“The Silkworm” by Robert Galbraith

The Silkworm Robert Galbraith In “The Silkworm,” Robert Galbraith/J.K.Rowling’s second book in the Cormoran Strike series, Rowling deploys her considerable satirical powers against a target she must know intimately: the publishing industry. After solving the Lula Landry case in “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” Cormoran and his secretary-cum-partner Robin are now rolling in business, so Cormoran has […]

“The Cuckoo’s Calling” by Robert Galbraith

The Cuckoo’s Calling Robert Galbraith Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, everyone. Stop the presses, y’all, because J.K. Rowling is back. Okay, under a different name, but the sharp pen is very definitely the same. I always wondered what she would do once the “Harry Potter” franchise was done. She–very wisely, in my opinion–stopped the series after […]