The Burning by Jane Casey -- I've seen these mysteries featuring detective Maeve Kerrigan for a while now, and decided to start this series from the beginning so I'd know the characters from the start. This book is from 2010, and I see there are more than a dozen in this series now. In this book Maeve and her fellow detectives search for a serial killer. Also Louise is coming to grips with her best friend Rebecca's death.
The Wilds by Sarah Pearse -- This book features Elin and Isaac from past books, and I wish I remembered their stories better, but I've read so many books, I just don't. In this book the siblings are at a retreat in Portugal where they are supposed to relax and reconnect, however, the mystery of Kier follows them. Kier's brother Penn contacted Isaac about helping to locate his sister so while Elin is supposed to be relaxing, she gets involved in the search. And what's up with the folks living in their vans at the camp?
An American Story: Everyone's Invited by Wilmer Valderrama -- I started this memoir on election day... great story of the author's being born in Miami, but leaving at age three for his father's homeland in Venezuela. I have a soft spot for Venezuelans, and I like Wilmer on NCIS!
Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke -- An older book, but a really neat story about Rachel who was raised to be a pure Aryan specimen and her meeting with Jason Young, an American journalist stationed in Berlin. Meanwhile Lea is preparing to help with the Passion Play which takes place every decade in Oberammergau.
I've Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark. -- I realized recently that I've nead a couple newer books in the Under Suspicion series and never knew the backstory referred to in them. I looked up these books in order and this is book one that introduces us to Laurie Moran whose husband was killed by Blue Eyes when her son was just three. Five years later, the murder is still unsolved, and Laurie is producing a new television show which revisits the murder of a socialite who was hosting her daughter and her daugther's three friends for a Graduation Gala - the four young women had recently graduated from college.
On The Surface by Rachel McGuire -- Dani and Sawyer are in the Bahamas where Dani is trying to capture the perfect videos to become a YouTube sensation. She's hoping to make a lot of money by posting about their life on a boat. But when Sawyer wakes up after a party and can't find Dani, people start questioning him. Because it's (almost) always the boyfriend or husband, right?
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty -- Imagine being on a flight nearly getting ready to land when an older lady starts walking up the aisle pointing at people saying "cause of death, age of death" followed by things like "pancreatic cancer, age 66" or "old age, age 100." This is what happened on a flight in Australia, so after that flight people kept tabs on their fellow passengers to see if the Death Lady's predictions came true. Meanwhile the reader learns about this lady's story. Her name is Cherry by the way. Not Cheryl.
The Stranger at the Wedding by A.E. Gauntlett -- At Annie and Mark's wedding, there is a guy sitting there who gives them both the creeps. Who is this man that they did not invite? Did Mark's father invite him as the stranger claims? Meanwhile we learn the backstory of Annie and Mark and of Cameron and how he came to be at the wedding.
The Reckoning by Jane Casey -- I decided to try another of the Maeve Kerrigan mysteries. In this book the team starts out investigating the brutal murders of two men convicted of sexual crimes against minors. Why are these men being targeted and will there be more murders?
House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen -- Stella is a lawyer for the good of children usually in custody cases, and her good friend Charles asks her to take on the case of 9 year old Rose. Beth and Ian are divorcing, each is suspected in the death of their nanny, but police don't have enough evidence to charge one or the other. Meanwhile they each want Rose to live with them and Stella has to spend time with Rose to figure out which one to recommend.
Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight -- Cleo and her mom, Kat, have a difficult relationship, but Cleo reluctantly agrees to meet her mom for dinner. Yet when Cleo arrives, the food is burning and she can't find her mom. Plus she finds blood on a shoe and broken glass. This book explores what led up to this evening and beyond as Cleo searches for clues about what happened.
Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara -- Julia is back living in Ireland after twenty years in California, and she's meeting a couple school friends for drinks when Eleanor finds out from being tagged on Facebook, that the other person who was supposed to be there, Anya, was discovered dead by her partner. As Julia struggles to make sense of this - along with remembering the fourth girl in their JADE friendship - that would be D for Donna - these viral TikTok videos keep showing her house and someone coming down from the ladder! Creepy! With the help of her ex-husband Gabe, her friend Eleanor, and new neighbors Alastair and Drew and Shirin, Julia tries to figure out what's going on.
Middle of the Night by Riley Sager -- Ethan comes back to the family house near Princeton when his parents move to Florida. There he is confronted with the disappearance of his best friend Billy who was taken when the boys were ten years old and camping in Ethan's back yard. It's three decades later, but Ethan still has The Dream which fuels his insomnia.
The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden -- Sydney is having a terrible time finding a good guy to date despite using the app specifically for NYC-area matches. Then she finally meets a doctor who seems spectacular in most every way. Meanwhile the reader learns the backstory of Tom and his pal Slug from high school.
Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles -- A novel set in northern France during World War I when Jessie "Kit" Carson travels there to help set up the library. Only she finds so much more needs doing and she joins in without a fuss. An interesting way to read more about CARD and what the Cards did.
A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison -- Riley is a reporter chosen by the famous author Columbia Jones to follow her around while on tour and get exclusive interviews. What a gift! But when Columbia is found dead in her hotel room, Riley as well as Columbia's daughter Darian look to solve this mystery.
Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea -- Sloan uses a DNA testing service as part of a forensic project and finds way more than she bargained for. She appears to be "missing baby Charlotte" from a story that made national headlines nearly three decades ago.
