The Hunted

The Hunted

Rachel Lee

3 out of 5

Erin McKenna thought her life was tough when she had to testify against a major defense contractor, but her life down right sucks when said contactor buys her paper and she is out on the street without a job. But she is not without choice since she has been working another angle - this defense contractor sweetens their deals by dabbling in the sex slave trade. All she needs is a little more information to print the story. When Erin McKenna is attacked at her apartment, Jerod Westlake, ex-black ops, comes to her aid and helps her uncover the whole story. Jerod has his own demons, namely the disappearance of his own sister and has made his name by finding and returning kidnapped children. Between the two of them, and with the help of good friends, Erin and Jerrod are determined to make a difference. I didn't really like this one. Was it supposed to be about the White Slave Trade, Backdoor dealing in major corporations or a love story?

Remains of the Dead

Remains of the Dead

Wendy Roberts

4 out of 5

Sadie Novak owns a unique cleaning service- it's her job to go in and clean up after suicides and crime scenes. Sadie has other talents as well. She sees dead people. When she is called in to clean up after the murder-suicide of Trudy and Grant Toth she finds Trudy's spirit sitting there on the bed quite unsure of what happened. Trudy is unable to communicate exactly what happened to her; or to prove her husband's innocence. To complicate matters, Sadie is unable to see suicide victims so she can't get Grant's side of the story. Sadie of course set's out to find the truth, putting herself and her friends in peril and introducing us to an expanding cast of characters that will prove quite interesting as this series continues. I don't think I would call this a cozy because there are some graphic moments, but a good mystery. Would have given it a higher rating, but there was a play on words that bothered me. Would have come off better in an audio, but felt lied to in the book version. The ending was a surprise and made up for the deception of the play on words

Dying to Sell

Dying to Sell

Maggie Sefton

4 out of 5

Kate Doyle, newbie Colorado realtor, knew that her job could be complicated, but when dealing with the sale of her friends' home, little did she know that it could be deadly. When Kate arrives at Mark's home for him to sign the sales papers she find him in the elegantly appointed library with a letter opener sticking out of his neck. Usually, this would be an open and shut case, the spouse is always the first suspect, but with Mark's philandering ways, the suspect list grows exponentially. So of course, Kate has to snoop and solve the case to free her friend of suspicion. Maggie Sefton is known for her Knitting Series and I believe that this book is the first in a new series. Interesting start with what could be a good continuation of characters. Can't wait to see what develops between Kate and the home inspector / gun expert Chekov.

The Fortieth Birthday Body

The Fortieth Birthday Body

Valerie Wolzien

4 out of 4

Second book in the Susan Henshaw series.

Susan is days away from her 40th birthday when she find out that Dawn Elliot, the neighborhood tramp, is moving back to town and all of Susan's insecurities resurface when she once again must be reminded of her husband affair with the woman. But Susan has other things on her mind as well, including the "surprise party" that he husband is planning - but that whole thing doesn't work out so well when Dawn's dead body is found behind the steering wheel of the brand new car that Jed bought Susan for the big 4-0. With the help of her friend Kathleen, an ex-detective, the two set out to solve the mystery of Dawn and the men she was involved with, including a strange husband, but this book quickly dissolves into naughty neighborhood goings on and storylines that could only be described as soap-operaeque. I don't know why I continued on with the series, other than its throw back to kinder gentler days of Dallas and Knot's Landing.

The Wednesday Letters

The Wednesday Letters

Jason F. Wright

4 out of 5

Without being too preachy, this Christian Fiction novel tells the story of Inn owners Jack and Laurel Cooper through letters that Jack wrote to Laurel every Wednesday through the years of their marriage. When Jack and Laurel die in each others arms, the children are called home to make arrangements and while clearing out old boxes in the basement, family friend A&P (her nickname has its own story) comes across these letters and the lives of their parents are laid out in front of them. Through laughter and tears the children come to know their parents in a different way and to know the truth that was hidden from them. A great cast of characters who each have their own stories and weave their lives around a deeply caring community of friends and loved ones.