One of the big draws of Kelley Armstrong’s two mystery series that take place in the frigid Yukon is the setting. Both her Rockton series and the current Haven’s Rock series are set in small settlements that were created as sanctuaries for those desperate to hide from their “normal” lives for a few years. Some of those fleeing to safety in the Yukon include financial victims, those who testified against cartels and can’t be kept safe, and those fleeing abusive spouses.
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You can’t go wrong with any book by Katherine Applegate. And “Pocket Bear” is just like her other ones in an important way — it is filled with quirky characters who learn important life lessons and make lasting friendships. It’s brilliant, and it’s sure to be another classic in the middle grade collection of memorable books.
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Before you even open the cover of “The Astral Library,” you know immediately that this novel is something special. At least in the first edition of this book, the edges of the pages are stenciled in blue with a dragon-scale pattern and the endpapers are gorgeously illustrated in blues and gold. But the physical appearance of this masterpiece by Kate Quinn is no greater than the story itself, which is a true love story.
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In the very first chapter of “It’s Not Her,” Mary Kubica describes in detail a violent double murder. One of the main characters and narrators, Courtney, witnesses the brutal slaying of her best friend Emily and Emily’s husband, Courtney’s brother. The other main character is Courtney’s niece, Reese. Cleverly, while both narratives are in first person, Courtney narrates what is happening in the now, while Reese’s narrative explains the events of the preceding week.
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All married couples have arguments. But what happens when shortly after that spat, your spouse disappears? That’s the beginning of acclaimed author Thrity Umrigar’s newest novel, “Missing Sam.” Aliya and Sam (short for Samantha) have been married for years and live a comfortable life in their Cleveland suburb. But after a party brings past irritations to the surface, they argue. And the next morning, Sam goes for a run and doesn’t come back.
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Nature versus nurture. Genes versus upbringing. What forces form a child into the adult he or she becomes? In “What Boys Learn,” author Andromeda Romano-Lax delves forces us to consider that dilemma as we meet Abby Rosso, a counselor whose childhood was really rough. Her only sibling is a brother who is a psychopath and ended up in prison. But Abby also has done things she’s ashamed of.
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“The Snow Lies Deep” and perhaps nowhere deeper than in a small village in rural Vermont at Christmas. Paula Munier takes us right into the heart of the small, picturesque town of Northshire as the town celebrates the holiday season in grand style. The village is hosting the “Solstice Soirée,” “twelve days of eating, drinking, and making merry, beginning on the winter solstice and continuing through Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and Christmas right on to New Year’s Day.”
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In this delightful historical fiction mystery series, the not-so-proper Lady Petra Forsyth must solve the mystery of the murdered chef. This was no ordinary chef, but one who had served as chef to the royal household and also, years earlier, to Petra’s father’s house. Who would have murdered Sir Rufus Pomeroy?
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“The Seven Rings” is Nora Roberts’ last book in “The Lost Bride Trilogy,” and it’s set on the rocky coast of Maine, in a beautiful manor home filled with ghosts. Some of the ghosts are members of the Poole family who owned the mansion, others worked there and their spirits still inhabit the spacious rooms. But there is one entity that doesn’t belong, an evil spirit, who longs to possess the manor home and is willing to kill anyone who gets in her way. She killed seven Poole brides and stole their wedding rings, and she is intent on being the mistress of the mansion.
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“Hurricane Heist” is the second book in James Ponti’s new detective series, “The Sherlock Society.” This very clever middle grade series features the first person narrator Alex Sherlock, his two best friends Yadi and Lina, his sister Zoe, and his grandfather, a retired journalist. They live in South Florida in Coconut Grove and since the first book, have been looking for Al Capone’s missing Florida treasure — a stash of money that was secreted somewhere in Southern Florida and never found.
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The newest entry into the delightful time-travel murder mystery series by Kelley Armstrong, “Death at a Highland Wedding,” might be my favorite of the four books in the “Rip Through Time” series. In this mystery, Mallory Atkinson, a 21st century Canadian detective who has traveled in time back to the 1870s, journeys with her employer and his family and friends to Scotland for the wedding of Hugh McCreadie’s sister.
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David Rosenfelt’s 31st (!) entry in the Andy Carpenter Mystery series is “Dogged Pursuit.” But this one is significantly different from the earlier entries in one important way: it’s a prequel featuring Andy as a rookie in the defense attorney business. He’s approaching thirty years of age and has decided that it’s time to help those who are essentially victims of the system. He wants to give the wrongly accused a real chance in court. And though he’s relatively young, and all his previous work has been on the prosecution side, he has an inner confidence that whispers, “Help people. You can do it.”
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