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‘The Hired Man’ by Sandra Dallas; historical fiction about the dust bowl and tragedy

/ Pamela Kramer

Well-written, gripping historical fiction like “The Hired Man” takes us back to another place and time and allows us to experience that setting through the eyes, and usually meticulous research of the author. Sandra Dallas takes us back to Colorado in 1937, during the time of the Dust Bowl, when instead of rain falling from the sky, dirt blew in from neighboring states blanketing the ground and covering everything with layers of dirt and grit. Thanks to her careful, detailed descriptions we can almost feel the grit in our mouths and eyes as a storm blankets the town with dirt.

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‘Moonlight Runner’ by Karen Robards is historical fiction at its best

/ Pamela Kramer

Karen Robards’ brilliance lies in her ability to take historical events, add fictional characters, and wring us dry emotionally as her strong, independent female protagonists march through important historical events risking everything to follow their beliefs. “The Moonlight Runner” takes us to Ireland in 1918. The Great War, as they called World War I, has just ended, but instead of being felled by a German-speaking enemy, people are being killed by an invisible organism known as the Spanish flu. Living in a small Irish town on the coast is Rynn Carmichael.

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‘Storm Warning’ by Alice Henderson is a magnificent combination of thrills and conservation

/ Pamela Kramer

Alice Henderson’s thrilling and fascinating series about Alex Carter, a wildlife biologist whose past adventures have taken her to study jaguars, wolverines, polar bears, and caribou, now takes her to Hawai’i. In “Storm Warning,” Alex has been asked to monitor a beach where hawksbill turtles are laying their eggs. The timing is perfect as she was just coming off of another job and had the time. Also, returning to the island where she lived with her parents for a while brings back fond memories.

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‘Bloodlust’ by Sandra Brown is a sexy thriller

/ Pamela Kramer

In Sandra Brown’s new novel “Bloodlust,” the action is set in the same Louisiana town as her previous novel with “blood” in the title, “Blood Moon.” And while the main characters from “Blood Moon” appear in this novel, it’s not a sequel. The similarities, though, are hard to ignore. In the new novel, it’s Detective Mitch Haskell who sits stage center, with therapist Dylan Reede taking an important, but secondary, role. The main characters from “Blood Moon” are supporting characters, and it definitely helps to have read “Blood Moon” first, but this is certainly a stand alone novel as well.

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‘The Hospital at the End of the World’ by Justin C. Key feels something like the end of our world as we know it

/ Pamela Kramer

“The Hospital at the End of the World” is as much a warning to the world as it is a medical/mystery novel. Justin C. Key implies (or sometimes says boldly and unequivocally) that Artificial Intelligence presents a potential danger to humanity that we ignore at our own very real peril. Though the book deals specifically with the effects of a future AI on our medical systems and beliefs, we can see all too clearly the frightening effects that the technology poses for all of us.

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‘I Came Back for You’ by Kate White; a mother’s love and a serial killer

/ Pamela Kramer

Kate White’s newest thriller, “I Came Back for You,” is truly an edge-of-your-seat mystery because she keeps the lid on tight over the killing that is at the center of the story. Bree Winter lives in Uruguay with her partner Sebastian on a chacra, an idyllic farm, nestled near the ocean. But in spite of her happiness with Sebastian, she’s kept a part of her past life hidden. She’s never completely shared what happened when her daughter was murdered during her junior year of college. Now, information surfaces that perhaps the serial killer whom they thought had killed Melanie didn’t do it.

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‘The Fourth Princess’ by Janie Chang is fabulous historical fiction

/ Pamela Kramer

Well-written historical fiction immerses us into the past as surely as a movie might pictorially show us a scene. In “The Fourth Princess,” author Janie Chang takes us to China in 1911, and we learn about the Boxer Rebellion and the endangered Imperial dynasty. The action is set in Shanghai, and the story is cleverly told through two points of view. Liu Lisan (first names are second in China) is an orphan taken in by a wealthy bachelor from a very important family. She was educated at private schools, but wants to make her own way in the world. The other main character, Caroline Stanton, is a newly arrived wealthy American who wants to hire a secretary to help her with her social obligations. Instead of hiring an American, she decides that a Chinese secretary might be more useful.

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‘First Sign of Danger’ by Kelley Armstrong is the second to last novel in the Haven’s Rock series

/ Pamela Kramer

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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‘Pocket Bear’ by Katherine Applegate is like hot cocoa on a cold winter night — it warms you from inside

/ Pamela Kramer

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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‘The Astral Library’ by Kate Quinn is stunning and book lovers will adore it

/ Pamela Kramer

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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‘It’s Not Her’ by Mary Kubica is truly a novel that keeps you guessing

/ Pamela Kramer

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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‘Missing Sam’ by Thrity Umrigar is a powerful novel about love and our differences

/ Pamela Kramer

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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