Now You See Her by Joy Fielding

Marcy Taggart is at a milestone birthday. She has also suffered two great loses. She has decided to go on a pre-planned trip to Ireland by herself.

Unable to deal with the death of her daughter, two years prior, she firmly believes that she is alive and in Ireland. She shows her photograph to all she comes in contact with. She becomes embroiled in a series of mishaps and ends up at the police station. The police think she is a bit out of sorts. One thing leads to another and Marcy finds herself overhearing a kidnapping plot. In true Joy Fielding fashion, this is a fast-paced mystery with a surprise ending.

While a little light in the thriller category, you will find yourself wanting to read it in one sitting.

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Cold Wind by C.J. Box

Another Joe Pickett novel set in the rolling plains of Wyoming, the new home of the wind turbine.

Joe's mother-in-law Missy is in a pickle. She's been accused of murdering her fourth husband, Earl. Joe's wife Mary Beth is less than pleased with his cavalier attitude about it all. As the story moves on, Joe realizes that he needs to get more involved and sets out on his own to investigate.

Nate Romanowski's character comes into play again. Hiding out in a remote area, someone discovers where he is and a tragedy ensues. Nate is bent on revenge and takes out all the stops to find out who perpetrated the crime.

Two crimes, two men intent on uncovering what happened, who did it and why was it done.

C.J. Box fans will not want to miss this one!

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Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Looking through the new books at the library in search of a good title, I came across Left Neglected. A smaller book in size than contemporary works of fiction, its' cover shows an apple with leaves on it, looking neglected.

Sarah Nickerson is a career-drive wife and mother of three. She does it all remarkably well with the help of her husband and a nanny. We are privy to her high-pressure job as she taps away at her laptop and texts on her phone. Her husband Bob has some stress of his own as hangs onto his job by a thread while searching for something new.

On a rainy day, a tragedy occurs, sending Sarah into a totally new environment where she must learn to re-think all that is familiar to her. He mother enters the picture after a long absence and Sarah's thoughts about rekindling their relationship change as well.

This story deals with an unfamiliar topic to me--Left neglect. This is a condition where a person cannot see or recognize the left side of the body. It happens to people suffering from strokes and traumatic brain injury, among other conditions. The author, whose background includes a doctorate in neuroscience, presents the intricacies of the phenomenon in an informative manner within the context of a story.

A book that is both entertaining and educational, Left Neglected, is one you will not put down quickly.

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Live Wire by Harlan Coben

Here we go---another book by another one of my favorite authors. To begin with I REALLY like his stand-alone books. I am not a great fan of his Myron Bolitar character. That being said - you will want to read this book.

Coben goes a long way to develop the character of Myron. We see him as a lover, brother, son, uncle and partner in his business enterprise. As far as his business goes,his clientele has changed a bit over the years and he now represents musicians as well. It appears from the start that all the roads are connected. However, as the storyline progresses there are new twists and turns.

Although I was not motivated at the start of this read, I quickly became engrossed in the story and found it to be interesting. Coben kept this reader moving right along, wanting to find out how it all comes out in the end.

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Love You More by Lisa Gardner

In the last title I read by this author, Live to Tell, my complaint was that she did not develop the character of D.D. Warren enough for my tastes. In this title, she brings back D.D. Warren and I was placated. Although Ms. Gardner does admit to not wanting to revisit characters in her books (see notes at end), I was pleased to read more about the character. Granted, the focus of the book is on the crime that was committed and I suppose some schools of thought agree with that premise.

In this book, we are introduced to a female state trooper who appears to have killed her husband, after being battered about. In addition, her 6-year old daughter has gone missing and the lady trooper is not talking. All local police officers converge on the scene and things become a bit complicated.

This is an interesting whodunit with lots of twists and turns. It is a quickly moving mystery, not one that is easily solved. As the author lets the reader in on what really happened, you can start to connect the dots. A good read for a rainy afternoon.

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Sing you home by Jodi Picoult

If there's one thing you can always count on from this author--it's that the subject matter is always controversial. This latest entry is no exception. In it we deal with an alternative lifestyle and frozen embryos.

A closer look at our legal system and the fundamentalist's viewpoint present a well-rounded picture of both topics.

In addition to the story, readers also get to listen to a CD which contains ten songs the author has written the lyrics for.

If you are a Jodi Picoult fan, you won't want to miss this one. If not--try it you might like it and want to read the others.

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Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

What a delightful story! Maeve Binchy is up to her old ways in this lovely foray into a community within the boundaries of Dublin. Occasional references to Quentins brings the story back to familiar places.

Frankie is a child who has been orphaned by its mother and left to be raised by its father. The whole community of characters becomes involved in the process. I found myself longing to meet them all, especially Emily.

If you are looking for a departure from blood, guts, mystery, suspense & horror, don't hesitate to pick up Minding Frankie.

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