Daddy's Gone a Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark

When Kate Connelly was a little girl, her daddy used to sing the nursery rhyme Daddy's Gone A Hunting but Daddy doesn't want to sing it anymore.  Kate has grown up and now works as a CPA.  In addition she holds an interest in the family antique business along with her sister Hannah.

Early one morning, Kate and a former employee Gus, make their way to the building which houses the family business.  While there, they smell the distinct odor of gas.  In an attempt to run out of the building, a staircase collapses on them.  Gus ends up dead and Kate lands in a hospital room in grave condition. Hannah and their Dad are intent on finding out why Kate and Gus were at the building so early in the morning.   In the process, they find out more than they bargained for.

The problem I had with this novel is that there were way too many characters.  I found it hard to keep track of them all and how they fit into the storyline.

A good addition to other novels by Clark.  If you enjoy her style of writing, you'll probably enjoy this entry as well.

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The Edge of the Earth by Christina Schwarz

Trudy Swann is the sheltered daughter of an affluent family in Wisconsin.  Betrothed to Ernst, Trudy is looking forward to the upcoming nuptials and living next door to her best friend.  Enter Oskar (cousin of Ernst) who falls in love with Trudy.  They marry and move to a lighthouse at Point Lucia, California.

All is not what it seems on this isolated outpost and Trudy is intent on uncovering the secrets that are harbored on the island.  She becomes schoolteacher to the children living there.  She grows accustomed to the rustic way of life and makes a place for herself.

Ms. Schwarz may already be known to avid readers as she penned  Drowning Ruth among other novels.  I did enjoy this story but I would be remiss if I did not mention that there are similarities between it and The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.

Ms. Schwarz' style of writing makes this novel seem to be an historical account of something that actually happened.  It is enjoyable.

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Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts

Eli's life has been a wreck for the past year.  He lost his job.  He lost his wife and he lost his confidence in himself.  He retreats to the family home at Whiskey Beach to write and relax.

Abra is a housekeeper at Whiskey Beach among other jobs.  She keeps an eye on the matriarch of the family until a fall puts Hester in the hospital.  Abra still cleans the house and Hester has encouraged her to look after Eli.

Eli, a first resistant, becomes attracted to Abra and together they try to unearth the mystery surrounding Eli's wife's death.   An unsolved murder, an unknown trespasser in the family home and in Abra's home all seek to unravel all the strides Eli has made toward living a normal life.

Typical Nora Roberts, this story combines romance and mystery to create a good read.

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A Place of Hope by Anna Jacobs

Emily Mattison is injured in an automobile accident.  Fiercely independent, she finds herself suddenly at the whim of others.  Hospitalized and in a coma, her nephew takes it upon himself to handle her affairs.
Emily eventually gets herself together and discovers she has been placed in a locked ward.  She enlists the aid of her roommate and is able to escape from the hospital in the dark of night.

Through a series of discoveries she is able to get her life back together but not without some tense moments.

A light-hearted drama from a prolific writer.

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Lifetime by Liza Marklund

Julia is married to David.  Both are police officers.  The police are summoned to their residence one night to discover that David has been murdered and their 4-year old son is missing.  Julia is in a state of incoherence and her service revolved is found nearby.

Julia is put on trial for the murder of her husband.  Newspaper reporter Annika Bengtzon wrote a story about Julia in the past and fervently believes she did not commit this crime.  She becomes consumed with finding out the truth.

This is the seventh book featuring Annika Bengtzon and although I have not read any of the previous novels in this series, I certainly intend to.

Good character development.  You will want to know as much about Annika and you want to find out who really committed the crime.

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Stolen by Daniel Palmer

Imagine your wife has been diagnosed with cancer.  She needs medical treatment to the tune of $300,000.  You submit your claim to your insurance carrier only to find out that she must use the generic version of the drug.   Unfortunately the drug is out of stock and the insurance will only cover the generic. John Bodine goes to the insurance carrier and negotiates with them.  They say they will provide about $12,000 to cover the real drug.  What would you do?

Bodine comes up with an ingenious plan to steal someone's identity and submit medical claims under that person's name.  The plan seems to work until he gets a phone call one night.  The caller has discovered his trespass and will not report his insurance fraud if John agrees to play a game called "Criminal".  The caller lays out crimes that both John and his wife must complete to avoid being prosecuted.  The crimes become more heinous as time goes on.

A well constructed novel.  Very realistic and worth the read.

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