Second Thoughts by Margot Dalton

It seemed like a routine break and enter until Spokane detective Jackie Kaminsky took a second look at the evidence... The intruder new his way around Maribel Lewis's home - yet took nothing. The intruder left a threatening letter...and a vile photograph. The intruder seems to know Maribel's deepest secret - and wants payment in blood. Then the killing begins. And the suspects are all members of Maribel's strange extended family - a hostile son, an ex-daughter-in-law, an oddly aloof teenage girl and a terrified grandson. But when the suspects become victims, it's clear... Everybody's guilty of something...and now somebody's guilty of murder. 

I hadn't worked out who-dun-it. The mystery was well done with an abundance of suspects.I liked the development of her relationship with Paul and the inclusion of some of the secondary characters from the first book.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.

 Just as well I stated this on a Saturday, because I couldn't put it down.

My first 10/10 read for the year.

No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay

Terry Archer is married to Cynthia Bigge, a woman with a past. Cynthia was a semi-rebellious 14-year-old when her family vanished overnight from their suburban Connecticut home. She had it better than most would have in such circumstances, being taken in and raised by a loving aunt and later meeting and marrying Terry, a supporting husband who truly loves her even as he is occasionally plagued by her understandable overprotectiveness of their daughter and his fleeting self-doubt over Cynthia's story.

Things come to a head, however, when a television news magazine does a feature on the mysterious, long-ago disappearance of Cynthia's family. Cynthia suddenly feels as if she is being followed; she sees a man at a shopping mall who, she is certain, is a grownup version of her missing brother; and her father's trademark fedora is found resting on their kitchen table. Terry is not completely sure that his wife isn't perhaps making some of it up, as a secondary symptom of some serious emotional problems. His love for her is such, however, that he gives her the benefit of the doubt.

Things are ratcheted up a notch or three when Terry and Cynthia hire a private investigator, whose questions spark a pair of horrendous occurrences that in turn bring the events that began over a quarter century before to a shocking conclusion.

Couldn't put it down. Great characters. While I had worked out the fathers secret before the end, how all was revealed kept me enthralled. 

First Impression by Margot Dalton

The case: A parent's nightmare. The moment his mother turns her back, three-year-old Michael Panesivic vanishes.
The cop: She grew up on the streets of LA, so Detective Jackie Kaminsky understands the troubled kids and broken families she deals with every day. And she knows when people are lying. Despite eyewitness accounts and lie-detector tests, something about little Michael's disappearance doesn't ring true.
The witness: His story is chilling, but is he a credible witness? He claims he's never met the Panesivic family; he's simply a carpenter who dreams of returning to his Montana ranch. Hell, he's not even sure what he knows or what he's seen.

Jackie has three choices. She can dismiss the man as a handsome nutcase. She can arrest him as the only suspect. Or she can believe him. With a little boy's life at risk, she can't afford to make the wrong choice. 

A police procedural featuring a cop that cares and realistic characters. Kept me turning the pages and i'm glad i've already got the next 2 on my shelves.

Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb

"From the moment Julia Bennett leaves her abusive Boston fiancé at the altar and her ugly wedding dress hanging from a tree in South Dakota, she knows she's driving away from the old Julia, but what she's driving toward is as messy and undefined as her own wounded soul. The old Julia dug her way out of a tortured, trailer park childhood with a monster of a mother. The new Julia will be found at her Aunt Lydia's rambling, hundred-year-old farmhouse outside Golden, Oregon.
There, among uppity chickens and toilet bowl planters, Julia is welcomed by an eccentric, warm, and often wise clan of women, including a psychic, a minister's unhappy wife, an abused mother of four, and Aunt Lydia herself--a woman who is as fierce and independent as they come. Meeting once a week for drinks and the baring of souls, it becomes clear that every woman holds secrets that keep her from happiness. But what will it take for them to brave becoming their true selves? For Julia, it's chocolate. All her life, baking has been her therapy and her refuge, a way to heal wounds and make friends. Nobody anywhere makes chocolates as good as Julia's, and now, chocolate just might change her life--and bring her love when she least expects it. But it can't keep her safe. As Julia gradually opens her heart to new life, new friendships, and a new man, the past is catching up to her. And this time, she will not be able to run but will have to face it head on."

Eccentric characters, lots of mentions of chocolates and a happy ending were the good bits.  Celebrating body parts were the very strange bits.  Could have done with more chocolate and less talk about the power of the uterus.

The Witness by Sandra Brown

Kendall Deaton is a Public Defender in the small town of Prosper, South Carolina. She marries handsome hunk Matt Burnwood expecting to live a fairy tale life. But her life then changes. She is witness to a hideous event and is running for her life.

Fast paced plot, some romance and the twist at the end of the book caught me by surprise. There are hints throughout the book, but you don't really see it all until the end. Keeps you in suspense.

Playing Chopsticks

Playing Chopsticks is a light-hearted visitor's view of a vast country with a long and revered history. Sally Hammond shares entertaining and informative stories about her visits to China: strolls through a Kashgar cattle market, meetings with nomads and searching for a western-style loo in the wilds of China. Read about yak's butter in Tibet and her experiences on the Silk Road, the Great Wall, Macau, Hong Kong and Beijing. There are tips on chopstick etiquette and how to cook rice as well as recipes for delicious regional dishes.

Interesting read.  A bit repetitive a few times and a bit dis-jointed.  I still want to visit China, but after reading this, maybe not Tibet.

An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor

 Barry Laverty is fresh out of Medical school and answers an ad for a doctor’s assistant in Ballybucklebo, a small country village in Northern Ireland that he can hardly find on a map. He is immediately hired by Dr Fingle O’Reilly. The older doctor has his own distinct way of practising medicine. At first, Barry can’t decide if the confrontational O’Reilly is the biggest quack or the best teacher he has ever met, he soon realises that it is the latter. O’Reilly is unique – as sharp as a tack, wise to the ways of his patients and compassionate.

Set in the 1960’s modern medicine is striding forward by leaps and bounds, yet the inhabitants still like the old ways. When modern young Dr Laverty hands a script for penicillin they look to old Dr O’Reilly to give them the traditional wee black bottle full of nasty tasting ‘jollop’.

There are a multitude of eccentric characters who manage to make every day an education for the inexperienced young doctor. There is the town drunk and ne’er-do-well husband, a hypochondriac, an arrogant land owner, a proud man who lives in a car with his beloved dogs, a sick child, and an unwed mother who refuses to tell who the father is. Barry Laverty soon learns that he needs to find out a lot more about life than he ever imagined back in medical school.

Loved the characters, loved the humour. Didn't want to put it down. A lovely, gentle, feelgood read.

Split Second by Alex Kava

They dubbed him the Collector, so named for his ritual of collecting victims before disposing of them in the most heinous ways possible. FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell tracked him for two years, finally ending their game of cat and mouse. Now Albert Stucky has escaped from prison . . . and he is setting up a new game for Maggie O'Dell.

Some say Maggie O'Dell has lost her edge as one of the FBI's best profilers. Since capturing Stucky, she's been walking a tightwire, battling nightmares and guilt over the victims she couldn't save. Now that Stucky is loose again, she's been pulled out of the field. But she knows it's only a matter of time before she's drawn back in -- because only she can see so clearly into the mind of this madman. And he's counting on just that.

As Stucky's trail of victims leads closer and closer to Maggie, she is put back on the case under the supervision of Special Agent R. J. Tully. Together they race against the clock to hunt the killer who remains one bloody step ahead of them. And Maggie finds herself pushed to the very edge. Has her desire to stop Albert Stucky become a matter of personal vengeance? Has she crossed the line? And has that been Stucky's goal all along -- to make her into a monster? 

Lots of bodies, lots of twists and turns, right up to the end. 

Mortal Seductions by Allyson James

Val is a vengeance demon, she punishes cheating husbands. That is until Demitri, tiger shifter-demigod, turns her into Aphrodite. Val becomes a celibate servant, taming her demonic ways, matchmaking for Aphrodite. After 3000 years of servitude Val goes to Egypt to make a match. Unbeknownst to Val her demon side has been coming out breaking her celibacy, Valenarian slept with shifter Leon. Demitri is in Egypt as well to watch over Val, when he learns of Valenarians night with Leon he takes her to be punished by Aphrodite. Leon refuses to leave her side and refuses to have her killed. With the Greek Gods out to have Val killed Aphrodite sends her on a path to her potential saving. With Leon and Demitri working together to save Val they are all sent on a path, learning to Love and trust each other.

LOTS of sex
2 men, 1 woman  well..  1 shifter, 1 demi-god and one demon.  LOTS of sex...all sorts  and one mild but nicely done spanking scene.  There was a story line between the sex scenes, something about saving Val and missing treasure.

My Seduction by Connie Brockway

Desperate to keep her two sisters and herself from the poorhouse, Kate Nash Blackburn embarks upon a journey to northern Scotland, where she hopes to gain the gratitude and patronage of a wealthy marquis. When fate maroons her at a tavern full of ruffians, a brawny Highland soldier comes to her rescue. It's Kit MacNeill, the man whose pledge to her family has haunted her for years. When he offers to escort Kate through the treacherous Highlands to Castle Parnell, she accepts even though her instincts warn her against trusting this rough and dangerous man. But soon Kate is startled by the Highlander's cultured speech and courtly manners. Who is this man of contradictions, shaped by a shadowy past, who fiercely wards off an attempt on her life, whose broad shoulders beckon her touch, and in whose arms she comes fully alive?

Who can resist a gorgeous man in a kilt.  Entertaining, light read.

Weird Things Customers Say In Bookshops by Jen Campbell

From the hugely popular blog, a miscellany of hilarious and peculiar bookshop moments:
'Can books conduct electricity?'
'My children are just climbing your bookshelves: that's ok... isn't it?'
A John Cleese Twitter question ['What is your pet peeve?'], first sparked the 'Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops' blog, which grew over three years into one bookseller's collection of ridiculous conversations on the shop floor. From 'Did Beatrix Potter ever write a book about dinosaurs?' to the hunt for a paperback which could forecast the next year's weather; and from 'I've forgotten my glasses, please read me the first chapter' to'Excuse me... is this book edible?'

Very entertaining. I've been dipping into it in odd moments and quickly finished it.

Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead

Georgina Kincaid has had an eternity to figure out the opposite sex, but sometimes they still surprise her. Take Seth Mortensen. The man has risked his soul to become Georgina's boyfriend. Still, with Lucifer for a boss, Georgina can't just hang up her killer heels and settle down to domestic bliss.


 Georgie's been ordered by Hell to transfer her succubus services to Las Vegas, but when she goes out there to scope out the scene, things seem a little too intentionally perfect. With Seth Mortenson's sister-in-law still ill with cancer in Seattle, this transfer is yet one more hurdle in their attempt to be with each other.

No real surprises, but a satisfying end to the series.  Georgie and Seth find out they've been soulmates for Seth's 10 last lifetimes, he keeps being reincarnated, they find each other then lose each other every time. This time Georgie's friends work out there is a problem with her contract with hell.  They go to court (in Hell) her contract is broken and Georgie and Seth live happily ever after.

Circle of Five by Dolores Stewart Ricio

Initially an ordinary study group meeting at the local branch library, this group of women quickly evolves into a full-blown coven. The narrator, Cassandra, owner of Earthlore Herbal Preparations and Cruelty-Free Cosmetics, has visions, the most disturbing of which takes place in a grocery story when she "sees" a fellow shopper as a serial killer of young boys. Knowing that the police put little stock in psychic phenomena, the circle decides to take matters into their own hands. They can't use black magic on the murderer, because such spells come back to those who cast them. So they decide to become amateur detectives

The mystery is not finding out who did it, which is revealed very early in the book, the mystery is in trying to come up with credible evidence to prove that he did it. Mr Q is a really nasty villain, who does some truly horrible things, yet not with the wall to wall blood and guts that so many mystery authors think is necessary. There is a child in jeopardy, a swashbuckling boyfriend, a satisfactory ending and some very humorous moments. There is also the wonderful, wonderful telepathic relationship with Cassandra and her dog which made the book.

Crave by J.R. Ward

Isaac Rothe is a former XOps member, an extremely secretive organization that runs on intel and murder. No one leaves XOps without a bullet in their head, but Isaac has managed to escape - for now. Needing cash and to let out steam, he starts participating in illegal cage fights - until he is busted by the police. Thrown in jail, under his real name, is like a beacon to call his former boss, Matthias to him. He needs to get out pronto.

Jim owes Isaac a debt from their former XOps days and knows Matthias has thrown in the call to have Isaac taken out. Jim figures the least he can do is get Isaac out of the country - alive.

Attorney Grier Childe takes on public defender cases every so often, and the one she is handed is a doozy. 

Slow and confusing to start, but once I got into it I enjoyed it. Lots of action. 

61 Hours by Lee Child

A tour bus crashes in a savage snowstorm and lands Jack Reacher in the middle of a deadly confrontation. In nearby Bolton, South Dakota, one brave woman is standing up for justice in a small town threatened by sinister forces. If she's going to live long enough to testify, she'll need help. Because a killer is coming to Bolton, a coldly proficient assassin who never misses.

Reacher's original plan was to keep on moving. But the next 61 hours will change everything. The secrets are deadlier and his enemies are stronger than he could have guessed - but so is the woman whose life he'll risk his own to save.

Another great Jack Reacher story. Couldn't put it down, just as well I read it while on holidays.