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.