A Wanted Man by Lee Child

Four people in a car, hoping to make Chicago by morning. One man driving, eyes on the road. Another man next to him, telling stories that don’t add up. A woman in the back, silent and worried. And next to her, a huge man with a broken nose, hitching a ride east to Virginia.

An hour behind them, a man lies stabbed to death in an old pumping station. He was seen going in with two others, but he never came out. He has been executed, the knife work professional, the killers vanished. Within minutes, the police are notified. Within hours, the FBI descends, laying claim to the victim without ever saying who he was or why he was there.

All Reacher wanted was a ride to Virginia. All he did was stick out his thumb. But he soon discovers he has hitched more than a ride. He has tied himself to a massive conspiracy that makes him a threat—to both sides at once. 

Took me a while to get into this, but as usual an entertaining Jack Reacher. He does his thing, saves the day and goes back to hitching a ride. 

The Thin Woman by Dorothy Cannell

Ellie Simons is a talented interior designer with a passion for eating - a passion that shows up on her considerably inflated waistline and leaves her resigned to life as a single woman. But when her Uncle Merlin summons his kin to a dreaded family reunion, Ellie's pride motivates her to rent a companion - Bentley T. Haskell, a devastatingly handsome writer of trashy novels who moonlights for Eligibility Escorts. Ellie's little white lie works fine until old Uncle Merlin up and dies, leaving his mansion to the happy couple on three conditions: Ellie has to lose 63 pounds, Ben must write a book without a word of smut in it, and they have to find the treasure hidden on Merlin's estate.

The prize seems to be worth the effort until Ellie and Ben start to receive threatening phone calls, malicious visitors in the night and clues to a possible murder. 

A mystery set in an old house on the cliffs somewhere in England.  Full of eccentric characters with a few surprise twists thrown in at the end.  It was ok. I'm glad it wasn't any longer or I probably wouldn't have finished it.

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee

At Madeline’s Tea Salon, the cozy hub of the Avalon community, local residents scrapbook their memories and make new ones. But across town, other Avalonians are struggling to free themselves of the past: Isabel Kidd is fixing up her ramshackle house while sorting through the complications of her late husband’s affair. Ava Catalina is mourning the love of her life and helping her young son grow up without his father. Local plumber Yvonne Tate is smart, beautiful, and new to Avalon, but finds that despite a decade of living life on her own terms, the past has a way of catching up—no matter where she goes. And Frances Latham, mother to a boisterous brood of boys, eagerly anticipates the arrival of a little girl from China—unprepared for the emotional roller coaster of foreign adoption.

Enter Bettie Shelton, the irascible founder of the Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society. Under Bettie’s guidance, even the most reluctant of Avalon’s residents come to terms with their past and make bold decisions about their future. But when the group receives unexpected news about their steadfast leader, they must pull together to create something truly memorable.

I found this book hard to get into at first, too many characters made it confusing. Once I had got into the story and had it straight who was who I really enjoyed it. A lovely, feel-good read. 

Echoes In Death by J D Robb

As NY Lt. Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke are driving home, a young woman―dazed, naked, and bloody―suddenly stumbles out in front of their car. Roarke slams on the brakes and Eve springs into action.

Daphne Strazza is rushed to the ER, but it’s too late for her husband Dr. Anthony Strazza. A brilliant orthopedic surgeon, he now lies dead amid the wreckage of his obsessively organized town house, his three safes opened and emptied. Daphne would be a valuable witness, but in her terror and shock the only description of the perp she can offer is repeatedly calling him “the devil”...

While it emerges that Dr. Strazza was cold, controlling, and widely disliked, this is one case where the evidence doesn’t point to the spouse. So Eve and her team must get started on the legwork, interviewing everyone from dinner-party guests to professional colleagues to caterers, in a desperate race to answer some crucial questions:

What does the devil look like? And where will he show up next?

Another excellent addition to the series. This one had more mystery and investigation than Eve and Rourke's relationship as the centre of the book. Of course their relationship is still central to the story.  I love this series. She's a tough cop but he is so protective of her.

Dance Upon The Air by Nora Roberts

When Nell Channing arrives on charming Three Sisters Island, she believes that she’s finally found refuge from her abusive husband—and from the terrifying life she fled so desperately eight months ago… But even in this quiet, peaceful place, Nell never feels entirely at ease. Careful to conceal her true identity, she takes a job as a cook at the local bookstore café—and begins to explore her feelings for the island sheriff, Zack Todd. But there is a part of herself she can never reveal to him—for she must continue to guard her secrets if she wants to keep the past at bay. One careless word, one misplaced confidence, and the new life she’s created so carefully could shatter completely. Just as Nell starts to wonder if she’ll ever be able to break free of her fear, she realizes that the island suffers under a terrible curse—one that can only be broken by the descendants of the Three Sisters, the witches who settled the island back in 1692. And now, with the help of two other strong, gifted women—and with the nightmares of the past haunting her every step—she must find the power to save her home, her love…and herself…  

A typical Nora Roberts, a light, easy read with a happy ending.

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

Mickey Haller has fallen on tough times. He expands his business into foreclosure defense, only to see one of his clients accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home.

Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty. Soon after he learns that the victim had black market dealings of his own, Haller is assaulted, too--and he's certain he's on the right trail. 

Good thriller, interesting characters and a great twist. 

Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggarch

When Leila discovers the Web site Red Pill, she feels she has finally found people who understand her. A sheltered young woman raised by her mother, Leila has often struggled to connect with the girls at school; but on Red Pill, a chat forum for ethical debate, Leila comes into her own, impressing the Web site's founder, a brilliant and elusive man named Adrian. Leila is thrilled when Adrian asks to meet her, flattered when he invites her to be part of "Project Tess." Tess is a woman Leila might never have met in real life. She is beautiful, urbane, witty, and damaged. As they e-mail, chat, and Skype, Leila becomes enveloped in the world of Tess, learning every single thing she can about this other woman—because soon, Leila will have to become her. 

Well written, clever, original story. All the way through I wasn't sure about how I felt about this book, but I finished it with a sigh and a smile of satisfaction.