Desert Cut is listed as a mystery, the fifth in the Lena Jones mystery series, but it is every bit a story about the clash of cultural values and practices. When I received the book, I was surprised because it wasn’t the one I requested, and dismayed because the theme of the book is very disturbing. With a great deal of trepidation I started to read the book and found myself caught up in a story that completely held my attention.

While scouting out locations for a film documentary in Arizona, private investigator Lena Jones and her director boyfriend Warren Quinn discover the freshly dumped body of a young dark skinned girl, the discovery of which evokes past memories of Lena's abused childhood. When another child disappears, Lena continues to investigate the death in spite of clashes with the local sheriff, and uncovers a small town with a big secret that puts her own life in danger.

I usually do not read mysteries about serial killers. They are often too violent for my tastes. After reading P.D. Martin’s first book Body Count at the urging of my friends, there was enough of a twist in the development in the character of the lead protagonist that I actually enjoyed the book. The Murderers’ Club is the second installment in the series and I was hooked right from the opening prologue.

Sophie Anderson, an F.B.I. Profiler, has visions that see into the mind of killers. Her talent is uncontrollable and unpredictable. When invited to come to Arizona for a vacation by a police officer friend Daren Carter, Sophie, who is still suffering after effects from her previous case, is only too willing to have a break. The vacation suddenly ends when bodies start showing up at a university campus. Sophie is forced to use her terrifying gift in order to catch the killers.

I first heard about The Sex Club on an online mystery list that I belong to. When I was offered a copy for review, I accepted. I read a lot of mysteries and I am always on the lookout for new authors. I have often read real clunkers but this was not the case with L.J. Sellers’ The Sex Club.

When a pipe bomb explodes at a birth control clinic and a young client is found dead in a dumpster, Kera Kollmorgan, a nurse working at the clinic, begins to search for the truth on her own. Bound by client confidentiality, Kera is unable to go to the police with information that she has. As she begins to uncover some new facts about a church club that the victim belonged to she finds herself becoming the target of the bomber. Detective Wade Jackson, fearing that his own daughter who was a friend of the victim may be in danger, finds his investigation blocked by strong political forces at every step.

Most mysteries are far too serious with serial killers, police procedurals and the like; there are few that dare to be both funny and murderous. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing I love more than a really good James Patterson, John Sanford, Kathy Reichs, or Patricia Cornwell book but every now and again you run across a mystery that just either makes you laugh out loud or quietly giggle. The Saucy Lucy Murders is one of those gigglers.

After years of dealing with her ex-husband’s constant cheating and abuse, Lexie Lightfoot packs up herself and her daughter Eva to move back to her hometown of Moose Creek Junction, Wyoming. Starting over isn’t easy for Lexie, especially when starting a new business at the same time. After Lexie’s parents die in a car accident, Lexie and her sister Lucy renovate their parent’s home into a café with an apartment upstairs for Lexie and Eva.

When I was younger, like most girls, I loved horses. I grew up in Kentucky, smack in the middle of horse-country, but despite that I never owned a horse or even learned to ride. And that’s why I picked up Death by Dressage by Carolyn Banks. The adult me likes mysteries and the little girl inside just wanted to play with the horses.

Death by Dressage follows Robin Vaughan, the plucky, talkative heroine and amateur sleuth, as she investigates the death of one of the most hated women in Austin’s horse community: Veronika Ballinger. The rich and powerful Veronika loved to find what bothered someone the most and rub his or her nose in it, just for fun. That means that just about everyone who knows horses in Austin, and possibly beyond, had it out for her. Except for one little thing: the police believe that it was all an accident; that she was kicked by one of her horses. But if this were true, why did the police arrest Robin’s best friend Lola Albright?

When a fellow reviewer raved about Lori Armstrong’s Hallowed Ground, I knew I had found a new author. I went back to find Blood Ties, the first Julie Collins mystery and Hallowed Ground and read them both back to back. To me, when you can read several books in a series back to back and still want more, that is something special.

Julie Collins and her partner Kevin Wells are on what starts out as a typical insurance fraud case. Time is running out and they need to prove that Lang Everett is faking his injury. The reappearance of a mysterious hole, one that causes the fatal accident, brings about an unsettling confession from Everett‘s wife. Everett and his partners in an illegal off-season hunting scheme discover human remains out on the remote ridge. Fearing repercussions, the hunters reburied the remains and kept quiet about the discovery. Now the hole is back and the bones have vanished.

The real test of any writers' skill is the short story. To come in hard, fast, and hold them to the end. Or, to tease them and give a twist they never saw coming. The variations on a theme are many, but the road to success with this particular genre, alas is filled with more road kills than victors.

I am happy to present to you two treats: Frozen Stiff and The Last Laugh. To say too much is well, too much.

Having worked with the intellectually disabled in the past, I know how hard it is to get past the image that most of the world sees. Once you get past that perception, you find that they are just like us. They have wants, needs and desire to be accepted. That being said, it was a truly pleasant surprise to find a book that in the end presents a positive image in a mystery.

Veteran teacher Bonnie Pinkwater is at it again, finding trouble that is; in her second adventure A Calculated Demise.

Death of a Blogger, by Danae M. West, is the perfect book for a cold winter evening, the literary equivalent of hot chocolate and cinnamon toast. There's no angst, no blood and gore, and no realism. Instead, there's the small town, incompetent law enforcement officer wanting to sweep a local murder under the rug and a perky, clever heroine to make sure justice is done. It's the traditional 'cozy' murder mystery.

Annike and all the gang from SCOURGE {Service Club of Upper River Gulch Environs} are BACK!!! So be ready for even more madcap mayhem in Janice Bennett’s newest book Black Cats and Boondoggles.

Things are heating up in the tiny town of Upper River Gulch. Along with all the newcomers, there’s the weekly newspaper that seems to have an uncanny knack for digging up the juiciest gossip and very heated debate about the town’s incorporation between Hugh Cartwright, the owner of Brandywine Distillery, and his nephew Kevin.

Mysteries have always been one of my favorite genres to read. I enjoy the suspense, thrill and the intrigue of a well-written mystery. My one pet peeve is when I solve the murder well before the book ends. I knew from having read Ms. Bennett’s Cold Turkey, I was in for a treat, a mystery that will have me guessing until the end.

Life is quiet for Annike McKinley since last Thanksgiving’s madness. Her new business Events Unlimited is a success. But things are about to change as she is completely unprepared for the mayhem—and murder—that await her. The Easter fundraising fete for the Land's End Yacht Club she has agreed to organize is being held in a clubhouse built in the shape of a pirate ship. And it includes a body hanging from the yardarm.

Genre fiction used to be pretty simple to figure out. These days with so many niche genres, its hard to categorize something that simply does not fit neatly. This can be both a boon and a source of frustration: a boon because writers are deliberately seeking out new ways to express old ideas; frustration because they can be harder to find in the context of overwhelming available choice. Never in the history of humankind have there been so many writers, books, and sources for entertainment.

Act of the Saints goes beyond the usual 'sit back and enjoy' mode of entertainment. This book draws you in, makes you cringe, cry, and even gasp in horror. Not the horror of slashes and massacres, the horror of devious mental games that can be played upon humanity.

I'm a soccer mom right now, though I will eventually become a baseball mom. Now that I've read this book, I know a bit more of the sports world my son will soon inhabit.

We're introduced to the Base Stealers Club in the prequel of the same name. Ryan, Chevis, Dillion, Colby, and Shane, members of the Jonesville Chargers baseball team, band together to solve problems and mysteries surrounding their team. They formed the club when they solved the mystery of who was stealing money from their lockers during the regular season in The Base Stealers Club. The Case of the Missing Coach picks up the story as they get ready for the National Regional playoffs on their way to playing in the National Championship.

When I was looking for a quick and easy read I ran across Cold Turkey by Janice Bennett. After reading the blurb I thought, “this is going to be a fun book”. Not having read any of Ms. Bennett’s previous books, I didn’t know what to expect, but what I found was a delight.

Annike McKinley knows that the door to her Aunt Gerda’s house will always be open to her. So when she quits her job, she decides that it’s time to return home to Upper River Gulch. What she doesn’t expect to find is the body of Clifford Brody, C.P.A., bleeding all over her aunt's tax receipts.

Siena, Italy: the land of wine, sun, and romance. Only for Faith Murphy, such things are too lucky for her. It's more like, "Fleeing four thousand miles from one Rossi only to find another Rossi and a dead man was perfect Murphy luck, Faith thought as she walked on the herringbone brick walkway.“ Well aware of her family name’s tendency towards such things, she knows all the Murphy’s Laws by heart and had added quite a few of her own.