The Widow is a suspense novel set in the UK about a missing child; it is told from several viewpoints. The narratives switch time frames as well. There are only a few characters: Glen, Jean, the detective, the reporter, and the mother of the missing child. As I read I had the feeling that I didn't have the whole story. Clues are revealed little by little. I wanted to get to the end to see the "reveal ". The relationships between the characters play a huge role. I recommend this book

This is a novel about a contest to find the "new" Mrs Eaden. Kathleen Eaden is a fictional character and the face of Eaden's, a high end grocery chain. She was the author of a baking cook book. The novel follows the life stories of the five contestants competing to win the title. Their stories are told alongside excerpts from Kathleen's writing. The novel demonstrates that how people's lives look on the surface can be very different than what is really going on. I enjoyed the combination of baking stories and the events of the contestants' lives. Would have liked to see a few recipes too!

Descent is a suspenseful thriller with many scary scenes and an overall sense of doom. The Courtland family is destroyed when their daughter is abducted. The novel follows several story lines during the search for Caitlyn. Her mother, father and brother experience many devastating setbacks. Each family member deals differently with the disappearance of Caitlyn. Her mother withdraws but her brother becomes very aggressive. The location of the novel becomes part of the story. Set in Colorado and the Southwest, the landscape takes on a personality. There are many plot twists which keep the reader interested. I would recommend this book.

Nurse by Lois Leveen is a retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story from the perspective of Juliet's wet nurse. Through Angelica we experience life in 14th century Verona. Her life is a struggle and is in contrast the riches of the Capppelletti family. The royal families in Verona are in a constant battle for power and influence. As in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet are caught up in the conflicts of their families. I enjoyed this book because I felt transported to Verona. Even though the ending is not a surprise I kept wishing for a change of "history".

The Hollow Ground is an engrossing tale of a mining family in 1960s Pennsylvania. The narrator is young Brigid Howley. Her family feels that they have been cursed and blame all their misfortunes on it. Brigid's parents have trouble keeping jobs and move in with her grandparents. The family keeps secrets about what happened in the past and this creates much pain and suffering. Brigida lives in fear of everyone in the small town and she feels isolated and unloved. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. The novel showed how burying secrets can rip a family apart.

Last Enchantments tells the of the journey of a group of friends from college to adulthood. Will Baker leaves the security of a job and a girlfriend in New York to study in Oxford for one year. The beauty of Oxford is stunning but life is not perfect. The group of friends are all struggling to find a place in the adult world. Bill falls in love with Sophie but both are in another relationship. Bill is yearning for an ideal life in Oxford - but it does not exist. I enjoyed this book because it told the universal story of growing up. Would recommend it for a book club.

Be prepared to be transported to Constantinople in the 1800's. The city is part of the vast Ottoman Empire. People from all over live here - Armenians, English, Portuguese, Italians, Greeks, Jews from Spain, Serbo-Croats. The story centers on the lives of a brother and sister, the Sultan and Sultane. They live in luxury and have control over the ordinary citizens. The main character is Ivan Postivich, a Serbo-Croat, who was forced to give up his identity and religion to serve the Sultane. The novel is a reversal of the "Tales from a 1,001 Nights. Esma tells her life story to the soldier Ivan, The novel held my attention as each night more is revealed. The royal family was so cruel in so may ways but also protective of those in good favor. I enjoyed this book because I was immersed in another era. The novel had several suspenseful story lines.

Very good "period" piece set in the outskirts of Naples in the late 1950's. It is a coming of age story that chronicles the lives of children growing up on the outskirts of Naples in the 1950's. The plot focuses on several families in a small sheltered neighborhood. I enjoyed this book because it was realistic. At first I expected a saccharin story of a beautiful Italian small town. But the book addresses multiple serious issues. Characters struggle with depression, poverty, and domestic violence. Back of book says this is the first of a trilogy, looking forward to Part 2.

Wife 22 is in the same genre as Briget Jones Diary and I Don't Know How She Does It. The protagonist is a 40 something wife and mother who is re-evaluating her career, marriage and life. The format of the book mixes straight narrative with Facebook posts, e-mails and text messages. I enjoyed the book but found it to be too predictable. But I think it would be a good book for book club because it can generate interesting discussions.

I enjoyed this book. If you like Paris, bread and painters you will too. Most of the story takes place in the Montmartre neighborhood.The characters are Impressionist painters like Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissaro and Manet. The book centers on the need for "true blue", the special color coveted by all artists. It also focuses on the painters' "muse" or inspiration. The artists come across as real people, having fun and struggling to make a living.

I enjoyed reading Three Seconds by Roslund and Hellstrom. The novel details the story of a drug informant, Piet Hoffman, whose life goes terribly wrong while trying to infiltrate the drug trade. The police abandon Hoffman and he is left to save himself.

"Juliet" by Anne Fortier is an enjoyable re-telling of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet"story. Julie Jacobs travels to Italy to solve the mystery of her family history in Siena, Italy. The novel switches between present day and Siena in the 1300's. The story moves along quickly and there are many twists and turns to keep the reader interested. The two stories are told in parallel and both plots dovetail.

I asked to review Green Monster by Rick Shefchik because I am a baseball fan and a mystery book fan. Sam Skarda, a private investigator is asked to investigate a blackmail case involving the Boston Red Sox and the 2004 World Series. The action moves between Minneapolis, Boston, LA and Caracas Venezuela. There is a lot of focus on the history of the Boston Red Sox and the curse of the Bambino. The book moves quickly and is an entertaining read. Some of the plot twists seem a bit unbelievable but the ending of the book provides a nice surprise.

This novel is seventh in a series of detective novels by the husband and wife writing team of Mary Reed and Eric Mayer. It is set in 6th century Constantinople (present day Istanbul). The main character is John the Lord Chamberlain, a high official in the government of Emperor Justinian (482-565, ruled 527-565). The city has just recovered from a plague and much of the population has died. John is living in a home on the palace grounds. The home used to belong to a tax collector who lost favor with the current administration. John has been “talking” to a girl that is on a wall mosaic in his study. She has become a sort of muse for John and he has named her Zoe.

He actually meets her in a square but she runs away before they can speak. She is then found murdered. John tries to solve the murder enlisting the help of his friends Anatolius a lawyer and Felix, the head of the palace guards. The authors do an excellent job of setting the scene and giving the reader a taste of life in Constantinople. The city is small. You can walk from one end to another in a short period of time. There is much palace intrigue, and conflict between those who support Emperor Justinian and those who don’t. Rumors of a coup are circulating. Justinian’s wife Theodora is evil and is believed to be the power behind the emperor.

You can draw many parallels between this time and many others through out history. Even though Constantinople is officially Christian, many people have not converted; they still worship their pagan gods in secret. John investigates the murder by interviewing craftsman, shop keepers and people in government. The story has plenty of twists and an unpredictable ending.

There is also a helpful glossary of terms and dates at the back. I would recommend this book, especially to readers who enjoy period pieces.

This is the story of Kasper Krone a circus clown from Denmark. The book is set in the present time and centers around Krone's special gift. He is able to "hear peoples' music" and know what they are thinking and feeling. The plot has many twists and turns and I found the story difficult to follow. It follows the kidnapping of several children and Kasper's attempts to rescue them. There are some very touching scenes but I found that the book did not have a smooth flow.