Reading right now:

          “The Wounded Thorn” by Fay Sampson. This is the first in a new series by prolific author Sampson. Here she introduces two new characters, Hilary and Veronica. In this introductory novel, the two go on vacation to try to get away from the stress of their lives which includes the recent death of Veronica’s husband and the fact that Hilary’s husband is volunteering in war-torn Gaza. While visiting the Chalice Wall, Hilary discovers a bomb in an abandoned bag which starts their involvement in the investigation.

           

On hold right now:

            “Murder at Barclay Meadow” by Wendy Sand Eckel. This is a first book in a new cozy series. Rebuilding her life after her husband’s infidelity, Rosalie Hart moves to Maryland to renovate her late aunt’s property only to discover a dead body floating in her marsh. When the Sheriff determines the death to be an accident, Hart‘s doubts about the cause of death lead her to investigate with the help of her creative writing class.

                       

Other mysterious things:

           

            New authors are always arriving on the scene and sometimes author we’re familiar with come up with a new series which they hope we’ll get hooked on. The latest British police procedural by M. J. Arlidge starts with “Eeny Meeny” (which was just released in the U.S.) and stars Detective Inspector Helen Grace. The book is very much like the movie “Saw” with a serial killer that kidnaps people and forces them to kill. The book is a well-written, exciting thriller, but suffers from a story we’ve all read before. Hopefully the next book will continue to incorporate fine characters, and good writing with a more original plot.

            Anne Flett-Giordano’s new mystery “Marry, Kiss, Kill” is a laugh out loud police procedural starring two Santa Barbara detectives Nola MacIntire and Tony Angeloti. In this debut novel, the film festival is in town when three deaths take place that seem unrelated. Anne Flett-Giordano has won five Emmys and has written for such shows as Frasier, Becker, and Desperate Housewives.

            Betsy Thornton’s “Empty Houses” is the first in the new Kate Waters series set in Dudley, Arizona. Fleeing from her abusive boyfriend, Kate runs to an isolated desert town where two tourists Carrie and Wes Cooper are shot dead. She’s convinced that the wrong person is suspected of the murder and decides to work with Phoenix cop Malcolm MacGregor who is in town recovering from the death of his wife. Other debut authors with new books coming out include Robin Kirman’s “Bradstreet Gate,” Harry MacLean’s “The Joy of Killing,” Brian Panowich’s “Bull Mountain.” Glenis Wilson’s “Dead Certainty” isn’t his first novel, but it is the beginning of a new series.