Cynthia recommends:

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

 FROM THE PUBLISHER

The No.1 Ladies´ Detective Agency, located in Gaborone, Botswana, consists of one woman, the engaging Precious Ramotswe. A cross between Kinsey Millhone and Miss Marple, this unlikely heroine specializes in missing husbands, wayward daughters, con men and imposters. When she sets out on the trail of a missing child she is tumbled headlong into some strange situations and not a little danger. Deftly interweaving tragedy and humor to create a memorable tale of human desires and foibles, the book is also an evocative portrait of a distant world.

Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Watch out, world. Here comes Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with attitude. In Stephanie's opinion, toxic waste, rabid drivers, armed schizophrenics, and August heat, humidity, and hydrocarbons are all part of the great adventure of living in Jersey. She's a product of the "burg," a blue-collar pocket of Trenton where houses are attached and narrow, cars are American, windows are clean, and (God forbid you should be late) dinner is served at six. Now Stephanie's all grown up and out on her own, living five miles from Mom and Dad's, doing her best to sever the world's longest umbilical cord. Her mother is a meddler, and her grandmother is a few cans short of a case. Out of work and out of money, with her Miata repossessed and her refrigerator empty, Stephanie blackmails her bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie, into giving her a try as an apprehension agent. Stephanie knows zilch about the job requirements, but she figures her new pal, fearless bounty hunter Ranger, can teach her what it takes to catch a crook. Her first assignment: nail Joe Morelli, a former vice cop on the run from a charge of murder one. Morelli is also the irresistible macho pig who took Stephanie's virginity at age sixteen and then wrote the details on the bathroom wall of Mario's Sub Shop. There's still powerful chemistry between these two, so the chase should be interesting. It could also be extremely dangerous, especially when Stephanie encounters a heavyweight title contender who likes to play rough. Benito Ramirez is known for his brutality to women. At the very least, his obsession with Stephanie complicates her manhunt and brings terror and uncertainty into her life. At worst, it could lead to murder. Witty, fresh, and full of surprises, One for the Money is among the most eagerly awaited crime novels of the season.

The Southern Sisters Mysteries series by Anne Carroll George

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Agatha Award-winning author Anne George's Southern Sisters mystery series continues to win fans below and above the Mason Dixon line. In this latest hilarious case, Mary Alice and Patricia Anne are strapping on some orthopedic blue suede shoes to catch a cruel killer. Enjoying their golden years, the sisters have time to spend with their grandchildren, plan Mary Alice's fourth wedding, and solve a few mysteries. When they're invited to a benefit, the sisters think they're in for a killer of a good time. And how right they are when an Elvis impersonator takes a fatal dive into the band. Unless they find the culprit and fast, this case could be the sisters' own swan song.

Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Lori Shepherd and the phantom Aunt Dimity have become one of the mystery genre's most celebrated detective duos. In their latest adventure, a pleasant woodland stroll through the English countryside is rudely cut short by the blizzard of the century, forcing Lori to take shelter in Ladythorne Abbey—an old pile still haunted by the presence of the madwoman whose prison it once was. But the abbey's greatest secret is the priceless jewel it conceals somewhere within its cloisters—an heirloom that hides a treacherous past that Lori's fellow guests can't wait to get their hands on. Only Aunt Dimity's indispensable wisdom can help Lori unravel a mystery that is considerably thicker than the accumulating snow in this page-turning treat.

Maggoty series by Joan Hess

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Arly Hanks - the wiliest chief of police in the Ozarks - is back on the case. And this time around, our intrepid sleuth may have met her match: she's just been pressed into service as chaperone for the church youth group. Ten hormonally challenged teenage boys and girls are spending a week at Camp Pearly Gates, accompanied by the formidable wife of the mayor, the high school shop teacher, and preacher Brother Verber. It's bad enough that Arly has to bunk with this crew, but when, on a dark and stormy night, one of the girls stumbles over the body of a white-robed woman with a shaved head, Arly knows things can only go downhill." "Investigating the murder, Chief of Police Hanks finds herself hindered by an eccentric cast of characters, from the bumbling local police and a band of spacey cultists to her own menopausal mother and an oddly intriguing (and attractive) fisherman called Jacko. Meanwhile, back in Maggody, Arkansas (population 755), Mayor Jim Bob Buchanon is up to his usual philandering antics, Raz Buchanon is looking for an animal companion to keep his pig Marjorie company, and Duluth Buchanon's wife has gone missing with their two sons."--BOOK JACKET

Southern Vampire Mystery series by Charlaine Harris

FROM THE PUBLISHER

There's only one vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with (at least voluntarily) and that's Bill. But recently he's been a little distant -- in another state, distant. His sinister and sexy boss Eric has an idea where to find him. Next thing Sookie knows, she is off to Jackson, Mississippi to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead. It's a dangerous little haunt where the elitist vampire society can go to chill out and suck down some type O. But when Sookie finally find Bill -- caught in an act of serious betrayal -- she's not sure whether to save him ... or sharpen some stakes.

Bubbles Yablonsky series by Sarah Strohmeyer

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Bubbles Ablaze finds the redoubtable Ms. Bubbles Yablonsky heeding a call from her boss at the News-Times and racing in her Camaro toward a potentially big news story. But when she arrives at the abandoned coal mine, she finds the love of her life, Steve Stiletto, knocked unconscious ... and the body of another man with a sizable hole in his chest. Moments later, Bubbles and Stiletto are trapped by an explosion. Convinced that someone wants them dead, they search for their suspected assassin in coal country, where they uncover a conspiracy at the Main Mane hairdressing salon, a cadre of women known as the Sirens of Slagville, and a hot spot called Limbo that's been burning underground for forty years.

A Kate Shugak Mystery Series by Dana Stabenow

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When a young national park ranger disappears during the long Alaskan winter, everyone assumes the cold got him. But when an investigator goes in after him and fails to return, Kate Shugak suspects it's more than the weather. With her Husky-breed, Mutt, as an ally, she goes hunting for answers among the pipeliners, Aleuts, and marginal eccentrics of the rugged American North. What she finds is thin ice between lies and loyalties...between justice served and the bare face of cold-blooded murder.

Earlene Fowler mysteries

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"When Benni Harper's friend passes away, he leaves his Broken DIS ranch to his daughter Shawna and her husband. Instead of raising cattle, the couple decides to turn it into a dude ranch. And while their intentions may be good, business is not. Leave it to Benni and her family to come to the rescue. Her plan? To tempt vacationers with a quilting and western extravaganza. It works. And soon, Benni and her family are cooking, quilting, and horseback riding with a whole slew of western tenderfoots." But the west gets a little too wild when one of the ranch dogs discovers a human bone on the property. It's enough to scare any reasonable guest away. To top it off, there's a rumor that one of the visitors is a nationally known travel writer, secretly working on a write-up. A bad review could easily kill business. Before long, Benni's old nemesis, Detective Ford "Hud" Hudson, is on board investigating. Together they uncover the remains of a murdered man buried in a shallow grave. Now, Benni must keep the guests safe and happy while unearthing the truth behind a terrible crime.

Garden Mysteries by Susan W. Albert

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"China Bayles is in a pickle. The daughter of her best friend, Ruby, has turned up on her doorstep, pregnant and in need of a place to live. And her otherwise sensible husband has announced that he's bored with teaching and ready for a career change." "Say "hello" to P.I. Mike McQuaid and Associates. There aren't actually any "associates" - unless you count Ruby and China, of course. But the title does have a nice, official ring to it. His first client is Phoebe the Pickle Queen, owner of the biggest little pickle business in Texas. According to Phoebe, her plant manager is embezzling, and she wants McQuaid to follow the money." Meanwhile, Pecan Springs is hosting the annual Picklefest - and this year, China and Ruby are on the planning committee, along with Phoebe. But just days before the festival starts, the Pickle Queen disappears. Some say she sold her business and split; others think the answer may lie with her missing boyfriend. It's up to McQuaid and China to search for the Pickle Queen - and for clues in a case that promises to leave a very sour taste.

Jayne-Ann Krentz books

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A red scarf. A roller coaster. A tidal wave of blood...

Isabel Wright spends her days at the Belvedere Center for Sleep Research analyzing the dreams of others. Dr. Martin Belvedere, a pioneer in the field, recognized her unique talent for what he calls Level Five lucid dreaming - and rescued her from her dead-end job. It's satisfying, lucrative work, but it can be emotionally draining. Especially when one of her anonymous subjects, known only as Client Number Two, captures her imagination through his compelling dream narratives. Secretly, she thinks of him as "Dream Man."
His real name is Ellis Cutler. A loner who's learned not to let anyone get too close, he works for a highly classified government agency with an interest in the potential value of lucid dreaming. And he's just been ordered by his boss to make contact with Isabel, who's been fired after the sudden death of Dr. Belvedere. Heading to California, he pushes his fantasies out of his mind, determined to maintain a professional relationship with the woman who reads his dreams, the mysterious figure he has come to think of as "Tango Dancer."
But when they meet in the flesh, the dream becomes real enough to touch. And a waking nightmare begins - when a suspicious hit-and-run leads them into a perilous web of passion, betrayal and murder, and forces them to walk the razor-thin line between dreams and reality.

Suzann Ledbetter books

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Life is easier withy a good pair of running shoes

After her life was downsized by a divorce and a pink slip, Zoey Jones moved back home to Blytheville, Missouri. Now tending bar at her uncle's watering hole, Zoey is working overtime to keep her rebellious teenage daughter and her eccentric parents out of trouble. Naturally, Blytheville's sexy top cop Hank Westlake picks this time to start rekindling old fires. But their tentative first date is a bust — literally — when hank is forced to book Zoey's own father for murder. Sure, Charlie has been acting strange lately, but could he really be the bumbling burglar behind three convenience-store robberies? Actually, yes. . .but he has a very good reason. And did he murder clerk Joe Donny in cold blood? No. Not a chance. Determined to find the real killer, Zoey begins her own investigation, knowing that in life, and in love, it's good to stay on your toes and ahead of the game.

Millie Criswell books

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Ellie Peters has a great apartment, a cool job as a UN interpreter, and a terrific dog. Now all she needs is the right guy to share it with and life will be perfect. But everything she's worked for is threatened the day her obsessive-compulsive, disinfectant-loving mother announces she's divorcing Ellie's father and moving in with her! And to add insult to injury, Ellie's just learned that her ex-fiance, Michael, has become her new boss!

Some languages need no interpretation. . .

Michael Deavers remembers all too well the sparks that flew between him and Ellie. He'd love to rekindle what they once had, but he learned from their brief engagement that he's just not a commitment kind of guy. Though with Ellie once again under his nose, it's hard to remember why he ever had cold feet.Now Ellie is desperate to get Michael out of her head, her mother out of her hair and her life out of the gutter. . .but old flames die hard, and this interpreter hasn't counted on the language of love.

Jennifer Crusie books

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Maddie Faraday knows she's having a bad day when she finds a pair of black lace panties under the front seat of her husband's car. To make things more complicated, C.L. Sturgis, her old high school flame, is back in town and still has a yen for her. Maddie wants to get even with her husband, but she wants to keep her reputation, too, and the juggling act that follows ends with great sex in C.L.'s backseat, which leads to gossip and a showdown with her husband. Things get rapidly out of hand as Maddie discovers that nobody's been telling her the truth: not her husband, not C.L., not her gossiping mother, not her secretive best friend, not even her eight-year-old daughter, Emily. And when her husband disappears, Maddie soon becomes the most-talked-about person in town. She is on a quest for answers, but will she survive long enough to discover the truth...and rediscover the man she loves?

Nora Roberts books

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Brooding loner Preston McQuinn's new apartment, like his life, was just the way he wanted it - dark and empty. But when sunny Cybil Campbell came barging into his well-ordered gloom, he couldn't deny a grudging fascination with his bright, bubby neighbor. And then she tried to hire him ... as her date! Preston thought he'd closed the door on love for good, so why was he suddenly longing to open up his heart to his incredibly perfect neighbor?

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Brooding loner Preston McQuinn's new apartment, like his life, was just the way he wanted it - dark and empty. But when sunny Cybil Campbell came barging into his well-ordered gloom, he couldn't deny a grudging fascination with his bright, bubby neighbor. And then she tried to hire him ... as her date! Preston thought he'd closed the door on love for good, so why was he suddenly longing to open up his heart to his incredibly perfect neighbor?

Last call by Laura Pedersen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Having descended from a long line of indomitable, good-humored Scots, Hayden MacBride sees no reason to take his own death lying down. In fact, he now spends his days crashing funerals for the free food and insight into the Great Beyond. Then he meets Rosamond, a nun playing hooky from the Holy Orders. Hayden is smitten the instant her heavy silver cross smacks him in the face when she leaps up to do the wave at a ball game. Luckily, Rosamond has picked the right person to teach her how to live . . . and to love–because nobody does both better than Hayden MacBride.
However, Rosamond’s years in the convent have not prepared her for the oddball characters of Hayden’s world. There’s his ever-fretful, vigilant daughter, Diana, the “Dutchess o’ the Sidelong Glance”; his sweet grandson Joey, struggling to break free of his mother’s overprotective embrace; Hayden’s bagpipe-blowing cronies; the Greyfriars Gang; neighbor Bobbie Anne, a “working girl” full of good advice and tender mercies; and Hank, the sexy architect contemplating the priesthood–a big mistake in Hayden’s book. For Hayden thinks that Hank should be married to his daughter and raising Joey. And he has an elaborate plan to make Hank see things his way. . . .

The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Leaving London to grow food for the war effort, Gwen discovers a mysterious lost garden and the story of a love that becomes her own. This word-perfect, heartbreaking novel is set in early 1941 in Britain when the war seems endless and, perhaps, hopeless. London is on fire from the Blitz, and a young woman gardener named Gwen Davis flees from the burning city for the Devon countryside. She has volunteered for the Land Army, and is to be in charge of a group of young girls who will be trained to plant food crops on an old country estate where the gardens have fallen into ruin. Also on the estate, waiting to be posted, is a regiment of Canadian soldiers. For three months, the young women and men will form attachments, living in a temporary rural escape. No one will be more changed by the stay than Gwen. She will inspire the girls to restore the estate gardens, fall in love with a soldier, find her first deep friendship, and bring a lost garden, created for a great love, back to life. While doing so, she will finally come to know herself and a life worth living. Reading group guide included.