A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterman

A former colleague of retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn asks her to come to Florida and assist on an appeal for Marcus Creighton, who's soon to be executed for the murders of his family, although his children's bodies were never found. Brigid agrees to help her friend, Laura Coleman with the case. A native Floridian, Brigid will also be able to spend time with her elderly father, who's in the hospital and not doing well. Brigid and Laura have an uphill battle to save Creighton's life by searching for old evidence and seeing if any mistakes were made with the original case. Laura, though, appears to be a little too close to Creighton for Brigid's liking. In addition to all this, they are also trying to figure out what really happened to the Creighton children all those years ago.

Knife Creek by Paul Doiron

In the heat of a Maine summer, game warden Mike Bowditch, along with his girlfriend, Stacey, discovers a baby buried loosely in the ground. Both Mike and Stacey are extremely upset and wonder what lead to the baby's death. The only clues are the initials K.C. carved into a nearby tree and the clothes the child was wearing. Even though it's out of his jurisdiction, Mike continues to be haunted by what he saw, and finds himself involved in the investigation. In this latest book of the Mike Bowditch series, Doiron crafts a mystery that's extremely hard to put down. It has a great setting, a compelling story, and a main character with supporting characters that are interesting and believable. A top-notch series that deserves to mentioned as one of the best being written today. It will be published in June.

The Mother's Promise by Sally Hepworth

When Alice Stanhope is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she tries to stay strong for her teenage daughter, Zoe, who has severe social anxiety. Alice and Zoe have been each other's only family for many years, although with her diagnosis, Alice needs extra support from Kate (a nurse) and the hospital's social worker, Sonja. Alice keeps the news of her cancer from Zoe, but when she has complications, mother and daughter find that Kate is a godsend. Kate, though, is going through issues in her own life--mainly the sadness with not being able to carry a baby to term. Sonja, meanwhile, is hiding her own secret that her husband, George, abuses her. The Mother's Promise explores all these women's lives in detail and, while I enjoyed the story, there was a plot point near the end of the novel that I thought was unnecessary.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Forty years ago, Anthony Peardew's fiancee passed away. Since that day, he has picked up things that people have left behind or lost, such as a puzzle piece or an umbrella, cataloged them and then devoted a room in his house to the possessions. After Anthony dies, his housekeeper and secretary, Laura, is given his home in his will. She is also tasked with reuniting the items that Anthony has collected back to their owners. Laura is slowly regaining her sense of self after a divorce and has feelings for Anthony's gardener, Freddy. Will she be up to the task? The Keeper of Lost Things is a story of interesting characters and how their lives intertwine. Give this heartwarming tale to readers who enjoy the author Helen Simonson.

Death of a Ghost by M.C. Beaton

Retired police superintendent Handy Ebrington has bought a run-down castle in the town of Drim and wants the authorities to investigate, because he believes there's a ghost lurking about. Hamish Macbeth and his assistant, Charlie Carter, decide to spend the night in the castle and end up finding a dead body. Then the body disappears, and Hamish wonders if the crime might have been the work of smugglers. Soon, there are more murders, and Hamish attempts to wrap up the cases, all the while letting someone else take the credit (so he's not promoted and can stay in his beloved village of Lochdubh).