The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

It's 1987 and pharmacist Augusta Stern retires and moves to a senior community in Florida. After arriving, she discovers that her first love, Irving Rivkin, also lives there. Sixty years ago, Augusta and Irving parted on bad terms, with Irving leaving Brooklyn and marrying someone else. It's obvious to all that they still have feelings for each other. Will the couple be able to forgive and find their way to each other again? The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern tells the story of them as teenagers, along with the contemporary story of their relationship. With lots of detail of Jewish life in 1920's Brooklyn and feisty main characters in Augusta and Irving, this is a good choice for readers who enjoy novels about romance late in life.

The Life and Death of Rose Doucette by Harry Hunsicker

Private detective Dylan Fisher agrees to meet his ex-wife, Rose, even though they haven't been in touch in three years. However, Rose is murdered before she can tell Dylan why she wanted him to look into the death of a man named Josh Gannon. The authorities are also trying to pin Rose's murder on Dylan. Dylan decides he owes it to Rose to find her killer, but Rose had many secrets that others want to stay buried. The Life and Death of Rose Doucette is a mystery that keeps the reader engaged and entertained. Here's hoping we see Dylan Fisher in another book. For readers who enjoy Michael Connelly and novels featuring private detectives.

Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon

Quill has found that running is a great release. As a native woman living on the Red Pine reservation in Minnesota, she has seen the violence perpetrated against tribal women. While preparing for a marathon, she hears a woman's scream in the forest and then finds an earring. Quill is convinced that harm has to come to someone. With the support of her friends and running mates Punk and Gaylyn, Quill attempts to find out if a woman has disappeared. However, there is violence and lawlessness all around her--at the casino and from outsiders (men who are working on the pipeline). Where They Last Saw Her is an unsettling, but essential read featuring a great sense of place and culture with a compelling main character in Quill. Memorable and hard to put down.

The Big Empty by Robert Crais

Private detective Elvis Cole is hired by Traci Beller, a.k.a. The Baker Next Door, to look into the disappearance of her father Thomas, who went missing ten years ago. A fellow investigator, Jess Byers, thoroughly worked over the case five years ago and wasn't able to find Thomas.  As Elvis delves into the last day Thomas was seen alive, he and others connected to the case are followed, threatened, and harmed. Will Elvis be able to uncover the truth about what happened to Thomas and give Traci some sense of peace? The Big Empty will be published in January.

Den of Iniquity by J.A. Jance

Retired Seattle cop J.P. Beaumont now has his private investigator's license. When he's asked by a friend to look into the death of Darius Jackson, who authorities had determined died of an accidental drug overdose, he agrees to help. Soon, Beau discovers other deaths similar to Darius' and wonders if they are all connected. In Beau's personal life, his grandson Kyle, has come to stay with Beau and his wife, Mel. Kyle, in his senior year of high school, doesn't want to live with his father, Jeremy and his new girlfriend, Caroline. As a favor to Kyle, Beau agrees to look into Caroline's background. In Den of Iniquity, Jance writes another solid entry in this long-running series.

Where the Forest Meets the River by Shannon Bowring

It's the summer of 1995, five years after the events in The Road to Dalton. Nate lives with his young daughter, Sophie, and works at the mill that's owned by Marshall Frazier. Marshall, meanwhile, wonders how he can help his wife, Annette, who has become an alcoholic after the death of their daughter. Other inhabitants of Dalton, Maine that feature in the novel include Rose (who is raising her boys on her own) Vera (a nurse who's taken a job at the local clinic) and Greg (a college student who would like to pursue a career in horticulture rather than taking over the family hardware store). A great choice for readers who enjoy novels about life in a small town.

The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen

It's Susan's and her teenager Zoe's first visit to Purity, Maine after Susan married Ethan Conover. Soon after their arrival, Zoe disappears. Acting police chief Jo Thibodeau wonders what could have happened to her. The Martini Club (four retired CIA agents--Maggie, Declan, Ben, and Ingrid) decide to get involved, much to Jo's dismay. Could Zoe's disappearance be connected to murders over fifty years ago one July day? The Summer Guests continues the adventures of the Martini Club. I loved the first book in the series and had high hopes for this one, but it's a miss for me. The book focused on too many characters instead of developing a few of them really well. In addition, the mystery itself wasn't that interesting. It will be published in March.