Sit! Stay! Speak! by Annie England Noblin

Needing a change, Addie decides to move from Chicago to the small town of Eunice, Arkansas, after inheriting her Aunt Tilda's house.  Addie used to spend time each summer as a child with Tilda, but it's been many years since she visited.  Addie's plan is to stay a few months to fix her aunt's house up so she can sell it.  However, after rescuing an abandoned dog she names Felix, becoming friends with Wanda Carter (who is the queen of sassy southern sayings), and falling for lawyer/farmer Jasper Floyd she just might find it too hard to leave. Despite all this, Addie finds herself in trouble after she refuses ignore the fact that someone in Eunice is abusing dogs. Sit! Stay! Speak! is a cozy first novel full of charm, romance and quirky characters.

The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths

In 1950's England, DI Edgar Stephens is in charge of a a particularly gruesome case: a woman cut into thirds--the top and bottom left in the Brighton train station, the middle part sent to Edgar at the police headquarters. Who would commit such a crime and what is the identity of the victim? For Edgar, the manner of death recalls a magic trick called the Zig Zag Girl. His old friend, magician Max Mephisto, used to perform the illusion before the war. During World War II, Edgar and Max were part of a unit called the Magic Men, whose job was to fool the Germans with magic and subterfuge. Edgar knows that Max had nothing to do with the murder, but he goes to see him, hoping Max can help. Soon, someone else is murdered, and Edgar and Max have to look into the past to find who's responsible. With The Zig Zag Girl, Griffiths starts a new mystery series featuring Edgar and Max. At first, I was hesitant to read this first book because I'm not interested in magic at all, but Griffiths' writing style and character development won me over. If you enjoy her Ruth Galloway mysteries, give this new series a try.

Dishing the Dirt by M.C. Beaton

Agatha Raisin is convinced that Gwen Simple was involved in the murders that her son committed. Gwen, though, pleads innocence and is being counseled by local therapist Jill Davent, who starts spreading rumors about Agatha's upbringing. In response, Agatha threatens to kill her--and then finds herself the main suspect in Jill's death. As Agatha and her employees in the detective agency try to find the real killer, Agatha's own life is put in danger and other people's as well...

The Drowned Boy by Karin Fossum

When 16-month-old Tommy is found dead in the pond behind his house, Inspector Sejer and his partner, Jacob Skarre, have a hard time believing that it was an accident. Tommy's mother, Carmen, is acting especially strangely. while his father, Nicolai, seems overwhelmed in grief. Tommy also had Down's syndrome and it was not a secret that Carmen was put out by that fact. Are the detectives correct in their suspicions and, if so, will they be able to find sufficient evidence--or will someone get away with murder?

Make Me by Lee Child

Reacher finds himself in the small town of Mother's Rest as he's passing through on his way to Chicago. While there, he meets an ex-FBI agent named Michelle Chang who is trying to trace the whereabouts of a co-worker named Keever. Chang doesn't know why Keever was in Mother's Rest or what he was investigating, but Reacher agrees to help Chang find him. Their journey takes them around the country and is a puzzle where they are forced to confront the very dark side of human nature.  Make Me is fast-paced and not for the squeamish.

X by Sue Grafton

In this latest book in the long-running series, Kinsey finds herself with two cases: helping wealthy Hallie Bettancourt locate the son she gave up for adoption years ago, and unraveling the mystery of what former co-worker Pete Wolinsky was working on when he died. Both cases raise more questions than answers in the beginning, but, slowly, Kinsey's surveillance and investigation techniques bear fruit. In addition, her landlord, Henry, is concerned about how much water he is using everyday and Kinsey finds herself involved in that situation, too. While I enjoy reading about Kinsey and all her friends, the stories were slow moving and not that interesting, so a disappointment for me.

No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary

When two young boys are found dead in an underground bunker, it shakes DI Marnie Rome and her team to the core, especially when it's determined that the children died five years ago. Back then, there were no homes on the land, only lots of trees--residents moved into the area a year and a half ago. Does the Doyle family, whose property the boys were found on, have some connection to the crime, or might the builder of the houses, since he knew there were bunkers on the land he was developing? Marnie and DS Noah Jake delve deeply into the lives of the residents, hoping to find the answers in this particularly heartbreaking case.