Careless Love by Peter Robinson

When university student Adrienne Munro is found dead in an abandoned car on an isolated road, the authorities at first think it was a suicide. When a man is discovered around the same time at the bottom of a gully, DS Alan Banks and DI Annie Cabbot wonder if the two cases could be connected. Working alongside DS Winsome Jackman and DC Geraldine Masterson, the four delve into the personal lives of Adrienne and the man, now identified as Laurence Hadfield, to try and uncover who is responsible. Careless Love is the latest entry in the long-running Alan Banks series. While I enjoyed spending time with the regular characters, the book at times felt like it was a placeholder to move a bigger ongoing series story along.

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

Lily cannot let her ex-boyfriend, Nate, go. Determined to get him back, she gets a job as a flight attendant at the same airline that Nate works as a pilot for. For a few months she stays under the radar, since Nate had made it clear that he never wanted to see her again, although she still has the key to his apartment and frequently goes there while Nate isn't home. Still, Juliette (aka Lily) is waiting for the right moment to spring her surprise on him and making him hers again, no matter the cost. The Perfect Girlfriend is a suspenseful read, similar to The Last Mrs. Parrish and The Wife Between Us. It will be published next month.

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

In remote Queensland, middle brother Cameron Bright is found dead nine kilometers from his car. His brothers, eldest Nathan and youngest Bub, wonder what could have happened for Cameron to be so far away from his vehicle. Nathan owns a smaller cattle station next to Cameron's, but hasn't seen him in several months. With Christmas approaching, Nathan's teenage son, Xander, is visiting and they all planned to spend the holidays together on Cameron's property, which is the homestead where all three Bright men grew up. The Lost Man details Nathan's search to discover what happened to his brother amidst the isolation and harsh climate of the area. Harper crafts her best book yet (yes, this is better than The Dry), immersing the reader in outback life and a puzzle that keeps you guessing.

No Exit by Taylor Adams

College student Darby is heading home to Utah for Christmas to see her dying mother when she's caught in a blizzard. Forced to get off the road by the bad weather, she ends up at a rest stop thinking she can wait out the storm and then be back on the highway. When she sees a girl locked in a cage in one of the other cars at the rest stop, she wonders which of the other four people trapped there are responsible. Soon, Darby finds herself fighting for both her life and the girl's in order to see justice done. No Exit is a white-knuckled thriller that's hard to put down, but it's not for the squeamish. Give to people who enjoy Harlan Coben and Greg Iles' 24 Hours.

Learning to See: a Novel of Dorothea Lange, the Woman Who Revealed the Real America by Elise Hooper

In 1918, Dorothea has just moved to San Francisco with her friend, Fronsie, hoping to open up her own photography studio. Being a woman and having a foot withered by polio, she has to work even harder to achieve her dream. Soon, her portrait studio is a success and Dorothea has found love, but with the stock market crash of 1929, her life changes drastically. In Learning to See, author Hooper recounts Dorothea's personal life and her photography career in novel form. I loved the fact that the book touched on the major events in Lange's life and that it was an overview of her whole life rather than just a period. I was also so glad to see some of her photographs included. An engaging read that made me want to delve into Lange's photography.