The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson

It's 1965 and Hazel Bates works as the tea lady at Sydney's Empire Fashionwear in the garment district in Surry Hills. In her job travelling between the floors of the dress company, Hazel gets to know the dressmakers, the machinists, the people in accounts, and the owners--the Karps. One day Hazel sees a woman in the window at the abandoned bond store across the street. Soon after, the bond store is on fire and one of Hazel's coworkers is found dead. It's up to Hazel and her fellow tea ladies, Betty, Irene, and Merl to find a murderer. The Tea Ladies is the first book in the series and gives the reader a great sense of place of working class 1960's Sydney.

Wordhunter by Stella Sands

Living in Florida, Maggie is working on her Master's in forensic linguistics and has a real gift in interpreting and finding patterns in the written word. After the local police department asks for her assistance in a stalking case and Maggie succeeds in pointing them in the right direction, she becomes part of the team when the mayor's teenage daughter goes missing. However, all of Maggie's demons lie just below the surface--her best friend Lucy's disappearance when they were teenagers, her mother's death from cancer, and Maggie numbing herself from the pain by drinking too much. Jackson, a cop in his 40's, becomes a friend and a confidant, and just might give Maggie the support she needs. An interesting debut that leaves the story open for a sequel.

Highway Thirteen: Stories by Fiona McFarlane

In this collection of linked short stories, the common thread is the twelve murders committed by killer Paul Biga. Biga is loosely based on the real life serial killer Ivan Milat. Laid bare to the reader is how violence and trauma can affect so many. There's Simon from England, whose older sister was backpacking in Australia and disappeared. While Eva and her husband, Gerald, lived across the street from Biga when he was young and are witness to the tearing down of the home many years later. In another story, May lives with her boyfriend and suspects that he could be the one the authorities are looking for. Other stories feature a famous actor playing Biga in a miniseries, a politician running for re-election with the bad luck to have the last name Biga, and a group of English schoolgirls' trip to Rome that has a connection to the case. The stories, spanning over 70 years with characters of a wide variety of ages, are thought provoking and hard to forget.

The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen

It's 1968 and journalist Liz Houghton is stuck writing obituaries after her big story is quashed by her superiors. When her flatmate, Marisa--who works for the London Metropolitan Police--is sent to the seaside with a lead on the whereabouts of a missing young girl named Lucy, Liz decides to travel there herself, figuring that it might make a good news story. While there, Liz learns about a village, Tydeham, where the residents were forced by the government to leave during World War II. Liz also begins to have memories of her childhood that don't match what she's always remembered about growing up. The Rose Arbor is another engrossing historical read by Bowen with a strong mystery element and a main character you really want to succeed.

The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu

It's the beginning of the school year at Baldwin High School in Houston when substitute teacher Mr. Lehrer dies in the teacher's lounge. Mr. Lehrer had taught at Baldwin for many years and, after retiring, came back to sub. While Mr. Lehrer died of natural causes, his passing sets off a chain of events that could cost respected Principal Kendricks his job. In The Faculty Lounge, the reader meets many of the people who work at Baldwin: teachers, administrators, the school nurse, and even a janitor. An enjoyable, humorous read similar to Help Wanted, Last Night at the Lobster, and the novels of Tom Perrotta.

The Waiting by Michael Connelly

Renee Ballard is the head of the LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit. She and her team of volunteers work on a variety of cases at the same time. It turns out that the unit has a lead on a series on crimes from the early 2000's. Someone nicknamed the "Pillowcase Rapist" assaulted dozens of women and killed one (his last, in 2005). The team has gotten a familial DNA match, which means they can hopefully now trace and arrest the person who was responsible for the crimes. In addition, Harry Bosch's daughter, Maddie, also part of the LAPD, has come to volunteer for the unit. Maddie would like to move up the ranks, figuring the experience working with Renee will help her chances. Maddie also believes that she might have solved the infamous Black Dahlia case. Will both Renee and Maddie get what they're looking for? The Waiting  will be published in October.

The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff

Growing up as next door neighbors and friends in the 1940s, Joseph and Evelyn fall in love. Almost sixty years later, they make the decision to end their lives in twelve months because Evelyn has been diagnosed with an advanced case of Parkinson's. Joseph reasons he can't live without the love of his life. Their three grown children--Jane, Thomas, and Violet--are furious with their decision and wish they would change their minds. In The Days I Loved You Most, the story alternates between recounting the many years of the ups and downs of their marriage while exploring how Joseph's and Evelyn's decision has affected both of them and their family.

The Most by Jessica Anthony

It's 1957 and Kathleen--mother of Nathaniel and Nicholas, wife of Virgil-- decides not to go to church on Sunday. She instead spends the day in the pool of the apartment complex they live in. Virgil, perplexed at her actions, wants her to get out of the pool so he can go and play golf. The novella explores Kathleen's and Virgil's marriage through both their points of view. Give to fans of Katherine Heiny and Claire Keegan.

Just One Taste by Lizzy Dent

Food critic Olive is surprised when her estranged father Nicky leaves her his restaurant (named Nicky's) in his will. Olive and Nicky had not spoken in many years, but Nicky was extremely close with his sous chef, Leo Ricci. In addition, Nicky was working on a cookbook when he died and Olive decides she will finish the cookbook with Leo. Completing the book means several weeks spent with Leo in Sicily, Tuscany, and Liguria. The trip starts off tense because Olive has told Leo that she will be selling the restaurant when they get back to London. But as they work together, eating and cooking their way around Italy, it becomes obvious they both have feelings for each other. Is their time together just a fling or something more? Just One Taste is a perfect beach read filled with likeable characters and luscious descriptions of food.

Our Kind of Game by Johanna Copeland

Stella is married to Tom and has two teenage children--Colin and Daisy. One evening when fellow mom, Gwen, knocks on her door and seems to be in distress, it causes Stella's life to come crashing down. What did Gwen want and why did she leave her purse and phone behind? How is Stella connected to a teenager named Julie, whom the reader learns about in an alternate storyline set in 1987? Our Kind of Game is a great read-alike for Lisa Jewell and Erin Kelly.