The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

Jack McEvoy, a reporter at the Los Angeles Times, is given two weeks to train his replacement, then he will be let go. Jack decides to go out with a bang when he finds the story of a 16-year-old boy arrested for murder who just might be innocent. We, as the reader, know he is, since the murder was commited by a serial killer named Carver. Carver is watching every move Jack and FBI Agent Rachel Walling are making. Carver knows they are on his trail and is able to stay one step ahead. Will Jack and Rachel be able to catch him? In The Scarecrow, Jack McEvoy (from Connelly's novel The Poet) and Rachel Walling (from many Connelly novels, including The Poet and some books in the Harry Bosch series) team up again and their attraction to each other is, as before, immediate. Connelly does a great job in this novel describing the decline of the American newspaper and the journalist's job along with it. While The Scarecrow was a fast-paced read, the Harry Bosch series is my favorite by far.

Choral Society by Prue Leith

Lucy is a recently-widowed food writer who is sacked from her newspaper job. Rebecca has a zest for living life to the fullest, despite her age. Joanna is a very successful businesswoman, yet has never been married. When these three fifty-ish woman meet at "Sing Your Heart Out" classes in Notting Hill, they become friends. Each is at a transition point in her life where she has the opportunity to do something new, to test the waters. Will going for love or a career change bring them the happiness they deserve? I always enjoy Prue Leith's novels because they mix the insight into women's lives with lots of detail about gardening and cooking in a British setting. She's also not afraid to show her characters, at times, in a unlikable light (Rebecca in this novel), which might bother some readers.

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith

Mr. Leungo Molofololo, owner of the soccer team Kalahari Swoopers, hires the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency to find out which of his players has been throwing the games during the team's long losing streak. Both Precious Ramotswe and her assistant, Mma Makutsi, interview the various players to find out who could be behind the team's bad luck. On a more personal note, Mma Ramotswe's much-beloved but very old white van is acting up again. She decides to try and keep its problems from her mechanic husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, because she knows he will make her junk it. Mma Makutsi is also having problems. Her fiance, Mr. Phuti Radiphuti, owner of the Double Comfort Furniture Shop, has hired an archnemesis of Mma Makutsi, Violet Sephotho. Mr. Phuti Radiphuti has no idea of the bad blood between Mma Makutsi and Violet, especially Violet's lies and sneaky ways. Mma Makutsi feels Violet is out to steal Mr. Phuti Radiphuti from her, since he's quite a catch. Will the ladies of the detective agency be able to foil Violet's plans? Regular readers of the series will not be disappointed.

Running from the Devil by Jamie Freveletti

Chemist Emma Caldridge is on her way to Bogota when her plane crashes in the Colombian jungle. An ultramarathon runner, she feels she can survive in the rainforest on her own when the rest of the passengers are taken prisoner by a group of local guerrillas. After finding supplies in the wreckage, Emma follows them from a distance figuring it's her only chance to get out alive. This area of Colombia, however, is full of lots of different guerrilla and paramilitary groups, which makes it very unstable. To make it worse, only a small force from the United States is sent on the rescue mission. It also seems as if Emma has an ulterior motive for being in Colombia besides her job. Will Emma and the other Americans make it out of the dense, unforgiving jungle? Running from the Devil is a promising first thriller. The scenes and descriptions of Emma in the wilderness are first-rate. However, I had a hard time keeping track of the different “bad guys” and found that I wanted the book to concentrate on Emma's journey more.

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

In 1936, eighty-six-year-old quilter Hennie Comfort is spending a few last seasons in the Colorado mining town of Middle Swan before she moves in with her daughter, Mae, in Iowa. Mae feels that Hennie is too old to live in Middle Swan alone, especially in the winter, but promises that Hennie can still spend her summers there. One day, Hennie meets a young bride, Nit Spindle, and feels an immediate affinity with her. They become friends and since Hennie is quite the storyteller, she tells Nit all about life in Middle Swan over the last seventy years. Hennie also talks about her own life as a young bride during the Civil War in Tennessee and her trek to Colorado. Hennie's reminiscences cause her to relive the pain and happiness in her life, yet in the end she remains upbeat and giving.

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child

It's two o'clock in the morning and Jack Reacher thinks he's in a New York subway car with a female suicide bomber. He tries to dismiss this fact because it doesn't make a lot of sense for someone to bomb the subway when it's so quiet. However, the woman fits an eleven-point profile compiled by Israeli counterintelligence. Reacher decides to confront her and becomes immersed in a situation full of violence, politics, war, and blackmail. Reacher, as usual, goes it alone to bring the bad guys down. Child creates a story where the layers are slowly unpeeled for Reacher and the reader to uncover the truth. He's a master at this and for this reason (plus his characterization of Reacher), he is one of the most consistently excellent thriller writers today. Quite a feat, considering this is book thirteen. Be aware that there are some scenes of intensely graphic violence, beyond what you may be used to from Child's previous novels.

Woman with Birthmark by Hakan Nesser

A mother on her death bed confides to her daughter a secret about her past. Right before she dies, the mother urges the daughter to "do something." The daughter takes it to mean that she should go on a killing spree against the men that wronged her mother years ago. The reader is kept in the dark about the woman's reason for revenge, as are Chief Inspector Van Veeteren and his team. As the woman is successful in her task, the police are trying to find out a possible connection between the men and uncover clues that might lead to the mysterious woman's identity. Woman with Birthmark is the fourth book in this Swedish mystery series. Readers who enjoy police procedurals with psychological undertones will probably appreciate this book.