When speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger brought home Stella, she noticed the similarities in training her puppy with her work helping children who had problems communicating.

The Briscoes of Olympus have long been the topic of conversation and gossip in this small, otherwise tranquil town.  Peter has a problem with fidelity and his long-suffering wife, June, finds it difficult to care about anyone anymore...until she meet the new veterinarian.  March Briscoe has just returned home after leaving town in disgrace two years ago when he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife.  Peter's twins, (not June's), find their once rock solid relationship in crisis when one of them gets involved in her first serious romance.  Then someone turns

When Sophie moves from Chicago to a small town in Texas with her husband and young son, she embraces the idea of a quiet, peaceful life.  However, things quickly become too quiet for Sophie, so she worms her way into a group of the local elite; women with too much money and too much free time.  Soon Sophie is spending more time than she should with these women, doing a lot of drinking and only a little shooting.  When a teenage girl is found dead on the property where most of the parties take place, Sophie realizes she's in way over her head.  I think this would qualify

Lena Nguyen drives from Seattle to Missoula, Montana, to the bridge where her twin sister, Cambry, ended her life by jumping.  Supposedly.  Lena and Cambry weren't close, but the bond between twins can defy explanation and Lena is sure that Cambry would never have committed suicide.  Lena is going to the bridge to meet the police officer who found Cambry.  Oddly enough, the same officer who had pulled her over several hours earlier.  Lena is determined to find out the truth about what happened to Cambry and is prepared to go to any lengths to get it.  A rivetin

The year is 1853.  Lady Jane Franklin wants to know what happened to her husband, Lord Franklin, who never returned from an ill-fated expedition to the Arctic.  After several failed attempts, she tries a new tactic.  She hires women, to be led by Virginia Reeve, who until recently was helping settlers find their way west.  Thirteen women head north, over land and sea, determined to find some evidence of what fate Lord Franklin's party met.  But all thirteen don't make it home and now Virginia finds herself facing a murder charge.

When the body of a young woman is found on a park bench, Detective Eddie Mahler can't help but be reminded of two young women found dead in the park a couple of years ago.  Eddie couldn't find enough evidence then to convict the dirtbag he knows is responsible, so now here they are again.  Eddie's team, including his newest investigator, a former FBI analyst, have to make an arrest before a second body turns up and before the department loses faith in Eddie's ability to nail the perpetrator.  This was a solid police procedural.  It took me a little time to warm up to all

Nebraska comes across as a harsh, desolate place in this debut novel and the residents of Pickard County are just as stark.  Most of them have been here their whole lives and don't even bother to wonder why; they just keep trudging on, day after dismal day.  Pam feels trapped by a small child she didn't really want and a husband with little ambition and a big, dark family history.  Pam's brother-in-law, Paul, the local ne'er-do-well, grew up in the shadow of family tragedy and has been forever marred by it.  Harley, the deputy sheriff, has his own bleak history and bagga

Mattie has lived on the mountain with her husband, William, for as long as she can remember. Mattie must be very careful to obey all of William's rules or she will be punished.  But as much as Mattie fears William, now there's something on the mountain to fear even more.  There's a creature with uncanny intelligence hunting and killing animals and now it seems to be stalking Mattie.

Finlay is a struggling crime writer.  She's also struggling to get along as a single mother, but that's preferable to the alternative, which is her ex-husband having custody of the kids.  During lunch with her agent, a fellow diner overhears part of their conversation and assumes that Finlay is a killer for hire.  Of course, Finlay has no intention of doing it and attempts to straighten out the misunderstanding, but soon finds herself mired in a situation she's only familiar with on paper and with a dead body in her minivan.  This is a fun and entertaining read.  Th

Jacob Finch Bonner wrote one marginally successful novel and now finds himself floundering while trying to write a second.  To pay the bills, he teaches creative writing to fine arts students at a college in Vermont that nobody ever heard of.  As he struggles to find something positive to say to most of his students, one in particular stands out.  Evan Parker exudes confidence and while his writing is better than most, it's the plot that captures Jake's attention.  Time passes and the story is never published.  When Jake discovers that Evan Parker died unexpectedly,