Kinsey and me by Sue Grafton

Kinsey and me by Sue Grafton  New York:  Penguin Group, 2013

Short Stories of an autobiographical nature as the author takes on the persona of 'Kit', re-living events from her childhood with her mentally ill and alcoholic mother and lawyer, alcoholic father.  Very sensitive writing, with a level of introspection nver seen in her 'Alphabet Series'. Second half of book the superior, showing her sensitivity and humanity.

The witch's daughter (2011) by Paula Brackston



My name is Elizabeth Anne Hawksmith, and my age is three hundred and eighty-four years. Each new settlement asks for a new journal, and so this Book of Shadows begins…

In the spring of 1628, the Witchfinder of Wessex finds himself a true Witch. As Bess Hawksmith watches her mother swing from the Hanging Tree she knows that only one man can save her from the same fate at the hands of the panicked mob: the Warlock Gideon Masters, and his Book of Shadows. Secluded at his cottage in the woods, Gideon instructs Bess in the Craft, awakening formidable powers she didn’t know she had and making her immortal. She couldn't have foreseen that even now, centuries later, he would be hunting her across time, determined to claim payment for saving her life.
In present-day England, Elizabeth has built a quiet life for herself, tending her garden and selling herbs and oils at the local farmers' market. But her solitude abruptly ends when a teenage girl called Tegan starts hanging around. Against her better judgment, Elizabeth begins teaching Tegan the ways of the Hedge Witch, in the process awakening memories--and demons—long thought forgotten.
Part historical romance, part modern fantasy, The Witch’s Daughter is a fresh, compelling take on the magical, yet dangerous world of Witches.Readers will long remember the fiercely independent heroine who survives plagues, wars, and the heartbreak that comes with immortality to remain true to herself, and protect the protégé she comes to love.(Review by Goodreads)

Six years (2013) by Harlan Coben



Six years have passed since Jake Sanders watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six yearsof hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd.

But six years haven’t come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for . . . but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she’s been married to Todd for more than a decade, and with that fact everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life—a time he has never gotten over—is turned completely inside out.
As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. Mutual friends of the couple either can’t be found or don’t remember Jake. No one has seen Natalie in years. Jake’s search for the woman who broke his heart—and who lied to him—soon puts his very life at risk as it dawns on him that the man he has become may be based on carefully constructed fiction. (Review by Goodreads)

The Hypnotist (2009) by Lars Kepler

Solving two unrelated, but peculiar, serial killings becomes the mission of Stockholm police detective, Joona Linna., Very suspenseful.



Touch & Go (2013) by Lisa Gardner

The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani  New York, NY:  Harper Collins, 2012

This review by Carol Memmott, USA TODAY April 01, 2012. 

 "At first glance, there seems to be a disconnect between the sturdy, simple title of Adriana Trigiani's new novel, The Shoemaker's Wife, and the breathlessly gorgeous photo that graces the book's cover. It ran in Harper's Bazaar in 1949 and its model, decked out in a strapless, fiery red gown, is the epitome of sophistication. But within the pages of this novel, Trigiani's 10th, is a gloriously romantic yet sensible world that seamlessly blends practicality and beauty.The novel's real-life back story is as arresting as the one Trigiani creates. It's inspired by the love between the author's grandparents, who grew up in the Northern Alps of Italy but did not meet until they emigrated to the United States. That's the gem of an idea that Trigiani nurtured in her imagination for more than two decades before she put it on paper. The Shoemaker's Wife begins in the Northern Alps in 1905 and follows the lives of Ciro and Eduardo Lazzari, brothers who grew up in a convent because their widowed mother could not care for them. It's also the story of Enza Ravanelli and her big-hearted family whose financial struggles come to a fateful bend in the road when Enza decides to go to America to earn money. She would not know until a chance meeting in New York that Ciro, a boy she kissed and thought never to see again, had also traveled to America to seek his fortune.
What transpires is a classic immigrant success story, but the tale of Enza and Ciro transcends the commonplace because of their great love. It's a love so big that Enza, whose seamstress skills have earned her a spot creating costumes for the Metropolitan Opera House's biggest stars, gives up her dream job. She leaves a fiancé at the altar and marries Ciro. They move to Minnesota, where he makes shoes for working men. Like other period pieces set pre- and post-World War I (think Downton Abbey) that are capturing our imagination, The Shoemaker's Wife is built around the staggering cultural and social changes the war years swept in. In America, the flood of mostly European immigrants changed the country's look and landscape. You don't need to have an immigrant family history to adore this novel — it ranks as one of Trigiani's very best."



You only need a deep appreciation for exquisite writing and a story enriched by the power of abiding love.





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