First Family

Baldacci, David. First Family. Book 4 of the Sean King & Michelle Maxwell series. 2009. 449p. ISBN 9780446539753.

Solicited by the sister of the President's wife for a possible assignment, private detectives and former Secret Service Agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell arrive at the house late at night only to be shot at by two guys wearing body armor. Inside the house, their potential client is dead, and Willa, her eldest daughter, niece to the President, has been kidnapped. Her husband was attacked as well, but not seriously hurt. The other two children were drugged but not otherwise harmed.

With time ticking and the first 72 hours of a kidnapping the most important, Sean and Michelle are hired by the First Lady to track down her sister's killers and find Willa before it is too late. In the midst of a re-election campaign, the First Couple does not trust the FBI to quickly solve this dastardly attack.

Sam Quarry has been planning the demise of the President and his wife for many years. Extremely meticulous and careful, he has assembled enough information to convict both of them of crimes, let alone that they do not deserve another term. But Sam wants revenge for all of the evil things they have done, including the harm that happened to his daughter Tippy, now in a coma.

As Sean and Michelle use all means, legal or otherwise, to find the President's niece, they must contend with a powerful adversary who has noting to lose. With the Presidency and the life of a young girl in the balance, time is already running out!

City of Light, City of Poison: : Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris

Tucker, Holly. City of Light, City of Poison: : Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris. 2017. 310p. ISBN 9780393239782.

In the 1670s, France was at its apogee. Louis XIV, the Sun King, had been ruling for decades. France had expanded through war, Versailles was under construction, and Paris was growing. Hoping to turn his capital into a beacon for the civilized world, Louis XIV assigned a dedicated public servant, Nicolas de la Reynie, to be the first chief of police for the city. Previously, law enforcement was divided among many jurisdictions, with the effect that the city was dirty, dark, and dangerous. When de la Reynie assumed his post, his first edicts were to literally clean the city of its refuse, and to install lanterns at every street corner, turning Paris into the City of Light.

de la Reynie then turned his attention to the criminals that populated the streets of the city. As he pursued dangerous individuals, he soon stumbled upon a group of poisoners, who, for a price, would provide a husband or wife with the means to "prune the family tree." This cabal was soon arrested and transported to the Chateau of Vincennes for interrogation, and de la Reynie learned that noble women were also using this group's services.

As de la Reynie investigates and conducts interrogations, he soon realizes that the currencies of violence and deceit are not limited to the lower classes. More nobles fall in disgrace or are executed as revelations rock the court of the king. Progressively, people close to the king become targets of de la Reynie, until he comes across a nefarious plot from the King's own mistress to poison the Sun King. How far can he push to get the whole truth?

A true story of passion and betrayal, of envy and destruction, City of Light, City of Poison illustrates a fascinating period in the reign of Louis XIV, where anything that could gain the attention of the King was worth gold. A spat of deaths and poisoning was followed by this investigation, which in turn was soon buried by the King for fear that France would never recover from the loss of trust and the embarrassment. Fans of history and of criminal investigations will devour this book!

Murder of Crows

Ancrum, K. Murder of Crows. Book 1 of the Lethal Lit series. 2022. 288p. ISBN 9781338742923.

High-schooler Tig Torres is the popular podcast host of Lethal Lit, where she documented her efforts at uncovering who was behind the serial killings of the person known as the Lit Killer. With the murder resolved and the killer behind bars, the town of Hollow Falls is breathing easy. Tig and her reporter friends from the school newspaper caught the attention of the Murder of Crows, a local group of amateur detectives who enjoy a mystery. Tig presents the Lit Killer case to them, and is received by a mysterious old man, who gives her the strange gift of a book.

As Tig enjoys refreshments, the man plummets to his death from the top of the house, smashing into the cake. He has clearly been pushed down! Once again, Tig and her friends find themselves in the middle of a mysterious chase, with another murderer. This time, the murderer is seeking the treasure that a group of town founders hid more than 160 years ago, leaving mysterious clues behind. Armed with gumption and a healthy dose of courage, Tig, Max and Wyn resolve to unmask this murderer, and find the treasure themselves!

Murder of Crows is fast-paced and features plenty of action and mystery, along with an underlying currents of romance. Fans of the whodunnit genre will enjoy watching Tig navigate dangers and murderers to solve the town's greatest mystery!

Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History

O'Reilly, Bill and Martin Dugard. Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History. Book 8 of the Killing series. 2018. 307p. ISBN 9781250165541.

When Germany capitulated in May 1945, Adolf Hitler's Third Reich came to a crashing end, leaving ruins and death in its wake. Hitler, who committed suicide at the end of April, avoided punishment for his deeds, but most of the other high ranking Nazis attempted to escape. Himmler and Goering were caught by allied forces, and the first one soon swallowed a cyanide pill, while the second was condemned to death but also avoided punishment by killing himself.

However, many of the worst Nazis escaped Germany and took refuge in South America. Dreaded SS doctors, guards, and administrators all fled justice and thought they had found sanctuary. But dedicated teams of investigators pursued them across the glove, and eventually brought most of them to justice. Individuals like Klaus Barbie, the Gestapo chief in Southern France who led thousands to their death, and Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Final Solution, eventually stood as accused and were judged.

Fans of history will appreciate this story of spycraft and justice being delivered to those who deserve it most.

This series also include Killing England and Killing the Rising Sun.

Dear Killer

Ewell, Katherine. Dear Killer. 2014. 362p. ISBN 978-0-06-225780-2. Available as an ebook from Overdrive.

Kat is not your typical British high schooler. She doesn't stand out at all at school, but at home, only her mother and her know that she is in fact the Perfect Killer, someone trained from a young age to kill without leaving any clue. Kat's mother was the Perfect Killer before passing the mantle to her daughter. Unlike killers who kill for money or revenge, Kat kills because she can, because she's good at it, and because she enjoys it. Killing defines who she is. Nothing is right, nothing is wrong. People reach out to the perfect killer by leaving letters in secret places, and Kat wades through the letters, deciding who deserves to have their wish met. Her call sign is leaving the request letter behind, usually identifying the person who asked for the murder in the first place. Yet, letters keep coming.

Then her mother invites Alex, the inspector charged with investigating the Perfect Killer, into their home. Kat finds him both endearing and annoying, but still feels the need to prove that she is smarter than the police by providing them information about the killer while continuing her life of crime. Kat is soon surprised when she received a letter, asking her to kill one of her schoolmates, Maggie. Maggie has been harassed by Michael, who seems to be growing increasingly unhinged. Michael is clearly the author of the letter. Worried about hitting so close to home, Kat is nevertheless thrilled by the prospect. But when Michael gets a little too close to Maggie, Kat must make a difficult decision. Should she kill Michael, even though she doesn't have a letter asking for his death, or should she wait at the risk of him killing Maggie for her? With the police searching for clues, and with time running out, Kat's game of cat and mouse is about to take a dangerous turn.

Fans of murder mysteries will enjoy reading Kat's adventures, trying to figure out how she will deal with Michael and Maggie while avoiding discovery by the police. Not for the faint of heart, this book demonstrate that moral nihilism is all relative.

In Cold Blood

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. 1994. 363p. ISBN 9780679745587.

Nothing interesting ever happened in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. The 300 people who lived here knew each other, went to church on Sundays, and lived normal lives. The Clutter family owned several hundred acres. Herb Clutter was a deeply religious man who did not tolerate drinking, and who never carried cash. He was a fair employer, and had four children, two of whom still lived at home. His wife had an undiagnosed mental illness, while his daughter Nancy was a senior in high school who was appreciated by all, and his son Kenyon was a musician and athlete.

On November 15, 1959, the four members of the Clutter family were slaughtered, shot at point blank range after a robbery. Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, two criminals who had done time together, had planned the "perfect" score. Based on information from another inmate that Herb Clutter had a safe in the house that had at least $10,000, they constructed an alibi, then drove 400 miles to rob the house. When they were unable to find the safe, they tortured and killed Herb, and then killed his wife, Nancy, and Kenyon to eliminate any witnesses.

At first the police could not find any evidence. Nothing but a small radio seemed to have been taken. Nancy's boyfriend was an early suspect, as was a man who believed himself wronged by Herb. The fact that Herb had just taken out a life insurance policy the day before was also suspicious. But through a lucky photograph that revealed boot prints, and through investigative work, the police were soon on the trail of Hickock and Smith, who  thought they had gotten away with the perfect murders, even if they found no money.

Reconstructed from newspaper and court records, and from investigation reports and witness interviews, In Cold Blood reconstructs the sequence of events that led to one of the most violent and senseless crime to take place in the United States.

Descendant of the Crane

He, Joan. Descendant of the Crane. 2019. 416p. ISBN 9780807515518. 

Hesina has led a privileged life. As the daughter of the King of Yan, she has been trained to one day succeed him. However, she always thought that it would much later in her life that this would happen. Instead, when her father is found having been poisoned, she is thrusted onto the Yan throne, where she must hold her kingdom together while enemies threaten her borders. Meanwhile sooth, people who are imbued with magical abilities to see into the future and who are considered heretics deserving of death by a thousand cuts, are suspected of infiltrating the imperial capital, causing tensions among neighbors who suspect each other.

Wanting to avenge her father's death and find out who the killer was, Hesina herself engages the services of a sooth to discover any hint that can lead her to the person responsible. This quest soon turns deadly as the investigation conducted by the tribunal reveals a nefarious plot to destroy Yan. Relying on her family members, and unsure if she can trust them, Hesina recruits the mysterious Akira, a man currently held in the dungeon for unspecified crimes. Brilliant but odd, Akira agrees to help Hesina. 

But the forces allied against them quickly grow in strength and ready themselves to destroy the Yan kingdom once and for all. Will Hesina be willing to pay the cost required to protect her nation?

I Have the Right to: A High School Survivor's Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope

Prout, Chessy and Jane Abelson. I Have the Right to: A High School Survivor's Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope. 2018. 416p. ISBN 9781534414433.

Chessy lived in Japan with her family when the tsunami ravaged the country in 2011, causing a major nuclear accident in Fukushima. The family of expatriates soon returned to the United States following the disaster, and Chessy found herself in the American school system for the first time. Her middle school years in Naples, Florida were uneventful, but she looked forward to attending St. Paul School in Concord, New Hampshire, Her father was an alumni of the school, and her older sister was currently a junior. When Chessy was accepted, she knew her world would never be the same.

The climate at St. Paul was tense, with senior boys feeling entitled to grope and harass female students and with faculty unwilling or unable to make it stop. In May of her freshman year, Chessy was raped by a senior classmate in a game seniors called the senior salute. Chessy courageously reported her experience to the police, and her aggressor was arrested and tried. This experience changed Chessy. She developed panic attacks, trust issues, and was forced to move to a different school after the St. Paul community rallied behind her aggressor. Through it all she remained driven to see justice served, and he was eventually convicted.

Chessy's story is not unique, and she was better equipped than most with parental support, loving siblings, and a community of other survivors who rallied behind her. Chessy came forward with her experiences so that others would understand what happened to her and to effect policy changes in teaching consent at a young age. Chessy continues to be an advocate for survivors, and lends her voice and support to make sure that this doesn't happen to another girl.

Illegal

 Stork, Francisco X. Illegal. Book 2 of the Disappeared series. 2020. 304p. ISBN 9781338310559.

Sara and Emiliano escaped Mexico in Disappeared following an attempt on their lives from the local drug cartel. The story concluded with Sara being arrested after saving one of their attackers' lives, and Emiliano escaping and finding refuge with a rancher.

Now in custody of the U.S. federal government, Sara is in a detention facility for other illegal immigrants. The warden and the head guard are both power hungry individuals who exploit their position to harass and abuse the women in their care. Sara's lawyer is attempting to free her.

The cartel badly wants to retrieve the cellphone that she took across the border and entrusted to Emiliano, as it contains information about crimes committed in Mexico and in the United States. Powerful people want to shut her up and make sure that phone never sees the light of day.

Emiliano is reunited with the father he despises in Chicago, and he must live with their new family. Bored out of his mind, Emiliano looks for work and meets one of the neighbors who hires him to paint her house. But life with his father's new wife is difficult, as she is concerned an illegal immigrant could undermine her reputation and that of her father's business.

As the bad guys' search for the cellphone continues, violence follows both Sara and Emiliano. With time running out, they must reveal the truth about those who are behind the murders and the attacks that have plagued them.

Keep This to Yourself

 Ryan, Tom. Keep This to Yourself. 2019. 320p. ISBN 9780807541517.

Mac grew up on a spit of land outside of Camera Cove, Maine. There were only four other houses and a farm on his stretch of road, and within a few years of his birth each house had a child living in it of the same age. Soon the five kids were inseparable, more because of necessity than through real connections, but they grew up together. Mac, Connor, Benjamin, Doris, and Carrie met at the end of middle school by the ocean, and they each dropped off an envelope in a time capsule, to be opened on graduation four years later.

Following high school graduation, Mac, Ben and Doris meet under darker circumstances than four years earlier. Carrie has long since stopped hanging out with the group. Connor, for his part, was one of the four victims of the Catalog Killer, a serial killer who last year terrorized the community of Camera Cove and killed the "perfect" family, a father, a mother, a daughter, and a son. 

Despite the time that has passed and the fact that police determined the killer was a transient who had  since moved on, Mac is convinced that the killer is actually much closer to home. Still in love with Connor, but not wanting to admit even to himself, Mac begins asking probing questions to family members of those who were killed, and details that the police ignored or downplayed emerge, pointing to a killer that is closer than Mac realized...

Trell

 Lehr, Dick. Trell. 320p. ISBN 9780763692759.

Trell has never gotten the chance to be tucked in bed by Romero Taylor, her father. He's missed all of her school events. He's only seen her once a week for a few hours, but it's not his fault. He's in prison, for the murder of a twelve-year-old girl named Ruby Graham who was shot and killed in 1988 by a stray bullet while sitting on a mailbox in Roxbury, a Boston neighborhood. For fourteen years, Trell has been raised by her no-nonsense mother Shey, who has looked after her and who has taken her to visit her father in prison every weekend.

He's always claimed his innocence, but Trell has never really cared about that until she meets Nora Walsh, a pugnacious defense lawyer who agrees to look into Romero's case. What she finds disturbs her. Following the death of Ruby, the police was under extreme pressure to find a killer quickly. Corners were cut, investigations were sloppy, his legal representation was awful, and Romero ended up convicted. 

Even with a heavy school load, Trell finds time to volunteer with Nora and help her build a case, but upon the dismissal of Romero's appeal for a retrial, Trell decides it's time to bring in a reporter to help investigate their case. She contacts Clemens Bittner, and despite several refusals, tenaciously pursues him until he agrees to take a look at the case. What he finds bothers him enough to join Trell and Nora and look at the circumstances that led Romero to prison. 

As the investigation progresses, Trell becomes convinced her father didn't do it. And if he was committed for a crime he didn't commit, then someone else out there killed Ruby Graham, and likely won't appreciate people looking again into that case. Threading a dangerous needle, Trell pursues her investigation, knowing that her life becomes more and more in danger the closer she gets to the truth!

The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan

 Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan. Book 4 of the Enola Holmes series. 2008. 183p. ISBN 9780399247804.

Following her resolution of the mystery of the bouquets and the disappearance of Dr. Watson in The Curious Case of the Mysterious Bouquets, Enola attempts to return to a semblance of normalcy. Secure in her knowledge that her enterprise of solving mysteries has not been detected by her brothers Mycroft and Sherlock, Enola nonetheless has put off finding her mother.

When she runs into Lady Cecily, from The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, she is very perplexed. Last time she had seen Lady Cecily she had revealed her true identity to the left-handed youth. Imagine her surprise, then, to see Lady Cecily flanked by two aristocratic matrons and being forced into an arranged marriage. Using a pink fan, Cecily manages to communicate her distress to Enola, who decides to investigate the manner.

Her inquiries reveal that Lady Cecily's mother has departed the family home with the children, and that Lady Cecily's father, concerned that his daughter is now damaged goods following her disappearance, has decided to marry her off to a less than desirable suitor. Enola runs into her brother Sherlock, who is on the same trail but possesses less information than she. Putting her grievances against her brother aside, the two of them team up to discover where Lady Cecily is being kept against her will. With the revelation that Lady Cecily is being held in an orphanage on the outskirts of London and that the wedding is this very day, Enola must infiltrate the place and device a plan to rescue Lady Cecily without being captured by her brothers!

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets

Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets. Book 3 of the Enola Holmes series. 2008. 170p. ISBN 9780399245183. Available at FIC SPR on the library shelves.

After successfully escaping her brother Sherlock Holmes in The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, Enola returns to her home to recuperate and consider her next move. When Dr. Watson goes missing, however, Enola knows she cannot remain hidden and must help find the good doctor, especially since even her own brother is despairing of finding a solution. Weary it is a trap to lure her out in the open so Sherlock can capture her and make a proper lady out of her, she approaches Dr. Watson's wife only to discover that Dr. Watson is indeed missing and hasn't been seen for days. One of the bouquets of flowers left by well-wishers attracts her attention. Why would there be flowering aspargus?

Armed with this smallest of puzzle piece, Enola sets forth on a dangerous path to discover what might have happened to the good doctor, who might have done it, and, more importantly, whether or not he is still alive. This time, Enola will have to effect the most radical disguise of all, and turn herself into a beauty the world cannot ignore. With dangers lurking, time is of the essence to resolve this mystery!

Fans of the style of mysteries popularized by Sherlock Holmes will appreciate this take on his younger sister, who is both more motivated and more interesting!

The story continues in The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan.

Disappeared

Stork, Francisco X. Disappeared. Book 1 of the Disappeared series. 2017. 329p. ISBN 9780545944472. Available at FIC STO on the library shelves.

Sara and her brother Emiliano live in Juàrez, Mexico, with their mother. It was always Emiliano's dream that he and his father would open a food truck together, but his father left to work in the United States, and found love up there, leaving the family behind. Whereas Sara has adapted to her father's absence, Emiliano continually resents his father for abandoning them.

Sara works for a local newspaper, conducting investigations in the criminal world that dominates the city. When her best friend is kidnapped by the cartel, Sara decides to risk her own life to find out what happened to her. As she pursues leads, her life becomes increasingly in danger, and she soon realizes she is surrounded by spies and enemies that wish her harm.

Emiliano is in love with Perla Rubi, who comes from a rich family. An enterprising young man, Emiliano has worked with some local children to create art that he then sells for export to the United States. He also collects bottles from a local night club and resells them, hoping to make enough money to buy a motorcycle, which would allow him to expand his business. Offered an opportunity to meet with a businessman, Emiliano quickly learns that he would be joining the cartel and his art would be used to smuggle drugs.

With their lives in the balance, each member of the family must make an impossible decision that could destroy everything they have worked for. Can Sara and Emiliano successfully bring justice to the cartel and keep their lives?

A vigorous drama that switches between Sara and Emiliano's point of view, this book is not for the faint of heart. Fans of criminal investigation will appreciate how easy it would be for Emiliano to join the cartel and live a life of crime, and what rewards he would get from that. They will also like Sara's dedication to truth and justice, even putting her life on the line to rescue her best friend from sexual slavery. 

The story continues in Illegal.

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady

Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Left-Handed Lady. Book 2 of the Enola Holmes series. 2007. 234p. ISBN 9780399245176. Available at FIC SPR on the Library Shelves.

Having escaped her brother Sherlock Holmes in The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, Enola has set up shop as an investigator of missing persons, hiding behind the persona of a recluse doctor and acting as his secretary. Her mother has gone with the gypsies, and Enola at 14 finds herself living alone in London, away from the strictures that were bounding her to be a "proper" lady. That's the way she wants to keep it, and she will do anything she can to escape the reach of her famous detective brother.

When Lady Cecily goes missing, Enola is intrigued. Acting as the young wife of her persona, she visits Cecily's mother to get more information about what happened. Cecily disappeared on a ladder from the fourth story of her house, and she took no clothes. No ransom note has been received, and no other details were noticed. Elona quickly realizes that Lady Cecily was left handed, which is rare in the British nobility. 

Following the clues, Elona visits a department store where the owner's son works. He was rumored to have a relationship with Cecily, but his lodgings were searched and no clue as to Cecily's whereabouts were found. From him, she discovers that Cecily was very interested in radical idea like Marxism, and that she thought workers should have a better deal than what they were getting. As she continues looking, however, Elona almost becomes the victim of a garroter. Looking for Lady Cecily has just turned deadly!

Fans of the style of mysteries popularized by Sherlock Holmes will appreciate this take on his younger sister, who is both more motivated and more interesting!

The story continues in The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets.

The Great Train Robbery

 Crichton, Michael. The Great Train Robbery. 1975. 266p. ISBN 978-0-307-81644-3. Available both at FIC CRI on the library shelves and as an ebook on Overdrive.

In 1855 Victorian England, the country was bitterly divided between those who had wealth and stood at the top of society, and those who didn't and lived in severe poverty with no social safety net to speak of. At the time, criminals were thought to be poorly educated people, though plenty of rich folks committed crimes as well. Edward Pierce dressed as a gentleman. He lived in a nice house. He dressed in fine clothes, and always had money with him. But Pierce was not a noble. In fact, his origins remain unknown. What is known, however, is that Pierce and several confederates planned and carried out the biggest train robbery in history, stealing the gold destined to pay British soldiers during the Crimean war.

The plan was simple yet devilishly complex. In a time before explosives, breaking into the safe that carried the gold from London to the coast of England where it could be shipped on a boat required keys. A professional could crack a one-key safe with ease. A two-key safe was more difficult, but not impossible. A three-key safe would require more time than the train ride lasted. This large safe had four keys. Pierce and his accomplices needed to make copies of each of the keys, which were in possession of various people of influence at the bank and at the train company, to make this work.

Over the course of months, Pierce and his associates procured the keys, planned their actions, and infiltrated the train before stealing the gold. The result was a black eye for Scotland Yard, a victory for criminals, and the lost of three large boxes of gold from the British treasury.

Based on historical events and reconstituted from court and newspaper accounts, the Great Train Robbery provides an unvarnished look at Victorian society, their morals, and the importance of industrialization in transforming Britain from an agrarian country to one filled with factories.

All Fall Down

Carter, Ally. All Fall Down. Book 1 of the Embassy Row. 2015. 301p. ISBN 978-0-545-65474-6. Available at FIC CAR on the library shelves.

Three years ago, Grace witnessed the brutal murder of her mother by a man sporting a large facial scar. The fire that then destroyed her mother's bookstore led the authorities to rule her death an accident, but Grace saw the man shoot her mother. Despite her pleas for help and for tracking that man, she was ignored, or worse, deemed mentally unstable by those around her. With her loving older brother now gone to serve in the military, and with her father also deployed, Grace returns to Adria, where her grandfather runs the United States embassy.

Once back on Embassy Row, Grace meets several of the teens whose parents serve as ambassadors or staff of national embassies. Alexei lives next door and is the son of the Russian ambassador. He remembers Grace from ten years ago when she would visit her grandfather. Somehow he always seems to find himself near Grace when she tries to escape the stifling environment of the U.S. Embassy. It soon becomes obvious that he is acting as a babysitter, but on who's behalf?

Grace also realizes that no one is interested in her mother's murder. Everyone wants to her put on a show, pretend to be happy, and go on with her life. When Grace recognizes a denizen of Embassy Row as her mother's killer, her desire for revenge is rekindled. But trying to solve a murder can prove to be deadly, and soon Grace finds herself implicated in a deadly conspiracy ...

Hoot

Hiaasen, Carl. Hoot. 2003. 292p. 385 mins. ISBN 9780440421702. Available both at FIC HIA on the shelves of the library and as audiobook on Overdrive.

Roy Edberhart and his family move often. His father works for the Department of Justice, and every year or so they join a new community. Roy really liked the last place, Montana, and they actually spent more than two years there. He loved the mountains, the wildlife, and the empty spaces. Now, Roy finds himself in Florida where it is hot, everything is crowded, and there are no mountains. His middle school is okay, but he's bullied on the school bus by Dana Matherson, a kid who is dumb enough not to know when to stop.

On one of these occasion, Roy's face gets smooshed against the bus window, and he notices a barefoot kid about the same age he is running away from the school bus. Suddenly Roy is intrigued. He's never seen this kid before, and there are no other schools he could be going to. He looks for him in town and at school, but can't find him. Looking to solve this mystery, Roy decides to follow the boy the next opportunity he has.

Meanwhile, construction equipment sits idle at the site of the future Mother Paula's Pancake House. The site has suffered vandalism, and the foreman has had enough and files a police complaint. When the police car itself is vandalized while parked on site, the foreman decides to escalate his protection measures.

These two stories gradually intertwine and tie together. A protected species, burrowing owls, live on the property but the company is ignoring its environmental assessment and plans to proceed with construction. As Roy investigates the shoeless boy, he becomes drafted in saving the owls, making new friends, and becoming part of his new community.

The Lovely and the Lost

Barnes, Jennifer Lynn. The Lovely and the Lost. 2019. 328p. 512 mins. ISBN 978-1-982596-26-2. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

As a young girl, Kira was found lost in the forest, where she had been fending for herself for days, if not weeks. Cady Bennett and her team of search-and-rescue dogs located her deep into the woods. Kira was never claimed, so Cady adopted her and raised her as her own daughter, forming a family of three with her own son, Jude. For Kira, it took years of therapy before she could trust other humans again, and even now she doesn't like to be cornered, has trouble interpreting subtle signals people send, and would much rather work with her dog than with others. Nevertheless, she managed to make friends with Free, a neighbor girl, who joined Kira and Jude as a now infamous trio, and all three of them have joined the search-and-rescue business, training dogs that are later purchased by various organizations. Kira's goal is to become a certified search-and-rescue dog trainer.

During a regular training session, Kira's dog finds a strange man on their property. He is Bales Bennett, Cady's father and someone Cady hasn't spoken to in years. Even Jude has never met him. He brings news that a young girl has walked away from her camp site in the Sierra Glades National Park, and has now been missing for two days. As this case is similar to Kira's own life, Cady accepts to participate in the search, and she brings Kira, Jude and Free along to gain valuable field experience. They meet Gabriel, a ward of Bales, with secrets of his own and, like Kira, hard to approach.

Able to draw from her own past, Kira and her dog quickly locate evidence that the child was still alive recently, but there's clear proof that she is with someone who is intimately familiar with the forest. The case transforms from a missing person's to a kidnapping. As the teens spend time in the forest and in the local villages, they realize many visitors have gone missing in the last year. In a race against time to find the missing child, secrets will be revealed, lives will change forever, and Kira will need to decide whether she can put her trust back in humanity.

Author of The Naturals and Every Other Day, Barnes successfully builds a psychological thriller with a unique premise of a human / animal partnership and an emotionally crippled main character. Fans will appreciate Kira's tenacity and dedication to make sure this girl does not become like her.

If I Run

Blackstock, Terry. If I Run. Book 1 of the If I Run series. 2016. 305p. 402 mins. ISBN 978-0-310-33246-6. Available as an audiobook and as an ebook from Overdrive.

When Casey Cox discovers to her horror that her friend Brent has been stabbed and killed, she runs off with the minimum of things: money, a change of clothes, a cell phone. She didn't kill Brent, but she knows the evidence will point to her. Her fingerprints are all over Brent's apartment. Her shoes stepped in his blood, and this blood is now in her car and on her clothes. The police will not believe her, especially since she knows for a fact corrupt police officers were behind her father's own supposed suicide ten years earlier.

Brent had been investigating her father's death. A former cop, his death by hanging showed signs of struggle, but detectives had ruled it a suicide. Now Casey is on the run, and needs to figure a way to prove both her innocence in Brent's death and her father's own murder while remaining safely hidden from the corrupt police officers chasing her. She needs to stay one step ahead of them and hide where they will not look for her.

Dylan Roberts has returned from Iraq with PTSD, but he wants to continue his work serving the public. A former criminal investigator in the Army, Dylan hopes to join the local police force but must overcome his diagnosis. A friend of Brent, he is hired by his parents to investigate Brent's murder and track down Casey, something the local police, with stretched resources, will not be able to do. If he can bring her back to face justice, he will secure a place on the force.

As he follows Casey from Louisiana to Georgia, Dylan notices that Casey is not doing what a criminal with a guilty conscience would do. She helps people and puts herself in harm's way, instead of going to ground and disappearing. The more Dylan digs, the darker the mystery surrounding Casey and the double murders of her friend Brent and her father, and the more convinced he becomes that the police is involved in both. How can he get Casey to come in knowing she's at risk of dying in an "accident?"

Casey, meanwhile, starts a new life, only to discover that the kidnapped daughter of the new friends she made may be closer than everyone thinks. She may be in her new neighborhood. But investigating may blow her cover identity and alert Dylan and the police tracking her to her whereabouts. Faced with her own safety or the hope of rescuing an innocent victim, Casey makes a decision that will change the rest of her life....