Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh

Twenty five years ago Bree Taggert's parents were killed on the same night.  Her mother was murdered by her father who then shot himself.  Bree is now a homicide detective in Philadelphia. 

She receives a message from her sister who needs help.  Unable to raise her on the phone, Bree heads back to her home town to check on Erin.  She arrives too later, Erin has been murdered.  Her estranged husband Justin seems to be the most likely suspect and he is missing.  

Bree teams up with Justin's best friend, ex-detective Matt Flynn, to undertake their own investigation and to share information.  Bree wants to know who shot her sister and why, and Matt wants to prove that Justin is not a murderer. 

Where Secrets Lie by DS Butler

This is the second book in the Detective Karen Hart series

When the police go to help an elderly man who has fallen down the stairs he is insistent that they must not go upstairs in his house.  Being intrigued as to why, one of them heads upstairs and finds a locked room.  There is a key in the padlock so he turns it and goes in.  Inside there is a body in a suitcase.  In the house they also find a note which reads 'It's time to pay for your crime'.  

The body is identified as Oliver Fox, a local school teacher, who went missing 30 years ago.  DI Scott Morgan, DS Karen Hart and their team investigate.  They look back over old case notes from when Oliver was reported missing and interview his family and past colleagues.  As they find out more information about Oliver, more people become possible suspects who may have had a motive to kill him. 

I Will Make You Pay by Teresa Driscoll

Picking up the phone in the office, journalist Alice Henderson, receives a threatening message.  It is decided to be hoax/crank call, but then the following week he makes contact again.  It is always on a Wednesday.  The police become involved but can't do a lot to help so Alice's boyfriend Tom employs private investigator Matthew Hill.  Matthew is to follow Alice every Wednesday to make sure she is safe. 

Alice's family then become targets too.  Alice will do anything to keep her mum safe.  

There are things in Alice's past which she has not told the police. Could it be that an old boyfriend is targetting her?  But why is contact always on a Wednesday? 

A Sweet Death by Eryn Scott

This is the third book in the Stoneybrook Mystery series. 

Teenage Miranda, who works part time in the local sweet shop, is reported as missing.  She has not been seen since she was dropped off by her boyfriend near the hospital in Cascade Ridge.  Friend Cassie was to have picked her up but couldn't find her.  There could be a link to the recent murder of a local drug dealer.  

Hadley James helps brother Paul, the Deputy Sheriff, to make enquiries around town and becomes friendly with Cassie.  Cassie was not completely honest with Paul but does tell Hadley about her fears that Miranda was buying drugs.  

When Dennis, the owner of the sweet shop, is seen acting oddly and then disappears, he becomes the prime suspect in the case. 

A Fresh Kill by Eryn Scott

This is the second book in the Stoneybrook Mystery series. 

On Saturday morning whilst the famers market stalls are being set up Hadley James finds the dead body of a florist in his van.  When she opens up the van door to check on him bees fly out. There has been a rivalry between the florist in Stoneybrook and the florist in Cascade Ridge.   

Hadley helps brother Paul, the Deputy Sheriff, to investigate the death when it is proclaimed to be murder.  She is helped by best friend Suzanne, and old school friend Luke who has moved back to Stoneybrook.  The most likely suspects are Leo the florist or Barry the beekeeper.   

A Crafty Crime by Eryn Scott

This is the first book in the Stoneybrook Mystery series. 

Recently divorced jam maker Hadley James, twin sister of Paul the Deputy Sheriff in Stoneybrook, is asked to cat sit by Edith who runs the local knitting shop.  Edith plans to visit her sister for a few days.  On the first morning when Hadley arrives to feed Ansel she finds Edith dead in her chair.  

Edith's death was not from natural causes.  It soon becomes clear that she was murdered.  Hadley, along with her friend Suzanne, help Paul to make enquiries around the town.  They take a suspect each and try to find out who could have murdered Edith and why.  

Hadley takes Ansel home with her to look after him until the investigation is over. 

Other People's Things by Kerry Anne King

Since the age of six Nicole has been compelled to move objects which she senses are not in the right place and are asking her to move them, this is her object relocation project.  This moving of objects has landed her jail.  

Out of jail, and separated from her husband Kent, Nicole is offered a job cleaning houses by her sister - but nothing should be moved from the clients homes.  In the first house she cleans Nicole is drawn to an old copy of a book which is telling her it doesn't belong there.  She takes the book and leaves it at the home of another client.  Finding the book in her house causes panic for Andrea as she feels that events in her past are catching up with her.  

Whilst trying to help Andrea, Nicole is being blackmailed by her husband.  He had money in a drawer at home which was from a bribe to find an alibi for a criminal, but Nicole had sensed it shouldn't be there and had moved it.  She has already moved it on and is being forced to perjure herself in court to keep her family safe.  

Hawk, the private investigator employed by Kent to watch Nicole and hopefully find his missing money, realises that Nicole is not the bad person he has been led to believe her to be and he turns sides and helps her. 

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

Mother and daughter, Maggie and Nina have lived together in the same house for all of Nina's life.  Three years ago their relationship changed and Nina imprisoned and chained Maggie in the attic.  Ever other night Maggie is allowed out to have an evening meal with her daughter and is then put back in her chains and locked in the soundproofed attic again. 

Nina is punishing Maggie for things which have happened in the past and which have been kept secret.  Nina doesn't know the whole story and Maggie is still keeping some things secret. 

The Perfect Mother by Caroline Mitchell

Finding herself unexpectedly pregnant, 24 year old Roz knows that she can't look after a baby at the moment.  She joins an elite adoption site and waits to see if anyone is interested in raising her baby.  She is soon approached by a diamond couple from New York.  Their names are kept quiet as they are well known celebrities.  Roz won't know who they are until she has signed a confidentiality agreement.  

After flying to New York to meet the couple and agreeing they can have the baby, which they want to pretend is their own, Roz has to live with them until the birth.  She is soon living in their basement apartment.  She has a strict schedule of activities, exercise and food that she must stick to.  The basement has no windows and Roz is not able to leave.  She finds out that she is not the first person to have lived in the basement and the other person has never been seen again. 

The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot

As Lindsay has not arrived at work and is not answering her phone, Emily goes to her house looking for her.  She finds her friend Lindsay murdered in her bed and her husband outside hanging from a tree.

Twenty years ago Emily's father had been murdered.  He too was found by Emily hanging from a tree in the back garden of their family home.  At the time of that murder Emily's younger sister Madison had claimed to have been in bed asleep and her older sister Tara had claimed to have been at a friends house.  The killer was soon found and imprisoned.  

Two FBI Agents are brought in to help investigate the double murder.  They also look back at the murder of Emily's father as there are some similarities and not many people are usually murdered in the small town. 

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

Two law students, Femi and Charlotte, are given an assignment by Roderick Tanner QC.  A murder has already taken place, someone has been sentenced and is in prison.  They have to look through evidence which was available at the original trial and work out who the murderer was, who is pretending to be someone else and who doesn't really exist.  

Mr Tanner has uncovered new evidence and believes that the person who is in prison may be innocent.  The information Femi and Charlotte have to read is primarily in the form of emails. 

Most of the emails are sent between members of a local amateur dramatics society, they are in the process of rehearsing for a play and also fund raising for a charity appeal to raise money for the cancer treatment needed by the grandchild of the family who run the group. 

Some of the characters are very protective of others, whereas others are not popular as they ask a lot of questions and challenge things they don't believe to be true.

The Crossing by Matt Brolly

This is a Louise Blackwell Detective story. 

In the quiet town of Weston-Super-Mare the body of elderly resident Veronica Lloyd is found with wounds to one hand.  Then the body of an elderly priest is discovered with the same wounds on the other hand.   

Monsignor Ashley contacts Detective Louise Blackwell to let her know there are religious significations to the wounds and to expect three more bodies.  Louise needs to find a connection between the murdered residents so that she can work out who the next target may be, why and who is committing the murders.