My 2022 Book Reading Statistics

My reading habits this year have changed.  After remotely joining the local library I have been downloading audio books to listen to whilst driving to and from work, and when cooking and doing other jobs around the house.  This had really increased the number of books I have managed to get through.  I am still reading paper and Kindle books too.  

From 1 January to 31 December I have read 36 books and listened to 88 audio books.  

The shortest reading books, both with 174 pages, were The Body in the Park by Courtney McFarlin and Die in the Wool by Katherine Hayton. 

The longest reading book was W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton with 591 pages.  

The shortest audio book I have listen to was A Cornish Summer at Pear Tree Farm by Angela Britnell which was 5 hrs 24 mins long.  

The longest audio books (by about 15+ hours) have been the two Robert Galbraith stories with Troubled Blood being 31 hrs 50 mins and The Ink Black Heart 32 hrs 40 mins.  

I have read a total of 12,821 pages and have listened to a staggering 929 hrs and 1 min of audio books.  

Witchy Whiskers by Danielle Garrett

Within the magical community of Winterspell, Cora runs Wicked Wicks a candle making business.  She makes her own candles which offer different illusions.  

Clint was originally from the area and is visiting his estranged family.  He wants a selection of candles as a gift for his mother.  The next day Cora discovers that Clint's brother has been murdered using the candlestick from the giftset Clint purchased.  

Cora, along with Selene, the cat she has temporarily inherited from her aunt, help Clint to investigate who has really murdered his brother and to prove that Clint himself is innocent.  

Body at the Bakery by Stella Berry

Ellie runs the Cornish 'Pixie's Place, Bakery and Tea Room'.  She always makes her own jam and adds a little bit of something magic into the mix.  Locally the family are known as being witches who have lived in the area for many generations. 

One morning Ellie opens up the tea rooms early to start the baking and a dead body falls out of the walk in fridge.  She calls her sister Morgana who rushes over to help.  Ellie's husband Gregory is away on business in Bristol.  Ellie does not recognise the person who is dead.  Gregory is asked to stop off at the police station on his return home to see if he recognises her.  It is someone who used to be his secretary in Bristol before he moved to Cornwall.  Gregory is held for questioning.  

Morgana needs to dust off her witchy abilities and, with the help of Harry the new patisserie chef, she needs to make enquires alongside the local police to try to clear Gregory's name and find out who the real killer is.  

Christmas on the Little Cornish Isles - The Driftwood Inn by Phillipa Ashley

At Christmas time last year Maisie Samson worked in a busy pub on the mainland, she was in a relationship with the owner of the business and expecting his baby.  This year she is back on the island of Gull helping her parents to run their struggling pub, The Driftwood Inn.  She is single and there is no baby.  

Hugo Scorrier runs a successful holiday business on Petroc, the nearest island, and he is trying to buy up local businesses so that he can develop the area to extend his holiday village. Maisie is determined that she will make a success of The Driftwood Inn and allow her parents to take semi-retirement.  She needs help in the bar and so employs Patrick McKinnon who is backpacking from Australia and has decided to stay for a few months.  

Maisie is attracted to Patrick but knows that a relationship can't work as he will be leaving the island to return to Australia in six months time. 

Forever Home by Graham Norton

Carol and Declan have been living together for a number of years.  Carol is divorced and Declan's wife ran off years ago leaving her small children behind which caused a bit of a scandal.  Now that Declan is unwell and needs residential care his children have decided that Carol will have to leave the house and they will sell it.  This goes against Declan's wishes as he had always said that he would never sell the house.  

Carol's mother hatches a plan so that Carol can return to the house, but when they go back they find out why it is that Declan had never wanted to sell it.  A dark secret is revealed, but they don't know the whole story.  

Taking a Chance on Love by Erin Green

The story follows Polly, Carmen and Dana.  

Polly is in a long term and happy relationship with Fraser, they have a 20 year old son, but due to her parents unhappy marriage and divorce she won't get married.  

Carmen has been in a relationship with Elliott for 8 years, and they have lived together in a house they are buying for 6 years.  She runs a bridalwear shop but has not received the wanted proposal from Elliott so that she herself can be a bride.  

Dana is a single parent and is devoted to her son Luke and she runs her own floristry business from her home.  Deciding that it's time for her to look for a date she applies to a new dating show who claim to be able to match people and provide 3 suitable dates.  

It is a leap year and Carmen has decided that if Elliott isn't going to propose then she should take the initiative and do so herself on 29th February.  

Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

Being on the street and witnessing an accident about to happen, being able to save a little boy from being hit by a van, and the act being photographed by a journalist all change Ridley Jones' life.   

Overnight her name and face become known as the story is in the local newspaper.  She is being recognised everywhere she goes.  Then she receives a letter and a photograph.  The letter asks 'are you my child?'  Ridley then questions why she has not seen any photographs of herself before the age of around two.  She visits her parents and shows them the photograph.  They don't seems shocked by it and have an explanation about water damage to old photographs which have been lost.  

Ridley's brother Ace says she should ask about their Uncle Max.  He seems to know about something that she doesn't. 

From Shetland with Love at Christmas by Erin Green

After bringing up 3 boys on her own and now in her 40's, Verity decides it is time that she gave herself a gap year.  She leaves her family and heads off to Shetland to start 'The Yarn Barn' within a new craft centre complex using her hobby of knitting and crocheting and her love of yarns. 

Nessie has just completed her blacksmith training and sets up in business within the craft centre in their forge.  She shares the space with Isaac who is a glass blower.  

Isla, just out of catering college, takes over the running of the Orangery Cafe at the manor house.  

The traders in the craft village all get to know each other and most become friends.  They all support each other and work together to make the Yule Day celebrations special.

Bones Under the Beach Hut by Simon Brett

On the sea front at Smaltings there is a row of beach huts.  Carole has sub-let one of the huts from Philly Rose.  This has been agreed by Kelvin Southwest who is the caretaker of the huts, but it may not be a strictly legal transaction.  Carole discovers that there has been a small recent fire underneath the hut.  She reports this to Kelvin who asks a local contractor to come and have look.  Within a very short time the area is taped off and the police arrive.  The only message they give is that human remains have been found under the hut.  

Carole, along with her neighbour Jude, decide to do some investigating of their own to work out who the remains belong to and how they ended up under her hut.  

They talk to some local characters.  Reginald Flowers is the President of the Smaltings Beach Hut Association and seems to have left his job early under a bit of a cloud.  Kelvin knows and works with a lot of people who, like him, perhaps don't always strictly abide by the law.  There are a few secrets that people are wanting to keep well hidden.  

Where There's a Will by Beth Corby

Hannah and her family are all called to attend a meal with her elderly and estranged Great-Uncle Donald, he is Grandma Betty's brother.  Hannah is about to leave university and has just attended a disastrous interview for a teacher training course.  Donald is the only person to ask Hannah what it is she would really like to do.  

Shortly after the meal Great-Uncle Donald dies and he leaves small bequests in his will to different members of the family.  For Hannah he leaves a cryptic message.  If she undertakes and completes a series of tasks she will receive an unknown inheritance.  She has to undertake the tasks with the help of Alec, Donald's personal assistant.  They had met at the family meal and the funeral and Alec did not approve of Hannah.  He feels that she is a gold digger.  

Just as Hannah and Alec are starting to get a long a bit better, Hannah's sister Lauren turns up to stay at Donald's house and find out how Hannah is doing with the tasks.  

Us Three by Ruth Jones

Three young girls, Judith, Lana and Catrin, meet at Primary school and swear an oath to be best friends forever.  They stay together all through school and before heading to university they take a trip to Greece to island hop and sight see.  

Soon after going to different universities things start to change and after one major event two of the girls fall out and refuse to forgive each other.  For years they won't see each other which leaves the third one stuck in the middle until one day she arranges for them to be in the same place at the same time.  

The Mother of All Christmases by Milly Johnson

Three mums-to-be all meet up at the Christmas Pudding Club set up by the local doctor.  They are all expecting their first child which is due around Christmas time. 

Annie Pandoro runs The Crackers Yard with her husband Joe.  They make Christmas crackers and are struggling to find staff. 

Eve Glace owns Winterland the local Christmas theme park (she and husband Jacques were introduced in another book 'The Winter Flame')

Palma Collins in the youngest of the group.  She has agreed to carry a baby as a surrogate for a couple who then split up and neither of them wants the baby.  She is desperate to get away from her poor start in life and takes on a job with Annie at the cracker factory.  

A Christmas Feast (and other stories) by Katie Fforde

This book contains 12 short stories.  Most of them have a Christmas theme, but not all.  

Christmas Shopping
Run for Cover
Love in the Afternoon 
You're the One 
The Undercover Cook 
From Scotland With Love 
Staying Away at Christmas
A Christmas Feast
Pink Fizz and Macaroons
The Holiday of a Marriage 
Breakfast with Mr Gillyflower
A Magazine Christmas

Christmas Every Day by Beth Moran

Jenny has lost her boyfriend to her twin sister, lost her job, has nowhere to live and no money.  She moves to the old, almost derelict, house of her unknown and now deceased grandmother on the edge of Sherwood Forest.  The house needs a lot of work to make it comfortable to live in.  She is determined to stay and make the house into her home, but a local property developer keeps trying to push her out.  Her only local neighbour is Mack who lives in the adjoining house.  He keeps himself very much to himself but is very generous in helping out when Jenny is struggling.  

Jenny starts to make friends with some of the locals and joins their book club.  Instead of arguing over the books they decide to each give themselves a challenge to complete by Christmas.  

The Seagull by Ann Cleeves

Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope is sent to the local prison to talk to the inmates.  There she sees disgraced former police officer John Brace.  He is willing to give some information to Vera in exchange for her checking in on his daughter to ensure she is managing with her young children.  

Vera is directed to a place where she will find a hidden body.  The body has been there for about 20 years and is one of the 'gang of four' who used to steal and sell birds eggs.  Hector, Vera's father, was one of the four.  As the cold case of the disappearance of the man is opened, everyone interviewed or investigated leads back to The Seagull, a club which had burned down many years ago.  

A Day In The Death of Dorothea Cassidy by Ann Cleeves

Early one morning two young boys find the dead body of Dorothea Cassidy lying in the local park. Inspector Stephen Ramsay is called in to investigate and find out what her movements had been during the whole of the previous day.  

Dorothea, the wife of the local vicar and a trained social worker, had visited numerous people the day before she was found dead.  She was involved with a lot of people in the church and the community and was offering her help and support.  Any one of them could have had a motive to kill her.  

Three Perfect Lairs by Heidi Perks

Returning to work after maternity leave Laura is horrified to find that Mia, who was her temporary maternity cover, is still there and has taken over the account of one of her biggest clients.  

Laura is convinced that Mia wants her job.  She knows that Mia is not always telling the truth but others don't believe her.  

One evening there is a fire at the office building and a body is seen being pulled out.  The three women who are the prime suspects are Laura, Mia and Janie.  Janie is the wife of the CEO and she is not happy about some of the people her husband is doing business with.  

The Legacy by Caroline Bond

Knowing that he doesn't have long left to live, Jonathan Coulter visits a solicitor to change his will.  The new will states that his 3 children must decide between them how to dispose of his estate.  They have to agree, if they don't then everything will be given to charity.  

Liv, Noah and Chloe all live very different lives and rarely agree on anything. They spend one weekend together to try to work our how to split the estate.  There has been no mention in the will of Megan, Jonathan's partner, who nursed him through his last few years of illness but who had broken up their parents marriage.  Nor is there mention of their mother, but she had received a good divorce settlement.  Should they each receive something from estate or not?  The 3 siblings have very different ideas about what they should do.  

Snowdrops on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry

As a child Lucy used to visit her elderly aunt and uncle in Burley Bridge, Yorkshire each summer. She would climb into the garden of Rosemary Cottage with the other local children to steal redcurrants. 

After years of working for the same company in Manchester, Lucy is made redundant.  She finds that Rosemary Cottage is for sale.  This could be the ideal opportunity for her family to move to the country and have a fresh start.  Rosemary Cottage could be turned into both a family home and a bed and breakfast.  Lucy, husband Ivan, and their 2 children make the move.  

After a few months suddenly things change and Lucy finds herself on her own.  She is struggling to manage the 2 children and the business and is under pressure from her parents to move back to Manchester. 

All That She Can See by Carrie Hope Fletcher

Unlike most people, Cherry can see other people's negative feelings.  They follow behind them, get bigger and stronger or smaller and weaker as people's feelings change.  

After inheriting her dad's bakery she adds special ingredients into her cakes to help people to feel better.  When she has worked her magic she moves on and does the same again in another town.  She calls this her Flour Power Tour. 

At the next stop on her tour Cherry meets Chase. He knows what she is doing as he too can see feelings.  When the two of them clash it leads to disastrous results. 

The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields

On the island of Mull 17 year old Adriana Cark has gone missing.  She is not an islander and the local police are not really bothered about her disappearance and are doing very little, if anything, to look for her.  The family call in Sadie Levesque from Canada to help then find their daughter.  A few days into her search and after reading about Mackinnon's Caves in a guide book Sadie heads there and discovers the dead body of Adriana who is wearing a seaweed crown and has a mouth packed full of sand.  

The police are convinced Adriana has been murdered by a tourist and do very little investigation.  Sadie does not give up and is determine to find out who killed Adriana.  Although it was 40 years ago, there had been another very similar death of a young woman on the island. 

The Clark family are not quite the family they first seem as they have many secrets and are not always honest with Sadie.  

The Black Ink Heart by Robert Galbraith

Edie Ledwell, a co-creator of a popular cartoon named The Ink Black Heart, turns up at the investigation agency and asks Robin to help her to find out the identify of someone by the name of Anomie who is pursuing her on-line.  The agency doesn't really have the knowledge of capacity to look into this so Robin suggests another agency.  A couple of days later Edie is murdered in Highgate Cemetery and Josh, her business partner, is also attacked and left for dead.  

Robin and Strike do then end up investigating to uncover the identity of Anomie.  Robin gets drawn into the on-line gaming to try to find out what she can from the moderators on the site. 

They talk to many members of the families and find there are a lot of conflicts and people claiming business interests in the game.  Robin and Strike also become targets as their investigation progresses.  

Sisters and Lies by Bernice Barrington

One night Rachel Darcy, who lives in Ireland, receives a phone call from the police to say that her sister Evie has been involved in a car crash and is in a coma.  Rachel immediately heads over to London to be with Evie.  

Rachel goes to Evie's flat and discovers that her flatmate Janet is no longer there.  Instead she finds a man called Donnagh who says he is Evie's boyfriend.  Lots of things just don't seem to add up.  Why was Evie driving when she doesn't have a licence or a car?  Who is Donnagh and why does Rachel not know about him?  

Whilst Rachel is trying to piece together what has happened to Evie and why, Evie herself is stuck in a coma but can hear what is happening around her but can't make herself respond. Evie is desperately trying to wake up so that she can let Rachel know that she too is in danger.  

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

Private Detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott are asked to investigate the disappearance 40 years ago of Dr Margot Bamborough.  No body was ever found but it was always thought she may have been a victim of a serial killer who was active around that time, but this had never been confirmed.  

They take on the case and manage to get hold of the old police records.  The first policeman who has been in charge of the case was on the brink of a breakdown and his records included references to tarot cards and star signs.  

Strike and Robin interview as many people as they can who had been involved in the police investigation and were around on the day Margot disappeared.  

Murder at Hawthorn Cottage by Betty Rowlands

Crime writer Melissa Craig moves from London to an old cottage in the Cotswolds.  When Iris, her neighbour, discovers the dead body of a young woman in the woods Melissa is encouraged by local journalist Bruce to help him to investigate.  He is sure this will be the body of Babs who disappeared about 10 months ago.  Bruce feels that there was more to her disappearance than her just moving on and he is convinced that the club she worked at is dealing in drugs.  

Melissa is talked into helping and in the course of her investigations she visits a beauty parlour, bingo hall, private ladies club and a nursing home.  

There are a lot of hidden secrets within the village which get revealed in the search for the truth when the crime writer turns sleuth.  

The Guilty Wife by Nina Manning

Twenty years ago Frankie Keegan's brother was killed in a car crash.  Frankie had been in the car too.  She had received therapy but is still struggling with what happened and hasn't told the whole story to anyone, not even her husband.  

Frankie starts a new job and her husband works from home and looks after their children.  As the anniversary approaches Frankie receives odd notes, text messages and even a toy car, the same as the car driven by Kiefer, is left on her doorstep.  She doesn't know who is leaving the messages and begins to feel threatened.  She can't talk about what is happening and at the same time her marriage seems about to end. 

The story goes backwards and forwards to what happened and the friendships of 20 years ago and then returns to the present day. 

Die in the Wool by Katherine Hayton

After 20 years working for 'Auntie Fran' in the knitting shop, Tash is fired following a disagreement about an incorrect order.  The following day Tash goes back to the shop in the hope that she still has a job and finds Fran dead on the floor.  

Tash discovers that Fran has left the shop to her.  Fran's closest relative is a nephew who decides to contest the will.  The locals stop using the shop when one of them points the finger at Tash as being a murderer.  Tash needs to clear her name and when she is poisoned she then realises that Fran may have been murdered and the murderer may now be after her too.

Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery by Cathy Bramley

Wife of Dan, and mother to Poppy, Hetty Greengrass has been a farmers wife for years.  Without telling her, Hetty's sister-in-law enters Hetty's homemade pies into a competition run by Cumbria's Finest.  Hetty gets through to the next stage of the competition and is invited to go to London with the other finalists.  Dan is not at all supportive and says she can't go, he needs Hetty on the farm.  

For once Hetty wants to do something for herself and to make her daughter proud of her.  She sets off to London knowing that things are not right within her marriage.  Hidden secrets on both sides then come to light. 

The House of Hopes and Dreams by Trisha Ashley

Whilst in hospital following a road accident Carey Revell receives a visit from a Solicitor who advises him that he has inherited Mossby, a large but quite rundown house in Lancashire, from Francis Revell an uncle he didn't know he had.  Carey is the last in the family line.  

At the same time, his childhood friend Angel Arrowsmith, following the sudden death of her working and living partner, finds herself out of both a job and a home as her partner's son takes control and throws her out.  

Carey and Angel move into Mossby together and start work on the house.  There is also a glass workshop in the grounds which will be used for Angel to start up her own business designing and making stained glass windows.  There are stained glass windows in Mossby and one very significant window is in need or repair.  

There are stories about the house being haunted.  There are some old priest holes and secret panels in the walls, the access to which is only handed down to the male inheritors within the family.  Francis' step daughter from a previous marriage lives with her husband in the gatehouse and had been the housekeeper.  She is obsessive about the panelling in one of the wings.  She is not happy that the house was inherited by Carey and not her.  

After the Rain by Lucy Dillon

The residents of Longhampton are struggling after a major flood.  Therapist Tara Hunter has been helping out with the rescue.  She has her own personal struggles as her mum has recently died, her twin brother is in America and her boyfriend has disappeared leaving behind his cat for Tara to look after.  

Out of the blue Tara's dad turns up.  She has not seen him or had any contact with him for years.  He had heard about her good works and makes a surprising offer of help.  Tara isn't sure if he can be trusted and won't just end up letting everyone down as he has done before.  

At the Wellness Centre new Counsellor David Dalloway is proving to be very popular and is making breakthroughs with people who have struggled and seen other therapists at the centre for many years.  He is allowing pets into the therapy sessions.  Tara isn't sure if his methods are genuine, or if he is secretly hypnotising his clients.  Slowly they start to make friends.  

Blood Tide by Claire MCGowan

Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire travels to Bone Island to help find a young couple who had been reported missing after a storm. Matt, a marine biologist, was working for Enviracorp who have a seaweed processing plant on the island.  Fiona, his partner, had become the island's doctor.  The islanders are not welcoming and are very suspicious of outsiders.  

Paula is convinced that all is not what it seems and the islanders are involved and covering up their activities.  There had been a lot of violence recently.  

When another storm hits, Paula and her colleagues are trapped on the island and targeted by an unknown killer. 

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

On the day of his one hundredth birthday, to avoid having to go to his own party, Allan Karlsson climbs out of his bedroom window and heads off.  He goes to the local bus station and asks when the next bus is due to leave.  He gets on the bus taking with him a suitcase which is not his. 

The residential home report him missing and the police begin their search.  Also searching for Allan is the owner of the suitcase he taken which is full of cash.  Following behind Allan there seems to be a trail of murders.  He starts as a missing person and turns into a wanted criminal. 

As Allan continues his journey and makes new friends we learn about his past life and works and all the high profile politicians and scientists in many countries he has met and helped.  

The Widow's House by Carol Goodman

Finding themselves in financial difficulties Jess and Clare Martin move out of their city apartment and head back to their old college country town where Clare grew up.  They take on the job of caretakers at Riven House which is the home of Monty their old college professor.  Jess is trying to finished his long awaited second book, it has been years since his first book was published.  

Clare had wanted to be a writer but had taken other editing work to support Jess.  Monty returns an old college notebook to Clare and then together they work on a story she had started years before.  Clare does some investigation into her own background and that of other locals who had lived in and around Riven House.  She starts to hear strange noises and sees ghostly figures which may be of the women she is writing about.  

All is not what it seems in the old house which holds a lot of history and sorrow.  

End of Summer by Anders de la Motte

One evening in the summer of 1983 four year old Billy Nilsson goes missing whilst chasing a rabbit in the garden.  He has never been found.  His mother committed suicide soon afterwards leaving behind her husband and their two older children Mattias and Vera. 

Vera, now known as Veronica, becomes a bereavement counsellor.  One day a young man called Isak, who is the age that Billy would have been, walks into one of her sessions and talks about a young friend who disappeared in 1983.  When Vera does some of her own investigation she finds a photo-fit of what Billy would have looked like as a adult within a newspaper article from a few years before.  It looks just like Isak.  

Vera goes back home to visit her father and to try to find out if Billy is still alive, and if Isak is  really her brother Billy.  

The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures by Holly Hepburn

After being widowed Hope moves back to York from London to be near her family.  She sees a job advertised in the window of The Ever After Emporium.  As a child she loved looking in the window but was not allowed to enter.  

One of the treasures in the antique shop is a secret keeper box which is a puzzle to open.  No-one had been able to open the box until 4 year old Brodie sits and plays with it.  Inside the box is a letter and a ring.  Hope enlists the help of a professor from the local university to find out the history of the ring and the owner.  

Hope become friends with Will, who has recently become the guardian of Brodie, and also Ciaran the university professor.  One proves to be far more trustworthy than the other.  

And Now You're Back by Jill Mansell

Now the manager of the family's hotel in the Cotswolds, Didi is surprised when her first love returns and books a suite at the hotel.  Shay left many years ago after a scandal about a theft from the hotel.  

Shay is back as his father wants to return to the area and live out his final days in the old family home.  Red, Shay's father, was always in and out of prison whilst Shay was growing up but they both said neither of them were involved in the theft.  Didi cant help being attracted to Shay again, but she is engaged and planning to get married in December.  

Red returns and lodges with Rosa whilst Shay sorts out the building work to make the house habitable again.  There are a lot is secrets being kept that need to be uncovered to put things right for everyone. 

Don't Ever Tell by Lucy Dawson

Whilst attending the Edinburgh Book Festival author Charlotte meets Mia, a young actress who looks just as she herself did 20 years ago.  Charlotte appears to have the perfect family life, she is married to Tris and they have two young children.  Tris has a job in the city which pays very well and Charlotte stays at home, writes books and looks after their children.  

Then something happens which makes Charlotte ask a lot of questions about her and their lives.  

Charlotte approaches Mia and asks her to pretend that she has written a book.  Charlotte will provide the book for Mia to pass off as her own.  Together they will make a lot of money from the very good story and Mia's high profile as an up and coming actress.  Both must keep the details secret and they will share the money which is made from the publishing and film rights. 

You Sent Me A Letter by Lucy Dawson

At 2am Sophie wakes up to find a stranger sitting in her bedroom.  The intruder hands her an envelope and tells her she must open it at 8pm that evening in front of her family at her 40th birthday party.  She must not tell anyone or her family will be in danger.  He then takes her mobile phone, tells her he will be watching and leaves.  

Sophie is too scared to stay on her own so goes to her sister's house.  There she finds out that her fiancé has secretly been arranging for the party that evening to be their surprise wedding ceremony.  All day Sophie has to spend time with her family pretending that she doesn't know about the wedding and keeping the envelope and her family safe.  

A Score to Kettle by Eryn Scott

This is the third book in the Pebble Cove Teashop Mystery series.  

Rosemary and Joline are asked to cater for a party at the newly opened health retreat at The Pines.  Just as they have arrived and are preparing their teas one of the guests is found dead.  

Chief Clemenson arrives to investigate.  A young woman has been murdered and there are a couple of obvious suspects.  Rosemary, along with the help of Asher, do their own investigating into the death and whilst at The Pines, Rosemary takes the opportunity to do more digging into the circumstances surrounding Asher's death.  She meets another ghost in the house from the Mills family who was a friend of her great grandfather.  

Fake Alibi by Russell Leigh

Wheelchair bound Doreen in found strangled in her own home.  Her son Eddy is a suspect, but DI Geraldine Steel is not really convinced that Eddy is capable of planning the murder.  Then the husband of another member of the police team becomes a suspect too.  

Eddy's alibi is that he was with his girlfriend Kylie, but when the police track down the right women she is called Louise and does not know Eddy.  Louise is then mugged and is convinced she is being stalked.   

Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas

As children Jess and Heather had been best friends but they lost touch many years ago.  Jess is now a journalist and when she is asked to cover the story of a double murder and a possible suicide attempt Heather's names comes up as being the murderer.  

Heather's sister Flora has gone missing many years ago, when they were all teenagers, the police assumed that she had been murdered but a body had not been found.  From this point  Jess and Heather's friendship had changed.  

Whilst Jess is trying to get the best story for the local paper she meets up with Heather's mother and they become friendly again.  Jess also starts to feel threatened and is sure that someone is following her.  

Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall

Three young women meet at university and remain life long friends.  

Nancy seems to have the perfect life.  She is married to Robert and they have one daughter.  Robert is a human rights lawyer, they are wealthy and seem to live the perfect life. 

Eleanor is single.  She has set up her own business running a charity after spending many years travelling overseas to offer aid. 

Mary is a housewife, she is married to Howard who is an academic and they have three children.  

Nancy is found murdered.  It appears that she may have been murdered by a lover which whom she has been having an affair for the last year, she had been trying to end the relationship but he was not letting her do this.  Only Eleanor knew about the affair but she does not know who the lover is.  She only has a first name to pass on to the police.  

Annie Stanley All At Sea by Sue Teddern

When Annie and Kate's father dies very suddenly and unexpectedly they are both upset, having lost their mother a few years earlier they are now orphaned.  After the funeral his partner Bev says she is thinking of spreading his ashes in the Tyrol where they had once holidayed together.  Annie is furious, this place means nothing to the sisters or their father.  Without giving too much thought to what she is doing she steals the ashes and then decides to take her father on a trip around the shipping forecast areas of the coast of Britain as this was something that had interested him and he always listened to the shipping forecasts on the radio.  She sets of to Scotland with the urn wrapped in her father's battered old tea towel with a picture of the shipping area map.  

As she is on her travels Annie meets up with some old friends that she has not seen for a very long time.  She also needs to make peace with both her sister and Bev.  The trip gives her an opportunity to reassess what she wants to do with her life.  

Coming Home to Brightwater Bay by Holly Hepburn

Successful author Merina Wilde is struggling with writers block.  The deadline for her next book is looming but it is not finished and her long term boyfriend has just dumped her.  Merry applies to be the writer in residence on one of the Orkney Islands for 6 months.  She hopes that the change will inspire her to start to write again. 

Merry quickly makes friends with people on the island and the stories they tell of past romances and the beautiful scenery all inspire her to write, but this time it is a romantic wartime novel rather than the book she is contracted to complete.  

There are also some very attractive single men on the island. 

A Country Escape by Katie Fforde

Having no close relatives Amy needs to find someone to whom she can leave her small farm.  She sends out 2 letters, one to Fran in London who is a very distant relative on her side of the family and one to Roy in Australia who is a distant relative of her deceased husband.  

Fran is the only one to respond and so is given the chance to manage the run down farm for a year and if she can make it pay she can inherit it from Amy.  Amy has moved to a residential home for 6 months and so Fran has free rein over the farm, but unfortunately she is afraid of cows.  The farm is losing money and so Fran needs to come up with ideas to diversify and starts making cheese.  Just as she is settling in and starts to love the farm Roy turns up and all he wants is to inherit the farm, sell it on as building land and go back to Australia with the money. 

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

Whilst searching through a box in the loft Cecilia finds a sealed envelope with the words 'For my wife Cecilia Fitzpatrick, to be opened only in the event of my death' on the front written by her husband.  At first she doesn't open it, but when she does she discovers John-Paul's hidden and most dreadful secret.  

Tess returns home to visit and take care of her mum who has broken an ankle.  This is just after her husband has admitted to being in love with Tess's cousin Felicity.  Tess needs to get away from them and to give herself space to think.  Tess enrols her son Liam into the local primary school, the same school she, Felicity and Cecilia had all attended.  Rachel, the school secretary, is the mother of Janie who was murdered 18 years ago and whose murderer has never been found.  

The story tells of the interaction between the Cecilia, Tess and Rachel as they all struggle to cope after finding out information that changes their lives. 

The epilogue explains what would have happened to different characters if certain events had or had not taken place.  

Little Teashop of Horrors by Jane Lovering

A new manager, Edmund Evershott, has been appointed to run Monkpark Hall on behalf of the Heritage Trust in Yorkshire.  The fate of the teashop run by Amy and best friend Jules is unclear.  Employees of the Hall can live in the cottages on the estate, but if the teashop has to close then Amy and her elderly Gran could be made homeless. 

Amy has lots of ideas to generate trade for the Hall which Edmund says is struggling.  Edmund uses her ideas and passes them off as his own.  When a small boy sees Amy on the stairs in her Edwardian outfit he thinks he has seen a ghost.  Edmund then exploits this and spreads the word that Monkpark Hall is haunted.  Although the Trust does not allow people into the house Edmund brings in ghost hunters in the evenings and enlists Amy's help.  She agrees as she believes that he is trying to save the Hall from closure. 

Blood on Her Hands by Stephen Edger

Woken in the night by banging on the front door, Ellie is shocked to find her 15 year old daughter Ruby on the doorstep with blood on her hands.  Ellie had believed that Ruby was upstairs asleep in bed but she had climbed out of her bedroom window to meet her boyfriend Jamie.  Ruby had fought off Jamie's advances in the local woods, she had pushed him, he had fallen and hit his head on a rock, she could not find a pulse.

Ellie heads to the woods to find Jamie but when she gets to the clearing she sees a bloody rock but Jamie is not there.  Jamie is reported as missing by his mother, who is Ellie's best friend, the police then want to talk to Ruby who may have been the last person to have seen him.  

Ruby's father is in prison and is soon due to be released.  Ellie is determined to protect Ruby at all costs.  

The Murder Mystery Book Club by Danielle Collins

The morning after a strange guest checks into Eva Stewart's bed and breakfast a dead body is found on the path outside.  The unknown man has been shot. 

Eva loves murder mystery books and runs a murder mystery book club one evening each week.  They are currently working their way through three Agatha Christie books.  The members of the book club get together to talk about the real murder on their doorstep.  They decide to do their own investigation into the murder and even split up into small groups to follow some of their suspects to see where they going and what they are really doing. 

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

The body of Daniel Sutherland is found on his rented canal boat by Miriam who lives on the boat moored next to him.  Daniel is the nephew of Carol and her ex-husband Theo.  Miriam has a strained relationship with Theo as she has accused him of stealing her story to write one of his novels.  

Laura is arrested by the police as a suspect in the killing.  She has admitted that she was on the boat with Daniel the evening before his body was found, but she did not kill him.  She had lost her house key and so had broken a window to get back in and that is why her hand is cut and there is blood on her clothes.  Laura has befriended 80 year old widowed Irene who lives next door to Angela who is Carol's sister and Daniel's mother.  She regularly shops for Irene and keeps her company.  

Angela was found dead at the bottom of her stairs two weeks ago.  Carol, Miriam and Laura all have troubled pasts.  

Now You See Her by Heidi Perks

On the one and only day that Harriett has ever left her 4 year old daughter Alice with a friend, Alice goes missing.  Charlotte took her own children and Alice to the school fete.  The children were going on a jungle ride but Alice did not return.  The police are called when Alice can not be found.  Someone thought they had seen a strange men at the fete who was alone.

Charlotte is ostracised by her circle of friends, who are primarily the other school mums, they blame her for the disappearance and will not let their own children near to her. 

Harriett does not want to see Charlotte.  A police Family Liaison Officer spends a lot of time with Harriett and her husband Brian.  The FLO does not seem to pick up on the times that Brian answers questions for Harriett or that he is not passing on information to her.  Harriett has started to keep a secret book logging all the times that Brian says different things to her to prove that he is being coercive and manipulative. 

Love Blooms at Mermaids Point by Sarah Bennett

Alex Nelson decides to move to Mermaid Point.  His brother moved there a while ago to become the local GP and Alex wants to join him and buy the rundown bookshop which has come up for sale.  Following the end of his marriage Alex had written a book which had become a best seller, but it was not published under his own name and only his family know he is the author.  

Ivy Fisher had always been the carer for her mum.  Her mum has just died and Ivy now needs to grow her business and really wants to buy the local bookshop but Alex beats her to it.  

They work together to get the shop redecorated and back up and running and Ivy is given space at the back of the bookshop to renovate some of her items of furniture.  They start a relationship but Alex has not told Ivy the full truth about his marriage and the book.  

The Narrow Bed by Sophie Hannah

There is a serial killer who has been named 'Billy Dead Mates' as he is killing pairs of best friends.  So far he has killed a number of women and one man.  

Stand up comedian Kim Tribbeck hears about Billy on the news.  Each of his victims had been given a small white notebook shortly before they were murdered.  Kim had been given one of these books by an unknown man after one of her gigs a year ago.  She goes to the police with the book.  

Kim is a loner, she doesn't have a best friend and she is separated from her husband.  If she is a potential victim and is in danger then she doesn't fit with the pattern of the previous murders. 

Each Little Lie by Tom Bale

Seeing one of her neighbours drop his keys, Jen Cornish shouts after the car which has driven off but it does not stop.  Her dilemma is does she post the keys through the letterbox or keep hold of them?  If they are the only set then he won't get back in if she posts them.  Being short of time as she is on her way to work she makes a quick decision about what to do.  

She is then accused of a crime in her neighbour's house and there is evidence that she has been there, and she has the keys.  Jen suspects that she is being set up but does all she can to clear her name.  Both Jen and her son Charlie could be in danger.  

The Lemon Tree Cafe by Cathy Bramley

Refusing to do something she does not agree with, and sticking to her principles, workaholic Rosie Featherstone resigns from her job with a media PR company.  

She returns home and, after talking to Doreen and Juliet who work for her Nonna in The Lemon Tree Cafe, she realises that her 75 year old grandmother is struggling to run the cafe and so offers to help out for a few weeks until she can find another job.  

Rosie finds that the place is in much more of a mess than she expected.  Each time her Nonna leaves the cafe the three of them tackle another area to scrub clean and sort out.  Just as things are starting to look better they are faced with new competition from a large gardening company who plan to open up a cafe nearby. 

There are lots of cake recipes at the end of the book.  

A Cornish Summer at Pear Tree Farm by Angela Britnell

Pear Tree Farm has been turned into a campsite by Nessa Vivian.  She has given her caravans names of Beatle songs.  There are a few long-term residents but not many visitors.  The campsite isn't doing too well and she needs to look at ways to bring in extra business.  

Tregereth House next door has just been bought by ex-musician Ward Spencer.  His estate agent gave him the idea that he could open up a bed and breakfast.  This would also help his sister to get away from her unhappy marriage and give her a project to do.  

The two businesses could be too close together and be competition for each other.  

The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves

This is a Vera Stanhope story. 

Driving home late one snowy night Vera misses her turning and ends up on the wrong road.  She finds an abandoned car, the driver's door is open and there is a small child strapped into a car seat in the back.  Vera takes the child from the car and keeps driving until she reaches Brockburn which is the nearest house, and used to be the home of her father. 

Whilst she is at Brockburn a young woman is found dead outside in the snow.  Could this be the mother of the child she found?  The death turns out to be a brutal murder and Vera's team are called in to investigate.  

See How They Run by Tom Bale

In the middle of the night Harry and Alice French are woken by two masked men in their bedroom.  They are looking for a man named Edward Renshaw.  The men are convinced that Harry and Alice know something and they threaten to hurt their 8 week old daughter Evie.  They say they will be watching and the police should not be called.  

Harry and Alice try to pretend that nothing has happened but they are both very scared. 

Alice remembers a parcel which was incorrectly delivered and then collected from their house.  This could be the link to Renshaw.  Suddenly they are both on the run from gangsters and the police.  

Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella

Ava attends a writing retreat in Italy.  Everyone has to remain anonymous and give themselves a new name and they are not allowed to talk about themselves.  There she meets Dutch.  He had booked to attend a different course but ended up joining the writers.  They are attracted to each other and even though they don't know anything about each other they start a relationship. 

On their return to England the relationship continues but as they find out more about each other they seem to become less and less compatible. 

You Are Not Alone by Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks

One morning on a subway platform Shay Miller sees a young woman jump to her death in front of a train.  Haunted by the memory, Shay decides to attend the memorial service of the unknown Amanda.  There she meets the sisters Cassandra and Jane Moore who were Amanda's friends.

The sisters are interested in Shay and she is pulled into their circle.  To Shay the successful Moore sisters have a very glamorous life, they help her when she is looking for another job and find her an apartment sitting role when she needs somewhere else to live.  At first Shay's life seems to be getting better and better.  But the Moore sisters are helping Shay as they want something from her and they always get what they want.  

An Escape to Provence by Sophie Claire

Daisy Jackson has unexpectedly inherited an old farm house as she is the last living relative who can be found of Jeanette.  Daisy had not even known of her existence.  Two years on and the renovation work on Le Mazet has not yet started.  Frustrated with the continued delays Daisy heads off to Provence to see the builder as he does not respond to her emails.  

The builder, Gabriel, had lived with Jeanette since the death of his family when he was a teenage boy and had expected to inherit the house himself but Jeanette's handwritten will could not be found. 

Gabriel is delaying the building work in the hope that Daisy will give up and sell the house.  In the meantime he is saving so that hopefully when that time comes he will have enough money to be able to buy back the house himself.  

Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay

One night 6 years ago Andy returned from a fishing trip and his wife Brie was missing.  She has never been found and Brie's sister is convinced that Andy killed her.  

Andy has changed his surname, moved on with his life and now lives with his girlfriend who doesn't know everything about his past and the accusations. 

An old neighbour of Andy's phones to tell him he has seen a woman who looks just like Brie drive up to the plot of their old house, look confused and shout 'where is my house?' and then disappear again.  He has also phoned the police.  

The police make some enquiries and try to find the mystery woman.  Brie's siblings also see her in the car park of the local hospital.  They are looking out of the window of their mother's hospital room and Brie waves at them before disappearing again.  

Why has she suddenly reappeared after all this time and where has she been? 

The Last Supper by Rosemary Shrager

This is the first book in the new Prudence Bulstrode series written by the chef Rosemary Shrager. 

Prudence is a retired TV chef.  When her old rival Deirdre Shaw suddenly dies whilst catering for a weekend shoot at Farleigh Manor, Prudence is asked to step in and take over.  Prudence takes her grand-daughter Suki with her to help.  

There is something about Deirdre's death in the rhubarb patch that keeps niggling at Prudence. There is also another death that happened at the Manor many years ago which has remained unexplained.  After eating the first evening meal prepared by Prudence and Suki all the members of the shoot become ill.  

Suki, along with her friend Numbers who she is in regular contact with over the phone, investigate the old murder and any links between Deirdre and the current guests at the Manor.  If Deirdre was murdered there are now 2 unexplained murders for Prudence and Suki to investigate.  And are the rest of the guests at risk too?  

One August Night by Victoria Hislop

This is a follow-on story to The Island. 

The leper colony on the island of Spinalonga is being closed as a cure to leprosy has been found.  The inhabitants of the island are all being brought back over to the mainland.  

Maria is coming back to live with her family, but on the day of her return her sister Anna is murdered by husband Andreas.  Maria and her husband Nikos, the doctor who helped to create the cure, take on responsibility for Anna's daughter Sofia.  

Andreas is convicted of the murder and sent to prison for life.  None of his family visit him.  Maria feels that she needs to see him and so starts to visit regularly.  

The Secret Seaside Escape by Heidi Swain

Having worked really hard in her father's PR company without a holiday for years, Tess Tyler is feeling tired and in need of a break.  Then she discovers some old letters which indicate that her parents' marriage was not as solid and happy as she believed and she needs to get away from her father for a while.  

She decides to re-visit Wynmouth where, as a child, she had lots of happy family holidays.  She takes an immediate break from work and sets off to stay in a small holiday let cottage that she always admired on previous visits.  She does not tell anyone where she is going.  

Tess makes friends with a number of the locals and extends her stay.  There are a few people that she remembers from childhood, but she doesn't tell them she has visited before.  She helps the locals to set up some events on the beach and in the pub to attract more business. 

A Springtime Affair by Katie Fforde

Since her divorce Gilly has run a B&B from Fairacres, her family home, which she had to fight hard to keep, but now her children are grown and she is on her own.  Helena, Gilly's daughter, is a weaver and is renting space for her looms whilst son Martin, married to Cressida, is very ambitious.  

Martin and Cressida hatch a plan for Gilly to sell Fairacres and put the money from the sale into buying a large house for them with a granny annexe.  Gilly will then be on hand to look after their daughter.  

After meeting the handsome estate agent Leo, Gilly starts to wonder if perhaps she should consider selling the house.  Helena has an unusual talent of never forgetting a face and she knows that she has seen Leo somewhere before.  Jago her landlord, offers to do some investigating to find out more about Leo.  

Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square by Heidi Swain

Wanting to get away from her soon to be ex-husband in London, Kate buys a small cottage in Nightingale Square in Norwich.  She expects to be able to hide herself away but her new neighbours have other ideas.  They immediately include her in everything they have planned for the village and their idea to start a community garden.  

Everyone is horrified when the local Victorian mansion house, Prosperous Place, is bought by property developers.  There is so much history tied up in the house and Kate is encouraged to go and have a look in the garden by Harold the oldest resident in the Square.  She is found trespassing by Luke the new owner.  

Thankfully Luke's ideas for the house are not what the villagers were expecting.  

The Family Upstairs By Lisa Jewell

The story starts 25 years ago when in a large house in Chelsea the dead bodies of 3 adults are found, they have been dead a few days.  Also in the house is a small baby who is alive, well and has been cared for and fed.  The other children of two of the dead adults are missing.  The identity of the third adult is unknown.  

Now in the present day the baby, Libby, has reached the age of 25 and has inherited the house which has been held in trust.  None of the other siblings have come forward to make a claim.  

Libby had been adopted and knew nothing of her past.  She contacts Miller, an investigative journalist, who at the time was fascinated with the story.  He helps her to piece together more of the details and to work out who she really is and what really happened in the house all that time ago.  

Escape to Riverside Cottage by Sheila Norton

Following the unexpected death of her soon to be ex-husband Clare discovers that she has inherited both a small fortune and a small dog.  She sets off on her travels around Britain but when she arrives at Little Sorrell, a small out of the way and hard to find village in Devon, she falls in love with the place.  The village she loves, the villagers are not so friendly.  

The only person who is at all friendly and welcoming is the vicar.  Everyone else is quite rude.  They actively discourage visitors and tourists.  

Through her dog Sid, Clare meets a young boy who is being excluded from playing with the other children.  She allows him to walk the dog for her and they start to become friends.  Clare slowly learns why the villagers are all so unfriendly but is determined that as she loves the village she wants to stay and is able to rent a small cottage for a couple of months.  The vicar then ropes her into helping him with his choir. 

Sunrise by the Sea by Jenny Colgan

This is the Fourth book in the Little Beach Street Bakery series. Although the story takes place in Mount Polbearne and includes the characters of Polly and Huckle who live in the lighthouse, they are not the main focus of this story.  

Marisa Rossi moves to Mount Polbearne as she needs some peace and solitude as she is struggling with her grief following the death of her grandfather.  She is becoming more and more solitary, to the point of being worried about leaving the house. The peace she is expecting is not found as the man who moves in next door is a piano teacher who takes lessons from home and the walls are very thin.  

Marisa loves to cook and with the encouragement of grandmother in Italy, with whom she is in regular Skype contact, she tries to build bridges with the angry next door neighbour through offering food.  

The Cornish Cream Tea Summer by Cressida McLaughlin

This is the second book in the Cornish Cream Tea Bus series.  

Lila, cousin of Charlie, turns up in Porthgolow after making a mess of her life and losing both her job and best friend in London.  She needs a fresh start and is encouraged to visit Charlie by her mum.  

Charlie takes in Lila and lets her help out on Gertie, the cream tea bus.  One day, when left on her own, Lila agrees that the bus can be used on the production set of a new television drama being filmed in Cornwall.  The producer wants to use local companies and Gertie will be included in the catering team to offer food to the cast.   

Charlie and Lila get to know the cast and the stars of the drama. Lila is determined to get things right this time and not make another mess of her life but is very attracted to Sam who plays one of the main roles.  

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewel

After a number of sexual assaults in the area, on Valentine's night 17 year old Saffyre Maddox goes missing.  She had been watching the house of Roan, her former child psychologist, and his family.  Owen Pick lives opposite.  He has lost his job, lives with his aunt and has no friends.  He is considered a bit odd.  

Cate, Roan's wife, starts to follow the story and watches as police ascend on their street.  

Owen is the only suspect in the disappearance and has been seen talking to a young girl in a hoodie who could have been Saffyre. 

As more information comes to light Cate becomes concerned.  Roan has regularly been out of the house running and she's not really sure that he was in bed at midnight on Valentine's night.  

Panic Room by Robert Goddard

Being offered the chance of photographing and valuing a large house in Cornwall seems like a quick and easy job for Don Challenor.  When he arrives at the house he unexpectedly finds a young housekeeper living in.  She shouldn't be there.  Then when measuring the rooms it becomes clear that there is a void space which seems to be a panic room which is locked from the inside.  

The house had been owned by Jack Harkness who is being charged with stealing money from his own pharmaceutical company and could be deported.  

Some very threatening people turn up at the house and want to get back the stolen money.  Don, and housekeeper Blake, work together to keep each other safe and to try to find out what is really going on and what the panic room is for. 

The Body in the Park by Courtney McFarlin

Suddenly finding herself in the park at 1am in the morning with her cat Razzy is a shock for Hannah Murphy.  Even more shocking is that she can now understand the cat and they can have conversations.  

Razzy encourages Hannah to go home, and they then fall over a dead body.  As a journalist on the local newspaper, a murder is just the story Hannah needs to enhance her career. She is able to work with Ben, the new local detective, and with the help of Razzy is always one step ahead of the other journalists on the story and also solving the crime.  

Matcha Do About Murder by Eryn Scott

This is the second book in the Pebble Cove Teahouse Mystery series. 

On the opening day of a competitor teahouse, Rosemary goes in to have a drink and is a witness to the death of local man Murray.  He died after drinking a matcha tea latte which was ordered by his new wife.  The drink was poisoned, it is a murder.  The local police ask a few questions and interview witnesses but they may not really want to solve the case.  Rosemary discovers that this won't be the first crime they have covered up.  

Rosemary is trying to find out how Asher, the ghost who lives in her house, had died and the information she finds does not seem to match up with the character of the man she knows.  

Whilst trying to uncover details about Murray's death she meets the ghost of the old Police Chief inside the police station.  

Do Not Disturb by Claire Douglas

A body is found at the bottom of the stairs in a guest house.  

The story then goes back to 2 months before.  Kirsty and Adrian along with their young children Amelia and Evie have moved from London to Wales where they have renovated a large old house to open it as a guest house.  The locals aren't very friendly and welcoming.  

When the first guest arrives she tells Kirsty that there are bad vibes in the house.  Kirsty's cousin Selena, who she has not seen or spoken to for 17 years, then turns up with her daughter.  Selena has left her husband and needs somewhere to stay.  There is a reason they have lost touch with each other and Kirsty does not trust Selena.  

Murder By Suggestion by Veronica Heley

After the death of Bunny Brewster, four of his friends get together and simultaneously pack bags for their wives and throw them out of their homes.  The five wives all end up at Diana's mother's home.  Ellie, Diana's mother, talks to each of them to find out their stories.  The wives had been joking about ways to kill their husbands and Bunny had died from an overdose which was the method suggested by Diana.   

Ellie involves her friend who is a police officer.  Something doesn't feel right and she is sure there is something going on which doesn't involve the wives at all.  

Appleby Farm by Cathy Bramley

Appleby Farm in the Lake District is the childhood home of Freya Moorcroft.  Her parents travelled around a lot and so she spent most of her school holidays with her auntie and uncle on the farm. 

Uncle Arthur has had an accident and Auntie Sue phones Freya to ask for help.  Freya returns to the farm to help out and finds that the farm is in financial trouble and her auntie and uncle, now in their 70s, are ready to retire.  

Freya loves the farm and will do anything she can to save it and keep it in the family.  She looks for different ways they can make extra money.  Saving the farm and moving to the Lake District will mean that she has to leave her job and boyfriend behind in the Cotswolds.  

The Captive by Deborah O'Connor

Instead of serving a sentence in a prison, the victim of a crime, or the victim's family, have to house the prisoner in a cell in their own home and take care of them.  

Hannah's husband has been murdered and she now has to look after Jem, his killer, who is locked in a specially made cell in her kitchen.  

Jem claims that he did not kill John, but Jem's fingerprints were found on John's wallet and the knife used to stab him.  Jem is also the only person seen on CCTV entering and leaving the alley where John's dead body was found.  

Holding by Graham Norton

On a building site in Duneen, on the site of an old farm, human remains are discovered.  At last the local policeman, Sergeant PJ Collins, has a real crime to investigate.  

The remains are believed to be Tommy Burke who used to live on the farm and who disappeared nearly 20 years ago.  Before disappearing Tommy was engaged to Brid Riordan and was believed to also be the love of Evelyn Ross.  PJ needs to interview both women and also find out who it was who had seen Tommy getting on a bus all those years ago.  

During his investigations PJ discovers some long hidden secrets.   

A Lesson in Dying by Ann Cleeves

No-one in Heppleburn seems to like Harold Medburn the school's Headteacher.  Even the school governors seem to fear him.  On the night of the Halloween party Harold Medburn is discovered hanged in the school playground.  

The police are sure that he was murdered by his own wife.  Jack Robson, the school caretaker and a school governor, is determined to prove that she is innocent and so with the help of his daughter starts to investigate the murder and question people in the village.  

Jack uncovers lies, adultery and blackmail.  Harold Medburn was not a nice man.   

The Girls by Bella Osborne

In the 1970's Zara, Val, Jackie and Pauline shared a house whilst they studied different courses at college.  Over the years they have lost touch.  Val, Jackie and Pauline receive an invitation from Zara's agent to attend Zara's surprise 80th birthday party.  This is the first time they have got together for many years.  

Zara's health is obviously not as good as it was and the others are all single and in their late 60's.  Zara comes up with a plan for them all to live together, as they did before, so that they can support each other through their older age.  Whilst thinking about the offer things go wrong in their lives which make the offer even more tempting.  

Once they are all together, secretly and one by one Zara tells them why she really wants them to live with her.  

The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella

A year after the split of their parents, Effie, Bean and Gus Talbot learn that their father and his new girlfriend plan to sell the family home and hold a 'house cooling' party.  Effie does not receive an invitation but realising this could her last opportunity to visit the house, she plans to sneak in and sneak out without being seen so that she can retrieve her old Russian dolls which are hidden up a chimney.  

This does not prove to be as easy as expected and Effie ends up hiding in cupboards and under tables to try to avoid members of her family, party guests and old boyfriends.  Whilst hiding she hears secrets and worries being talked about and also hears people talking about her too.  

You and Me Always by Jill Mansell

On her 25th birthday Lily receives the final one of the annual letters her mum wrote and left for her before she died.  In the letter there is the full name of the man who was the love of her life.  This is not Lily's father, but if Lily can meet him she may have an opportunity to find out more about her mum's life.  

Lily is supported by Coral, her mum's best friend who has cared for her for years, Patsy who used to be her babysitter, and Dan who is Patsy's younger brother.  Together they have become Lily's family. 

Lily secretly loves Dan who is a bit of a womaniser.  But she knows that she has to be careful and keep this hidden or it could ruin their friendship.

Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

This is the second book in the Thursday Murder Club series. 

Elizabeth receives a letter from someone she knows is not alive, it is inviting her to visit for drinks.  She attends the meeting to find that her help is needed to keep him alive.  He is being chased by mobsters who want back £20M of diamonds he has stolen.  He needs to go into hiding. 

Elizabeth enlists the help of her friends Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim.  Together they plot and scheme, work with Chris and Donna from the local police force, and sometimes work with members of MI5.  The number of dead bodies start to pile up, but the diamonds have not been found. 

Bodies, Baddie and a Crabby Tabby by Sherri Bryan

After losing both her job and boyfriend Megan decides to return home to visit her family in the small village of Bliss Bay whilst she decides what she wants to do next with her life. 

On the way home, travelling with her sister, they stop off for an early breakfast and find themselves involved in a murder investigation.  There had already been one unsolved murder a couple of months before in the village. 

Megan, along with her uncle Des, start their own investigations into the murders and uncover some interesting information and evidence.  

Cat, the local stray who has been adopted by the family, seems to be a very good judge of character.  

Trust Me by T M Logan

Sitting on a train on the way home, Ellen helps out a young mum by holding her small baby for a few minutes whilst the mum takes a phone call at the end of the carriage.  At the next station Ellen sees the young woman leave the train and run away across the platform.  In the bag that has been left with the baby there is a note 'Please protect Mia, don't trust the police, don't trust anyone'.  

Ellen has to decide what she is going to do.  Mia is an innocent baby who needs to be protected.  

A Keeper by Graham Norton

Following the death of her mother, Elizabeth Keane returns to Ireland to clear out and sell her childhood home.  Whilst sorting through her mother's possessions she discovers a bundle of old letters from her father.  Elizabeth had not known her father, only having been told he had died when she was very young. Elizabeth finds one of her mother's old friends who is able to provide her with a bit more information about the relationship. 

The story then goes back 40 years to when her mother and father met and the strange truth of the relationship is revealed.  

Summer at Skylark Farm by Heidi Swain

Having worked very long hours, always having to be on-call and not having had a days holiday over the last few years is starting to take its toll.  Amber realises that she needs to make changes in her life.  

Then her boyfriend Jake announces that he will be moving to the countryside to Skylark Farm in Wynbridge to help his elderly aunt who is struggling to run the farm on her own.  

Amber moves to Skylark Farm with Jake and they live in the farmhouse with Annie.  Amber discovers that Jake used to live in a house on the farm with Holly a previous girlfriend. Amber is determined to succeed in her new farm life and help to make changes to keep the farm going and get out of their financial problems.  Holly then reappears in Wynbridge.  

Dead Flowers by Nicola Monaghan

Ex-police and now a DNA Analyst, Dr Sian Love moves into her new home.  It is the old, and now closed, Loggerheads pub in Nottingham.  She has inherited the property from her Uncle Rob. 

Her dog is agitated and so together they go down into the cellar to check out the problem.  Sian finds the remains of two bodies.  She knows that she should leave the investigations to the police but she does not trust them.  

The story moves from the late 60s and early 70s to tell Bobby's story and back to 2017 to Sian and her investigations and the interference she expected from the police.  

Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer

The story is based on the true events of George Mallory attempting to climb Mount Everest. 

George falls in love with Ruth, but he also loves climbing, and he is given the opportunity, along with a small group of other experienced climbers, to attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest.  The group would be the first ever to climb that high.  If he reaches the summit George plans to leave a photograph of his wife at the top of the world.  

There are some tensions within the group, particularly with George Finch who believes they will need oxygen to be able to climb up to the very highest peak.  

The Break-Up Book Club by Wendy Wax

A group all regularly attend a book club meeting at Between the Covers bookshop.  They talk about the book they have just read, drink plenty of wine and share nibbles and cakes.  

Single mum and sports agent Jazmine invites her new PA Erin to attend a club meeting. 

Judith, who attends with her friend Meena, is beginning to question why it is she and not her husband Nate who has had to make all the sacrifices in their marriage. 

Sara, who also works occasional shifts in the bookshop, has her mother-in-law living with her whilst her husband is working away and they don't really get on very well as Dorothy makes no secret that she feels her son could have done much better for himself.  

Together the group support and encourage each other through the ups and downs in their lives.  

Home Stretch by Graham Norton

A small Irish community is devastated when, the day before a wedding, there is a car crash and of the six people in the car three are killed, one is very seriously injured and two are unhurt.  What should have been a wedding ceremony turns into a funeral.  Connor, one of the survivors, was the driver of the car and he can't remain living in the village where everyone is mourning their losses and accusing him. 

First he moves to Liverpool to work on a building site.  He later moves to London and then on to New York and makes a new life for himself.  He has never made any contact with his family back in Ireland since he left. 

Many years on Connor has contact with his sister and is encouraged to return home to visit the family.  There were many secrets that have been kept hidden since the car crash and slowly lives begin to unravel as the truth is shared.  

Come Again by Robert Webb

Following the sudden death of her husband Luke, Kate Marsden is really struggling in her grief and is also about to lose her job.  Her friends have been supportive but she keeps pushing them away.  

One morning she wakes up and finds that she is 18 years old again, is back in her room at university and it is the day that she first met Luke.  If she can meet him again and let him know about his health problem she may have a chance to save his life.  

A Parcel for Anna Browne by Miranda Dickinson

Working on a reception desk in a busy London office, Anna Browne regularly signs for delivered parcels.  One day a parcel is addressed to her.  It has no senders name and contains no message, just a really lovely gift.  Anna has no idea who the gift is from but it makes her happy.  

Over the next few weeks more gifts arrive.  All are anonymous but each one gives Anna more and more self confidence.  As Anna become more confident, others begin to notice this in her too.  It could even lead to a date with a colleague.  Everyone is really curious about the unexpected gifts and the identity of the sender.  

A Summer to Remember in Herring Bay by Angela Britnell

Essy Havers runs a business in Tennessee which tracks down all sorts of odd bits and pieces that her clients want to find.  When tasked with collecting sand and memorabilia from Cornwall she heads to Herring Bay to visit her Aunt Molly.  She also wants to find out why her mum left the village many years ago and won't return.  

She is immediately recognised in Herring Bay as being the daughter of Paula but people are not willing to talk about what happened when Paula left.  

Essy meets Ruan who is decorating Aunt Molly's kitchen.  He has recently returned to Herring Bay whilst having a break from his usual career as an architect in London.  Ruan's mum Vera takes an instant dislike to Essy.  Something has obviously happened in the past between the 2 families and Essy is determined to find out what that was. 

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

More than 20 years after Claire and Lydia's sister Julia disappeared another local girl is reported missing.  Claire and Lydia have not seen each other or spoken since Julia's disappearance. 

Claire and her husband Paul are attacked and mugged in a alleyway.  Paul is killed.  Whilst Claire is looking through boxes in her house after the funeral she finds lots of reports which have been commissioned by her husband.  Each year on a certain date he has asked a private investigator to follow and report back to him on different women.  One of the boxes holds information about Lydia.  

Claire contacts Lydia and together they try to find out the truth about what happened to Julia.  

The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman

When Claire Armstrong is diagnosed with early onset dementia her counsellor suggests that she starts to write a memory book.  

Claire is already beginning to forget the face of her husband and is scared that she will soon forget her children and that her youngest child Esther may not remember her as she was before she became ill.  

Claire, and all the members of her family, write information in her ever growing Memory Book to try to help her. 

Betrayed by Lisa Scottoline

When Iris is found dead in her car Judy Carrier and her Aunt Barb know that the death is suspicious and don't believe it was natural causes by a heart attack.  Then Judy finds a stash of money in her Aunt's garage which must have been hidden there by Iris.  

The police don't believe that it was murder so Judy starts to ask around in Iris's community to see why she was on that stretch of road and not at work and who may know something.  Judy upsets some dangerous people and then it is her life which is danger.  

Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben

Maya was in a park with her husband when he was shot three times and killed.  Following the funeral a friend gave her a digital photograph frame with a hidden nanny-cam.  A few days later, whilst checking the camera footage, she sees her dead husband in the play room with her daughter. 

Maya asks one of her ex-army friends to help her to investigate.  Her husband's family seem to have a lot of secrets. 

The Windsor Knot by S J Bennett

89 year old Queen Elizabeth II secretly likes to solves crimes.  The morning after a Dine and Sleep at Windsor Castle one of the guests in found murdered in his bedroom, he has been hanged and it was staged to look like suicide.  

Whilst the police are investigating, and they suspect a member of the royal household, the Queen is making her own enquiries through Rozie, her personal secretary.  When she finds useful information she makes subtle suggestions to the police so that they make appropriate investigations to uncover who the murderer really is. The police then think they have solved the crime.   

The Woman at Number 24 by Juliet Ashton

Number 24 is a large house in West London which has been split into 5 different flats.  

Newly divorced Sarah, a child psychologist, lives on the top floor.  Below her with his new wife lives Leo her ex-husband.  The house is also occupied by single mum Lisa with daughter Una who does not speak.  Sarah is drawn to Una who she knows doesn't speak, as she herself as a child didn't, due to the split of her parents.  But she is not sure if she is able to help her as she is struggling to move on with her life and finding her job stressful.  Mavis, a long term resident in a basement flat, hides herself away and avoids the others in the house when she can.  

A new couple move in to the empty flat and want to get to know everyone and quickly get them to socialise together.  

The Cherry Tree Cafe by Heidi Swain

On her birthday, instead of the expected marriage proposal, Lizzy Dixon is dumped by her boyfriend.  She can't afford to stay in London in their flat on her own so she moves back to Wynbridge to stay with her friend Jemma. 

Jemma and husband Tom have just bought the old cafe and are working hard on the refurbishment before their grand re-opening.  Lizzy moves into the flat above the cafe and helps out with the decorating and soft furnishings.  This gives Jemma the idea that they could hold craft classes in the cafe.  

This book really comes before Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage. 

A Summer Fling by Millie Johnson

A new manager, Christy, arrives in the bakery admin department and gets to know the four unusual women who work there.  Together, with Christy's guidance, they bond and become friends.  

Grace is trapped in a loveless marriage and is considering leaving her husband of 23 years.  

Anna has just been dumped by her fiance and is feeling old, frumpy and unloved. 

Rachel is happily married but has dark secrets in her past. 

Dawn is about to marry Calum, she wants to belong to a family as she doesn't have one of her own, but he's not really the love of her life.  

The women start to socialise on a Friday after work, they get to know each other and support each other.  

Black Dress by Deborah Moggach

Recently single retired Pru is missing the life she had with her husband Greg before he decided to leave as he needed solitude.  

She has to attend the funeral of a friend and so goes to a charity shop to buy a black dress.  Wearing the dress she arrives just in time before the funeral starts, but then realises that she is in the wrong place, this is not the funeral she should be attending, she does not know the person everyone is talking about.  This gives her the idea that she can meet new people if she attends other funerals.  No one will challenge why she is there, they will all just assume that she knew the deceased.  She is looking to find love.  

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena

A couple of days after a family Easter meal, Fred and Sheila Merton are found murdered in their home.  At first it looks like a burglary which has gone wrong. 

There had been an argument at the meal.  Could one of the children have returned to the family home later that night and murdered their parents?  The parents are very wealthy and the children are all expecting to inherit millions.  

Dan has financial problems.  Since their father sold the family business Dan has no job and can't access his investments.  

Catherine, the only child who seems to have gained any parental approval, wants the large family home in Brecken Hill for herself.

Jenna is an artist, she makes sculptures of which the parents do not approve.  She is the wild child of the family who is always being threatened that her allowance will be cut off. 

As the police investigate the siblings, who have never worked well on anything together, they keep meeting up to share information.  They each suspect the others could have been involved.  

Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern

Documentary film makers Bo, Rachel and Solomon return to the Toolin farmhouse after the funeral of Joe Toolin. Tom, the twin brother, is now alone. Whilst looking around the farm together and checking on the bat house they meet Laura who is living in a small cottage on the land.  Unknown by Tom, she has been living in the cottage for 10 years.  

Laura has a very unique gift of being able to imitate sounds.  Now that Joe is dead she has no-one.  She is offered the chance to change her life by agreeing to be followed and filmed by Bo. The documentary will be called Lyrebird.  Solomon is attracted to Laura and wants to protect her from the outside world which is unfamiliar to her.