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.