The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

Set in Yorkshire in 1979, best friends Sharon and Miv hear information on the news about the Yorkshire Ripper.  Miv has a difficult homelife.  Her mum has stopped speaking, her dad works all day, and her Aunty Jean has come to stay to help look after the family.  

Miv spends a lot of time at Sharon's house.  They decide to write a list of all the suspicious people and do their own investigation to try to find the Yorkshire Ripper.  They follow people and decide whether or not they could be suspects.  The local shopkeeper is on the list for a very short time, but they really like him and he is friendly with them.  A lot of people are quite racist towards him as he is Indian.  The girls become friends with his son and see first hand how nastily some people treat them.  

During their investigations Miv and Sharon come across racism, bullying, domestic violence, alcoholism and much more.  Miv is sure that if they can find out who the Ripper is then her family will not have to move house and move away from Yorkshire and her friend.  

Only the Innocent by Rachel Abbott

Sir Hugo Fletcher is found dead in his home by the housekeeper.  It is clear that he has been murdered by a woman.  A woman with red hair was seen walking away from the house.   

Sir Hugo ran a charity to help young woman who had been trafficked into the country and set to work as prostitutes.  He helps to get them away from the traffickers and arranges for them to live in a home with a local family.  Everyone loves Hugo.  

Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas has to investigate the murder.  He is certain that there is also a link with one of the saved girls having gone missing.  

Slowly he uncovers more and more dark secrets and truths about Sir Hugo.  None of his close family are upset by his death.  

The Weekender by Fay Keenan

Holly lives in Willowbury and runs her own shop.  When Willowbury's new MP Charlie Thorpe arrives, she does not make a good first impression.  Charlie feels that there is something familiar about Holly but can't place her. 

Holly and her sister want Charlie to help them to get a new drug available on the NHS for people who suffer from cystic fibrosis.  Holly's little nephew suffers from the disease.  The previous MP was not interested in helping anyone who did not provide payment for his services.  They hope that Charlie will be different.  

Never Saw it Coming by Linwood Barclay

Pretend psychic Keisha watches the local news stories to find people she can approach who may want to use her services - for a fee.  She tells families that she has had visions of their missing loved ones.  She usually likes to have her fee upfront.  

She approaches a man whose wife is missing and says that she has had visions of her.  The story she tells is too near to the truth of what really happened.  Keisha then becomes scared and realises that she may actually be sitting in front of a murderer. 

Finding Hope at Lighthouse Cove by Jessica Redland

They met at school and now having been married for 12 years Elise feels that it must be time for them to start the family they have talked about.  Gary still says that he is not ready.  Then they suddenly part.  

Whilst Elise should be happy for her sister and best friend who are both about to get married, she is struggling with the breakdown of her own marriage, and also the thought that she may now never become a mother.  

She is set up on a date with Daniel, a local sales rep that one of her friends knows, who is also recently divorced and on his own.  He seems almost too good to be true, yet when she meets his brother he is quite hostile towards her.  

Elise has a few really good friends who support her through the difficult times.  

Seeds of Murder by Rosie Sandler

Steph Williams has secured a new job as gardener for the Beaulieu Heights gated community.  Each day of the week she will visit a different house to do their gardening.  The job comes with its own house and a good salary.  

A few things of value suddenly go missing from the gardens.  Then some of the residents receive threatening messages.  Steph overhears a few conversation and is concerns about the daughter of one of the families.  The residence committee get together and accuse Steph of sending the messages.  Steph has also received a threatening message and is given just 2 weeks in which to clear her own name and find out who the culprit really is.  In the meantime her own life could be in danger. 

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

Just before she plunged off a cliff to her death Nel phoned her sister.  Jules ignored the call, just as she always did.   

Jules now has to return to the family home to look after her sixteen year old niece Lena. 

Jules has not been back to the house, or had contact with Nel, for a long time.  This brings back many memories.  Nel had been investigating and writing stories about the drowning pool.  Both Jules and Lena know that Nel would never have jumped.  

Not by Oolong Shot by Eryn Scott

This is book 6 in the Pebble Cove Teashop Mystery Series.

A haunted house at the top of a hill in Pebble Cove, which has been empty for years, is bought by triplet brothers who host a make-over TV show.  They are know as 'the flip-lets' as they flip houses to sell on at a profit. They have been warned that the house is haunted but they are not concerned.  

Rosemary and Jolene are asked to provide catering for the film crew.  In the evening when they go back to clear up they find one of the brothers dead.  It is obviously a murder.  Rosemary had heard two of the brothers arguing earlier that day.  With the help of the ghostly community in Pebble Cove she sets out to find what really happened and who killed the brother.  

Dazed and Infused by Eryn Scott

This is book 5 in the Pebble Cove Teashop Mystery Series.

Rosemary sees two young women wash up on the beach outside her teashop.  One is already dead, the other has a head injury and is suffering from amnesia. 

With the help of the local ghostly community Rosemary tries to find out who the mystery woman is, where they had both come from and how the two ended up in the sea. 

Due to a local festival taking place there is nowhere for the mystery woman to stay other than in the police station.  Rosemary offers to take her in and give her a temporary job whilst they work out who she is. 

Safe House by Chris Ewan

On the Isle of Man, Rob Hale wakes up in hospital after being involved in a motorbike crash.  He asks how his friend Lena is, as she had been on the back of the bike.  The police tell him there was no-one else involved in the crash, he was alone.  

Rob then finds that his parents have hired Rebecca Lewis, a private detective from London, to look into the recent death of his sister.  The death has been by suicide.  

Rebecca helps Rob in his quest to track down Lena.  She is the only person who believes that Lena exists.  There could be a link between Lena and Laura. 

The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery by Rachel Ward

The staff in the Costsave supermarket are like a family to each other.  Bea Johnson has been working on the checkout there for a number of years.  One morning one of her colleagues does not turn up for work and it is believed that she is another victim of the Kingsleigh Stalker.  Bea herself had been followed when on her way home from work.  

Bea is determined to do what she can to find out who the killer is.  She sets up a spreadsheet and, with a help of a couple of her colleagues, they take different people from the list to find out where they were during each attack to work out if any are a likely suspect.  

The Purrfect Pet Sitter by Carol Thomas

Now single and alone, Lisa Blake moves back to her family home.  When she left to go travelling, after her high school prom, she left behind all her friends.  She had initially kept in contact with her best friend Flick, but after a while contact between them had stopped.  Now that she is back, and starting up her own business as a pet sitter, she will bump into some of her old friends.  

She has not seen Nathan her school sweetheart of many years and she is not sure that she wants to bump into him again.  She does reconnect with Flick and they are able to pick up on their friendship.  Flick's husband is not too happy about it as he is worried that Flick will again be hurt by Lisa.   

Lisa does bump into Nathan and finds that he is now a very hunky fireman. 

Vince and Joy by Lisa Jewel

In the summer of 1986, as teenagers, Vince and Joy met at a holiday park.  They spent their days together and fell in love.  One morning Vince discovers that Joy and her family have suddenly packed up and gone home overnight.  Joy has left a note for Vince but it has got wet in the rain and he can only read a few words.  

Over the years they both have other relationships but don't find the same amount of happiness as they had with each other.  

Vince's new flat mate decides that he needs to find Joy so that he can find love again.  When she is finally tracked down it is just as Joy is about to get married.  Vince watches from a distance but doesn't feel that it is the right time for them.  

Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett

This is the third book in the 'Her Majesty the Queen Investigates' series. 

A severed hand is found in a bag which washes up on a beach near to Sandringham.  From a ring on one of the fingers the Queen is able to identify that it belonged to Edward St Cyr.  He was not a popular person who seemed to have more enemies than friends. 

Mrs Raspberry a local resident is seriously hurt in a hit and run accident.  

During the Christmas break the Queen, along with her assistant Rozie, undertakes her own investigation.  

Summer at the French Olive Grove by Sophie Claire

Having suffered an injury whilst on her travels and filming, Lily returns to the village of St Pierre in Provence to spend time with her grandmother whilst she recuperates.  Since the death of her father Lily has not wanted to put down roots and is happy to spend time travelling around the world and making her films.  

In St Pierre she finds that Olivier, her childhood friend, is staying next door with his parents.  She has not seen him for 13 years although they grew up and used to play together.  

Olivier is now a master baker and is happy to settle in St Pierre.  He wants to start a family.  He and Lily rediscover their friendship and challenge each other to do things outside of their comfort zones.  As a teenager Lily had a crush on Olivier and her feelings for him may not have changed.  

Smile by Roddy Doyle

Victor moves into a new apartment and visits a local pub.  He finds himself in there most evenings on his own having a couple of pints.  One night a man, Fitzpatrick, comes to speak to him.  He is someone who remembers Victor from their school days.  Victor can't place Fitzpatrick but they talk about their time in school and the students and teachers that they remember.  This brings back some unwanted memories of the ill treatment they suffered from some of the Brothers who taught in the school.  

Since those days Victor had become a celebrity writer and radio broadcaster.  His wife was also a household name as she had been fronting and hosting a cooking show.  They are now parted and Victor just has his memories of their good times.  

The Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald

Having decided to move from Australia to Edinburgh and to stay with her cousin, the only job Lou can find is working in a halfway house for very high risk offenders.  The offenders currently in residence include killers, drug dealers and an old celebrity paedophile.  

Life with her cousin is not easy as the house slowly fills up with more and more people and Lou struggles to be able to sleep before having to go out for her night shifts.    

After working in the halfway house for just a few days Lou is held captive by the prisoners and fears for her life.