For the Love of Books, a look at what's new and exciting in the world of reading

With both her mother and father dead, Elle decides to track down her birth mother in France. The product of a one night stand between her father and a French woman, Elle only know the woman’s first initial, “M”, and the village she lived in. Elle lands a job in a small cafe, where the friendly owner offers to help her track down the mysterious M. A sidewalk cafe, a handsome man, and a cast of unique and quirky characters rounds out this delightful story

Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner, Robo are up to their ears in a new investigation after local outfitter Nate Fletcher is found inside his van after it explodes. Nate has two bullets in his heart, a pretty good sign the explosion was an attempt to cover-up or destroy evidence. Mattie, Robo and Cole Walker have more than a few suspects, one of whom is in love with Nate’s widow. And as if they didn’t have enough on their plates, they get a call for help from a man who claims to have been shot. When they get to his location, they find something much more sinister. This series is just so good, so well written and will appeal to fans of Nevada Barr and Paul Doiron.

So what if her bookshop is not the huge success it once was; Sophie has no intention of selling out to bigwig developer Alexander Fletcher. He’s simply to good looking and to successful to trust, right? So why is she starting to develop feelings for him? Is his offer to help make her bookstore super successful too good to be true? And most important of all, can she trust him with her heart? This is a sweet, gentle little romance, perfect for those terribly imperfect days that we all seem to have

Alice Easton and her parents have just moved into their new home, a house that should shine up like a new penny once they rehab it. Alice is the youngest member of her family and sets out to explore, only to find drawing behind the ugly old wallpaper. Drawings of a family, one very similar to hers. It’s creepy, but the real horror begins when members of the family disappear, their corresponding figure in the drawing crossed out with a big X. Can a young girl solve a terrifying mystery before she, herself, disappears? This story has hints of the first Insidious movie and should be a hit with fans of ghoulies, ghosties and things that go bump in the night

Archaeologist Faye Longchamp is in Oklahoma for a conference when an explosion rocks the Oklahoma City Hotel. Seriously shaken by the incident, Faye soon finds she’s in her element. The explosion has broken up the floor on the venerable hotel, revealing a warren of tunnels underneath. The tunnels actually provided “housing” for Chinese immigrants 100 years earlier, and Faye is eager to explore. But her excitement soon turns to horror when the bodies of three children are found in the tunnels. I have loved this series from the very first entry, Evans does an amazing job at portraying the plight of indigenous peoples, both past and present, with a satisfying mystery to boot

Alexa Glock is a forensics expert visiting New Zealand. When a body is found found in a boiling mud pit in Rotorua, she sees this as an opportunity to stay in the country to help identify the victim, using her own area of specialty, odontology. Working with local DI Bruce Horne and his team, Alexa learns the victim was a city councilman, much disliked for his disrespect of the local Maori. The punishment for trespassing on their sacred island is purported to be death or possession, so Alexa travels to the island to try to uncover the truth. There’s much to like in this mystery, the beautiful setting, the fascinating culture and beliefs of the Maori people and a smart, savvy heroine

Sheila tries to make the most of her marriage, Dylan is a typical guy and not always sympathetic to her needs, but she promised “for better or worse”. Things definitely take a turn for the worse when sixteen year old Eden arrives claiming to be Dylan’s daughter. Eden claims her mother recently died in a fall, and initially, Sheila feels sorry for the girl, but not for long. Does Eden have it out for her stepmother? Or is someone else gaslighting Sheila?