Then She Was Gone/Lisa Jewell/356 pgs

Laurel spent years mourning the loss of her daughter, Ellie.  Ellie was the daughter that Laurel doted on and loved fiercely.  One day, 15 year-old Ellie left the house and never returned.   She was a perfect child who would never just run away as the police insisted that she had done.  And just a few months ago, ten years later, partial remains are found and identified as the missing girl confirming the police suspicions.

Now Laurel, whose marriage fell apart years after her daughter went missing, meets a man, Floyd, in a coffee shop.  Soon the two begin a relationship and eventually Laurel meets Floyd’s daughter Poppy.  Laurel is struck by the likeness the young girl bears to her late daughter, Ellie.  As Laurel spends more time with Floyd and Poppy, she begins noticing strange coincidences that make her think bout Ellie more and more

You may or may not see the twist in this thriller, but you’ll like it.

B is for Burglar / Sue Grafton / 321 pages

Kinsey Millhone is back into business, and she is assigned to locate Elaine Boldt, a woman who had been missing since her departure to Florida.  Kinsey interviews close friends and anyone who was familiar with her, in both Santa Teresa, California and Miami, Florida.  She also learns the story of Miss Boldt's friend, Marty Grice, who had been murdered six months before her disappearance, and one part of Kinsey believes that Miss Boldt may have took off as a result, either from paranoia or she may have been one of the suspects responsible for the murder; another says that she might already be dead.

I liked this book better than the first one, for the characters were more diverse in both appearance and personality, Kinsey revealed hidden depths to herself that made her more three-dimensional, and wowIdidnotexpectthatplottwistatall.
Overall, a very a good novel; I'm already partway through the third book, C is for Corpse, which I'll blog about in March.

Look for Me/Lisa Gardner/391 pgs.

In the early morning, a family is murdered--all except one: 16 year old Roxanna "Roxy" Baez. She's missing, plus the family's two elderly dogs. When she doesn't return, speculation abounds: was Roxy in on the murder of her family, and if not, why doesn't she go to the police? Enter Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren, and unofficially, Flora Dane--a survivor turned vigilante. They join forces to find Roxy, and to unravel the mystery of her family's deaths. Riveting! Highly recommended.

On a side note: this will be my last post since I am retiring from the library district. I have enjoyed the SCCCLD Book Challenge, and hope that other SCCCLD staff will take up the challenge!

Righteous: an IQ novel/Joe Ide/330 pgs.

Isaiah Quintabe, a.k.a. IQ, is still on the hunt for whoever murdered his older brother, Marcus, ten years ago. Up until that point, Marcus was Isaiah's mentor, best friend, and care giver--it was the two of them against the world. Isaiah eventually dropped out of school, and used his high intelligence for solving crimes in his downtrodden neighborhood. In this second book in the series, Isaiah is not only trying to discover (and bring to justice) the person responsible for Marcus's death, but also to find Marcus's girlfriend's sister, Janine, who has gone missing. There are so many threads in the story line--but it works. Isaiah isn't your typical "hero"--he's awkward, lacks social skills--but he is someone you want on your side. I can't speak highly enough of this new series. Highly recommended!