Mysteries to warm you.

The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane

After a traumatic event, Elisa is having a hard time recovering. But she is deeply suspicious of her brother-in-law and the deaths of his wives. Her indecision was often annoying to me as that is not my manner, but she persists, and the ending here is both satisfying and surprising. B+

Family Business by S.J. Rozan

This is the first installment that I have read in the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith PI series by Rozan. It is a fast paced family crime story. Situated in NYC's Chinatown among multi-generational Chinese families, it is a cultural education. But what shines here is the description of the food. Rozan had me craving tea and a bun all through this escapade. I would read more in this series- not gory and goes down easy. A-

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurlan

A hand-picked group of sociopathic students are brought to campus as freshmen to be part of a study. But when deaths start occurring, some of them join forces- tentatively- to find the killer. After working with a sociopath for years, I recognized the cold satisfaction they showed after cruel behavior. Chilling. More frightening is that they walk among us. A-

The Maid by Nita Prose

By turns clever, charming, and heartwarming. This locked door murder mystery is a gem. Molly the hotel maid is a tad on the spectrum, but also exceedingly bright, observant, meticulous, and kind. When she finds a dead hotel guest, her eccentricity makes the police scrutinize her as the culprit. A!