Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman Harper Collins Publisher October 2009 Format: e-book, 384 pages First line: On the last night of August, Tess Monaghan went to the drugstore and bought a composition book-one with a black and-white marble cover. Synopsis from B&N:  In a city where someone is murdered almost every day, attorney Michael Abramowitz’s death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer’s notoriety—and his taste for illicit…

Vets in Love by Cathy Woodman Arrow December 2012 Format: Paperback, 400 pages First line: It’s just before nine on Monday morning, and the rush has already begun. From the back cover: Love is in the air in Talyton St. George, Devon’s most romantic town. Glamorous GP Nicci (aka the galloping doctor) and Matt, the very handsome equine vet, have caught each other’s eye. On paper it looks like a…

Fated by Carly Phillips Penguin Group December 2012 Format: Netgalley ARC e-book First line: Kate Andrews loved a man in uniform. Synopsis from Goodreads: New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips presents a never-before-published novella set in a quaint upstate New York town—where Serendipity’s finest show exactly what they’re made of… Kate Andews is the original rebound girl. But she has had enough and has vowed to never be someone’s…

The Quilter’s Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini Plume April 2000 Format: Paperback, 272 pages First line: Sarah leaned against the brick wall and tried to look comfortable, hoping no one walking by would notice her or wonder why she was standing around in a suit on such a hot day.   From the back cover: When Sarah McClure and her husband, Matt, move to Waterford, Pennsylvania, she hopes to make a…

Harvest Moon by Robyn Carr MIRA February 2011 Format: e-book, 400 pages First line: “I need to see you,” Phillip said. Synopsis from B&N: Rising sous-chef Kelly Matlock’s sudden collapse at work is a wake-up call. Disillusioned and burned out, she’s retreated to her sister Jillian’s house in Virgin River to rest and reevaluate. Puttering in Jill’s garden and cooking with her heirloom vegetables is wonderful, but Virgin River is…

Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson Little, Brown and Company November 2012 Format: Hardcover, 400 pages First line: The rear door to St. Anthony’s Church had been left open. From the inside cover: Detective Alex Cross is ripped away from his family on Christmas Eve – but that’s nothing compared to what awaits him on Christmas Day. SILENT NIGHT It’s a snowy Christmas Eve, and Detective Alex Cross is…

Postcards from the Dead by Laura Childs Berkley October 2012 Format: Hardcover,  336 pages First line: A dazzling night filled with gigantic floats, silver beads, dizzying lights, fire-twirling flambeaus, and a crowd that was fueled by too much Dixie Beer and Southern Comfort. From the inside cover: New Orleans is in the throes of another fantastic Mardi Gras celebration when the party gets crashed by a murderer. Now a scrapbooking…

Stake & Eggs by Laura Childs Berkley November 2012 Format: ARC Paperback, 304 pages First line: Ice pellets blasted the windows of the Cackleberry Club. From the back cover: New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs presents the best way to start your day—with a hearty breakfast and a side of hard-boiled murder. Suzanne, Toni, and Petra found a second life after losing their husbands—opening their own successful business, the…

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts Berkley Trade November 2012 Format: Paperback, 336 pages First line: With a few groans and sighs, the old building settled down for the night. From the back cover: The Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother are breathing new life into the town of Boonsboro, Maryland, by restoring its historic hotel. And they’re finding their own lives revamped by love. This is Ryder’s story… Ryder…

Sleep No More by Iris Johansen St. Martin’s Press October 2012 Format: Hardcover, 400 pages First line: The kill should be ridiculously easy. From the inside cover: One woman held captive for decades…Another one freed by the truth… Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan knows what it’s like to be haunted by the past.  For years after her daughter Bonnie was stolen from her, she fought for closure.  But now as she’s…

Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr Mira Books February 2011 Format: e-book, 368 pages First line: Jillian Matlock was a natural in the business world and her ability to anticipate surprises and challenges was legendary. Synopsis from B&N: Colin Riordan came to Virgin River to recuperate from a horrific helicopter crash, the scars of which he bears inside and out. His family is wonderfully supportive, but it’s his art that…

Fool for Love by Beth Ciotta St. Martin’s Paperbacks August 2012 Format: Paperback, 368 pages First line: “How many years do you think I’d get for death by Cuisinart?” From the back cover: SHE’S CRAVING A SWEET NEW LIFE…  Call her a fool, but chef-in-training Chloe Madison wants to have her cake and eat it too. So when her boyfriend dumps her for some French tart, she decides to start…

Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg Random House March 2011 Format: Hardcover, 280 pages First line: When John Marsh was a young boy, he used to watch his mother getting ready to go out for the evening. From the inside cover: From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of Home Safe and The Last Time I Saw You comes a beautiful and moving novel about…

NYPD Red by James Patterson Little, Brown and Company October, 2012 Format: Hardcover First line: It’s the height of the breakfast rush at the Regency’s world-famous You-Can-Kiss-Our-A**-If-You-re-Not-Rich-and-Powerful dining room. From the inside cover: NYPD Red is a task force whose job is protecting New York City’s richest, most powerful A-list citizens. LIGHTS It’s the start of Hollywood on Hudson, and New York City is swept up in the glamour. Every…

Home to Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani Ballantine Books October 2007 Format: Paperback, 336 pages First line: As the wind blows through our bedroom window, it sounds like a whistling teakettle. From the back cover: Nestled in the lush Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the town of Big Stone Gap has been home for Ave Maria Mulligan Machesney and her family for generations. But with her daughter, Etta, having…