The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz

This absorbing mystery novel is full of vim and vigor. So many mysteries follow a tried and true pattern. This book thankfully steps outside the typical mystery novel box. The author becomes a significant character who is accompanying the freelance detective, he is writing a book about, as the detective works to solve a murder mystery. Layers of intriguing details are tantalizingly revealed as both the author and the reader struggle alongside the detective to figure out "who done it". The detective often irritates the author with his smug close-mouthed pursuit of the murderer that at times leaves the author floundering as he encounters one suspect after another. Recommended. 

That Wild Country by Mark Kenyon

Wow! This is a wonderful book extolling the beauty of our public lands, and advocating passionately for all of us to protect our incredible heritage, so carefully preserved over more than a century. It is filled with detail about the evolution of the Public Lands preservation movement, and the current horrific assault by some rapacious corporations and politicians to privatize, exploit, and to sell to developers our incredible natural legacy. The author is an avid outdoorsman, a hunter of meat to feed his family, and also a hiker and backwoods camper who loves the serenity and beauty of wild habitat. Admittedly, I am uncomfortable with the occasional brief description of a hunt (I am a vegetarian, leaning toward vegan) yet I unquestionably have an admiration for this man who writes so beautifully about his forays into the wilderness, and advocates so eloquently for everyone to join together to protect our public lands. The author presents a clear case for people of all backgrounds and beliefs to join together to preserve our common heritage of public lands for future generations. Highly recommended!

Hid From Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming

I have enjoyed other titles in this series, and this was also very good. Three separate but definitely copycat or serial murders over a fifty-year period challenge the Millers Kill Police Department even as they in the present face a budgetary threat to their very existence. The narrative weaves back and forth from 1952, to 1972 and to the present, revealing the eerie identical circumstances of the murders of young women, the efforts to solve these cases and potential suspects. Russ Van Alstyne and his wife, the Reverand Clare Fergusson are great characters that draw the reader into their lives and community. Recommended.

An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd

I really enjoy this series, featuring a nurse usually on the WW2 front lines in France trying to save lives. However, whenever a murder takes place she succumbs to her abundant compassion, curiosity, and sense of justice that drives her into solving the mystery. Much of the action takes place back in England, where her family lives so the historical context includes not just a war zone, but also the Homefront where ordinary citizens are struggling with the resource shortages of a war economy, but also the frightening consequences of enemy bombings. Recommended.