What We Are Reading August 2021

One Got Away - Nikki Griffin #2
by S.A. Lelchuk
Published April 13th 2021 by Flatiron Books

Nikki Griffin, a private-investigator when she isn’t running her small bookstore, is on a case. The matriarch of one of the wealthiest San Francisco families has been defrauded by a con-man, and her furious son enlists Nikki to find the money. And find the con-man.

Nikki isn’t a fan of men who hurt women. Her secret mission, born of revenge and trauma, is to do everything she can to remove women from dangerous situations—and to punish the men responsible.

As Nikki follows the trail toward the con-man, she realizes that no one involved is telling her the whole truth. When the case overlaps with her attempt to protect a woman in trouble, and Nikki’s own life is put in danger, Nikki has to make terrible choices about who to save—and how to keep herself alive.


Choose Me
by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver
Published July 1st 2021 by Thomas & Mercer

Taryn Moore is young, beautiful and brilliant...so why would she kill herself? When Detective Frankie Loomis arrives on the scene to investigate the girl's fatal plunge from her apartment balcony, she knows in her gut there's more to the story, especially after the autopsy reveals that the college senior was pregnant. It could be reason enough for suicide-or a motive for murder.

To English professor Jack Dorian, Taryn was the ultimate fantasy: intelligent, adoring, and completely off limits. But there was also a dark side to Taryn, a dangerous streak that threatened those she turned her affections to--including Jack. And now that she's dead, his problems are just beginning.

After Frankie uncovers a trove of sordid secrets, it becomes clear that Jack may know the truth. He is guilty of deception, but is he capable of cold-blooded murder?

A Few Drops of Bitters - A Savannah Reid Mystery #26
by G.A. McKevett\
Published July 27th 2021 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Plus-sized PI Savannah Reid doesn't shy away from high-profile cases with the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency. But when an upscale party ends with murder, drawing clues from famous guests may prove trickier than squeezing into an old pair of jeans...

For the first time in recent memory, Savannah has no guilt about indulging in personal interests before her career. Between being a mom to her new foster son and arranging a lavish wedding for her sister, things are messy, unpredictable, and delightfully fulfilling. She even gains an impressive friend: Dr. Carolyn Erling, a caring veterinarian with a deeper story than her down-to-earth nature suggests . . .

When Savannah attends a birthday bash for Dr. Carolyn's husband, she's astonished to find that her no-frills acquaintance resides in a pristine hilltop mansion with Dr. Stephen Erling, a jet-setter brain surgeon boasting throngs of A-list patients around the globe. Before Savannah can get a headcount on the mingling celebrities, Dr. Stephen has one too many champagne toasts and drops dead.

With a poisonous residue found inside Dr. Stephen's glass, the search is on for the killer who spiked his drink. Motivated to set things right for a devastated Dr. Carolyn, Savannah must infiltrate the elite world of foreign dignitaries and Oscar-winning stars to identify the guilty culprit--or prepare to kiss this happy chapter in her life goodbye.