Cozy mystery author Kate Carlisle (Shot Through the Hearth) has earned faithful readers with her creation of Shannon Hammer, a hardworking contractor and handywoman, who lives in the northern California coastal town of Lighthouse Cove. Shannon, who's single, has suffered her share of rotten dates and has been saved by the comfort of caring friends and neighbors. Over seven novels, she's restored a rundown Victorian home, renovated an old lighthouse and converted a mansion into housing for the homeless. She participated in a home and garden tour, was a guest on a home repair TV show and attended a global humanitarian conference on eco-living. While architecture and renovation details are hallmarks of each novel, so, too, is murder.

In Premeditated Mortar, Shannon is hired by best friend Jane to renovate a dilapidated mental asylum. Jane wants to turn part of the property into a five-star hotel and resort. During the project, Shannon and her team face protestors and opposition from a former doctor and one-time asylum patients. Chilling secrets from the past are unearthed when a corpse is discovered behind a hidden, blocked-off brick wall within the abandoned hospital. Shannon, her close-knit friends and her current beau--thriller writer Mac, who is also an investor in the renovation deal--are cornered into danger while trying to solve the murder mystery.

A well-drawn cast of likable, small-town characters and well-spun plotting continue to expand the appeal of Carlisle's suspenseful series--adapted for Hallmark Channel--that, this time, proves scarier than ever. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

In her extraordinary fiction debut, The Opium Prince, Afghan Swedish academic and communications expert Jasmine Aimaq, who lives in Canada, combines elements of literary thriller, sociopolitical exposé and historical witnessing. The Afghan people lived in relative--albeit tense--balance between the 1973 coup d'etat that ousted the monarchy and the 1978 assassination of President Mohammed Daoud Khan, which led to ongoing, unending wars. Appointed director of Kabul's USADE (United States Against the Drug Economy), Daniel Sajadi returned to his birth country with his U.S. education, his California wife, their diplomatic immunity--and stepped into the shadow of his late father, an Afghan hero.

What should have been a celebratory anniversary getaway becomes a pivotal tragedy when Daniel's Mercedes fatally hits nine- (or maybe 10) year-old Telaya. Her nomad Kochi parents aren't sure of her age, but her father insists, "She was the only thing of value in my life." The power of the Sajadi name saves Daniel from the police, but emboldens the mysterious Taj, a powerful figure in the local opium supply chain, to make uncompromising demands that threaten not only Daniel's existence, but the safety of many innocent others. The morality play begins.

Aimaq skillfully parallels Daniel's and Taj's lives--one utterly advantaged, the other destitute but determined. Both are relentlessly haunted by Telaya's death, one crippled by guilt, the other loss. Determining right and wrong quickly becomes impossible, perhaps even interchangeable, as Aimaq deftly confronts foreign aid, global drugs, foreign privilege, cultural entitlement, family loyalty and legacy, against the backdrop of two strangers whose future becomes inextricably, horrifically entangled. Who triumphs--or even just survives--is never guaranteed. --Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon

In Courtney Evan Tate's slyly plotted thriller The Last to See Her, the supposedly close bond between two sisters is revealed to be a fraying knot of emotions and betrayals when one vanishes during a late-night walk in New York City.

At the beginning, The Last to See Her evokes a soap opera-like Lifetime movie situation. Successful romance writer Genevieve "Gen" Tibault is going through a contentious divorce from her unfaithful lawyer husband, Thad, though he continues to deny any affair. She tells her sister, Meghan "Meg" McCready, that she plans to move from Chicago back to their hometown of Cedarburg, Wis., even though she hasn't lived there and only seldom visited for 18 years. Meg, a highly respected surgeon who also lives in Chicago, believes the move is hasty, but encourages Gen to join her in New York City where she is attending a physicians' conference. After a great dinner together and more than a few drinks, Gen disappears blocks from their hotel, wearing Meg's jacket.

The search for Gen reveals a lifetime of jealousy that continues to undercut the sisters' twisted relationship. Tate skillfully, slowly uncovers their mutual bitterness. Often capricious, Gen envies Meg's solid marriage to Joe, a blue-collar worker, their adorable five-year-old and her career, while believing that Meg resents the glamorous, carefree life of an accomplished writer. The sisters and Thad have intersecting secrets as readers' allegiances shift among each character. Unreliable narrators allow obsessions and lack of trust to rule their actions.

Domestic suspense and clever twists punctuate The Last to See Her, the third novel under the name of Tate, the pseudonym for prolific romance writer Courtney Cole. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer

Following in the tradition of anthologies of tales inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's famed detective, In League with Sherlock Holmes, led by its editors Laurie King and Leslie Klinger, gathers together 15 Sherlock-esque short stories by beloved mystery and thriller writers. In Tess Gerritsen's "What My Father Never Told Me," Moriarty's daughter, prompted by her father's mysterious death, begins to uncover a generational network of secret keepers. Derek Haas's "Benchley" flips reader expectations by having a witness teach the detective a thing or two about how to read a crime scene. And in Brad Parks's memorable "A Scandal on the Jersey Shore," an unlikely sleuth needs to get her best friend off the hook for killing her cheating boyfriend.

Most of the page-turning mysteries include characters with direct lineage to the Holmes/Watson duo, but all the stories feature the genre's most beloved tropes. From detail-oriented detective work to dramatic reveals, these tales are full of classic mystery pleasures while never feeling stale or predictable. In fact, the collection's best stories offer surprises in the shape of the detective, who isn't always the person one might think. Whether the shop-owning witness in "Benchley," the ditsy New Jersey blonde in "A Scandal on the Jersey Shore," or a stand-up comedian in Joe Hill's graphic short story, the detectives in these tales delight by showing up in unanticipated forms. Nevertheless, each story provides that truly cathartic moment when every detail clicks into place and readers' own close attention is rewarded. --Alice Martin, freelance writer and editor

With How to Catch a Queen, the first entry in a projected series called Runaway Royals, Alyssa Cole (When No One Is Watching) has created a glamorous romance. How to Catch a Queen is set in the fictional African kingdom of Njaza. Njaza is isolated from Thesolo, the kingdom central to Cole's Reluctant Royals series, and has long been ruled as a strict patriarchy, led by King Sanyu and his fierce adviser, Musoke. But Sanyu I is dying, and the two old men hatch a scheme for Sanyu II to marry Shanti Mohapi of Thesolo as soon as possible.

Njazan culture allows the king to divorce his wife after four months and continue his search for a "true queen." Sanyu I had dozens of wives, and Sanyu II has grown up suspicious of women. With only four months to get to know her new husband, Queen Shanti is desperate to bring change to Njaza, where women are expected to remain silent and not get involved in government. As Shanti and Sanyu slowly build a tentative relationship, Sanyu will have to face down Musoke, who is determined that nothing will change in Njaza, even if the people are crying out for change, and a new king has taken the throne.

Delving into matters of colonialism, economic independence, patriarchy and gender roles, How to Catch a Queen is a thoughtful romance. But it also includes lighthearted moments as Shanti helps Sanyu shed his anxieties, and embrace the possibilities of their future. How to Catch a Queen combines fairytale glamour with modern sensibilities in the best possible way, making for an enjoyable romance. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Tucson, Ariz.

Even Better Brownies, the debut cookbook by attorney and baking blogger Mike Johnson, boasts delicious, diet-busting dessert recipes, smart baking advice and mouth-watering photographs (also by Johnson). That's right, Johnson is an attorney, baker, blogger and photographer. It's no wonder that he says these appealing recipes were chosen for both their taste and their ease. Johnson designed the cookbook for those with active lives. He picked ingredients that are affordable and easy to find, and recipes with short prep-times.

"Brownies don't require a lot of ingredients," Johnson writes, "so, the ones you use should be really great." He advises nixing baking chocolate and using higher-end chocolate bars you'd eat on their own. His upbeat solution to overbaked brownies is to slather them with frosting. If they're beyond eating, just crumble them into ice cream. The most tempting brownie recipes include peanut butter cornflake crunch, peppermint mocha, malted chocolate, dulce de leche, bourbon-pecan and his Kitchen Sink Brownies with pretzels, potato chips, peanut butter cups and Oreos. For those in need of moderation, he has a recipe for Small-Batch Brownies, made in a loaf pan. Johnson also strays from the confines of brownies to include recipes for blondies (made with brown sugar instead of cocoa), cookies that can be turned into bars, cheesecake bars, no-bake bars and fruit bars. "Everyone knows a dessert with fruit in it basically makes it a healthy treat," he writes.

Even Better Brownies is a tasty indulgence for bakers at all levels of experience and written with a jaunty sense of humor. --Kevin Howell, independent reviewer and marketing consultant

During the 985 nights since she was cleaved from her then 19-month-old, still-breastfeeding son, Homeira Qaderi managed to escape her native Afghanistan and eventually settle in California. Her son, now four, has been told his mother is dead. With this haunting memoir, Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother's Letter to Her Son, Qaderi literally, indelibly writes the proof of her existence into being.

Her grandmother warned her "that one of the most difficult tasks that the Almighty can assign anyone is being a girl in Afghanistan." Qaderi's family arranged her wedding at 17, allowing her to escape the fate of most teen girls--to be forcibly, miserably married to Taliban members. Accompanying her husband and family to Tehran proves to be a turning point: "In Afghanistan, a good woman was defined as a good mother. In Iran, a good woman could be an independent and educated woman." Qaderi earns multiple degrees, with her husband's encouragement, including her Ph.D., and finds her voice as a published author and activist. Returning to Kabul, she becomes that "good woman" when she gives birth to Siawash, but the "man's world" that is Afghanistan transforms her husband into a cowardly oppressor who demands a second wife. Her refusal to accept his decrees results in divorce via a single text. Siawash was snatched from her arms as he slept.

Qaderi's debut title is deftly translated by fellow Afghan professor and writer Zaman Stanizai. Raw, honest, humble, Qaderi renders her excruciating loss into words and stories that help her live, keep her connected and never lose hope for a miraculous reunion. --Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon

When thinking about stages of human progress and development of materials, phrases such as the Bronze Age and the Iron Age might come to mind, but in The Age of Wood, professor of biological sciences Roland Ennos (Trees) challenges readers to consider the importance of wood to the progress of human civilization.

Ennos writes: "This book is a new interpretation of our evolution, prehistory, and history," and he hopes to "show that looking at the world in this fresh wood-centered way... can help us make far more sense of who we are, where we have come from, and where we are going." He centers his approach as a biomechanic to look at how the unusual material properties of wood have had an underlying impact on other technologies, which have depended on the relative strengths of wood in mechanical production across history. He uses his own areas of expertise to consider primatology, engineering, architecture, archeology, history, carpentry, anthropology, geology and conservation studies, from prehistory to the present, and he engagingly argues that what society needs now is to reassess and reframe its relationship to this particular natural resource.

Ennos at times sidetracks into extended discussions of other materials, and extends an arguably Euro-centric lens to most of his interpretations of humanities and social science discussions. The blend of hard science and social sciences provides an accessible argument that wood as a material remains central to human development and to the continuation of human society today. -- Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer

A gazillion wee details fill this cheery and absorbing picture book about bedtime in a bug hotel.

As bedtime storybooks go, the pattern in Good Night, Sleep Tight is comfortingly familiar: a narrator goes through a series of steps before tucking in for the night. The magic here is in the details. Ladybug Dot carries a clipboard from room to room, making sure everyone is on target for bedtime. Has Dung Beetle taken his bath? Check. Stick Bug donned her pajamas? Check. Fly brushed teeth? Check.

Dutch illustrator Esther van den Berg, who previously illustrated Such a Library!: A Yiddish Folktale Re-imagined, has a bold and droll artistic style that features bright colors and figures with exaggerated attributes. Readers may want to linger in each guest's room, finding something new and sometimes giggle-worthy with repeated viewings of the digital illustrations. Fly has a framed print of a steaming pile of poop with a couple of flies (relatives, perhaps?) hovering above. Boots rest on a leaf doormat. Dung Beetle's bathtub is a teacup. There's more scatological humor in the bathroom where Pill Bug and Dot pee before bed. A child's illustration of a bearded pirate in a pink dress adorns Bookworm's walls, where Dot looks at books on Bookworm's sardine-can bed.

A sweet surprise--one final thing to check off the list before they all go to sleep--brings this fun book to a satisfying close, even if the Dutch-born author missed the opportunity to end with "Good night, sleep tight... don't let the bedbugs bite!" --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor