Dead in the Water by Dana Stabenow, 217 pages

 Once, Kate Shugak was the star investigator of the Anchorage D.A.'s office. Now she's gone back to her Aleut roots in the far Alaska north- where her talent for detection makes her the toughest crime-tracker in that stark and mysterious land.

Two crewmen of the crab vessel Avilda are missing—presumed dead—under very suspicious circumstances. The Bering Sea offers ample means and opportunity, but without bodies, a motive, or evidence of foul play, the DA doesn’t have a case. And so, freelancing again for her former employer, Kate Shugak finds herself working undercover in one of Alaska’s most dangerous professions: crab fisherman. It’s an assignment that will take her from the debauchery of Dutch Harbor to the most isolated of the Aleutians, and if the job itself doesn’t kill her, her unsavory crewmates just might.

Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha by Dorothy Gilman, 217 pages

 Something dangerous is in the Hong Kong air...

Faster than she can say her name, the newly married Mrs. Pollifax is packed and ready to go on another adventure - her most dangerous assignment yet. Lured away from renovating her idyllic country home by an urgent agent Bishop, she flies off to Hong Kong, where young agent Sheng Ti, whom she’d helped smuggle out of mainland China in a previous mission, holds the answers to what is going on at the sinister Feng Imports - a one-time agency front.
Naturally, only Mrs. Pollifax has earned Sheng's trust, and only she can possibly stop what turns out to be a frightening and ominous plot involving illicit drugs, smuggled diamonds, a famous cat burglar turned Interpol agent, a mysterious psychic, and, of course, murder - quite possibly her own....

Plain Jane by Marion Chesney, 217 pages

 With each London season, an enchanting romance moves into the fashionable town house at number 67 Clarges Street. And there, below the stairs, the staff has a special mission--to arrange a match ...to hatch a scheme...to bring Love home to

A HOUSE FOR THE SEASON

"Oh to be as beautiful as Euphemia!" plain Jane Hart sighs when she joins her sister Euphemia at Number 67 Clarges Street for the season. Then Lord Tregarthan might notice her, as she had noticed him and forever lost her heart to the most eligible bachelor of the town. But Euphemia’s fate is to flirt through balls and into the arms of a marquis, while Jane’s is to stay home, amusing herself with snooping into the strange death of Miss Clara Vere-Baxton, a former tenant of Number 67 - until the downstairs staff transforms a plain Miss into the season’s sensation and sends her waltzing dangerously close to the secret of Clara’s demise and into a daring liaison with the lord of her dreams. 

The Gateway Arch: A Biography by Tracy Campbell, 217 pages

 The surprising history of the spectacular Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the competing agendas of its supporters, and the mixed results of their ambitious plan

Rising to a triumphant height of 630 feet, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis is a revered monument to America’s western expansion. Envisioned in 1947 but not completed until the mid-1960s, the arch today attracts millions of tourists annually and is one of the world’s most widely recognized structures. By weaving together social, political, and cultural history, historian Tracy Campbell uncovers the complicated and troubling history of the beloved structure. This compelling book explores how a medley of players with widely divergent motivations (civic pride, ambition, greed, among others) brought the Gateway Arch to fruition, but at a price the city continues to pay.

Campbell dispels long-held myths and casts a provocative new light on the true origins and meaning of the Gateway Arch. He shows that the monument was the scheme of shrewd city leaders who sought to renew downtown St. Louis and were willing to steal an election, destroy historic buildings, and drive out local people and businesses to achieve their goal. Campbell also tells the human story of the architect Eero Saarinen, whose prize-winning design brought him acclaim but also charges of plagiarism, and who never lived to see the completion of his vision. As a national symbol, the Gateway Arch has a singular place in American culture, Campbell concludes, yet it also stands as an instructive example of failed urban planning. 

Bean Stalker and Other Hilarious Scary Tales by Kiersten White, 217 pages

Once upon a time, a girl skipped into the forest and became a zombie.

Wait, no, that's not how this story is supposed to go. Let's try again.

Once upon a time, a boy did a horrible job as a sheep-sitter and burned his tongue on stolen pie.

No, children in these stories are always good and virtuous. From the top.

Once upon a time, a king and queen tried to find a princess for their son to marry, and he wound up fleeing from a group of very hairy vampires.

Hmmm...

What about, once upon a time, a bunch of fairy tales got twisted around to be completely hilarious, a tiny bit icky, and delightfully spooky scarytales... in other words, exactly what fairy tales were meant to be. Grab some flaming torches, maybe don't accept that bowl of pease porridge, and get ready for a wickedly fun ride with acclaimed author Kiersten White and fairy tales like you've never heard them before.

Tea With Jam and Dread by Tamar Myers, 217 pages

Usually I love the Magdelena Yoder books but this one just didn't grab me like the past ones. I almost felt like it was trying to hard to hit all the cliches and bad jokes of Magdalena instead of just letting her be herself.