Breakup by Dana Stabenow, 260 pages

 KATE SHUGAK is a native Aleut working as a private investigator in Alaska. She's 5 foot 1 inch tall, carries a scar that runs from ear to ear across her throat and owns half-wolf, half-husky dog named Mutt. Resourceful, strong-willed, defiant, Kate is tougher than your average heroine – and she needs to be to survive the worst the Alaskan wilds can throw at her.

BREAKUP.
Breakup is the season of early Spring, when the rivers thaw and the bears wake up... Kate looks into the death of a woman by a bear that doesn't quite add up.

The Cat Who Sang for the Birds by Lilian Jackson Braun, 260 pages

 As early spring comes to Moose County, Jim Qwilleran is looking forward to the peaceful beauty of nature's rebirth. What he gets instead is a chorus of noisy birds that constantly wakes him from a sound sleep...especially when Koko insists on joining in with his own feline version of birdcalling. But soon Qwill is wondering whether Koko is trying to say more than just "tweet tweet" because a series of strange events—starting with an act of vandalism and culminating in a mysterious chain of death and disappearance—has Pickax in a similar uproar. It seems that this spring, a cat's fancy may turn to crime solving...

Blood Will Tell by Dana Stabenow, 260 pages

 Kate Shugak's family becomes involved in a murder investigation in Blood Will Tell.Fifty thousand square miles of untouched Alaskan forest is definitely a prize... but is it worth killing for?Ekaterina Moonin Shugak, tribal elder and community leader, is a fierce friend and an even fiercer foe. So when she arrives unannounced at Kate Shugak's homestead asking for her granddaughter's help, Kate knows there must be something seriously amiss in town. And her suspicions are confirmed when she arrives in town to find that two people are dead.It could be a coincidence, but Kate Shugak doesn't like coincidences; especially where family are concerned.

A Necessary Murder by M. J. Tjia, 260 pages

 Stoke Newington, 1863: Little Margaret Lovejoy is found brutally murdered in the outhouse at her family's estate.

A few days later, a man is cut down in a similar manner on the doorstep of courtesan and professional detective Heloise Chancey's prestigious address. At the same time, Heloise's maid, Amah Li Leen, must confront events from her past that appear to have erupted into the present day.
Once again Heloise is caught up in a maelstrom of murder and deceit that threatens to reach into the very heart of her existence.

My Trip Down the Pink Carpet by Leslie Jordan, 260 pages

 A hilarious romp from small-town USA to the pink carpet of Hollywood with the beloved Emmy-winning actor, playwright, and gay icon

Leslie Jordan is a small man with a giant propensity for scene stealing. Best known for his bravura recurring role as Karen's nemesis, Beverley Leslie, on Will & Grace (for which he won a Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy in 2006), he has also made memorable appearances on Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Monk, and Murphy Brown.

Raised in a conservative family in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Leslie -- who describes himself as "the gayest man I know" -- boarded a Greyhound bus bound for LA with $1,200 sewn into his underpants and never looked back. His pocket-sized physique and inescapable talent for high camp paved the way to a lucrative and varied career in commercials and on television. Along the way he immersed himself in writing for the stage, and his one-man testimonials have become cult off-Broadway hits. But with success came dangerous temptations: a self-proclaimed former substance abuser and sexaholic, Leslie has spent time in jail and struggled to overcome his addictions and self-loathing.

My Trip Down the Pink Carpet is a rollicking, fast-paced collection of stories, served up with wit, panache, and plenty of biting asides. Filled with comically overwrought childhood agonies, offbeat observations, and revealing celebrity encounters -- from Boy George to George Clooney -- it delivers a fresh, laugh-out-loud take on Hollywood, fame, addiction, gay culture, and learning to love oneself.

Silver Anniversary Murder by Leslie Meier, 260 pages

Much has happened since Leslie Meier first introduced her beloved sleuth Lucy Stone with Mistletoe Murder. Many holidays and bake sales have come and gone, Lucy's children have all grown up. But even after twenty-four books into the bestselling series, murder is never out of the picture . . . As Tinker's Cove, Maine, buzzes over a town-wide silver wedding anniversary bash, Lucy is reminded of her nuptials and ponders the whereabouts of Beth Gerard, her strong-willed maid of honor. Lucy never would have made it down the aisle without Beth's help, and although the two friends lost touch over the years, she decides to reach out. It only takes one phone call for Lucy to realize that a reunion will happen sooner than later--at Beth's funeral. Beth, who was in the process of finalizing her fourth divorce, had a reputation for living on the edge--but no one can believe she would jump off a penthouse terrace in New York City. The more Lucy learns about Beth's former husbands, the more she suspects one of them committed murder. Summoning her friend's impulsive spirit, Lucy vows to scour New York from the Bronx to the Brooklyn Bridge in search of the killer. With each ex dodgier than the last, it's not long before Lucy's investigation leads her to a desperate criminal who will do anything to get away--even if it means silencing another victim . . .

RT, Margaret and the Rats of NIMH by J.L. Conly, 260 pages

I have to say this was my least favorite of the three NIMH books. It didn't really seem to advance the storyline much, was more just filler. But I'm still glad that I discovered the two sequels written by the original author's daughter.

Mistletoe and Murder by Carola Dunn, 260 pages

Another engaging Daisy Dalrymple mystery. I will be very sorry to get to the end.

The Cherry Cola Book Club by Ashton Lee, 260 pages

This was a wonderful first entry in what I hope becomes a long series. Maura Beth Mayhew has been the director of Cherico, Mississippi, library for 6 years and while the library hasn't taken off, it's struggled along. But when the city council decides to close the library and use the money to develop an industrial park, Maura Beth decides to fight with all she has. Founding the Cherry Cola Book Club, Maura Beth must raise circulation to keep the library doors open.