The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston, 327 pages

 ‘Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.'

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he’s desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. But Fred’s luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of grumpy Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up.

Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.

As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition.

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.

Plum Tea Crazy by Laura Childs, 327 pages

While viewing the harbor's Gaslights and Galleons Parade from the widow's walk of Timothy Neville's Charleston mansion, local banker Carson Lanier seemingly tumbles over a narrow railing, then plunges three stories to his death. But a tragic accident becomes something much more sinister when it's discovered that the victim was first shot with a bolt from a crossbow.

At the request of the mansion owner, Theodosia investigates the tragedy and is soon neck deep in suspects. An almost ex-wife, a coworker, a real estate partner--all had motives for killing the luckless banker, but one resorted to murder to settle accounts.

Terns of Endearment by Donna Andrews, 327 pages

Meg's grandfather has been booked to give lectures on a cruise as part of the education/entertainment itinerary, and he's arranged for a passel of family members to join him.

The passengers' vacation quickly becomes a nightmare when they wake up to find themselves broken down and in need of repairs. Things get even worse when a crew member announces to all that a woman has jumped overboard, leaving behind her shoes, shawl, and a note. The note reveals she's a disliked member of a writers' group onboard for a retreat, and the group is split on whether this is in-character for her.

The captain decides not to investigate, saying he'll notify American authorities when they reach their destination. But Meg's father decides they need to look into whether there was possible foul play while the prime suspects are all stuck on board. It'll be a race against the clock to solve this mystery before they make the necessary repairs and return to shore.

The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley, 327 pages

Although it is autumn in the small English town of Bishop’s Lacey, the chapel is decked with exotic flowers. Yes, Flavia de Luce’s sister Ophelia is at last getting hitched, like a mule to a wagon. “A church is a wonderful place for a wedding,” muses Flavia, “surrounded as it is by the legions of the dead, whose listening bones bear silent witness to every promise made at the altar.”

Flavia is not your normal twelve-year-old girl. An expert in the chemical nature of poisons, she has solved many mysteries, sharpening her considerable detection skills to the point where she had little choice but to turn professional. So Flavia and dependable Dogger, estate gardener and sounding board extraordinaire, set up shop at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, eager to serve—not so simple an endeavor with her odious little moon-faced cousin, Undine, constantly underfoot. But Flavia and Dogger persevere. Little does she know that their first case will be extremely close to home, beginning with an unwelcome discovery in Ophelia’s wedding cake: a human finger. 

Death Overdue by Allison Brook, 327 pages

Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she's offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death fifteen years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies.

The medical examiner reveals that poison is what did him in and Carrie feels responsible for having surged forward with the program despite pushback from her director. Driven by guilt, Carrie's determined to discover who murdered the detective, convinced it's the same man who killed Laura all those years ago. Luckily for Carrie, she has a friendly, knowledgeable ghost by her side. But as she questions the shadows surrounding Laura's case, disturbing secrets come to light and with each step Carrie takes, she gets closer to ending up like Al.

Now it's due or die for Carrie in Death Overdue, the delightful first in a new cozy series by Allison Brook.
Unfortunately this book didn't measure up to my hopes. While the story wasn't bad, the personal interactions just didn't ring true to me and it kept distracting me from the book.

 

My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space by Lisa Scottoline, 327 pages

Lisa Scottoline is back with all-new, exciting adventures, inspired by her weekly column for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Two ex-husbands are in her rear-view mirror, daughter Francesca has moved into an apartment, and Lisa's finding the silver lining in her empty nest. And some things have stayed the same-Mother Mary is still the feistiest octogenarian on the planet, who won't part with her recipe for tomato sauce or her thirty-year-old bra. Lisa and Francesca spill all their family secrets-which may sound a lot like yours.

Murder and Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood, 327 pages

The last Phryne Fisher book, at least until the newest one is published. Boo-hoo.

A Catered Mother's Day by Isis Crawford, 327 pages

These are always fun mysteries filled with lots of good food. I don't know how they have time to investigate anything with as much cooking as they do.

Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay, 327 pages

This book was a Daddy Long-legs love letter to Jane Austen, the Brontes and other fabulous writers. I LOVED this book, I even found myself sitting it back down to stop and savor what I had just read and to keep it from ending too soon. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

The Selection by Kiera Cass, 327 pages

Chelsey had reviewed this earlier and it sounded so interesting that I placed a hold for the e-book. Then, lo and behold, a copy showed up on the sales shelf. Before I could read it though, my youngest read it, become hooked and ended up borrowing the next two books from a friend. Then, my oldest snagged it and I had to spend a 3 hour car trip listening to them rave about the book with me telling them to stop telling plot details. I finally got a chance to read it and I could see what the fuss was about. Basically, this is Hunger Games meets the Bachelor. I'm definitely going to read the next book, because I need to know who she ends up with.