Little Night by Luanne Rice

This novel, with some  mystery, is the story of 2 generations of secretive, abusive families and how the daughters learn to cope. The story is set in the Chelsea district of NYC.   One sister is convicted and spends time in jail for the attack on the other sister's husband.   The second sister goes to Denmark and raises her family with her artistic and abusive husband.   All comes back together in NY.

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

This continues the Mickey Haller series which started with The Lincoln Lawyer.   In this, Haller has begun defending people whose homes are being foreclosed on.   The banker has been murdered and the prime suspect is a woman whose home is in jeopardy and has formed a protest group.

Proof of Guilt: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd

Another in the Ian Rutledge series.   This one involves the murder and disappearance of a wine producer.    Pretty confusing!

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Lots of twists in this mystery that revolves around Camille, a reporter and recovering cutter.   When she is sent back to cover a possible serial child murderer,  she confronts all the old triggers.   Quick but engaging read.

Clues to Christie by Agatha Christie

Short bio of Christie followed by info about each of her leading characters:   Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Tommy and Tuppence.    The book ends with a short story featuring each of these.

Horns by Joe Hill

When Ig wakes up with the beginning of horns on his head, he begins his life as a devil.   The book moves through present and past to examine the effect of being a devil

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

The original Mary Poppins.   The story is a lot like Disney but a lot darker.   Mary Poppins in the book could never sing!

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

The story of the beginnings of the Tiffany studios that produced the beautiful mosaic glass work for windows and lamp shades.   Clara Driscoll is the little known artist possibly credited with the original idea for the lamp shades.   The book follows her career, her relationship with Louis Comfort Tiffany, the struggles for women workers and the choices between love and career.  

The book is based on the recently uncovered letters of Clara Driscoll.

City of Bones by Michael Connelly

Another in the Harry Bosch series (#8).    This one involves the newly discovered bones of a boy murdered in 1980 and dumped in a suburban woods.   The investigation centers around the neighbors, one of them a registered pedophile.   The action also involves the usual insights into the working of the LAPD.    Not one of the best but simple enough to breeze through.

Mary Coin: A Novel by Marisa Silver

Bestselling author Marisa Silver takes Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother photograph as inspiration for a story of two women—one famous and one forgotten—and their remarkable chance encounter. In 1936, a young mother resting by the side of the road in central California is spontaneously photographed by a woman documenting migrant laborers in search of work. Few personal details are exchanged and neither woman has any way of knowing that they have produced one of the most iconic images of the Great Depression. In present day, Walker Dodge, a professor of cultural history, stumbles upon a family secret embedded in the now-famous picture. In luminous prose, Silver creates an extraordinary tale from a brief event in history and its repercussions throughout the decades that follow—a reminder that a great photograph captures the essence of a moment yet only scratches the surface of a life.

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin

Interesting book that fleshes out the life that Mrs. Tom Thumb, Lavinia Bump, outlined in her letters.   Includes information about her early life and then life on a riverboat right before the Civil War.   The biggest part of the story is about the relationship between Lavinia and PT Barnum.   It's often hard to remember that this is mostly informed fiction.

NYPD Red by James Patterson, Marshall Karp

Another Patterson series, this one focusing on a special NYC police team.   In this one, a serial killer creates his crimes as scenes from a thriller to derail the growing NY film industry.   VERY quick read and not too complex.

NYPD Red is a special task force charged with protecting the interests of Manhattan's wealthiest and most powerful citizens. When a world-famous movie producer is poisoned on the first day of a Manhattan film festival called Hollywood on the Hudson, they are the first ones called. Then an actor is killed on the set of a film. And a Molotov cocktail explodes at a movie premiere. Detective First Grade Zach Jordan and his new partner--and ex-girlfriend--Detective Kylie MacDonald are assigned to the case. The killer has every murder, every escape, planned down to the last detail--and he's scripted an explosive finale that will bring New York and Hollywood to its knees. With larger-than-life action, relentless speed, and white-knuckle twists, NYPD RED is a mega-blockbuster from "The Man Who Can't Miss." ( TIME )

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The first-person account of a young boy who gets caught in an explosion in a New York art museum that also kills his mother.   A stranger thrusts "The Goldfinch" by Fabritius into his hands and from there the story winds through the boys life always flirting with the edges of crime.

I, Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #16) by James Patterson

Yet another in this series.   Everybody moving along when a gruesome murder occurs.   As usual, the story is forgettable but moves along quickly.

This one revolves around a White House connection to a bordello in the Virginia suburbs.