Guilty, by Karen Robards

Robards, author of Obsession and other fast-paced mysteries, has another winner here. Kat Kominski is now a single mom and a prosecuter in the DA's office after a rough childhood. Her former life catches up with her when a man starts shooting in the courtroom and she is taken hostage. Mothers will do whatever it takes to protect their young. Quick read.

The ten year nap, by Meg Wolitzer

Four stay-at-home moms find themselves floundering when their children no longer need them at home all day. This is classic Wolitzer, examining women's lives within a generational focus. How are we different from our own mothers? How are our daughters different from us? Excellent reflective novel.

Easy innocence, by Libby Fischer Hellmann

Great fun to read this suspense novel set in Chicago and the north suburbs. When a high school girl is murdered during a hazing incident, Georgia Davis is hired by the suspect's family to look into it. Real estate deals, high school prostitution, and an ex-boyfriend make this a fun read.

The Third Angel, by Alice Hoffman

Maddy is so jealous of her older sister, she takes great glee in sleeping with her sister's fiance. Her sister has written a successful children's book based on a story their mother used to tell them when they were little about a blue heron and his two wives; one is an earth wife, and one is a heron wife. This theme is intertwined with the story; differing points of view are taken by different characters, who pop up throughout the book. Hoffman at her best; recommended for book clubs. Lots to discuss here.

Compulsion, by Jonathan Kellerman

Child psychiatrist Alex Delaware is back; so is Detective Milo Sturgis. A couple of seemingly unrelated murders are pulled together, and the hunt is on for the serial killer - or killers. Alex and Robin are back together, and I would have liked to have read more about that.... maybe next time, Mr. Kellerman?

Shattered dreams: my life as a polygamist's wife, by Irene Spencer

What a hard life Irene has led. As the second wife, she was expected to share her husband with his first wife and also recruit more wives for him. Only with seven wives would her husband be assured of his full heavenly reward, and only by believing in The Principle (polygamy) would Irene also be rewarded in heaven. Children were the reason for the marriages; the more children, the more glory in heaven. These families believed that they would be together eternally if they all followed The Principle. Irene writes movingly about jealousy, poverty, the grinding routine of caring for multiple children, the agony of sharing the man she loved with other women, and the fear of civic authorities who might tear their family apart.

I found this especially poignant because of the raid this month on a polygamous family compound in Texas, and the 400 children who are separated from their parents while civic authorities try to determine whether illegal acts were committed.

An amazing story of faith and courage.

Change of heart, by Jodi Picoult

Jodi's new book is about a seven-year-old girl who needs a heart transplant. It's about a man who wants to give her his heart; he's on death row for killing her sister and step-father. It's about a Catholic priest who was on the jury who convicted the death row inmate. It's about an ACLU attorney who discovers another way to try and stop the death sentence from being carried out. It's about a man who might be the Messiah. Each character tells their viewpoint in the first person, with a different font for each. Does your head hurt yet? Jodi Jodi Jodi, it was a great story idea, but my goodness it was hard to follow. Lots of discussionable issues for a book club though.