For Readers: Lillian

A best-selling thriller writer becomes embroiled in some thrills of her own. After escaping from having been kidnapped, she finds her way to Alaska to hide out and becomes involved in solving other crimes. A strong setting and interesting characters in this first of a series. The third has just been published.

A freelance writer, the daughter of a white military career officer, and a Korean-born mother who abandoned her family, returns to her former hometown in North Dakota to write about the oil boom. The book covers lots of contemporary topics, from race and gender to power and authority as Elinor tries to come to terms with her past and plan for her future.

This satisfying 2016 thriller from Grisham is the story of an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct who takes on a case involving a corrupt judge, a Native American casino, and a crime syndicate when a previously disbarred lawyer approaches her on behalf of a client who claims to know the truth. The investigator, Lacy Stoltz, returns in Grisham’s current bestseller, The Judge’s List.

A bored Japanese housewife begins to live two lives, first as a married mother of two in Tokyo and then having a relationship with a new man she meets. She struggles with what she is doing and knows she needs to make a choice.

A truly charming retelling of the Cinderella story. A plus-size recent design school graduate fills in for a no show on her stepmother's reality dating show and becomes a fan favorite. Well-told romance, a fun read!