1 The Typist by Caroline Taylor
Caroline Taylor’s newest novel focuses on the story of Judah Lundquist, a Midwest-bred typist working for an insurance agency in Washington, D.C. After a one-night stand with a neighbor, Judah must become a seductress and a thief, betraying a trusted friend with a hidden past of his own, to salvage her own tattered reputation.
2 Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes
The writer of “Under the Tuscan Sun” returns with a novel about four American strangers who meet in an Italian village and quickly become dear friends. Protagonist Kit Raine, an author working on a biography about a close but complex friend, is drawn into Tuscan life by the other three women, and the quartet finds adventure that will change their lives forever.
3 Promise by Minrose Gwin
In the aftermath of a devastating tornado in Tupelo, Miss. during the Great Depression, two women – a black great-grandmother and a white teen – fight for survival. The story draws on historical events and examines the damage on the women’s lives caused by 1930s society in addition to the storm.
4 Fallout Girl by Katie Rose Guest Pryal
After the death of her mother, Miranda George wants to disappear and start over. She leaves North Carolina and takes refuge in the home of a college friend in L.A. Soon, she goes on the run again, desperate to keep her family from finding her and hoping to leave her past behind her for good.
5 Murder in the Locked Library by Ellery Adams
The fourth in the Book Retreat series, this mystery finds Jane Steward once again working as an amateur sleuth. During the building of a spa at the resort she manages, a collection of unusual bones and the ragged remnants of a very old book are unearthed. Jane relies on the attendees of the Rare Book Conference to help her solve this unexpected mystery.
