Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week.

Here's what I got ~

Something Hidden, Stories by Elaine Margolis (For Review)~ Something Hidden is a diverse collection, with many subjects, settings and ideas. Two for One, examines a love deeply felt but unspoken until too late with a horse race at the finish. Intangibles, in which construction of a house addition becomes a hostile, possibly lethal event. Ynez at the Roller Dome Disco, a story of growing up, a small frightened boy and a giant woman. The Fritz and Keri Show, with a mysterious artist couple and a gallery owner whose two-man show for the couple leads to an unexpected denouement. The Dragon Box, in which an elderly traveler finds her past in a Bangkok curio shop. A Biker's Requiem, a story of regret, rebellion, and ultimately resignation. The Exchange-a woman realizes too late not to wish for something impossible after the wish is granted. Vibes, a story of loneliness, connections and chance encounters. Denizens, passion and betrayal on Melrose Avenue. The Charm, where spiders spin webs around the life of a girl who waits. Something Hidden, a mime in the Paris street, a kind stranger and a frightening revelation. The Crystal Café, a little girl dreams of her father, and witnesses a horrible crime. The Other Side of the Wave, a story of discontent, a hint of myth and a wave that washes over everything.

Fingerprints and Facelifts (L.A. Dolls Mysteries) by Rick Copp ~ Full of retro-fab fun, this smokin' first in a new series from Copp (The Actor's Guide to Greed) introduces the L.A. Dolls, three gutsy (and still very hot) retired female PIs. For seven years in the '80s, the Dolls made Charlie's Angels look like mere pussycats. Their lives have taken divergent paths since: tough Dani Mendez is now San Francisco's assistant chief of police; sweet Claire Walker-Corley is a happy suburban wife and mom; and glamorous Tess Monahan-Cardoza is a wealthy widow. Then drug kingpin Benito Coronel is released from prison; Claire's son, Zak, is attacked after a bachelor party; Dani's PI son, Bowie, barely escapes a bullet during a routine investigation; and Tess's stepdaughter, Bianca, is almost kidnapped. The L.A. Dolls must set aside their differences and reunite to protect their kids and put Coronel back behind bars. Copp's thrill-a-minute pacing, vibrant style and likable characters make an unbeatable team.

Secondhand Spirits: A Witchcraft Mystery by Juliet Blackwell ~ Lily Ivory feels that she can finally fit in somewhere and conceal her “witchiness” in San Francisco. It’s there that she opens her vintage clothing shop, outfitting customers both spiritually and stylistically. Just when things seem normal, a client is murdered and children start disappearing from the Bay Area. Lily has a good idea that some bad phantoms are behind it. Can she keep her identity secret, or will her witchy ways be forced out of the closet as she attempts to stop the phantom?

Burn: A Novel by Linda Howard ~ It’s true what they say: Money changes everything. And in Linda Howard’s red-hot novel Burn, the changes come fast, furious, and filled with the kind of sexy suspense, heart-stopping romance, beautiful people, and risky business guaranteed to give you the most bang for your buck. Money certainly changes Jenner Redwine’s life when she wins a lottery jackpot. But it also costs her plenty: Her father rips her off and disappears, her fortune-hunting boyfriend soon becomes her ex, and friends-turned-freeloaders give her the cold shoulder when she stops paying for everything. Flush with new money, Jenner can’t imagine ever finding a place in the world of the wealthy. Seven years later, though, she’s rubbing elbows with the rich, despite the fact she still feels like a party crasher. Luckily she finds an ally–and a guide to the rarefied realm of privilege–in shy, kind-hearted heiress Sydney Hazlett, who quickly becomes Jenner’s confidante and surrogate sister. When Sydney invites Jenner on a charity cruise aboard a luxury liner, Jenner reluctantly agrees. But while she’s expecting–and dreading–two weeks of masquerade balls, art auctions, and preening glitterati, what she gets is more like a Hitchcock movie than a Love Boat episode. Taken hostage by a menacing stranger, Jenner must cooperate in a mysterious cloak-and-dagger scheme–or else. With nowhere to run, and with Sydney’s life as well as her own at risk, Jenner is drawn into a game of dizzying intrigue and harrowing danger. But as her panic gives way to exhilaration, and fear of her captor turns to fascination, Jenner rediscovers feelings she hasn’t had in years–and realizes she’s found a life worth living. If she survives.

Person of Interest by Theresa Schwegel ~ Cops, criminals and neglected families collide with disastrous results in Edgar-winner Schwegel's intense third novel (after 2006's Probable Cause). Chicago PD detective Craig McHugh is deep into an undercover investigation of a deadly batch of heroin allegedly being peddled by the Fuxi Spiders, a powerful Chinese gang. Hoping to gain their trust, Craig burns through his department allowance and his own funds playing at a Fuxi card game. Meanwhile, Craig's sullen teenage daughter, Ivy, is dragged home from a party by his police colleagues after being caught with ecstasy. Unaware of her husband's undercover assignment, Craig's wife, Leslie, is convinced he's having an affair, and she soon begins flirting with Ivy's handsome jazz-playing boyfriend. As Craig's work life spills into his personal one, his family must come together to stay alive. The well-placed action scenes are brutal enough to resonate, but the violence is never gratuitous. This pitch-perfect portrait of a family in crisis reinforces Schwegel's position as one of today's top authors of hard-boiled police procedurals.

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder: A Novel by Rebecca Wells ~ Wells (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood) weaves more of the magic that made her a bestseller. At first, Calla Lily Ponder appears to be just like any other young woman growing up in the small town of La Luna, La., where life is simple and Calla Lily is supported by a loving, tightly knit family and a colorful cast of locals. But after a series of hometown heartbreaks, Calla Lily sets out for New Orleans to attend a prestigious beauty academy with dreams of one day opening her own salon. Calla Lily soon learns that while the Big Easy offers a fresh start, adventures and exhilarating new friends, it also presents its own set of tragedies and setbacks. The novel is chock-full of Southern charm and sassy wisdom, and despite its sugary sweetness, it benefits from a hearty dose of Wells's trademark charisma. Calla Lily's story may not be as involved or satisfying as that of the Ya-Yas, but she's sure to be a crowd-pleaser thanks to her humble aspirations, ever hopeful heart and perseverance no matter what fate throws at her.

Where There's a Witch (Bewitching Mysteries, No. 5) by Madelyn Alt ~ Taking a break from her job at Enchantments, Stony Mill’s finest mystical antique shop, Maggie O’Neill visits a carnival where she senses some bad spirits. And when a construction worker is suspected of killing a young woman, it’s up to Maggie and the N.I.G.H.T.S. ghosthunting team to uncover the dark spiritual energy leaking into their town before it spoils everyone’s fun.

Rotten to the Core (An Orchard Mystery) by Sheila Connolly ~ Orchard owner Meg Corey must clear her name of murder after the discovery of a pesticide-poisoned body in her springhouse. Includes recipes.

The Missing Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery by Karen E. Olson ~ The Painted Lady, a tattoo shop in contemporary Las Vegas, and its owner, artist turned tattooist Brett Kavanaugh, are central to this pleasantly jargon-free themed mystery from Olson (the Annie Seymour mysteries). When a woman requests a devotion tattoo from Brett and then vanishes, her disappearance is quickly linked to a series of murders involving tattooing equipment and rival shop Murder Ink. Brett's police detective brother, Tim, requests her expertise, and a murder at an engagingly excessive fictional hotel leads to Brett meeting its mysteriously handsome manager, Simon Chase, providing a solid base for further sleuthing and romance. Readers need not be conversant with street flash or other industry terms to enjoy the setting and follow Brett down a trail of needles and gloves to the dramatic finale.