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 ~

Neighborhood Watch: A Novel by Cammie McGovern (ARC) ~ Twelve years ago librarian Betsy Treading was convicted of murdering her neighbor, the bohemian loner Linda Sue. After DNA testing finally exonerates Betsy, she returns to her suburban community determined to salvage her life and find the true killer. As she begins to pick apart the web of secrets, lies, and love affairs uncovered in the wake of her trial, Betsy suspects that her tight-lipped neighbors may know something that she has denied even to herself. In Neighborhood Watch, Cammie McGovern captures the nail-biting electricity of the best literary thrillers and zeros in on the subterranean tension abuzz in a town whose dark secrets threaten to obliterate the glossy façade of a perfect life. It is also the story of a woman coming into her own, finding her strength, and taking control of her life. It asks readers, what sort of price would you pay for the sake of your reputation? Intricately woven, psychologically astute, and filled with complex and surprising characters, Neighborhood Watch marks a significant step in the career of this talented author.  Release date: June 10th.

Addict at Ten: How I Overcame Addiction, Poverty, and Homelessness to Become a Millionaire by 35  by Derek Steele ~ Derek Steele got drunk for the first time at the age of eight. By the age of ten, he was addicted to pot, and by sixteen, he was addicted to alcohol, meth, and cocaine. He began selling drugs in junior high, dropped out of high school, and soon found himself behind bars. By the time he was twenty, he was homeless and in hiding from a vicious drug dealer who wanted him dead. With the help of God, mentors, and a twelve step program, he conquered his addictions and began rebuilding his life. In his inspiring story, Derek shares intimate details of his life, from the hopelessness of addiction to becoming the man he had always wanted to be.

Die Twice (A David Trevellyan Thriller)  by Andrew Grant (For review) ~ Lt. Cdr. David Trevellyan continues to operate on U.S. soil in Grant's testosterone-fueled second adventure to feature the British naval intelligence officer (after Even). After leaving behind seven dead bodies in New York City, Trevellyan reports to veteran liaison officer Richard Fothergill in Chicago, where a rogue British operative, Tony McIntyre, is planning to sell a secret and deadly gas to the tiny West African nation of Equatorial Myene. With Fothergill providing intel, Trevellyan attempts to locate McIntyre with orders to effect a hard arrest, i.e., kill him, and to recover the gas canisters from either McIntyre or the Africans. The stakes rise as more than one bidder has his sights set on the gas, and Trevellyan and Fothergill have only each other to rely on. Trevellyan is macho enough and deadly enough to satisfy the most jaded thriller fan, though he's slower than most readers will be to figure out what's going on.  Release date: May 11th

Balancing Acts: A Novel  by Zoe Fishman ~ When Charlie decides to leave her high-paying job as a Wall Street banker to open her own yoga studio in Brooklyn, her biggest obstacle isn’t convincing her friends and family that she’s not crazy, but finding customers to keep her in business. At her college’s 10-year reunion, she reconnects with three prime would-be customers: Naomi, the former queen of the Upper East Side and hot photographer who now finds herself a single mother without inspiration; Sabine, a cheesy book editor who still hasn’t written the novel she has always meant to write; and Bess, who finds herself writing bitchy captions for a tabloid rather than investigating the real news. Charlie signs them all up for beginners yoga, where they learn to lean on each other as they deal with the disappointments in their lives and begin to make some serious changes. Fishman combines humor and brutal honesty as she keeps four story lines going and tracks the growing friendship among the women.

Maid of Murder (Five Star Mystery Series)  by Amanda Flower (ARC) ~ India Hayes is a lot of things . . . starving artist who pays the rent as a college librarian, daughter of liberal activists, sister of an emotional mathematician, tenant of a landlady who has kissed the Blarney Stone one too many times, and a bridesmaid six times over. But she's about to step into the most challenging role of her life: amateur sleuth.

Childhood friend and now knockout beauty, Olivia Blocken is back in town to wed her bodybuilder fianc with India a reluctant attendant . . . not just because the bridesmaid's dress is a hideous mess, but because she's betraying her brother. Mark still carries a torch for the bride who once broke his heart and sent his life into a tailspin.When Olivia turns up dead in the Martin College fountain and the evidence points to Mark, India must unmask the real culprit while juggling a furious and grieving Mother of the Bride, an annoyingly beautiful Maid of Honor, a set of hippie-generation parents, the police detective who once dated her sister and is showing a marked liking for her, and a provost itching to fire someone, anyone--maybe even a smart-mouthed librarian. India's investigation leads her on a journey through childhood memories that she'd much rather have left in the schoolyard, but to avoid becoming the next victim, it is a path she must follow.  Release date: June 16th

Even (David Trevellyan Thriller 1)  by Andrew Grant (For review) ~ The thriller genre has a compelling new hero, the creation of Andrew Grant, the younger brother of Lee Child. While on assignment in New York, Royal Navy secret agent David Trevellyan discovers a dead body in an alley. When he is thrown in jail for the man’s murder, he quickly realizes he was set up to be the fall guy. Left hanging by his superiors in the UK, Trevellyan must outwit the NYPD, the FBI, and the group responsible for the killing if he is to clear his name. Of course, the murder turns out to be far more than the simple death of a vagrant. There is some no-holds-barred violence here—a couple scenes require avoiding food before, during, and immediately after reading—but the intensity of the narrative will keep even the timid furiously turning pages. Trevellyan is likely to be compared to his brother’s hero, Jack Reacher, or even to James Bond, and while there is a bit of hyperbole in such claims, there can be no doubt that we have a new guy on the block who requires attention.

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English: A Novel  by Natasha Solomons (For review) ~ At the outset of World War II, Jack Rosenblum, his wife Sadie, and their baby daughter escape Berlin, bound for London. They are greeted with a pamphlet instructing immigrants how to act like "the English." Jack acquires Saville Row suits and a Jaguar. He buys his marmalade from Fortnum & Mason and learns to list the entire British monarchy back to 913 A.D. He never speaks German, apart from the occasional curse. But the one key item that would make him feel fully British -membership in a golf club-remains elusive. In post-war England, no golf club will admit a Rosenblum. Jack hatches a wild idea: he'll build his own.It's an obsession Sadie does not share, particularly when Jack relocates them to a thatched roof cottage in Dorset to embark on his project. She doesn't want to forget who they are or where they come from. She wants to bake the cakes she used to serve to friends in the old country and reminisce. Now she's stuck in an inhospitable landscape filled with unwelcoming people, watching their bank account shrink as Jack pursues his quixotic dream. In her tender, sweetly comic debut, Natasha Solomons tells the captivating love story of a couple making a new life-and their wildest dreams-come true. Release date:  June 21st.

Sweet Misfortune: A Novel  by Kevin Alan Milne (For review) ~ Sophie owns a chocolate shop where she sells Misfortune Cookies-dipped in bitter chocolate they contain messages she handwrites each day such as "Your car seems fine now, but just wait...it will eventually be a source of frustration and unexpected delay."What starts as a gimmick, turns into a surprise hit with customers. But when her ex-fiancée moves back to their small Washington town, he is surprised at how bitter and unhappy Sophie has become. He proposes a bet--she must place an ad in the paper that simply states "Wanted: Happiness." If at least 100 people respond, proving happiness isn't a myth, she agrees to a date with him. If not, he'll leave her alone forever. Sophie is convinced she'll win, but fate has other ideas when a reporter at the paper is intrigued by the ad as a story and posts it in newspapers across the country.  Release date: June 10th

Anywhere She Runs  by Debra Webb (For Review) ~ The first note is a warning—a bone-chilling reminder that Alabama Police Detective Adeline Cooper can run from her darkest, deadliest memories, but she can never escape a demented killer’s wrath. The second note is a threat…The first victim disappeared near Adeline’s hometown in Mississippi—and she won’t be the last. Believing she is the killer’s ultimate target, Adeline decides to go back to work side-by-side with a sheriff she once loved…Now she will meet face-to-face the criminals she brought down—and fight the obsessed killer who craves her death…

Path of the Wicked: A Hope Street Church Mystery (Hope Street Church Mysteries)  by Jennifer Stanley ~

Cooper Lee and the Sunrise Bible Study Group have has just volunteered for a local charity, Door-2-Door Dinners. Sure, some of the volunteers look more like Hell’s Angels than Good Samaritans, but the ragtag church group has taught Cooper not to judge a book by its cover. Besides, this gives Cooper a chance to get out of the house—which she shares with her parents—and spend some quality time with her new love, Nathan. But things really start heating up for Cooper and Nathan when an elderly Door-2-Door recipient is murdered—and the prime suspects are…the volunteers! Someone in the flock is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But the Lord works in miraculous ways—and so do the sleuths of the Sunrise Bible Study Group

Toast Mortem (A Hemlock Falls Mystery)  by Claudia Bishop (For Review) ~ The Inn at Hemlock Fall reopens for readers!  Bernard LeVasque has opened a multi-million dollar cooking school in Hemlock Falls-and has even stolen customers from Sarah and Meg Quilliam's Inn. But someone finds the infamous chef too bitter-and takes him off the menu for good. Release date: June 1st.

Mrs. Jeffries Speaks Her Mind  by Emily Brightwell (For Review) ~ The eccentric Olive Kettering swore someone was trying to harm her. Too bad no one listened, though plenty wanted her dead. When Olive is shot and killed, Mrs. Jeffries has no problem speaking her mind to see justice served.  Release date: June 1st

A Killer Plot (A Books by the Bay Mystery)  by Ellery Adams (For Review) ~ In the small coastal town of Oyster Bay, North Carolina, you'll find plenty of characters, ne'er-do-wells, and even a few celebs trying to duck the paparazzi. But when murder joins this curious community, the Bayside Book Writers are there to get the story... Olivia Limoges is the subject of constant gossip. Ever since she came back to town-a return as mysterious as her departure-Olivia has kept to herself, her dog, and her unfinished novel. With a little cajoling from the eminently charming writer Camden Ford, she agrees to join the Bayside Book Writers, break her writer's block, and even make a few friends... But when townspeople start turning up dead with haiku poems left by the bodies, anyone with a flair for language is suddenly suspect. And it's up to Olivia to catch the killer before she meets her own surprise ending.  Release date: June 1st.

Grace Under Pressure (Manor of Murder Mysteries, No. 1)  by Julie Hyzy (For Review) ~ Everyone wants a piece of millionaire Bennett Marshfield, owner of Marshfield Manor, but now it's up to a new curator Grace Wheaton and handsome groundskeeper Jack Embers to protect dear old Marshfield. But to do this, they'll have to investigate a botched Ponzi scheme, some torrid Wheaton family secrets-and sour grapes out for revenge. Release date: June 1st

Night of the Living Deed (A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery)  by E.J. Cooperman (For Review) ~ Newly divorced Alison Kerby wants a second chance for herself and her nine-year-old daughter. She's returned to her hometown on the Jersey Shore to transform a Victorian fixer-upper into a charming-and profitable-guest house. One small problem: the house is haunted, and the two ghosts insist Alison must find out who killed them. Release date: June 1st.

Half-Price Homicide: A Dead-End Job Mystery by Elaine Viets  (ARC) ~ At Snapdragon, a high-end designer consignment shop, Helen is at the beck and call of snobby- yet frugal-customers. That alone is a deadly combination, especially with Chrissy, a drool-worthy fashionista who walks in with a purse to sell, and ends up screaming at her husband and another customer. Helen is used to dealing with snobby women, controlling husbands, and fashionable politicians. But she's about to have to handle a brand new type of unsatisfied customer-a murderer. Chrissy is found dead in Snapdragon's dressing room, with the hand-painted scarf Helen was just holding tied around her neck. And Helen goes from being low on society's totem pole to high on the police's suspect list. Release date: May 4th