I think I'm done with the John Rebus series by Ian Rankin. Just too gloomy.

I think I must have thought it was Mary Higgins Clark but this author is actually Mary Jane Clark. Dying for Mercy was an OK time-waster. After a gruesome suicide there are several staged killings in a very exclusive, guarded, safe neighborhood in New York. Are they connected and, if so, how? News anchor Eliza and her TV crew investigate.

Mary Daheim writes a continuuing series set in Alpine, WA located in the Cascade Mountain foothills. Events are chronicled and investigated by Emma Lord who owns the smalltown newspaper along with her staff and the local sheriff (and sometimes love interest) Milo Dodge. A charming, low-key cozy.

J.A. Jance has two continuuing series, both of which I love. One features J.P. Beaumont, a Seattle police detective, the other is Joanna Brady, an Arizona sheriff. She has written a couple of books where they manage to work together and I prefer them separate although I still enjoy the combination. The most recent is Fire and Ice. I haven't been able to figure out the meaning of the title!

Even Money by Dick Francis and his son Felix--'nuff said!

As a fan of Adrian Monk I got a kick out of Something Missing by Matthew Dicks. A serial burglar with OCD, Martin has a regular roster of "clients", he prides himself on the fact that he only takes things that won't be missed, and he comes to feel a friendship of sorts with the homeowners. The problems start, of course when, after years of second by second planning and organization, he his suddeny forced to deal with chaos and spontaneity. Fun,dfunny,and original.

I made the comment earlier about how nice it was that the author was allowing Adam Dalgleish a successful personal life. It looks like J.A. Jance may be allowing the same to Beaumont in Justice Denied. Beaumont is a Seattle police detective that I always look forward to reading. Obviously, I like series where I can come back to the same people over and over again and catch up with their lives. And I understand that conflict is necessary for a good plot, and personal conflict is necessary for an interesting character, it's still nice that the people you come to know in these series' are able to find happiness!

Border Songs by Jim Lynch. I don't know why I ordered it from the library. It's not something I would normally be interested in-Border Patrol along the US/Canadian border. I have several sites that send me titles to watch out for so it probably came from one of those. When I saw it my first reaction was that I'd read a few pages and then move on to something else. But I found it to be absolutely absorbing. The characters are so beautifully written that it's worth reading just for the character study. Brandon Vanderkool is severely dyslexic, so much so that when upset he may say entire sentences backwards. He's 6'8" tall and birds are the only creatures he totally understands and relates to. He is a true "gentle giant" and sees everything in his vicinity in absolute detail. He may have Asperger's to an extent but that is not made clear-it could be the result of his severe dyslexia and extraordinary observation of detail. You end up falling in love with him but all the other characters are just as well-written even though you may not get to know them as well. And----you end up thinking more about the problems of this particular border. While I understand it's necessary to define boundaries it hurts my heart that this particular border, just a couple of hours away from me, which I used to be able to cross with just a wave is now an emotional as well as bureaucratic nightmare.

Thanks for the comment about Greeley's "Irish" series. I'm still trying to decide whether or not to try one more. You're right, he can be such a beautiful writer it's frustrating when he seems to lose his way.

P.D. James, however, knows exactly what she's writing and sticks to it faithfully and well. I love the character of Adam Dalgleish. The Lighthouse had a terrific plot in a great setting and it's nice that Dalgleish may be allowed a happy ending, or at least happy interlude, in his personal life.