"The Innocent" by Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben utilizes the second person in the prologue and epilogue to put the reader into the mind of the protagonist, Matt Hunter. Is this an effective device? Does it help make the reader more empathetic to his plight?

For more information about the author, check out:

http://www.harlancoben.com/

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another.

A book you will not want to put down!

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

"I traded evil for innocence"

Mickey used questionable ways to make sure that justice was served. He tampered with a witness (Corliss); he lied to his client and to the police; he withheld information. Do you think the end justified his actions?

For further information about the author and his books, check out:

http://www.michaelconnelly.com/

The Black Echo by Michael Connelly

Should Harry Bosch excused himself from the case once he recognized Meadows? If he had, would anyone else have pursued his murder properly?

For further information about the author and his books, check out:

http://www.michaelconnelly.com/

"The Other Side of the Bridge" by Mary Lawson

Discuss the novel's title; what does it mean for the characters to reach the other side of the bridge? Could Jake and Arthur ever be free of the wounds they inflicted on each other? What does it signify in terms of Ian's life?

For information about the author, check out:

http://www.randomhouse.ca/newface/marylawson.php

For a review of this book, check out:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/oct/07/featuresreviews.guardianreview14

52 Waratah Avenue by Lynne Wilding

As Laura Beaumont struggles wih the loss of love, her other life's passion comes under threat…Someone is trying to sabotage Ashworths, the exclusive department store set up by Laura Beaumont. Is the company about to be taken over? The timing is bad for the Beaumont family because Laura's health is declining and they desperatly need to find a successor to the business. Caroline, Laura's eldest daughter, is an international concert pianist in search of a new career; perhaps at Ashworths. But her ambitious sister Michaela has her eye on the top job and is suspicious of Caroline's motives. Meanwhile, Joel, Laura's son, has to deal with his own problems before he can pursue his career as a doctor. Outside of Ashworths, the Beaumont women have other passions to contend with. Caroline's return to Sydney means facing her ex-husband. Nick wants Caroline back in his life — any way he can get her. Michaela finds herself attracted by young lawyer Leith Danvers.

Gigi by Colette

Perhaps Colette's best-known work, "Gigi "is the story of a young girl being raised in a household more concerned with success and money than with the desires of the heart. But Gigi is uninterested in the dishonest society life she observes all around her and remains exasperatingly Gigi. The tale of Gigi's success in spite of her anxious family is Colette at her liveliest and most entertaining. Written during the same period as "Gigi," "Julie de Carneilhan," based on Colette's last years with her second husband, focuses on a contest of wills between Julie, an elegant woman of forty, and her ex-husband. "Chance Acquaintances," a novella, involves an invalid wife, her philandering husband, and a music-hall dancer whose odd meeting at a French spa affects and indelibly marks each one of their lives.

The Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

After one of her patients commits murder, psychiatrist Julia Cates is asked to come back to her hometown by her sister Ellie to help with a child who seemed to appear from nowhere out of the forest. Julia's confidence is very low and her life has been almost destroyed. The found child is "wild" and no one knows where she came from. Julia becomes the temporary foster parent to help the young girl. Can Julia find out who the girl is? What her name is?
The book is hard to put down once you get started! I haven't finished reading just yet! The suspense of what may happens next has me hanging on, not wanting to put this book down!

"Along Came a Spider" by James Patterson

This is the first book in the Alex Cross series.

Was it possible for Gary Soneji-Murphy to lead his double life without his family and friends being suspicious?

At a school where there were many children of high-profile people, wouldn't they have done a more thorough background check?

For more information about the character, Alex Cross; check out:

http://www.jamespatterson.com/books_alex_cross.php

For more information about the author, check out:

http://www.jamespatterson.com/about_biography.php

"The Apprentice" by Tess Gerritsen

"The Apprentice" is the second book in the Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles series by Tess Gerritsen and it has recently been made into a television series on TNT.

Tess Gerritsen worked as a medical doctor before retiring to write full-time. Does her knowledge and the graphic detail described in the book (regarding autopsies, etc.) help or hinder the story?

For more information about the author, check out:

http://www.tessgerritsen.com/bio/