Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King (2014) Scribner

Bill Hodges, a retired detective is contacted by the mass murderer about his last case.  Only now, the killer plans on something much more elaborate and deadly.

Gabriel's Horn by Alex Archer (2008) Gold Eagle

Annja Creed is called to help on a dig for a rare artifact, one people are willing to kill for, even Roux - to get ahold of Gabriel's Horn and end the world

Frankenstein: Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz (2009) Del Rey 

Victor Frankenstein is still alive, 200 years later.  So is his first creation, who calls himself Deucalion, the son of Prometheus.  Frankenstein has never stopped creating artificial people, only now he has far more science available to use.

Hombre by Elmore Leonard (1961) Ballentine 

A man raised by the Apache is on his way with other locals when they are held-up by robbers for a corrupt Indian Agent's stolen money.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (2008) Ace 

First in the Stackhouse mysteries wherein Sookie must navigate her way through becoming enamored of vampires and her brother being accused of murdering their grandmother and a nest of vampires.

Tourist Trap by Julie Smith (1986) Mysterious Press 

Rebecca Schwartz, native San Franciscan and lawyer, must prove the innocence of a former cable car driver accused of multiple murders.

Spell Breaker by Connie Suttle (2018) SubtleDemon 

In the fourth volume of the First Ordinance series, our winged heroine,  must go without her wings back to her original way of being unobtrusive, by not speaking - making those around her think she cannot speak and revealing secrets that can save the universe.

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs (2014) Ace Books

Mercy Thompson, the walker who shifts into a coyote finds herself in a bind.  Her husband, the Alpha Wolf in a werewolf pack, gets an urgent call from his ex - she's being hunted by a man she dated and he is killing people trying to get to her.  Of course, he's not human.

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline (2011) Ballentine

A billionaire who built a virtual world with free access has died without heirs.  His will states that the person who finds three keys and opens the portals associated will get his entire estate.

Brief Cases by Jim Butcher (2018) Ace 

The Dresden files - previously uncollected short stories - Bigfoot's son, and other character points of view.  Like reading a Dresden story on speed dating.

-          A Fistful of Warlocks

-          B is for Bigfoot

-          AAAA Wizardry

-          I was a Teenage Bigfoot

-          Curses

-          Even Hand

-          Bigfoot on Campus

-          Bombshells

-          Cold Case

-          Jury Duty

-          Day One

-          Zoo Day

Pagan Babies by Elmore Leonard (2000) Delacorte Press

Father Terry Dunn isn't really a priest.  But no one seems to know that.  He left for missionary work in Africa shortly after the other two guys in an illegal cigarette trafficking scheme blamed him for everything when all he did was drive the truck.  Now, five years later, with his uncle, an actual priest he was visiting has died and he was saying mass in place of the old man, when the Hutu's raided the church and slaughtered the Tutsi congregation, he comes back to America, showing pictures of the starving pagan babies to raise money.

The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz (2017) Bantam

Jane Hawk was an FBI agent married to a Full Colonel with a happy life and a son they adored.  Inexplicably one day her husband goes to get something in their bedroom and kills himself.  When she begins to investigate a suspicious rise in unexplained suicides, she gets a threatening phone call.  So she goes underground, first placing her child in the home of a couple who are already off the grid, then she starts hunting these people who are finding a way to control people and convince them to kill themselves.

The Soul Stealer by Alex Archer (2008) Gold Eagle

Annja Creed goes on a potential archeological dig in Siberia. But the local town has to deal with a legendary monster that hunts at night.

Shakespeare's Counselor by Charline Harris (2001) Minotaur Books

Lily Bard is trying to become a licensed private eye and get her psychological problems under control.  But the counselor has problems of her own.

Phantom Prey by John Sandford (2009) G.P. Putnam’s Sons 

Lucas Davenport is coerced into investigating a cold case.  It turns into a serial murder case as a result, leading to a surprise ending.

Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews (2013) Scribner

A ballerina is intentionally injured by a competitor and wreaks her revenge.  Then she is offered a way to keep her mother in their apartment by becoming a spy. She is sent to Sparrow school, where she is trained to seduce foreign diplomats so they can be blackmailed to give up state secrets.

Black Wing by Connie Suttle (2018) SubtleDemon Publishing 

Quin becomes embroiled in intrigue and love.  The Avii commander, the Elf King, her protectors, and those she heals and saves - all want to be her lover.  But foremost in her mind is to find and kill the being who blew-up the world where she was raised.

Keeper by Connie Suttle (2018) SubtleDemon Publishing 

Finder becomes Quin and her wings are like no one else.  She is outcast by a jealous woman to the Avii, other winged folk, who kill half-breeds on sight.  But the Orb seems to know and use her, though she has no idea why. 

Finder by Connie Suttle (2018) SubtleDemon Publishing

A little unexplained orphan girl lives in the pantry of a King's kitchen where she helps but does not speak.  This is the adventure of a girl with unexplained abilities to find anything and that's just one of the things she can do in a vicious world of political intrigue.

Secondborn - Amy Bartol (2017) 47North 

Firstborns rule.  Secondborn children are automatically transitioned into the army to protect the firstborn.  Now, during a rebellion, a secondborn, Roselle, spares an enemy, making her a traitor.  Can she survive?

 Glimmer of Hope by Steve McHugh (2018) 47North

A young woman accidentally activates an ancient scroll and finds she is an umbra, part human, part spirit group, part demon.

Locked Rooms by Laurie R King (2005) Bantam

Mary Russel and Sherlock Holmes, her husband, visit her family's home in San Francisco so she can settle some of the estate.  She has nightmares that include a locked room that she knows is there.  She has to confront her past, the earthquake, the accident that killed her parents and brother and the lodge her father and his friend built.

The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz (2016) Dutton

Told in tales like Chaucer, a greyhound saves the life of a little baby, but her owners think she slew the baby and kill her.  When they find the snake and the live baby, they bury the dog in the forest and mark the grave.  Soon the dog is treated like a local saint.  But the church is suspicious of such behavior and send out an inquisitor to stamp out such belief.  When the girl is about ten, she visits the grave and the dog is sitting on top waiting for her.  In the meantime, in a Jewish village, some teenage boys set the village on fire and one mother kicks a hole in the back of her mud hut and tells her boy to run and meet up with her in Saint Denis.  At the same time a very large boy, one whose father was a lord and mother was an African Muslim, is told the monastery can no longer afford to feed him and sends him to Saint Denis.  A group of knights come to the little girls village to take her and the dog away for trial in Saint Denis.  And the adventure begins - all stories told in an inn.

Freaky Deaky by Elmore Leonard (1988) Arbor House

An officer in Detroit, assigned to the bomb squad, asks for a transfer to satisfy his girlfriend.  He ends-up in sex crimes, she kicks him out, which gets him suspended since he doesn't have an address in Detroit.  In the meantime, a man and a woman who used to know each other in the old, protest movement days, conspire to con someone they knew who in inherited millions by scaring him with bombs.  Bombs kill people and our ex-cop hopes to catch the killers and get his job back.  

The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham (2010) Vertigo (5/2)

Two comic/graphic novel series combined with an end of the world theme

Sandman: World's End by Neil Gaiman (2012) Vertigo

The final installment of Sandman with only a couple of cameos from the main character - this set questions reality

The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke (1987) Henry Holt & Co.

Dave Robicheaux, a Lieutenant in the New Orleans Police department struggles with the death of a young woman in another Parrish that is written-off as a drowning death.  He is sure it was a murder and checking into the case causes a lot of bad guys to come out of the woodwork - even his partner.  When his brother gets shot, he goes after the mobster who was supposed to be his friend.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (2010) Knopf 

Pulitzer prize winner - slices of life in the world of record music

Provenance by Alex Archer (2008) Gold Eagle

Annja Creed finds herself drawn in with a mystery artifact that people are killing to control.

Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris (2000) Minotaur Books

Lily Bard's customer is the town trollop - Lily finds her dead in her car in the woods.  But the scene is too perfect.  

4th of July by James Patterson (2005) Little Brown & Co.

The Lieutenant chases a couple of teens joyriding away from a murder scene, they crash the car and Lyndsey and her partner holster their guns to help the kids from the burning vehicle, but the kids pull their own guns and shoot them.  From the ground, Lyndsey shoots back, killing the girl and permanently disabling the boy.  The result is a wrongful death lawsuit against Lyndsey and the police department.  While waiting for trial in Half Moon Bay, a series of murders occurs there.  Lyndsey is torn between waiting for a trail and wanting to solve a case out of her jurisdiction.  

Night Shift by Charlaine Harris (2016) Ace 

The residents of Midnight, TX have to deal with a demon who has been trapped at the crossroads for 250 years.  The Reeds' secret purpose is revealed, Etruscan writing is interpreted, Manfred meets his grandfather and great-grandfather, and Mr. Snuggly proves to be the King of the Magic Jungle

The Atopia Chronicles by Matthew Mather (2014) 47North

Near the end of the century, man has ffound a way to split his mind and explore his imagination in a multiverse.  Atopia is an independent city state floating in the Pacific Ocean.  But someone is trying to destroy Atopia and everything it stands for.

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (1992) Bloomsbury

A modern classic of English literature - the 'patient' is a story about a Hungarian who helped the Germans in WWII.  A former cartographer, he fell in an ill-fated love affair with a colleague's wife and suffered burns over his whole body in an airplane crash.  The Bedouin transported him to a British hospital in Cairo and from there he was transferred north until he reached a field hospital in Italy in a Villa.  There we meet a nurse, a thief and a sapper.

Won the Booker Prize.

Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb (1997) Berkeley Books

Lieutenant Dallas finds herself at the focal point of a series of murders in retaliation for the deaths of six murderers from twenty years ago - deaths done in vengeance by her husband. 

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton (2018) Harper 

A view of the times of Custer and Deadwood where the viewpoint character is a spoiled rich kid joining an archaeological expedition as a photographer and finds the teeth of a brontosaurus.

Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris (1998) Minotaur Books 

A little girl was stolen as an infant eight years ago.  Our heroine, the tough Ms. Bard goes home for her sister's wedding and finds her beau is checking into three girls the right age, including the daughter of her soon to be brother-in-law.

Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K Hamilton (2001) Berkley

Anita Blake returns to St Louis to find havoc has reigned while she was gone - she has to rescue her wereleopard pard, reassert herself as the werewolf pack Lupa and solve the disappearance of several alphas in the community.

Roses are Red by James Patterson (2001) Grand Central Publishing

Different gangs of criminals are killing and robbing banks Alex Cross has to find the mastermind behind all of the crimes.

Artemis by Andy Weir (2017) Ballantine Books

A girl living on the moon in the Artemis colony, saves her city by breaking all the rules 

Every heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (2016) Tor

Where young people go to learn how to move on in this life after returning from a fantastic journey to a world that feels more like home than this one.

Day Shift by Charlaine Harris (2015) Ace

A Midnight, Texas novel wherein our hero, Manfred, does a reading for a favorite client, who drops dead and passes through his connection to her husband.  Her son accuses Manfred of stealing her jewels (which she hid).  At the same time, a young man, growing amazingly fast is brought to town to be looked after by the Rev, who isn't very good at looking after, even if they are both were-tigers.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (2016) Algonquin 

Each year, in the Protectorate, a child must be sacrificed to the Witch.  But one year, the witch, who feeds each child starlight and takes them to a better place and finds good parents, accidentally feeds one child from the moon and keeps her because her magic will be too wild for most people to control.

Mr. Majestyk by Elmore Leonard (2002) Mariner Books 

All he wants to do is get his melon crop harvested and to market.  But he let his temper get away from him when a local hoodlum tries to drive off his workers and replace them with drunks.  He ends up on a bus with a killer whose crew tries to break him out and now he has to deal with that man.

Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher (2006) Ace 

The only human in the world who does not have the ability to capture and train Furies is trained to be a Cursor (spy) and has to draw on his abilities to save the kingdom while the First Lord is unconscious.

The Game - Laurie R King (2004) Bantam 

Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes are recruited by his brother Mycroft to go to India and find one of the country's secret agents who has been out of contact for too long; Kim of Kipling's writings.

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs (2013) Ace

Mercy Thompson, a walker and a coyote, married to the local alpha werewolf, suddenly can't find him - she has to rescue him and the pack.

Maus II a Survivor's Tale - And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman  (1991) Pantheon Books 

A continuation of the earlier work that tells of his father's life in the camps until he is reunited with his wife after the war.

 Maus I a Survivor's Tale - My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman (1991) Pantheon Books (1/14)

The Special Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel about his father and his experiences in World War II going from a successful garment salesman, then evading capture and then into Aushwitz

Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris (1997) St. Martin’s Press

Lily Bard, living in Shakespeare, Arkansas, helps unravel a white supremacist group in her little town and falls for a mysterious detective along the way. 

Daniel X: Watch the Skies by James Patterson & Ned Rust (2009)  Little Brown & Company 

Our hero, Daniel, continues down the list of aliens on Earth. But it is not an easy task and other people start to get involved.

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge (2008) Little Brown & Company 

A young man's parents are killed by an alien and he vows revenge.  He has a list of the most wanted aliens invading Earth - and he has the power to create anything he can imagine.

Best Books I read in 2017:

I read 67 books this year.  These are the best from the list (in the order I read the books).

1.      A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2014) Atria Books

A curmudgeon is retired from his job at the railroad.  His wife was disabled and has died.  He has no reason to go on, though he’s not very good at ending his own life.  Every attempt gets interrupted by his new incompetent neighbors and the man he’s had a long-standing feud with is no longer able to talk, much less do anything.

This is a story about how people need other people.  How life is enriched by family,, including the people around you who don’t have your experience or tenacity.

2.      The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman (2015) William Morrow

A dazzlingly tour-de-force – quite possibly the story masterpiece of one of the world's best writers.  A man wants to know what happened to his little girl and travels on foot to find a guide to take him to the Black Mountains.  What he finds out and how he deals with the knowledge will change the reader.

3.      The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2008) HarperCollins

A toddler wanders away from his house through a door opened by a murderer and into a graveyard where the murderer cannot find him.  He is raised by the ghosts and protected by a vampire and a werewolf who are members of the Honor Guard of God.  David Copperfield in a weird universe.  Winner of the 2009 Newbery Award.

4.      Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars by Ethan Hawke, Illustrated by Greg Ruth (2016) Grand Central Publishing

Being the true story of Goyahkla (Geronimo), whose chief, Cochise only wanted peace with the white eyes.  Indeh are the dead – from a war that decimated the Apache and their enemies.

5.      Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly (2016) Ballentine Books

Three women go through WWII with different experiences from both side - two women are in Poland, one a doctor's sister who, along with her mother and sister, becomes a POW because her mother was a Jew, one a doctor who is drafted into service at Ravensbruk, the concentration camp for women, where her sense of right and wrong is shattered, making her a war criminal, and a woman in New York who has spent a decade helping French orphans.

6.      Side Jobs by Jim Butcher (2011) Roc

A collection of short stories about Harry Dresden, proving Butcher is as skilled with a short story as he is with novels.

·         “Restoration of Faith” – from Jim-Butcher.com

·         “Publicity and Advertising” – from Jim-Butcher.com

·         “Something Borrowed” – from My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding

·         “It’s My Birthday Too” – from Many Bloody Returns

·         “Heorot” – from My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding

·         “Day Off” – From Blood Lite

·         “Backup” – new

·         “The Warrior” – from Mean Streets

·         “Las Call” – from Strange Brews

·         “Love Hurts” – from Songs of Love and Death

·         “Aftermath” – new

 

7.      The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercranz (2015) Knopf

A continuation of Steig Larson's series about the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I don’t usually read a book where the writer has based it on someone else’s character, but this is so well done, it’s like reading Larson himself.

Lizbeth Salander and Michael Blonkvist join forces once more, to help him create a scoop that will save his Millennium magazine and expose a web of spies and cybercriminals.

8.      The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson (2012) Random House

A North Korean orphan's life under the oppressive regime wherein the son is treated no better than the orphans in spite of his efforts to get a loving response from his father.  He gets to visit the United States and is offered a chance to defect.  Instead, he returns to his homeland to find it is no different than before.  – winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

9.      Raylan by Elmore Leonard (2012) Mariner Books

A trigger-happy U.S. Marshall finds bad guys and dates a bad girl in Harlan County, Kentucky.

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket (1999) HarperCollins 

The orphans are placed with their Uncle Monty, who is a herpetologist, but when his replacement assistant turns out to be Count Olaf, things get more unfortunate

A Wanted Man by Lee Child (2012) Delacorte Press 

Reacher finds himself wanted simply because he's on some video footage of a man who disappeared - but when he looks into it, there are other people who disappear

Serpent's Kiss by Alex Archer (2008) Gold Eagle 

Annja Creed, an archaeologist with Joan of Arc's sword fights vampires who believe they are gods.

River Marked by Patricia Briggs (2011) Ace Books 

Mercy Thompson, the coyote walker and car mechanic, fights an ancient fae living in a river and devouring tourists.

Raylan by Elmore Leonard (2012) Mariner Books 

A U.S. Marshall finds the bad guys and dates a bad girl in Harlan County, Kentucky.

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson (2012) Random House 

A North Korean orphan's life under the oppressive regime – winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K Hamilton (2000) Ace 

Anita Blake, a vampire executioner is called to pay a favor to her darkest friend.

Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher (2004) Ace 

A world where most people can train 'furies' to do their bidding - it's also a world threatened by other types of beings who were the natives of the world.

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris (2014) Ace 

A town in the southwest where a variety of supernatural beings are trying to live peacefully in a world where evil lurks in the hearts of ordinary people.

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercranz (2017) Knopf 

In this episode, our heroine, Libeth Salander takes on the NSA as she reaches for her own past.  She makes a lot of enemies by doing what is right, and looking into things other people will kill to keep quiet.  And she finds her twin sister, the evil one.

The Concrete Blond by Michael Connelly (1994) Little Brown 

Bosch is on trial for having killed a serial murderer, and then a note, like the serial killer used, comes to the police station and points out where a victim was buried, unlike all the other victims, a blond under the concrete in a burned-out storage unit.

The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercranz (2015) Knopf 

A continuation of Steig Larson's series about the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I don’t usually read a book where the writer has based it on someone else’s character, but this is so well done, it’s like reading Larson himself.

Lizbeth Salander and Michael Blonkvist join forces once more, to help him create a scoop that will save his Millennium magazine and expose a web of spies and cybercriminals.

Win by Vera Nazarian (2017) Norilana Books 

A heroine finds herself surprised that the Crown Prince chooses her as his consort bride.  But she is more surprised that the Imperiator wishes to grant her desire to compete in the deadly games.  

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs (2010) Ace Books 

A borrowed book leads to fey trying to kill Mercy Thompson and her mate, the alpha werewolf is hurt, then challenged through the manipulation of a coward.

Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris (1996) St. Martin’s Press 

A free-lance housekeeper, who studies marshal arts, with a horrible secret in her past, finds a body in the town of Shakespeare, Arkansas.

Warrior Spirit by Alex Archer (2007) Gold Eagle 

Annja Creed, with Joan of Arc's sword, helps a Japanese ninja find a family relic

Compete by Vera Nazarian (2015) Norilana Books 

Refugees from Earth have qualified to be saved by the Atlanteans, but taking the year-long journey requires training - in driving a space shuttle - the best scores will help determine the jobs these refugees can have once they land.  

Qualify by Vera Nazarian (2014) Norilana Books 

Earth will be destroyed by an asteroid that is too big to move off path - this is what the residents of Atlantis have returned from their far-off planet tell us - only teenagers can withstand the journey through space and there is only room for so many - so they must qualify for a position on the space fleet.  Can a nerd and her siblings qualify?

Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson (1999) Little Brown & Co. 

Alex Cross and his fiancé are engaged in a twisted mystery with a British diplomat who uses the courtroom as well as his murder weapon.

True Life Adventure by Julie Smith (1985) Mysterious Press 

Paul McDonald is a ghost writer – for a private detective.  When the man is murdered, Paul becomes the prime suspect and the next target.

Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer (2012) Train Renoir Publishing 

Earth passes through a comet tail that makes the moon look purple and causes a pandemic that kills older teens and adults.  Abby Leigh and her little brother and her baby sister hide on a small island off the coast of Maine.  But Abby is facing adolescence and that could mean her death.

3rd Degree by James Patterson (2004) Little Brown & Co.

A member of the Women’s Murder Club is hiding a secret – one that could get all of them killed.

Side Jobs by Jim Butcher (2011) Roc 

A collection of short stories about Harry Dresden:

-          Restoration of Faith

-          Publicity and Advertising

-          Something Borrowed

-          It’s My Birthday Too

-          Heorot

-          Backup

-          The Warrior

-          Las Call

-          Love Hurts

-          Aftermath

Cold Days by Jim Butcher (2013) Roc 

Harry finds himself bound as the winter knight to Mab, the queen of air and darkness.  He has to follow her orders to kill an immortal and prevent an apocalypse while keeping his sanity.

The Killing Dance by Laurell K Hamilton (2006) Berkley

Anita Blake is being hunted by professional hit men.  A bounty of $500,000 is on her head.  She turns to an alpha werewolf and a master vampire to help.  But is that any better?

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher (2012) Roc 

Harry Dresden is shot and left to die in Lake Michigan.  Then things get worse.  Now he has to find his murderer and save his friends without body or powers while avoiding the ghosts who want to make him suffer.

Secret of the Slaves by Alex Archer Gold Eagle 

Annja Creed is looking for a lost city in the Brazilian jungle.  Slaves were rumored to have found eternal youth.  But the place is not for outsiders and the entire jungle seems to be against intruders.

Changes by Jim Butcher (2010) Roc 

An old lover of Harry Dresden is back after she was attacked and turned by vampires of the bloody red court.  She has spent her time trying to kill all of the red court, but her niece is in their hands and she needs Harry’s help.

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs (2009) Ace

A vampire is slain by Mercy Thompson, so the vampire queen is out for revenge.  But Mercy is protected by the local werewolf pack, so the queen focuses on them.

The Bounty Hunters by Elmore Leonard (1954) Houghton Mifflin 

A novel that set standards for other western books.  David Flynn, a former scout sees the Apache as something more than a savage.  There are the rurales, former bandits who are considered the local police, but are out to rob whomever they can.  And there are  the bounty hunters who are paid for scalps of Apaches or Mexicans being passed-off as Indians.  Some of the bounty hunters are just plain murderers who want to kill all native Americans, no matter what tribe. 

The Grand Banks Cafe by Georges Simenon (1938) Gallimard 

Maigret and his wife take a holiday at Fécamp, Normandy.  While there, he looks into a murder of a ship’s captain.  Like all Maigret mysteries, his approach is to take in the scene and the people involved.  Once he knows all that, he follows his instinct and uncovers the motives of people involved, then life goes on.

 

I could only find the original French through the Internet Archive.  You can also get it in English from Penguin.

Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb (1997) Berkley 

Eve Dallas investigates the death of a fellow police officer.  When a dead body is left outside her home, it becomes personal.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2001) William Morrow 

When the old gods are no longer worshipped, where did they go?  In this book, they came to America.

An ex-con going by the name of Shadow, is released, but just before that, his best friend and his wife died in a car accident.  Then, on the way home, he is hired by a stranger, a Mr. Wednesday, as a bodyguard, a driver and occasional errand boy.  What he doesn’t know is that the man is really who we named the middle of our work week for.  And Odin/Wednesday is trying to organize things with the gods over here.  A wild ride through the alliances and enemies of the Norse gods.

A Wanted Man by Lee Child (2012) Bantam Press 

Reacher hitches a ride, unknown to him, a man has been murdered in a place where the car came from.  This ties him into a conspiracy that the police and FBI are reaching to find all the conspirators.

Turn Coat by Jim Butcher (2009) Roc 

Harry Dresden is called upon by his least favorite wizard, the warden of the white council of wizards.  He’s known for executing wizards who break the rules and he’s had his eye on Harry for years.  Now, he’s been accused of treason against the council.  Harry has to find the real traitor and avoid becoming a victim himself.

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly (2016) Ballentine Books 

Three women go through WWII with different experiences from both side - two women are in Poland, one a doctor's sister who, along with her mother and sister, becomes a POW because her mother was a Jew, one a doctor who is drafted into service at Ravensbruk, the concentration camp for women, where her sense of right and wrong is shattered, making her a war criminal, and a woman in New York who has spent a decade helping French orphans.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (2017) William Morrow 

Gaiman never ceases to amaze.  This is a story about an upright, naïve man helping a young woman who is hurt and finds himself in a world behind our world on an adventure.

God of Thunder by Alex Archer (2007) Gold Eagle

Someone is going to great lengths to find the Hammer of Thor. Annja Creed finds this out when she collects a package from a colleague.  He has been murdered, and the killers think Annja has what they wanted from him.

The Unbroken Line of the Moon - Johanne Hildebrandt (2014) Amazon Crossing 

A well-researched historical novel about real people in the early days of the Danes, Geats and Swedes.