Rapid reads

Radio personality Charlie D hosts ex-escort Misty de Vol Burgh on a special Valentine's Day show, but the mood turns grim when a caller warns of a plot to kill prostitutes across the country at the rate of one per hour.

Letty Dobesh, a petty thief, has the oppurtunity to steal an original Van Gogh.

Delicate, expressive hands...long, graceful legs...One man is looking for his perfect woman--and he'll stop at nothing until he finds her.LOVE YOU TO DEATHIt's been days since reporter Elise McBride has heard from her sister, Ashley. She's convinced Ashley has met with some kind of foul play, especially when she learns that bodies of other missing women have surfaced in and around Chicago--all victims of a brutal serial killer. Convinced her sister is still alive, Elise vows to risk everything to save her...The last thing ex-cop Trent Brady needs is more blood on his hands. Yet when he catches Elise breaking into her sister's house, full of reckless determination and fear, he knows she needs his help. But just as desire ignites between them, a twisted madman sets his sights on Elise. Hell-bent on possessing her for himself, this psychopath won't rest until he has his perfect woman.

"Cookie is about to lose her job at the local bakery. She dreams of owning her own bakery but doesn't think she has the skills or money to do it. Most of all, she doesn't have the self-confidence. When she takes a course at the local college, she finds she has much more going for her than she imagined. With the help of her community, she figures out how to make sure no one has to go without her famous doily cookies for long!"--Amazon.com.

"Small-town journalist Claire Abbott has a sixth sense, what the fire chief calls a 'radar for crime.' When a young woman goes missing on a nature trail, Claire is first on the scene. The clues to the woman's whereabouts are misleading, but Claire knows she can find the girl. Trusting her intuition, Claire embarks on a snowy chase up a mountainside. She's more than just a journalist chasing a story. Claire is determined to do the right thing at any cost. Search and Rescue is the first in a series of mysteries featuring journalist Claire Abbott."--Page 4 of cover.

When Lucas Smoke learns the Ojibway art of carving from his grandfather, he proves to be a natural. He can literally make people come to life in wood. Then Lucas's growing reputation attracts a mysterious stranger, who offers him a large advance to carve a spirit mask. This mask is to represent the master, but Lucas must find its face in his dreams. As his dreams become more and more disturbing, he feels himself changing. And the mask takes control of his life. Then a chance encounter with an old woman introduces him to the identity of the master. He is an ancient sorcerer named Him Standing, a powerful and dark wizard. The more Lucas works on the mask, the closer Him Standing comes to emerging from the dream world to walk the earth again. What follows is a race against time and the forces of evil in this supernatural thriller.

Tony Duchenne has a change of heart and tries to stop a hired assassin from killing Aloysius Morane, but he is too late. What can he do when he finds himself merely a spectator?

"Cree Thunderboy has two things he does well: he plays a mean blues guitar, and he has a knack for picking winning horses at the track. Picking winners is just a means to an end; Cree's goal is to be the next great bluesman. When he meets Win Hardy, it looks like he might be able to parlay his special skill with the horses into a shot at the fame and fortune he seeks. So long as he can pick the next sure thing."--P. of cover.

Events on Charlie D's radio show take a bizarre turn when one of his callers threatens to kill not only himself but also the young daughter of Charlie's on-air guest, who happens to be an expert on death and dying.

"The Shadow Killer is the extraordinary second book in the compelling new series from award-winning Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason, following The Shadow District. ... A man is found murdered in a small apartment in Reykjavík, shot in the head with a pistol. The police's attention is immediately drawn to the foreign soldiers who are on every street corner in the summer of 1941. So begins officers Flóvent and Thorson's investigation, which will lead them down a path darker than either of them expected, and force them to reckon with their own demons." --