The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry

In a return to modern Salem, Brunonia Barry's latest starts with a Halloween death, which sets afire rumors and speculation about witchcraft and occult. Callie, the daughter of a woman murdered 25 years earlier, returns to town amidst the media coverage connecting the tragedies.

Everybody's obsessed all over again with the "Goddess Murders" from 25 years ago: Three women died violently, a child was orphaned, and a respected local scholar required institutionalization for years due to mental upset. The crime was never solved, and it seems to be related to the current death.

Add in a love story or two, some strong personal demons to conquer, and a maybe-mystical-or-maybe-bunk storyline and this is a rich, complex story.

You don't have to have read Barry's other books to enjoy this one - although if you've read The Lace Reader or The Map of True Places you'll recognize the local citizenry.

Angels Burning by Tawni O'Dell

Dove Carnahan has done pretty well for herself despite staying in the town where she grew up - she overcame the shame of her bloodlines, made sure her siblings survived after their mother was murdered, and has become the liked-if-not-always-respected chief of police.

The horrific murder of a local teenager is stirring up all kinds of emotions and memories in Dove, but it's not just the job that's causing her turmoil: the man who went to prison for her mom's murder is back from prison, and her long-lost brother returns with a surprise. A lot of the things she's been trying to forget are springing up right in front of her face.

I've read several of O'Dell's books - she gives great voice to interesting characters with profound struggles in modern-day Appalachia - and I was excited to take this one home. I read it in about 2 sittings, and I really enjoyed the shifts in the story from the modern murder investigation to Dove's teen years.

The Best Man

by Kristin Higgins

The only thing that could have made this a sweeter love story is chocolate.  Faith could be viewed by those around her as a sad character.  She's epileptic, and lost her mother at a young age.  To top that off, she was left at the altar by the man who had claimed to love her since high school.  How was she supposed to know he was gay?  She has always blamed his best friend, Levi for the whole incident, because he appeared to be the only person on the planet who noticed.

After fleeing home for years, Faith has returned to find everyone is just as she left them, except for one.  Levi is now home from the Army, and chief of police.  She can handle the pity, and probably even regain the friendship she's held so dear with her ex.  The real question is, can she forgive the man who was always on the sidelines of her life?

Higgins is one of my favorite authors.  Her tender stories bring a smile, and often a few tears as they are savored like a glass of wine from the Blue Heron winery run by Faith's family. 

Talk me down

Talk me down by Victoria Dahl

More brain candy. In one week without class, I've cruised through four novels. Two were for teens, and two are total fluff. Sometimes we all just need to take a break and find a mountain town to hole up in. The main character in this book does exactly that. Of course, she has a detour into the arms of her childhood crush, who just happens to be the chief of police.