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Murder on Magazine explores the world of young, trafficked sex workers, and corrupt cops. Another excellent book in the Skip Langdon series.

This book, #10 in the Tess Monaghan series, was interesting in that it hardly mentioned, let alone included, anyone in Tess’ family and even Tyner barely made an appearance. Is this because Tess is maturing and gaining confidence and doesn’t need to involve her family support system so much? Not sure, but will be interested to see how it’s handled in the next one.

In this, the final book of the Rei Shimura series, Rei finally resolves her Japan-US identity conflict and recognizes that Hawaii is absolutely where she belongs. Based on real events -- the terrible tsunami that flooded Fukushima and surrounding Japanese countryside, Massey has constructed a masterful tale of deceit, theft, murder, cooperation, and kindness.

A fitting end to the series, although I was sad to see it end.

Ninth in the Tess Monaghan series, Tess is as feisty as ever, but with a little seasoning of maturity. In other words, she occasionally thinks before she blurts out whatever's on her mind.

In this book, an altruistic decision of Tess' boyfriend brings down a world of hurt on Tess and her loved ones, and dumps an unsolved murder in her lap. Hence the title. . .

This book, the sixth in the Beth Haldane series, answers some questions about Beth’s past. It’s a bit different from the previous books in the series, with multiple murders and attempted murders over a fairly lengthy period of time.

And I had to laugh, because the game of bridge features prominently and I really related to Beth, who absolutely didn’t want to learn to play but finally did to please her difficult mother. In my case, it was a grandmother I never got along with who tried to teach me, and against whom I completely rebelled. That was probably 55 years ago, and to this day I refuse to learn. Families can do that to you. . .

Rei’s back in Japan, working undercover as a spy. An interesting look at the way the yakuza gangsters are woven into the fabric of the retail business there.

Another excellent adventure for Tess Monaghan that has her hunting across state lines for a runaway wife and three children while she helps Aunt Kitty plan her wedding and wrestles with her own commitment issues.

It’s not often I get surprised by the ending, but I barely saw this one coming. This story includes a no-holds-barred look at parents who put careers and stuff ahead of paying attention to their kids, and still manages to stay entertaining.

Another fun new-to-me series, this one taking place in a corner of London that likes to pretend it’s a village, and a snooty one at that. Single mom Beth gets hired to assist the archivist at the best boys’ public school (what we would call a private school, but then that’s the English for you). Within hours of starting her new job she stumbles upon a dead body. Well written, and Beth is charming. Besides, at five-foot-nothing, she and I have a lot in common.

This may be my favorite of the Rei Shimura series. Rei gets recruited by a highly specialized, secret government organization to do some spying for them, back in Japan. It features excitement, betrayal, putting together unexpected puzzle pieces, and a look at the world of Middle Eastern and Japanese pottery, ancient and modern.