Fran's Recommendations...

Empire Falls
Richard Russo

In the small Maine town of Empire Falls, replete with long defunct logging and textile mills, the Whiting clan embarks on its inexorable demise. The family has owned the town and controlled its environnment, economy and inhabitants for generations. Why and how they bring about their own demise unfolds slowly, character by character, incident by incident, year by year.

~I decided to read this after I met the author at a book show. Its cast of quirky characters captures the essence of life in a small New England town. They became so real, I wanted to visit them when I finished the book.

 

Courting Trouble
Lisa Scottoline

Anne Murphy thought she'd put her unhappy past a continent behind her when she joined Philadelphia attorney Bennie Rosato's all-woman law firm. Then a friend who's housesitting for Anne is murdered in what's clearly a case of mistaken identity, and Anne realizes that the past has caught up with her and that the only way to outrun it is to catch the killer before he realizes that she's still alive. But how can Anne play dead with a high-profile case just days away from starting? The only way to pull it off is to let her new colleagues in on the secret, which would mean telling them her other secrets, too, including the fact that she's in love with opposing counsel and the probability that her client may not be as innocent as she thought he was.

~This author has written many suspense novels that feature female detectives that take place in South Philadelphia. Having family there, I am familiar with all the places mentioned in her books. She adds a touch of humor to her characters that makes for enjoyable reading.