While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax

www.authorwendywax.com

Released: April 2013

I'm a huge fan of the British television series Downton Abbey, so of course it was hard for me to resist this title when I saw it at the bookstore. This latest by Wendy Wax is about how four people desperately in need of friends during the most difficult time periods of their lives bond with one another during viewings of Downton Abbey.

Edward Parker is the concierge of one of the most beautiful, historic apartment buildings in the heart of Atlanta. When British-born Edward notices that a handful of the building's occupants seem a bit lonely and troubled, he organizes a weekly screening party during which he shows episodes of Downton Abbey. It is at these parties that Samantha, Claire, and Brooke meet one another and become the most unlikely group of best friends.

Pearls and Poison by Duffy Brown

www.duffybrown.com

Release Date: March 2014

Pearls and Poison is the third installment in Duffy Brown's "Consignment Shop" cozy mystery series. The series takes place in Savannah, Georgia and features sleuth and heroine Reagan Summerside - the owner of the Prissy Fox consignment shop. Since reading Iced Chiffon, which is book #1 in the series, Brown has been generous enough to have Penguin send me a copy of each new release to review and feature on Dreamworld Book Reviews.

Night Rituals by Gary Paulsen

www.amazon.com

Released: July 1989

I'm a sucker for vintage thriller and suspense novels such as this one. I've had Gary Paulsen's Night Rituals lying around for a few weeks, and decided to read it immediately to take part in the February monthly keyword challenge over at Bookmark to Blog. "Night" is one of February's keywords.

Its gruesome synopsis is what originally drew me to Night Rituals. The novel begins when a janitor at the Denver airport finds a severed boob in an abandoned carry-on bag. Ed "Push" Tincker - the homicide detective assigned to the case - soon learns that a serial killer is cutting up women and scattering their body parts across the western part of the United States. Push also learns that the murderer is trying to follow a crazy ritual that could be satanic, or just merely part of an ancient Indian or South American ritual.

Lydia's Party by Margaret Hawkins

margarethawkins.com

Released: January 2014

Lydia's Party is Margaret Hawkins's third novel, about a middle-aged woman who hosts a belated holiday party every year at the end of January and invites the same group of friends (no men allowed!). Lydia has been hosting her Bleak Midwinter Bash for 20 years, but this year, Lydia plans on breaking some serious news to her friends that may break their hearts.

The first four-fifths of the novel takes place over the course of the weekend during which Lydia throws the party - with most of it being dedicated to Lydia's party-preparation much in the manner of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Although most of the novel is told from Lydia's point of view, there are a few chapters here and there told from the perspectives of Lydia's party guests.