Dark Summer by Lizzy Ford

Summer is an orphan who's been kicked out of every school she's attended. When she gets to her new boarding school, she figures it will be the same.  But the school was created for people like her -- people who can channel one or more of the five elements.  And when she meets Decker, future Master of Night and Fire, the connection is strong and dangerous, because Summer will be forced to choose between the dark and light, and fight for her soul.

Dark Summer is strongly plotted with vividly drawn characters. I was bowled over by the ending, which came as a total surprise.  It left me waiting impatiently for the next book, though at least Lizzy Ford had the mercy to write a novella that answers a question or two from the cliffhanger ending!

The Haunted Rectory by Katherine Valentine

The St. Francis Xavier Hookers (they're a rug hooking group -- get your minds out of the gutter) begin work on their new rug for the church's spring raffle, not realizing that with the death of the old pastor, the evil he contained in the rectory has now broken free. It will be up to the new priest, Father Richard Mello, and Jane Edwell, who is hiding her psychic gift, to exorcise the demon once and for all. But they can count on the help of the Hookers, who unite against the threat.

I enjoyed this, though it was a bit odd, kind of a combination of Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote meets the Exorcist. Ms. Valentine has a tendency to tell to much instead of show. For example, Jane acts nervous about the ladies working at the rectory, but instead of revealing Jane's gift gradually through her actions as the plot goes along, the whole thing is explained up front. One of the women becomes possessed, but it's wrapped up quickly at the end and she suffers no lingering trauma, although a young girl who is mentioned in Father Mello's back story, who has also suffered possession, had to be committed to an institution even though the exorcism was successful.

In spite of this, I'd recommend it. The camaraderie amongst the ladies rings true and the bits of humor ("Now Vera, don't tease the demon") make it worthwhile.

A Christmas Secret by Anne Perry

Dominic Corde and his wife Clarice are elated when he becomes the temporary vicar of the small village of Cottisham while Reverend Wynter is away on vacation. Everything seems perfect at first. It's a beautiful rural area with warm and welcoming villagers. The couple even entertain hopes that the situation might become permanent. But then Clarice discovers that Reverend Wynter isn't on holiday; something more sinister has transpired.

This is the fourth in Anne Perry's Christmas-themed mysteries, which feature minor characters from her other series. My only problem was, with this one, remembering who Dominic Corde was (he's Charlotte Pitt's former brother-in-law, widowed when her eldest sister is murdered in The Cater Street Hangman -- the first Pitt mystery). He did turn up in another of the series, but it's been almost ten years and it took me awhile to get enough info from this book to remember him.

Not an overly complicated plot, since these Christmas mysteries are more novelettes, but not overly thin either. She manages to give readers several strong suspects and a plausible reason for the murder. Anne Perry has a way with characters. Even her minor ones are fully realized, interesting, and sympathetic people.

Perhaps this won't be as enjoyable to those who have not read the main series first. On the other hand, it serves as a good introduction to her style and, at 208 pages, is a quick and entertaining read.

Death Match by Lincoln Child

The computer dating system at Eden, Inc. guarantees the perfect match. They've never failed to find the ideal life mate for anyone they accept for their service. Although all the couples match high on compatibility, there are the rare "super couples" -- those who match 100%. When one of those couples commits double suicide, the company calls in Christopher Lash, an ex-FBI forensic psychologist, to determine what caused their aberrant behavior. But when a second super couple dies, Lash begins to suspect murder.

Interesting thriller with a strong main character. I found the explanation of the psychological tests interesting, the computer tech less so. Spoiled by a rather predictable ending, though not so implausible given the advances in computer intelligence. Worth reading.