Guilty Minds by Joseph Finder

Joseph Finder writes fast-moving thrillers and believable characters. "Guilty Minds" is a Nick Heller book, and, as usual, the premise is alluring: Heller is engaged to halt a smear campaign, and he only has hours to figure out what's really going on.

Blurb:

The chief justice of the Supreme Court is about to be defamed by a powerful gossip website called Slander Sheet, which specializes in dirt on celebs and politicians. Their top reporter has written an exposé claiming that he had liaisons with an escort, a young woman willing to appear on video and tell the world her salacious yet convincing tale. But the chief justice is not without formidable allies, and his greatest supporter is determined to stop the story in its tracks.
     
Nick Heller is a private spy—a private intelligence operative based in Boston, hired by lawyers, politicians, and even foreign governments. Known as both a maverick and a dedicated, high-powered investigator, he’s called to Washington, DC, to help out in this delicate, potentially explosive situation.
   
Nick has just forty-eight hours to prove the story about the chief justice is baseless. But when the call girl is found murdered, the case takes an unexpected and dangerous turn, and Nick resolves to find the true mastermind behind the Slander Sheet story before anyone else falls victim to the maelstrom of political scandal and ruined reputations predicated upon one carefully concealed secret.   

Moana

"Moana" is so good, it's up there with Shrek and Inside Out and Up when it comes to my favourite animation movies. Here are some of the reasons you should see it:

• It's got a strong female lead, a role model who is concerned about those around her, and not about her looks.
• She's not a princess - she's the chief's daughter.
• It'll make you want to visit the Pacific Islands.
• It'll make you laugh.
• There is a twist in the plot.
• They tried hard to limit the number of songs.

The Gender Experiment by L.J. Sellers

The Gender Experiment by L.J. Sellers is a gripping suspense novel, taking the reader into the dark underbelly of science experiments performed on pregnant women. The book also asks important questions about our attitude towards persons who are gender-fluid (the currently accepted term for people who used to be called hermaphrodites).


Blurb: Taylor Lopez works in a morgue and discovers a statistically highly improbable number of bodies with certain physical characteristics. Teamed up with an ex-journalist, she investigates the deaths. With the clock ticking on Phase 2 of the experiment, can they get to the truth in time to save innocent lives?  

Send in the Clowns by Julie Mulhern

Send in the Clowns by Julie Mulhern is the 4th book in The Country Club Murders series. As usual, it delivers on the promise of 1970s cosy murder mystery set among those richer than many of us: bridge at the country club, designer labels, art, a murder with not too much gory detail, great character development and no swear words.  


This is a perfect holiday read, be it Halloween, Christmas, or any other time of the year when you want to put your feet up and not put the book down until the very last page.


Pure escapism. With who-dun-it elements and a women's lib movement thrown in for fun.