Hello, and welcome back! I hope wherever you are, the weather for your weekend was as beautiful as ours. Not too warm, not too chilly, and bright sun in that fall blue sky. Absolutely gorgeous. I have, however, already broken out the soup pot and set the bread machine back to work, since it was cooler earlier in the week.

This time out, I have Laura Griffin's latest, Thread of Fear (Pocket Star). This kicks off a new duo about the Glass sisters. Fiona has no intention of continuing her work as a forensic artist. She has a gallery show all lined up and nearly ready to go, if the police and F.B.I. would stop calling her in on their cases. This time, it's a missing child. And when she gets back from that grueling trip, Jack Bowman is waiting, wanting her assistance in his small town two hours from her home in Austin, Texas. Years ago, there was an unsolved rape there, and now he's got a dead girl he believes was assaulted by the same man. He just needs some help finding the rapist/murderer. But Fiona knows she gets too deeply attached whenever she takes on another one, whether it's a missing child, or a woman who's been assaulted. Jack, however, is persistent in addition to very attractive, and he won't take no for an answer. Almost before she realizes it, Fiona's in Graingerville to interview Jack's victim. Fiona and Jack share more than the attraction that's between them almost from the first; they're both passionate about their work. Which makes it quite difficult for Fiona to step back when she's done what she agreed to do, and when Jack doesn't encourage any exchange of honest emotions between them. Clearly, he's okay with casual sex, but, despite their chemistry, Fiona is not. Still, even after being hurt by Jack, Fiona can't stay away from the mystery they've worked so hard to solve, and that drive puts her in grave danger. This one is missing the humor of her first two books, which I quite enjoyed. However, this one is still a very good read, delving deep into the characters rather than relying on the suspense to carry the story. I liked Fiona's dedication to her work even when it causes her pain, and Jack's determination to solve his cases, old and new, is appealing, because he's so focused. I do think we might see a little more humor in sister Courtney's book next year, if her behavior in this one is any indication. I'm borrowing three and a half of Cupid's five arrows for this one.

Until next time, happy reading!