There’s plenty of drama and tension in this column's selections, including an interesting take on the struggle for civil rights, a police procedural to solve multiple deaths, and a dysfunctional family circling their wagons to protect their own. Terry McMillan rises up with her novel of a middle-aged woman juggling many personal problems while pondering whatever happened to those guys she once loved. The author's I Almost Forgot About You is my pick of the month. Ellis, Shelly. Bed of Lies: A Chesterton Scandal Novel. Dafina: Kensington. May 2016. 298p. ISBN 9781617734038. pap. $9.95; ebk. ISBN 9781617734045. F This companion novel to Best Kept Secrets revisits the Murdoch family of Chesterton, VA. Evan Murdoch, CEO of Murdoch Conglomerate, has worked things out with fiancée Leila, and the couple eagerly anticipates a happy marriage in a blended family with Leila’s daughter, Izzy. But their joy is marred when Evan’s brother, Terrance, is almost killed in a car accident that leaves him blinded in one eye and his leg shattered. Baby sister, Paulette, isn’t immune to family drama; hoping to repair her marriage after an affair, she struggles to cover up her pregnancy. She can’t figure out who’s the father. Worse yet, half brother Dante Turner, who is a lawyer, decides to get a piece of the Murdoch fortune by suing Terrence. And then there’s Chesterton Times reporter C.J. Aston, who wants to air the Marvelous Murdochs’ dirty laundry in an exposé, but her impartial judgement becomes a bit murky. Whew, the drama just won’t stop! Talk about stress! VERDICT Lusty bedroom scenes, blackmail, jealousy, revenge, rage, and murder keep the pages turning easily. Soap opera fans will love this solid work by an author who continues to shine. Johnson, Carrie H. Hot Flash. Dafina: Kensington. Jun. 2016. 265p. ISBN 9781496703996. pap. $15; ebk. ISBN 9781496704009. F Johnson’s first novel is a mix of thriller and police procedural that takes readers to the mean streets of North Philly. Muriel Mabley, 49 years old and suffering hot flashes, wonders if she’s too old for her job as a firearms forensic expert. She has little time to ponder that problem when all hell breaks loose. Her sister disappears, her partner becomes a rogue cop, her lover Calvin is seriously injured in a car wreck, and intruders break into her home. Plus, there are a couple of apparently unsolvable murders. It seems everyone in Muriel’s life has a longtime connection to Black Mafia kingpin Jesse Boone, who now wants a quick fix of $2 million. Muriel feels she can’t trust anyone except her BFF Dulcey who always has Muriel’s back and often steals the scene with priceless trash talk. VERDICT There are plenty of thrills here for suspense junkies, but the overcomplicated plot and accompanying twists may turn off some readers. Scenes zip from one crime to another with Muriel bursting into the picture without any logistical problems. What? There are no construction or traffic snarls in Philadelphia? Still, this is a solid effort by a new author. The next Muriel Mabley adventure is due out in the summer of 2017. Nicholas, Denise. Freshwater Road. Bolden: Agate. Apr. 2016. 346p. ISBN 9781572841956. pap. $15; ebk. ISBN 9781572847811. F This reissue of actress Nicholas’s (Room 222; In the Heat of the Night) debut novel, first published in 2005, is a coming-of-age tale set during the Freedom Summer of 1964. College student Celeste Tyree takes a 24-hour train journey from Ann Arbor, MI, to Jackson, MS, to help register African Americans to vote in the small town of Pineyville. She soon learns how dangerous a task this is when shortly after her arrival three volunteers (Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman) go missing. Celeste is alarmed by Whites Only signs and is further vexed when handed a kerosene lamp to illuminate the path to an outhouse. Meanwhile, in Detroit, Shuck, her father and a numbers man, realizes the middle-class jobs for blacks are beginning to fade. VERDICT Nicholas writes with historical accuracy about the physical and emotional cost of being an African American in 1964, when a minor misstep could lead to an arrest or a beating. Celeste, a young woman unsure of her future, transforms into a strong activist who puts aside her personal issues and sacrifices herself for others. This is a fine example of African American literary fiction that should appear on advanced high school reading lists. A great novel to feature during February, Black History Month.